Alicia’s eyes lift to mine. She’s not crying. She’s not even shaking anymore.
She’s steady. Resolute. And free.
For the first time in hours, my lungs stop feeling like steel coils pulled too tight.
“Is there anything else that you’ve learned that you can share with us?” Gabe asks.
The detective glances between us. “They’ve both mentioned that many people hate Alicia. Could be rationalization. Could be drugs talking. It’s likely nothing. For now, we are not pursuing additional suspects.”
It’s said too cleanly. Too decisively.
But I heard the hesitation. And based on the faint shift in Alicia’s posture, so did she.
We’ll revisit that later.
“Thank you,” Alicia says, voice steady but tired. “All of you.”
The detective leaves. Her lawyers gather their files. Gabe stands.
And for the first time since the moment I saw Jessica lunging with a gun, Alicia turns fully toward me, free hand lifting to rest against my jaw.
“Are you okay?” she whispers.
I almost laugh. Groan. Pull her into my arms and never let go.
Instead, I cover her hand with mine. “Not until you walk out of here.”
She leans forward, forehead resting briefly against my shoulder. Not long. Not inappropriate. Just enough to crack something open inside me.
“I meant it,” she breathes. “Upstairs. When I said you got there in time.”
I close my eyes for a beat. “I’ll always be there.”
Her fingers tighten around mine.
Gabe clears his throat. “I’ll check in with Hudson.”
Alicia nods, exhausted. “Thank you.”
When the room empties, I help her stand. She’s not fragile, but she’s depleted. Hollowed out by adrenaline and fear and the unimaginable weight of being wrongly accused.
“Take me home?” she asks softly.
Something hot and fierce flashes through my chest with her question.
“Yes,” I say. “Always.”
We walk out of the precinct together—hand in hand—into the crisp night. There’s a moment when the cold air hits her cheeks and she tilts her head back, breathing like someone who’s just surfaced from underwater.
She’s free.
The door closes behind us.
And for the first time since this began, it settles in that we have a real future together.
Chapter
Forty-Three