Page 84 of Love Her

I watched her go and frowned at him. “I’m not drinking it outside.”

“Yeah. I know,” he said, reaching up to nervously pinch the lobe of one ear. “Come in,” he said, and held a door open off his hall.

I also knew where his kitchen was—and it was pleasant to see his table covered with a normal tablecloth, instead of a bloody one. I took a seat, and Sorsha returned from the fridge with a Brooklyn Lager for me. I opened it, but didn’t take a drink.

“So,” Enzo said, sitting across from me, without a beer of his own—and Sorsha gave him a glare before leaving the room.

I made a show of looking myself over. “Am I bleeding from somewhere? Why’re you so nervous?” Had Enzo been turned? If he had, he wouldn’t have much to show for it—unless the cops wanted to goreallyfar back.

“Why’re you here?”

“I just need a small favor is all.” At that, he relaxed. “Why?” I pressed. “What were you worried about?” I wondered aloud, then answered my own question. “All that nonsense in the papers today?”

Enzo took a deep breath and nodded.

“No—first off—if Nero were going to bump you, he wouldn’t do it here on a weeknight, with your wife home. Sheesh. We have some tact,” I said, and it clearly didn’t help matters. “I’m teasing, Enzo. Of course you’re not to blame—we’ve got people checking into the papers.” Rio was probably crawled halfway up someone’s ass and tickling their spine right now. “No, this is more of a personal thing.”

The doctor blew a sigh out like a horse, complete with flapping lips. “I’m not doing anything here that I couldn’t charge Corvo’s insurance during normal working hours for, Rhaim.”

“No—I just need some syringes is all. And I know you got some. You’ve got a full kit in here.”

That made one of his eyebrows shoot high. He inhaled—and then he exhaled, without asking anything.

“That’s the thing I like most about you, doctor,” I said, taking a thoughtful sip of my beer. “You know when to keep quiet.”

“It’s because I take my obligations towards my patients seriously,” he huffed.

“Well if you help me, now…you’ll be helping one of your patients, too. If you know what I mean.”

His furry brow furrowed. “Just an empty syringe?”

I thought for a second. “Actually—two or three, if you can spare them. If I fuck up.”

He shook his head and then disappeared. This was the only room of his home I’d ever seen—and I didn’t intend to follow him. Just like he knew when to be quiet—I knew when to leave well enough alone.

He returned with several small syringes, with needles attached. “Perfect,” I said, pocketing them.

“Do you know what you’re doing with those?”

I just needed them for set-dressing, but Enzo didn’t need to know that. “I’ll watch some shit on Youtube tonight. I’ll know enough,” I promised, and that made him laugh.

“Doctor Google’s going to be the death of me,” he said, rubbing his temple with one hand—and then he went to his fridge, and got himself a lager.

“Oh, we’re doing this now?” I asked him, tilting my own can.

“Yeah,” he said, cracking it open. “In fact…we probably should’ve done this a long time ago.”

I blinked, feeling a little off balance. I hadn’t seen Enzo much since Isabelle’s funeral—I’d gotten my own doctors through Corvo when the insurance kicked in, and it’d been a long fucking time since I’d been stabbed or shot.

“I know I don’t have anything to apologize for, Rhaim, not really. But I’ve always felt awful,” he said, taking an overly long swig. “That Isabelle died. Leaving my place.”

And the nerves I’d felt creeping up re-settled. “It wasn’t your fault. I won’t lie—I was angry, of course—but accidents happen. I know that.”

“And I knew you did, since you never came around after. But I should’ve said something at her funeral to you.”

“You were there. You shook my hand. It was enough,” I said, waving my can at him to absolve him.

“She was so beautiful. And kind. And—she would’ve made a great mother. My own daughter had a son right around when she would’ve been due,” he said, after another gulp. “Every year, when it’s his birthday, I wonder what it might’ve been like, if my grandson got to play with your boy.”

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