“Yes, I do,” he stated immediately. “And you’re right not to do so. It’s unsafe.”

I rolled my eyes.

He always talked on the phone in his car and not just in his Bluetooth ear thingie.

“So I’ll let you go,” he finished.

“Great. Thanks. That’d be nice.”

“We’ll talk more later.”

I hoped not.

“Goodbye, Aaron.”

“’Bye, honey.”

Ulk.

I hung up, tossed the phone on the seat next to me, grabbed my keys, and before anything else could happen or I could talk myself out of doing what I was going to do, I opened the door, threw my leg out, and hauled myself out of my car.

Quickly, I dashed across the street and up the drive.

Thankfully, Joker’s dad parked his truck outside. I didn’t know why, he had a garage, but he did.

Which was good for me.

So I did what I needed to do.

I went to the passenger’s side (the driver’s side could be seen from the house and the curtains were open), got my key firm in position in my hand, then I dragged the tip hard against the steel from the back gate along the bed across the passenger door and up the entire fender, the paint curling away as I did.

I stopped, took my key away and stared at the mark.

There.

Done.

Did I feel better?

It was immature and a little crazy, but I absolutely did.

I grinned to myself, turned to dash back to my car, and stopped dead.

“Right on,” Tabby muttered, staring at the mark.

“What now?” Tyra asked, looking at me.

“Girl, broad daylight, you crazy?” Elvira asked, also looking at me.

“Love the booties,” Lanie noted, looking at my boots.

“Wh-what are you guys doing here?” I asked, staring at them standing three feet from me in Joker’s dad’s driveway.

“Followed your ass,” Elvira said, “Girls’ night out when you’re all cozied up with your biker, playin’ house, haven’t pulled that tube top out for weeks?” She shook her head. “We ain’t stupid. That tube top is insurance just in case you get hauled in, Joker has to bail you out, he sees you in that top, he doesn’t spank your ass for bein’ stupid except in a way you like it.”

I hadn’t really thought it out that fully.

Though I wished I had. Joker hadn’t taken naughty to that level, but I found the thought intriguing.

“So… what now?” Tyra asked.

“Did you bring a bag of poo?” Lanie asked.

“Of… what?” I asked.

“Poo,” Lanie said, “To light it on fire and knock on his door.”

“Poo?” Tabby queried derisively then looked to me. “I got a lighter and we can light something on fire, but we’ll call the fire department before we do it.”

“And, say, do that shit when it’s not evening, it’s night, so we don’t still have sunlight and every eye in the ’hood isn’t on us,” Elvira put in.