Winters remained silent for the space of several heartbeats.When she spoke again, her tone was even.
“I see.Another thing to think about when we decide on your future.”
“She was right,” Marcus protested.“As soon as I got free, he fled, and when he saw the tactical team, he panicked.He’s a coward.The moment the fight didn’t go his way, he ran.”
Winters lifted a hand.“We’ll discuss all of that later.”She stood and nodded at both of them.“You two are dismissed.Kate, the offer for protective custody remains open.”
“I’ll be staying with her,” Marcus said firmly.
Kate chose not to protest.
Winters’ eyes narrowed slightly, but if she suspected an ulterior motive, she didn’t mention it.She nodded again and said, “The offer still stands.For both of you.This isn’t the first time you’ve interfered with Cox, Marcus.It’s reasonable to assume he’ll expand his obsession to include you.”
Kate wasn’t so sure about that, but she kept that to herself.She stood, wincing a little and accepting Marcus’s hand.As they left the office, they heard Winters dial a number on her phone.The door closed just after she said, “Give me Director Gladesmuir.”
The partners walked in silence until they reached Marcus’s car, a Dodge Charger with a rumbling V8.It was big, loud, and powerful, just like Marcus.Kate leaned the seat back to take pressure off her ribs, which gave her a view of Marcus’s big shoulders and strong right hand on the shifter.She waited until he pulled out of the parking lot, then said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For backing me up in there about going in ahead of the tactical team.”
He shrugged.“We both made the decision.I could have fought you harder.”
Unspoken wasIshouldhave fought harder.
“He would have run if we came in force, Marcus.That was the only chance we had to stop him.”
“And it ended with you almost dead.Again.”
Kate looked away, staring up at the light gray overcast that come nightfall would turn dark gray and dump another four inches of snow on the ground.“I meant what I said,” she told him.
He didn’t need to ask what she was talking about.“I know.I love you too.”
That admission didn’t bring the burst of warmth Kate imagined it would, but it softened the pain.Maybe that was enough.“We don’t have to do anything about that right now.We’ve both got demons to chase off, and I don’t want our take two to end up like take one.I just wanted you to know.”
Marcus didn’t reply.He just placed his hand over Kate’s and squeezed softly.
That warmed her a little.She turned her hand over, and when her fingers slid in between his, she warmed the rest of the way.
The sun would set tonight, she knew.The nightmare would come back, fully fleshed and more vivid than ever.But that was all right.She’d survive.
She always did.
EPILOGUE
Saturday, December 12th
An FBI field office was never empty, even in Portland, but it was much quieter than normal when Kate stepped into the building.She’d convinced Marcus to drop her off and go shopping for groceries, arguing that even Cox wasn’t crazy enough to try to attack an FBI field office, and she’d be safer there than in public.
It was a weak argument, and Marcus knew it, but he also knew or seemed to know that Kate needed to be by herself, so he said nothing beyond promising to pick her up at noon.He waited at the curb until Kate entered the building, then drove off.
Poppy was watching the desk.She gave Kate a bright smile and said, “Hey, Kate.How are you feeling?”
Kate hated knowing that experience would dull Poppy’s smile and deaden her bright eyes, but one could only spend so much time staring into the abyss before it leached away the lighter parts of one’s soul.
“I’m hanging in there, Poppy,” Kate said.“Thanks for asking.”
She passed the desk, and Poppy called after her, “Is there anything I can do?I can look something up for you, maybe help figure out where Cox is going or find out for sure if he’s dead.”
