Two weeks later.

The last place I wanted to be was in the Homicide Division of the DC Police Department.

I was back at work and back at the Center, trying to get my life back to normal after the havoc created by Davina and Nathan Marsden. My bruises and cuts were healed and I’d even accepted an invitation to join one of my couples at the club later in the week. Life had gone on as I’d known it would.

But I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t missed Aiden. I did. I missed his laugh and his intensity and I’d missed the joy that had filled my life when I’d been in the midst of learning more about him. He’d been interesting and fun and our time together had been filled with allure of possibility.

I’d invested more in him than I’d planned and more than I’d really known until he was gone.

I didn’t hate him or hold any ill-will towards him, even though Ryker wanted to shoot him and dump him in the Anacostia for “breaking your heart and being a cowardly shithead”. Aiden had tried but my lifestyle didn’t fit with how he wanted to live his life and how he wanted to love a woman. We’d had no contact for the last two weeks and I’d finally gotten to where I’d only thought about him every other hour. Progress.

So, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him and having all of my feelings reawakened. But if I wanted my stuff back, I needed to go sign a receipt and retrieve it from the officer’s in the evidence department. I couldn’t even bribe Ryker to go for me. Bastard.

When I stepped off the elevator I was hit with the usual buzz and noise present in a busy police station. Men and women moved all over and phones rang constantly and no one paid any attention to me.

I scanned the area until I saw the large frame of Aiden’s partner, Peter. As if he read my mind, he looked over and smiled, his broad grin prompting my own. It faltered when Aiden looked up from where he sat at the adjacent desk doing paperwork, his expression guarded. I couldn’t look away, I’d missed his gorgeous face so much that I stared, blatantly soaking him in until someone jostled me from behind and snapped me out of my hormone-induced-trance.

Peter made his way over to me and held out his hand in greeting, “Hey Dr. Androghetti good to see you.”

“You too.” I couldn’t help my glance sliding over to where Aiden watched us from his desk. His stare never left my face and I felt a blush of heat and attraction creep up my neck and across my cheeks.

“I got your stuff out of the evidence room and have it all at my desk ready for you to inspect and claim,” Peter said, leading me through the warren of desks with a gentle hand on my arm. “I figured you’d want to get in and out of here as quickly as possible.”

“Thank you so much. I appreciate it,” I said just as we stopped at his desk, right next to Aiden. I gave him small smile, trying hard to remain cool. “Hello Aiden.”

He stood abruptly, his chair scooting backward and slamming against the file cabinet behind him. The guys at the next set of desks jumped, flashing him irritated glances. He ignored them, his cheeks ruddy with either embarrassment or the rush of awareness that was pulsing between us.

“Carla. Are you okay?” He looked me over, his hand reaching out towards me but stopping just shy of touching. “I heard you went back to work already.”

I nodded. “Yes. I went back full-time this week. My patients were very understanding.”

“Good,” he said, jamming in hands in his pockets. He was nervous and the gesture made me smile a little inside. I was glad I wasn’t the only one. “That’s good.”

“I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation but here’s your stuff,” Peter said, holding out a clear bag full of my personal items.

With a surreptitious glance at my former lover, I opened it and began the process of removing and inspecting my stuff. There wasn’t much, just some of the items I’d been wearing when Davina had tried to kill me.

A snort of laughter behind me distracted me from my task and I turned slightly, looking over my shoulder. Two men, dressed in plain clothes, sat at the desk behind us. They were smirking, giving each other shit-eating glances that carried echoes of middle school boys telling fart jokes at the lunch table. I ignored them and went back to my task.

A few moments later I heard them, snide murmurs in the noise of the room.

“Surprised she found time to get off her back to come into the station.”

“She only services the millions on her off-time.”

I stiffened my back and prepared to ignore them. I’d heard similar and worse before and I didn’t really give a shit about what these guys thought about me. I’d never see them again. It wasn’t worth it.

Aiden thought it was.

“Hunt.” His voice was steady and clear and very loud. He didn’t shout but the tenor of it ceased most of the conversation in the immediate area. I turned my head to look at him but he didn’t notice me. “Hunt. You need to apologize to Dr. Androghetti.”

“Aiden, don’t . . .” I turned to fully face the scene playing out before me, reaching out to stop him from doing this. He took my hand but he didn’t acknowledge my request.

“Hunt. Apologize or I’m going to finish what I started the other night.”

I was puzzled for a moment but then I remembered. His bruised cheek and knuckles. The fight at the station with another officer. This was the guy.

“Aiden, please don’t.”

He looked at me, his expression raw as he tightened his hold on my hand. “No. Carla. He needs to apologize.” And then he turned back to the others, continuing his demands. “This woman has done nothing to deserve what you just said. She helps people and kids who have problems. She’s a Nationals superfan and was a championship-level rower in college. She’s kind and honest about who she is and she lives that truth every day. What she does in bed and who she does it with has nothing to do with you or any of us. She’s just a person, trying to live her life.” He paused, looking and me and giving me a half-smile that lit up his eyes and made everyone else disappear for the moment before he returned his attention to the men behind us. When he continued, his voice had lost all touches of tenderness and was replaced with menace and steel. “So, just apologize and I promise that I won’t beat the shit out of you later.

It was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever heard and my heart did an aerial flip-flop in my chest. I blinked back tears, willing myself to not lose my shit.

The silence deepened around us as people waited to see what would happen next. When the apology came, it was like a balloon deflated and sucked all the air out of the room.

“I’m sorry,” Hunt mumbled, his eyes downcast and his movements jerky. When his partner added his own to the mix, I exhaled. Aiden squeezed my hand and let it go, sliding back in his seat to continue his work. He didn’t look at me and the hurt that grabbed me in the gut took my breath for a moment. He’d been kind, my knight in shining armor. He had pledged to serve and protect after all. That’s all it was.

“It’s fine.” I swiveled and turned back to the task at hand, quickly going through my things and signing the receipt. I handed the paper over to Peter and shook his hand, turning to Aiden at the last possible second. He transferred his attention from his computer to my face, his smile friendly but distant. “Thank you, Aiden.”

“You’re welcome.”

I hesitated for a moment but there was nothing left to say.

Except Goodbye.

* * *

I watched her leave from the corner of my eye.

Peter settled in across the desk from me with a heavy sigh that I ignored. That had gone better than I’d expected even with Hunt acting like a dick. Hopefully Carla thought a little better of me now. It was the most I could hope for.

Peter sighed and I knew he wasn’t going to let it go. I raised my head and found him staring at me.

“If you don’t get off your ass and go get that woman, I’m going to shoot you.”

I debated arguing with him until he reached for his firearm. I grabbed my jacket and threw it on as I headed for the elevator.

“Tell the Captain I had to drop a leave chit. Personal emergency.”