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“Don’t you think that’s a bit drastic?” she asks.
He gives her a look. She huffs, a half-laugh at best.
“I’ll consider it,” she says. “But—” The office phone rings, cutting her off. “We can talk about this later. I’ll think about it.” And she’s back at her desk, being pleasant and charming, and apparently, entirely unconcerned that she might be in danger.
Admittedly, the danger to her is slim at best. Barry needs money, and he thinks I’m his meal ticket, not Natalie.
“This is probably overkill,” I tell Finn. He folds his arms and levels a look at me.
“What did your PI say?”
I bite back a sigh. “Pretty much what you said. Limited movement, no going out if I can help it.”
Finn purses his lips and waits.
“Fine,” I say after a moment. “I’ll call Frederick at Legal Aid and let him know I’m on hiatus for a while.”
I make a note to check with Natalie about any of our other upcoming commitments. It feels excessive, but if overkill keeps her a little bit safer, or Finn, it’ll be worth it.
Leave it to my brother to cause a pain in the ass even when he’s out of the state.
Finn is still watching me.
“It’s hard to imagine,” I say. “He’s my brother. How could he be a credible threat?”
“It’s harder to see it up close,” says Finn. “Would it change the way you see him if this were happening to somebody else’s family? Would you consider him a danger then? Blackmail notes. Multiple break-ins.”
“Allegedly.”
“Sudden change in established patterns,” finishes Finn, ticking off his examples on his fingers. I swallow. Finn nods and points at me again.
“There you go.” He heads for the office door. “Go ahead and call your people. I’ll make a plan.”
I dial Frederick and let him know I’ll miss my next few sessions for a “family thing.”
“Does this ‘thing’ have anything to do with the Sizzle HQ Ball last week?” he asks. That brings me up short.
“What?”
“Plenty of pictures going around on social media,” he says. “I don’t follow that kind of thing, but my wife does.”
“I was there.”
“I saw that,” he says dryly. “Looked like an awfully good time was had by all, especially the man and woman who were in all the same pictures as you.”
Oh.
I could lie. Easily, though probably not very effectively, without seeing exactly what the pictures show. Even without seeing them, any implications would be easy to brush aside. I’ve had a great working relationship with Frederick for years. He’d very probably take my word for it.
“They’re my… They’re mine,” is what comes out instead.
He grunts. “And you didn’t think to mention this sooner?”
“It’s new. And it’s not why I need time off.”
“New,” he says, ignoring the other part. “You didn’t mention your relationship because it’s new. Having a hard time buying that one, Nic.”
“Is it going to be a problem?” It’s a question, but the words come out flat, without inflection.
