I looked at Allison curled in my bed, sleeping away her waking nightmares. Her father had given his life to protect her. The pain I'd seen in her eyes mirrored the grief in Mardean's when I'd run into her at Huggy's. She hadn't wanted to talk to me then. I understood her bitterness and meant what I'd said. We'd keep stirring the hornet's nest until we exposed the man responsible for her husband's death. No matter how deep we had to poke.
My other words echoed in my head as Starsky pulled a chair up next to mine – his physical proximity bolstering me as it always did.
"He was so crazy in love with you that he was willing to risk everything so he could save what he had."
Allison's father had been the same.
"She'll be okay," Starsky said softly, hoping to reassure us both. "She's tough."
I practically throttled the beer I held in my hands. "How tough are we?" My fear voiced itself.
"Why? What are you saying?"
Did Starsky really want to know why I was starting to second-guess myself? If it came down to it, would I be brave enough to sacrifice my reputation, my career, even my life in order to save the one I loved?
I rattled off the mistakes we'd made in the past few days. "What makes us so damn smart?" I spat out in disgust.
It was Starsky who reminded me then of my words to Mardean. Love gives you courage you never thought you had. When he'd thrown his badge in the ocean along with mine, Starsky'd shown me where he stood. He was tough as nails, solid as a rock, loyal beyond measure.
Yeah, I thought as looked at him sitting next to me. I'd risk it all.