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“Stop right there.”
I skid to a halt at the end of the hall and find Parker Slade sitting on the couch with Minka. She lies back against the cushions, her grin lopsided and dopey, while right beside her, Slade turns his gun in his hands as though to study the inscriptions on the side.
I release the bag so it slams to the floor, and reach down for my weapon. But I don’t have it. “Where the fuck is my gun?”
“Parker Slade.” Fletch emerges behind me, his own weapon lifted and his face hard as stone. “Put your gun down, then lie on the floor and put your hands on the back of your head.”
“Charlie Fletcher,” Minka admonishes. “That’s not nice.”
“Mayet!” I snarl. “Shut it. Get up and come to me.”
“Don’t move.” Slade speaks with exhaustion laced in his every word. His hands quiver, and his pallor is pale enough to match Minka’s. “You can shoot me if you want. I don’t care anymore.”
“On the floor!” Fletch grabs his second gun and hands it to me without looking, then he takes another step into my living room. “Belly on the carpet. Hands on the back of your head.”
“I never meant for any of this to happen.” He rests his head against the cushions like he’s truly here to relax. “I didn’t go into that bank wanting to hurt anyone. I just needed more money. I would’ve paid it back.” His eyes flicker to mine and turn pleading. “I swear I would’ve paid them back.”
“You didn’t mean for this to get so out of hand.” While Fletch circles left, I go right, so I’m closer to Minka. “They pulled the gun on you first, right?”
“He tried to fight me,” Slade whimpers. “He shot himself, and then everything just went nuts after that.” He looks to Minka and studies her like they’re friends. Like they bonded inside that bank. “Doctor Mayet took care of the people who needed help. I never meant to hurt her, I just tugged on her arm, and—”
“I’m not mad at you.” Lazily, she turns her head and grins. “My blood condition is at fault here. My parents probably should’ve picked different life partners. That would’ve solved a buncha stuff, really.”
“On the floor,” Fletch rumbles. “Hands on the back of your head.”
“I saw on the news that Doctor Mayet had left the hospital,” Slade continues. “And it’s not hard to find out where people live. I knew she’d know how Suzanne was, and I needed an update. And now I’ve gotten it.”
Slowly, shakily, he brings his gun up and sets the tip beneath his own chin.
“Whoa!” Fletch jolts and hurries forward another step. “Man, stop.”
“She’s gonna be okay,” Slade cries. “She had her surgery, and Doctor Mayet said she’s gonna be fine. And if she needs help in the future… turns out I have a life insurance plan that’ll cover her care.”
“Don’t end it like this.” I take another step closer. I need to move Minka so she doesn’t cop a stray bullet. Keeping her safe is my only mission today. And every day. “Don’t kill yourself, Slade. Your baby needs you alive.”
“My baby won’t live if she doesn’t have money.” He flicks the safety off his gun and sends a wash of ice sliding along my spine. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. But now it has, and I have a way to make everything better again.”
“I don’t think you should do this,” Minka mumbles. Still stoned. Still dopey-eyed. “I think your daughter will punch you in the face for being such a dummy.”
“But at least she’ll be able to punch,” he counters on an almost-whisper. “And live. And thrive. And breathe. And survive.”
“She could do all that with you alive.” I hold Fletch’s gun in my right hand, and reach out to Minka with my left. “She’s gonna want to share her new lifewithyou, Parker. Every little girl wants her daddy. And I already offered you the money, didn’t I?”
Curious, momentarily stunned, he lowers his gun an inch and peers across to meet my eyes. “You’re the cop that was on the phone?” he nods, as though slowly processing my words. “I forgot.”
I still have three feet before I can reach Minka. But I take my small step and nod. “You had my wife inside, Parker. And that didn’t sit well with me.”
Fat tears roll along his cheeks as he pushes the gun back up into place. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I didn’t even mean totakethe money. I wanted to do it the right way, but they weren’t giving me a chance.”
“So do it the right way today.” Two feet. One and a half. “Put your gun down and let me help you. I know Suzanne’s surgeon.”
“Yeah,” Minka drawls. “Pretty sure he had sex with her.”
I shake my head and stop barely short of rolling my eyes. “I didn’t. But she’s my friend, and she performed that surgery last night because Iaskedher to. Because I have pull. And I have money. I’ll get your daughter the help she needs.”
“She needs more surgery, Slade.” Fletch closes the space between them so there are four feet remaining. “She needs a lung transplant.”
“I know,” he cries. “That costs money.”
