“You should be careful with that one, Isis. Something’s not right about him.” T. J. was probably working on his stealth moves, because I never heard him approach me.
“Too many things are not right lately, T. J. Angelito is just the icing on my problems.” I was watching Angelito climb into his F-150 truck. Something was seriously wrong with him.
“Oh, I didn’t know you were dating him.”
I had made the fatal mistake of popping a fry into my mouth when T. J. was speaking. I was choking on it.
“Isis, are you OK?” He was gently tapping my back. I prayed he wouldn’t try to give me the Heimlich.
I took a big gulp of my tea. “God help me, no. He’s the grandson of my boss. Nothing more, thank God.”
“Oh, sorry. No need to die over it.” He was still smiling at me. “But still, stay away from him. Whatever he’s on, it’s pretty strong.” T. J. walked away with a rag in his hand. He started wiping down tables. I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye.
I was sure whatever Angelito was on could not be purchased at any normal market. I needed to do something, but I wasn’t sure what exactly. This could be another trap. Anytime Angelito was involved, it was hard to guess. I also needed to head back home and work on that recording. The one thing I was pretty sure of was that Saturday was going to be a huge day. And T. J. was right—I had barely finished half of my plate. I devoured my pie. I was feeling a little guilty for having lunch and not checking if the boys had any. I walked over to the counter to order them something.
“T. J., could I order two plates to go, please?”
He looked at me, very confused. “Wow, that’s a first. You barely finished your lunch.”
“I got roommates now—my stepbrother and a cat. I forgot to check with them before ordering.” Bartholomew could be my stepbrother, and Constantine was still a cat. A talking cat, but a cat nevertheless. So I wasn’t lying, not too much.
T. J. just smiled. “Wow. No wonder your week has been crazy. Do they eat meat?”
I nodded as I stared at the menu, confused. I was feeling like a newbie.
“Let me help. How about brisket plate with beans and potato salad? A house favorite. Not sure what you should feed a cat.
“Just give me another brisket plate with everything.”
“For a cat?” T. J. was giving me an incredulous look.
“Hey, he comes from a very spoiled household. I’m not taking any chances for a mutiny now.” I tried to smile.
“Whatever you say, Isis. You are the greatest roommate ever. Where were you when I was looking for mine?”
“Thank you; you’re my hero.” Fortunately for me, T. J. dropped the conversation.
T. J. smiled, and this time I swore his eyes were sparkling. I paid him and was out of Big Jake’s in less than ten minutes. After all my food, I wanted a nap. How was I going to write music about napping when I was falling asleep? I would probably knock myself out in the process.
Chapter 29
The lights on the first floor were all on. Nobody was in the gym area, so I wasn’t sure what was going on. I parked Bumblebee next to the Deathmobile and walked around to grab the food from the backseat. Constantine and Bartholomew were coming out of the shooting area. They were deep in conversation.
“What are you two talking about? You look very suspicious.” I struggled to close the door while holding the food and drinks.
Bartholomew looked up and ran over to help me. “What are you carrying?” He closed the door and grabbed the drinks.
“Lunch. I wasn’t sure if you two had eaten already.” Bartholomew and I started heading toward the stairs. Constantine was smelling the air as he followed us.
“Nope. We got a new shipment in, and we were taking inventory.” Bartholomew was eyeing the bag as carefully as Constantine. Food was going to be their downfall.
“The missiles are missing, but at least all the smoke grenades got here on time.”
I tripped on a step. I looked at Constantine in shock. “Missiles? Grenades? I thought we couldn’t kill anyone.”
Bartholomew and Constantine were up the stairs and heading inside by the time I recovered.
“We can’t—unless it’s self-defense, of course. Unfortunately, this is war. They attacked you first. Repercussions are in in order.” Constantine was scary when he was mad.
“No wonder the world fears us. When provoked, we’re ruthless.” This was serious stuff going on.
“We’ll never start anything. As long as people don’t interfere with our job, we leave things alone. The moment the line is crossed, we will destroy them.” Bartholomew put the drinks on the table. I knew it was irrational, but I felt sorry for those witches.
“What’s for lunch?” Thank God for Bartholomew. At least he was focused on the present.
“Brisket with beans and potato salad.”
They both were staring at me, mouths wide open.
“Isis, are you feeling OK?” Constantine jumped on the table to get a closer look at me.
“Yeah, Isis, are you all right? When did you start eating meat?” Bartholomew was ready to take my temperature.
I laughed. “It’s not for me, you silly boys. I already had lunch.”
“Oh, wow. You were scaring us.” Constantine sat on the table, relieved.
I shook my head, still amused, and placed the food in front of them. I grabbed a bowl with water for Constantine. We all settled into our respective seats. Like most people, once we claimed a seat, we continued to sit in the same spot—Constantine at the head; Bartholomew to the left, closest to the computer; and me on the opposite side, closer to the kitchen.
Bartholomew took the first bite. “Wow, this is really good.” He was all smiles. Constantine
