“Oh my God.”

The realization, following on the heels of Shaw’s encounter with Regina, was too much: North felt sorry for him. Even after all these years, North still pitied him.

“What?” North said.

“Nothing. Can we just—” They followed the Kingshighway exit, and Barnes Jewish climbed the sky to the right. “Let’s just drop this.”

“Can I just say one thing?”

“North, please.”

“One thing. Maybe two.”

The green swath of Forest Park opened across the road, and the Planetarium glinted above the trees.

“One thing,” Shaw said.

“I think it’s great that you take things slow. Honestly.”

“Please, holy Buddha, change me into an ant or a grasshopper or a tire iron.”

“And number two, I will totally support you in your decision to bang Regina for money. As long as it’s for at least a thousand dollars.”

“You’re pimping me out now.”

“I really want a new TV, and Tucker is saving for that stupid new—” North cut off, and his face colored.

“For what?”

“Never mind.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

The address Teddi had provided was for a three-story walkup crammed between a Kaldi’s Coffee and a Courtyard by Marriot. It matched the clues Matty had given them: secure door, but no doorman; within a few blocks of Allure; and located within the bubble of the Central West End. Although, Shaw noted, toward the very edge. The rent would still be exorbitant. But not quite as exorbitant as the rest of the area.

North found a parking spot up the block, paid the meter, and stood with his hands shoved into that stupid Carhartt jacket.

“I feel like I pissed you off.”

“My head just hurts.”

“I was joking about Regina.”

“I know.”

Those ice-rim eyes searched Shaw’s face, and then one hand settled on Shaw’s shoulder, squeezed. “She’s not even your type.”

“Excuse me?”

Shaw wasn’t even sure what triggered the seismic shift toward anger. A lot of it was the humiliation of having to stand there, Regina’s nail stinking like mashed duck liver, while she dragged out one of the most embarrassing secrets of his existence. The first shock was wearing off, and now Shaw’s defense systems were engaged, transmuting humiliation into anger.

And North pitied Shaw. That realization was worse than the rest of it. North felt bad for Shaw. Because of one night, one fucking night years ago, North still saw Shaw as broken. No, worse than broken. Defective.

Shaw knew some of that, at least, and some of it he could sense, and some of it he was sure he’d fucking process the next time he saw Dr. Farr, but the anger smoked up the top of his brain and made it hard to think about anything else right now.

“I just meant Regina’s not who you usually go for. What’s going on? You look pissed.”

“Who do I usually go for?”

“Come on.”

“No, I want to hear.”

“We’ve got a job to do.”

“We’ve got two minutes for you to tell me who I usually go out and fuck.”