Had he opened the passenger door to his silver Prius any harder, Patrick would’ve ripped it off its hinges. Startled by his own frustration, he took a deep breath before setting his briefcase down. The metal edges could tear the leather and he didn’t need anything else to cover up.

He closed the door gingerly before turning back to the office. His gray eyes followed Paul and Jack as they left the parking lot, he knew, for El Gallo Granate. After a long week, cold beer along with the best salsa and tortilla chips in town would kick start the weekend perfectly.

He checked his watch. 5:25. Late already. There’s no way he’d get away with joining them. He needed Susan to be in a good mood when he told her about the trip to Cincinnati next week.

His Droid started vibrating in its holster. He didn’t check the display before answering, holding out hope that it wasn’t her.

“This is Patrick.”

“You’re almost home aren’t you? We need to talk about Kyle.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. It was Susan.