Prologue

Minka Avery bent down to grasp the last of the contents in her desk drawer, unable to believe how much she’d accumulated in her two years as a detective. She’d written her letter of resignation weeks ago and had plenty of opportunity to clean, but she kept procrastinating. She supposed that deep down, she didn’t want to hasten the inevitable, even if this was her decision.

As much as she tried to prepare for departure from Orlando PD, she still couldn’t shed her gloom over this phase of her life ending. She’d worked so hard for this, and for a long time, she believed nothing could make her give it up, not even motherhood. She always pictured herself being a working mom and didn’t plan to sacrifice one dream for another, but her perspective changed after she almost lost her husband, Wes. He’d unwisely pursued the mafia to “help” her close a case, and when they tried to kill him, he had to enter witness protection until the law caught up with them. For those two months while he was gone, their chance to have a family together seemed lost. Now that they had a little one on the way, she didn’t want anything to endanger it, including her beloved career.

After Wes returned home, they reassessed the choice she’d already made, and he left it up to her to decide when to quit. She hadn’t yet made it to her third trimester and debated working for the next few months before the baby came, but that would serve her pride more than anything else. Since the school where Wes taught rehired him, they could afford for her to resign early and to—hopefully—enjoy more peace for the latter half of her pregnancy than she had for the first. She didn’t want to give her heart time to talk her out of what she’d accepted was best for her family.

Cael, her partner and brother-in-law, nodded to the box she was packing. “Do you have everything?”

She placed the final notebook on top of the pile. “I think so.”

“What are you going to do with the stash of earrings you kept hidden from Wes in there?”

“Easy. I’m sending it home with you.”

He smiled and let out a snort, but the sorrow in his eyes shone through. They’d worked as partners for five years and shared a close friendship. Her leaving the department would change their dynamic, and even if he hadn’t discussed it with her, she perceived he concluded it, too.

He carried her belongings out to the car, and she agreed to meet him there once she finished making her goodbyes. She reeled in her emotions as she approached her commanding officer’s door, her badge in her hand. Sighing, she put her head down and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, careful not to disturb her cochlear implant.

When she crossed the threshold, Lieutenant Gus Channing gave her the same somber grin he had for the past week. Though it pained her, it conjured up her appreciation for everything he’d given her. From the day they met, he overlooked her deafness and allowed her to become the dedicated police officer she’d always endeavored to be.

Despite their friendship, he remained professional, standing up to offer her a handshake. “We’re going to miss you around here, Detective Avery.”

She opened her mouth to reciprocate, but the lump in her throat made her stop short. She swallowed it and concentrated on what she wanted to express. “You gave me an opportunity I’d begun to doubt anybody would extend to me, and I realize what a gamble it was.”

“I never considered it like that, but if it was, I hit the jackpot. I’d do it all again without blinking if you gave me the chance.”

She ran her finger around her shield while she held it, its familiarity soothing her. “I consider it the greatest honor of my life to have served under you. This department and job have exceeded all of my expectations.”

“Well, you’ve done more than your share to make it that way.”

She managed to thank him and dropped her badge onto his desk. The act didn’t make much of a sound, but it clashed like cymbals through her soul. When she left the room, her fellow officers rose from their seats and applauded. She’d already given a speech at her going-away party the night before, so she waved and made a quiet exit. Overcome with emotion, she rested her hand on her small baby bump, and a flutter of movement from her child tickled her, reminding her of her reason for doing this.

She stepped into Cael’s car for a final ride from the precinct and gazed at the building that meant so much to her. “The end of an adventure,” she said on a sigh.

“And the beginning of a new one.” He squeezed her hand. “In this family, we’re never short on excitement.”