Paige stood up and stopped her. Grace cocked her head to the side. “Since we finished the timeline, am I free to head home?”

  “Not yet.” Paige sat on the edge of the desk.

  Grace put her sludge down and crossed her arms. “When is this gig going to be up, Paige? I can’t keep working these hours. I need a break.”

  “I told you, the FBI is going to take this case if you don’t solve it as soon as possible.”

  Shrugging, Grace stared directly into Paige’s green eyes. “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  “How can you say that?” Paige stood up and grabbed Grace’s hand. “I’ve never known you to give up on a case. You’re the best detective we have in here, and I don’t want anyone else working this case.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  Grace sighed. “Why don’t you want anyone else working this case? This type of case should have more than one person on it.”

  “You have Abrams.”

  Snorting, Grace shook her head. “He’s working a murder, not a missing persons investigation. They’re two radically different investigations, and you know that. How could you even think we’re working the same case?”

  Paige’s lips parted. “I don’t want anyone on this case but you. You have the passion to find him, Grace. No one else does.”

  “Everyone else does!” Grace’s voice got louder, but she wasn’t screaming yet.

  “Not everyone, Grace.” Paige’s tone dropped, and Grace had to lean in to hear her. “You’re special. You do so much work, you have so much passion not just for missing persons but for your job. I see none of that in the others.”

  “Stop,” Grace whispered.

  “What?”

  “Just stop.” Grace took in a deep breath. She shook her head, her eyes widening. “I can’t do this anymore.”

  “This is your job, Detective.” Paige pointed at the ground.

  Grace stepped away, her heart racing. She’d never told off a superior officer before, but she wanted to. She needed to say something, put an end to this. No matter what she’d said before, Paige had clearly ignored it and not believed Grace would follow through.

  “It is my job, Paige, and I love my job. But lately…I don’t know. I hate it. I hate coming in to work. I hate staying at work. I hate being here.”

  Paige’s lips parted in surprise. “You hate it?”

  “Yes.” Tears welled in Grace’s eyes again, and she cursed herself. She was so tired of crying. She hadn’t cried this much in years, and she’d about had it. “Can’t you see that?”

  “No.” Paige’s voice softened. She stepped in closer to Grace so they were only a foot apart. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “How could I?” Grace canted her hand. “You’ve been working me to the bone, you make me redo everything with you, you micromanage everything I do and still it’s not good enough. Either you trust me as a detective or you don’t, but Paige, you can’t keep making me work.”

  Paige drew in a long, slow breath and let it out with a whistle. “Am I really that bad of a sup?”

  “Some days,” Grace answered honestly. “Other days you’re not bad, and I’m not sure anyone else thinks you’re that bad. But you can’t deny that you treat me differently than everyone else. You expect more of me.”

  “Of course I do.” Paige curled her hair behind her ear, not making eye contact with Grace. “You’re special.”

  Groaning, Grace shook her head. “I’m not. I’m not any different than anyone else. In fact, I have way less experience than anyone else.”

  “But this unit is perfect for you!”

  “I know it is.” Grace’s lips thinned. “And it’s the only reason I have put up with this bullshit this long.”

  “Bullshit?” Paige had the audacity to look offended. “How dare you accuse me of that?”

  Flabbergasted, Grace stared Paige down. Did she honestly not see it? Did she not think anything was wrong with the situation? Grace was about to tell her off and walk out, but Paige stopped her, a hand on Grace’s.

  Paige stepped in even closer. “I’m so sorry I’ve been an awful supervisor for you.”

  Grace’s heart rapped hard, her mouth went dry. She had no idea what to say or how to say it or even know if Paige was sincere. Paige moved in another step, their bodies barely touching. Grace’s mind went haywire. This could not be happening. Everything Amya was afraid of could not be happening. She had to stop it. She was about to object, when Paige lifted a hand and cupped Grace’s cheek, dragging their mouths together.

  Paige moaned.

  Grace’s stomach roiled.

  When Paige’s tongue touched her lips, Grace’s brain caught back up with her. She put both hands on Paige’s shoulders and shoved her backward until Paige stumbled a step back.

  “What the fuck?” Grace shouted, not thinking about anyone hearing her. “You don’t fucking touch me!”

  “Grace.” Paige’s tone was consoling, but it was stupid. She stepped forward, and Grace moved back.

  She couldn’t believe Paige did that. Couldn’t believe she’d actually gone through with it. There had been threats…there had been innuendos…Paige had crossed the line, but never like this. Paige moved again, and Grace countered.

  “Come near me, and I will hit you.”

  Paige shook her head and reached out, grabbing Grace by the wrist. “Just talk—”

  She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Grace pulled her left hand back, fist closed, and shot it forward in a precise jab right into Paige’s nose. Paige stumbled backward, her hands over her face as blood poured over her lips and onto her shirt.

  “What the hell, Grace?” Paige screeched.

  “I told you not to fucking touch me!”

  Paige launched forward, her own hand closed and swung at Grace. Grace easily dodged the blow by leaning back and twisting slightly. Paige growled. “You don’t hit me and get away with it.”

  “You don’t kiss me and get away with it.” Grace grumbled, this time placing an upper jab right into Paige’s stomach, precisely where she wanted to hit.

  Paige doubled over for two seconds before she reared up, anger flashing in those green eyes before she ran forward. Grace dropped to the ground and shot her leg out, tripping Paige so she toppled over onto the hard floor. In two seconds, Grace was on top of her, grabbing her wrists while she straddled Paige’s hips and trying to get hold of the situation.

  With feet planted, Paige bucked upward and knocked Grace off her and onto the floor where she slammed the back of her head hard. Her ears rang loudly. She was so fucked if anyone walked in on them. First she was mouthy with her superior officer, and then she got into an all-out brawl with her. Wincing, Grace shifted when Paige went to hold her down and narrowly escaped being pinned.

  She was up on her knees in a second, grabbing Paige’s wrist and flinging it around her back to try and put her in a hold, but Paige’s elbow to her gut knocked the window out of her. Grace grunted and pulled her elbow back for another blow.

  “Stop!” Amya screamed.

  Confessions

  Amya’s eyes widened as she saw the two of them on the floor, throwing punches. The hall behind her was quiet, no one was in the unit other than the two of them. With her heart racing, she shouted and hoped it would get their attention, but neither stopped.

  Grace landed a glancing blow on Paige’s chin, Paige’s head knocking back from the force of it. Amya looked out in the hall again, hoping someone would be there to help her. Yes, she was a trained cop, but that was years ago, and she never liked breaking up physical altercations on her own.

  “Stop it, Detective!” Raising her voice was having no affect.

  Grumbling, Amya watched as Paige landed a punch to Grace’s temple, saw the pain flash across her lover’s face. They flipped over, Grace on top. Taking this as her moment, Amya stepped in and grabbed Grace’s arm sharply, but she underestimated Grace’s strength and resolve.

  She couldn’t stop the blow from landing on Paige’s already broken nose. Amya gritted her teeth and this time used the full weight of her body as she used Grace’s momentary lapse of momentum to knock her backward onto her ass. She stepped between them, facing Paige and putting Grace behind her.

  Paige stared up at her, her chest heaving as she glared, baring her teeth. Amya gave her a stern look before shifting to look at Grace, figuring the damage was done and Paige wasn’t going to resume the fight now that someone else was there, particularly someone who would always be on Grace’s side first.

  Amya looked Grace over, finding only a small amount of blood trickling from a busted lip. She drew in a deep breath and pointed at Grace’s desk. “You. Sit there.”

  Grace said nothing as she dragged her ass off the floor. Spinning around to Paige, Amya glared again.

  “You go to your office and shut the door.”

  Paige covered her nose as blood continued to pour from it. “I’m going to need medical.”

  “And you’ll damn well get it!” Amya heart wasn’t slowing its race. “Remove yourself from the situation, Sergeant.”

  Rightfully scolded, Paige stumbled to her feet and dragged herself to her office, shutting the door. Standing fully, Amya spun on Grace. She had no idea where to even begin with this, where to start, what to even say. She had never expected to find Grace in this position. Not with Paige. Maybe a suspect, but never with another officer of the law, never with her superior officer.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” Amya accused. Then she shook her head and held out her hands. “No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

  Grace’s lips parted, and Amya glared, cutting her hand across the air to shut Grace up.

  “You don’t say a word, do you understand me?”

  Nodding, Grace leaned over her desk and grabbed a tissue, blotting her lip. She grumbled but still didn’t say anything as Amya glared at her. Amya had a hundred million things running through her brain at the same time.

  “Are you an idiot?”

  “Do you want me to answer that?” Grace fired back.

  “No, because I know the answer.”

  Amya let out a breath, her heart finally calming. They were in a no-win situation. No matter what happened from here on out, Grace was going to be in trouble. Facing Paige’s door, Amya tried to untangle the knots in her stomach.

  “Tell me one thing, Grace.” Turning to look at her partner, Amya waited until Grace’s chocolate brown eyes locked on her. She looked an utter mess. Her hair was halfway out of its braid, her eye was already swelling and bruising, and her lip wouldn’t stop bleeding.

  “What? And stop staring at me like that. I’m not a fucking pity party.”

  Amya clenched her jaw and refrained from replying. “Do I need to call the commander in charge or do I need to call Esparza?”

  Grace visibly paled. Amya had wondered if Grace had even thought of talking to him. He could easily solve this problem, or at least accurately investigate it instead of just investigating only the physical altercation. Amya had seen and heard what Paige had done over the last year and a half. She was fairly sure Grace hadn’t shared everything, but this would be the one tell, the one answer that would let her know exactly what had happened.

  “Grace,” Amya softened her tone, pleading. “Please, tell me who to call.”

  It may have been coercion, but Amya wanted it to be Esparza, she wanted to be the one to make that call to Internal Affairs, hope they might look into Paige’s conduct not just with Grace but with others, the ones she’d heard about in the rumor mill, the ones she’d been restricted from telling Grace about because it was a violation of her code of ethics.

  Grace pulled the tissue away from her lip, and Amya could see she’d need medical too. The split went clear down her chin and would require stitches. With a pained expression, Grace muttered one word.

  “Esparza.”

  Nodding, Amya grabbed her phone. She made the necessary phone calls, gave her statement of what she’d witnessed, and then she waited for Grace to be done with medical and giving her statement.

  Amya had her arms crossed as she sat at an empty, waiting. She’d dropped Kit and Peter off at the house then insisted on coming down here to see if she could talk out their last argument. She’d never have guessed she would have walked in to find Grace in an all-out brawl. She stared at her toes while she waited, barely registering anything being said. If she wasn’t in the middle of the drama, she’d be the one going from officer to officer to check in. Instead, she let Alonzo Esparza and the commander on duty do what needed to be done.

  “She kissed me,” Grace’s voice echoed.

  Amya jerked her chin, her eyes locking on Grace’s defeated form. The words hadn’t been loud, only for Alonzo’s ears as he sat with her at Grace’s desk. The words echoed in Amya’s head. Paige had kissed Grace. Her worst fear had come true, yet it hadn’t. Grace had done pretty much what Amya expected her to if that ever happened. She fought back.

  She wanted to know the rest of the story, wanted to hear it from Grace’s perspective because without the details of how it got to that point, Amya was lost except knowing Grace was in a position she should never have put herself in.

  “Commander.” One of Esparza’s crew came out of the interview room. “We have to get her to the hospital. Can’t stop the bleeding.”

  Grace’s lips quirked upward. Amya couldn’t tear her gaze from her. Esparza rubbed a hand over the back of his head and sighed. Jerking his chin toward the door, he gave silent confirmation that Paige should leave.

  Grace stayed put, her eyes finally flickering up to Amya. Amya sighed and gave Grace a half-smile and a nod but kept her mouth shut. They would have time to talk later. For now, Grace was going to be surrounded by those who needed information for their initial reports. Twenty minutes after Paige left in a cruiser for the hospital, Grace was released.

  Amya stood and shoved her hands in her jacket pockets as she eyed Grace. They said nothing as Grace gathered her jacket and gun and got ready to leave. All Amya could think was that at least Grace would be home for dinner that night, though she doubted she’d want to eat. As everyone left the unit, Amya stayed quiet, listening for tidbits of information she hadn’t been paying attention to before.

  “Hospital?” Amya said.

  “Is it that bad?” Grace asked, her voice lisping because of the injury.

  “It’s a doozy.”

  “Fuck,” Grace muttered. “Fine. But I don’t want to see her there.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll break up any fight you find yourself in again.”

  Grace narrowed her eyes. “You find this amusing, don’t you?”

  “Just a wee bit.” Amya lifted her hand and put out her thumb and forefinger so they were almost touching.

  “Can’t wait until you get into a fight,” Grace mumbled as she pulled her jacket on, wincing the entire time.

  Concern fleeted through Amya. She gripped Grace’s arm and stared at her. “Tell me the truth, how bad did she hit you?”

  Grace wrinkled her nose.

  Amya pointed a finger at her. “Don’t lie to me.”

  “I think she broke a rib or two.”

  Rolling her eyes, Amya pulled Grace toward the door. “And you didn’t say anything because…?”

  Grace shrugged. “Didn’t seem relevant.”

  “I don’t believe you sometimes.” With Grace firmly in her grasp, Amya escorted her out of the station and to her car. She helped Grace get in, making sure she didn’t slip on the ice that the parking lot had become in the last few days. The last thing Grace needed was a fall on her butt to round out her injuries.

  Once they were in the car, Amya started the engine. “I didn’t think I’d walk in to find that.”

  “I didn’t think that was ever going to be necessary.”

  Amya snorted. “We’ll talk more at home.”

  Grace grimaced. “I don’t want to.”

  “Not an option.”

  “Don’t say that,” Grace murmured, her face pointed out the side window.

  “Why not?” Amya pushed.

  Grace shrugged and the grimaced, no doubt regretting the move. “Because that’s what she told me about working today.”

  “Did you tell Esparza that?”

  “No.”

  “Grace Halling!”

  “What?” Grace looked at her then.

  Amya sighed. “We’re going to have a serious conversation about this when we get home.”

  “What about the kids?”

  Grace saying those words warmed her heart. Amya sighed. “Kit is staying at Annabelle’s, and I’ll kick Peter out of the house for a few hours. He can find some place to go.”

  “Isn’t he working?”

  Amya snorted. “He quit.”

  “What the fuck for?”

  A sidelong glance was all Amya needed to give for Grace to know it was a conversation for a different time. Grace shifted and glared out the front of the car.

  “Are we going or not?”

  “Yes. X-rays and stitches.”

  “Don’t call Crystal, okay?”

  “I’ll leave that blessing to you,” Amya countered.

  “Great. I was hoping to just avoid that one.”

  Amya snorted. “Good luck keeping a secret from her.”

  ###

  Grace barely made it into the house on her own two feet. Amya watched every move she made as she walked. She was not in her twenties anymore, and she was not a field officer anymore. It hurt like a bitch. She’d ended up with eleven stitches in her lip, inside and out, but had been amazed that her ribs were in fact not broken. Bruised, but she’d heal far faster from that and could work with bruised ribs.

  Amya had insisted on getting a copy of all the reports and taking them with her to send to Esparza. Grace still wasn’t sure that had been the right decision. She hated calling in Internal Affairs, but she’d had a weak moment with Amya staring at her.

  She sunk onto the chair, not daring herself to be able to get off the couch without Amya if she did sit there. The dogs came over, setting their heads on each of her thighs as if they knew something was wrong. Dogs were so intuitive that way.