Jack seized this rare intimate moment. He picked Maggie up, making an ‘ooomph’ noise as she settled on his hips and linked her ankles behind his back. Three stairs up and Jack stepped on a pile of ironed babygrows, which sent him tumbling forwards onto his left hand – while his right hand stayed firmly around Maggie’s waist so that he didn’t drop her. They giggled as quietly as possible, trying not to lose the moment.

Jack stood up, leaving Maggie sitting on the stairs. ‘Get me a brandy,’ she instructed. ‘Then get your arse upstairs before I fall asleep.’

Not needing to be asked twice, Jack raced down to the kitchen.

It was the first time that Jack and Maggie had made love since Hannah was born – and the quickest. As they lay together afterwards, relaxed in each other’s arms, it felt like a new, exciting chapter was about to begin. Maggie declared that she was happier now than she had ever been in her entire life. And part of her happiness came from Jack finally finding his place in the world.

‘Go back to the Cotswolds with your head high, Jack. Whether they know it or not, they’re lucky to have you.’ Maggie was clearly in a soppy mood, but her words were sincere and made Jack feel better about the awkward situation he was in. Maggie propped herself up on Jack’s chest, so she could look him in the eyes. ‘You’re a special copper, you know that, don’t you? With the mind of Harry Rawlins and the heart of Charlie Warr.’ Jack was surprised to hear Maggie speak Harry’s name. He assumed that Maggie had erased him from their lives as a long-dead, bad influence. But apparently Harry Rawlins popped into her mind every now and then, just as he popped into Jack’s. ‘They make you who you are. Think like Harry, act like Charlie, and you’ll be invincible. You are the very best of two strong and memorable men. You are a force to be reckoned with, Jack Warr.’

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

In the forty-eight hours Jack had been in London, both teams – Oxford and Chipping Norton – had shared all the intel from the past three years and were now completely up to speed.

Before he’d left for his daughter’s naming ceremony, Jack had contributed one vitally important instruction: to keep this case on a ‘need-to-know’ basis. The general public already had little-to-no faith in the police’s ability to catch this gang, so if they found out about the growing physical dangers to homeowners, they’d be up in arms. Jack advised that, although the Barrowman burglary itself would inevitably become public knowledge, ‘Mathew’s assault should remain a secret. And, most importantly—’