Chapter 11:

Sharon got to her feet quickly. They were standing very close to each other, and she waited to see his reaction to her question. For a moment, he just looked at her and she could tell his mind was racing.

"Your boyfriend?" he asked.

"He's NOT my boyfriend," Sharon said, feeling the anger building up inside her, but her voice remained calm.

"Lover?" Richard said, knowing he was annoying her. She didn't react. "Well, whatever he is, I don't know what you mean."

"Really? So it's a coincidence that he was attacked just one day after you met him and he called you 'asshole'?" Sharon insisted. "Believe me, I KNOW what you're like when someone makes you mad."

Richard frowned for a moment, clearly realizing what she was talking about. He rolled his eyes impatiently. "Seriously? You still remember that little push I gave you twenty year ago? Honey…" his tone was so degrading that it made Sharon sick.

"A little push?! You shoved me into a wall, head first, and I got a concussion," her voice was so low, almost a whisper. Anyone who knew her well enough, would've known by her voice that she was really angry.

"You know what, this is going nowhere. I'm leaving," Richard said and walked immediately to the door without waiting for Sharon's response, but she followed him quickly.

"If you hurt him… or anyone else from my division again, I swear, I'll go after your firm," she said in a clear, slow voice. She thought that if this was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of her ears. "You are a defense attorney, so I'm pretty sure you have something to hide. And even if I don't find anything, I'll never, EVER leave you alone." She knew that she was taking a big risk by threatening him, but she had to say it anyway. She wasn't going to be his victim again.

Richard stared at her with rage. He was almost tempted to show her once again who was the boss between the two of them, but her threat seemed real. He swung the door open, letting it hit the wall with a bang as he left the apartment. Sharon stayed in her place until he disappeared from sight, then closed the door quickly and locked it. She leaned her forehead on it for some time, trying to relax.

(***)

The next morning, Provenza brought Flynn home before he went to work. He made sure that he was okay before he left, promising to return in the evening. Flynn knew that Provenza wasn't the nicest person, but he was always a good friend.

Flynn passed most of the morning resting. He tried to call Sharon and get an update on the investigation, but she wouldn't answer. At some point she texted him 'I'll see you later', but didn't call. Provenza answered once, but he didn't give him any details. At one point he thought about getting dressed and head down to the station, but before he could make up his mind, there was a knock on the door. Flynn got to his feet slowly, twitching in pain, and staggered to the door. He opened it and revealed Sharon, who entered quickly, before he could even greet her. She closed the door and looked at him.

"Hi," he said, surprised.

"Hello, how are you feeling?" she asked and helped him go to the couch.

"Like a million dollar," he said sarcastically and Sharon rolled her eyes. They reached the couch and she helped him sit. "How did you get out in the middle of the day?" he asked as she sat down next to him.

"Lunch break," she said shortly.

"Aren't you supposed to use that break for eating?" he leaned back slowly, trying to evade pain.

"STOP questioning me. I came here to see how you were doing," she said slowly.

"Well… now you're seeing me. I'm fine. Any leads in the investigation?"

Sharon could tell he was upset. It didn't make her angry with him, just empathetic. She looked at him sadly for a moment, and then said, "Not yet. The guy you shot left DNA on the scene, but we didn't get a match in the system." Flynn let out air in disappointment. Sharon put her hand just above his knee and smiled bitterly. She felt guilty for not telling him about her suspicions, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Are you sure you don't know anything?" Flynn asked suddenly. He was frowning, and Sharon wasn't sure if he was in pain, angry or just concentrated.

"What do you mean?" she asked, as monotonically as possible.

"I just feel like you know something that you're not telling me," he said and leaned forward again. Sharon pulled her hand back from his knee awkwardly, not sure what to say.