He Kills Me, He Kills Me Not

nail this bastard.” He shrugged. “But it’s your life. You’re the one taking risks if you stay. This has to be your decision.”
    His voice sounded matter-of-fact, like he was willing to accept any decision she made, without argument.
    “What would you do?” she asked. “If you were me?”
    His eyes were hard and unreadable, remote . . . as if her questions took him far away, to another place or time. For a moment she thought he wouldn’t answer, but then his expression changed, as if he’d just made an important decision. He stood and stepped over the coffee table to stand directly in front of her by the fireplace. He reached out to take her hands in his. “May I?” he asked.
    She nodded her permission and he entwined his fingers with hers. Her pulse leaped at the feel of his warmth surrounding her.
    “I started my career as a beat cop, here, in Shadow Falls. I made a rookie mistake, one that had terrible consequences. When I realized what I’d done, I quit the force, moved to New York, tried to start a new life. But running didn’t do any good. I think about the mistake I made every day. That’s why I came back, to face what I’d done.” His hands tightened around hers. “Whatever you decide, just make sure you do it for the right reasons. Don’t do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”
    Tears burned at the backs of Amanda’s eyes. “I already have,” she whispered, her voice breaking on the last word as the memory of Dana’s screams echoed in her mind.
    Logan’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
    The front door opened and closed, followed by the sound of shoes on the foyer’s tile floor. Pierce and Riley entered the living room, their faces drawn and tense.
    “Chief,” Riley said. “Got a minute?”
    Logan didn’t move or respond to Riley’s question.
    “Amanda?” he asked, his voice pitched low so only she could hear. “What did you do that you regret?”
    Panic flowed through her. No, she wasn’t ready. She couldn’t tell him what she’d done. She couldn’t bear to see the disgust that would twist his face if he knew. She shook her head and tugged her hands from his. “Never mind. Go, see what Riley wants.”
    “Chief?” Riley repeated, his voice sounding urgent.
    Logan’s expression mirrored his disappointment, as if he’d expected Amanda to tell him something that would help with the case. If it were that simple, she’d tell him everything. But what she’d done wouldn’t help. It would only make him hate her.
    “This isn’t over,” he assured her. Amanda shivered at his words and fervently wished she hadn’t said what she’d said.
    He crossed to the far end of the room to join Pierce and Riley at the opening to the foyer. They spoke too quietly for Amanda to hear them, but she didn’t have to hear the words to know Logan didn’t like what they were telling him.
    He shook his head and heatedly mouthed the word “no” several times. Riley appeared to be the calmer of the three. He spoke to Logan for several minutes and then Logan’s mouth tightened but he gave one short, crisp nod. Pierce immediately turned and rushed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.
    Amanda warily watched Riley and Logan cross the room toward her.
    “Riley found the leak,” Logan said. “Mr. Reynolds, a flower vendor at the cemetery.”
    Amanda recoiled in shock. “Are you sure? I can’t believe he would tell the reporters where I live. He’s always been so nice to me.”
    “Reporters can be quite persuasive,” Riley said, “especially if they threaten to report someone to the IRS. Selling flowers is a side job for Mr. Reynolds. Apparently he hasn’t reported any earnings from his flower sales on his tax returns.”
    “You need to make a decision, Amanda,” Logan said. “Do you want to stay in town or go somewhere else?”
    “I’m staying.”
    Riley looked pleased with her answer. Logan’s face was harder to read. She wasn’t sure if he was glad or not.
    She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, feeling chilled by the change that had come over Logan since she’d mentioned her regrets. “So, what do we do next? Do I go to a motel?”
    “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” Logan said. “In a town this small it would be too easy for the killer, and the press, to find you in one of the local motels. No matter how careful we are, someone is bound to notice the extra police presence, even if my men don’t wear