“Thanks for coming in on the weekend again.” I sat down in the hunter-green leather chair that I remembered from a few weeks ago.
Dr. Melanie Carmichael nodded. “It’s no trouble at all, Talon. I’m really glad you called.”
“I’ll make sure you’re paid double for seeing me on a Sunday.”
“Don’t you worry about that. My regular fee is fine. And I will bill you.”
A big lump clogged my throat. I had to finish this. I had to be honest with the therapist.
“So tell me. I’m curious,” Dr. Carmichael said. “What propelled you to contact me this morning?”
“My brother has the hots for you.” I had no idea why I said that. It just popped out. Joe would probably have my head, but it was way easier than telling her why I had called her.
She smiled, and her cheeks pinked just a bit. She glowed in a lovely way. I could see why Jonah was enamored with her.
“He’d probably kick my butt if he knew I told you that, so can you keep it on the QT?”
She laughed. “Perfectly fine.”
“I have to go to court tomorrow.”
“Why is that?”
“Remember last time I was here, and I told you I’d beat a guy up?”
She nodded. “I remember.”
“An attorney got a deal for me. I have to pay a five-hundred-dollar fine and pay the guy restitution. It avoids any prison time.”
“That’s great news.”
I nodded.
“But I doubt that’s what brought you in here.”
“You are good,” I said sarcastically.
“Well, it didn’t take any of my education or experience to figure that out.” She smiled.
Uneasiness wove a path through my brain. Jagged pieces of the previous evening mucked up my mind. Couldn’t start there. Not yet. “I really don’t know where to begin.”
“I usually tell my patients to start at the beginning, but I’m not sure that will work for you. The last time I asked about your past, you didn’t have the greatest reaction.”
“Yeah, I know. Sorry about that.”
“There’s no reason to be sorry for fainting. But I have to warn you, you will continue to have these kind of physical responses until you work through whatever is gnawing at you inside.”
“What makes you think there’s anything gnawing at me?”
“Talon. I’ve been doing this for ten years. I can tell. In fact, I’m pretty sure a layperson on the street could tell.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” My hackles rose.
“Calm down. I didn’t mean anything by it. But you called me for a reason.”
I clenched the arms of the chair. My fight-or-flight response was kicking in. Adrenaline coursed through me. I wanted either to run or beat something.
“That’s not the answer,” she said.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but you’re thinking. You’re thinking you want to get the hell out of here. I can see it in your body language, in your eyes.”
“So you’re a body-language expert now?”
“Of course I am. I’m a psychologist.”
I relaxed my hold on the chair and willed my heart to stop thundering against my chest. “All right,” I said. “I’m ready.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jade
“Jade”—Marj’s voice was urgent—“you’ve got to come over here now.”
The phone had rung while I was brushing my teeth, and I could barely talk through the toothpaste.
“What’s wrong?”
“I found some stuff hidden in Jonah’s room.”
“What are you doing in Jonah’s house?”
“I was curious. I’m tired of the guys not telling me anything. I knew Joe was going to be out in the pastures this morning, so I came over, let myself in, and did some digging around.”
Marj… What had she gotten herself into now? “When is he going to be home?”
“Any minute. Or at the end of the day. I don’t know. I don’t rightly care. What’s he going to do? Arrest me for breaking and entering? My brother wouldn’t do that. Especially not after what I found.”
“What did you find?”
“It’s too complex. I don’t want to talk about it over the phone.” Her voice was agitated, disturbed.
“All right, all right.” When Marj got her mind on something, there was no changing it. “I’ll get there soon as I can. I just got out of the shower. I’ll put on some clothes and be right there.”
“You need a ride?”
“No, Talon gave me the Mustang, remember?”
“Right, good. Meet me at Joe’s house.”