I had to brake suddenly when the BMW screeched to a halt and the driver’s-side door flew open. A man exited, and Tony was already out of the patrol car, running after him as I spoke into my radio.

“The perp is now on foot. Male, about 5 feet, 9 inches, wearing jeans and a black hoodie, white trainers. PC Pollard is in pursuit.”

Slamming the door closed behind me, I went after Tony. Thirty or forty yards ahead of me, he chased down the thief, who had jumped over the metal railings separating the road from the area beyond. I was out of breath as I ran, my legs pumping to catch up with them. Tony closed in on him, kicking his foot out to trip him up, and the guy went flying face first into the grass. As I reached them, I heard him swear and try to get back up, but Tony grabbed his arm to stop him as he ordered, “Hands above your head, now!”

The thief began raising his hands as Tony quickly pulled out his cuffs, locking his wrists together and lowering them behind his back. Next he instructed him to turn around, and that was when I came face to face with Liam Cross.

Ten

Liam was just twenty years old. I found this out when I accessed his file back at the station so I could fill in my incident report. He was looking at a court date within the next few weeks, and most likely prison time. The scary thing was, I didn’t know how to feel about that. Stealing cars was like a job to him, and, growing up in his family, he saw it as a means to an end. Steal so you can put food on the table, or don’t, and go hungry.

Lee and his brothers weren’t little kids anymore; they could get out of this racket and make an honest living for themselves if they really wanted to. The problem was, I had no idea how deep in they were, who they had ties to, and if those people would ever let them get out.

I was still sitting at my desk, filling out the report, when Lee strode confidently into the station, all tousled hair and cocky swagger. He wore jeans and a white T-shirt with oil stains down the front, a work shirt tied around his waist. Clearly, he’d just come from the garage. Probably been working on a ringer, I thought to myself disgruntledly.

After that first glance, I refused to look at him again, staring intently at the papers in front of me and listening just as intently to his voice as he spoke. It quickly became apparent that he was there to post bail for Liam. The constable he spoke to scurried off, and Lee stood by the reception. I allowed myself one more glance at him and found him leaning back against the wall, his eyes scanning the space before they found me. I looked away again.

Jumping when my phone buzzed in my pocket, I dropped my pen and pulled it out.

Lee: You arrested my brother?

Oh, he had some nerve. I shouldn’t have responded, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

Karla: I didn’t arrest him. Tony did.

Lee: But you were there.

A second went by, and my anger flared. He was acting like I should have, what? Convinced Tony to let Liam go with a gypsy’s warning and a slap on the wrist?

Lee: Not gonna come over and say hello?

Okay, that did it. Without thinking, I pushed up from my chair and strode across the room. I’d inherited my temper from my dad, and sometimes I just didn’t have the strength to hold it back. Lee smirked when he saw me coming, but there was a hardness behind it. I cursed myself for giving him a reaction. I should have just continued ignoring him.

Checking to make sure nobody was watching, I grabbed his hand, yanking him around the corner and into an empty corridor.

“You’ve got some cheek,” I hissed.

Lee held his arms out as he asked sardonically, “What? No hug? No kiss?”

I slapped down one of his arms. “Quit being a smart-arse. Your little brother could go to prison. He could do a seven-year stretch, and he’s just a kid.” My throat constricted with worry. I didn’t even know Liam, but he looked so much like a younger version of Lee. Maybe that was why the idea of him doing time stressed me out so much.

Lee’s eyes flickered between mine, his mouth firm as he studied me. It obviously surprised him to realise that I actually cared about what happened to his family. He took a step forward so that there was barely an inch between us.

“You think I don’t know that?” he gritted out, voice low.

“I had no idea it was him in that car. I was doing my job. So don’t you dare try to lay the blame on me.”

Lee scowled. “When did I ever lay blame?”

“Your text.”

“I asked you a question. I never blamed you. Liam’s actions are his own, but I practically raised that kid. I’m allowed to be angry.”

“I never said you weren’t, but it’s your own fault for leading him down this path in the first place, so don’t go directing your anger at me. It could have been any number of officers chasing him. He still would have been caught.”

Lee shook his head and turned away for a second. His shoulders rose and fell sharply, like he was trying to gain some composure. Finally, he swiped a hand down his face and turned back to me, one eyebrow arched, “Were you behind the wheel?”

I bristled. “I don’t see how that has anything to do with it.”

 “Liam’s driving is second to none. No ordinary cop would have caught him.” He paused, some sort of interest lighting his eyes. “You must have some skills, Snap, chasing down a Gran Coupe in a Vauxhall Corsa.” He actually seemed impressed.

“Yeah, maybe I should pack it all in and come work for you, huh?” I deadpanned, cynicism lacing my every word.

We locked eyes for a long moment, a silent battle of wills. He didn’t like me insinuating he was a thief. Few people enjoyed the sight of their true reflection.

“Be real careful about what you say next, Karla,” he warned me.

“Or what? Will you have some thugs come and rough me up? That’s generally how it works with people like you, right?”

He neared me again, and my back hit the wall. His voice was low and measured when he spoke. “You have no clue what you’re talking about. And, just so we’re clear, I would never hurt you, never. If any man tried to lay his hands on you, I’d make sure that was the last thing he did.”

I stared at him, not sure how to feel. I’d been all geared up for a fight, and then he went and said something that was so protective, but equally so wrong. It took me a long time to reply, and when I did, my tone was a good deal softer.

“I know what I’m talking about.”

“No, you don’t,” he said, snapping his fingers over the material of my shirt. “When you put this uniform on every morning, you see a woman working to make the streets a safer place. To you, the law works to keep good people from hurting bad people, but ever since I was a kid, I knew that wasn’t true. The police were just a bunch of pricks in black and white threads and a stupid fucking hat, trying to stop me from feeding my family.”

His words hit deep, and I was just about to say something, anything, when I heard footsteps approaching. Immediately, I turned and walked back to my desk, picking up my pen and pretending like our conversation never happened. Lee went back to the reception area to wait for Liam, and all the while his words rang in my ears.

To you, the law works to keep good people from hurting bad people, but ever since I was a kid, I knew that wasn’t true.

***

I was almost finished my shift and on my way back from a house call later that day when Keira texted asking if I’d pick up some drinks and sandwiches for the station. Making the mistake of stopping at a shop in a rough neighbourhood, I went in, threw a few things in my basket, checked out, and left to find a gang of young men waiting for me.

I counted them all, five in total, and clenched my fingers tighter around the plastic bag I was carrying.