Page 106 of Lethal Game

"I'm glad he wasn't the one to do that. As for figuring out your mother's future living situation, she seems ready to help you with all of that."

"She's doing so much better, but I'm not sure she's fully grasped the idea that her house is completely gone. That will be a shock."

"Having her husband back and knowing you're both safe will absorb that shock."

"I used to think my life was so ordinary, so normal, so boring. I yearned for adventure." She gave him a helpless smile. "I guess it's true that you should be careful what you wish for." She paused. "Are you ready to get back into action, work on another case, dive into another perilous situation?"

"Not right this minute," he admitted. "And there's still a lot to do in this investigation."

"I'm sorry about your father, Jason, about the betrayal of your partner, your friend. I know you must be reeling from that."

"I'm still processing. It's difficult to believe she killed him. But she told me the truth. And I guess I'm a little glad he got a shot off, and her limp is a reminder of what she did to him. Plus, she'll be in prison, and that won't be easy on her."

"I hope it's as hard and as uncomfortable as possible. I know I played right into her hand by going with her. It was stupid. You told me not to leave the room, and I did."

"You weren't stupid. I was the one who wasn't seeing the red flags she was showing me," he said heavily. "But we can't changeanything, and I don't want to give her any more of my time or my energy."

"You're right. Enough about her, my family, and Novikov. I have other places I'd like to spend my time and energy," she added, running her fingers down his chest. "I know we have to get to the hospital by eleven, but we have a couple of hours. What do you think?"

He laughed as he captured her hand and brought it to his mouth again for another kiss. "I think I have some other places in mind, too."

"Good," she said, putting her mouth on his lips, and then his neck, his chest, and lower…

Jason took Alisa to the hospital a little before eleven. They got to spend about ten minutes with her father before he was taken away. Then it was time to get her mother dressed and released from the hospital. While Alisa was waiting with her mother for the discharge papers, he went to check in on Henry and was relieved to hear his condition had improved. It looked like he would have a long recovery and might have some long-term health issues, but he was going to survive and that was good news. The world needed more men like Henry.

He'd shared the happy update with Alisa and her mother and then drove them to Alisa's apartment, stopping along the way to pick up a few groceries to tide them over until Alisa could get a car and get to the supermarket.

After they were settled in, he said goodbye to Alisa with a far-too-short kiss in the hallway and then got back in his car around one-thirty. He was about to head into the office when his phone vibrated with a call from Mick.

"Hadley," he said. "I assume you're up-to-date."

"You had a good night," Mick said. "Excellent work, Jason."

"You provided a crucial piece of information on where Icould find Alisa. I'm still curious about that. Can we talk? Are you available?"

"I could make myself available," Mick said. "I'm at the Santa Monica Pier about to order a beer at Steelworks Brewery. Want to join me? The beer is on me."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes," he said, making a U-turn at the next light.

On the way to meet Mick, he gave Patrick a call and asked if he could meet him and Mick at the brewery. He wanted to give him an update on Novikov.

Novikov's name got the result he wanted, and Patrick immediately said he was on his way. Mick might not appreciate that he'd invited Patrick to join them, but he didn't want to have the same conversation twice.

He got delayed by Sunday traffic to the beach and arrived at the brewery half an hour later. Patrick was already there, sitting at an outdoor table with Mick. The men didn't seem bothered to be together. But then they'd known each other for a long time.

As he sat down, Patrick poured him a beer from the pitcher on the table and passed it to him. "Mick was just telling me what happened last night," Patrick said. "You did a hell of a good job, Jason."

"It wasn't all me."

"That's not what I heard. You dismantled a dirty bomb, right?"

"I did do that," he admitted. "But I had help. I was given the code by Daniel Hunt's daughter."

"That was helpful," Mick agreed. "I'm glad you found her alive and well."

"Thanks to your tip," he said.

Mick and Patrick looked happier and more relaxed than he'd ever seen them. He didn't know either of them that well, Patrick more than Mick, of course, but his experiences with both of them had been limited to short-term situations that had often been fraught with tension.

---