“What’s up?” I asked.
“We got a lock on who wrote that book,” he answered.
Oh shit.
“Honey, it’s Jane,” he finished.
I took in a breath and admitted, “I know.”
He did a slow blink. “You know?”
“I figured it out a few days ago. I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it.”
“You figured it out,” he stated.
“Uh… yeah,” I confirmed.
My brother stared at me.
Then he shook his head while looking away with a small smile playing at his lips.
That was weird so I called, “Hank?”
He looked back at me. “Mace phoned this morning.”
Here we go.
I was going to find out if I passed the Mace Test.
“And?” I prompted.
“And he said you were great last night, Ally.”
I passed.
So I smiled.
“I’ve asked Lee to train you,” Hank continued.
I stopped smiling and stared.
Then I asked, “What?”
“You need experience with a skilled investigator. The best in town is Lee. You need a license so you can charge enough to take care of you. He can help you get that. So I’ve asked him to train you.”
Oh my God!
I had Hank’s vote!
“And?” I said again.
“He’s thinking on it.”
Crap.
“Which means no,” I stated.
“It doesn’t mean no. It just doesn’t mean yes.”
Mm-hmm.
Whatever.
“I’m gonna tell him you figured it out about Jane,” Hank said. “And I’m gonna tell him you sat on that in order to figure out what to do, rather than reacted and fucked shit up. Even Lee didn’t know what to do. And you caught on before Brody. And as for me, through anything, I’ll have your back.”
I was beginning to get pissed-off.
Not about Hank having my back, I loved that. It felt great. He was an awesome brother and that was just one of the many ways he proved it.
I was pissed-off about Lee.
“I don’t actually have to have his blessing, Hank. This would be indicated by the fact I’m already taking cases.”
“He can teach you a lot,” Hank noted.
“So can Darius, who already has, Vance, who also already has, Hector, Bobby, Ike and Mace,” I returned.
“That’s correct,” he conceded.
“So you don’t have to convince him. You don’t have to do anything.” I reached out, grabbed his hand, gave it a squeeze and let it go. “And having your support is all I need from you.” My voice dropped quiet when I finished, “It means everything, honey.”
Suddenly, he reached out and caught me at the back of my neck. Pulling me forward, he leaned into me and rested our foreheads together. And his voice was quiet when he spoke too.
“My little sister, livin’ with a guy and bein’ a badass.”
Uh-oh.
My eyes were getting hot.
I lifted my hand to wrap my fingers around his forearm. “Hank—”
“You’ll never be a big brother, honey, so you’ll never understand how this feels. Lettin’ go. Givin’ care of the girl you love and looked after a long fuckin’ time to another guy. Seein’ her make her way in a world like that.”
Oh God.
He was killing me.
So.
Loved.
My big brother!
“Honey—”
“It sucks. I’m happy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t feel like I’ve lost something.”
Oh God.
“Please—”
“Give him time,” he whispered.
He meant Lee.
And now I got it.
I was his little sister and Lee wasn’t ready to let that go.
I pressed my lips together before I nodded, our foreheads rolling. Hank lifted a bit away but didn’t let go of me, mostly because I squeezed his arm.
“I get you,” I said softly. “But I hope you never let go.”
“Good to have your permission, ‘cause I see in him that you’re it for him. He’s all about you. His world has become you. And he can have that.” His fingers tightened around my neck. “Still, in the way I can, I’m gonna keep hold.”
Hank saw in Ren that his world had become me.
I liked that.
I wondered if Ren’s sisters saw the same in me.
And my brother was going to keep hold.
Righteous.
“Good,” I replied.
“Now I’m gonna go before you go girl on me and burst out crying.”
I jerked back and declared, “That’s not gonna happen.”
That wasn’t a lie. It was true.
Still, I was close.
My big brother smiled at me.
Then he let me go and got up, muttering, “Shit to do.”
I had shit to do too. I had to run and get sweaty and come home and get laid by my man.
I did not share this.
I walked Hank to the door.
He opened it. I followed and stopped in the jamb.
It was then I remembered to ask, “What did you and Lee decide about Jane?”
He turned and answered, “He’s gonna tell the men. He’s gonna tell Indy. I’m gonna tell Roxie. And we’re gonna keep our eye on shit but let the chips fall.”
Time to scratch a conversation with Jane on my list, and I decided to give her a heads up before I ran.
The good news was, neither Hank nor Lee had gone ballistic. That might make Jane fret less.