Max frowned. “What the hell are you saying? That you’re okay with what I did?”
Coletti shook his head. “Definitely not. You screwed up and let your emotions get the best of you. You took a bad situation and made it worse. Not only did you not get anything the DA’s office can use to stop that bastard Wallace, but you also gave his lawyers a possible wedge they can use against the DPD if we’re ever lucky enough to get him into a court. If that’s not bad enough, you embarrassed Wallace in front of his kids. More than likely, he’s going to take that out on them.”
Max cursed silently. Like he needed the reminder. The idea that those kids might get a beating because he’d screwed up tore at him like a serrated knife blade.
“So what the hell am I supposed to do?” he demanded, not caring that his voice came out as a low growl.
Coletti didn’t seem to notice. He leaned forward and locked eyes with him. “You have to stop being an idiot. Put some distance between yourself and the situation and accept that you can’t save people from themselves. You have to simply be there to offer a hand and hope the mother or that boy takes the first step and reaches out to take that hand.”
The IA detective made it sound so simple. “I’m not sure I can stand by and wait for something to happen.”
“Then let me see if I can help you,” Coletti said. “As far as IA and the DPD are concerned, there’s a restraining order out on you. You get within a hundred yards of the Wallace residence, you’ll be suspended and your career will pretty much be over.”
Max snorted. “That’s being helpful?”
“Yeah, it is.” Coletti sighed. “Take it from me. Something like this can eat you up from the inside if you let it. You start thinking you’re the only person who can fix this situation, and before long, you’ll find it consuming you until, at some point, you wake up and find yourself standing in the middle of an out-of-control situation with your gun out, wondering how the hell you ever let it get this far.”
Max stared at Coletti. Who the hell was this guy, and what had happened to him? Because it was obvious the man was speaking from experience.
They talked for a little while longer, with Coletti giving Max a lot of suggestions that actually made sense, then promising he’d get family services out there to talk to Wallace’s wife and maybe make something good happen.
By the time Coletti left, Max was beginning to think the situation with the Wallace family might end with something resembling a happily ever after.
He was still sitting there when Gage stuck his head in the door fifteen minutes later. “How’d it go with Coletti?”
“Not as bad as I thought it would,” Max admitted. “I haven’t been suspended at least. But he wants me to stay away from the Wallace family long enough to let the system work.”
Gage sat down at the table opposite him. “You going to be able to do that, given the type of situation we’re dealing with?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Gage shook his head. “Not really. But that fact has rarely kept some of the idiots in this pack from trying anyway.”
Max couldn’t help chuckling at that, knowing exactly what Gage was talking about. A few of his pack mates had done some really stupid stuff lately.
“Okay, I’m going to finish up some paperwork so I can get out here,” Gage said as he got to his feet. “Stay away from the Wallace place.”
“I will.” Max stood and fell into step beside him. “Sarge, how well do you know Coletti? I’m starting to think maybe he isn’t the asshole I thought he was.”
Gage snorted. “I’ve known Vince for a long time, and actually, he really is the asshole you thought he was. At least he can be. But he’s also a damn good cop.”
“He said some stuff that made me think he knows a little something about letting things get personal on the job. You have any idea what that’s about?”
Gage opened the door, leading the way outside and across the compound to the admin building. “Coletti didn’t always work in IA. He was a detective in the Assault Unit long before that. For all the right reasons, he ended up pulling a lot of the sexual assault cases. He was good at his job, but that’s some tough work, and he had to deal with more than his fair share of crappy situations. He ended up getting into trouble by putting himself in the middle of one of them. It went bad, and politics in the DPD being what they are, he got transferred to IA. It was either that or leave the force.”
Max opened his mouth to ask for more details, but Gage shook his head.
“If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask Coletti. Go home and give Lana a call. Better yet, go spend some time with her and clear your head.”
Max didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if he was suitable company for anybody, especially Lana, after the day he’d had. But the idea of spending the rest of the night on his own definitely didn’t appeal to him.
He was halfway to his Camaro when he caught sight of Coletti leaning against the driver’s side door of the old jalopy with the rust spots, talking to Kari. Max stopped, sure Coletti was harassing her about being there. No doubt he was asking her all kinds of questions about why Gage was letting her and her friends stay at the SWAT compound.
Max started toward them when he heard Kari laugh. He hesitated. Maybe he should listen in on their conversation for a little bit before he went over there and made a fool of himself.
“I’m serious,” Coletti was saying. “If you need anything—like help fixing this car of yours, for example—give me a call. My cell number is on the back of the card I gave you.”
Kari pushed her long, blond hair behind her ear, a smile tugging at her lips. “And what if I just want to call you for something other than car repair? Is the offer still good?”
