I was going to kill the son of a bitch.

Some way, somehow, I was going to find him, rip him apart piece by piece, feed him to the ocean, put him back together, and then do it all over again. The things he’d done to Sarah, the atrocities he’d put her through, deserved nothing less. What killed me even more than the pain she’d suffered was the way she recounted it.

He’s here, and he’s going to kill me, just like he promised.

The way she said it, with no hint of emotion or doubt, sent a chill right down my fucking spine. It was as if she accepted that this was how it was going to end, and there was nothing she could do to avoid it. Well, tough shit. She might think that was the only way this ended, but I didn’t agree. I would protect her with my life. Nothing was happening to Sarah Lopez.

Not on my watch.

“I’m sorry to put you through this,” Captain said, setting his pen down. He swallowed and added, “But we’re here for you, and from here on out, I want you guarded at all times.”

She stiffened. “That’s not necessary, sir. I don’t wish to push undue attention on myself, or apply any undue pressure on my colleagues—whom you yourself have pointed out aren’t all that fond of me in the first place.”

“Well, I don’t wish to have unwanted attention on my precinct when one of my Detectives is killed by a psycho cop from North Carolina.” He leaned forward, his face determined. “If you want to allow your partner into your home to help guard your back when you’re there, then that’s fine. I trust him. But I’m still going to place a rotation of officers outside your home in an unmarked car on a twenty-four-hour basis. Detective Rollins can’t live in his car, and continue to carry that load on his own anymore.”

She looked at me slowly, her eyes wide.

Well, shit. Way to blow my cover, Dad.

“You’ve been sleeping outside my house?”

I hesitated, then nodded. “On Captain’s orders, yes.”

“But clearly this will be a long ordeal, until we can A: find this guy, and B: catch him doing something wrong that we can arrest him for, since his record has been expunged.” Captain stood. “You can’t be the only one outside her house anymore. You need to sleep, and I’d rather you be inside the home, anyway, with someone outside, as well. Understood?”

I nodded, standing also. “Yes, sir.”

Sarah fidgeted as she rose to her feet. “With all due respect, sir, isn’t that overkill? I’m perfectly capable of taking care—”

“No, it’s not. You came here, to my precinct, with this monster chasing after you, so it’s my monster now, too, to deal with as I see fit.” He took on a defensive stance. “Your partner will help guard the inside, and I’ll have an officer outside your home at all times. That’s an order. Is that understood, Lopez?”

Sarah stiffened, but nodded, saluting him. “Yes, sir.”

“You’re excused.”

Sarah headed for the door, and I followed her. The second it closed behind us, she spun on me with anger in her eyes. “You’ve been sleeping in a car outside my house?”

“Yes,” I said, keeping my voice down. “Captain’s orders.”

“Why not just come inside?” She crossed her arms. “Or was that against orders?”

“I was given the option of being inside or outside, until now.” I cocked a brow. “I chose the latter, clearly.”

She pressed her mouth into a line. “Why?”

“Because I knew if I went inside, what happened last night would happen, and I was trying to avoid it, and the complications that it would bring.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized how it sounded, and wanted to take them back. “I mean—”

“Wow.” She backed up. Her outward anger did nothing to hide the pain my words had caused her, though. I saw it there, in her deep brown eyes. “Well, sorry to ruin your plans of keeping yourself free of me and my messy complications.”

I reached for her hand. “That’s not what I meant—”

“Save it. It doesn’t matter.” She pulled free. “I hope you like my couch. Looks like you’ll be spending a lot of time on it.”

Okay. She clearly wasn’t happy with me. “I can sleep outside if you prefer. The officer can be inside.”

She snorted. “And have you defy direct orders? I wouldn’t dream of putting you in that position.”

“Why are you so pissed?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder. Hernandez watched us, frowning. So did Matthews…and his partner, Rogers. “Is it because I slept outside without telling you, or because you’re upset I made you tell Captain the truth about what happened with Vinnie?”

“Both,” she hissed. “Everyone’s going to know now.”

“Who cares? It wasn’t your fault. It was his.”

“Tell that to everyone in North Carolina who turned on me,” she shot back, her voice trembling. “Tell that to my former friends who turned on me, and called me a lying whore that was only seeking attention. You have no idea what it’s like to be in this position. None.”

My heart fisted painfully at the shit she’d gone through. “Sarah—”

“When I came here, I wanted to get a clean slate, away from the man who turned me into something I never want to be again, and away from the judging eyes of people who dared to accuse me of telling the truth for attention. As if someone would want that kind of attention on them.” She swallowed hard. “But now I’m right back in it, and if you think at least half of those people out there won’t judge me and think I’m guilty of lies, then you’re fooling yourself.”

I searched my mind for the right thing to say, but the truth was I had no clue what that was. It was easy for me to sit here and say that would never happen, that the people in this precinct would never turn on her like that, but who the hell was I to make promises I couldn’t keep? I couldn’t speak for them, any more than I could speak for her. It was my hope that no one would do that, sure, but I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that hopes came true.

They didn’t.

“If anyone pulls that shit on you, then they’ll answer to me,” I growled.

She swallowed and swiped her hands down her face. She met my eyes, her own resigned and dull. “I appreciate that, Ben. I really do. But that doesn’t change the fact that if I didn’t tell anyone, if I had never opened my mouth and told you the truth, that I wouldn’t be here right now, stuck in this situation…again.”

More eyes were on us now, as we whispered back and forth in the hallway outside Captain’s office. I knew we should end this conversation, and finish it later in the privacy of her home, but I’d upset her, and I wasn’t about to walk away. “No, you’re right. You’d be dead instead, because no one would have your fucking back.”

“Hate to break it to you, but guess what?” she shot back. “I’ll probably be dead when this is over anyway. You guys can’t follow me around for the rest of my life, and he’s certainly not going to barge in, and get himself caught. He’s too smart for that. All these precautions are a waste of time and department resources. He’ll wait it out until your father gives up, and gets comfortable enough to remove the guards, and then when I’m alone, he’ll come after me. Putting guys outside my house isn’t going to stop him—it’ll just delay him.”

“Then I guess I’m never leaving your house. I won’t give up. I won’t get comfortable.” I flexed my jaw. “I’m not leaving you until he’s gone for good.”

She laughed, but it wasn’t a real laugh. “Yeah. Sure. Okay. Move in. Live with me for the rest of your life, and give up any chances of ever getting married, and living happily. Dedicate your life to keeping me alive, and protecting me at all costs.”

“Gladly,” I snapped. “I look forward to it.”

“Fine,” she shot back sarcastically. “Can’t wait.”

When I didn’t say anything else, she shifted on her feet, looking around nervously. It was then that she must’ve noticed our audience, because she blanched and stepped back even further from me. “People are watching.”

“No shit,” I shot back. “We’ve been arguing for five minutes.”

She forced a smile for our crowd, then said, “I’m done here.”

“Me too.”

Without another word, she stormed off, and I let her, watching her go. As she walked, I followed the gazes of everyone else, and couldn’t help but wonder if she was right.

Would they turn on her, once they found out the truth?