He also understood now why he’d saved up for a down payment on a place but then he bought a Harley. Same shit happened and he bought a speed boat. Same shit and he got a timeshare in Florida.

He’d never quit living his life for the now.

And he packed as much in as he could, eating what he wanted, drinking all he wanted, taking off when he wanted, fucking who he wanted, living how he wanted.

Just like his sister after their dad got drilled with five rounds from his partner’s gun, the same night their mother was tortured and murdered by that partner when Rocky was hiding upstairs, Garrett lived with the poison in his mind that life would eventually turn. The happy family they had—their mom a beautiful, vibrant woman, their dad a good man in love with his wife and always showing it, Christmases, birthdays, some part of every day filled with all that was right about family—all in one night…gone.

So he’d lived in the now. He’d gotten rid of the only person in his life who wouldn’t get it like his dad did, like Rocky did, but she was the person who would feel it the worst if something happened to him. After Vegas, he’d made it so Mia would never feel it when that day happened like the poison in his mind told him it was sure to.

He had no idea how he’d get past that with Cher and her son. If the worst happened to him on the job or just because life sucked, she deserved it even less if she got in deep with him and shit went down.

He just knew now that poison was in his system, and the woman Mia was, she didn’t have it in her to help him work it out.

The woman Cher was, she did.

He’d sorted that in his mind, but that was the least of his baggage.

He not only needed to start conversations with Cher about what was happening, he needed to have a conversation with Mia.

She’d fucked things up since he left.

But he’d fucked things up, leaving her. She’d loved him. It was clear she still felt that. And bottom line, back then, he’d hurt her and he’d played his own part in continuing to do it.

He had to explain and apologize so they could both move on.

Mike came back, they went through their cases, decided where they were going to start their work that day, and they were getting ready to head out the door when Sully and Colt hit the top of the back stairs.

“Merry,” Colt bit out the minute he made the room. “Interrogation.”

Without another word, Colt stalked toward the side hall where the interrogation rooms were.

Garrett felt his jaw set and looked to his partner.

Mike’s eyes were aimed at where Colt was disappearing. He felt Garrett’s gaze and looked to him.

“Think he’s heard about Swank’s,” Mike noted, mouth twitching.