Page 80 of The Triangle

Like this conversation Alec and Danny were having.

I have a lot of opinions about this topic. Danny and his morals. Danny and his self-preservation.

Look, I get it. He’s a tough guy. He’s big, bad Danny Fortnight. Tatted-up monster. Mastermind criminal. Beholden to no one and nothing. Blah, blah, blah.

But it’s a front.

If there’s a good guy in this little triangle, it’s him.

It’s sure the fuck not Alec. I love him but he’s the most selfish, entitled, power-hungry person I’ve ever met and I’ve been around the block a dozen or so times, so that’s saying something.

And it’s definitely not me. If I ever had a moral compass it fell out of my pocket a long time ago.

Danny will weigh things before he makes a decision. He will ask himself one question. Can I live with myself after? And if the answer is yes, he does the thing he’s weighing. If the answer is no, he doesn’t.

On that level he’s very simple. Everything is black and white. With Danny, you always know where you stand. Which is probably why Alec is trying to have this conversation with him right now. He has no idea where he stands with Danny and that’s not a good thing.

For most people indecision is weakness, but indecision makes Danny stronger. Some kind of instinct kicks in. Some small voice inside him, maybe? Telling him to take a stand?

This makes the people he’s undecided about uncomfortable. Because he could swing either way, and once that happens, his mind is made up.

Oh, we all know where I stand. Danny is always on my side. But a couple rounds of hot sex isn’t enough footing for Alec to feel comfortable.

On the other hand, Danny isn’t punching him in the face and he hasn’t walked out.

So… progress.

But not enough. Not for Alec. Not for me either. Because Danny just lied and I’m gonna call him on it. “It’s not true,” I say, pouring myself a cup of tea. Mostly just because it’s there, but also because this house gives me the chills. All the glass feels cold. Like there’s nothing between us and the wilderness outside.

“What’s that?” Alec says.

I look at Danny. “I’m the one thing in your life that’s too precious to lose.”

He huffs. “I let you go, didn’t I?”

“And yet here we are.”

“You came to me.”

“Not exactly,” I say.

Danny shoots a quick glare at Alec, which makes him recoil. Not like he’s afraid of him. More of a what’d I do now? way.

“Calm down, monster,” I say, reaching over to pat Danny on the chest. “Yes, Alec sent you to get me. But the important point here is… you did it. He called. You answered. He asked. You said yes.”

In other words, he did make a decision. He chose me and in doing that, he chose us.

I just need to remind him of that.

Danny smiles at me. It’s not a big one. No teeth. No dimples pop out of their secret hiding places. But it’s a smile all the same.

“So stop it already, OK? You love us—”

Now he laughs.

“—and that’s all we need to know. Right, Alec?”

Alec manages a smile. But it’s pretty weak and Danny doesn’t miss that fact.