71 Shadows of the Past: The Broken Badge, the Hidden Ledger, and the Dawn We Fought For

Panic flickered in Derek’s eyes. He knew he was outmatched, cornered, and entirely exposed. With a desperate, feral snarl, his hand whipped down toward his service weapon, fingers wrapping around the grip of his pistol to yank it free from the holster.

He didn't even make it halfway.

Before Derek’s gun cleared leather, Gabriel moved with terrifying, blinding speed. In a single fluid motion, he closed the distance between them, slamming his palm against the heavy metal door of the cruiser just as Derek tried to pull it shut.

The door slammed backward with a bone-crunching thwack, catching Derek across the wrist and shoulder. His pistol slipped from his numb fingers, clattering loudly against the wet gravel and disappearing into the mud beneath the car.

"Ahhh, damn you!" Derek roared, stumbling backward and catching himself against the hood of his cruiser, clutching his bruised wrist.

Gabriel didn't hesitate. He grabbed Derek by the lapels of his heavy jacket, lifting him off his feet with sheer physical strength and slamming him hard against the metal hood of the police car.

Bang!

The impact rattled the chassis, sending a shower of raindrops flying off the roof.

"You spent three years terrorizing someone who couldn't fight back," Gabriel said, his face inches from Derek’s, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet snarl that made my own blood run cold. "You used a badge to hide your cowardice. Let's see how brave you feel without it."

I stepped out from behind the steel beams, walking slowly out of the shadows and into the dim amber light of the hazard lamps.

Derek’s head snapped up. When his eyes landed on me, standing tall without flinching, the remaining color drained entirely from his face.

"H-Harper..." he stammered, his eyes widening in sudden, desperate realization. "Baby... listen to me. Don't listen to him. He's manipulating you. We can go home, we can fix this, just like we always do—"

"Don't you ever call me that again," my voice cut through the rain, steady and sharp as a razor blade.

I stopped three feet away from him, looking down at the man who had controlled my every breath for three years. I didn't feel small. I didn't feel terrified. I felt the heavy, crushing weight of three years of survival finally lifting off my shoulders.

"You told me no one would ever believe me," I said, my voice echoing in the wet night air. "You told me your badge made you untouchable. But you were wrong, Derek. My nightmare ends tonight."

Derek’s face twisted in rage, the mask of the loving husband shattering completely to reveal the desperate, cornered monster underneath. "You ungrateful little bitch! Without me, you're nothing! You're just a scrubber living in a gutter!"

Before Derek could lunge forward, Gabriel’s fist connected sharply with his jaw.