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This time?
I wrote down Joe’s name. Nothing else.
“What are you writing now?” Joe asked. “That I was too rough with the chair? Huh? Does that mean I’m all messed up in the head?”
He wiggled his fingers at me.
It took everything in me not to smile at him.
After all the years that crept between us…
… I finally had some kind of power over him.
Joe sat backand gripped the arms of the chair tight.
“Joe, I’m here to help,” I said. “You’re here to talk.”
“Don’t give me the sales speech, Anna. Okay?”
“Fine. Let’s talk about the night of the incident.”
“Which night? Which incident?”
“So you’re inferring there are many other violent nights in your life?”
“There you go,” he said. “Twisting those words around, huh? No wonder you became a shrink. You were always good at that.”
“I think it’s best if we just talk about the present.”
“Fine. Let’s talk about the present. I ampresentlypissed off that this team would send you to talk to me. Of all people? Really? This is some kind of test, isn’t it? Like a sick joke?”
Joe jumped up.
I tilted my head back.
I caught myself sucking a breath slowly.
His sheer size was monstrous.
He began to look around the office.
“Are there cameras in here, Anna? Is that what this is? Are they watching me? Wanting to see my reaction to you showing up?”
“Joe, I must admit, you’re very easily angered,” I said.
He froze in place and slowly turned to look at me. “What?”
“I haven’t been able to begin,” I said. “You’re just going from one subject to the next. You’re fighting this.”
“Of course I’m fighting this.” Joe pointed at me. “You took off, Anna. You left me high and dry. You fucked with my heart. Now you want to show up and act like some fancy shrink? Fuck that.”
“I did what to you?” I caught myself snapping.
No! Anna! No!
It was too late now.
I stood up and threw my notepad to the chair.
