Amber entered Harry’s condominium. Sitting in the living room, surrounded by stacks of papers, open file boxes, and multiple computers, she found her brother. Glancing around the cluttered room, she sighed.
Harry hadn’t heard her enter, but he heard the sigh. Looking up, he asked, “Hey, have you heard of knocking?”
“I’ve heard of it. I didn’t know you understood the concept. It’s not like you use it when you enter my place.”
Harry laughed. “Yeah, sorry. I didn’t know Keaton was over the other day.”
Her cheeks blushed. “Well, since Liz’s at the office, I figured it was safe to enter. What are you doing? I thought you were on medical leave.”
“I am, but Williams had some evidence shipped over here. I was going nuts with nothing to do.”
Amber reached out and gently touched her brother’s left cheekbone. The bruise was no longer red and puffy. His left eye now opened as well as his right; nevertheless, the skin around the eye and down his cheek was still discolored. A greenish-yellow tint replaced the dark blue that followed the red.
Harry groaned.
“I guess that modeling career you’ve had on the back burner is out of the question.”
Though Harry tried to appear offended, the corners of his lips rose revealing his amusement. Smugly, he replied, “That’s not nice. I’ve been told I’m still very handsome.”
“Well, Liz is biased.” Amber picked up a stack of papers from the sofa, relocated them to his coffee table, and sat down. “Seriously, Harry, what are you doing?”
“You know I can’t give you the details.”
“Fine, no details, but you’re still working the case against Rawlings, aren’t you?”
“No details, Amber.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Harry, look at you. Think about Ilona and Jillian. Think about Liz—she’s still traumatized. It’s not worth it!”
His blue eyes bore towards her. “How can you say that? What about Simon? Don’t you care that Rawlings hasn’t been punished for what he did?”
“Can you prove he did it?”
“Not yet, but my unexpected meeting in a back alley confirmed he’s involved.”
Amber leaned forward. “No, Harry—that meeting confirmed what you know, what you already knew. Remember what you told me when you thought Claire was pregnant with your child? That attack confirmed that you should leave the FBI and come to SiJo. Simon would want you safe. He wouldn’t want you risking your life or the life of your child or anyone else to prove something that can’t be changed. I mean—so what if it is Rawlings? It won’t bring Simon back. What if you’re wrong? What if Simon’s crash was what the NTSB said in the first place? What if it was an accident? Either way, Simon won’t be coming back.”
“You don’t get it. People can’t go around changing other peoples’ lives without consequences. We know for certain that he kidnapped Claire.”
“So what? I may have felt sorry for her when I first heard her story, but seriously, if she’s stupid enough to go back to him—she deserves whatever has or will happen to her!”
Harry stood ready to defend Claire’s decisions, even though he hated most of the ones she’d made. When he did, a wince escaped his lips as his back straightened and his ribs ached.
“See, that’s her fault too! You’re obsessed with this because of her. Don’t tell me it’s Simon’s memory—it’s because of Claire.”
“No! It’s not her fault—any more than it’s yours.”
Amber’s eyes widened. “Excuse me? My fault—what the hell?”
“I met Simon through you. Yes, I want to prove that prick is responsible for his death. Would I care as much if Simon wasn’t a friend? Probably not—does that make you responsible? No! You’re losing focus—Rawlings is responsible, and I’m going to prove it.”
“The position of President of Security Operations at SiJo is yours. All you need to do is say the word. Walk away from this. Don’t let Rawlings ruin any more lives.”
Harry didn’t answer. He sat back down to his makeshift desk with multiple computer screens and concentrated on his research. He knew there was nothing more he could add to the conversation—nothing productive. Amber must have realized he wasn’t turning back around. He heard her huff and get up before the door to his condominium slammed shut sending aftershocks back to the living room.