Page 133 of Criminally Yours

“I’ve got him,” Strike called out. “It’s over.”

Liss, Luke, and several uniformed officers ran throughthe front door.

“We’ve successfully retrieved the video of the stabbing,” Liss said between gasps.

Strike walked Hugo around the corner, his hands pinned behind him with handcuffs.

At the sight, she collapsed against Bear.

CHAPTER 56

Strike

Strike wiped the sweat from his brow.

The last perimeter check.

His hands shook as he recalled Hugo aiming a gun at Millie.

He could have lost her forever.

He stared at his vehicle before returning to the house. His skin itched with something, but he wasn’t sure what. Everything was over, and his woman was safe, so why were pins and needles climbing his arms?

Maybe it was fear of the future. They still needed to decide what was next for them.

“Perimeter check done,” he said from the doorway to their room. “Tonight’s our last night before we head… home. Are you warm enough? Do you want more food? How about?—”

“Strike,” she said, cocking her finger and directing him closer. “Get in bed and hold me.”

He slipped under the duvet, and he pulled her into his arms. “I love you so damn much. I didn’t think I’d get to feel this again.”

She held his gaze, cupping his cheek. “I’ve spent my adult life scared no one would want me and too afraid to show people the real me. I didn’t choose this route back to you, but I’m glad I ended up on it.”

“What will you do if your family refuses to speak to me when we’re together?” His head dropped. “They might not invite me to family gatherings, or they could find ways to turn you against me?—”

She kissed him hard and stroked her fingertips across the lines framing his lips. “It’s time my family accepted me for who I am, and if they don’t, then they don’t get me at all.”

“It’s lucky we’ve got my parents. They always adored you.”

Strike kissed her, but suddenly, she reared back.

“Why did you do a perimeter check if it’s all over?”

He toyed with her bralette strap, his tongue running across his lip. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“Strike,” she said, drawing out his name.

He twirled a wave of her hair around his finger. “It’s my instincts. Something doesn’t add up. It’s like all the pieces are trying to come together, or like a maths problem where the more you think about it, the harder it is to decipher.”

“Then let’s do something else,” she growled.

“Today, a man chased you, tried to shoot you, and you spent hours giving your statement to the police while bleeding.” He crawled down the bed and brushed kisses to her healing knees.

“That Luke finally retrieved the video made it easier.”

“I’m telling you to rest.”

Her voice dropped. “How about we do it soft and slow?”