When they finally broke apart, he leaned his forehead against hers.
“You scared me to death. You’re not great at following directions, you know that? You were supposed to run to safety. Not charge a fully-armed man with just a tree branch.”
“Well, you’re not great at understanding the whole concept ofteam. In a team, one person doesn’t run for safety while the other gets riddled with bullet holes or blown to smithereens. So how about we call it even?”
He smiled. “How about we go home?”
“Sounds perfect to me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“You know you don’t have to do this. I know we joked about it when we were on the run, but I never actually expected us to go on any sort of romantic getaway.”
Tanner reached over and grabbed both Bree’s hands that were wringing nervously in her lap. He brought one to his lips.
“I wanted to do this. Wanted to take you somewhere romantic and secluded. And where I didn’t have to compete for your attention with a certain dog and her pups.”
The case had been closed now for nearly a week. Dr. Michalski was on extended administrative leave while law enforcement got the rest of the hacked-files situation under control.
Darin Carrico had been devastated by his brother’s death, but true to his word, Tanner had looked into the situation surrounding Darin’s sudden prison transfer. Once he started questioning it, nobody seemed to be able to provide a real reason for why the transfer was occurring. Tanner made a special request, and with the help of Ryan Fletcher, it looked like Darin was going to be able to stay at Camp George West for the remainder of his sentence.
It seemed a waste for four people to die in order tomake something happen that should’ve happened with just a phone call.
Bree reached over to cup his cheek. “Hey, what’s that frown about?”
He turned his head so he could kiss her palm, loving the way she pushed her own discomfort aside because she was worried about him. “Nothing. Just thinking about how all this could’ve been avoided if Darin and Glen had felt like someone would listen to them. None of this had to happen.”
She nodded. “I wish it hadn’t happened this way. Even though the dead guys were criminals, they still didn’t deserve to die. And the thought of Glen being so desperate... I feel like he only became a killer because he was backed into a corner.”
“Yeah. Under different circumstances, his life would not have ended up this way. And I’m going to try to help Darin as much as I can once he gets out. God knows that family needs some proof that not all law enforcement is bad. Maybe I can help him get a job. Get visitation with his daughter.”
It was the least he could do, because if the system hadn’t been broken in the first place, all this might have been avoided.
She nodded. “Good. Because he’s going to be lost without Glen. But still, I can’t help but be glad there are a few good things that came from all this.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you and I might have danced around your PTSD for months before we talked about it outright. It could’ve festered and grown into something a lot more difficult to surmount.”
“You’re definitely right about that.”
She nodded. “And of course helping Darin, like yousaid. Everybody needs a way to be heard. Speaking of, I talked to Cassandra about the computer class she wants me to teach for the shelter. I’ve decided to do it. To teach it myself.”
He grinned. He’d known it was just a matter of time until she’d come around. “I think you’ll be great at it.”
She shrugged. “If they can find the guts to leave their abusive situations, certainly I can find the guts to help teach these incredible women a new skill.”
“Have I told you how absolutely amazing you are?”
She grinned and waggled her eyebrows. “I’m hoping maybe we can take this weekend and both find some ways to show each other that.”
Sheriff Duggan had insisted Tanner take the entire weekend off. He’d been working twelve-and fifteen-hour days since he’d been reinstated. Just the paperwork involved with everything that had happened had been a full-time job, plus everything that had fallen through the cracks while he’d been away.
The sheriff hadn’t needed to twist Tanner’s arm to take a whole weekend off. He’d been more than happy for two full days to devote to Bree. He’d barely seen her all week. Except for the night immediately after Glen’s death, when he’d taken them to the ranch, they’d both been staying at their own places in Risk Peak.
But he planned to talk to her about moving in with him by the time the weekend was over. He wanted her with him.
They pulled up at the resort in Estes Park—an ornate place with remote bungalows meant specifically for romance and privacy.
