Page 105 of Devil's Dilemma

Who responds, “We know his real name, and his employers will certainly be able to find him. He’ll be working for the cops or feds.”

“I’ll have to face him.” My tone gives away neither one thing nor another.

Dad grins. “You’re my daughter. As soon as Pyro suggested we give you the lead in getting retribution, I knew this was what you needed, and that you are fully capable of following it through.”

“You’ll be my lawyer?”

“I’m an attorney in the state of Colorado where the crime occurred. So yes, I’ll represent you.”

As I realise I’ll be expected to tell my lawyer everything, I press my lips together and shift a little awkwardly. Seems I don’t need to explain.

“Strange as it may seem, I do know how babies are made.” He smiles.

I glance down at my hands. In some ways getting revenge, making Skull face up to his crimes sounds good, in others, well, it won’t give me my baby back. Though knowing he hasn’t walked away unscathed would be some comfort.

Pyro seems to read my mind. “Be interesting to know whether Clare’s still with him. Might be he’s lost his own family.”

Is it wrong of me to hope that’s what happened? To know that Skull will lose his own child and know one-hundredth of the pain I’m feeling is welcomed.

“You don’t have to decide or start anything now.” Pyro leans over and covers my wringing hands, stilling them.

Dad looks from him to me, then stands and leaves us alone.

“It’s just so hard, Ro. I, I…”

“Come with me, come outside.” His arm comes around me to support me as we go out into the rapidly setting sun of the Vegas evening. He leads me over to a bench and sits down, patting the wooden seat beside him. “Can I just hold you, Mel?”

“I’m not being fair to you,” I start.

“Life’s not fair.” He stares up at the stars just starting to show. “Fair is none of this happening. Fair is for us to have recognised Skull for what he was long before he was patched in. Fair is you never meeting the man.” He pauses. “But if things were fair, I wouldn’t have met you.”

“You’d have been saved a lot of pain then.”

“No, Mel. This rough patch, I know neither of us can see a way through, but we’ll get there, I promise you.”

“Maybe you should find someone else.”Someone who’s not broken.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I promise you, good or bad, we’re in this together.”

His pained expression makes me remember the different one he wore just two-and-a-half weeks ago, the joy on his face when we heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time and saw the picture on the screen. His pride when showing the photo ofhisson around. He lost his baby too.

For the first time, guiltily I allow him to share my loss. “Are you hurting, Ro?”

His hand grips mine. “More than I can fuckin’ put into words.”

He’s a man, so he doesn’t let it show.

“We should grieve together.” That’s what we haven’t been doing. I’ve been selfish, just thinking of me, and not about what he lost too.

“That’s what I want, Mel. To help you through this, as you’ll help me. We both need to heal, and for that, we need to go home. When the doctor clears you to fly, we’ll go back to Pueblo.”

I’m pretty sure I’ll get the okay from the doctor on my next check-up. The bleeding, that final physical reminder of everything I’ve been through, has, at last, stopped. “Can we visit the grave again, before we go?”

“Of course we fuckin’ can. I’d like to as well.” Pyro gives a small smile. “Seeing him there, among brothers, seems right. Comforting, somehow. We can come back to Vegas whenever we want or need to.”

He’s right. It’s weird but buried where he is makes me feel I’m not leaving my son alone, or unprotected. There’s a peace, a comfort in having a place where my baby lies. I don’t know what strings Red pulled, or whether he just did it not caring about rules, but it was the right thing to do.

We sit, letting the night descend around us, no need for more words. I’m happy he knows there isn’t anything more to say. Not right now.

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