Brutal by K.S. Adkins Page A

forget you’ve seen him, but I can’t do it. He’s my pumpkin, he’s my tree, and thanks to my Mom, I get it now. All my life I looked for one or the other. The pumpkin or the tree but the second he walked into that room I realized he’s both. God’s honest? I never expected to find one let alone both.
    I’d like to hold onto my mom’s memory a little longer, think of his big rough hands running circles over mine and have him in my mind when I sleep tonight, along with lyrics running through my head for this occasion, but as soon as that thought creeps in, reality knocks on my door in the form of Anthony Gallo. Getting interrogated twice in one night…a party it does not make, and I still have these tights up my ass. Awesome.
    “There you are. I was beginning to worry. Come in and get settled while I get you something to drink. You look tired, baby, I don’t like to see you like this,” he says, like he has any right to say it at all.
    “I’m fine. Does Max need me for the final set?” I ask, hoping to escape and lose myself to my music. I need some relief.
    “No, he’s going insane with worry for you. The boys are holding it down. We’re going to Max’s office, otherwise the crowd will go nuts when they see you. You caused quite a riot tonight, baby, and the DPD is going to pay for that. Come,” he softly demands, and it’s pissing me off. For better or for worse, the DPD is my family, whether I choose to recognize them publicly or not.
    We head back to Max’s office, and though word spreads that I’m back, we’re not bothered by the masses.
    “Sit and let me look at you,” he says, and I wonder if I have something on my face.
    “Tony, its fine. I’m fine. I’m told it was just a misunderstanding. So why am I here? What’s going on? Where’s Max?” I fire questions at him so I can get the fuck outta here.
    “Right here, doll,” he says, hugging me hard. “Fucking DPD. They fucked up tonight, coming in here and messing with you. It won’t happen again,” he growls.
    “My hair was found at a crime scene, so they brought me in for questioning, but the men sent here misread the order. When they figured it out, I was free to go, once I caught up with the Captain. So can we please just let this go?” I ask, acting bored, like it didn’t matter that I was covering for the Captain.
    “What you don’t understand is that security should have never allowed anyone that close to you. This isn’t the first time someone’s gotten too close, but it is the last. Max and I are going to hire someone to guard you,” Tony decrees.
    “Hold up, what do you mean this isn’t the first time? You both knew, and never told me? What the fuck!” I yell.
    “Baby, we didn’t want to worry you. You get in a zone up there, and these guys don’t realize that it’s an act, and they think they can get close to you. They think they know you; they think Kharma is real. That kind of behavior escalates. But it will not happen again. We have someone coming in tomorrow, so it’s done, and you can relax,” he says, his word apparently being law. And a part of me hopes the Captain does figure out a way to get the Detective the job.
    “Do I have a say in this?” I ask, suddenly exhausted and thrilled at the same time.
    “No,” they reply in unison.
    “Fine.” I sigh. “I need to get home and crash…I’m beat. Can the rest wait until tomorrow?”
    “Max, I’ll be taking her home. We’ll finish this talk tomorrow.”
    “Alright. Lunch tomorrow, Kharma?” Max asks
    “Yeah,” I answer. “Girl's gotta eat.” I kiss his cheek goodbye, knowing we’ll never have lunch. I don’t “do” lunch.
    “Come on, baby, I need to get you alone for a bit,” Tony says and I kind of  snap.
    “Tony, stop! I’m not a kid okay? We don’t need to be alone, so spit it out already. What is going on with you?”
    “Fine, we can do this here, if that’s what you want.” He grates this at me leaning me into the wall