“You still love him, don’t you?” Ike asked. Tangerine didn’t answer his question.
“I just want this all to go away,” she said.
“It ain’t going nowhere, girl,” Buddy Lee said, but Ike held up his hand.
“Let’s get you some clothes. We gonna take you somewhere you can be safe, okay?” Ike said.
He let her go and gestured with his head for Buddy Lee and Mya to follow him. They all stepped back outside.
“You think you got a couple of spare shirts and a pair of pants me and her can borrow?” Ike asked. Buddy Lee nodded.
“I don’t know about you, but my shirts should fit her. Jeans, too. You gonna look like you wearing your baby brother’s clothes if you put one of my shirts on,” Buddy Lee said.
“I’ve got a couple of my T-shirts in the back seat,” Mya said.
“That’s good, puddin,” Ike said.
“She gotta tell us Ike. Preferably sooner than later,” Buddy Lee said in a hushed tone.
“Her mama got killed right in front of her. A dude she loves is trying to kill her. She can’t tell us nothing right now. Let’s get her someplace safe. Give her some time,” Ike said.
“We need that name, Ike,” Buddy Lee said.
“And she needs to come to terms with the fact a man she was in love with punched her mama’s ticket,” Ike said.
“Alright. You take her to a henhouse the foxes can’t find. I’ll stay here with Mya and Little Bit. But the clock is ticking. I ain’t gotta tell you that,” Buddy Lee said.
“These men that killed her mama, are they the same people that followed me the other day?” Mya asked. Ike sighed.
“Yeah.”
“If you find this boyfriend, are you going to kill him?” Mya asked. Buddy Lee moved away from the three of them and inspected his undercarriage again.
“Yes,” Ike said. Mya rocked side to side gently as Arianna played with her braids.
“Good. Here, hold her for a minute. I might have some sweatpants in the back seat, too,” she said, handing Arianna to Ike. He swallowed hard and took her in his powerful hands. Arianna reached up and pulled on his chin.
“You couldn’t have left her with Anna?” Ike asked. Mya stopped and leaned against the trunk.
“Anna’s out. Nobody at the house but us. Couldn’t leave her there alone. Trust me, I didn’t want to bring her here for this,” Mya said before she disappeared in the back seat. When she reappeared she had a shirt and a pair of yoga pants. As she walked past him Ike grabbed her hand.
“I’m sorry about all this. I’m sorry about everything,” Ike said. Mya gripped his hand.
“Just get them,” she said before going in the trailer. When she came back Tangerine was with her. She had on the shirt and the pants. Both appeared two sizes too big. Tangerine swayed softly but she didn’t seem in danger of passing out again.
“Can I get that shirt?” Ike asked. Buddy Lee hitched up his jeans and headed into the trailer. They could hear the shuffling of doors and the slamming of dresser drawers. A few minutes later he came to the door and tossed Ike a flannel shirt.
“Belonged to my brother Deak. He stayed with me for a while a few years ago. He’s about your size.”
Ike slipped on the shirt. It was tight in the arms but it would do.
“I’ll take the truck. Y’all sit tight and wait till I come back,” Ike said.
“Ike, that truck is full of blood and the back window is blown out. And it’s leaking oil like a racehorse pissing. She’s my baby but I don’t know how much longer she’s for this world,” Buddy Lee said.
“I don’t want to leave y’all stranded without a car seat and with a truck that might seize up while you got Arianna with you, on the off chance you have to leave. And if you did have to leave, I don’t want her riding around in the night air. Trying to be a good babysitter, like your friend said,” Ike said.
“We ain’t babysitting. We’re her grandparents. You could take the car and take her with you,” Mya said.
“She likes to stay with you. I think she is scared of me sometimes,” Ike said.
“I think it’s the other way around, but whatever. How long you gonna be?” Mya asked.
“Fifteen minutes each way,” Ike said.
“Go on then. The quicker you leave the faster you’ll be back,” Mya said.
“Give me the heater and you keep the street sweeper,” Buddy Lee said.