“He doesn’t mean that! He doesn’t mean that. Okay, whew, everybody just take a deep breath.” Carrion dragged his hands through his hair as he paced in front of the door. “You’re going to have to forgive my friend here. He hails from cooler climes. The heat makes him irritable.” “Don’t apologize for me!” I was going to open-palm slap him. “If he wanted cordiality, he shouldn’t have struck me, should he?”
