He nods and follows his mom outside. I watch him go, wishing I could do or say more to help him not feel like everything is his fault. For some reason kids always think everything bad is their fault.
Once Donna and Tyler have driven off I climb into our SUV and buckle my seatbelt. My hands are steady as Liam joins me. I’m relieved Liam decided to arrest Randy today. It’s obvious things will just keep escalating if Randy doesn’t get help. Leaving him there drunk and belligerent would have been a mistake. Thankfully, Donna was willing to take the next steps to keep her and her son safe.
Liam starts the car and speaks into his shoulder mic to let dispatch know we’re transporting Randy down the mountain to county. As we drive down the steep snowy roads, Randy muttersbehind the cage about how unfair we’re being. Liam and I don’t respond to him or talk to each other on the drive.
Once we get to the county jail in Silver Creek, intake is routine. We transfer custody, complete the booking paperwork, and head back out. By the time we’re climbing toward Golden Peak again, the radio crackles to life and the day settles back into its familiar patrol rhythm.
The rest of the shift is quieter. Routine stuff that doesn’t require much thought, which is good because my head isn’t in it. I keep seeing Tyler’s eyes. I keep feeling the phantom weight of being that small and that trapped. I’m not sure why this call got under my skin so much. I’ve handled plenty of domestic cases with kids involved. Maybe it was something about Tyler himself. The lost look in his eyes. He reminded me a lot of myself at that age. I’d wanted to stop the chaos too, but hadn’t had any idea how to go about it. I guess I empathize with Tyler’s feelings of helplessness.
While the call with Tyler bothered me, it also cemented my feeling that Liam and I make a good team. You never know how your partner will behave in any given circumstance. But Liam acted exactly how I thought he would under pressure. Every time Liam spoke in that house, every time he positioned himself with authority and calm, I felt steadier. Safer. Not because I needed his protection, but because I knew, without question, that he had my back. That’s not something I’m used to. Derek never made me feel that way. No partner ever has.
At the end of shift, we’re back at the station finishing paperwork. The building is quiet, most of the day shift already gone. Liam types up the incident report while I organize my notes. We work in silence, but it’s the comfortable kind.
“Hey,” Liam says as I’m pulling on my jacket to leave. “You want to grab a beer?”
The invitation catches me off guard. My first instinct is to say no. Go home. Decompress alone. Protect the distance I know I should maintain.
But the word that comes out of my mouth is, “Sure.”
Liam smiles, and something warm spreads through my chest. I really need to do a better job of guarding my emotions when it comes to Liam. But that unspoken bond we seem to share keeps sucking me in. It would be easier if Liam wasn’t so damn likeable. But he is, so I have to be careful.
We end up at The Fox & The Kettle because of course we do. Jim gives us a nod and sets two beers in front of us before we even sit down. The bar is mellow tonight, just a handful of regulars scattered around. Classic country plays softly from the jukebox.
We talk about the calls we had during the day and at one point Liam’s phone buzzes. I see the name Kara flash on the screen. I’m surprised when Liam sends the call to voicemail instead of picking up.
He must see something in my expression because he laughs guiltily. “She’ll call back if it’s important.”
I nod, flattered he didn’t want to interrupt our time together. I ask casually, “So, are you two together, together?”
He doesn’t respond immediately.
“Not that it’s any of my business,” I mumble.
He grimaces. “It’s fine to ask. Uh, yeah, we’re a couple.”
I force a smile. “That’s great.”
“It is great.” He seems to hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice and quickly adds, “Kara is a fantastic woman. We’ve been together for a year now. She’s everything I could ask for in a partner. She’s gorgeous and super easygoing about my work schedule.”
“So far the schedule hasn’t been that tough.” I frown.
He laughs. “Just you wait. Like the Chief said, the ski resort opens the day after tomorrow. Things are going to change around here. We’ll most likely have to work some twelve-hour shifts starting then.”
“Okay. That’s fine. I don’t have anything else to do.”
He smirks. “No? Work is your only fun?”
“I don’t know if I’d call workfun.” I laugh gruffly. “But I like to keep busy, and since I don’t know anyone in town yet, I’d rather just work.”
“That isn’t healthy.” His tone is playfully lecturing. “You need to have a social life. Shall I get you Steve’s number?”
I recoil. “What? No.”
He chuckles. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to get bored and lonely up here on this big mountain. You might leave.”
“If I want company, I’ll find company.” I scowl at him. “Why would I need your help for that?”
His grin widens. “Because you’re new in town.”
