Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The call went as expected. Uncle Chris demanded answers Raine refused to give, citing “It’s my life and my decisions. Butt out.”
That went over like a shark in a kiddie pool.
Raine seemed dispirited, not willing to fight back the way she normally would. Jane took over while her cousin stood in front of the fridge, staring blankly at its interior.
“She’s having some issues right now,” Jane told her uncle.
“I know that,” he snapped. “Talk some sense into her. She’s the best in her field right now.
The Corp needs her. Hell, she can ask for whatever she wants if she reenlists.
Despite what the military says it can and can’t do, they’ll move mountains to keep her.
Raine’s fast-tracking to bigger and better things. ”
“She needs time.” Jane added quietly, “And I think she needs to evaluate if this is the best thing for her.”
“Exactly.”
“I meant her staying in. She needs a break at least.”
“Fine. If she needs it, she—” He paused to yell away from the phone, “Hondo, you can’t keep blowing crap up. I wanted a peek into that building, and now we’re out of luck.”
She heard Hondo over the rumble. “There’s one more. I think. Malcolm is…” Something exploded. “Uh, I’ll go talk to him. Malcolm, bro, I think that’s an IED. Go left.” A pause. “Your other left!”
Uncle Chris growled, “Jane, I have to go before one of these idiots kills himself or the rest of the squad. Help Raine out, okay? Before she does something she can’t undo.”
He disconnected.
Jane turned to her cousin, who sat at the kitchen island with a dispirited attitude, slurping down a strawberry yogurt.
“I thought you were staying here while on leave, thinking about things. You went back to close down shop? Getting out for good? Have you given yourself a chance to think about it?”
Raine’s hair stuck up all over. Her jeans had stains, and rips showed through her tee beneath her camo jacket. What the heck had she been up to the past two weeks?
Jane asked in a softer voice, “So you just decided to rip off the Band-Aid and make it permanent?”
“I guess.”
“What happened?”
“Does it matter?” Raine gave her a bitter stare. “You’ll just try to talk me out of it because Uncle Chris told you to. Suck up.”
Jane knew this pattern. Raine’s go-to when cornered or upset was to lash out.
I will not respond in kind. I’m the calm, mature one here.
She needs advice, not judgement. Or mocking.
No mocking. But what came out of Jane’s mouth was, “Stop being a baby and tell me what happened. I know you’re having issues blindly following orders.
But that was never your problem. You only do what you want to do. ”
That was obviously the wrong thing to say because Raine straightened and threw her half-empty yogurt container at the refrigerator.
Pink yogurt splatted and glopped down the stainless-steel door.
“I do not do what I want to do.”
“Raine, what’s going on?” Jane tried not to sound tired of her cousin’s antics, but Raine’s constant need to be talked off the ledge grated on Jane’s nerves.
Raine glared. “Back off.”
“Great work thinking things through, as usual.”
“You missed my birthday.”
Instant remorse filled her. “Sorry, but I—”
“And you missed Mom’s celebration.” The annual trip to the cemetery where Cleo North lay buried.
Jane winced. “I’m really sorry about that, but in my defense, I was getting shot at.”
“You sure do know how to make friends, don’t you?”
“I’m sincerely sorry about missing Aunt Cleo and your birthday.”
Raine sniffed. Not one for tears, she gave off more of a moody sense of frustration. “You owe me a gift.”
“I do. But none of that explains why you would leave an organization you love. I know you’ve had a rough time with some classified assignments. Are you feeling guilt? Regret?” She paused before adding, “Shame?”
Raine’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes blazed.
“We can’t all be perfect little go-getters!
You got suspended from your stupid job and you’re still trucking around like a happy little camper.
Need me to shine your boots, Special Agent Moron?
Sure. Need me to file some papers? To look through spreadsheets and mine data for you while my career swirls down the toilet?
Aye, aye, Sir.” Raine snapped off a violent salute.
Jane counted to ten in her head, determined not to engage. “So it’s shame. What did you do?”
“You have no idea what it’s like to make life and death decisions you can’t take back.”
“You’re right,” Jane said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.
“I totally couldn’t have shot the guy who shot at me, or punched him in the throat, or asked Joe to snipe my jerk of a boss because he benched me.
This entire family is one lucky charm away from being a fruit loop, but we sift through our feelings, seek balance through careful consideration, and make the best choices we can. ”
“First, you’re mixing your cereals.” Raine gave a harsh laugh. “I love it. A psychology degree you did nothing with and you’re still trying to give advice. You’re pathetic. Life isn’t black and white, genius. Live a little and you’ll see it’s all about shades of gray.”
“Just because I’m not some emotionally unregulated psycho” —she tossed in the Uncle Chris reference because it would further annoy Raine— “who flies off the handle at every turn doesn’t mean I don’t know what life is.
Some of us prefer to be calm, centered, and intelligent versus, ‘Hey, I have a feeling about this. Let’s go bomb something. ’”
“I have a feeling I’d like to share with you, you sanctimonious shrew.” Raine took an angry step in her direction. But before she could launch herself at Jane, Joe was there, scooping her into his arms and walking away with her while she ranted, “You’re dead. So dead, Pain Cannon!”
Hal slid into the kitchen and glanced at Joe carrying away a squirming Raine. “She still using that old insult? The one she used when she was fourteen?”
“She’s been regressing. I think she forgot it used to be Plain Jane Cannon. Now it’s Pain Jane. Or Pain Cannon? I think she’s confused.” And thirty-three years old acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum, but that was beside the point.
“She’s stressed. Ignore her.”
“Oh, like you two did? Cowards.”
He gave a weak grin. “We were being strategic. She needed to loosen up a little.”
“You’re welcome for taking the hit.” But now Jane felt bad, because she knew her cousin would be embarrassed later for making a fool of herself.
A petty part of Jane enjoyed that, but her wiser self wished she’d been able to help instead of making Raine’s mood worse. She sighed.
Hal sighed with her and pulled her into a side hug. “Now how about we look at the data I found on Jon Haversham and see who’s really on the up and up and who needs to be shot down?”
“By shot, you mean…?”
“Taken down a peg. Legally. While still alive. Obviously, not violently.”
She didn’t trust Hal’s fake smile. Jane narrowed her eyes and poked him in the chest.
“Ow.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re going the non-killing, law abiding route. Because Uncle Chris is already ticked at Hondo and Malcolm on whatever mission they’re on. Things were blowing up and bodies were flying.”
“Oy.”
“Exactly. I think his head might explode if you or Joe kill anyone else on his watch.”
“Noted.”
Thank God.