I was beginning to see where he was going with this.
I pressed my body to his.
“Whisky.”
“Those boys don’t take people to the holding room to hurt them. Interrogate them, yes, but as far as I know, no one has been held there and harmed on purpose.”
“Maybe we should lie down,” I suggested.
Hank ignored me.
“Vance was pretty pissed off, the way he found you.
Vance comes from a broken home; a violent one. His Dad set him out after the first time Vance stepped between him and Vance’s Mom when his Dad was beatin’ her. Vance was ten.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered, my mind fil ed with a ten year old boy trying to protect his Mom and being kicked out of the house for it. What did he do then? Was Vance ten years old and out on the street?
Good God.
It didn’t bear thinking about, at least not now. I shoved it aside and focused on Hank.
It was like he hadn’t heard me speak.
“Vance asked for a go with Flynn, payback, instead of overtime, for his search for you. It would set a precedent, but the way Vance figured it, as a woman, you hadn’t been given the opportunity to a fair fight. Flynn deserved the same treatment. Tex jumped on the bandwagon. Lee left it to me. I didn’t agree. I was wil in’ to turn a blind eye, but didn’t agree. Indy was about to lose a knee when Tex saved her. She’d been kidnapped and they were gonna shoot her to get her to talk. Lee felt obliged to Tex and they agreed to let Tex at Flynn, then Vance. Eddie and I stepped up the game to find Flynn before Lee in hopes that wouldn’t happen.”
I had stopped interrupting and let him be.
“I’m cal in’ my shot,” he said and I felt my heart spasm.
I sure as hel interrupted then. “You can’t do that Hank.
You’re good, your lines aren’t blurred.”
“I’m not askin’ you, Sunshine. I’m tel in’ you, I’m cal in’ my shot.”
Holy cow.
“You can’t do that for me.”
“I can. I final y understand Lee. Anyone thinks of touchin’
you, they think of speakin’ to you that way, I want it known, they should think again.”
“Hank, someone finds out, you could lose your badge.”
“Then I’l work with Lee.”
“Hank!”
“I’m only tel in’ you so you’l understand. I’m not askin’ for permission and I’m not lookin’ for discussion.” Holy cow, cow, cow.
“Wel , we are going to discuss it because I’m not going to permit it!” I snapped with a stomp of my foot. “You said earlier you never wanted to be anything but a cop. Now you’re saying you’re going to put that in jeopardy for me.
And you think I’m nuts?”
His face changed, the stil ness of anger went out of it, something else came over him, something I was a lot more familiar with.
He started walking me backwards to the bed. “So, you’re staying?” he asked.