Chapter 18 #2
“What? I’m just saying, your girlfriend has had a rough few weeks. We’re impressed she’s still standing.” Knox raised his beer. “To Nora. For surviving both Eugene and Carson’s terrible personality.”
Everyone laughed and drank. Nora felt herself relax.
“So,” Jade said, leaning forward with interest. “Tell us everything. How did you two actually get together? Because Carson’s version is all professional and boring.”
“That’s because it was professional,” Carson said.
“Until it wasn’t,” Finn added helpfully.
Nora smiled. “Well, I was being stalked. I went to Carson for help because no one else believed me. He took me seriously, moved me into his apartment to protect me, and somewhere between catching the stalker and almost dying several times, we fell in love.”
“That’s so romantic,” Jade sighed. “Like a movie.”
“A horror movie,” Silas added. “With a romance subplot.”
“But the important question,” Anthony said, “is has he taken you to his cabin yet? Because that’s the ultimate test. If Carson takes you to his sacred cabin, you know it’s serious.”
“We spent two weeks there,” Nora confirmed.
The table erupted. “Two weeks!” “The cabin!” “I told you he was serious about her!”
Carson’s ears turned slightly red. “Can we talk about something else?”
“No,” everyone said in unison.
For the next hour, they grilled Nora about everything—her business plans, her thoughts on Carson’s terrible coffeemaker, whether she could tolerate his workaholic tendencies. She answered honestly, and by the end, she felt like she’d passed some kind of test.
These were Carson’s people. His found family. And they were welcoming her into it.
“Bathroom,” Nora said eventually, standing.
“I’ll come with you,” Jade said, also standing.
In the bathroom, Jade fixed her makeup while Nora washed her hands.
“You’re good for him,” Jade said without preamble. “Carson, I mean. He’s different now. Less...intense.”
“He’s still pretty intense.”
Jade tipped her head, considering. “True. But it’s a good intense now. Before, he was intense because he was trying to outrun his demons. Now he’s intense because he has something to protect. Someone to come home to.” Jade smiled. “We’re glad he found you. He deserves to be happy.”
“So do you,” Nora said. “Are you seeing anyone?”
“Not currently. My last relationship ended badly. He couldn’t handle the hours, the stress, the fact that I see dead bodies regularly.” She shrugged. “Occupational hazard.”
“The right person won’t care about that.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.” Jade headed for the door. “Come on. Let’s get back before they tell you about the time Carson got stuck in a dumpster during a chase.”
“That happened?”
Jade’s grin was almost blinding. “Oh yeah. And it’s hilarious.”
They returned to the table to find Knox in the middle of that exact story. Carson looked mortally embarrassed but was trying to hide it.
“—and he’s wedged in there, right? Can’t get out. The suspect is long gone. And Carson’s just yelling for help while covered in garbage—”
“I caught the guy eventually,” Carson protested.
“Three days later,” Knox said. “After we spent an hour extracting you from the dumpster.”
Nora slid back into her seat next to Carson, trying not to laugh. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Because it’s not relevant to anything.”
“It’s relevant to me understanding the full scope of your detective skills.”
Everyone laughed, and Carson shook his head, but he was smiling. Nora realized this was what he needed—not just her, but this. Connection. Community. People who knew him and loved him anyway.
“You fit right in,” Silas observed, studying Nora with his profiler’s eyes. “Not many people can handle cop humor. Especially not people who’ve been victimized by crimes.”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
“Clearly.” Silas raised his beer to her. “Carson’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m lucky to have him.”
Carson’s hand found hers under the table, squeezing gently.
They stayed until midnight, laughing and drinking and telling stories. Nora learned about Carson’s early days as a detective, about the time he’d accidentally tased himself, which made her feel better about the dumpster story, about his reputation for never taking vacation time.
“Until you,” Finn pointed out. “You changed everything.”
“Good,” Nora said. “He needed someone to make him take breaks.”
“She’s got you there,” Knox said.
As they walked to Carson’s truck later, slightly tipsy and happy, Nora said, “I like them. Your people.”
“They like you too. I could tell.”
“How?”
“They didn’t pull out their weapons. That’s always a good sign.”
She laughed and leaned into him. “Thank you for sharing them with me. For letting me into your life.”
“Thank you for fitting so perfectly into it.”
They drove home, and for the first time, Carson realized how much his life had changed. He had someone to come home to. Someone who knew his friends and integrated seamlessly into his world. Someone who made everything better just by existing.
He’d spent nineteen years avoiding this. Avoiding connection. Avoiding the risk of loss.
But looking at Nora—laughing at something on her phone, comfortable and happy and his—Carson realized the risk was worth it.
Love was worth it.
She was worth it.
***
The following week, Carson got called into Holloway’s office.
“I’ve been going through the files you flagged,” Holloway said, his expression grim. “Plus a few more I pulled from Shaw’s tenure. Carson, I think you’re right. There’s a pattern.”
He spread out files across his desk. Twelve cases, all from Shaw’s time as captain. All involving women. All with critical evidence mysteriously disappearing or being destroyed.
“Twelve cases,” Carson said, his jaw clenching. “Twelve women who didn’t get justice.”
“That we know of so far. I’m pulling every case from Shaw’s tenure where evidence went missing. There could be more.” Holloway leaned back. “The question is why. Was Shaw covering for someone? Taking bribes? Or was he directly involved?”
“We need to find out.”
“Agreed. But carefully. Shaw’s been retired for five years. He moved to Arizona. We can’t just fly down there and accuse him without solid proof.” Holloway tapped the files. “I want you to dig deeper. Find the connections between these cases. Figure out what Shaw’s angle was. But do it quietly.”
“What about the victims? They deserve to know their cases are being reviewed.”
“We’ll contact them once we know what we’re dealing with. Until then, we keep this internal.”
Carson left the office with copies of all twelve files. Twelve women who’d reported crimes and gotten nowhere. Twelve cases where evidence had conveniently disappeared.
And somewhere at the center of it all was Captain Ray Shaw.
Carson was going to find out why.
And he was going to make sure every one of those twelve women got the justice they deserved.
Even if it meant exposing corruption at the highest levels of the department.
Even if it meant discovering that the man who’d mentored a generation of detectives had been dirty all along.
The truth mattered more than protecting reputations.
Justice mattered more than preserving legacies.
And Carson Black was going to see that both were served.
No matter what it cost.