Babs could feel how tense her posture was, and she tried to relax, but it was no use. It was as though someone had laid an iron rod between her shoulders. She knew it wouldnât go away as long as she kept talking to Jon about this. Not that she would particularly enjoy talking to anyone about her parents. She shrugged. âI never got to do anything about it,â she said. âShe didnât care what I said or did. I think ifâŚâ She stopped, lifting her chin. It was probably too late for this, but she didnât want Jon to know that she was falling into the role he wanted from her. âIâm angry because if anyone should protect you, itâs your parent,â she said. âItâs your family. I would peel Jim Gordon like a goddamn grape if I for one second thought heâd treated my daughter or my son the way my mother treated me.â She shrugged. âIt wasnât just that. I was never good enough for her. Everything about me, she tried to change, from my weight to who I was dating. You know she really wanted me to marry Roman Sionis? Roman.â
    âDid you want to?â He asked, pushing her until she wouldnât let him anymore. It was who he was as a psychiatrist. He wanted to push her to open up, to get to know herself better, to find the root of the issue. âYou think if?â Jonathan tried to encourage her to continue, but the thought was gone with the next breath she took. She was still holding back, not letting him in the way that she needed to. A flash of disgust echoed across his features at Barbaraâs words. Parents werenât protectors, at least not any of the ones he knew. âWell, I think that for Jim Gordon, itâs a good thing that he doesnât.â The violent streak didnât surprise him. He knew the blonde in front of him well, perhaps even a little too well to think that she didnât mean what she said. One foot out of line and Jim Gordon would be skinned like a deer. There was something pleasing about that idea, but he kept that thought to himself. âYou didnât want to marry Roman Sionis?â He asked, a little surprised by the way she had said it. Roman was everything that Barbara loved. The height of luxury and crime.Â