“And then?”

Lincoln shrugged. “Time passed and reality slipped away. I knew it and was terrified. I thought I was losing my mind because God was taking it, to punish me.”

I understand that, too. “Thank you, Lincoln, for telling me.”

Lincoln regarded him evenly. “I don’t remember going to your place. But I remember your voice. I remember… compassion. And I felt safe.”

“I’m glad. Good luck. I mean that.”

Lincoln ’s smile was sad. “I know.”

David shook his hand and watched as they took him away. Special Agent Temple took the map Lincoln had drawn. “Thank you, Mr. Hunter,” he said.

“I didn’t do anything. Not really. Will you release a statement when you confirm the remains are Moss’s? I know a lot of firefighters who need the closure.”

“Of course. I know a lot of agents who need the closure, too. And now I understand you have a celebration to attend. I’m glad it ended well for you and your mother.”

“Me too.” David found Olivia in the observation area, on her cell phone.

“I have to go,” she said. “I love you, too.” She hung up, her eyes a little too bright. “That was Mia. We’ve been playing phone tag for days. She said she worked all night to tie up some loose ends so she could come out for the weekend. I told her she and Reed and their kids could use my place. I assume we can still stay at the cabin?”

David smiled at her. “You bet. It’ll be good to see her again.”

Olivia’s lips twitched. “You might change your mind. She says she wants to talk to you. She didn’t realize we’d had a ‘biblical thing.’ Where the hell did she get that?”

“From Paige to me, overheard by my mother and Glenn.”

“Ah, well, then that explains everything.”

“So she’s going to talk to me? Just talk, right?”

“Hey, you fought off Lincoln and Kirby. You’re the cat-saving fireman. Surely you can hold your own against Mia.”

“I don’t know. She’s a sister. They fight dirty.”

Olivia chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Friday, September 24, 2:55 a.m.

Olivia heard the cabin door open, then close. Sitting on the edge of the dock, she wiped at her wet cheeks with her sleeves. The dock rumbled as David came closer.

He lowered himself to the edge of the dock, then slid his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, burrowing closer, feeling safer than she had in a very long time. It had been an evening full of joy and laughter with every member of David’s considerable family. Brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews. The Hunter clan had unnerved her at Mia’s wedding with their boisterous ways. But now… I belong.

Phoebe Hunter, an arm around her shoulders, had proudly introduced her as the woman who “saved David’s life.” And somehow Olivia had known Phoebe hadn’t meant just from Kirby.

Mia had arrived an hour after the party started and had immediately taken David aside with a stern expression. But she must have approved of what he said because he still lived. Her sister was a tigress with a marshmallow center and Olivia was so glad to have her. Mia promised to stay through Kane’s funeral. I’ll need her. Because despite the laughter and love around her, Olivia was continually, painfully conscious of who was absent.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she murmured, and David kissed the top of her head.

“You didn’t,” he said. “Painkillers wore off and I woke up. But you weren’t there.”

“I had a bad dream,” she confessed. “Kirby killed you and you were lying on the ground. And then you were Kane. So I’ve been sitting here, thinking of him. Missing him. Trying to think of what I could have done differently. If only I’d been a little faster.”

“Olivia, missing Kane is natural. Trying to think of what you might have done differently will eat you up inside.”

One side of her mouth lifted. “Pot calling the kettle?”

“Yes, but you’d say the same thing to me and you know it. You did everything you could have done. Everything you should have done. You’re a good cop.”

He made her believe it was so. “Thank you.”

“You’re too hard on yourself, you know.”

She considered. “Yeah, I am. So are you.”

“Well, we both need to stop. We do only what we can and that has to be enough.”

“Because it can never be enough,” she whispered, then drew a breath. “I talked to the shrink. Dr. Donahue. I’ve been having panic attacks at crime scenes. Since the pit.”

“I’d be shocked if you didn’t,” he said in a matter-of-fact way that made her shame seem silly. “What did she say?”

“That the hard part’s just starting.”

“She’s right. Still, I’m proud of you. It’s not easy to open up.”

She hesitated. “I think it was harder to tell you just now.”

“Why?” he asked softly.

“Because your opinion means more. I didn’t want you to think I was”-she hesitated, then shrugged, looking away. “Less.”

“Less than what? Less than who? You are not less than anyone.” He frowned when she said nothing. “Come with me. I have something to show you.”

He rose and pulled her to her feet, up into the house, and back to the bedroom where he quickly searched his duffel bag. “Look at this.”

It was a letter from the Minneapolis Fire Department. “‘Dear Mr. Hunter, We’ve received your application for employment. We will inform you should any openings become available.’” She looked up at him, confused. “Why did you give me this?”

He didn’t answer and her eyes dropped back to the page. And then she saw the date. Her eyes shot back to his. “You applied a month after Mia’s wedding.”

“Actually the week after. They didn’t get back to me for a few weeks.”

Her mind was racing. “You were willing to leave your job for me? Way back then?”

“Yes. I’d been looking for you for a long time, but I didn’t know it until I saw you. I thought if I ever had the courage to approach you after that night, I should be prepared for whatever followed. I always hoped it would be this. You and me, together after a long day. Just like this. Except I hope that our future days aren’t quite so long.”

“David…” Her words failed her.

“You asked if I’d go back to Dana if she were free. I thought about telling you this then, but after what I’d said that night, I didn’t think you’d believe me. I still don’t have the right to expect you to believe me, but once I’d met you, I knew what I wanted. Who I wanted. If I’d known how you felt I never would have let so much time slip away. I’m sorry, Olivia. If I could get the time back, I would.”

She stared up into the face she’d never been able to forget. His face was bruised and battered from his battle with Jonathan Crawford, but he was still the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Inside and out. “Then let’s not waste another minute looking back.” Sliding her arms around his neck, she kissed him, intending to keep it gentle, but he pulled her closer and the kiss became deeper. Just… more.

He walked her backward to the bed and followed her down. “What do you want?” he asked huskily.

Everything. I want everything. “You. I want you.”

The earlier times they’d loved, it had been urgent. Explosive. This time it was slow and deliberate. Their eyes stayed open as they moved together, watching every flicker, every nuance. Her climax came as a huge swell, lifting her up, enveloping her so that there was nothing in the world but him. When he came, it was her name he groaned, his head thrown back, body bowed.

In the moments after, they held each other in the quiet. This was comfort, solace. Refuge. This they could give each other, again and again.