White Night

Chapter 59

The phone went silent as the captain hung up.

"Everything okay?" Ross asked.

"Yes," she replied, her mind elsewhere.

"Connors, I need to talk to you," Ross said, his tone serious.

"I can't now. I have to meet with the captain."


"I know, that's why I need to speak to you first."

Her stomach jolted and her throat slammed shut. What had he done? Had he ended her career for her? Why did she care?

Ross looked at her gravely as his hands went to his hips. "Look, our partnership survived a case. You might even say it worked."

She laughed and shook her head. Ross frowned at her before continuing. "The captain asked me for my opinion on your fitness for duty."

So he had spoken to the captain. She was angry, not at Ross, but at Reyes for not talking to her herself.

"What did you say?" she asked, more interested than she should've been on the day she would resign.

"I confirmed that I felt you were fit for duty."

"If this is a trade because of your PTSD, then you're wasting your time because I am going to qui—"

"It's not," he replied firmly. "It's because I believe you are fit for duty."

"Detective Ross, we both know that isn't true." Her eyes started to well up, but she bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't fall apart now.

Ross continued. "White Night was stopped. Nikolai was arrested and the witness is still alive."

He made it sound so tidy, so easy, but it wasn't.

"White Night was barely stopped, a BDU technician is dead, and a witness was nearly killed on my watch while I wasted precious time investigating you..." Her raised voice turned heads in their direction.

Ross motioned at her to move further away from the fire truck and radio cars.

She was tempted to get in the car and drive, go to the captain now and hand in her resignation, but Ross should hear it from her first that she was leaving. She owed him that but nothing else.

She opened her mouth to drop the news, but he cut her off.

"Detective Connors, you are the worst partner I've ever had."

The declaration stunned her into silence.

"But we got the job done," he insisted. "And you forget I had an advantage over you with Grinair."

"Which was?"

"I knew it wasn't me."

She folded her arms and looked at the sidewalk, cracks fanning out across old cement and dark gum marks mottling the light grey. Ross was clouding her mind and she didn't need it. Her decision to quit was nearly crushing her, but it was the right call.

"Look, it's been five days." Ross said, and she looked up to see his eyes pleading with her. Reaching out toward her arm, he stopped and let his hand flop against his side.

"We can learn how to work with each other if we—"

She had to stop him now. "You have PTSD. I have half a working leg. What makes you think either of us is fit for duty?"

She'd stung him and he looked away from her, doubt and shame returning to his eyes.

You're a bitch, Jen.

It was her decision to resign. She had no right to take him down with her.

"Ross," she said softly but couldn't find any words to add. Ross looked back at her, fire returning to his eyes.

"Detective Connors, as I said, you are the worst partner I've ever had, but we've managed to be more effective in five days than I've experienced with other partners in five weeks."

She couldn't argue with that, but how long could it continue? How much could his mind and her body take?

It was smarter, safer, to call it now. She gave him the answer she had to.

"I can't commit to a partnership."

Ross' face fell and his eyes closed. It was as if his career was over too.

"But I can commit to another case."

His eyes sprang open and scanned her face.

She would ramp up the physio, try another chiropractor or maybe the acupuncture this time. Detective Connors would remain on active duty as long as she was effective. The Argon case was still unsolved, and they both had more to give, for now at least.

Ross managed a thin smile and nodded slowly. He'd hoped for a full commitment from her, but it wasn't hers to give. That would be determined day-by-day by the impact of the job on her battered body.

It was a start, and that was all they both needed right now—a new place to start.