1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 deep-dish pie crust
Caramel Glaze (Click here for recipe.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Add pecans and chocolate chips, then mix well. Pour into pie crust and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and drizzle with Caramel Glaze. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.
Caramel Glaze
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add heavy cream and salt. Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes before drizzling over turtle pie.
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Coca-Cola Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 can Coca-Cola
2 sticks butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Glaze (Click here for recipe.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the first 3 ingredients until combined. In a small bowl, combine cola, melted butter and cocoa. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until blended well. Add in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Blend until combined, then pour into a 9x13-inch greased baking dish. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and pour Chocolate Glaze over hot cake. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Chocolate Glaze
1/2 cup Coca-Cola
1 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, whisk together the Coca-Cola, butter and cocoa. Next, add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until everything is combined.
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Dr. Pepper Cake
Suzanne Note: This cake came to be when, instead of Coca-Cola in the fridge, all I had was Dr. Pepper. It was an experiment that turned out AMAZING! To make this deliciousness, substitute Dr. Pepper for Coca-Cola and follow Coca-Cola Cake recipe. (Click here for recipe.)
KA Note to Suzanne’s Note: I always giggle when I read that Suzanne used the word “deliciousness.” No clue why, I used it too. But with Suzanne, it’s damned cute.
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Chapter Five
Messin’ with Family
KA
Two weeks later…
After visiting with High, Tack, and my babies, I have dinner at Las Delicias with some friends.
This runs long, and I get a text in the middle of it.
A text that contains an order from someone I can’t ignore, but even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.
My plan is to head back to Hotel Teatro to get some shut-eye so I can get up early, have time to get gussied up, and caffeinate before I need to get on the road to drive into the foothills to have breakfast with Tack, Tyra and their boys.
But instead, I head to Colorado Boulevard.
Yeah.
I’m going to Smithie’s.
I’m told my text from him will circumvent the velvet rope outside, and once I find a parking spot in the packed lot and head to the front door, I flash my phone screen to the bouncer and discover it does.
Under the baleful glare of the folks waiting in line, I’m ushered in, and with word from one bouncer to the other which ends with me being passed off from door bouncer to inside bouncer, I’m under escort.
In other words, I’m being marched to the staircase at the side of the strip club, beyond the bar.
A staircase that will lead me up to the office of the big man.
Smithie.
I want to dawdle, though I’m not given a choice.
Things are changing at Smithie’s, and I’ve been hoping I could check it out.
Since that isn’t an option, I take the option open for me and scan the space to see if I can find him.
I do.
Side wall, next to the door to the hall that leads to the bathrooms.
There’s a fire exit at the end of that hall.
Jet staved off an attacker in that hall.
When Sadie was kidnapped, she was carried down that hall.
Now, Dorian “Ian” Walker, Smithie’s nephew, the man Smithie was grooming to take over the club, has his wide shoulders to that wall.
Even in the darkened club, I can see the collared shirt he’s wearing is pure class and pure quality.
I can also see his pecs bulging above his forearms crossed over his chest.
Hawt.
Ian isn’t watching the stage.
He also doesn’t have his eye on the crowd.
He’s looking at me.
I give him a dorky wave.
He doesn’t wave back.
He jerks up his chin.
Yeesh.
These guys.
Then I’m being led up some stairs.
When we make the top, the bouncer raps on the door three times…loudly.
“What?” I hear shouted from inside.
The bouncer opens the door and motions me in.
I go in.
Smithie is sitting behind his desk.
And he’s scowling at me.
Well, hello to you too.
“What’d I do?” I ask as I move in,
The door closes behind me.
“Now, you’re messin’ with family,” he states.
I stop behind one of the chairs in front of his desk and I’m irate.
“After all this time, are you saying you don’t trust me?” I demand.
“He’s my nephew,” he tells me something I know very well.
“And?” I snap.
Smithie sits back in his chair and the litany begins.
“Girl, first time I met you, you were busting up my club.”
I roll my eyes.
“This is after you had one of my waitresses threatened at knife point in my parking lot,” he goes on.
“That wasn’t my fault. That’s on Ray,” I remind him. “Well, not really. It’s on Slick, but only because Ray fucked shit up.”
“The place was a disaster after Eddie lost his mind on that bachelor party,” Smithie recounts.
“What can I say?” I ask on a shrug. “Eddie’s hotheaded.”
“You roofied Sadie in my club,” he reminds me.
“Well…” I say slowly, because that one was rough.
Though, it ended up pretty awesome.
“Do I have to remind you what you did to Daisy?”
I flinch.
That wasn’t awesome at all.
“And the shit Ally got into here…at my club?” he presses on.
Yikes.
“Uh…”
“And for fuck’s sake, woman, Lottie’s stalker?” he clips.
“I will admit, he was serious gross,” I mumble.
“And now you’re eyeing my nephew?” he demands.