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“Which could’ve got him in trouble.”
“Maybe. It’s hard to narrow down the list of wise guys by your description of the second perp, but we’re doing what we can. There are whispers Manzani diverted some of his people to Miami, but that’s just rumor. Could include your guy or not.”
“I’m trying to be focused,” she said. “Positive. Aiming ahead.”
“Yeah, but this won’t just go away on its own. Talk to someone. Did the docs recommend a therapist or something?”
“They talked about it,” she said, sipping her virgin margarita. “But it’s too soon. I can’t really figure out how I feel about anything. My mood is swinging back and forth.”
“That’s why you talk to someone. They help you figure it out.”
“When I’m ready. I still need to… process.”
“Don’t let it fester. I’ve seen a lot of good cops go down that road. It’s not easy to come back from there.”
Was that what she was doing? She’d been present for the murder of a man and felt no regret. Would that come flooding in? Connel had been doing it for years. How did he let it roll off?
“I will talk.”
“You can talk to me. About anything. If you want to talk.”
She smiled. “You’re a good brother.”
“Yeah. Yeah. When are you back at the hospital?”
“Tomorrow,” she said. “I hope I’ll get my splint off. I’ll still need to do exercises to build my strength, but I can do without wearing a bag in the shower.”
“Have you had problems with anything? I can come over and help.”
“Not in the shower you can’t.”
“No, I’ll call Immie if you need that kind of help.”
“I do not want to shower with your ex-girlfriend,” she said. “We’re not even friends.”
“You should be. You’re alike. Headstrong. Stubborn. Willful.”
“Aren’t those three virtually the same thing?”
“Feisty then.”
“How come no one ever uses that word to describe a guy? Guys are confident. Women are apparently feisty, like they shouldn’t be confident.” Her hand stopped on its way to her glass. “Independent. That’s another one. Men are bachelors. Carefree. Women are independent. Like that’s a bad thing. No one talks about a man being independent. They’re just assumed to be. Yet a woman will be described as independent as though they’re opinionated wenches who should get back in the kitchen.”
“Careful you don’t fall off that soapbox,” Lachlan said, laughing. “Who wound you up and let you go? All I said was you should hang with Immie.”
“Maybe when everything’s calmed down, we’ll hang out. You’re a one-on-one guy. You were with her or me. We didn’t do things all together.”
“We don’t do together as a family. We’re all too busy,” he said. “But that should change. If anything, your assault showed us we need to be closer. We need to take the time for each other. You want to do dinner this weekend? The four of us?”
“Maybe,” she said. “I may have to work.”
“You should take time off.”
“To stare at the walls? No, I have work to do.”
Lachlan had said no one would’ve registered her missing if people hadn’t heard her scream. Dorsey could be out there somewhere screaming. It might have taken twenty years, but she was listening. Dorsey didn’t deserve to wait a minute more.
TWENTY-NINE
