Tessa sat at the kitchen table, watching him move around the space. He favored his injured arm but didn't complain. Poured coffee into two mugs, set one in front of her, and sat down across the table.
"So," he said. "What now?"
"Now we drink coffee. Then we call Diaz. Then we go to Hank and Bree's for breakfast." She wrapped her hands around the mug. "Then we figure out what the rest of our lives look like."
"That simple?"
"That simple."
He smiled. It was the real one, the one that reached his eyes, the one she'd been seeing more and more since she'd arrived in Copper Moon.
She called Diaz while Brian showered. The sergeant sounded tired but satisfied.
"Reeves is in county lockup. Arraignment's tomorrow. She's looking at assault, breaking and entering, stalking, and about a dozen other charges. With Webb's federal case ongoing, the DA's talking about coordinating prosecution."
"What does that mean for me?"
"You'll need to testify eventually. Both trials, probably. But that's months away. For now, you're safe. They're both locked up, and they're staying that way."
Safe. The word felt foreign. She'd spent so long being afraid that she wasn't sure what safe felt like anymore.
"Thank you," she said. "For everything. The trap, the backup, all of it."
"That's the job." Diaz paused. "But for what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay. Copper Moon needs more people like you."
Tessa hung up and sat with that for a moment. Copper Moon needs more people like you. Three months ago, she would have laughed at the idea. She'd been burned out, broken, running from a life that had nearly destroyed her.
Now she was staying. Building something new. Becoming someone new, or maybe just becoming who she'd always been before the job had ground her down.
Brian emerged from the bathroom, hair wet, fresh bandage on his arm. "Diaz?"
"Carla's in county. Arraignment tomorrow. We're safe."
He nodded slowly, like he was letting it sink in. "So it's really over."
"It's really over."
They walked to Hank and Bree's, taking the long way along the water. The morning was cool and bright, the bay sparkling under a cloudless sky. A few early joggers passed them, waving. An old man walking his dog nodded hello.
Normal life. She'd almost forgotten what it looked like.
Bree met them at the door with hugs that lasted too long and eyes that were suspiciously bright. Hank was in the kitchen, flipping pancakes. Colby and Sabrina were already at the table, coffee cups in hand.
"There they are," Colby said. "The walking wounded."
"Barely walking," Brian said. "Everything hurts."
"That's what happens when you tackle a woman with a knife." Colby grinned. "Very heroic. Very stupid."
"You helped."
"I helped after you did the stupid part."
Sabrina swatted his arm. "Leave them alone. They've been through enough."
Breakfast was loud and chaotic, and exactly what Tessa needed. Pancakes and bacon and eggs and more coffee than was probably healthy. Stories about the night before, told and retold, each version a little different. Laughter that came easier than expected.
Halfway through, Bree leaned over to Tessa. "How are you really doing?"
