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“Promise you won’t take me off from this case?” Something more than having a baby is bothering her, but we’ll address her fears when she’s not so tired.
Right now, she needs to calm down and take a long nap. Thinking of her ripe with child, my hand cups her tummy. “How about we agree that you will research only. No bringin’ your belly to a gunfight. We should wait until he or she is at least five or six.”
Her fingers intertwine with mine. “Agreed. Tough guy, Ilove you so much.”
“Love you, too, babe. How about we head back to Bensonhurst?”
My wife falls asleep straight away, and by the time I pull off the highway, delivery trucks clog the side streets. A couplehours of shuteye later, I’m back on my feet. Sam showers, I ready Mikey for school, then hold his small hand as he tackles the stairs. At the bottom, I knock on Joey’s door, clear my throat, and wait for his eyes to lift before doling out my command.
“I need you to hire a few guys to watch Marion’s today.”
Dark brows crease over his narrowed gaze, and his mouth curves down. “Who’d you piss off now?”
“Not sure, but go ahead, clear it with your father. He’s our new client.” At my admission, he relaxes back in his chair and chuckles.
“Damn, bro, you must be desperate.”
“Freakin’ do it, okay?”God, I’m too tired for his lip.
The asshole salutes. “Sure t’ing, boss. I’ll be there as soon as I drop my kid off.”
“I’m taking Mikey. If Kim’s ready, she can walk with us.” Listening in, my niece skips into the kitchen and twirls her St. Thomas’ plaid jumper.
“Hi, Uncle Sudsy. Let’s go.” How Joey ever created such a cutie-pie defies all logic.
As she races out the door, her dad shouts, “Stay clear of the office lady. She swears Sam is going to single-handedly close the school.”
“Thanks for the heads up.” After leaving the kids off, I take the subway to the city, and hop off at Columbus Circle.
Nothing else can cheer a body up like Fifth Avenue in December. WhenI arrive at Slate’s office, I’m humming Christmas carols, cheerful as fuck, fully prepared to have my head shrunk.
Our Patten boss waves at me as I pass his office. “Ready to goback on the payroll?”
“Primed and pumped, brother.” After I shoot him two thumbs up, he points me down the hall.
“Conference room three.” Following his directions, I meander to a small room where a familiar female form stands at the window, staring down at the street.
The woman turns, and I gasp. “Blake?”
Dr. Smythe, my good friend Jack’s wife, smiles. “Sebastian. So nice to see you.”
Flabbergasted, I plop down on an office chair. “I didn’t know you worked for Patten.”
“Only for his special clients.” The gorgeous blond sits across from me, folds her hands in her lap, and waits for me to say something first.
I shoot her a magic wink. “Shit. It’s not the first time I got shot. It’s no big deal. We done?”
A purse of her lips and a slight tilt of the head tells me she’s not buyin’ what I’m sellin’. “Your wife told Jack the nightmares are back. She asked for me to come.”
Fuck.My temper flares. Some things are between a man and his wife. Me and Samantha are gonna have a serious talk after I come home.
“Are you angry?” Leaning forward, the psychiatrist places her elbows on her knees, and tries to read me.
“Of course, I am. I have PTSD and have been dealing with the symptoms for years. I got me a monitor and I got me a good life. Forgive me if I don’t want to delve into all the bad crap which happened years ago.” I have no idea where those thoughts came from, but I’m not apologizing. She’s the one who’s butting in.
“We can talk about whatever you want to.” She says it so damn nicely, but I know how this goes.
“No offense, but this is the kind of shit shrinks pull. You’ll twist my words to fit your agenda.” I scowl and have a kind of eureka moment.
