Page 55 of Torgash

"But you knew better."

"I knew my sister. She was trying to get away from Derek, not deeper into whatever he was involved in." I lift my head to look at him, seeing something dangerous burning in his amber eyes. "The worst part? I wasn't there when she needed me. I was working a case in Atlanta, too busy being a good cop to save my own sister."

"It's not your fault."

"Isn't it?" The words spill out of me. "She called me for help, and I told her to mind her own business. If I'd listened, if I'd taken her seriously—"

"She'd still be dead." His voice turns hard, certain. "Because men like Derek don't leave loose ends walking around."

I go quiet. No platitudes about everything happening for a reason. Just truth.

"The case went nowhere," I continue. "The detective in charge retired months later, moved to Florida. Derek disappeared too—left town, changed his name. By the time I got my detective shield and could dig deeper, the trail was cold."

"That didn't stop you from trying.”

I shake my head. “It took me four years, but I finally tracked him down." I can feel the old frustration burning in my chest. "I found out where he was living, who he was pretending to be now. But he had protection—someone with serious money and influence keeping him clean. Ironclad alibi for the night Carmandied, paperwork that made him look like a saint. All of it bought and paid for."

Ash's jaw tightens. "How much protection?"

"The kind that makes evidence disappear and witnesses forget what they saw. The kind that gets cases buried so deep they never see daylight again." I press my face against his chest. "I had nothing. Just a dead sister and the knowledge that her killer was walking free because someone wanted him to."

"When this thing with Royce is over, we'll find him. Derek, the detective, whoever else was involved." His arms tighten around me. "Your sister deserves justice, and you deserve peace."

"Ash—"

"No arguments. Some debts can only be paid in blood, and I'm very good at collecting." Something dark and certain in his voice makes me shiver.

"Why?" I ask. "Why would you do that for me?"

His hand tilts my chin up so I have to meet his eyes. "Because you matter to me. Because what happened to her is part of what made you who you are. And because no one should carry that kind of grief alone."

My throat closes for a moment.

"Thank you," I whisper.

"Don't thank me yet. Thank me when Derek's body turns up in a ditch." His smile is dark, predatory. "And it will, Nova. I promise you that."

I believe him. The thought should scare me.

"For now," he continues, voice gentling, "you need sleep. Real sleep, not the short catnaps you've been surviving on."

"I don't sleep well."

"You will tonight." His hand moves to my hair, fingers combing through the tangled strands. "I've got you. Nothing's getting through me to hurt you."

Lying there in his arms, listening to his heartbeat, I believe that too. I close my eyes and let someone else stand guard.

Sunlight streams through my bedroom window. My body aches in places that remind me of everything Ash did to me last night - a good kind of ache.

The other side of the bed is empty, sheets already cool. That's Ash - no morning-after conversations or lingering breakfasts. He protects by keeping distance when it matters.

I stretch, muscles protesting slightly. I slept through the night without a single nightmare. No dreams of Carman's funeral. No visions of black sedans or broken glass. Just sleep.

The shower washes away the evidence of our night together, though I can still feel the phantom touch of his palms on my skin. Still taste him when I run my tongue across my lips.

By eight-thirty, I'm in uniform and heading for the sheriff's station. Another routine check-in to maintain the illusion that I'm still working out of the compromised office instead of the MC's war room.

The building feels hollow as I unlock the front door, footsteps echoing in the empty bullpen. Santos won't be back from rounds for another hour, and Roberta rarely shows before nine. Perfect timing for a quick appearance before heading to the clubhouse.

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