and everyone says so, except Dad. He’ll see sense one day, though.”
“I hope so,” Liv said. “It’s sad when families can’t get along.”
“Yeah, I know.” He paused. “So you really haven’t had any contact with your Dad since you were four?”
She shook her head. “None. Mom grabbed me and ran one day, and that was the last contact we ever had with him.”
Dallas knew the whole story, of course: he knew that Olivia’s mother, Grace, had suffered horrible physical abuse and had received no real help from the police. Her escape with her daughter had been nothing short of an astounding act of self-love and courage. She’d fled from Helena, Montana on an overnight bus and ended up in Denver. Grace had cleaned hotels and private homes for almost fifteen years before Olivia hit the big-time modelling. Dallas knew that she now supported her Mom generously, and that the two women were still very close, even though Grace had moved to New York five years ago with her boyfriend.
“I was thinking, though…” Her voice trailed off.
“What?”
“Any chance at all that my Dad is my stalker?” she asked hesitantly. “I mean – I always thought it was weird that he never tried to contact me after I became so visible in the public eye. I thought for sure he’d come and ask for money at some point.”
“Greg looked in to that, baby, and I double-checked. Your Dad’s still in Montana and he hasn’t been out-of-state even one day.”
“You’re sure?”
“Completely. I spoke to his boss and landlord personally, and I had the police check his phone records and bank account.”
“Oh. So no chance it’s him.”
“None.”
She nodded and shifted on the bed.
“Olivia?”
“Yeah?”
“That safe house that you set up for the women and kids… you did that to honor your mother?”
“Yeah. We didn’t have a place like that to go to back then, and I remember sleeping on bus station floors and in apartment building hallways until she got a steady job and managed to find a place for us to rent. It was a hell-hole, but it was heaven after the bus station, you know? And as soon as I had the money, all I wanted to do – after I took care of Mom – was set up a place for women and kids who had no fucking choice but to run from the men who were supposed to protect them.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I think that’s great of you.”
She was startled. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“Well, thanks. But it’s not something that many people know about, so don’t tell anyone, OK?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Can I ask you another question?” she said.
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you date anyone seriously?”
He almost fell off the chair. “How do you know that I don’t?”
“Well, do you?”
“Uh. No.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, Olivia….”
“What’s wrong?”
Dallas was having a very tough time with himself, suddenly. “Well, it’s just that… it’s a bit hard to talk about.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he assured her. “It’s just…” He fell silent.
“Just what?”
“Well, after my time overseas, I found it difficult to… to be with anyone seriously. I was – a mess in lots of ways.” He sighed. “Being a sniper is so fucking traumatic, you know. I mean, I had extensive training and psych evaluations and counselling all the way through, but still. There’s something about taking a human life that way that’s just so – impersonal. It can fuck with your head, big-time.”
She nodded.
“When you start to see the whole world from a distance, and you keep your emotions in check all the time, and you have this power over life and death… I mean, I can kill someone from seven hundred yards away through a window, and I have. All those things make it fucking challenging to let anyone in. Dean and Chris and Jim were close and stayed close, because they were physically there, and they get it. But letting
“I hope so,” Liv said. “It’s sad when families can’t get along.”
“Yeah, I know.” He paused. “So you really haven’t had any contact with your Dad since you were four?”
She shook her head. “None. Mom grabbed me and ran one day, and that was the last contact we ever had with him.”
Dallas knew the whole story, of course: he knew that Olivia’s mother, Grace, had suffered horrible physical abuse and had received no real help from the police. Her escape with her daughter had been nothing short of an astounding act of self-love and courage. She’d fled from Helena, Montana on an overnight bus and ended up in Denver. Grace had cleaned hotels and private homes for almost fifteen years before Olivia hit the big-time modelling. Dallas knew that she now supported her Mom generously, and that the two women were still very close, even though Grace had moved to New York five years ago with her boyfriend.
“I was thinking, though…” Her voice trailed off.
“What?”
“Any chance at all that my Dad is my stalker?” she asked hesitantly. “I mean – I always thought it was weird that he never tried to contact me after I became so visible in the public eye. I thought for sure he’d come and ask for money at some point.”
“Greg looked in to that, baby, and I double-checked. Your Dad’s still in Montana and he hasn’t been out-of-state even one day.”
“You’re sure?”
“Completely. I spoke to his boss and landlord personally, and I had the police check his phone records and bank account.”
“Oh. So no chance it’s him.”
“None.”
She nodded and shifted on the bed.
“Olivia?”
“Yeah?”
“That safe house that you set up for the women and kids… you did that to honor your mother?”
“Yeah. We didn’t have a place like that to go to back then, and I remember sleeping on bus station floors and in apartment building hallways until she got a steady job and managed to find a place for us to rent. It was a hell-hole, but it was heaven after the bus station, you know? And as soon as I had the money, all I wanted to do – after I took care of Mom – was set up a place for women and kids who had no fucking choice but to run from the men who were supposed to protect them.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I think that’s great of you.”
She was startled. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“Well, thanks. But it’s not something that many people know about, so don’t tell anyone, OK?”
“My lips are sealed.”
“Can I ask you another question?” she said.
“Of course.”
“Why don’t you date anyone seriously?”
He almost fell off the chair. “How do you know that I don’t?”
“Well, do you?”
“Uh. No.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, Olivia….”
“What’s wrong?”
Dallas was having a very tough time with himself, suddenly. “Well, it’s just that… it’s a bit hard to talk about.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he assured her. “It’s just…” He fell silent.
“Just what?”
“Well, after my time overseas, I found it difficult to… to be with anyone seriously. I was – a mess in lots of ways.” He sighed. “Being a sniper is so fucking traumatic, you know. I mean, I had extensive training and psych evaluations and counselling all the way through, but still. There’s something about taking a human life that way that’s just so – impersonal. It can fuck with your head, big-time.”
She nodded.
“When you start to see the whole world from a distance, and you keep your emotions in check all the time, and you have this power over life and death… I mean, I can kill someone from seven hundred yards away through a window, and I have. All those things make it fucking challenging to let anyone in. Dean and Chris and Jim were close and stayed close, because they were physically there, and they get it. But letting
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