“In fairness,” Sunny said, “there is, of course, Richie.”
Jesse nodded.
“In fairness,” Jenn said. “There are a lot of things.”
5 1
R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“Both of you,” Jesse said, “matter more to me than anything, except my job, and I seem unable to do my job if I don’t ask you to do something that is probably unfair to both of you.”
“Which would make you, in some sense, oh-for-three,”
Sunny said.
“Yes, I cannot allow Jenn to be unprotected. I cannot allow her rapist to walk around free and easy. And I cannot protect her or find her rapist and remain a good chief of police.”
“Which was what saved you when you came east from L.A.,” Jenn said. “Alone.”
“It’s what I have,” Jesse said.
“In some odd way,” Jenn said, “you have both of us.”
“I know.”
“Which also means you have neither of us,” Sunny said.
“I know.”
The sun had gotten higher, and the long rectangle of sunlight on the living-room floor had shortened.
“Do you love him?” Sunny said to Jenn.
Jenn shook her head.
“I don’t know how to answer that,” she said. “I do know that I cannot imagine a life without Jesse in it.”
“To protect you?” Sunny said.
Jenn nodded.
“I know it looks like that,” she said. “And I probably deserve that it does. But it’s always that way. With him. 5 2
H I G H P R O F I L E
Without him. With someone else. I cannot imagine a life without him in it.”
“I understand that,” Sunny said.
“Can you protect me?” Jenn said.
“You mean am I any good?” Sunny said.
“You’re a woman.”
“Who better?”
Jenn looked at Jesse.
“She can protect you,” he said. “And she can find your rapist.”
Jenn looked back at Sunny.
