Midnight Hero - By Diana Duncan Page 0,13
now.”
Her grin disappeared. “We’re both in trouble.” The distress in her low reply made his stomach clench again, for a different reason.
“All right. Let’s talk about the realities of my job. I admit some cops are hooked on the adrenaline rush. I’m not a hotdogger.” He took her hand, held her gaze. “I stand between you and the bad guys. I stand for every innocent victim. I take the bad guys down, get them off the streets. I make a difference.”
“Yes, you do. Don’t get me wrong, Con. I admire that.”
He stroked his thumb in a circular caress over her palm, and her hand trembled. “SWAT officers don’t take stupid chances, despite the creatively edited, sensationalized crap they show on TV. Every op is planned and rehearsed for hours, sometimes days. As thoroughly as possible. No detail is left to chance. We don’t bash down doors, charge in and hope nobody dies.”
The lights flickered again and then went out. Con snatched his hand from hers and thrust it inside his jacket for the Glock that normally rode in a holster over his rib cage. Dammit! The Glock that he’d dropped off at the gun cage to have adjusted on his way out of the station. Riverside PD officers were not required to carry a weapon when off-duty, though he usually did. He’d pick up his weapon on the way home, but right now, he felt naked without it.
Seconds later, the mall’s amber emergency backup lights blinked on. The security cage dropped a third of the way and then ground to a halt. “What’s up with that?”
“During the remodel, all the security cages were automated, so we can push a button instead of cranking them down manually. Those manual gates were heavy, awkward and downright dangerous. In the event of a power failure, the emergency backup is supposed to provide enough current to operate them. Looks like it doesn’t. Unfortunately, higher technology equals more glitches.”
His internal red alert stood down and he withdrew his hand from his jacket. “The power surge must have made them malfunction. Lucky for us the gate didn’t drop all the way, or we’d have to bust our way out.”
Bailey looked at his hand and sadness shadowed her face. “That says it all. When the power fails, most guys reach for a flashlight. You go for your gun.”
He despised being responsible for dimming the glow inside her. “That reflex keeps me alive, darlin’.”
“Exactly my point. No matter how thorough your plans, people die.”
“People die every day, just driving to the grocery store. Hell, you can buy it slipping in the shower.”
“But they don’t purposely put themselves in harm’s way. The fact that you do is horrifying.” She swallowed hard. “Factor in the violence and I…I’m sorry, Con. I can’t live with it.”
He lifted her chin to stare into her eyes, dark with distress. “There’s no possible way we can compromise here?”
Her chin quivered, and she firmed it. “I’m afraid not.”
“That’s it, then? Your final decision?”
“I lo—love you.” She stumbled over the word. “I admire you. More than you’ll ever know. I’m in awe of your strength, courage and dedication. And yes, that is my final decision.”
“I love you, too. We can make this work.”
“Your job is incomprehensible to me. I’d drag you down.” She gripped his arm. “We do not have a future together.”
They did, and he knew exactly how to prove it. He tugged a set of papers from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and showed them to her. “Promotion to team leader.” Awe welled in his throat. When his C.O. had given him the papers that morning after breakfast, he’d been stunned. Team leader. The ultimate dream—a SWAT team to command at thirty. A goal he’d worked toward since his first day on the force. Through hard work and good choices, by doing the right thing last night, he’d earned his heart’s desire. Pop would have been proud of him.
“Congratulations,” she murmured. “I know how long you’ve wanted that.”
One look at her face told him differently. By doing the right thing last night, he’d lost the woman he loved.
Awe sank under dread’s cold weight. His ultimate dream was Bailey’s ultimate nightmare. Accepting the position would be the kill shot that doomed their relationship. Fate, that unpredictable son of a bitch, had thrown a sadistic twist his way. He had the devil’s own choice to make.
Light glinted off the hummingbird charm at her throat, and realization whammed into him. If she was serious about