Page 26 of Heat of Justice (Duty #3)

She had a new haircut. A short bob, possibly layered to highlight her slender neck and dramatic jawline. Even if not intentional, the style also emphasized a lean and boldly sculpted face. Her clothes looked new. Wide-legged trousers; a white, fitted linen shirt with half sleeves; and brown sling-back leather sandals to accommodate the weather. Classy. Smooth. Nice legs, too, Quinn noted. She was too thin, though one might take her for a broody model instead of a woman fresh out of rehab. Brooke certainly had the looks. Quinn observed her as she lingered in front of a photo of her and Lia, taken the day after their secret wedding in Mexico. Quinn could never look at it without smiling, and that’s why she kept it on her desk; to remind herself of the important things in life. In the photo, she was in board shorts and a sports bra. Lia wore cut-off jeans and a bikini top. Both tanned and grinning at the camera on a sun-drenched, white-sand beach. Lia had one arm slung casually around her neck but holding her close all the same. ‘Gotcha!’ the loving gesture seemed to say. And not letting you go. Quinn reflected they should take another trip. For now, she’d have to deal with Lia’s ex, apparently.

“Hello, Brooke,” she said as she walked in.

She spoke quietly, but the woman still jumped a little at the sound of her voice and swiftly moved away from the desk.

“Hello, Lieutenant.” She attempted a smile but did not quite pull it off. “Quinn, if I may...”

Quinn sat in her chair and leaned back to watch her.

“Lieutenant will do.” She nodded once. “So. Detox over? How are you doing?”

Brooke fixed her for a moment as if to gauge the true level of warmth and concern in her expression. Or lack of it, for that matter. Quinn held her gaze silently in return, nice and neutral. Not giving her much, because why should she? She was curious and appropriately wary as to why the woman might come and see her.

“Rehab ended yesterday,” Brooke answered. She remained standing. “I feel much better, yes.”

“So, what can I do for you?”

“Nothing. Well, sorry; yes,” Brooke conceded when Quinn raised a stormy eyebrow. “If you would hear me out, please… I came to apologize to you, first of all. I also want to thank you for your intervention at my apartment.”

“Coming to you in Boston was Lia’s idea; I just went along for the ride.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“As for your apology, I’d like to know why you wrote that stuff about me to begin with.” Quinn would not make it easy for her. “Some of it… Hell. All of it was downright vicious, Brooke.” She used her name when she did not allow her to do the same. Her office, her rules. “I know you spent some time in Iraq as a reporter. Embedded with army troops. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“You must have realized the strong bond between soldiers. You were there to see first-hand how traumatic it was for those who witnessed their friends and colleagues be ripped apart by IEDs and bullets in the field – I mean, literally torn to shreds. How could you not recognize the true measure of their sacrifice? Some gave their life; others were psychologically and physically scarred for life.”

“I saw it,” Brooke murmured. “I understood.”

“So you claim,” Quinn said coolly. She kept her eyes on her, forcing Brooke to hold her gaze. “Didn’t stop you digging into my army records, did it? You accused me of leading my soldiers to their deaths when you knew full well that it wasn’t true. The journalist with us at the time was a writer, just like you. Her name was Evan Alvarez. Of course, you knew that. She died in my arms, Brooke.”

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”

Quinn ignored her reply, and she just pushed.

“You know what it’s like to have a wounded woman bleed to death as you hold her, knowing there is nothing you can do to save her?”

“No.” Brooke swallowed. “I don’t know.”

“Hopefully, you’ll never find out.” Quinn got up and went to stand in front of her. Nicely in her face. “She was in pain, and afraid, asking me for reassurance during her last few minutes of life. I told her she could close her eyes. That when she woke up, we’d all be back at camp and everything would be okay. Evan trusted me to keep her safe.”

Quinn did not choose to revisit the memories and emotions of that day very often. She had been convinced that she would die too; that it was only a matter of time before they came for her. Her vehicle had landed on its roof, a smoldering heap of junk, destroyed by a concealed roadside bomb. Two of the men riding in the lead with her, soldiers she thought of as brothers, were already dead. Small-arms fire could be heard all around as some of her team fought back. Not enough of them to do so. She was injured, nearly out of ammo, and enemy forces were closing in. Prior to this day, all Intel had claimed that the road she chose to travel on was clear of IEDs. Even though this turned out not to be the case, there was no one really to blame. This was just the grim reality of war. Sometimes, you run out of luck and straight into lethal trouble. Even knowing this, it had taken Quinn a long time to recover from the events of the day. Her physical injuries were severe. Psychologically, it was worse, and she struggled to come to terms with the death of the people she was responsible for. Survivor’s guilt was a real, nasty thing. Brooke had found an old wound and applied pressure for maximum damage.

“Go ahead if you want,” the woman said in a resigned, flat voice. “I would.”

“What?”

“Hit me. I deserve it.”

Quinn relaxed the fists she had unconsciously clenched in the heat of the moment. Hitting people when they were down, defenseless, and remorseful was not her style. And she could see all this in Brooke’s gaze now. Her regret seemed deep and genuine.

“You deserve a good punch, but you look beaten enough,” she stated joylessly and stepped back. “You need a shrink; you know that?”

“Yes.” Brooke sighed. “I saw one during rehab. Every day, one-to-one sessions.”

“I wouldn’t stop there if I were you.”

“Why do you care?”

Because there was no animosity in the question, just the sort of sadness and emotional exhaustion that Quinn had been no stranger to, once upon a time, she answered.

“Lia would be hurt if anything happened to you.”

Brooke’s large grey eyes, speckled with a little green at this precise moment, glistened with a layer of tears.

“I really am sorry, Lieutenant. I know it’s no excuse, but the drugs I was taking really obliterated my mind. The blogs… The horrible stuff I wrote about you…” She winced. “It’s not like me. I realize you don’t know that; you don’t know me at all. But it’s not… I would never—”

Catching tiny droplets of sweat on her forehead as she tried to find her words, and noting her sudden pallor, Quinn guided her into a chair.

“Breathe.” She passed her a bottle of water and watched Brooke take it and drink as if she had just crossed a desert.

“I’m still a little weak,” she said. “Physically.”

“That’s okay.” Quinn found it hard to stay angry with the woman. First of all, it was not in her nature to hold a grudge. Secondly, she had to give it to her: coming in to talk openly like this took guts. “Look, I get it,” she nodded. “You experienced a severe mental breakdown. Opioid drugs are nasty.”

“I know that now. Never again, I tell you.”

“Good to hear. As for the rest, well, no one died, and I was reinstated. I will not press charges. I accept your apology. Let’s put this thing behind us, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Lieutenant.” Relief brought color back into Brooke’s face. “Would it be okay if I called Lia? I would like to apologize to her as well. Face to face.”

“Don’t ask me. My wife doesn’t need permission to see and talk to anyone she likes.”

“Yes, of course. I just don’t want you to worry.”

“I’m not worried in the least, Brooke,” Quinn assured her in a silky tone which only emphasized the seriousness of what she said next. “Just know that if you hurt her again, I will put you down. No questions asked.”

She spoke with lethal calm and the appropriate amount of threat. Brooke clearly registered the warning. In the next instant, it also drew an unexpected grin out of her, and her eyes flickered with a flash of humor. Quinn assumed this must be a glimpse of the old Brooke, a woman Lia told her was always bright and vivacious.

“I hear you loud and clear,” she confirmed.

“Are you still in love with her?” Quinn prompted.

“Well, it was my choice to end the relationship.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“No… No, it’s not love anymore. But appreciation, yes.” Brooke reflected. “I’m older now, and I see things differently. It was not meant to be with Lia. I fully accept that. I just hope it’s not too late to maybe one day experience with someone else the kind of connection that you two seem to have.”

It was an honest answer, which made Quinn think of Janet. Her friend had been a little despondent at one point. Then she met Ellie and fell madly in love.

“You know, I hear it’s never too late,” she declared.

Again came that attractive and youthful smile just tinged with a touch of sadness.

“Thanks for saying that,” Brooke nodded. “Well…”

Quinn took the hand that she held out to her and shook. “Thanks for coming to talk. Take care of yourself.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Quinn.”

“Thank you, Quinn.” Brooke smiled in sheer relief.

It was Friday afternoon, her schedule was clear, and Quinn did not linger long at work after this. When she arrived home, and told her wife of the visit, Lia suggested going for a walk on the beach to catch up.

“Might this involve a burger along the way?”

“If you like,” Lia approved. “Good idea.”

“Let’s do it, then. I’m starving.”

Annoyingly, Quinn’s work phone went off just as they were going out the door.

“Ah, sorry…”

“No, you go ahead,” Lia assured.

“It’s Ellie,” Quinn noted. “Yes, Detective.”

“Lieutenant.” Ellie sounded uncharacteristically stressed on the line, and the reason was immediately obvious as she went on. “I just received a panicked call from Kim Reed. She said she had another vision. It’s about Cody, and she can’t reach her on the phone.”

“Where is your partner?” Quinn asked immediately.

“On her way home, as far as I know. She let me take our unit to the garage for a check as we seem to have an oil leak. She was going to take the subway. Lieutenant, I’ve tried to call her too, but she’s not answering.”

Ellie sounded slightly out of breath, worried and frustrated. S hit, Quinn thought. She signaled to Lia to wait.

“What did Kim say, Ellie?” she prompted.

◆◆◆

The nightmares had stopped. As the quality of her sleep slowly improved, Kim rationalized that the dreams must have been linked to the recent changes in her life, as she told Cody. Also, this was her first time dating a cop. Her first time falling in love with a woman who carried a weapon on her hip as comfortably as others might a tube of lipstick in their handbag, a police detective who might be called to put her life on the line at any time in order to protect others. Kim trusted that Cody knew what she was doing and that she could handle herself out there on the streets. At the same time, she was acutely aware of the risks involved in her career. No doubt her unconscious mind had a tough time settling with this. When it finally did, and her extra-sensory sense calmed down, she relaxed. Alright, then. It would be fine. Kim had two other reasons to feel good at the start of the weekend. She had spent her Friday morning at a local school, talking to kids about available careers in the field of law and justice. Good stuff. She was also looking forward to a new position with the District Attorney’s office. Tom Lewis, the DA for Lewiston, said he was impressed by her previous results as a defense lawyer, and excited to have her join his team on the prosecution side. It occurred to Kim that she was not just ready but hungry for this kind of work. She headed home, keen to tell Cody that she had decided to take the job; her partner was all for it. On the way, she booked a table at their favorite restaurant. Cody had just closed her latest case, so she could do with a treat as well. The vision occurred as Kim walked into their apartment. The sensation was unlike any other: a sudden feeling of floating, and also like a portion of her brain was detaching, sliding off. She only had a milli-second to realize what was happening before she felt herself go. Then it was pretty much like being yanked backward into a vortex at tremendous speed. Cody. Heat. Danger. A series of vivid images and sensations assaulted her mind. Fire. Flames . Trapped. Other details imprinted on her consciousness. Ocean Street. 17. The vision must have lasted all of three seconds, but it sure packed a punch. By the time she regained her senses, Kim was on the floor, on her knees, sucking in air. With trembling hands, she immediately grabbed her phone and dialed #1 for Cody.

“Pick up… Pick up. Come on!”

She already knew her lover might not answer. As her fear was confirmed, her heart threatened to punch a hole through her chest. Kim ordered herself to keep it together. She called Cody’s partner.

“Hello?”

As Ellie came on, Kim told her quick and precise.

“Subway station 17 on Ocean Street. Something is going to happen there. No, no, I don’t know what! Just that Cody’s there, and… Something bad, okay? I saw flames. I have to go. Please, Ellie, get help!”