AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“People think you’re mean because you’re direct. They’ll be okay. You want me to come to New York with you?”
“Yes,” she answers immediately. Relieved. “It would only be for a coupleof days, and the thing you mentioned about honeymoons and hotels intrigues me. This way, neither of us has to be anxious, our carbon footprint remains minimal, and no one gets mad about wasted money.”
“I’ll take care of it.” I peer over when Fletch’s tone turns serious. Businesslike. He rises from his chair, but holds the phone pressed to his ear. “Looks like I gotta run. But I’ll coordinate the plane with Felix and find us someplace nice to stay. Whatever you do,” I add quickly when Fletch hangs up, “Don’t take Lix’s calls. He’s gonna try to convince you to stay at the house the second I tell him we’re headed that way.”
“Yeah, like I’m gonna cry about rejecting his calls.So tragic. How will I survive going a day without your brother in my inbox?”
“Sassy,” I chuckle. “You’re on fire this week, Mayet.” I push up to stand when Fletch taps my shoulder. “I gotta go. But I’ll make the arrangements. Then I’ll come get you this afternoon and take you to dinner. We’ll figure everything out then.”
“You’ve got a case, huh?” She sighs, her breath hitting the mouthpiece until it ricochets into my ear. “I can tell.”
“Yeah, looks like. But we’ll wrap it up and I’ll be free for Wednesday. Hold on to your phone. I might need an M.E. consult before dinner anyway.”
“Alright. Talk to you in a bit.”
“Love you.” I pull the phone from my ear and meet Fletch’s honeycomb stare. “What’ve we got?”
“One dead guy, a handful of rounds emptied in the street, and a whole bunch of fuckin’ mayhem.”
“Goddammit.” I slip my phone into my pocket and snag my jacket off the back of my chair. Then we’re moving, dashing through the bullpen and skidding onto the escalator that brings us through the belly of the building. “Where’s it at?”
“Ninth and Marigold. Ten minutes once we get in the car.” He presses one hand to the rail and turns back to look up at me, since I’m on the step behind. “Mayet okay?”
“She’s mad because Fifi’s leaving. And now she’s gotta fly to New York for some case she worked before moving here. The fact that the trial starts the day before Fifi leaves has pissed her off more.”
“Why?”
“Because she doesn’t wanna miss out on her time with her friend. But she’s completely fucking incapable of saying, ‘Hey Fifi. I don’t know how to talk about feelings, so I defer to stubborn rigidity instead. I know I’ve made you feelunloved since we met, but deep down in my dark, black heart, my affections for you live. I really don’t want you to leave. Please reconsider.’”
“That’s a lot.” He turns just before we hit the ground level and steps off to make a beeline for the garage. “Has she said much about how Sera’s been acting these last few weeks?”
“Nope. Because Minka’s mean, Fifi is stubborn, andyouare the reason everyone is angry.” I catch up and walk by his side, our shoulders brushing as we pass through electric doors that whir out of our way. “I get you’ve got your own stuff going on. What with the junkie ex-wife running off with your money and cough syrup. Butyoumade this mess with Fifi. So now you’ve gotta talk to her yourself if you want to knowhow she’s been acting.”
He drags a set of keys from his pocket, scowling and giving me his back as he heads straight to the driver’s side. Then he yanks the door open and slides in a single beat before me. “I’ve told her I’m sorry.” He jams the key into the ignition and turns the engine over with a roar. “I’ve sent the prettiest flowers I could afford and begged for a minute of her time. I don’t have the money for a Malone-style grand gesture, and I don’t own a yacht or a private plane. I’m not mafia rich, and as far as she’s concerned, I’m practically fucking dead to her.”
He slams the car into reverse and backs out of our spot, the wheels squealing against smooth concrete and my head hitting the headrest as he drops the gear into drive and floors it out of the garage.
“I was an asshole to her.” He reaches across and flips the button to make lights and sirens come to life. “I was really fucking mean. But she’s not giving me a chance to fix it.”
“Probably because you called her a stuck-up bitch with mommy issues.” I fix my seat belt and glance over at my snarling partner. “Women rarely enjoy being slapped in the face with their traumas.”
“Like I said,” he has the car flying through the street and around idiots who forgot that sirens meanmove the fuck out of the way. “I messed up. And I’m the reason everyone hates me. I got it.” He squeezes us between a bus and a streetlamp, steel almost touching steel, if not for about an inch of free air on each side. “You don’t have to tell me what a screw up I am. My own daughter reminds me every fucking day.”
“She calls you a screw up?” I grab the Jesus handle at the top of the doorframe. “With those words?” I laugh. “She’s four!”
“Two women disappeared from her life on the same day, Arch. Her mom and Sera. But she only asks about one of them. Every fucking chance shecan get, it’s ‘Where’s Miss Fifi?’ ‘When are we gonna see Fifi again?’ ‘Do you think Miss Fifi is gonna visit soon?’”
“Well… have you told Fifi that Mia’s asking for her? I heard emotional manipulation is the newinthing.”
Unimpressed, he turns and burns me with a glare.
“No?”
ARCHER
Marigold Street is a sad, shitty lie the town planners thought they could get away with several decades ago when they were dropping names. The wordMarigoldimplies a street of shady trees. Lush green leaves. Towering, trailing nature that makes the concrete pretty and softens the blow of a five-day-a-week commute.
ButthisMarigold Street is filled with overflowing trashcans, the stench of day-old fried food, boarded-up windows, and at nighttime, I imagine the corners bustle with business and men who watch their assets with an eagle eye.
