“We need to talk about what happened,” he cuts in.

Taking my time, I nod. “All right.”

“Kate, this is the second time someone’s tried to kill you. You don’t know who it is or why they did it. You don’t know how determined they are or if they’re going to try again.”

“I understand all of that,” I tell him. “There are multiple police agencies working on it, including BCI. They were able to lift tire tread marks. Glock and Skid are going to pull in Nick Kester for—”

“You don’t know that it was Kester.”

“I don’t know that it wasn’t. He’s a person of interest.”

“The point, Kate, is that you’re pregnant.”

“Don’t you dare throw that in my face,” I say, surprised by the unintended attitude in my voice.

It isn’t well received. I see anger overtake him—the way his mouth goes tight, his eyes go flat and cold—and I realize my mistake too late.

“You were out there alone,” he snaps. “In some barn out in the middle of fuck-all. Where the hell was Glock?”

“He was doing his job.” I pull the towel off my shoulder and sling it onto the counter. “I know you asked him to keep an eye on me. Tomasetti, I’m his boss. I’m as capable as he is. It was inappropriate for you to do that.”

Tomasetti doesn’t even flinch at the accusation. “I don’t care. Putting yourself in that situation was incredibly irresponsible.” He gestures in the general direction of my abdomen. “It’s not just you anymore, Kate. It’s not even just about us.”

I’ve seen Tomasetti angry many times over the years. Usually that anger is calculated. Conjured from that place where he keeps his emotions locked down tight until he needs it to make a point or he uses it as a tool to accomplish some goal. There’s nothing calculated about this; it’s raw and nasty, and I’ve never seen him skitter this close to losing control.

“I have a job to do,” I snap. “People rely on me. I can’t run away and hide until this is over. For God’s sake, Tomasetti, I’m a cop.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be.”

Incredulity rises inside me, a flash flood churning and bursting its banks. “You have no right to ask me that. You can’t do that.”

“Don’t preach to me about my rights or what I should feel. I didn’t ask for this to happen. But it has, and now we have to deal with it.”

“Tomasetti, Painters Mill is a small town. Crime is usually negligible here. It’s a safe place to be a cop. What happened today is an anomaly.”