If you’ve read 72 Hours or On the Edge, you’ve met Carmen. She’s the heroine of DG3. (Which does have a title I love, but I’m neither saying it out loud nor writing it down, because it never fails—as soon as I acknowledge my love of a title, somebody else uses it. It’s like a really crappy summoning charm or something.)

Shan: Look, I know you want to be a strong heroine, but you can’t do everything. We might as well have Gallagher in a pink tu-tu prancing through the background scenery.

Carmen: When Alex and Grace were in trouble you had me hit my head on the car like I’m some kind of rookie drunken monkey running amok, and then with Tony and Charlotte you sat me out entirely. I feel like I’ve got something to prove here.

Shan: A rookie drunken monkey running amok? So do the rookies aspire to be veteran drunken monkeys running amok or what?

Carmen: I don’t need Gallagher to save me.

Shan: You know, I wanted to open this book with you dying. I’ve had trouble connecting with you and the only thing that has saved your life is the fact I know Gallagher, and he wouldn’t come back from that soon enough to have his own HEA. While it wouldn’t be as rule-breaking as killing off one half of an already-HEA’d couple, it didn’t seem right. That could change.

Carmen: I thought you wanted me to kick some ass.

Shan: Yes, but not singlehandedly all the ass. I need you to give me something to work with—some vulnerability or flaw…something that gives me a connection with you.

Carmen: For years I’ve been sad my line of work doesn’t let me have long, beautiful nails I can paint Calypso Coral.

Shan: :bang:

Gallagher: I’m pretty secure in my manhood and under the right circumstances could pull off a pink tu-tu, but I never prance. Ever.