MUCH LATER, AFTER they’d slaked the urgent physical need, Sam lay awake in his arms, staring at the darkness and thinking about the things she needed to tell him.
His hand caressing her back let her know he was still awake.
“We need to talk about a couple of things.”
His hand stopped moving. “Like what?”
“Stahl and Ramsey.”
Nick’s entire body went tense at the mention of the two officers who’d put her through hell in the last year. “Really?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” She told him about Forrester requesting her presence in his office as well as Stahl wanting an Alford plea and the ramifications of that. “By this time tomorrow, I could be indicted on felony assault charges.” Despite her resolve to push the pending meeting from her mind, the implications overwhelmed her. If she were indicted, her career could be over.
“You won’t be indicted.”
“And you know that how?”
“I sent word to Forrester through the attorney general quite some time ago letting him know that I expected to be notified in advance if you were going to be indicted. I haven’t heard from him, so it’s probably safe to assume there isn’t going to be any indictment.”
“Wow. Well, that’s a relief. I can’t believe you did that.”
“I wasn’t about to let either of us be blindsided by an indictment, not that I ever thought there’d be one. People like you. They want you out on the streets doing what you do best. Locking you up isn’t going to make our city safer.”
“Ramsey’s gonna go nuts if they don’t indict me.”
“Let him. With the headlines about the hearings dominating the news, no one will care.”
Sam huffed out a laugh. “Wouldn’t that be awesome? If I forget to say so later, thanks for being vice president and getting embroiled in the president’s scandal so no one will care if I’m indicted or not.”
“Whatever I can do to help the cause, babe,” he said with a chuckle. “Now talk to me about Stahl. What’re you thinking about the plea?”
“If it were just about me, I’d say no way to him getting out of admitting what he did to me. But it’s not just about me. It’s about you and Scotty and my dad and my squad and dragging everyone through what would be a long, nasty trial. It’s about the press feeding on the second lady testifying against the fellow officer who hates her and attacked her and tortured her. Do I really want to put everyone through that? Do I want to put myself through it?”
He took hold of her hand and linked their fingers. “This isn’t about me or Scotty or your dad or your squad. This is about you and what that monster put you through that awful day. You should do whatever you want to and not worry about how it affects anyone else. The rest of us will support you no matter how you choose to proceed.”
Bolstered by his fierce words of support, Sam said, “I don’t want to make it easy on him by letting him off the hook. I want him to have to stand in open court and admit that he’s guilty and have him found guilty—and that’s what my dad wants me to do too.”
“Then that’s what you should do. Don’t take the plea. Tell him you’ll see him in court.”
“The thought of reliving that day makes me sick.”
“You can do it one more time to make sure he never sees the light of day again, and then forget about it. I’ll be right there with you, babe.”
Sam squeezed his hand. “Thanks. I’ll let them know there’s no deal.” She took a deep breath and let it out. “This has been one hell of a day.”
“It sure has.” He released her hand and wrapped his arms around her. “Close your eyes and get some rest while you can, sweetheart. Tomorrow promises to be another shit show.”
Smiling, Sam said, “That phrase is mine, and it’s copyrighted.”
“Sue me.”
“Nah, I’d rather just love you.”
* * *
SHE WOKE TO the alarm on Nick’s phone going off when it was still dark out, surprised—and pleased—to have made it through the night without a call from Dispatch. That was a good sign that their shooting outbreak had been a one-night thing. One night was more than enough.
“Babe,” she said, nudging Nick with her shoulder. “Wake up.”
He grunted in reply.
As he was sleeping facedown, Sam crawled on top of him, pressing her naked body to his back. “Wake up,” she said again. “It’s the favorite day of geeks everywhere. First day of school.”
His eyes flew open. “New pencils?”
Sam laughed and kissed his back, taking a bite out of his shoulder that made him startle. “Guess what?”
“Hmm?”
“No call from Dispatch overnight.”
“That’s good news.”
“Very good news. It means I’m extra well rested and ready to catch their murdering asses today.”
“You make me hot when you go badass cop on me. Especially when you’re on me.”
She moved her hips suggestively, drawing a tortured-sounding groan from him.
“Don’t do that when we don’t have time to see it through.”
“We have time for a quickie.”
“We do?”
“Uh-huh, but it has to be super quick. We have to wake up Scotty in fifteen minutes.”
“I can do super quick.”
“Turn over.” She raised herself up so he could move under her, and surprised him when she took him right to the hilt.
“Jeez, Samantha! Give me some warning, why don’t you.”
“I did warn you. I said we had to be quick. And are you complaining?”
“Definitely not complaining.”
He put his hands behind his head. “Be quick with me, you wicked woman.”
It took Sam less than three minutes to finish them both off, leaving them gasping and breathing hard in the aftermath.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered. “I have to be the luckiest husband who ever lived. My wife is a sex goddess.”
Sam laughed. “Make sure to post a review to my website.”
“No way. I’m not telling anyone else what I have, because everyone will want it.”
“No one else can have what you have.”
“Thank God for that.” He gave her a light spank on the ass that had her wishing they had time for more.
“We’ve got to get our eighth grader up and moving.”
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh that had her taking another look at him and seeing the tension that gripped him. “I wish we could stay right here and hide out until the firestorm dies down.”
“We don’t hide out. That’s not who we are.”
“I know, but sometimes I wish we could.”
“I do too. When it gets to be too much, we’ll take a night away at John’s cabin, just the two of us.” He’d inherited the cabin in Leesburg, Virginia, from John O’Connor.
“And thirty Secret Service agents,” he said with a wry smile.
“We’ll make them stay outside.”
“Let’s do that. Going back to work after a fantastic vacation is depressing enough without Congressional hearings to contend with too.”
“Or drive-by shootings,” she said.
“Which makes my complaints seem minor in comparison.”
“They’re not minor. They’re totally understandable. Promise me something.”
He twirled a lock of her hair around his index finger. “Anything.”
“If it gets to be too much for you, don’t try to hide that from me. Share it with me. You don’t need to be stoic. Not with me. Okay?”
Smiling, he nodded. “That’s an easy promise to make. I need all the support I can get to deal with this.”
Leaning over him, she kissed him. “You have it. Have they told you if you have to testify?”
“Not yet, but I assume they’ll call me sometime this week, if they’re going to.”
“Whenever it is, I’ll be there.”
“You don’t have to be. You have murdering thugs to catch.”
“I will be there, Nick, the same way you’d be there for me.”
Smiling, he gazed up at her. “Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me for being a good wife for once.”
Laughing, he said, “You’re always a good wife. Never more so than when we’re up here.”
“This is where I do my best work.”
“No argument from me, babe.”
They disentangled themselves and used the adjoining bathroom to clean up and get presentable before they headed downstairs to wake Scotty. With that unpleasant task completed, Sam rushed through a shower and got dressed. She unlocked her bedside table drawer to retrieve her weapon, badge and cuffs and went downstairs at six forty-five. In the kitchen, a glum boy ate cereal under the watchful eye of his father, who scanned the morning headlines in the Washington Star.
“Anything get worse overnight?”
“Nope,” Nick said. “Lots of coverage about the shootings and the MPD’s advisory for people to stay inside until the shooter is caught. You guys will be under a lot of pressure to get that done, especially this time of year when everyone wants to be outside.”
“I know. It sucks. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the lab will have something for us from the car today or that we’ll be able to get the gangbanger to talk. I hate feeling like we’re grasping at straws.”
“I’m sure. Your new guy starts today, right?”
“God, I almost forgot about that. In addition to working the case, I get to bring in the replacement for the officer who was murdered. This is shaping up to be a great day.”
“It’s gonna be a great day for all of us,” Scotty muttered.
Nick laughed and ruffled Scotty’s hair. “Your mom and I would love for the first day of eighth grade to be our biggest concern today.”
“Stop making me feel petty for complaining about school.”
Smiling, Sam bent to kiss his cheek. “I hope you have a fantastic first day of school and a great year. Make sure Dad takes pictures before you leave, and wear that navy blue polo we bought a couple of weeks ago. You look handsome in that.”
“All right,” he said with a long-suffering sigh. He got up to put his bowl in the dishwasher and trudged out of the room.
“The struggle is real,” Sam said to Nick, who rolled his eyes.
“As is the drama.”
“I feel his pain.” She bent to kiss her husband. “Thanks for a great night. It was just what I needed after a rough day.”
“It was a terrible burden, but somehow I survived.” He patted her on the ass. “You’ll be careful out there, right?”
“Always.” She kissed him again. “Call if you need me.”
“Likewise. If you want me to come with you to see Forrester, I will.”
“As much as I’d love to have you with me, if you’re there it becomes an even bigger deal than it already is.”
“Understood, but call me the minute you know anything?”
“You’ll be my first call, especially if I need you to bail me out.”
“Not funny. Love you, babe.”
“Love you too.” On her way out, she nodded to Melinda at the door and went down the ramp into the already-sweltering humidity that would make this an even more unpleasant day than it already promised to be. She drove to work thinking about the case, the arrival of Detective Cameron Green and the emotional impact on her squad as he replaced Detective Arnold.
Sam placed a call to her sergeant, looking to feel him out on the arrival of his new partner.
“Morning,” Gonzo said.
“How’s it going?”
“Pretty good after an unexpected full night of sleep.”
“I know. Me too.”
“You think it’s over?”
“Hard to say. Only time will tell. Listen, I wanted to check in with you about Green starting today.” After a long silence, she said, “Gonzo?”
“Yeah, I’m here. I knew this day was coming, and he seems like a good enough guy.”
“Are you okay?”
His gruff laughter masked a world of agony. “Yeah, I’m great.”
“Gonzo...”
“It’s okay, Sam. Life goes on whether we want it to or not, and it’s time to replace Arnold. We need the help, and you found someone worthy of our squad. It’s just going to take some time. That’s all I can say.”
“No one will ever replace Arnold, for any of us. I hope you know that.”
“I do, but thanks for saying so.”
“I’ll be there shortly to handle the paperwork with Green.”
“I came in early so I could do it. I’m your sergeant. That’s my job, not yours.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
“Will you promise me if you’re having any issues you’ll talk to me or Cruz or Trulo?” she asked, referring to the department’s staff psychiatrist.
“Yeah, I will. Thanks for caring. Means a lot.”
“We all care, Gonzo.”
“I know. I’ll see you when you get here.”
At HQ, Sam parked at the morgue entrance and stopped to talk to Lindsey, who looked far too chipper for first thing in the morning. “What’s got you all sparkly looking?”
“A really great night with my guy.” Lindsey was engaged to Nick’s chief of staff, Terry O’Connor, brother of John and son of Graham. “He surprised me by making dinner last night and then we—”
“Stop!” Sam covered her ears. “I don’t need to know what happened next. I can figure that out for myself.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Lieutenant,” she said drolly. “I was going to say we binge-watched three episodes of The Crown, about Queen Elizabeth. It’s so amazing. Have you seen it?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
“You guys would love it. Even Terry really liked it.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Did you see Caroline Brinkley’s parents yesterday?”
“Yes,” Lindsey said with a sigh, some of her sparkle fading at the reminder of the dreadful case. “It was awful. Those poor people. They did everything right. Their daughter did everything right... I told them about finding the can of pepper spray rolled into her hand, and I could tell that little detail killed her dad. He always told her never to be without it. For all the good that did. Do we have any solid leads?”
“I’m hoping the car yielded something useful, and we’ve got a gangbanger on ice who had issues with one of the vic’s sisters. I’m also planning to dig into our other victims today to see if anyone had a beef with them. Nothing solid yet, but we’re connecting the dots.”
“I’ll let you get to it. Let me know if I can help at all.”
“Will do.”
Sam left the morgue and made her way to the pit, where the first thing she saw was Detective Cameron Green sitting in Arnold’s cubicle. The sight stopped her short, the same way a punch to the gut would have. She took a deep breath and fought through the emotional wallop of seeing someone new in Arnold’s spot. She cleared her throat and made her way over to welcome her new officer.
“Good morning, Detective.”
At the sound of her voice, he jumped up. “Good morning, Lieutenant.”
Sam shook his outstretched hand, noting the starched light blue dress shirt and navy tie he’d worn for his first day. “Good to see you.”
“Good to be here.” Tall, muscular and handsome, Green had blond hair and blue eyes, as well as a firm handshake. He’d impressed Sam with his attention to detail, which had led to the recovery of a missing college student, and his determination to get justice for a victim who’d tried to turn her life around. “I’m ready to help with whatever you need.”
“Has Gonzo briefed you on the investigation into the drive-by shootings?”
“I was just reading the reports.”
“We’ll be meeting in the conference room in ten to review developments.”
“Sounds good.”
Sam started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face him since they had the pit to themselves for the moment. “This,” she said, gesturing to his cubicle, “is going to be a tough transition for the squad, and for Sergeant Gonzales, in particular. It’s nothing personal. I hope you know.”
“I understand completely.”
“If you have any issues or challenges, my door is always open. I want you to feel welcome and comfortable here, despite the circumstances.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Great. I’ll let you get back to reviewing the reports, then.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pleased to note that her first impression of him hadn’t changed in the months since they first met, Sam went into her office feeling encouraged about his arrival and his understanding of the emotional minefield he’d walked into.
Sam booted up her computer, looking for a report from the lab on the car. Seeing nothing, she was about to place a call to check the status when Special Agent Avery Hill appeared in her doorway. She hated that, like always, she noticed how incredibly handsome Shelby’s fiancé was with his golden eyes, honey-colored hair and prominent cheekbones.
Sam hadn’t seen him in weeks, since the culmination of the investigation that had led them to Christopher Nelson. “Agent Hill. This is a surprise.”
“I wanted to check in to see if we can help with the shootings investigation, so I figured I’d bring the lab report over myself.”
Sam reached out to receive the printed report. “You could’ve emailed it.”
“I wanted to talk to you about something else if you have a minute.”
“That’s about all I have.”
He piqued her curiosity when he closed the door and took a seat. “I was wondering how you think Shelby has been the last few weeks.”
“I haven’t seen much of her with being on vacation and her being on leave, but she seems thrilled with Noah and has bounced right back from having him.”
Avery nodded. “She is indeed thrilled with the baby. I’ve never seen her so happy.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Yeah.”
The single word was packed with so many things, that curiosity had her wanting to dig in deeper even if she knew she ought to leave well enough alone. Avery’s ridiculous attraction to her had caused trouble for her and Nick, but nowhere near as much trouble as it had caused for him and Shelby. That trouble had led Shelby to quit her job for a time. “What’re you not saying?” Sam asked, telling herself she was being a friend to him and to Shelby by pursuing it further.
He sighed deeply. “She and Noah are living with me, but things between us are different now.” He meant since he accidentally said Sam’s name at a critical moment with Shelby.
“I thought you guys had gotten past that.”
“I thought so too, but it’s...different. I just wondered if she’s that way with me or everyone, and I didn’t know who else to ask.”
“As you and the rest of the world know, I’ve never had a baby, but I imagine if I did, he or she would take over my life to the exclusion of just about everything else.”
“Including Nick?”
Sam hesitated because she couldn’t picture any scenario that would result in her wanting to exclude Nick. “We’d both be preoccupied with the baby.” A shaft of pain lanced her heart. This topic struck way too close to home, especially after her recent pregnancy “scare.” Though she could hardly call it that when she wanted to be pregnant more than she wanted just about anything.
“I’m sorry. It’s insensitive on so many levels for me to talk to you about this.”
Sam’s fertility struggles were no longer a well-kept secret. She’d gotten a lot of attention for her address to an organization that supported fertility-challenged women like herself. “She’s a new mom at forty-three,” Sam said of Shelby. “She’s over the moon with the baby. Give it some time, Avery. Things will be back to normal in a few weeks when you settle into a new routine.”
Nodding, he said, “I’m sure you’re right.”
“When have you ever known me not to be?”
His snort of laughter was more like the Avery she knew.
“Why don’t you stick around and attend our morning meeting about the shooting? You can make the crime lab report.”
“Sure, I can do that. And, ah, thanks. You know. For the advice.”
“Anytime.” Sam wanted Shelby to be happy, and she wanted that for Avery too, even after all the trouble his crush had caused. She wanted that crush in the past where it belonged, and Avery’s concern about his relationship with Shelby was a good indication that he’d moved on. She could only hope so for everyone’s sake. “Give me the highlights of the report.”
“We found prints belonging to the owner of the car, who’s in the system, as well as another set that we tied to his significant other, also in the system.”
“A match made in crime.” Sam batted her eyelashes. “You gotta love a good romance.”
“Indeed,” Avery said, grinning. “We found gunpowder residue on the passenger side and other hairs and fibers that’re being further analyzed. The conclusion was that this could be the car that was used in the shootings, but we can’t say that conclusively.”
“Most people, even career criminals, don’t go around shooting at people from their car, so I think we can conclude there’s a pretty good chance this is our vehicle.”
“I agree.”
“So even though the car didn’t yield tangible leads, it told us one thing we didn’t already know—that we have perps smart enough to glove up so they won’t leave prints behind.”
“What’re you thinking?”
“Between that and a trigger man—or woman—who is good enough to shoot to kill at high speed, we’re looking for a professional marksman here, which probably rules out Simmons.”
“What’s their endgame?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. Domestic terrorism? Has there been any chatter about terrorizing the District in recent weeks?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary, but I’ll have my team dig a little deeper on that.”
“That would help.” Sam gathered up the reports and her notebook. “Let’s move to the conference room to get everyone on the same page.”