The Closer He Gets. Janice Kay Johnson

fellow officers. Civilians don’t always understand why we react the way we do...the split-second decisions we make. And we’re human. We make mistakes. This...was different.”

      Watching him, Tess felt a burning in her eyes and sinuses. Yes, her first instinct had been right. This was a good man. She could trust him.

      She took a shaky breath. “Okay. Thank you.”

      “You didn’t call me about the note.”

      “It made me mad, but I considered it petty. This is different.” In so many ways. What scared her most was that whoever had done this damage must have used a knife, and probably not a wimpy little pocketknife. This wasn’t just property damage. It was an escalation of the threat. Those deep slashes repeated the threat in an ugly way.

      Or else.

      At the sound of a car turning into the alley, they both turned. Tess relaxed to see the rack of lights atop the white police car that she knew would have a blue stripe down each side.

      Then Zach focused on her again, the intensity burning in his eyes. “Tess, if anything else happens, however petty it seems, call me.”

      “But...you implied we should keep contact to a minimum. You didn’t want us to be seen together.”

      She couldn’t miss the determination in the hard lines of his face.

      “This campaign to silence you trumps that. Promise me, Tess.”

      Unable to tear her eyes from his, she finally nodded. “I promise,” she whispered. “But you have to let me know if they threaten you, too. Okay?”

      “Deal.”

      A door slammed behind him. Zach turned but rested a warm, reassuring hand on her back.

      Safe, she thought, letting herself lean just a little. For now.