Tina nodded and welcomed Debbie’s hug. “A neighbor took him to my mother’s house. He will be fine.” Then she smiled gently. “But thank you for asking. You’re the first one who thought to ask about the rest of my family. I thank you for that. In times like this, sometimes they get misplaced.”

Tina saw the strain on Cole’s face. And she saw something else. He’d killed a man today. Despite the fact that the man was a criminal, despite the fact that the crook had shot first and nearly killed an officer, Cole was having a difficult time dealing with the fact that a man had ceased living because of him.

“Cole Brownfield,” Tina said. He looked down into her knowing eyes and shuddered. “You did what you had to…and I thank you for my husband’s life.”

“If we’d been more careful, it might not have happened at all,” he said quietly, and walked away.

“Go after him,” Tina urged.

“I intend to,” Debbie answered. “He’s a strong man, but inside, he’s very gentle. I suspect it’s a hard combination to live with in a job like this.”

Tina nodded and then turned back to her family. Her waiting had just begun.

Debbie followed Cole’s retreat. “Do you have to go back to the station?” she asked.

Cole sighed and nodded. “I’ll have to write a report.”

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow? It’s late.”

Cole looked down at his watch. It was nearly eight p.m. He looked outside. It would be dark soon. He shrugged as he looked down at his clothes. Dark stains reminded him of what had happened this day.

“I’ll call in from the house,” he said suddenly. “I need to take a bath first.”

*  *  *

Debbie walked the kitchen floor. She stared out the patio door overlooking the backyard pool and looked up at the sky. It was cloudy and overcast. Rain would come before morning.

Morgan entered the kitchen. “You couldn’t sleep, either? Are you waiting for him to come back from headquarters?”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around herself to keep from shaking. But her voice gave her away. “I’ve never been so scared and then so relieved in such a short span of time. In the space of an hour, my world nearly stopped.” Her lips trembled as she walked into Morgan’s open arms. “Thanks,” she whispered, blinking back tears. “I needed that.”

“It’s the part of Cole that makes me the proudest and also the most afraid. Honor for what he believes in is as much a part of him as the color of his hair. He’s a cop, Debbie. And a good one. Can you live with that?”