The Galilee Falls Trilogy (Book 3): Fall of Heroes (23 page)

Tonight I’m the interloper or at least that’s how I feel. I’m too tired to disengage from wallflower mode. I stand off to the side in the corner nursing my coffee, listening to the bluesy music, V’s favorite genre, and watching the others mingle and laugh, that is when they aren’t stealing glances at me. The most infamous woman in Galilee in a room filled with reporters, their excitement is palpable. Pretty sure the only thing keeping them at bay are Maser and Zuker, my new hulking best friends packing heat. I left a message for Justin telling him his stalking services were no longer required. I don’t know if he listened, but I haven’t seen him which will have to be good enough. If being conspicuous and having no privacy is the price I pay to get that bastard gone, it is well worth it.

“She’s coming!” V’s best friend Cassie shouts to the crowd. “One minute!”

My phone buzzes. Shit. A text from Bennett. Jesus, that’s the fifth in two hours.
“Hey gorgeous how ru?” “Call me.” “Getting worried. RU alright?” “Plz call me.” “Whats the matter? Rlly worried now.”
Fuck.

I quickly text him back:
“@party. Am fine. TTYL.”

The man is as needy as a teenage girl with her first boyfriend. It’s not like I haven’t spoken to him today. I half expect him to walk through the door and glue himself to my hip all night. The man’s hundreds of miles away, and he’s still suffocating me. Until I get my shit sorted, until I can think about Jem leaving without having a minor panic attack, I don’t even want to talk to him. When I think of him I just feel…shame. Guilt. Even at my lowest I wasn’t a user, not of someone who wasn’t already in on it. Fucking Justin. It’s like I’ve created a bomb without meaning to and the only people about to get hurt are those I care about. I’ll lose them all if I let it detonate. I’m just too chicken shit to clip the damn wire. I—

“Surprise!” everyone shouts.

Oh, shit. V walks in, blushing and laughing as everyone crowds her. Another of my victims. She hugs and kisses her way through the throng until spotting me. I hold up my coffee mug in salute and nod. I haven’t seen her since she kicked my ass, so I was hesitant about tonight. The information on Mayor Miracle I sent must have smoothed our rumpled feathers because she grins and nods back. My birthday gift should take us the rest of the way. One thing. I can fix one damn thing in my life. I can. I will.

I remain in my self-imposed exile until the birthday girl finishes the rounds, ending with me in my corner. “Fancy seeing you here,” V says with a smirk. “The nerve is strong in this one.”

“You still mad at me?”

“Shouldn’t I be? You haven’t apologized.”

“I thought I’d let that email I sent and my gift do the talking for me. You know how much trouble my mouth gets me into.”

“Understatement of the century.” She smiles. “So, what’d you get me? A diamond tiara?”

“Better.” I pick up the bag from the floor, giving it to her. We move over to a table for two where she begins unwrapping the package. “You lose that and I
will
have to kill you.”

When she sees the laptop, her eyebrow rises. “A laptop? Wh—”

“Meet Doris IV.”

“What? I don’t…you-you mean this is—”

“Linked to the Justice databases, all its search engines, and research capabilities. Why, yes it is. I really will have to kill you if you lose her.”

“Holy shit, Jo,” V whispers.

“Now you can do your crusading on your own. I trust you to use the power wisely,” I say mock serious. “So, am I forgiven
now
?”

She stands up, slides into my side of the booth, and gives me a bear hug. “Hell yes!”

I hug her back just as tightly. “And I am sorry. Truly.”

“I know.” We break apart. “And you’re okay now?”

“Relatively. I haven’t had a drink since you last saw me.”

“Awesome. Good. And…everything else?”

“Like…”

“Well, there’s Tweedledee and Tweedledum over there giving me the evil eye, who I assume are here to protect you from serious danger. I’ve heard rumors you’re under investigation for bribery, possibly aiding and abetting murderers, and that you’re halfway down the aisle with Bennett Stone. You’ve had a busy few weeks.”

“Oh, you mean all of
that
, right?” I ask jokingly. “Yeah.”

“So how much is true?”

“Uh…about seventy-five percent? Eighty?”

“Fuck, Jo.”

“It’s all under control. Well, seventy-five, eighty percent of it anyway,” I quip. She doesn’t smile. “I’m fine. I can handle the Feds and the guards are just a precaution.”

“And Bennett Stone? In the pictures you two looked pretty damn cozy. Should I be picking out a bridesmaid dress or is it just a rebound?”

“I…” I sigh. “I don’t fucking know. I like him. He’s easy to be around. We have similar interests. He’s…great. For the most part.” I scoff. “Hell, maybe I should marry him. We can work on the charity together. We’d have to have an open marriage though since he’d probably bang a waitress at the reception, but at least I know that about him.”

“Yeah, that would last all of a day before you ripped off his balls. Not to mention the biggest obstacle…he’s not Jem.”

I gaze down at the table. “Who is moving to China.”

“What?”

I look back up at her. “Jem’s moving to China. Work. I got the news the other night from a total stranger. He’s leaving.”

“Well. Shit. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. What
can
I do?”

V chuckles and shakes her head. “Oh, my God. Seriously? Don’t give me that. Don’t act like you don’t have any agency in this situation.” She leans forward. “Look, I know what he did. And you have every right to write him off. He fucked up. Normally, I’d tell you to keep going and never look back. But I know you, Jo. I’ve known you all your life. You were a better person with him. You lit up when you just thought of him. You were calmer. Nicer. Goddamn serene almost. You were
happy.
And you can be happy again. He didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t cheat on you. He kept a promise to a friend. A promise he made before he even got involved with you, I might add. You love him. Even now you love him, and he loves you. What you two had was rare. It’s true. Pure. I would give my eyes for it. Don’t throw it away for pride. Don’t throw it away for other people’s sins. Forgive him or lose him. It’s that simple. Black and white. But if you chose black, cuz, that’s gonna be the color of your life from now on. You will spend the rest of your life pining for him. Aching for him. And you’ll only have yourself to blame for your lifetime of misery.”

“You sound just like Justin,” I scoff.

“Well, if everyone’s telling you it’s raining outside,” she says, rising from her chair, “it’s your own damn fault if you don’t bring an umbrella.” She kisses the top of my head. “It’s raining, cuz. It’s raining like a motherfucker. Don’t you dare get wet.” She ruffles my hair like she did when we were kids, grabs Doris III, and saunters off in time to the bluesy music playing over to a group of laughing friends.

Fuck me. Come for the party, stay for the therapy session. She doesn’t understand. She’d been with the same guy since college, and they just grew apart. They’re even still friends. She’s never been betrayed. She…fuck. Why do I always feel so damn guilty after these talks?
He
lied.
He’s
the bad guy here, not me. I didn’t sleep with Bennett Stone to hurt him. Okay, well not the second time. There’s too much damage. Right? Why…fuck.
Fuck!
It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t. He’s leaving, I have a sort-of boyfriend, and in a year Jem Ambrose will be just another mistake.

Right. Yeah. Right.

My phone buzzes again. Another text. Nope, it keeps buzzing. A call. Goddamn it. Bennett’ll just continue calling until I answer. I remove the phone, but the display triggers another almost heart attack. Jem. Fuck. Do I answer it? Do I want to answer it? We haven’t really spoken since I left for Independence. God, what if he knows about Bennett? What if…
fuck.
Stop it. It doesn’t matter, remember? Stop it. Prove here, now, it doesn’t matter. I take a second, suppress my emotions, and accept the call. It doesn’t matter. “Joanna Fallon,” I say nonchalantly.

“Joanna, it’s Jem.”

“Oh, hello. How are you?”

“Fine. Fine.” He pauses. “Fine. Uh, I-I-I’m so-sorry to bother you. I just, I-I received a strange message earlier at the hospital. I was in the lab and just picked it up now. Miranda’s gone home for the night, but the slip says Diamanda Roth phoned regarding Doris.”

“What?”

“It just reads ‘From Diamanda Roth, Re: Doris.’ I thought perhaps this was you or—”

“No. No it…shit. Maybe Roth worked out who I was.”

“How?”

“She’s into tech. Maybe she hacked Doris or something. Shit!”

“I’m almost to my car. I’ll pop by the mansion and—”

I stand up. “Well, I’m at Friar Tuck’s Pub right now. It’s only a few blocks from the hospital. Swing by and pick me up.”

“Is that a good idea? This could be a trap or—”

“Then two is better than one, no? And I’m carrying. Besides if she did do something to Doris, it’ll take us both to check all her systems. It’s my computer, Jem. Come get me.”

“Fine. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“Bye.” I end the call. “For fuck’s sake,” I mutter. Just what I need.

With a sigh, I slip on my coat and gather my purse. First things first. I walk over to my hired thugs and dismiss them for the night. Only a handful of people know where Doris is and these mercenaries aren’t allowed inside the circle of trust. Since I’m the boss they barely utter a word of protest. Probably glad to spend the night in their own beds. I’ll call them back when I’m done with Doris. Next stop is the giggling birthday girl at the bar with her family.

“Hey cuz,” Eamon says with a smile. “Come to join the party?”

“Actually, no. I have to go. Something came up.”

“Seriously? You’re bailing already?” Bobby asks.

“Is everything alright, dear?” Aunt Leslie asks.

“You’re not in danger again, are you?” Uncle Ray asks.

Lord, the Spanish Inquisition had nothing on my family. “No, nothing like that. Just work stuff.” I go around hugging and kissing my family, ending with the skeptical birthday girl. “Don’t use Doris until you hear from me,” I whisper as I embrace her. I let go with a smile for them all. “I’m so sorry, guys. Happy Birthday, V.”

“Take care of yourself,” V shouts as I hustle toward the door. “Oh, and I heard there might be rain!”

“When isn’t there?” I shout back before blowing her a kiss.

Actually tonight it’s snowing. There’s already an inch with another coming. The streets are fairly clear at least. Of course Jem’s Porsche Speedster isn’t the best choice of automobile in weather like this. He pulls up to the curb, and I hustle out of the pub to the passenger side. My heart skips a beat when I see him inside but keep my expression neutral. He seems a little better since I last saw him. Still gaunt, hair still wild as if he forgot to brush it, hollow cheeks and dark circles, but he’s shaved at least. His mouth twitches up into a nervous smile. I flash him a quick one back. “Hi,” I say.

He pulls away from the curb and we drive toward Dini Bridge. “W-Were you at a party?” he asks.

“Yeah. It’s V’s birthday.”

“Oh, right. I-I’m sorry to have dragged you away.”

“I’m not. Wasn’t in much of a party mood.” I turn up the heat. “Just a miserable night all around.”

“W-We’re su-supposed to get two inches by tomorrow,” Jem offers.

Oh God we’re talking about the weather like perfect strangers. Has it really come to this? “So, the message. That was all it said on the slip: ‘Diamanda Roth, Re: Doris?”

“I just got off the phone with Miranda. She told me the caller was a man, a sick man who kept coughing. She thought it was about a patient.”

“But this caller definitely said ‘Doris?’ Because only a couple people know we call her that. How the fuck would Roth know it?” I gaze out the window at the passing city and shake my head. “And why call you and not me?”

“Your new number is unlisted. Anyone can reach me at the hospital,” he points out.

“If Doris is compromised, I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do.”

“We’ll figure it out. We-We’ll rebuild her if necessary. We talked about it before. Moving her and the lab from the mansion someplace safer. The apartment directly below us is still vacant. We—”

“For fuck’s sake, will you please stop saying ‘we?’” I snap. A knot twisted in my stomach every time he did and now I can barely breathe.

“I-I-I’m so-sorry,” he all but whispers before hanging his head as his mouth twists into a frown. Great now I’ve hurt his feelings. Again. “I-I just—”

“No, I’m sorry I snapped at you. It was uncalled for. It’s been a really long day after a really long month.”

“I understand. You’re forgiven.”

We drive in silence for a full minute but every passing second that knot tightens until the tension brewing inside me must be palpable because Jem keeps glancing at me. We’re in crisis mode. Focus on Doris, Jo. This isn’t the time to bring up anything but work. I—

“Jo, are you—” Jem begins.

My gaze whips in his direction so fast I’ll probably get whiplash. “China? You’re moving to fucking
China
? How long have you been planning this? Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

His mouth opens and closes like a moored fish as he attempts to find the right words. “I-I-you knew about the offer. We talked about it.”

“Not seriously. We also talked about taking a year to sail around the world. Hell, we talked about changing our names and moving to the damn suburbs, but it was just that. Talk.”

“I’m not…I’m simply exploring my options.”

“
Seriously
exploring?” I ask, voice brittle.

His silence speaks volumes and acts like a punch to my already tender gut. “It’s a fantastic offer. My own lab.”

“You have a lab. Here.”

“The drug study’s almost complete.
There
I could focus on research without the politics and patients. The laws and regulations are far more permissive.” He glances at me. “And it’s not as if there’s anything keeping me here. Anymore.”