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Rosie had been legendary in the office for her ability to discern someone’s motives in trying to get close toJason.
Rosie shrugged. “What can Isay?”
“You’re right,” Abby said. “I should have called sooner just to catch up. Now that Jason’s back, I guess I’m wondering how he is, how things are atwork.”
Rosie looked surprised. “You haven’t been in touch withhim?”
Abby shook her head. “I haven’t spoken to him at all since hedisappeared.”
Rosie returned her granddaughter’s wave from the swings before turning back to Abby. “Can I ask why? I thought you were close, but in those last fewweeks…”
Her voice trailed off and Abby thought back to the weeks before the shooting at the Tangier. Jason had welcomed her back to the job after her sabbatical in Mexico, but nothing had been thesame.
It had been more than Bruce Frazier, the mercenary Jason had hired to be his private bodyguard, the one Max suspected had ultimately set fire to Abby’shouse.
It had been Jasonhimself.
He’d always been introverted in everything but business, socially challenged unless there was a merger or takeover involved. But after returning from Mexico she’d found him to be brooding, his drive and ambition turned inward into a dark and twisted anger that seethed beneath thesurface.
“Things were weird,” Abby admitted, returning her attention toRosie.
“I’m not looking to pry,” Rosie said. “I just don’t want to bedisloyal.”
“I understand,” Abby said. “This whole situation is so complicated. I’m not asking for anything you don’t want to tellme.”
She hadn’t even told Max she was meeting Rosie. He wouldn’t have tried to stop her, but he would have been so worried she would have considered canceling anyway. She’d worried him enough, and he had more than enough on his plate now that Jason was back intown.
“My loyalty is always to Jason,” Rosie said. “That’s how it has to be in my job. You knowthat.”
Abby looked out over the playground, envying the children their lighthearted happiness. Had she ever been lighthearted? She couldn’tremember.
“Ido.”
“But let’s say there were certain considerations that mean talking to you might be in Jason’s best interest,” Rosie continued. “Then it would make sense, part of my job looking out forhim."
Abby looked at her. “I can see an argument to be made for it, although I feel it’s only fair to tell you that the likelihood of my being able to help Jason — in any situation — is prettyslim.”
Rosie reached out to squeeze her hand. “You’re his only friend,dear.”
She fought a surge of anger. She wasn’t Jason’s friend, and he wasn’t hers. Not anymore. He’d tried to kill her. Worse, he’d almost taken Max fromher.
But that was all information Rosie didn’tneed.
“We were close once,” Abbysaid.
Rosie nodded, her gaze moving across the playground until it landed on her granddaughter, now working her way across the monkeybars.
“I don’t want to worry you,” Rosie said, “but it’s notgood.”
“How so?” sheasked.
“That guard from lastspring— ”
“Frazier?” Abby had to force her voice steady around the name, around the memory of his empty eyes, studying her through the glass wall of her office, following her down the hall as she made her way to thelobby.
Around the knowledge that he’d been in her house while she was painting the upstairsbedroom.
Rosie nodded. “But Frazier’s not alone anymore, and he doesn’t just have one sidekick like the one he had right before everything went to hell. There’s a bunch of them now.” She lowered her voice. “I can’t help wondering if it has to do with FredoDeLuca.”
