Page 26 of So Far Gone

“Right. Bethany, Bethany, Bethany.” He underlined her misspelled name in his notebook. “Yep, and if we’re lucky, one of those camo pansies will try his blackjack trick on me so I can politely send him home wearing it as a thong.”

Kinnick made eye contact with Lucy, who gave a slight shrug of her left shoulder that Rhys took to mean,Hey, I was lonely. Don’t judge.

“But listen.” Chuck slapped the table in front of Kinnick. “This whole thing... it could get intense. Are you up for that, the possibility of seeing these guys again?”

Kinnick could feel Lucy’s eyes on him. He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling the need to both compete with, and differentiate himself from, this jittery ex-cop, who was clearly trying to impress his old girlfriend.

“?‘Who then is invincible?’?” Kinnick asked rhetorically, then answered: “?‘The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.’?”

Lucy and Chuck both stared at him.

“Epictetus?” Kinnick said.

Lucy and Chuck continued to stare.

Kinnick’s face flushed. “I mean—yeah, sure. I’ll do anything to get them back.”

Lucy stood. “I should get to work. I have reporters to babysit.” She put a hand on Chuck’s arm. “Thank you, Chuck. This means a lot.”

He put his hand on her hand. “Of course, Lucy. Anything for you.”

Kinnick stood, too. “Uh, can I talk to you for a second, Lucy.”

“Sure. Walk me to the door?”

They started to move away from the table, and then Chuck said, “Lucy, can I get a minute when he’s done?”

Lucy looked from one mistake to the other. “O-okay.”

At the door, Kinnick glanced back at the fidgety cop. “I just wanted to say that I appreciate this.”

“I hope he can help you.”

“I also wanted to ask...” He turned back to Lucy. “Are you sure that he’s... stable? That he’s up for this?”

“He’s not the one quoting Epictetus.”

Kinnick winced. “Ouch.”

“How’s your cheek?”

“That wasn’t about my cheek.”

“Good.” She reached in her purse and handed him the bottle of Tylenol from home. Then she looked at him a moment. “Just be careful, okay? Chuck knows this stuff. But he can get carried away. If he wants to do something rash and idiotic, I’m trusting you to say no.”

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Of course.” He felt coddled, like a child, her saying this. Still, it was nice of her to help. And to worry about him. “Thank you, Lucy. I... well... just thank you.”

She nodded and smiled, patted him on the arm, and Kinnick returned to the table. Chuck passed him on the way to talk to Lucy at the door. Rhys watched them out of the corner of his eye—Chuck doing most of the talking, and then, after a moment, leaning in for a hug. From his vantage Kinnick couldn’t see Lucy’s face, or how fully she returned the hug.

Chuck Littlefield returned to the table and hitched his pants. “Great, isn’t she?”

“The best,” Kinnick said.

“Okay then.” Chuck clapped his hands. “What do you say, partner? Should we go find your grandkids?”

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