Page 100 of Pretty Poison

“I cut off the caller and sent the show to a commercial break,” Mad Dog said. “I’m really sorry.”

Rocky shook his head. “It’s not your fault. Honestly, I’m surprised it’s taken this long for someone to match my name to the incident in Vegas.”

“Do you guys want to take the final questions or call it a day?” the DJ asked.

“We’ll finish,” Rocky said. “Can’t let people like Tim win.”

“You sure?” Jonah asked.

Rocky met his gaze and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for my minimeltdown.”

“Shut up,” Jonah replied.

Rocky’s mouth twitched. “You shut up.”

“And he’s back,” Felix said.

“We have another minute before we’re back on the air,” Mad Dog told them. “How do you guys want to play this off?”

“We could just pretend it didn’t happen,” Jonah said.

“That will only make people more suspicious,” Rocky replied. “I’ll have to address it.”

“Are you sure?” Mad Dog said. “I’m really sorry this happened. It wasn’t what I had in mind when I set it up.”

“I know,” Rocky said. “It was inevitable, though. Someone was bound to get upset over our mission and start looking for ways to humiliate us.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Rocky realized how true they were. He’d dreaded every appearance or interview because he knew this could happen. While it was a wholly unpleasant experience, it wasn’t as awful as his subconscious had imagined. Oddly, it helped that the assault was instigated by the one person who hated him most rather than a random stranger.

“Attaboy, Major,” Felix said.

“Today, I’m their huckleberry. Tomorrow, it could be one of you. We’ll have to pick and choose the way we combat the attacks. One method won’t fit all. And we can’t let it alter our course. We have hell to raise and wrongs to right.”

Jonah looked at him and said, “This kind of feels like aBraveheartmoment.”

Felix snorted. “I’m not painting my face blue.”

Laughing, Rocky said, “And I’m not mooning anyone.”

“Back in five,” Mad Dog told them, then silently counted down before they were back on the air. “And we’re back with theSinister in Savannahpodcasters, also known as the trio of trouble. Rather than pretend the last call didn’t happen, I’m allowing Rocky to address the accusations Tim made against him.”

“I appreciate it,” Rocky said before launching into an overview of the night Julia Warner killed her husband and sister-in-law before taking her own life. He stuck to public facts and didn’t dredge up his personal thoughts or feelings, except when it came to the aftermath. “Julia’s family has been harassed enough as it is. I’m begging everyone to please leave them alone. Let them heal and move on with their lives as best they can. There are plenty of unresolved cases and instances of injustice to explore. Don’t do it as a favor to me. Do it because you’re good people who care about the damage you’d cause to her children. The media has exploited her death and turned their lives into a living hell once already.”

“And yours too,” Felix said softly. “You deserve to heal too.” He turned to face Rocky. “It’s a miracle we’re friends after what the press put you through.”

Rocky laughed, which helped ease the tension in his shoulders. “Yeah, I wasn’t really keen on you at first. But then I started to pay attention to the kind of reporter you are and stopped lumping you in with the ones who live to sensationalize everyone’s personal tragedy.” Rocky smiled at his two best friends. “Meeting the two of you was the best thing to happen to me in a long time. Your friendship helped patch my broken heart, and the podcast gave me a purpose. Because of you, I found the courage to seek treatment for PTSD and reconnected with the love of my life. Thanks for believing in me.”

“We love you, Major,” Felix said. “Right, Jonah?”

The big guy wiped a tear and cleared his throat. “Very much.”

“I love you guys too.”

Mad Dog sniffled and said, “Oh, man. That’s beautiful. We just took one small step into bromance history and one giant leap toward ending toxic masculinity.”

“New podcast idea?” Rocky teased.

“Maybe if this gig doesn’t pan out,” Felix replied.