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at her for a moment. It appeared he couldn’t think of a way to argue with that, but guessing what was going through his mind wasn’t her main concern.
    “How was the boy killed?” he asked.
    “Beaten to death. Possibly a baseball bat. We’ll be waiting on the coroner’s report, but there was a note made at the scene about a splinter of wood in one of the wounds. Speculation is a blow to the back of the head is what ultimately caused death.”
    “Reporters are going to be all over this.” Zidani tapped his fingers on the desk. “It may be best to reassign the case.”
    “On what grounds?” Ashlyn demanded. She felt her body stiffen.
    “Are you questioning me?” Zidani stood, the scowl deepening.
    “Damn right I am,” Ashlyn said, ignoring the light touch of Tain’s hand on her arm. “We’ve handled this case like professionals, and you have no grounds to remove us.”
    “What about the little matter of a series of child murders you two worked? Didn’t end so well, did it? You shot the suspect, Hart, and he jumped out a window. To his death. And as though that wasn’t enough for one day, you killed a cop.”
    “You make it sound like I’m trigger happy and reckless, and you are way off base.” She could feel the heat in her cheeks. “I was cleared of any wrongdoing in both incidents, and you have no right to stick that in my face.”
    “I have no right? Well, what about those reporters out there? You think they made your life difficult before? You wait until they publicly question your ability to handle this. The RCMP doesn’t need another scandal right now, and I don’t think you’re emotionally able to handle the pressure. How you’ve responded to me is proof of that.”
    “No, it isn’t. I’m pissed off with you because I’m sick of your sexist bullshit. You pull me in here, prevent me from giving a proper report and then jump down my throat with accusations. Same crap we’ve had from you since day one. What you’re really saying is you aren’t prepared to back me because you don’t like me.”
    Zidani planted both hands on his desk and leaned forward. “You think you can handle this, Hart? Then you’d better. Because if you screw this up I’ll actually enjoy watching the press and senior brass chew you up and spit you out.”
    She returned his stare for a moment. “Is that all?”
    He glared back for another few seconds and then jerked his head in the direction of the door. She turned and yanked it open, and stomped down the hallway.
    “Ash.” She sensed Tain reach for her arm and pulled it from beyond his grasp, but did turn to face him.
    “I’m sick of his garbage, Tain. I’m—” Ashlyn pulled in a shaky breath. Her eyes were burning with hot tears, unshed, and she blinked them back rapidly. Tain reached out and squeezed her shoulder.
    “It’s a tough case, and he’s an asshole. You can’t let him get to you. You’re the best partner I’ve ever had.”
    “I’m the only partner you’ve had who’s lasted.” Her hand went to her mouth even as she spoke the words, as she realized what she’d said, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
    “It’s okay.”
    When she opened her eyes she could see the hurt, but there wasn’t anger. Tain had earned a name for himself. He was known for being difficult to work with, and he was aware of what his colleagues thought of him. She knew that. He’d admitted once that he worked hard to maintain his standing as a hard-ass, and she was a threat to his image. One of the things she liked about him was that he didn’t pretend it was unfair, either. He knew his reputation was more than justified.
    But she also knew there was a lot more to Tain than the person he’d been a few years ago.
    She released her breath and rubbed her forehead, which allowed her to look down for a moment and get herself together. When she looked back up he gave her a pat on the arm.
    “What’s next?” he asked