Page 109 of Tough Justice

As much as he wanted to rush in and cut to what he really wanted to say—I love you—they weren’t there yet. “I, uh, wanted to be here when you woke up, but I had a lot of things to get done this morning.” First and foremost, another bath for Thor to make sure he didn’t have any residual gray death on his coat, followed by the most important interview of Deck’s life. “C’mon, Thor. Down.”

His dog lay down next to the bed and sighed.

“I understand.” Tori averted his gaze. “I’m sure there was a lot of follow-up work to do after what happened. Reports to write, bosses to update.”

“About that.” Deck took the chair closest to the bed. “Wil is dead.”

Tori momentarily shut her eyes. “I figured that might be the case. I still can’t believe it. I had no idea. If only I’d—”

“Hey.” He reached for her hand, entwining their fingers. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. He was smart, kept a low profile. Turns out he spent all his drug money abroad. Investigating people like him is what I do, but I didn’t see it, either.” Until it was almost too late.

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last twelve hours, his stomach hardened at the absolute fear he’d experienced not knowing if Tori would live or die. It was a feeling he never wanted to go through again.

She looked at their joined hands, and her expression turned wistful. Thinking she was uncomfortable with the contact, he released her, sitting back in the chair. “T-Lo is dead, too. We took his goons into custody, and they’re singing like birds about the entire operation. The warden and half the medical staff at FCI Sheridan have been suspended pending termination for not reporting a number of deaths and overdoses. We also got a search warrant for the co-op property and Wil’s house. The underground lab is destroyed. It’ll take a hazmat team a month to clean it up. So far, there’s over a million dollars in cash inside Wil’s condo, and that’s probably just the start. We’re checking for offshore accounts and getting warrants for his properties abroad.”

“What will happen to all that money?” She shifted, obviously trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Let me.” He stood and adjusted the pillows behind her back and head, inadvertently grazing his fingers along her collarbone. She shivered, and he couldn’t tell if it was a good sign or a bad one. “Better?”

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“Some of seized drug money goes into the DOJ’s asset forfeiture fund and stays there. Most will come back to the DEA to fund various agency programs. Eventually, all his seized assets will be sold. It’ll take some doing, but I’m going to do everything I can to give 100 percent of it to teen rehab centers around Denver.”

“That’s a wonderful idea.” She rested her hand on his.

Her touch sent another surge of hope through his veins. When she began pulling away, he again interlaced their fingers. Now or never. “I’m sorry I lashed out at you that night in the park. You were trying to do what you thought was best for me. Until last night, I didn’t understand what it was like for you. Watching you nearly die and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

His throat constricted with so much emotion he could barely choke out his next words. “I’ve seen overdoses before,” he continued, “but I’ve never watched someone I’m in love with go through it.”

Tori’s eyes glistened. When she rolled her lips inward then looked away, his heart sank like an elevator hitting the basement floor. This wasn’t going well at all. He was about to lose her all over again, and he’d only just gotten started on what little of his practiced speech he could remember.

“Deck,” she began, “I—”

“Wait,” he interrupted, determined to tell her everything before she kicked him out of her room and out of her life for good. “One of the reasons I wasn’t here when you woke up was because I was being interviewed for a new position.”

“Deck—”

He held up his hand. “It’s an ASAC position, a desk job. I won’t know for a couple more days, but I think I have a real shot at it. I won’t be working with Thor, though.”

Thor lifted his head and uttered a mournful whine that made Deck feel as if he were betraying his best friend.

Tori’s forehead creased. “What will happen to him?”

“Like any human partner, he’s a DEA asset. He’ll be paired up with another agent.” Before making his decision, Deck had thought long and hard about it. It would kill him to lose Thor, but Tori was right. He had been living in the past. Taking a promotion would be a giant step forward. “I don’t want to lose you. If that means taking a desk job, I’ll—”

“Don’t take it.” She shook her head adamantly. “You love being in the field and working with Thor. I can’t imagine you without him or him without you. I don’t want you to do this for me. If we’re going to make this work, we have to accept each other for who and what we are. Good, bad, or dangerous.”

Make this work? “What are you saying?” he whispered, thinking he’d misheard her and praying he hadn’t.

“I’m saying I love you. All of you, and I don’t want you to change a thing. Including your job. That’s who you are. It’s what you are.” She laid her hand on the side of his face, gazing at him with so much love he felt as if he could leap a twenty-story building. “Just promise me something.”

“Anything.” He meant it. For her, he’d walk right into a tornado.

“Please do your best not to get shot at again or jump in front of any more pickup trucks.”

He laughed, his heart brimming with more love than he thought possible. He stood then leaned over and kissed her, wanting to brand her so deeply with his love that she’d always be his, every minute, every hour, and every day for the rest of their lives.

“Woops.”