Page 150 of Shadow

“Tootsie roll. Let him go. This is over.”

Daphne smiled.

And he unhanded the man, backing off as Dani stepped up. He held up his hands. “Patterson is working for the syndicate. He just tried to murder the witness.”

Dani looked down at Patterson, who was holding his nose, the blood spilling over his hands.

“He tried to⁠—”

“Save it,” said a female voice.

Daphne turned around. “ASAC Kumar.”

Asher too stood. “ASAC Kumar.”

“We’ve been looking into all the leaks, as well as the evidence you brought in, and some of it doesn’t add up. This”—she pointed at Patterson—“makes sense.”

She looked at Asher. “Good job.” Then to Daphne, “We’ll take it from here.”

Daphne holstered her gun, and Liam Roberts from the US Marshals stepped in and grabbed Roger’s arm.

He was hiding behind the open door, probably where Daphne had shoved him for protection. Of course.

“Asher, you’re bleeding,” said Dani.

“Yeah, he’s always bleeding,” Daphne said.

“No, not his arm—in the back.”

That’s when he felt it—sharp and bright. Aw, shoot, now his legs started to buckle.

“Medic! We need a medic!” Dani, moving in to catch him, but Daphne was right there.

He slid down to the floor. “Oops.”

Dani had knelt next to him, was peeling back his shirt. “Looks like a ricochet. In and out.”

“See? Still standing.”

Dani stood up. “I’ll get the EMTs down here.” She followed ASAC Kumar and the others out of the hall.

And then it was just Daphne, kneeling on the floor next to him.

“You always have to be a hero, don’t you?”

His mouth opened.

And then she leaned in, kissed him.

And he managed to get a hand up, around the back of her neck, and he was right there, kissing her back. No pain. No lies.

Just kissing this amazing, beautiful, terrifying woman who tasted of sunshine and happy endings and the future he could barely believe might be his.

She leaned away, breathing hard, and met his eyes.

A beat.

“I’m sorry⁠—”