A Terrible Fall of Angels (Zaniel Havelock #1)(34)
“Thanks, Lila, I appreciate the solidarity.”
“Bitches be crazy, and dudes are stupid—I’ve married one apiece, trust me, it all sucks.” I’d met her ex-husband, Rob; he seemed okay and a lot less likely to throw shit at you than her ex-wife, Annie.
Charleston came back to us; apparently he’d overheard. “I’ve been happily married to my beautiful wife for thirty years. Not all marriages end in divorce.”
“You got lucky,” Lila said.
“Part of it’s luck, finding someone who’s willing to work on the marriage and their own personal issues. A couple either grows together or grows apart.”
“In the spirit of trying to grow together, I can’t miss this appointment, Lieutenant, I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me, Havoc,” he said.
I turned to Lila. “I’m so sorry, I’m leaving you hanging here. You need some magical backup in case the parents are involved somehow, or in case there’s been enough black magic done in the house to thin the veil between this reality and Hell.”
“I know my job, Havoc,” Lila said, giving me a look that made me try to explain.
“I’m not questioning that; you know I’d take you as backup any day. It’s just I’m feeling guilty that I won’t be there to help you face it, whatever it is.”
Her face softened. “You’re a good guy, Havoc.”
“Thanks, I just hope my wife agrees with you today.”
“Well, she won’t if you miss the appointment,” Charleston said, frowning. “We can get MacGregor to meet Lila at the home.”
“Old MacGregor or young?” Lila asked.
Charleston half laughed and half sighed. It was funny, but it was making things more complicated. “They aren’t related, Bridges.”
“Let me see: a middle-aged or a little older white guy who’s nearly six feet tall and hasn’t hit a gym in almost as long as Antero, compared to a twenty-something, younger-than-Gimble black man who is as tall as you and Havoc—by God they are twins, or at least long-lost family.” She was smiling and overly pleased with herself, but the fact that the newest temporary officer in our unit shared a last name with the detective who had been with us the longest had led to a lot of jokes.
“MacGregor has been in the unit longer than anyone except Ravensong, so he’s MacGregor,” Charleston said as if he’d just decided it.
“Okay, what do we call MacGregor two, then?” she asked.
“Why not just use his first name?” I asked.
“I tried calling him Goliath,” Lila said, “and he gave me this look, said he doesn’t go by it.”
“I can understand why he doesn’t use it, but what does he go by?” I asked.
Charleston said, “I already had this talk with him, and he goes by MacGregor.”
“How about Mac?” I suggested.
“His stepdad is Mac,” Charleston said.
I glanced at my watch. “I feel like I’m leaving you guys in the lurch, but I have to go if I’m going to make the appointment.”
“You sure you feel well enough to drive yourself?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Lila said, “I was supposed to be your taxi because you got cut up by a demon.”
“I’m good.” And in my head I thought, no way was I taking Lila and me off the job for my couples counseling.
They both gave me hard looks, but I managed to just wave and start inching my way toward the elevators. “Just let me know what nickname you decide on for Officer Goliath MacGregor, so I don’t get it wrong.”
“Oh, don’t worry, if you get it wrong Goliath will let you know,” Lila said, rolling her eyes.
Charleston grinned. “I told him it could always be worse, try being a boy named Adinka through elementary school and seventh grade.”
Lila gave a low whistle. “Everybody thought it was a girl’s name, didn’t they?”
Charleston nodded.
“Wait,” she said, “you said just seventh grade, not junior high, what happened to make it bearable in eighth grade?”
“I hit my growth spurt fast and hard the summer between seventh and eighth grade.” He grinned again, but this time it was fiercer, the smile that the sports magazines had touted as his killer smile. I’d seen suspects confess after being offered to be alone with him and that smile. Charleston would never have harmed them, but he gave off raw menace better than almost anyone I knew. He’d tried to teach me how to do it since I had the size to intimidate, but he finally gave up, saying, “I guess you get to be the good cop.” I was okay with being the good cop. I wondered if Goliath MacGregor would be able to do bad and good; he was certainly tall enough to intimidate most people.
“Good luck, I’ll contact you both when I’m out of the appointment,” I said.
“You got this, Havoc,” Lila said.
I shook my head. “If I asked you what women want, would you have an answer?”
She smiled, but it was more bitter than funny. Her eyes were bleak as she said, “If I knew the answer to that I’d still be married to my own wife.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Our therapist was older than us by at least a decade. There was a plain silver band on her ring finger. Our first therapist had been younger than us and the longest she’d managed to live with anyone was less than a year; she’d never been married. How did I know all that about her? Because I’d asked after a few sessions where I felt like maybe we knew more than she did about being a couple. It had been a huge fight with Reggie. She’d almost signed the divorce papers, so she said later. There was a part of me that would have been relieved if she’d done it. I didn’t want our marriage to end, but I was beginning to just want it done, yes or no, in or out. Hell might be worse than Purgatory, but at least you picked a direction and knew your fate.