We join him in the kitchen that is now spotless, free of all signs of a dinner and cops digging about. “Did you eat the mac ‘n’ cheese?” I ask him.

“The poisoned macaroni and cheese?” he asks.

“Unconfirmed poison,” I correct. “And why not? You dived in front of a bullet for me. Why not just test the food?”

He crosses his arms as if protecting himself from yet another shot, this one coming from me. “You’re never going to let me live down jumping in front of that bullet, are you?”

“Actually, I’m giving you a hard time, but I appreciate your bravery. Thus why I brought you chocolate cake. This, you can eat.” I set it in front of him, on the counter from across the island. “It’s safe. Shove it in your mouth hole.”

“I will.” He accepts it, a smile hinting on his lips. “Where are we going tomorrow?”

I eye Kane, who is now joining us from the living room entry, with the bottle of whiskey Andrew gave us in his hand. “We’re doing this bodyguard thing again?”

“Did we stop?” he asks, setting the whiskey on the counter and retrieving three glasses.

I don’t argue. I don’t mind backup I can trust. And if anyone proved I can trust him, it’s Jay, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need an understanding. “I’m not a damsel in distress,” I say, meeting Jay’s stare. “If we’re in the middle of an active incident and I tell you not to do something, don’t do it.”

“I’ll try,” he says, and he’s opened the chocolate cake container and already has a fork in hand.

“You’ll try?” I demand.

“If it’s you or me and a bullet, it’s me and the bullet,” he says, “and I won’t care what you say at the time. I won’t get a second chance once the gun is fired. Be happy about that. Bullets hurt a hell of a lot more than I knew.”

“If I tell you something, it’s for a reason.”

“Perhaps that reason will be to save my life, Ms. FBI Agent. That’s not how this works.”

Kane laughs and lifts his glass, pausing at his lips. “Now you know why I brought him back.”

My cellphone rings with Andrew’s number and I answer with, “Hold on,” before I look between Kane and Jay. “I can’t deal with either of you right now. I’ll let you figure out the morning plan on your own. I have to be in Hauppauge at eight and then straight to the city.” With that, I grab one of the glasses of whiskey and exit the kitchen.

“I’m back,” I say, speaking to Andrew and heading up the stairs. “Are you alone?”

“For the moment,” he says. “Why?”