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He held up a hand. “I’m not happy that I’m involved,” he said. “Frankly, I regret ever sticking my nose in your business, but I couldn’t deny your mother’s request, and here we are.”
“Thank you,” I said meekly, feeling like a child in front of him again. I didn’t know why, it wasn’t like he was my uncle or something, but he had that effect on me.
“This whole thing has been a pain in my ass, but of course I’ll fix your little problem for you, cousin.”
“Thank you,” I said again. “I’m sorry this all happened, you know I never asked for it.”
He nodded and tapped his fingers on the pages. “First step is we need a lawyer to go through all this shit. Then we’ll need to file criminal complaints, and get some lawsuits rolling—”
“Criminal?” I asked, frowning. “Lawsuits?”
He nodded and tilted his head. “You did realize that’s what would happen, didn’t you?”
“No,” I admitted. “I thought we’d just, you know, threaten them, and all this would go away.”
He grinned at me, and there was a savage edge to his smile. My cousin was a dangerous man, and I was very glad he was on my side, sort of at least. “Oh, no, people like Robert Tippett don’t simply go away. No, if I go after him, I shoot to kill. Do you understand? If you want my help, then you’ll get it, but I’m going the distance.”
I leaned back in the chair and bounced my knees, thinking about what this would mean. Poor Gina would go down, and Caroline, and probably Robert, and maybe other people that I didn’t even know about—and for one second, I almost felt bad. Gina had been nice to me, sort of at least.
But fuck them. She knew what she was doing when she got involved in this scheme, and I couldn’t waste my energy on pity. None of them deserved a second thought.
“Let’s do it.”
“Good.” He picked up the files. “Is everything in here?”
“Yes,” I said.
“And this isn’t your only copy, correct?”
“Correct. That’s for you. There’s a thumb drive with the recording in there.”
“Very good.” He put the papers down on a shelf behind him then swiveled back to the computer. “I’ll let you know when something happens.”
I sat there, not moving, as he stared at his screen like I no longer existed. I didn’t know how he effortlessly shifted his attention like that, as if I had already left the room, but it was unnerving.
“That’s it?” I asked. “You just… do your thing?”
“More or less,” he said, glancing at me. “Did you want more? Fireworks? Explosions? This is a falsifying documents case, it’s not murder.”
“I guess you’re right.” I stood up. “Thank you for helping.”
I turned to leave, but he said my name. I stopped and looked back. He regarded me with flat lips and hooded eyes.
“We’re even now,” he said. “After this, I’ve done my duty to your mother.”
“Okay,” I said. “Uh, sure, that’s fine.”
“And you won’t come barging into my office anymore just because we’re cousins. You will make an appointment.”
“Right. Appointment. Sorry.”
He shook his head and waved me on. “Goodbye, Lori. I’d say it’s been a pleasure, but…” And with that, his attention shifted back to the computer once again, like I had disappeared.
I left, walked through the chaotic bullpen as well-dressed people moved from cube to cube, talking to each other with lots of hand gestures and business clichés, and it felt more like a play about an office, instead of an actual, active office.
Piers waited for me outside on the front steps. He sat hunched over his phone, and I lingered over him until he looked up.
“How’d it go?” he asked, getting to his feet.
“He’s going to help,” I said.
Relief flashed across his face. “That’s good.”
“But he’s going to destroy them,” I said. “I mean, he used those words. He wants to go for the kill.”
His lips tugged down as he pulled at the hem of his jacket, and looked out toward the street where cars rolled past lazily, heading toward a red light. “I’m not sure that bothers me,” he said. “Maybe it should.”
“That’s how I feel too.” I laced my fingers through his and he tugged me closer. That simple movement, getting near him, holding his hand, that little act of affection felt so strange still, like it was taboo for us to be together.
And frankly, it was. I wanted him to be my attending after all this was over, but if our relationship continued, then we’d have to deal with a lot of shit at work.
But I fully intended for this relationship to continue. He made me too happy—and made me feel too good.
We walked down the steps and headed toward his apartment. He walked slow, like there was no reason to rush, and there really wasn’t. He didn’t have to go into work anymore, and I’d taken some time off, used up most of my vacation days to deal with all this. Sooner or later I’d be back, doing rounds, standing in during surgeries, working with the other residents, but for now—we could be normal, or something approaching it.
