Rough Justice (Cainsville 5.5)

Those should be the next words out of his mouth. Beat her to it. Confess before confronted.

And if that wasn't what she was about to say? Too bad. Confess anyway. It was the right thing to do.

Ah, yes. The right thing to do. Admit to the hell he was enduring...so Olivia could blame herself for letting Seanna live, for supporting her staying in Cainsville.

If he confessed, was he doing it for their relationship? Or for himself?

"What am I not telling you?" he asked carefully.

She untucked her legs and crossed them instead. "How difficult it is for you, having her in Cainsville. Visiting her. It's not a case keeping you up at night. I've seen you sleep like the dead the night before trials that have me in knots...and I'm not the one defending the case. This is about Seanna."

No, of course not. Everything's fine. Just fine.

"Yes," he said. "I'm...struggling."

Olivia leaned over and hugged him. "Thank you."

"For struggling?"

"Ha-ha. For admitting it." She settled in again. "Okay, so we've established the issue. Now for the solution. I'm going to make a suggestion." She looked up at him. "Take a break."

"From...?"

"Seeing her. Let me do it. I'll go to tea with Rose. I doubt Seanna will notice you're not there. I'm not sure she even remembers you between visits."

Oh, she remembers me.

"We could both stop going," he said.

Olivia shook her head. "No, Rose should have help."

"There are others who could do it. Veronica has offered. So has Pepper. It doesn't need to be you, Olivia."

"Yeah, it kinda does." A moment of silence, her gaze shunted to the side before she came back with, "But it doesn't need to be you. Anyway, visiting Seanna doesn't bother me. I consider it my good deed for the week. God knows, my account needs more of them."

Gabriel's fingers tapped the side of the sofa, and he stayed silent for as long as he could manage, which was about five seconds.

"I know you're joking, Olivia, but it's a serious matter. If you are the least bit bothered by visiting--"

"I'm not."

"If there is any chance that you are doing it out of misplaced guilt--"

"Nope, there isn't. It's an opportunity for me to have tea with Rose. There just happens to be this other woman, who is barely there at all. So it's all good." She rose and picked up her tumbler, draining it. "Now that's settled, and it's well past bedtime. Well, my bedtime at least, though I'm hoping you'll join me."

"Of course."

Thirteen

Olivia

After the office the next day, I could hear Gabriel in the adjoining room, where he met clients, which was exactly what he was doing. Only the low rumble of his deep voice penetrated the thick walls, but I could hear the client perfectly well as he demanded Gabriel defeat the evildoers who dared try to imprison him for a crime he...well, a crime he'd committed. But he'd had his reasons, by God, and who were these plebeians to question the reasons of a man of his stature?

Gabriel excused himself, and a moment later, the door to his office opened as he stepped in, closing it behind him.

"Politician?" I said.

"Hmm."