Thanks for the quick, and huge response to the first chapter. Since I had chapter 2 done, I decided to not wait longer to post.
Reviews help the muse, especially on stories I'm on the fence about posting like this one and Gives You Hell. Let me know your thoughts on this update.
Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE. Mistakes are mine (oops).
Connie's POV
"Damn, Stephanie can dance." Lula praised, her eyes glued to the dance floor as she watched Stephanie move against the stranger. She finished her fruity drink and reached for Stephanie's half empty one, happy to continue the buzz for free.
"What's gotten into her?" I asked, mostly to myself, as I pushed my fruity drink Lula's way. She could drink them all for all I cared. I wasn't in the mood. Something was up with Stephanie and I was going to find out what.
"What?" Lula's glare was intense. I kinda preferred it when she was focusing those laser like eyes somewhere else for tonight. "White gurl is single. She ain't hurting nobody." Lula shrugged as she returned her attention to the pair. "Plus, if I had that body I'd give it some good use too." We both took a moment to admire Steph's body. She really does have an enviable figure. She eats whatever she wants and still looks good.
We watched the pair dance for several songs until they abruptly stopped as he leaned in to propose something. I rolled my eyes since it was obvious what he was insinuating.
"Bye!" Stephanie said tipsily when she returned to the table to collect her keys. I was shocked to see her take a healthy gulp from my untouched drink. Yup, something's the matter with her. Something big.
"Hey, wait a minute!" I shouted when Stephanie quickly turned and headed for the door. The stranger looked smug as he followed after her, his eyes glued to her ass.
"Where you going?" Lula huffed when I grabbed my purse and stood up.
"Home." I fibbed as I followed after Stephanie. This is so not her normal self and my stomach knotted at the thought of her going off with some random stranger. You never leave with a stranger without telling your girls some details just to be safe. Stephanie knows better. She's seen and lived through many encounters with crazies. Why she would go off and do this, I'm not sure. But I'm not going to sit and do nothing. If something bad happened to her, I wouldn't forgive myself. She's been quite lucky so far, but everyone's luck runs out sooner or later.
"We going to your place, baby?" The stranger asked as he leaned her against the side of her SUV.
As predicted she can't handle her alcohol. Three tequila shots and almost a full glass of a mixed drink didn't settle well in her system. Judging by how affected she looks, she must have drank on an empty stomach. Amateur. It must have hit her all at once as soon as she exited the bar, the cool night breeze shocking her system in one solid punch.
"Uhm…" Her face contorted into a grimace just as the stranger leaned in for a kiss. "I'm going to be sick!" Stephanie slurred the warning, quickly bending her torso as she lost the battle against her queasy stomach.
"What the fuck!" The stranger bitched as Stephanie hit him at crotch level exorcist style. I snickered at the sight of the man's jeans drenched in vomit. From the looks of it, it even got in his shoes!
"I'll take it from here."I announced as I finally neared them after controlling my laughing fit. I also waited a few extra seconds just to make sure Stephanie wouldn't tag me with her projectile vomit.
"Fuck!" He continued his tirade of curses as he sloshed his way towards a truck four spaces over.
"Oops!" Stephanie did a palms up gesture, shrugging as she righted herself to lean against the back bumper.
"Yeah." I said on a small chuckle. "Keys?" Extending my hand had Stephanie dropping the keys into my open palm. "I'm going to take you home." I announced as I worked on unlocking her SUV.
Stephanie snickered. "I like dick." She shook a finger at me as I tried to steer her into the vehicle.
A full on laugh escaped me. "You're not my type, sweetie." I assured that her virtue was safe with me.
"Okay." She agreed, finally allowing me to help her into the back seat. This way if she gets sick, again, it'll be less likely to splatter on my lap.
"Hey, whatcha doing?!" Lula hollered as she barreled our way.
"Taking Steph home." I answered over my shoulder as I helped Stephanie buckle up despite her protests. This is why I don't have children. I don't have patience for the combative attitude.
"Where's the dude?" Lula inquired before coming to a complete halt once she saw the remnants of Steph's chunky gift. "Eww, gross."
"You know she can't handle her alcohol." I admonished as I closed the door, quickly thinking ahead and engaging the child lock to keep Stephanie from sprinting a surprise escape during the drive.
"Ain't no one's babysitter." Lula huffed, hands on hips. "She a adult."
"Yeah, an adult." I groaned as I side stepped the vomit on the asphalt, wrenching the driver's side door open in the process.
"She only had like three shots." Lula went on to brag how much more she drank and still felt fine. "Not even a buzz." She whined as she rounded the back of the car.
"But Stephanie's not like you." I said. Hell, I can't even keep up with Lula. I swear she can out drink all of Jersey.
"Yeah, she can't hang." With a quick glance in the back seat, Lula stuffed herself into the front passenger seat. Guess she was tagging along after all.
I put the SUV in reverse, backed out of the parking spot and then lurched forward to drive out of the lot towards Hamilton Ave. My plan was to get Stephanie home and then return for my car.
Of course nothing can go as smoothly as it should whenever Stephanie Plum is involved. Just two blocks after leaving the bar I heard a loud pop from the rear. As soon as I heard a distinctive flapping sound coming from the back of the SUV, I groaned.
Great, just great. A fucking flat tire! Ugh!
As I pulled over to the side of the road, Lula decide to add her two cents. "Oh oh, flat tire."
"No shit." I muttered as I turned off the car. As soon as I angled out of the driver's seat, I confirmed my suspicion. The back tire on my side was beyond repairing. "Got a spare?" Tapping on the open window frame got me Stephanie's somewhat undivided attention. She did a palms up gesture. Of course she didn't know.
"Whatcha doing?" Lula asked for the second time tonight as I opened the back.
"Looking for a spare." I answered annoyed. What the fuck does it look like I'm doing? It's obvious!
"Why?"
"To change the tire. Duh." I muttered as I lifted the rug to reach the hidden handle. Yanking the handle allowed me to uncover the spare tire, jack and wrench. Thank goodness that Steph actually has these items handy. Or maybe it came with the car. Yeah, probably came with the used SUV.
"You know how to change a spare tire?" Lula asked incredulously as she joined me outside.
"Yeah." I grunted as I yanked the tire out onto the asphalt. "You don't?" I huffed as I rolled the tire closer to the one needing replacement.
"Nah uh."
"Whatever." I huffed as I worked on placing the jack. "Help me!" I grunted several moments later as I struggled to keep my short skirt in place as I squatted.
"You crazy! I ain't risking breaking a heel. These are Via Spigas." Lula gave me her patented glare.
"They're knock offs!"
"Says who?"
I took a deep breath, willed myself to focus and got back to work. I really need to choose my battles with Lula.
"Damn, you really do know about cars and shit."
It was my turn to glare at her as I tossed the ruined tire and tools in the back. Slamming shut the door of the cargo area filled me with a bit of satisfaction. It was definitely a good outlet for my pent-up rage. "It's a basic skill." I'm not sure why I bothered to respond, but I did.
"That's some badass shit." Lula praised as we angled back into the vehicle.
"No!" I groaned in denial when I turned the key and the ignition stalled. "Fuck." Perfect, just perfect. What else can go wrong? I grimaced, quickly amending my thought. Best not to tempt fate. A lot can go wrong when Stephanie's involved.
"It's a POS." Stephanie giggled from the backseat. I glared at her through the rear view mirror. At least one of us was having a good time.
"White gurl, we ain't shitfaced enough to find that funny." Lula supplied.
"Yeah, I'm too sober for this shit." I gritted out as I reached for my cell phone.
"Who you callin'?" Lula was full of questions. Annoying ass questions.
"My family. We need a jump or a tow or something." I dialed my cousin Luca's number, crossing my fingers that the call didn't go straight to voicemail.
"Yellow!" I rolled my eyes at his greeting. He thinks it's funny to greet everyone with a color instead of the standard hello.
"Luca, I need your help." I said by way of greeting.
"How many bodies we gotta bury?" He asked seriously. A little too seriously. I regretted calling him on speaker when both Stephanie and Lula snickered.
"No bodies." I gave him a quick rundown of the situation and shared my location with him.
"Five minutes." He said before disconnecting. I called him back to make sure he didn't take his sweet ass time. Five minutes in Luca speak can be closer to an hour.
Sure enough Luca made it to our rescue after about an hour of waiting. Instead of being pissed off at his delay, I was relieved. If he'd of taken just a few more minutes to get here, there would have been at least one body in need of a burial. A Lula sized body to be exact.
"Took you long enough." Lula huffed when Luca sidled up next to my window.
"Who's this?" Luca's gaze flicked between Lula and I, his dark gaze working frantically to size her up.
"Coworker." I waved my hand to get him to hurry up so we could get back on the road.
"Luca!" Stephanie was able to stick her head out to wave at my cousin enthusiastically.
"Stephanie Plum?" Luca shifted his attention to her, a wide grin spreading across his face. I frowned because I don't think I've ever seen him smile. Like ever.
"Wassup!" Steph said, popping the p with her current slur.
Luca's grin reached its limits as I watched him pinch Steph's cheek playfully. "She's wasted."
"Yeah, tell me about." I blew out a breath, impatient to get on with my night.
"Alright, pop the hood. For Plum here I'll get this shitbox running."
"For Plum?!" I shrieked. "I'm your cousin."
Luca shrugged. "She's always been cool with me."
"I've been cool with you too." Shit, I've tolerated him all my life. Luca's steps faltered as he shot me a glare. Okay, maybe I haven't been cool, cool with him. How was I supposed to know he liked Stephanie? He's pretty much a lonely grouch.
Luca did his thing and over thirty minutes later true to his word he had the SUV running again.
"It might not run for much longer. It's on its last leg." Luca suggested I drive straight to my destination for the night in order to avoid getting stranded again. He patted the hood twice before waving to Stephanie on his way back to his truck.
"Since when do you know Luca?" I asked Stephanie as I pulled away from the curb.
"Since always." Stephanie giggled again, unnecessarily reminding me that everyone knows everyone in the Burg.
The POS began to rattle and sputter as I turned onto Steph's street. Holding my breath, I squealed into her lot. Somehow I managed to park the SUV in the open parking space by the dumpster, literally on the last fumes. I put it in park just before it died on us for the second time. Perfect timing at least.
"Gurl, you gonna need a new ride." Lula oh so helpfully announced over her shoulder.
"Another one bites the dust!" Stephanie sing-songed before dissolving into a fit of giggles.
At least she's not a mean drunk, I thought as I slammed my door closed. "Come on." I coaxed, helping Steph out.
As we walked towards the lobby entrance I noticed the way Steph's ankles folded inward as she attempted to walk on wobbly legs. I reached out, catching her and literally saving her from scrapping more than her ego.
"Help me." I ordered Lula as we made our way into the lobby. Stephanie is taller than me even without heels. Add in the fact that I'm half carrying, half dragging her and I'm clearly at a disadvantage.
Lula pretended not to hear me, like always, as she hurried ahead to punch the button to call the elevator. At least she was useful for something tonight.
Finally! Just a handful more steps and we'd reach her apartment. I'll help Stephanie into bed and that should conclude our night out.
"Here." I dangled the keys for Lula to grab. "Unlock the door." A simple task that she can definitely, probably do. Or at least I hoped so.
She thankfully proved useful, unlocking and opening the door. In true Lula fashion she made a lot of ruckus while doing so, letting the door swing open to slam against the wall. Luckily for us, Stephanie's neighbors are ancient and probably already dead asleep at this hour.
"Oh fuck." Lula backed up suddenly, forcefully bumping into us in her haste.
"Yo!" Stephanie groaned as we landed on the carpeted floor thanks to the harsh impact.
"I, uh, gotta go!" Lula ran faster than it should have been humanly possible on those thin pointy shoes. She made like Houdini and quickly escaped.
As I struggled to get Steph off me so that I could get up, I caught movement inside of her apartment from the corner of my eye. Looking up I found one pissed off looking Ranger looming over us.
Lula was right. Oh fuck indeed.