“You asked me that before, and I already answered you.”

“I know, but I thought, I don’t know, maybe you felt differently now.”

“I think I would like more,” Hazard said. “Financially, though—”

Somers’s hand covered his mouth.

After a moment, Hazard peeled the fingers away. “Do you?”

“I don’t know. I love Evie so much, but this world is so messed up. Today, I mean. I knew Susan. We knew her. And someone did something unspeakable to her. I can’t stop thinking about that. We knew her. We had drinks with her. We laughed with her.” Somers’s voice thickened, and Hazard could hear him moving, wiping his face. “It’s not even the first time someone close to me has been hurt, but it’s just so awful that I can’t . . . I can’t seem to get around it.”

Flopping onto his belly, Hazard rested his chin on Somers’s chest. Those remarkable eyes, tropically blue, met his gaze and then flicked away.

“You had a bad day,” Hazard said.

“Definitely a long day.”

“But this, the way you’re talking, that’s not you.”

Somers wiped his face again. “Yeah, well, it sure as hell feels like it.” He took a breath. “I don’t want to do this job anymore, Ree. I hate how it makes us fight. I hate how . . . how it gets inside my head. I hate that I can’t do it with you. You were the best part of it, and I need you, and I hate this so much.”

From down the hall came Evie’s admonition: “Don’t say hate!”

Hazard smiled in spite of himself; a small grin tugged at Somers’s mouth.

“Can I say something?” Hazard said.

“As if I could stop you,” Somers said, pushing on Hazard’s face, pretending to shove him away.

Hazard bit his fingers; Somers yelped, and as he pulled back his hand, injured outrage on his face, and rubbed his fingers, Hazard said, “Obviously I will support you in whatever you want. More kids? Great. No more kids? I’ll be happy with you and Evie. You want to be police? I’ll pack you a lunch until you get that sweet, sweet pension. You want to quit and be a groundskeeper at Wahredua High? Well, fuck, first you need to learn how to edge our sidewalks properly.”

The grin was back, although Somers was still massaging his fingers and occasionally remembering to look angry.

“You’re exhausted,” Hazard said. “You’ve been up since one this morning. You haven’t eaten today, have you?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. We might have grabbed something.”

“You didn’t, John. I know you didn’t.” Hazard’s hand slid up Somers’s chest, covering Somers’s heart, feeling the rapid thump-thump of his heart through the cotton undershirt. “What you’re feeling, that’s real. But you also need food. And sleep.” Hazard’s hand slid up Somers’s thigh, forcing the shorts higher, his thumb skating across the scattering of fine blond hairs. “And maybe a good fuck. And when you’re through the worst of this, then we can talk.”