Page 124 of Rhodes

"Is she okay?"

"I already answered that."

"Jo."

Her eyes come up.

"Is she okay?"

"She's functioning." She gives me a hard look. "That's all you're getting from me about that. You fucked her over pretty bad. How do you think she's doing?"

I nod.

"Fair."

"Did she get anywhere with Oak Moss?"

Jo's expression hardens.

"I'm not asking so I can step in. She told me to stay out of it, and I'm staying out."

"Good."

"I just need to know I didn't leave it worse than it was. I've hardly slept since all of this went down."

"Good. You should lose sleep." She actually laughs. It is not a friendly sound.

"You're an asshole, Rhodes. This is so bad."

"I know."

That takes a little of the fight out of her face, but not much.

"Please tell me she was able to make it right."

"Of course she's fixing it. That's what Tallulah does."

The answer comes so fast I almost smile. I want to ask details, but I bite my tongue.

"Don't."

"I'm not."

She exhales loudly, and then answers the question as if she can read my mind. "She went home to tell Banksie in person, and help him do whatever it will take to make it right."

My stomach drops even though I already knew that was the only path.

The noise from the courts gets louder behind us. Somebody yells about a line call.

"She told them she did it, you know?"

For a second, I think I heard her wrong.

"What?"

"She took the blame."

"No."