Page 73 of It Runs in the Family

“Then why was cutie here getting a couple of beers?”

“To-go orders?” Mary Ellen said hopefully.

“Uh-huh.” I couldn’t see his face, but his tone made it clear he didn’t buy it. His fingers squeezed even tighter. “Why are y’all askin’ about Tommy T?”

Mary Ellen’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Who the hell is Tommy T?”

Ava closed her eyes in resignation, then opened them. She shot me a dark glare before smiling up at the guy and batting her eyelashes. “Ignore our little cousin here. She knows not what she does. She’s touched in the head.”

“Why’s she so interested in Tommy T?” the guy barked.

Ava pinned me with a look, holding my gaze as she spoke to the guy. “Because she’s trying to find our cousin Selena, who owes Astrid here”—she motioned to me—“a hundred bucks, and Astrid wants it back.”

The guy released my shoulder. “She stole from you too?” he asked, sounding less threatening.

“That’s Selena for you,” Ava said. “We’ve told Astrid a million times you can’t trust her, but what can you do?” She held up her hands, palms up. “She only sees the best in people.”

The guy took a step away from me. “Well, if you find the bitch, tell ’er Tommy T’s lookin’ for her too.”

The realization of who he was bled through me from head to toe as I shifted to face him. “You’re Tommy T.”

His gaze burned through me. “Never said I was.”

“What did she steal?” I asked.

His body vibrated with the hint of violence. “Somethin’ that didn’t belong to her.” He nodded toward the door. “Now get out of here.”

The girls were perched on the end of their seats and didn’t waste time getting to their feet.

“We’re truly sorry that our cousin disturbed you,” Ava said, moving sideways as she grabbed my elbow and tugged. “Our condolences on your loss.”

“Yeah,” Mary Ellen said, backing up, probably because she didn’t want to turn her back on him. She’d obviously learned from my mistake. “Our condolences.”

I didn’t say anything as Ava dragged me out the door. When we exited the building, I was momentarily blinded by the bright sunlight, but I guessed Mary Ellen’s poor vision was to her advantage in this situation, because she didn’t waste any time booking it to their car.

Neither one of them said anything as we buckled up. Mary Ellen backed the car up and pulled out of the parking lot, sending gravel shooting behind us. I could hear it ping off metal, and I hoped it didn’t put dents into any of the vehicles we’d left in our wake.

We were a few minutes down the road when Mary Ellen asked, “You don’t see anyone following us, do you?”

She’d been checking her rear view mirror every ten seconds, so I wasn’t sure how someone could have snuck up on us. Then again, she was legally blind.

I turned around and scanned the road behind us. “No.”

Ava pushed out a loud sigh of relief, then whipped her head back to glance at me. “What in the hell were you thinkin’ askin’ about Tommy T?”

“I didn’t mean any harm by it, obviously,” I protested. “I knew Selena went out there with him, so I figured I’d ask. I had no idea she’d stolen from him.”

“That’s what she does, Iris,” Ava said dryly. “Her relationships end because she either cheats or steals, often both. Things never end well in Selena’s relationships, so asking her ex about her at Bueller’s was downright foolish.”

She had a point, but I was too stubborn to admit it. “You two insisted Bueller’s was safe.”

“To sit and have a drink, minding our own business,” Ava countered. “Not go around askin’ questions. We stay in our booth, drink our beer, then leave. They leave us alone, and we leave them alone.”

“Well, you could have told me the rules before we went in,” I grumbled.

“That’s what made you agreeable to go with us,” Mary Ellen said, disappointment heavy in her voice. “You planned to ask about Selena’s ex all along.”

Guilty as charged, but I didn’t see any reason to admit it. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”