Chapter 4

Victor took one look at Colette's swollen cheeks before turning to me with a venomous glare.

My heart sank when I met his eyes.

Victor was known for his easygoing temperament. In all the years I'd known him, I'd rarely seen him look at anyone with such contempt.

Yet today, because of another woman, he'd given me that look more than once.

"Alyssa Thorpe, there's no getting through to you. If you're determined to keep coming after Colette, then don't blame me for taking this further."

He grabbed my arm and hauled me out of the infirmary, dragging me down the hall and into an interrogation room.

Then, right in front of me, he tore up the statement he'd agreed to provide and placed another document on the table.

It was a consent form for a psychiatric evaluation.

According to the report, years of stress from police work had caused me to become mentally unstable, suffer from delusions, and lose control of my behavior. It also stated that I was voluntarily stepping away from field duty.

"Sign it. Promise you'll never come near us again, and I'll arrange for you to move somewhere quiet out of town. You can live the rest of your life in peace."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Victor, are you seriously asking me to pretend I'm mentally ill and ruin my own career? Are you really that desperate to protect Colette from me?"

"You did this to yourself!"

Victor cut me off before I could say anything else, and he knew exactly where to strike.

"I know you, Alyssa. You're stubborn, and once you decide you're right, you never let anything go. If you don't want to sign, fine. I'll make sure the entire department hears about what happened.

"Do you really want your father, after everything he's accomplished in law enforcement, to become a laughingstock because of you?"

My body shook with anger. He'd found my one weakness.

Colette stood just outside the door, watching timidly. The moment Victor noticed her, he immediately went to her and comforted her.

"Don't be scared. I told you I'd protect you."

I stared at them until a dark spot of ink spread beneath the tip of my pen and snapped me back to reality.

The last time I'd signed paperwork that changed my life, it had been the marriage documents Victor gave me.

I scribbled my name slowly across the bottom of the page.

Then, I dropped the pen and walked out of the station in a daze.

The second I stepped outside, reporters who had been waiting near the entrance surrounded me.

"Captain Thorpe, we're hearing that you've suffered a mental breakdown. Have you been working cases while mentally unstable?"

"Was Henry Luther wrongfully arrested? Did you threaten an innocent pregnant woman with a firearm because you were having a manic episode?"

Before I could answer, something smashed against my shoulder.

It was a rotten egg.

Then, another hit me.

Someone in the crowd had started it, and within seconds, more than a dozen eggs were flying in my direction.

The foul, sticky mess ran down my forehead and into my eyes.

The group of people crowded me, shoving and shouting, until someone suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd toward the parking lot.

It was Victor.

I was still trying to catch my breath when I pulled against his grip. Before I could shake him off, several gunshots echoed through the parking lot.

The overhead lights shattered one after another.

Then, several large masked men carrying machetes appeared.

The man in front stared right at me and gave a cold smile.

"Captain Thorpe, you personally put our boss behind bars, so the boys figured we'd return the favor and see you off ourselves."

Henry still had men on the outside.

Victor immediately released my hand.

Then, without hesitation, he turned toward the exit.

"Alyssa, I'll call for backup and get Colette somewhere safe. You've got your gun, so keep them busy until help gets here!"

I watched him run and let out a bitter laugh.

Victor seemed to have forgotten that my service weapon had already been confiscated. He had also forgotten that the gunshot wound in my chest still hadn't healed.

I didn't have a weapon. How exactly was I supposed to hold off a group of armed men?

They slowly closed in.

I drew a deep breath and wiped the mixture of blood and dirty water from my face.

Despite everything that had happened, I was still a cop at heart. With a determined gaze, I planted my feet and raised my hands in a practiced fighting stance.

"Let's do this."

…

Victor got into a waiting squad car with Colette, intending to get her home safely first.

Then, a frantic voice burst through the radio in the front seat.

"Dispatch, emergency! The suspects have taken Captain Thorpe hostage and forced her into a van. The vehicle just drove straight into the river. It looks like they were planning to take her down with them… No survivors. Repeat, no survivors!"

The officer in the front seat went red-eyed, and his voice began to break.

"Victor… Captain Thorpe really didn't deserve any of this. Three years ago, after you faked your death, the shock caused her to lose her baby.

"After that, she practically stopped living for herself. She buried herself in cases, and every time Henry surfaced, she went after him like she didn't care whether she came back alive. All she wanted was to avenge you."

Victor stiffened. His mind went completely blank.

"Baby? What baby?"