Sheehan's Dog by Les Roberts

Author:Les Roberts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Down & Out Books

“We can’t do this anymore,” she’d said, leaning against the door and not even removing her coat that protected her from the March chill. She’d come to his apartment that evening to break it off—and it wasn’t easy for either of them.

“We can if we want to.”

“Brock—you’re a brute.”

“Not to you,” he said. “I’d die before I hurt you.”

She shook her head resolutely. “You’re paid to hurt other people. I can’t stand that.”

“I hardly hurt people at all.”

“Hardly? Wow, Brock, Just—wow!”

“Arizona, you knew I’ve worked all my life for what people around here call the Irish mob. What did you think I was, their interior decorator?”

“I don’t know what I thought!” She hugged herself. “I thought you were hot stuff when I watched everybody in Cleveland stand in long lines waiting to kiss your ass. I knew from the first minute I saw you that you were big and intimidating. That’s why I was attracted to you. It took me to realize people wanted to kiss your ass so you didn’t beat them up, break their kneecaps—or worse!”

“And I was attracted to you because you’re the most beautiful woman I ever saw. I still think so. I’ll always think so.”

“Stop!” she ordered, never realizing that what he’d said would turn out to be completely true. “My coworkers whispered about you at the station when they knew we were seeing each other. Every one of them warned me that you were a dangerous man. I chose to ignore it. But there are things I can’t ignore.”

“Like?”

Her eyes were frosty. “You’ve been arrested four times—for murder.”

“I was never charged. Never went to court. How much importance do you place on false arrests?”

“If you never really murdered anyone,” she said, “as far as I’m concerned, you still came too damn close.”

“What do you want from me, Arizona? Quit my job and be a road construction guy for the county? A bartender? A high school wrestling coach?”

“At least,” she said, “I could trust you.”

“You know damn well I’ve never even looked at another woman since the moment I saw you.”

“That’s a different kind of trust. I can trust that—but I can’t trust where you are in your life. I never could again.”

“I’ll change my job,” Brock Sheehan promised, raising his hand to take the pledge. “I’ll move out of Cleveland—to wherever you go. You know I adore you—I tell you that twenty times a day. I’ll never stop loving you, no matter what.”

She shivered, even though she was in his warm apartment. “I’ll always love you, too, for what it’s worth.” Her eyes welled up with tears just waiting to be shed, and she turned and put her hand on his doorknob for the last time. “That’s the shitty part of it.”

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