Page 39 of Always Mine
“Why?”
“I’d been out of school for three years and was already working as a cop. I wanted to get married and she didn’t. I couldn’t believe she went back on our plans.”
“She said she would never marry you?”
“She said if I waited for her to have herfreedomfor a while she would.”
“And you wouldn’t let her do that?”
“She rejected me. I broke it off.”
“And now?”
He released a heavy breath. “I hope we get back together. I’m older, wiser. She got me to see you.”
“I’m glad.” He took a sip of water. “You’ve been a cop a long time.”
“Ten years. I like keeping people safe.”
A haunted expression shadowed his face. “We can’t do that. Nobody’s safe.”
Diego leaned forward. “Did somebody really plant a bomb in your church?”
He swallowed hard. “Yes. You can read about it online.”
“How many people survived?”
“Those on the altar. At the time, my wife was making an announcement. Also, the choir was in the loft. And the youth minister was outside with the kids. Now, back to you.”
“If I didn’t think I could keep people safe, I wouldn’t be a cop.”
“I shouldn’t have said that, Diego. I’m biased. I do believe that with careful actions, you can minimize the danger.”
“Then I do that. And save others when they are in trouble.”
Caleb sat back and sighed. “So you’re seeing me because you want to go back and be the kind of cop you were before.”
“No. I’m not sure I’ll ever go back.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Maisy blackmailed me into seeing you.”
Caleb laughed. “My sister’s like that. Should I leave?”
“No, I promised her I’d give you a shot.”
“How am I doing?”
He gave a reluctant smile. “So far, so good.”
“I won’t ask you to talk about what happened that night. But I do want you to think about why you won’t.”
“I already know why. Because the images of what happened are horrific.”
“Annie said you were having some flashbacks and dreams. So nonverbally, you are talking about it. Thinking about it on a subconscious level. Experiencing it.”
“I gotta make those stop.”
