Chuck let go of the elevator door. “Be down in a minute.”
Sidney raised an eyebrow at us, but the door cut him off before he could insinuate something I’d rather not have insinuated.
I spun around and headed for the PICU doors, but Chuck grabbed my arm. “Hold it right there, Missy.”
“Missy? Are you high?” I asked, shaking him off.
“I don’t know where that came from. I’m so damn tired, I’m not sure what your real name is.”
“Carolina.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said with a wan smile, and then he sniffed me. I hate when men sniff me and it happens more than you’d think. “Is that Aunt Miriam’s meatloaf?”
“You don’t know my name, but you can recognize the meatloaf smell.”
“It’s distinctive,” he said.
“I’ll give you that.” I shoved him toward the elevator. “Go to bed.”
Chuck grinned and the sleaze came roaring through the exhaustion. “I will, if you come with me.”
“Gross.”
“No, it’s not. Everyone says so.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s why it’s gross.”
“That didn’t come out right,” said Chuck.
And yet it’s true. Slut.
“See ya. Gotta go.”
Chuck snagged my arm and steered me to a cushy bench done in orange. “So you caught this case?”
“I didn’t catch it. It hit me in the head at Dad’s insistence.”
“Maybe you can calm the Berrys down. They want someone to blame for Tulio.”
“Do you think it was random?” I asked.
“Blankenship says it was and Sidney believes him. He wanted to ruin the restaurant after they fired him. He didn’t know the Berrys.”
“That sounds so stupid when you say it out loud. All those people. Children. Over getting fired.”
“Agreed. What did he say?” asked Chuck.
I grimaced and crossed my arms.
“Come on. Tommy told me that he was sending you out to Hunt.” There was a sharpness in his voice that surprised me. Chuck was Dad’s protégé and I’d never heard an ounce of criticism come out of his mouth before.
“You got a problem with me going out there?” I asked.
Chuck’s lean form bent over me and he whispered, “You bet I do. I told Tommy not to send you. It wasn’t right to ask that of you.”
I was so surprised. I couldn’t say anything. Chuck was more protective of me than my own father. Come to think of it, it wasn’t so surprising. Dad had sent me to places nobody should go. It was a no-brainer to think I shouldn’t go to Hunt.
“How bad was it?” asked Chuck.
I shrugged. I didn’t really know what to say.
“That bad?”
“Not really. Blankenship was…”
Chuck’s face went hard. “Did he threaten you?”
“No. Nothing like that. It was just weird, being in that place and looking at him, knowing what he did.”
“You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Of course. You must think I’m a serious wimp.”
“Not at all. Did you get anything from Blankenship?”
“Not really.” I didn’t want to say anything about Blankenship having a partner, in case Dad wanted that information close hold.
“Good. Promise me you won’t go out there again,” said Chuck.
I had absolutely no intention of even driving by Hunt’s gate, but I didn’t say that because I could do whatever the hell I wanted, “I will not. I’ll do whatever I have to do to help out Ameche and Donatella. You should know that.”
“I do. I wish I didn’t.” He grinned and was still charming, despite the dark circles under his eyes. “Missed a spot.” He kissed my cheek and I caught the scent of good whiskey underneath coffee and a mint.
“A spot of what?” I wiped his nonexistent spit off my cheek.
“Whatever.” Another winning grin.
But I was not won over. “Save it for Philippa.”
“We broke up. Didn’t she tell you?”
My hands went to my hips. “I hope you didn’t break her heart.”
“That’s not what I do. She knew it would never get serious anyway.”
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