He flexed his fingers, relishing the pain. Glenn Diller deserved a hell of a lot more than one quick shot to the mouth, and Aldo knew he’d have to live with the regret for the rest of his life. Sometimes karma didn’t let you be the instrument you longed to be. Aldo knew he would also spend the rest of his life reliving the moment he and Ty knocked the door down together. He still wasn’t convinced she was safe.

She was inside, surrounded by first responders, giving a statement to the state police. She was safe. But he couldn’t tell his body that. Not when it was in the midst of a full-blown adrenaline dump. His heart hammered in his chest as if he’d just sprinted a marathon. Blood rushed in and out of his head, his breath coming in short stabs. He felt like he was underwater and fighting for oxygen.

“Little Gloria Parker knocked ‘em out cold with a fry pan,” an EMT was saying to one of the neighbors that had lined up on the sidewalk eager to witness the gruesome spectacle of domestic violence.

Through the sea of adrenaline that separated him from everyone and everything, Aldo thought that Gloria would appreciate the fact that she hadn’t been referred to as “poor little Gloria Parker” this time. One home run swing of a cast iron skillet had banished that adjective forever.

She’d taken the stand she’d needed to. But Aldo couldn’t forgive himself for being late. He hadn’t been here when she needed him most.

And he didn’t care how alpha or selfish it sounded, he’d wanted to be the one to end Glenn Diller’s reign of terror.

But he hadn’t.

Gloria had.

He went to her. Needing to reassure himself that she was okay, that she was still here.

His heart hammered in his chest, an uneven stuttering. His insides were electrified. Blue and red lights flashed hypnotically through the glass. The only thing he could see clearly was her face. She was listening to the detective, nodding earnestly. Calm and collected. But when her gaze caught him, she changed. She was reaching for him, and he was closing the distance.

He could have lost her.

That thought rattled around in his mind wreaking havoc on his system. He knew what this was, had seen it before in soldiers after violent attacks. But even seeing Gloria safe and unharmed, holding her to him, wasn’t enough to reassure him that everything was okay. The clawing panic inside him was raking his guts to shreds.

Ty and Harper were arguing over who was going to call Luke and break the news to him. Harper’s friend Hannah was on the phone with her husband, and Sophie was forking over cash to the pizza delivery guy

“Is he gone?” Gloria asked him.