Page 72 of Break

Vincent ran into the station for a couple of hours to work on some backlogged paperwork and gather updates from Cooper and Harrow over Danny’s case. Hopefully, he’ll come back home with something we can fucking celebrate.

I turn my attention back to my game, my fingers tapping away at the screen as I try to solve the next puzzle. Max’s leg starts to bounce up and down beside me, making the chair shake slightly. I raise an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what’s wrong.

“Just anxious,” he admits, his eyes flicking up to the clock. “I hate this. Sitting here like waiting ducks for that fucker tomaybeshow up.”

I nod in agreement, but before I can say anything else, the door to the lawyer’s office opens and Mina steps out. She looks drained but manages a brittle smile for us.

Shoving my phone in my pocket, I stand up as she approaches. “Everything okay?” I want to know what happened in there but decide not to push her until she feels ready to share.

She nods, but it’s a weak action, and I can see the trembling in her hands. “Everything went fine, I guess. It’s just…” She trails off, biting her lip as she looks up at Max. “Can we just get out of here?”

Max and I both step toward her at the same time, and then pause as we realize we have the same intentions. I know I want to wrap her up and offer any comfort I can, but it’s clear when her body tenses that she may not be receptive yet.

“Yeah, we can get out of here. Let’s go outside. Maybe some fresh air will do us all some good.” Max steps in front of her to go out first to check and make sure there are no threats waiting for us as we follow.

I position myself between the street and Mina as Max leads us to the car, opening the front passenger seat for her and then locking her inside. Taking another look around, he says, “Get her home and I’ll follow. I’ll let Vincent know we’re heading home now and see if he’ll grab something for an early dinner, so none of us feel like they need to cook tonight.” He says it while nodding in Mina’s direction, showing that he’s referring to her, not wanting her to feel like she needs to cook.

Nodding, I walk around to my side and waste no time getting us home. Mina is quiet on the drive, most likely going through everything she learned from the lawyer. I know Vincent and Max will be anxious to learn what happened, so instead of trying to get her to open up now, I give her this time to herself.

We make it home without incident and she only spends a minute or two downstairs before quietly letting us know she was going to go upstairs and lay down for a bit. Her feet are heavy on the stairs as she drags herself up them, Walter close to her heels, ready to nap right alongside her.

Max moves next to me, watching her departure as I do. Leaning in so she doesn’t hear him, he attempts to lighten the somber mood. “I don’t think he’s my dog anymore.”

Huffing out a small laugh, I nod my head sharply. “Agreed.”

Vincent arrives home not much later, and we all just wait for Mina to come back downstairs. I sit and listen as he and Max chat about the fact that there’s still no sign of Danny around town. I use some of the bills from my wallet to practice folding the knife design that Mina taught us.

As we wait, we each take turns looking toward the stairs for her feet to show up. Vincent is growing more antsy the longer he sits on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. I’m the first to notice Walter meander into the room, heading straight for the back door to be let outside, alerting Max with a low whine.

“She’s up!” Vincent whisper shouts, but I’m already watching her descend the stairs as she finishes braiding her hair. Her fingers are quick to wrap the band around the ends, and I briefly remind myself to learn how to do that. I want to do it for her the same way Vince does.

Mina doesn’t say anything as she enters the living room, her eyes flicking between each of us, but she does offer a smile in greeting. Apparently, the nap she took was much needed, and she looks more refreshed than she did a few hours ago.

“I’m going to let Walt out. You need anything from the kitchen?” Max asks her, standing up to head toward the dog still whining at the back door.

It seems like she’s getting more comfortable with all of us the longer she’s here, and that alleviates some worry I didn’t know I was holding.

Smiling up at him, she stays relaxed as she answers. “I’m good. I’ll grab something to drink in a minute but thank you.”

Max hesitates like he wants to say more but decides not to and takes Walt outside. Clearing off the cushion on the couch next to where I’m sitting, I pat it while looking at her. “Here,” I mumble, hoping she’ll oblige.

Sitting next to me, she settles into the couch and sighs softly to herself, looking down at the knife I was working on. Her smile grows as she leans forward, her scent filling my nose as she moves. “It looks good.” Turning her head to look at me over her shoulder, she asks, “You’re still practicing it?”

I lean forward and pick it up and hold it out for her to inspect. “I think I keep messing up at this part, but it’s very relaxing. You’re a good teacher.”

She blushes as she flips it over in her hands. “You’re a good listener. You’ve got it about right. You just need to make sure you run your fingernail over the folds to crease them better. It’ll make the later steps a lot easier.” Handing it back to me, she leans back again and chuckles at Vincent, who’s sitting at the edge of his seat, clearly desperate to talk. “How was work?” she asks him, and that’s all he needed to start jabbering away.

“It was decent. But, more importantly, how was your appointment this morning? What did your lawyer say? I talked with the lead investigator and, unfortunately, we still haven’t found Danny. They’ve got the bulk of the evidence compiled and charges against him have all been formally filed. I’m not sure if you want to know about all of that and I’m sorry for bringing it up, but I thought you’d want to know. Are you doing okay?”

He takes a breath after his verbal diarrhea and, God bless her, she takes it in stride. “I feel better after resting. I’ll fill you in when Max gets back, since I’m sure you’re all wanting to know.”

“What do I want to know?” Max calls from the kitchen. Walter’s nails click on the floor as he jogs back into the room. He only takes a moment to look around before he decides that Mina’s lap is where he wants to be. Walking over to her, he turns around and then backs himself up to plant his ass on her lap and throws his head back for pets with his tongue hanging out. As Max walks in, he rolls his eyes when he sees where Walter is sitting. “Walt! Get off her man, you weigh twice as much.”

Giggling, she runs her fingers over the dog’s head and leans forward to kiss him. “He’s alright. I was just saying that I was going to wait until you got back before filling everyone in on my appointment and what the lawyer said.”

“Fill us in, sweetpea. Whatcha got?” Vincent’s hands are clasped together, eagerly waiting to hear her news. I turn toward her, lifting my knee onto the cushion. I accidentally bump her thigh with the closeness, but she doesn’t seem to care so I stay where I’m at.

“Well, first we discussed what I assume are normal divorce details. Dividing of property, assets, alimony, and how long it will take. Obviously, it’s not an overnight process, but she said that in my situation, it may drag out a bit longer. Since I left the house, I’ll have to wait for the courts to divide our property. They have to determine that I left for a good reason rather than just abandoning the home.”

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