When she was sure the other police officers were out of earshot, Imogen walked over to Adrian.

‘What were you thinking?’ she asked. ‘I know what you were doing.’

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ Adrian said, evasive as usual.

‘When she had the gun pointed at me, you got her to turn it on you instead.’

Imogen just couldn’t figure where Adrian’s head was at at the moment. He walked towards that gun as though he didn’t care if it went off.

‘I don’t like seeing a gun on you; I’ve seen it before, remember?’ Adrian said.

‘I don’t need you to take a bullet for me, Miley. I need you to stay alive.’

‘I need you to be alive, too.’

‘I don’t know what is going on, but tonight really felt like you had a death wish. The way you kissed me in the lift felt like a goodbye or something. You’re really scaring me. You aren’t the Adrian I know.’

‘Now this case is over, I’ll be able to think straight,’ he said.

He walked towards the car and sat on the bonnet. He had that distant look on his face again. She struggled to know what he was thinking most of the time, but never more so than right now.

‘What about the next case?’ she asked when she caught up with him. ‘And the one after that? You need to get a handle on this shit, Adrian. You can’t go through life just exploding whenever anything reminds you of your past.’

‘Don’t give up on me, Imogen, that’s all I am asking.’

‘I wouldn’t. I won’t.’

‘I think I need a little time off to get my shit together,’ Adrian said. ‘Tom’s got study leave coming up; I might take him away for the week. If you don’t mind?’

‘Why would I mind? He’s your son.’

He stood and kissed her tenderly on the cheek. She was taken aback, because there were still some uniformed police officers around and crime scene technicians processing both cars. Anyone could have seen them.

‘You really are too good for me,’ he said in a way that she didn’t like at all.

Chapter Eighty-Three

Adrian lay on the bed with Imogen. Reece Corrigan’s death had brought him a modicum of peace, even though the actual perpetrator of the assault on him was still out there. At least he had a place to start when he decided to move forwards, when he decided to find the people who hurt him. He just had to concentrate on the positive here, which was that Reece Corrigan wouldn’t get away with it.

Exhausted from the confrontation at the business park, they were both still in their work clothes. Neither one of them was ready to move.