“Shut up and listen. You’re in bed, about to—”
“Why are you thinking about her in bed and what we’re about to do?” Rex interrupts, scooting forward in the chair. He’s not rational when it comes to her.
I ignore him and keep going. “And the baby cries. She can’t stay with you. She has to go feed the kid or change its shitty diaper. Are you going to let her take care of her baby the way she would want to, the waygoodmoms do?”
“We can get a nanny,” he tells me after a short pause.
“So you’re going to let some other man or woman live in your house and take care of your kids. You think she would go for that?”
“Man? Nah, that ain’t happening.” He shakes his head. He would probably kill any man who even applied for the job.
“Okay, so you get a woman nanny. You think Lucy would like some other chick in your house, taking care of her babies, just so you don’t feel neglected?”
“I don’t think I even like you,” Rex sneers at me.
“Uh-uh, I bet I know who the godfather will be,” I retort.
“What the fuck, Wing?” he snaps, leaning forward even more. “This shit wasn’t even on my mind until you brought it up.”
“I just don’t want you trying to off Lucy’s babies,” I reason.
“Jesus Christ, you think I’m that crazy?”
“Just making sure you’re not,” I reply.
He glares at me for a few more seconds. “I don’t know if I’m impressed with your nerve or if I should be worried about you.”
“Nothing to worry about.” I take another sip of my beer. It’s not the first of the night, and it certainly won’t be the last. As soon as he leaves, I’ll crack open the bottle in my desk.
Rex’s eyes, which have always had the ability to see too much, bore into me, waiting for a crack in my defenses. I act like I don’t care or even notice, but I’m really just hoping he won’t be able to tell how much I’ve been drinking and notice all the other shit I’m letting slip in my life.
“Now that you’re done fucking with my head, care to talk about why I’m really here?”
“I’m all ears.” There’s a small sense of relief from knowing he’s not asking questions about me.
“Michael Cloven, do we know who killed him?”
I can’t say I’m surprised by the question. We go out of our way to make sure the cops don’t need to spend a lot of time in our house, but someone went and dropped an attorney a few blocks over, so I can’t help but wonder if it’s a warning from someone. “No, haven’t heard a peep, and I’ve asked. You have any dealings with him?”
“Other than him getting shot on my streets, no.”
“Are you buying the robbery gone wrong?”
“He was a lawyer. I wouldn’t believe his lips were moving even if I saw it.” Rex leans back in the chair.
“Yeah, and the story about why he was downtown is bullshit,” I agree.
“I’ll keep digging. Make sure you let me know if you hear anything. I want whoever did it dead.”
“Will do, boss.”
Rex leans to the side and pulls out his phone. His entire face changes when he looks at the screen. “Hey,” he says in greeting. I already know who it is, his face gave it all away, but his tone confirms it. “Winger’s office,” he answers, probably in lieu of saying The Dollhouse to tell her where he is. “I’ll tell him. What are you doing?” My friend makes a sound I have no desire to hear upon receiving her response, then promises to be home soon.
He’s already standing before he ends the call with the words, “Love you.” I could never have imagined him saying that three years ago, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard it since he’s been with Lucy.
The realization that I’m a little jealous of my oldest friend makes me pick up my bottle, drain it, and wish I had another.
“She wanted me to tell you hello, and you should stop by some time.” He adds the last part under his breath.
