“Anything.” He tightened his grip around her. “I’m here for you, Di, no matter what.”
She bit her lip. “Do you really think God will forgive my sins?”
He knew she was referring mostly to how she’d inadvertently killed Eddie. “Absolutely. I know He will. If you accept Jesus in your heart, believe that He died for us and that He rose from the dead, then yes, I know your sins will be forgiven.”
“I’d like to learn more,” she admitted. “I never felt God’s presence until tonight. And that’s only because of you, Jarek. Because you taught me about Him.”
“Di.” He longed to kiss her but was afraid to cross a boundary, fearing she still had scars from her past. “I love you so much. I’d be more than happy to help you learn more about God and faith. I’m no expert, but we’ll attend church and learn together.”
“I’d like that.” The corner of her mouth tipped up in a half-smile. Then she pulled him close, went up on her tiptoes, and kissed him.
He gently returned her kiss, allowing her to control their embrace. She hugged him hard, and soon their kiss deepened. He tried to show her without words how much she meant to him. They were so lost in their embrace that he didn’t hear Andrews approach.
“Hey! Brooks. I need to talk to you.”
He reluctantly ended their embrace, swallowing a groan of frustration. Keeping Di in his arms, he turned his head toward the detective. “I’ll come to the station tomorrow morning.”
“Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me?” Andrews demanded. “You’re accusing a cop of being dirty, and the captain wants answers.”
“And you don’t have the answers because you never really worked the case.” Releasing Di, he closed the distance between him and Andrews, stabbing the man in the chest with his index finger. “I’ve solved the case for you. Buck Ross is the mastermind behind the drug trafficking here in Newburgh, and narcotics officer Ray Bond has been helping him get away with his crimes. Bricks of heroin are hidden in the bottom of the boxes in the warehouse back there, and if you look deeper, you’ll probably find that several other gang members are implicated in the drug trafficking as well. You can start with a man known as . . .”
“No! Don’t!” Di’s shout interrupted him. He turned in time to see Lupo standing near the corner of the apartment building with a gun. Jarek instinctively threw himself on top of Andrews just as Lupo fired. He and Andrews hit the ground hard. Jarek pulled Andrews’s weapon free from the holster and returned fire.
Lupo went down. Pushing himself off Andrews, he jumped to his feet and ran toward Lupo at the same moment Di did. Upon reaching the young man, they dropped to their knees on either side of him.
“He’s hit in the chest.” Di gathered the lower portion of the kid’s shirt and yanked it up to press the ball of fabric against the wound. “He needs a bus.”
“I know.” Jarek noticed Lupo’s frightened eyes shifted from him to Di. Slowly, his gaze lost focus. Then he stared blankly up at the sky.
Lupo was gone.
Jarek glanced at Di and shook his head. She released the pressure she’d been holding and sat back on her heels. Shaking her head, she sighed. “Stupid kid should have gotten out when he had the chance.”
“Yeah. But he didn’t.” Jarek felt bad, but there was nothing he could do to save Lupo’s life now.
He stood and walked back to where Andrews sat on the sidewalk, looking stunned. Jarek held out his hand. Andrews accepted the gesture and allowed Jarek to pull him to his feet.
“Guess I owe you for saving my life,” Andrews said grudgingly.
Jarek shrugged. “We have each other’s backs when we need it the most, right?”
Andrews flushed and looked away. Then he sighed. “Yeah, but did you have to shoot him with my gun?”
“You took mine, remember?” He handed the weapon back to him. “Better call Wynn and Parker. This is another crime scene that needs to be processed.”
Andrews turned away to make the call. Jarek caught Di’s hand and tugged her close. “I’m sorry we can’t leave yet.”
“I know.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “That’s okay. I don’t mind staying close to support you through this.”
The way she’d echoed his words back to him warmed his heart. He brushed a quick kiss across her lips. “I love you, Di. We’ll get through this, together. Tonight, tomorrow, and whatever comes after that.”
“I love you too.” His heart leaped with joy as she said the words. “The best thing of all is that I’ll never be alone again now that I have you.”
“I love you, so much.” He hugged her again, humbled by her words. The sound of a police cruiser approaching brought an end to their embrace.
They’d be stuck there for a while longer, but that was okay. Jarek knew that, together, they could endure anything.
Epilogue
