“You got to go to the wedding?” whined Hannah.
“The wedding is not the issue here,” Dante kissed each fingertip on Harley’s hand, “the honeymoon is and you and your men are holding us up from getting started.”
With the snap of his finger, a large guard came forward with a scanner, something she’d seen her sister use for her wedding and baby registries. An infrared light scanned their faces via remote control. Harley inhaled deeply and prayed the equipment to be faulty. The man grimaced as the machine processed the data. Harley took him more for a bouncer than a geek squad complete with bells and whistles. Since she wasn’t on the narcotics squad and knew none of their people, she didn’t have anyone to vouch for her. Makana suggested before that she should try to get on with the police department’s drug squad, but with her limited photography it was highly unlikely to get a job like her current one without having to compromise her position with Special Tasks.
Beeps filled the silence between them. “Yo, they’re clean, Christopher,” the man confirmed with a deep upstate voice.
Harley wondered if Christopher got his equipment from the flea market. The scan should have at least shown she worked for the local police department as a homicide photographer. “Well now that’s settled,” she pulled her fingers from Dante’s grip and began to rise, “can we go?”
“Eager to start the honeymoon, eh?” Christopher cocked his head toward Harley but directed his question to Dante.
Dante waved his hand down the curve of her hips, “You can understand.”
Still in his seat, Christopher nodded his head. “I get you, muchacho. What I don’t get is how you plan on starting this honeymoon with two tag-a-longs? A kid and a friend?”
“We planned on dropping them off,” Dante answered.
“I’m the designated babysitter,” said Roman.
“I don’t need a babysitter!” snapped Hannah.
If Harley weren’t standing, she would have kicked her niece. The closest thing she could do was give her the ‘look.’ She’d perfected the glare from her mother, raising her haughty eyebrow and thinning her lips. Between her and her brother fidgeting and passing licks during church, she’d mastered it. Hannah took the hint and clamped her mouth shut.
As the door opened, bells on the top jingled, and blinded everyone at the table with the bright afternoon light. Everyone’s direction went toward the door.
“There you are!”
Before her eyes adjusted to the slash of light, Harley heard her best friend’s voice before laying eyes on her. Harley held her smile. She was able to finish debriefing her after she left Dante in the dust and was glad to find out she and her crew docked not far from Little Mexico. “Tai, you made it!”
Her best friend and partner in crime and law waltzed into the café with what approximately a dozen balloons, all with a form of congratulations on each one of them and in the crimson and white school colors of Hannah’s graduating class. “You said I could crash the party, you didn’t say anything about you crashing into the party! Dude, what happened to your car?”
“Hey Tía,” Hannah’s keys dropped to the table as she waved. Harley glanced at the noise and counted three keys.
“Hey, sweetie, what are you guys doing here? I thought the party was over off La Quinta. Y’all waiting to file a police report?”
“Police?” Christopher said. “Nobody’s calling the police.”
Tai handed half of the balloons by the strings to one of the men sweeping the floor. He took it without a word from her or permission from Alfaro. Tai had a way with men, or at least her ass did and right now, the star of this impromptu crash, Tai’s ass in a pair of second skin denim jeans, became the center of attention. Tai saddled next to Roman and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. The other balloons in her right hand floated a little higher toward the ceiling.
Going along with the ruse, Roman wrapped his right arm around her waist, his hand settling on the gold belly button chain. It looked awkward. Tai must have felt the tension as well and went for the extra points in the acting department. “Hey sexy,” she planted a kiss on Roman’s cheek. “I’ve missed you!”
The one person who did not buy this relationship was the one person holding them at the table. “You two got married last night as well?”
Tai tossed her head back and laughed, Roman’s hands caught her by the backside. “Married? No, I’m afraid for me it’s always a bridesmaid, never a bride.”
“Maybe you two can get married,” Hannah, bless her soul, tried to help. Harley shot her another look, the kind her mother used to give her during Mass. “Sorry,” Hannah drawled out, “Can we go now? I’d like to get started on some of my graduation parties.”
Christopher slammed his hand on the counter, his gold ring of power glimmered under the pointed lights. “You’ll go when I say you can go.”
“Whoa!” Tai shot to her feet. All hell broke loose with a bang.
Men reached for their weapons and drew. She held her hands out in surrender, letting go of the balloons. The tallest balloon touched one of the points of the light and instantly popped. Tai had a fashion for flair. In another life she should have been a magician.
Simultaneously the other eleven balloons began to pop, emitting white clouds of pure smoke, a vapor most magicians use. The white vapor impaired visions and made a loud noise perfect for a quick getaway but once it cleared, no harmful chemicals were left behind.
Harley came back to her feet again, taking Hannah by the hand. She turned to grab Dante’s but he was already on his feet flipping the table over, swiping the legs out from underneath Christopher Alfaro. Her mouth twitched to smile, impressed with his agility. The man was large but he sure could move.
The geek with the computer stepped forward but with his large size and the confusion of the smoke, ended up kicking Christopher in the back, sending him flat on his stomach. While Christopher scrambled to get his footing the other workers came for them, but between Dante and Roman they handled the situation. Harley, with Tai and Hannah in tow, ran behind the kitchen through the back door which spilled into a dirt road alley. Harley hated alleys. It put them into a precarious predicament. Run back into the hell-hole or take their chances getting blocked at either end of the street. They took their chances.