Page 42 of Fool’s Gold

“Both.”

“Good for them. Glad to hear we’ve got such civic-minded inmates in Georgia, since I’m here for the foreseeable future.” He made a face. “Never did see myself living in Georgia, but here we are.”

Jack wrinkled his nose. “Do you like it?”

“I do. I didn’t think I would, but you know—stereotypes are just made to be broken I guess. It helps that Sam’s here. I don’t think I’d have bothered to look past my own biases otherwise. I don’t think I’ll ever start cheering for the Braves or anything, but it’s a nice place to be. Roots, Vessely. I’m putting down roots. Like a tree or something.”

Jack had to laugh, both at the idea of putting down roots and at the vaguely disturbed look on Irvine’s face.

The arrival of Matt, in the company of Morales and a skinny guy Jack didn’t know, wasn’t subtle. How could it be? The guy had a massive black cast on his leg and was beautiful enough to stand out in a fashion photo shoot. If the agonized look on his face was anything to go by, Matt had just spotted Jack too.

Or maybe he’d just banged his leg on a wrought-iron chair. Who knew?

Morales guided him forward, although Matt seemed to be moving with some reluctance. He looked thinner somehow, even though it had only been two weeks since Jack had left. How was that possible? He wore loose-fitting linen shorts to accommodate his cast, and he hadn’t shaved today. The stubble looked good on him.

Jack reached for his wallet. “Look, just give him the cats. I can’t do this.”

Irvine wrapped strong hands around his wrist. “You can and you will.”

By now, Matt had arrived at the table. “Jack. This is... surprising. You look good.” He eased himself into a chair and stowed the crutches against the wrought-iron fence separating them from the building next door.

Okay, the wrought-iron thing might have been getting to Jack by now. What were they trying to do, keep out ghosts?

“How are you feeling? It’s good to see you getting around so well.” Jack tried not to stare.

“Good days and bad days.” Matt wouldn’t even look at him, but Jack guessed he couldn’t fault Matt for that. “What brings you to Atlanta? It can’t be another undercover job so soon. Your face was splashed all over the gossip pages.”

“Yikes. I hadn’t thought of that. But no, that’s not it.” Jack swallowed. “I worked a case in Connecticut after I left here. The client decided to open a cat sanctuary with all her millions, and she insisted on sending me on with a couple of cats.”

“That’s sweet of her.” Matt blinked. “And you decided to put them on a plane and bring them to Atlanta because...”

The server showed up to take their order, giving Jack some extra time. He needed it. He found his composure by the time she left.

“Well, I don’t actually have a place of my own. All the people I know are in Atlanta right now, so I figured I’d see if any of you wanted them.”

He squirmed in his seat. A few people were glancing in their direction, but that was only to be expected when a guy showed up with crutches or cats. They had both.

“Me and Sam have a dog.” Irvine shrugged. “She’s still pretty playful, and she’s not small. I’m not sure the cats are going to want to frolic with a pit bull her size. She’s a sweetheart, but she’s still got a lot of puppy energy.”

“Do you have pictures?” This was from the skinny guy Jack didn’t know, who turned out to be named Michael.

Irvine pulled out his phone and showed everyone.

“I think Jamal and Owen have cats as well.” Morales scratched his cheek. “That leaves you, Matt.”

Matt looked down. “I’m not positive that’s a great idea.”

“Why not?” Jack didn’t know why his chest felt so tight all of a sudden. “Are you allergic? Is Norah?”

“No, nothing like that. I’m just not so great with animals. Or people, as it turns out. I’m not moving around so great right now and I don’t think I’d do well at things like cleaning the box. I mean, I fell down yesterday trying to pick up a plastic bag and had to stay there on the floor until Agent Morales came to get me to come here.”

Jack stared, mouth dry. “What about Norah? She couldn’t call for help?”

“She’s staying with Dorothy Wilde for a little while. She needs more care than I can provide until I’m in better shape.” He shrugged, eyes on the table.

“Jesus Christ, Matt, you couldn’t have called and told someone you were going to be alone? I’d have come back if you’d said something.” Jack rubbed at his temples. “What the hell was that hospital thinking, discharging you by yourself?”

“They were thinking that someone who’d worked for Besse wasn’t going to have any volunteers anyway.” Matt met his eyes. “You shot out of here like a bat out of hell as soon as the board cut you loose. If the situation was reversed, would you have called?”

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