“Aloha. Now, joking aside, why are you calling your favorite brother?”
George sighed. It was one of the things he loved about his brother—well, the only thing—he did banter, but he knew when to get serious as well. Or at least how to attempt to get serious.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. I just need somebody to listen.”
“Ah, so it’s about your partner, the infamous Andi. Seriously, man, you have to introduce us.”
Daniel was also perceptive and annoying. And the only person he could call. Damn. “Yes, it is about Andi, and no, I won’t be introducing you. You can’t be trusted.”
“He would love me.”
“He would kill you… come to think of it, Ishouldintroduce you.”
“Aww, George, you would be sad without me around, admit it!”
“Not as sad as I am now pissed.”
“Fine, tell me about your latest problem with the partner I’m not allowed to meet.” Daniel made a clucking noise with his tongue.
“I’m going to leave him, and I don’t know if I like it.” There, his whole problem summed up in one sentence.
“What do you mean, you’re going to leave him? I didn’t know you were together in the first place! Have you been holding out on me?” The teasing tone made clear Daniel didn’t mean the nonsense he was spouting. George very firmly kept himself from losing even one thought on how much he liked the fact that Daniel could see him and Andi as a couple. That was forbidden territory, like Chernobyl forbidden.
“You’re an ass.”
“Right back at you.”
“Our partnership is going to end when I leave Charleston.”
“Which won’t be for another year. You told me you were thinking about staying at least two years if not three because Andi makes your solving statistics look good. Very clever idea, by the way.”
“I’m not exploiting Andi!”
“I didn’t say so. Now why do you feel like you don’t want to leave him? Have you gotten addicted to solving every case? Have you forgotten the importance of being pruned now and then to stay humble?”
“He needs me.”
“Oh.” There was a moment of silence before Daniel started talking again, all teasing gone from his tone. “Has this to do with his special talent?”
After George had found out about Andi, he had talked to Daniel, not revealing Andi’s secret—he would never betray his partner’s confidence—but calling hisgeschenka special talent. Daniel assumed Andi was some kind of autist with a special knack for putting clues together. As a stand-in it worked well enough to allow George to talk more freely about Andi and the things he did.
“Yes. He’s finally started to rely on me, which in turn makes working together run more smoothly. And if I leave, he’ll be alone again.”
“He’s an adult. He’ll find somebody else if he needs to.”
The idea of Andi trusting anybody but him with his secret was in equal parts hilarious and gut-wrenching. George realized he was way more involved than he had initially thought. “I’m not sure he will. And I can’t stand the thought of it.”
“Easy, then. Stay. You can make a career in Charleston as well.”
“Not the kind of career I want. You know that.”
“George, to be honest, I’m not sure the kind of career you’re aiming for is what you truly are or need. You’re driven, yes, and I’m sure you’ll make a damn fine chief one day, but the way you’re going about it….”
“You’re doing the same.”
“Yes, and there are days when even I question the sanity of the path I have chosen, and I don’t attach as easily as you do.”
“I attach easily?”
