One minute later, they hurried downstairs. Beside the dining area, a group of people was jumping around with beers in their hands.
—What happened?
Fiona grabbed a beer and downed half the bottle in one gulp.
Veronica rushed over and excitedly grabbed her hand.
—I'm getting married!
—What the hell?
Fiona's eyes went wide as she stared at her best friend in shock.
She had only known Veronica had mentioned a party—she had no idea what had happened. The moment everyone heard the news, the room fell silent for an instant.
Veronica pursed her lips. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she nodded frantically.
—Ah!
Fiona squealed, throwing her arms around Veronica and jumping up and down with her, her earlier exhaustion completely forgotten.
—Congratulations!
—Awesome!
Everyone else cheered and applauded.
—Party time!
Another Black woman walked in through the back door carrying a plastic basket.
—I bought champagne!
—Woohoo!
The room erupted into complete chaos. Everyone except Carl and Debbie raised their beer bottles in celebration.
Making his way through the crowd that was jumping and dancing, Ethan grabbed a bottle of Budweiser and headed toward the refrigerator.
Kevin was sitting by the sink, happily watching Veronica laugh.
—Hey, congratulations.
Ethan held out his beer and clinked it against Kevin's.
—You're one lucky guy.
—Thanks. I know.
Kevin took a sip of his beer.
—She's amazing. She deserves to be happy.
Ethan gave him a friendly pat on the back.
—Mm.
Kevin nodded before remembering something else.
—Man, I still can't believe you're a cop.
—Detective.
Ethan raised his bottle with a grin.
—Seriously?
Kevin's voice shot up several octaves.
—Have you ever seen me wearing a patrol uniform?
Ethan smiled, raising an eyebrow.
—Holy shit!
Kevin slammed his fist against Ethan's.
—That's awesome.
—By the way... who's that lady?
Ethan took another sip of beer, pointing toward the woman who had just brought the champagne.
She looked younger than forty, with a curvy figure and a flowing black dress covered in white polka dots.
—Veronica's mom.
Kevin lifted his beer toward his future mother-in-law.
—No way.
Ethan blinked in surprise.
—Most people react exactly like that.
Kevin shrugged.
—She had Veronica when she was a teenager, so it's pretty normal that she still looks so young.
Ethan quietly took another drink.
At that moment, he felt someone watching him and turned his head.
Only then did he realize Lip had come home—and Karen was with him.
The blonde girl he had seen earlier that morning was standing in a corner of the dining room, looking at him with a playful, almost challenging smile.
Based on how she had behaved earlier that day, Ethan came to an easy conclusion.
Karen was a complicated girl. She hid too many insecurities behind a provocative attitude, trapped in that stage of life where rebellion seemed to be the only way she felt in control.
Ethan looked away and finished the rest of his beer in one swallow.
It was better to keep his distance if he wanted to avoid trouble.
Unfortunately, trouble came looking for him.
—Hey, thanks for the gift.
Lip walked over with Karen, who was holding a bottle of beer.
—This is my friend Karen. I'm sure you've already met.
—It was nothing. I hope you like it.
Ethan nodded politely toward Karen.
—Hi. This is the second time we've met.
—That's right.
Karen smiled, revealing perfectly white teeth.
After making the introductions, Lip hurried off to join someone else. Kevin, who had just been called over by Veronica, also rushed into the crowd to dance.
—I didn't expect you to be friends with Fiona.
Karen remained beside Ethan, watching the crowd with a smile.
—By the way... I still don't know your name.
—Morgan.
Ethan lightly clinked his bottle against hers.
—Detective Ethan Morgan.
It was an attempt to reveal his identity and encourage Karen to rein herself in a little.
—Very well... Detective Morgan.
Unexpectedly, the title had the exact opposite effect from what Ethan intended.
Karen's voice became slightly more playful as she said the word detective.
She slowly ran her tongue along the rim of her beer bottle several times before taking another sip.
—Hey.
Ethan lowered his bottle and spoke seriously.
—You can't do that.
—Why not?
Karen's eyes sparkled.
—Detective... are you going to punish me?
What the hell...? Ethan thought.
For a brief moment, the smile vanished from his face.
The calm, almost lazy look in his eyes turned ice-cold in an instant.
Karen, who had been staring at him with that teasing gleam in her eyes, suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Ethan tilted his head just slightly toward her.
When he spoke, his voice was low and calm, carrying a pressure that no longer felt playful.
—Are you sure you want to be punished... bad girl?
Karen's breathing hitched.
For a second, her body couldn't decide whether to step back or remain where it was. Goosebumps spread visibly across her arms, and the bold expression on her face cracked just enough to reveal surprise, nervousness... and a hint of fear.
Ethan watched her for another few seconds, letting that invisible pressure do its work.
Then, as though nothing had happened, his smile returned.
—I'm just kidding.
He chuckled softly and clinked his bottle against hers, shattering the tension in an instant.
—Nice meeting you, Lip's friend.
With that, he slipped back into the crowd, wrapped an arm around Fiona, and the two of them began moving to the music.
Karen shot him a glare before taking a long drink from her beer.
Halfway through the party, the sound of a vehicle echoed from outside, followed by flashing lights reflecting through the front window.
Debbie was the first to notice.
She immediately ran outside.
—Hey.
Ethan spread his hands.
—Were you expecting more guests?
—No... maybe one of Veronica's friends.
Fiona hurried after Debbie.
Everyone else followed.
Outside, a delivery truck was parked along the curb.
The rear door was open, and a delivery man was pushing a dolly with a brand-new water heater strapped to it.
Standing beside him, Debbie was signing the delivery receipt on a clipboard.
—Debbie, what's going on?
Fiona hurried over, looking completely confused.
—I bought a new water heater.
Debbie smiled proudly.
—Since Lip and Ian lost the one they brought home this morning, I saw a commercial on TV saying this store had water heaters on sale. So I used the reward money to buy one.
—Oh my God!
Fiona crouched down and wrapped Debbie in a tight hug.
—You did an amazing job!
The rest of the Gallagher kids rushed over as well.
Carl practically bounced with excitement, thrilled that he wouldn't have to take freezing showers anymore.
A crowd gathered around the delivery man as he wheeled the heater across the lawn toward the back door.
Meanwhile, Ethan stayed where he was, lighting a cigarette.
There was only one other person still outside with him.
—Tell me, Kev... what's bothering you?
Ethan took a drag from his cigarette.
—What do you mean?
Kevin leaned against the porch railing.
A moment earlier, he'd been standing there quietly smoking by himself.
—I'm a pretty good detective.
Ethan glanced at him.
—I can tell something's bothering you just by looking at you. Is something wrong? Tell me. Maybe I can help.
—You can't help me with this.
Kevin scratched the back of his head.
—It's all that bastard Frank's fault.
—What does that guy have to do with it?
Ethan asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
—Earlier today, at the Alibi, a few girls were hitting on me.
Kevin looked completely bewildered.
—To avoid any problems, I told them I was engaged. That idiot Frank was sitting nearby, heard everything, and announced it to the whole bar trying to score free drinks.
Ethan laughed.
—You think that was payback for the time we scammed him?
—Probably.
Kevin shook his head.
—Veronica's mom happened to be there. Everyone started cheering me on, I had a few too many drinks... and somehow I ended up in this situation. Next thing I knew, I ran home and proposed to Veronica.
—Isn't that a good thing?
Ethan flicked the ash from his cigarette.
—Don't you want to marry Veronica?
—Of course I do.
Kevin's expression turned troubled.
—It's just... there's one tiny problem.
He sighed heavily before admitting it.
—I'm already married.
—Cough! Cough!
Ethan nearly choked on the cigarette smoke and immediately pounded his chest.
—What the fuck?
Kevin ran a hand through his hair.
—If Veronica finds out... she's going to kill me.
—Well...
Ethan patted him on the shoulder.
—Sooner or later, you're going to have to tell her.
The two of them finished their cigarettes together in silence.
The next morning, the phone rang relentlessly at the crack of dawn.
—Hello?
Still half asleep, Ethan grabbed his phone.
—We found Dennis Novak's location, —Hank said, quickly rattling off an address.— I'll text it to you. I want you there in thirty minutes.
—I understand.
Ethan got out of bed immediately and tossed the phone onto the mattress.
—You're leaving? —Fiona asked, her thigh still draped over his waist, every muscle in her body aching from the previous night.
—Yeah, I have to get to work.
Letting out a reluctant sigh, Ethan gave her a light smack on her round backside.
—I'm going to take a shower before I head out, okay?
Fiona cracked one eye open, still half asleep, and gave him a lazy smile.
—My house is your house.
Ethan climbed out of bed, nudged a couple of empty beer bottles rolling across the floor aside with his foot, pulled on a pair of jeans, and walked into the adjoining bathroom.
By the time he stepped out of the shower, Fiona was already gone.
He got dressed neatly and hurried downstairs.
—Morning.
A group of kids sat around the dining table, eating breakfast while getting ready for school.
—Morning.
They all answered together. At the opposite end of the table, two places had been set aside for him and Fiona.
—Why don't you have breakfast before you leave?
Fiona was frying eggs at the stove.
Ethan checked his watch. He still had a little time. Pulling out a chair, he sat down.
—Orange juice.
Carl brought him an empty glass and filled it from the carton.
—Toast.
Ian opened a bag of sliced bread, took out several pieces, and placed them on Ethan's plate.
—Here come the eggs.
Fiona walked over carrying a large plate piled high with scrambled eggs.
The dining table buzzed with life. The kids argued with one another, stole pieces of toast, fought over the last glass of juice, and all talked at once, filling the kitchen with a chaotic but familiar warmth.
For Ethan, it was a completely different scene from what he was used to.
Normally, he ate breakfast alone in a house that was far too quiet, accompanied only by the hum of the coffee maker and his own thoughts.
After breakfast, he was the first one out the door.
As he approached his SUV, he opened the trunk and pulled out a ballistic vest. With practiced movements, he slipped it on and tightened the straps until it fit snugly against his body.
Those robbers had already proven just how ruthless they were by murdering their victims.
He wasn't about to get careless.
There was a big difference between chasing criminals and handing them the opportunity to put a bullet in his chest.
After securing the vest, he pressed the fingerprint scanner that unlocked the concealed weapons compartment inside the trunk.
He grabbed his AR-15, checked its weight out of habit, and closed the trunk.
—Awesome!
The front door burst open as everyone came outside. Carl threw his little backpack over one shoulder and shouted excitedly.
He wasn't the only one.
Lip, Ian, and Debbie all slowed down to watch.
Most of the time, Ethan looked harmless. He always wore an easy smile and spoke in a calm, gentle voice.
Now, however, he was wearing combat boots. His blue jeans were partially covered by a ballistic vest with two spare magazines clipped to the front. An assault rifle rested confidently in his hands, and the expression on his face had turned cold and intimidating.
A cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, Ethan climbed into the car, put on his sunglasses, and laid the AR-15 across the passenger seat.
He waved once before flooring the accelerator.
As the Ford Interceptor disappeared down the street, Carl stood frozen.
At that moment, a tiny seed was planted in his heart—a dream of becoming a law enforcement officer someday.
Not because he wanted to defend justice or protect innocent people.
Mostly because Ethan looked unbelievably cool.