“Oh, God. So she really is still inside? They said there might be a bomb. Please tell me she isn’t in there with a bomb.”

“They just located it on the roof,” he said. “A team’s already tearing it down.”

“But it’s still live and she’s still in there?” Her hand tightened on his arm. “Please tell me they already disarmed it.”

“She’ll be fine,” he said, praying that was true, on edge himself about Royce getting the hell out himself. “He’ll get her out, if she’s even in there. If you want to help, search the crowd.”

“I have,” she said, swiping at a long lock of blond hair covering her face, her hand shaking. “I tried. I’ve looked. No one has seen her.” She inhaled and let it out. “I don’t... I can’t lose her.”

The vulnerability in her gave him another kick to the gut. He knew better than anyone, besides maybe Lauren, that Julie hid everything behind sex, sin, and a façade of cool, all of which were gone now.

“Hey,” he said, bending under the tape to stand closer to her. “You won’t.” He reached up and slid the wayward hair in her eyes behind her ear. “You won’t lose her.”

They stared at each other, the past between them, the passion, the connection, and yes, even the bad goodbye, sizzling into awareness.

Her perfect pink lips parted, then, “Luke, I... we...”

A loud commotion erupted and they both turned to the building to find Royce and Lauren running towards them. Julie took a step towards the tape, but then stopped and blinked up at Luke. Then, to his surprise, she pushed to her toes, and pressed her lips to his. “Thank you,” she whispered and then ducked under the tape to run towards Lauren.

Luke watched her embrace Lauren, savoring her taste on his lips, her scent on his skin while he did. And he knew right then that the wall he’d just seen come down had to fall again, and this time for good... and for him.

***

Hours later, when the bomb was disabled and she’d answered a million and one questions from law enforcement, Lauren walked into Royce’s apartment, exhausted as the rush of adrenaline slid away. Royce tossed his keys on a small table by the door and Lauren kicked off her heels, heading for the couch where she collapsed, thankful that her offices were closed the next day. Thankful that the trial would finally be ramping up for jury selection soon, and she could get this behind her.

Royce shoved the coffee table away and went down on his knees in front of her. “We have to talk, Lauren.”

“Not the talk thing again,” she said, sitting up to rest her hands on his chest. “It’s never good and I can’t deal with any more bad right now.”

“Plead the case.”

“What?” she asked, trying to scoot away from him. “No. You said you supported what I do and why I do it.” She tried to scoot away from him.

He closed his hands on her h*ps and held her. “I do, but there is a time when everyone in law enforcement makes a decision, for the safety of everyone involved. This is one of those times.”

“This is going to go public,” she said. “Too many people know what is going on after today. That means the public will know a plea is caving to intimidation. What message does that send about our system? And it invites copycats. I’ll be a target and make other people targets.”

“You already are a target and other people are targets as well. Plea, Lauren. Put her away for life and make the concessions to do it. Then let’s go away for a vacation. Rome, England, anywhere you want to go, and let Luke and Blake catch this guy.”

“I can’t believe you’re asking me to do this. I thought”

He kissed her, his fingers resting on her cheek. “I love you, Lauren. I’m just trying to protect you and everyone around you.”

She softened instantly at the sincerity, the torment, in his voice and pressed her lips to his. “I love you, too.”

He pulled back to search her face. “Then do this for me. I support you, baby. I believe in what you do, I do. But this is about safety.”

“What if it isn’t even about this case? We have clippings from other cases and the links to Sheridan.”

“Then it’s not this case and we’ve ruled it out. We have nothing at this point but a gamble, but we have to take it, Lauren.”

“I need to think, Royce. I need to”

He kissed her. “Think. That’s better than ‘no’.” He slid his fingers under her hair to her neck. “Tell me you love me again.”

She softened, smiled. “I love you.”

He covered her mouth with his, as if he was trying to absorb the words, as if he cherished them. Lauren relaxed into the kiss, lost in him, letting herself forget everything but him undressing her, touching her, kissing her. When she finally straddled him, when he was buried deep inside her, and their eyes connected, she realized that her big, grizzly alpha had a soft side he saved just for her. And somehow, for just this little bleep of time, it made everything okay, and no man had ever done that for her before now, before Royce.

***

The next morning, Lauren woke in Royce’s arms, to her cell phone ringing on the bedside table. He grabbed it and handed it to her.

She frowned at Caller ID. “It’s the DA. This can’t be good.” She answered, to hear her boss, Milton Waters demand, “Where are you? I’m at your apartment and you aren’t here.”