“Ourguy?” I lift my eyebrows.
“I mean, the Steels’ guy.”
“You’ll be a Steel before you know it, baby,” Donny says.
“Whatever,” I say. “I shouldn’t have made that comment.”
Callie squeezes my hand. “But yeah, the guy’s going in, and if there’s anything to be found in the doc’s house, he’ll find it…if Lamone hasn’t removed it after our ill-advised foray.”
“Yeah. We probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Donny says, and then, looking at Callie, “and you, Ms. Would-be-Lawyer, should’ve known better.”
He’s not angry with her. There’s a twinkling glint in his eye.
Callie sighs. “I know.”
“Don’t blame her,” I say. “It was my idea. I barged my way in, and Callie just followed.”
“I’m not blaming either of you,” Donny says. “None of this is your fault. You were put in this position.”
I open my mouth—
Callie stops me with a gesture. “Stop it. Don’t go there, Rory. You were what, five days past your eighteenth birthday? None of that matters. We’ve been through itad nauseam. Stop blaming yourself.”
She’s right. I promise myself I won’t mention my age at the time again. At least until tomorrow.
“I’ll be getting a report tomorrow if everything goes as planned,” Donny says. “If he can’t get in, he’ll let me know, and he’ll get to it as soon as he can.”
I breathe in. “Okay.”
“In the meantime, I have a meeting this afternoon, so I’ve got to prepare for it.”
“Anything I can do to help?” Callie asks.
“Yes, just stop worrying. We’ll take care of this. All of this. I promise you.”
Callie nods, and she and I leave Donny’s office.
“Walk out with me, will you?” I say to Callie.
“Sure.”
We leave the second floor, walk down the stairs, pass reception, and end up outside on the sidewalk in front of the building.
“The Steels are so strong,” I say.
“They are,” Callie agrees. “Every single one of them.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help. Not just for Brock but for the whole family.”
“I think the best way you can help is to be there for him.”
“But I don’t know what’s going on, Cal. Brock said there’s some shit going down with his family.”
“There is. Some big shit.”
“I feel so selfish. They’re taking this away from us, bearing our burden for us, Callie. All the while, something huge is going on that I don’t even know about.”