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“Now, Detective Malone—”
“Yeah.” For every second Minka stands, her eyes grow more tired, and her knees, unsteady so her posture slackens. “I can do it. Or Aubree.”
“Aubree’s still technically a patient here.” I force my wife to walk, and spare a look for Aubree. “We’ll see you when you’ve been released.”
But we won’t. This is goodbye—probably forever, unless she marries my brother and he folds her into our new life.
So I reach out and bring her in for a hug between me and Minka. Because Minka needs it, and she would never think to ask. “You’re a good girl, Aubs,” I murmur. “Give him hell.”
“What?” She stumbles when I push her back, and fights when Tim grabs hold and refuses her the ability to chase us. “Archer!”
I look to Cato, then to a surprisingly quiet Felix. “We’ll see you soon. Don’t follow us.”
“Soon?” Felix’s eyes narrow to threatening slits. “You swear?”
“Yeah.”
Then I shuffle Minka into the hall.
She wears an ugly gown and fuzzy white socks. Her hair is a mess, and she’s missing far too much blood to be making this trek. But we’ve run out of roads to walk. We’ve come to the end as Minka Mayet and Archer Malone. So I lead her out of the hospital and into a cab out front.
It takes only minutes before we pull up in front of our apartment building.
“I didn’t get my necklace back.” Minka’s eyes brim with sadness. Pain. Possibly a little drug-induced delirium as her meds begin to kick in. “Archer, Eli still has my necklace.”
“I’ll get you a new one.” I toss a couple of fifties to the driver of the cab and tell him, “If you wait for us, I’ll get you more.”
He counts his cash and settles back to get comfortable, despite being double-parked in the street. “I’ll wait as long as you need me to.”
“Great. Thanks.”
I open the door and slide out, then after grabbing Minka’s bag-o’-meds, I carefully tug her out, too.
Her body is too weak for this shit. Her injuries, too severe. But we don’t have a choice, so I get her onto the sidewalk, then I wrap my arm around her hips and lead her inside.
“Ms. Mayet!” Steve, our elderly landlord, bolts from his seat by his apartment door and fusses over the girl I guess he considers the daughter he never had. “Oh gosh, Minka. I watched you on the news.”
“Steeeeve?” She lets her head droop back, but in trying to watch him from that position, she makes her chin fold in two. “Ttthsteven?”
“Wh-what…” Desperate, he looks at me. “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s stoned.” I flash him a smile that hopefully puts the man at ease, then I continue up the stairs and carry ninety percent of Minka’s weight.
“Just move your feet,” I coach her. “Lift your knees. I’ll lift the rest of you.”
“I love you, Archer.” She swings her head around to stare up at me and snort-giggles. “Did you know Steve’s wife died from a hotdog?”
“What?” We reach the first-floor landing and continue around.Just three more to go.“Is that a joke?”
“Nuh-uh! She was at a football game… or maybe baseball…” Frowning, she creates two heavy lines between her brows. “Could be hockey? Whatever. She was at a game with herlooovvvverrrrrrrr—she was sneakin’ ‘round on Steve—and then karma swooped in and kicked her ass.”
“With a hotdog?” My breath comes faster as I now carry all of Minka’s uncoordinated weight up four flights of stairs. “How does someone die from a hotdog? Was it poisoned?”
She scoffs so hard, spittle falls to the floor ahead of us. “She choked on it! Like the nasty, adulterous hoe she was.” Losing her energy, her eyes droop closed, and her head lolls. “My mom cheated on my dad, ya know?”
“What?” I bring us to a stop at our front door and make her stand on her own two feet while I search my pockets for keys. “You never said—”
“That’s why I’m always mean to you about the other hoes in Copeland,” she sighs. “Because I thought my mom and dad’s relationship was perfect. Purrrr. Fect,” she enunciates each syllable. “They were a team, and my dad was a nice man. But then she slept with someone at work, and now I feel like no one’s marriage is safe.” She drops her lips into the world’s saddest pout.
