Searching for Always(107)

Oh, yeah. He was completely spooked.

Arilyn cleared her throat, looked down at her notes from the last session, and tried to get back to business. “I’ve never done this,” she offered. “Counseled my lover. But I promise not to cross the line during the next hour if you do the same.”

“I know another way we can spend this session,” he growled. “And clothes are optional.”

“Stone.”

“Sorry.” He slouched in the chair, looking resigned. “I’ll be good. Pick away.”

She took a few breaths, recentered, and began. “Let’s talk about the incident that caused you to transfer. Another domestic abuse case.”

His muscles stiffened. He began picking at a cuticle, a sure sign he was trying to distance himself. “Yep. Same type of thing. Asshole was beating up his wife. Things got out of control. My gun went off.”

Her sweaty hand clutched the pen, but her voice remained serene. She’d read through the description many times. Combined with his past and his record, Arilyn had a good idea he was hiding something. It was her job to poke the sore so it could bleed clean and heal. “Can you take me through all the details, please? You responded to the call with your partner.”

His tone was flat as he recited from his mental list of canned answers. “We got the call. My partner and I arrived at the home. Heard screams from a child and a woman. Male shouts. A verbal threat he intended to kill her. We busted in the door and found the perp punching the woman at the bottom of the stairs. She was trying to crawl up to get away. My partner ran to get the child out of the line of immediate danger.”

“And then what happened?”

He refused to look up. “Perp turned toward me and lurched forward. Went to reach in his pocket to pull out what looked like a weapon. I shot first.”

Her throat tightened. She waited a moment to gather her thoughts. “But you didn’t kill him.”

“No, it was a shoulder shot. Internal affairs investigated and found me clean, with a validated threat to warrant the shot. Partner backed me up.”

“Then why did you really transfer?”

He lifted his gaze. Dark eyes filled with ice stared back at her. “Because after I shot him, I lost it. My temper. My sanity. I beat the shit out of him and couldn’t stop until my partner pulled me off. I was deemed volatile, so they suggested I go to a less intense territory. I picked Verily and here I am. Good enough?”

No. Oh, he’d been truthful. Stone didn’t lie, but his omissions were the key. She wanted to go to him as his lover, press her head against his chest, and tell him it was okay. But Arilyn stayed frozen in the chair, knowing she had to finish what she had started and keep her role neutral. It was the only way.

“Why do you think that particular incident incited such rage?”

He let out an aggravated breath. “Oh, let’s see. Maybe because I watched my father beat the hell out of my mother? I watched a similar situation unfold and reacted. Come on. It’s textbook. You can do better than that.”

“Yes, I can.” She studied him, and the way he held himself stiff, as if warding off an attack. “I agree with your theory. It is textbook, and you’ve admitted it, tried to fix your limitations, and move on. I admire you for that, Stone. But there’s something you haven’t told me yet. Haven’t told anyone, I think.”

He glared. “Look, I gave you everything I got. If that’s not enough blood for you to play with, excuse me while I go tap another vein.”

“Who else were you trying to protect when your father pushed your mother down the stairs?”

He jerked as if she’d shot him. Raw, ugly emotions crossed over his features, dragging him to a dark place Arilyn knew she couldn’t follow him. She could only try to get him back.

“No one.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fuck this.” He scraped back the chair and got to his feet. “I think this session is officially over. I’ve done what you wanted, and I deserve for you to sign those goddamn forms so I can get back to work and my real life.”

She tried not to flinch at the open anger pouring from him in choppy waves. “This is your real life,” she said calmly. “There’s a bigger trigger going on, and until we find it, you’re not going to be able to get past it.”

“The only other trigger is in your imagination. Now that you taught me to breathe properly, I should be fine.” He yanked his cap down low over his eyes. “I’m outta here. Do what you want.”

“Stone?”

“What?”

“I’ll be home if you want to talk.”