“Didn’t know we needed her permission.”

“She adores you,” said Robin. “But I love you.”

I had no idea what that meant. Had regained enough coherence not to ask.

“I told her to feel free to come by to visit you but she wants to give us some time together. She feels horrible about what happened, Alex.”

“Why?”

“Leading you to Hauser.”

“He had a knife to her throat, she didn’t have much choice. I’m sure Hauser asked around, found out we used to...hang out. Knowing me endangered her. I need to apologize.”

My eyes brimmed with tears. What was that all about?

Robin wiped them. “It’s no one’s fault, Alex, the guy’s obviously unbalanced.”

“Now he’ll be an unbalanced cripple. Wonder when the police are coming by to interview me.”

“Milo’s taking care of all that. He says given Hauser’s previous arrest, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

“In a perfect world,” I said.

Cool lips braised my forehead. “It’ll be all right, honey. You need to rest and keep healing— ”

“Allison really blames herself?”

“She feels she should’ve known better, given what you’d told her about Hauser.”

“That’s utterly ridiculous.”

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear that from you. In those exact words.”

I laughed. The bandages around my ribs felt like sashes of ground glass.

“It hurts, honey?”

“Not a bit.”

“You poor lying baby.” She kissed my eyelids, then my mouth. Too damn delicate, I needed something closer to pain, reached around and pressed her head down. When she finally pulled away, she was breathless.

“More, woman!” I said. “Ugha ugha.”

She snaked her hand under the bedcovers, reached down. “One of the parts seems to be in working order.”

“Man of steel,” I said. “You’re really coming back?”

“If you want me to.”

“Of course I want you to.”

“Maybe after the pain goes away, you’ll change your— ”

I placed a finger across her lips. “When are you doing it?”

“A few days.” Pause. “I’m thinking I’ll keep the studio. Like you said, for work.”

“And when you want to get away from me,” I said.

“No, baby, I’ve had plenty of that.”

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 37

I walked out of the hospital trying to look like someone who worked in a hospital. The cab arrived ten minutes later. I was home by seven p.m.

The Seville was parked in front; something else Milo had taken care of.

The taxi driver had hit several potholes in West Hollywood. The city that loves decorating avoids the unglamorous stuff.

Pain on each impact had been reassuring; I could stand it.

I stashed the Percocet in my medicine cabinet, opened a fresh bottle of extra-strength Advil.

I hadn’t heard from Milo since yesterday’s hospital visit. Maybe that meant progress.

I reached him in his car. “Thanks for getting my wheels home.”