Fatal Series 01 - Fatal Affair

friend.”
    “That’s not a crime.”
    “No, but it is pathetic. Must’ve pissed you off this week to see me with him.”
    “Like I care.”
    “Oh, I think you do.” She leaned in to speak close to his ear. “I think you care a whole lot.”
    In a jerky motion, he shrugged her off. “Giving yourself a lot of credit, aren’t you?”
    Returning to the other side of the table, she laid a photo of the bomb-making materials in front of him.
    “What’s that?” he asked.
    “Why don’t you tell me?”
    A bead of sweat appeared on his upper lip. “I have no idea.”
    “I think you do.” Sam rested her hands on the table and leaned toward him. “You disappoint me, Peter. Four years of living with a cop and you didn’t learn a goddamned thing. If you’re going to try to kill your ex-wife and her boyfriend, you should know better than to leave fingerprints on the bombs.”
    “I didn’t leave any prints!”
    She smiled. Bingo.
    His face went purple with rage. “You fucking cunt. Spreading your legs for that asshole ten minutes after you see him again.”
    Sam leaned closer to him, her stomach burning. “That’s right. And guess what?” She lowered her voice so only Peter—and maybe Freddie—could hear her. “When I fuck him, I come every time—sometimes more than once. So it turns out that despite what you always tried to make me believe, you were the one who sucked in the sack.”
    He lunged at her, grabbed her throat and squeezed so hard she saw stars in a matter of seconds.
    She heard Freddie moving toward them as she rammed the heel of her hand into Peter’s nose, sending him flying backward, blood bursting from his face.
    “You fucking bitch ! You motherfucking frigid whore! You broke my fucking nose!”
    “Book him, Cruz.” Sam’s hand shook as she brought it up to her throat. “Two counts attempted murder, assaulting a police officer, stalking a police officer, possessing bomb-making materials, breaking and entering, violating a restraining order, and anything else you can think of.”
    Freddie hauled Peter up off the floor and snapped cuffs on his wrists. “With pleasure.”
    “Does he know you’re only half a woman?” Peter screamed. “Did you tell him you’re barren?”
    Sam’s heart kicked into overdrive as pain shot through her gut. “Get him out of here.”
    Long after Freddie dragged the shrieking Peter from the room, Sam stood there trying to get her shaking hands under control. Finally, she turned to leave the room and found a crowd of coworkers waiting for her.
    Captain Malone stepped forward. “Well done, Sergeant.”
    “Thank you,” Sam said, her voice shaky. She heard the whir of the wheelchair before she saw it. Oh God , she groaned inwardly at what her father must’ve heard. The crowd parted to let him through, and her heart almost stopped when she saw Nick with him. “So you heard all that, huh?” Sam said to her dad after the others left them alone.
    “Uh huh.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said, her cheeks burning. “It must’ve been embarrassing for you—”
    “That was the most entertaining fifteen minutes of my life—right up until he grabbed you. You should put some ice on your neck. Those bruises are gonna hurt.”
    “I will.” She bent down to kiss his cheek.
    “Proud of you, baby girl,” he whispered.
    She rested her head on his shoulder. How she wished he could wrap his strong arms around her the way he used to. “I think it’s finally over.”
    “I think you’re right. Since I’m here, I’m going to go do some visiting. I’ll be back in a bit, Nick.”
    “I’ll be right here,” Nick said.
    “That’s what I figured.” Skip turned his chair and started down the long corridor, no doubt heading for Chief Farnsworth’s office.
    Nick held out a hand to her. That he did just that and nothing more finally did it for her. Curling her hand around his, she fell the rest of the way into love with him.

Chapter 30
    “I’m sorry,” Sam said when they were in her office.
    “What the hell for?” Nick asked.
    “For using you and our relationship to stick it to him. I didn’t know you were there. I hate that you heard it.”
    “You think that bothers me?” His hazel eyes were bright with emotion. “You nailed him. That’s all that matters. So what did you say that made him go ballistic?”
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    “It matters to me.”
    Reluctantly, Sam told him what she’d said. “I don’t want you to think…”
    As if he