Page 124 of The Good Girl

“We figured Lola would be first on his list.”

I shrug. “All he did was ruin the baby stuff and shit belonging to Lola. He’s acting like a fucking toddler that had his favorite toy taken from him.”

“I guess, in a way, he has.”

I walk to the mini fridge and pull out two beers before offering him one. “With Hannibal gone, we need a medic, a nurse, or even a doctor on hand. Know anyone that might be interested or who owes us a favor?”

He taps his fingers on the desk as he considers. “Lil is the first one who comes to mind.”

“Lil?”

“Yeah, she was studying to be a nurse when all that shit went down with Bear. She dropped out when she only had a couple of months left until she qualified.”

“Shit, seriously? Think she’d consider going back if we foot the bill?”

“I don’t know. Something happened with her, something more than she’s told us. You didn’t know the old Lil, but this version is a ghost of the woman she used to be.”

I take a sip of my beer and think about it. “It’s been almost six years. If something more happened and she is still shut downand not letting anyone in, then maybe we need to push her a little.”

“And what if we break her, Havoc? She put herself between Bear and his cronies and saved the old ladies and kids who were here at the time. And do you know how they thanked her? They left. They left her here with all their demons and moved on with their lives. None of them keep in touch. I doubt they even spare a thought for the woman who protected them. That’s what changed the dynamic around here. There was always a division between bunnies and the old ladies, which is in most clubs. But when Bear turned on us, those of us who stayed worked together, brother and sister, side by side. They’re good girls for the most part, though I worry some of the newer ones want to mess with the status quo.”

“Yeah, I had a run-in with them myself. Nevaeh put them in their place, and I reminded them that I won’t take their shit. If they push, I’ll toss them out on their asses. But back to Lil. If I ask her in such a way?—”

“You mean guilting her because we don’t have anyone with medical training anymore?”

“Tomatoes, to-mah-toes, but yeah. If I force her hand a little, think she’d do it? Or will she run? I want to force her to start living again, not retreat to the corner.”

He thinks it over. “I think she needs something more than what she has now. It’s one of the reasons she volunteers at the shelter. She might be scared to take the leap, so perhaps a push is exactly what she needs. Just tread carefully.”

“Careful is my middle name.”

He chokes on his beer.

I flip him off, grinning. “How did Amity’s commercial go?”

“Good. Though she still finds it weird playing herself.”

“I can see why they’d want her, though. After the publicity generated by the movie and the fall out of the stalker, peoplewere impressed with Amity and her grace under fire. If anyone should be marketing a clothing line for female rock climbers, it should be the woman who managed to survive being thrown off one.”

He grits his teeth.

“Sorry, man, that was shitty of me.”

“Why? It’s true. My nightmares aside, she deserves this, and they’re paying her a crazy amount of money to be their spokesperson. People love a champion they can get behind. Amity has overcome more than most to get to where she is, and she did it herself through sheer hard work and determination. I’m proud as fuck.”

A knock at the door interrupts us. “Come in,” I yell.

Blade pokes his head in. “Still weird as fuck knocking,” he grumbles as he walks in. “Just wanted to let you know we’re heading out. Sunshine’s not been feeling great, and Conan has reached his limit. Not that the stubborn fuck will admit it.”

“Thank you for coming when I called.”

“You’re the president now. You get to make all the shitty choices. But for what it’s worth, I’d have done the same. Felt pretty cool to be the one to come in and play badass for a change,” he admits, making me laugh.

“Probably not what you had in mind when you said you needed a vacation.”

“No, but we’ve got plenty of time before the baby gets here to take it easy.”

“That you have. Now go spend some time with your old lady.”

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