Tara knew exactly what he meant. He was giving her a verbal warning that if she ever did that again, it would end with a termination of her job, if she didn’t end up dead from her actions. She nodded, making it known that she understood, and Reindhart quickly changed topics.

“I also wanted to tell you both that I think you make a great team.” Reinhardt’s eyes moved from Warren to Tara and back again as he spoke. “How do you two feel about continuing to work together as partners?”

Warren nodded abruptly, as if expecting him to say that.

“That sounds great to me,” he said. “What do you think, Mills?” Warren’s smiling face turned toward her.

His smile was contagious and she felt one form on her face instantly.

“Yes, I’d love that,” she said in agreement.

Epilogue

Tara sat on the couch in her apartment as John dished out the food they just ordered onto plates. She had already told John all that had happened that day, and ever since she explained it all, he had remained mostly silent, as he digested it all himself.

“I still can’t believe what happened to your arm,” he said as he placed a plate of food down on the coffee table in front of her.

But Tara knew that wasn’t all that was on his mind. She knew John well; he was protective. She knew very well that what she had told him terrified him, yet he was trying so hard to hold it together—to not show how thankful he was that the injury to her arm was all that happened.

She couldn’t quite tell if he was holding back his emotions to prevent her feeling guilty for worrying him, or if it was simply because he couldn’t bear to admit his fears to himself, or both. But Tara couldn’t help but be thankful that he wasn’t expressing it, because she hated when he got worried, when she would have to reassure him. It took so much energy—energy that she didn’t quite have at the moment.

In all truth, Tara was worried too. She had always known that by going into the FBI, she would be risking her life at times, but she had never quite known what that would feel like until after today. It felt terrifying, but thrilling, and there was one piece of it all that kept replaying in her mind. It was that one moment she froze in the beginning of the case. It was the fact that she could never really be too sure that it wouldn’t happen during a crucial moment like today.

Tara leaned forward and picked up her fork, attempting to twirl her pasta. But just as she did so, she immediately dropped it as each small movement pulled on her stitches, making her feel a sudden pain.

“Here,” John said as he took a seat next to her on the couch and reached over to help her.

Tara thanked him, and they continued to eat, surrounded by silence. But every once in a while, Tara could sense John’s eyes moving toward her and she knew he had something he needed to tell her, and finally she turned toward him and asked him.