Page 11 of No More Lies

She finished dressing and faced him.

“Just let me get through this case.”

“Then there’ll be another case.” He grabbed a file marked Volkov off her desk, waving it in the air to emphasize his point. “We’ve barely seen each other; fuck, we’ve barely spoken to each other the last couple of months. I had to hear from Dex that you went out with the girls. How much longer are you willing to let that go on? Tell me what’s wrong.”

He looked at the woman he loved, at her wet eyes, quivering lip. His gut was screaming at him, something was going on here, and it was never wrong. It took every bit of restraint not to go to her, take her in his arms and reassure her everything would be OK. But he didn’t, because right now, if she wouldn’t talk to him, he didn’t know if anything would be OK.

“Steve, please.” She grabbed the file from him. “I’m not trying to hurt you; I do love you. It’s just work.”

“And I love you. So what’s more important than that? It’s more important than work, isn’t it? Tell me, Angel, please. I’m here for you, always. I’d do anything for you, but you have to tell me what’s wrong.”

Diane shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just trying to do my job, to make partner. It won't be like this forever.” She sighed and sat behind her desk.

She looked so sad his heart clenched.

“You should go and pick up Megan,” she said. “She’ll be eager to see you, and I’ll be home later.”

Something inside him snapped. “You do remember we have a daughter then?” Diane winced, but he ignored it. “I am trying to be supportive, but we can’t go on like this. The team is about to spin up again any day, and I still took leave because our marriage is important to me. Apparently, you don’t feel the same.” He shook his head. “Go on then. Get back to work. Oh, thanks for the fuck, for taking time out of your schedule.”

Steve stormed past her out of the office, slamming the door behind him. He was furious at Diane, himself, at the whole fucking situation. He’d gone there with every intention of not leaving until they talked. Like an idiot, he thought she would want to talk. Fuck, now things were worse than ever. Getting into his truck, he gunned it out of the parking lot. He couldn’t go and get Megan right now. He was wound up; he needed to cool down. Through the handsfree, he dialed Diane’s mom and asked if they could keep Megan another night.

Then he spoke to his daughter.

“Hey Pumpkin, did you miss me?” he asked, forcing happiness into his voice, despite feeling anything close to happy.

“Daddy!! Yes, I missed you sooooo much. Are you coming to get me?”

His smile became more genuine at the sound of his daughter’s voice. It was true when people said there was no love like the love for your child.

“In the morning, Pumpkin. I got to finish up a few things and Daddy needs some sleep. So how about I pick you up at nine? We can go for pancakes. Sound good?”

“OK! But I want chocolate chip ones.”

“You can have whatever you want.”

“A chocolate milkshake, too?”

“Yeah, that, too. Now be good for Grandma, OK?”

“I will, Daddy, can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“Me, too, Pumpkin, I love you.”

“Love you, too, Daddy!”

He hung up, feeling guilty for not going to get her now, but he would only be able to hide his foul mood for so long. He thought about calling Dex but decided against it. The team had just gotten back, and his team leader would want some time with his own woman. He wasn’t imposing on him. Plus, Raven might be spinning up again, so Dex had enough on his plate. No, he just needed to calm down and think things through. Have a cold beer, or two, or three. He turned the truck in the direction of Jerry’s, the bar where the team hung out. Maybe Mackie or Donnie would be there.

Steve entered Jerry’s and glanced around. A few couples were in the booths having dinner. A group of young guys, who didn’t look like squaddies, played pool. Two men sat alone at the bar, drinking and watching the ball game. Three young women gave him the once over as he slipped onto a vacant stool. He ignored them, not even mustering up a smile.

“Hey, Jerry, can I get a beer and a whiskey?”

“That kind of day, huh?” Jerry grinned as he got the drinks.

“Yeah, something like that.” He turned his attention to the baseball game, but even his beloved Red Sox couldn't hold his attention.

“Where’s the rest of the team? You don’t usually come here alone.” Jerry placed the glass in front of Steve and poured the shot.

“Just me tonight.” He knocked back the whiskey, then motioned for Jerry to refill it. Yeah, he was going to need a few of these to drown his sorrows. It might take a while.

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