Page 7 of All He Takes
He trailed off. But Nicky prompted him to go on. Was she that transparent?
“Feeling what?”
“Doubtful,” Ken clarified. “I don’t know, maybe I’m imagining it, but I feel like your resolve is dying.”
“It’s not,” Nicky lied. “Not at all.”
She sighed. What was she lying for? This was Ken—her partner—the guy she was falling for. Nicky nodded, but she felt the weight of the case on her shoulders. She didn't want to feel like she was failing her team, but it was a possibility.
"I just don't want to let them down," she confessed. "I don't know what else I can do. It's like I'm always a few steps behind lately. We couldn't save Amanda Smith, or Clara Jones, and now--"
"Hey, don't think like that," Ken cut in. “We can’t save everybody, Lyons, and that’s one of the hardest things to reconcile with this job—but you know it; it’s what you signed up for too.”
Nicky felt his warm hand gently touch her thigh, and she sucked in a breath. She glanced at Ken, who had an intense look in his blue eyes. Her heart thrummed wildly, feeling the contact between their bodies, still so foreign to her.
Nicky and Ken had deepened their relationship recently--they'd confessed their feelings for each other, but neither of them had truly acted upon it. They'd hugged, but they hadn't kissed, or even come close. But Nicky felt safe with Ken. She felt like he'd protect her and take care of her, and she knew those were good things to want in a partner.
Nicky took a deep breath. She was starting to feel so overwhelmed. She hadn't truly realized how badly the case was affecting her, but now that she was thinking about it, she knew she had to get it together.
"You're not letting them down," Ken said. "We'll get the bastard who did this. I know it."
Nicky took a deep breath and nodded. She knew that Ken was just trying to make her feel better, but she needed to believe him.
"And the team is in good shape," he went on. "We have the files, and we have his killing pattern. We have everything we need to figure this out. Just like we did with the other girls. Just like we'll do with this case."
Nicky nodded. Somehow, Ken always managed to put her at ease. He made her feel like she was strong and capable, and he never let her doubt herself. It was refreshing, and it was something she needed right now.
She felt like they could be close without anything going wrong between them.
"Just think about this case," Ken said. "Let's find the bastard who took Paris and make him pay for what he did. We'll save the other girls too."
"I know... it's just..."
"You're doing your best, Nicky. Don't worry about the past. Don't worry about the future. Just focus on now."
She appreciated that she could be vulnerable with him. Nicky had always kept a strong head, even when she didn't feel it, but with Ken she could let those walls down, and let him help boost her up. She'd never had that before.
"You're right," Nicky said. "I'll try not to let it get to my head. Thanks for the pep talk.”
They fell quiet, listening to the lull of the car on the road. Ken re-focused on the files. After a moment, he continued talking.
"Hey, maybe it's not the time, but..."
Nicky's heart picked up, and she glanced at him to see he was looking at his lap. For a moment, they felt a lot less like partners--and more like something else.
"I was thinking, after all this is over, we could spend some time together. You know, outside of work."
Nicky's face instantly flushed. "Are you asking me on a date, Walker?"
His cheeks were red. "I... yeah. I don't know how formal I'm supposed to be about it. I mean, I don't want to freak you out by asking you to marry me or something..."
Nicky laughed, and she felt her heart lighten. She never would have expected that Ken Walker, of all people, would be the first to ask her out. And she definitely never would have expected that she'd say yes.
"I'd love to," she said. "I mean, after we get all this craziness behind us. I want to be sure that we're completely focused on our work."
"I know," Ken said. "And honestly, I don't want to rush into anything. I just... I feel like I've been waiting for this for a long time. I guess I've known for a while that I wanted to ask you out."
Nicky leaned over and kissed his cheek. She knew it was risky to do it, but she was so glad that she did. She didn't feel nervous at all, and she wasn't second-guessing herself. She was sure and calm. "I'm glad you did."
