“If it does, we’ll nail him.My shift was just about to finish, and this asshole is keeping me away from mykids.”
“You’ve got kids?” I asked,surprised.
“Sure. Two,” she said,blinking at me. “What, because I’m married to a woman I can’t have kids now?”
I shook my head. That wasn’t what I meantatall.
“Always wanted a kid,” Isaid. “Maybe two. Someday.”
“You’d be good at it,” sheresponded, nudging John with her shoe. “I’m gonna need you to go with the niceofficer, sir,” she sing-songed in the most patronizing tone I’d ever heard.
I still liked her.
Somewhere along the line,Miles had appeared at my side, holding what I assumed was an ice pack wrappedin a towel.
“For your nose,” heconfirmed, offering it to me.
I was still holding the jarof cookie butter I’d brought with me. In all the chaos, I’d more or less forgottenabout it, but I’d kept my grip on it all the same. It was important.
“Here.” I passed him the jarin exchange for the ice pack. “It was meant to be an apology.”
Tears welled up in Miles’ eyes as helooked down at the jar. I tried—and failed, mostly—to hold the ice pack againstthe bridge of my nose while still keeping an eye on him.
When he grabbed my arm withboth hands, hugging it to his chest, all the pain went away. I didn’t care aboutanything other than Miles.
I loved him.
And he loved me.
I was the luckiest assholein the world.
Maybe the universe.
“Cute,” Moreno said,dragging me back down to Earth.
“But you need a statement. Iknow.” I sighed. Miles wasn’t ready for this, he’d had a hard enough day as itwas.
“Look, Miles is just awitness. I was the only one out here throwing punches. He was behind a lockeddoor at the time.”
Moreno nodded, lookingbetween the two of us. Her poker face remained pretty much intact, but I couldsee the cogs turning behind her eyes.
Eventually, she gave afinal, decisive nod.
“If you make a quickstatement now, I can start putting things in motion. We probably won’t be ableto hold him overnight unless you’ve got time to come to the station and make afull one, but… I can see you’re needed here.”
“Miles is safe with me,” Isaid.
Beside me, he hummedhappily, burying his face against my arm.
My heart felt like anoverfilled water balloon, at risk of bursting with just the slightest pressure.There was nothing I wanted more than for Miles to feel safe around me. Likenothing could touch him as long as I was there.
I wasn’t planning onletting him down. I’d protect him for as long as he’d let me.
Which I hoped was going to bea long, long time.
“Then the rest of this canwait until the morning,” Moreno said. “Neither of you need any more stress.”
“You’re okay, y’know,” Isaid, smiling at her. “For a cop.”
