No Gun Intended by Zoe Burke

Luis say, “Thank you, Jeff. We will take good care of the car and of your daughter,” and Mickey echo him with, “Yes, we will. No worries there.”
    I was ruffled. Do I want my friends to take care of me? I thought. Sure, and I hope they think I take care of them, too. But if I’m a partner in this operation, then why is it that I am the one everyone assumes needs to be taken care of? I mean, I have acted swiftly in situations that have called for it. I’m nervy and strong and I can run fast, and I fired a gun once when I had to, and while I don’t want to ever do that again, I would if I had to. So what is this taking care of the little missus thing because…?
    â€œAnnabelle?”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œYou’re mumbling to yourself.” Mickey was waiting for me to get in the passenger side of the car.
    I opened the door and got in. Then I turned to face him and Luis, who was in the backseat. “Look, I love you both, and you both love me, right?”
    They nodded.
    â€œAnd we’re partners?”
    They nodded again.
    â€œAnd we take care of each other, right?”
    More nodding.
    â€œSo you don’t have to tell my father that you will take care of me.”
    â€œBabe, it’s just a nice thing to say to your father. No big deal.” Mickey stuck the key into the ignition.
    Luis leaned forward. “Annabelle, we trust you and we depend on you.”
    â€œI’m not a little girl.”
    Mickey laughed. “I should hope not.”
    â€œYou know what I mean, Mickey. I don’t want to be condescended to.”
    He reached over and patted my knee. “Okay. I get it.”
    â€œI’m an equal partner.”
    â€œ Sí, ” said Luis.
    I looked at Mickey, expecting a response. He paused. “You will be an equal partner, once you have more experience and get a license. Come on, Annabelle, you haven’t been trained as a police officer. You don’t know very much about detective work. You have good instincts, and you’re gutsy. That’s more than half the battle, but you still need experience. And partners protect each other, and Luis and I will always protect you.”
    â€œOkay. I get that. And I’ll prove my worth to both of you, you’ll see.”
    Mickey put his hand behind my neck and pulled me toward him. “Hon, you already have. Really, this is not an issue.” He kissed me. “Let’s go find out if so-called Hank Howard was a regular at the Uptown Billiards Club. Do you have a picture of Claudia?”
    â€œYup.” I patted my purse. “Let’s vamos .”
    Luis chuckled.
    ***
    The Uptown Billiards Club is located on the edge of the Pearl District. It’s another Portland night spot with an old-fashioned feel that’s authentic and cool. A small dining room offers seating for a couple dozen patrons, while a long bar lines a big room with several pool tables. The place was hopping when we got there.
    We didn’t start asking questions right away. Instead, because it was late, we saw a free table and I racked up the balls. Mickey and Luis were about to discover that I have a suppressed pool-shark alter ego. I like to call her “Ripley,” after Sigourney Weaver’s lead character in Alien. Ellen Ripley could kick anyone’s ass, even disgusting out-of-space monsters that can hatch in humans’ stomachs.
    Come to think of it, maybe that movie had something to do with me not wanting babies.
    Luis chalked his cue and broke, got one in and missed on his next shot. Then Mickey hit one in and missed on his second shot. And then, wow, it was one of the best moments of my life. I ran the table. I was on fire, so much so that other people took notice and watched. Mickey couldn’t take his eyes off me. I figured he was about to get down on his knees and ask me to marry him, the way he was looking so in awe. Luis grinned and chatted with the bystanders.
    After I