Sam went through the whole thing, from the moment she and Nick arrived home until she left Brooke at the ICU to come to the crime scene.

“Is she going to be okay?” Farnsworth asked.

“Yes, they expect her to be fine—eventually.”

The chief expelled a deep breath before he addressed her directly. “Lieutenant, due to the potential for conflict of interest, I’m removing you from command of this scene and putting Detective Sergeant Gonzales in charge.”

“But, sir—”

“No ifs, ands or buts about it,” Farnsworth said. “If it turns out your niece was either a victim or a perpetrator here, you will need to be far, far away from it. You are to have absolutely nothing at all to do with the investigation. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes. Sir.” Sam wished she could take back the last ten minutes of her life. She should’ve kept her damned mouth shut. Most of the time, she was able to cajole the man she used to call Uncle Joe into letting her do things her way, but that wasn’t going to happen this time.

“Go home to your family, and give Tracy my love.”

“I will, sir. Thank you.”

“I, um...I’m fine with leading the investigation,” Gonzo said with a hesitant glance at Sam, “but I’m due in court at nine for a hearing about Alex’s custody.”

“I’ll cover for you until you get back,” Freddie said. “First shift will be arriving soon, and we’ll stay on it.”

“I’ll stay too,” Malone said.

“Good, then it’s all resolved,” Farnsworth said. “Sergeant, good luck at the hearing. I hope you know we’re all pulling for you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Lieutenant,” the chief said. “May I offer you a ride home?”

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

After the fight with Sam, Nick was awake all night. He’d walked away from her without telling her he loved her or making sure she was careful on the job—two things he always said to her because he wanted them to be his last words to her should his worst fears ever come to pass.

He was superstitious that way. He never wanted her to wonder where she stood with him, so leaving those things unsaid as she plunged into yet another case didn’t sit well with him. Although he didn’t regret making an issue out of the way she’d totally blown off their long-planned and much-needed vacation.