Sandra squeezed her shoulder gently. "George is the one who killed them. Our job is to keep fighting until we bring him to justice."


    Yvonne nodded, understanding. "I''m okay. It''s just... hard. Two lives, gone just like that.” She turned to Sandra. “You should go ahead. I need some time alone."


    "Alright,” Sandra agreed. "The forecast says it''s going to rain soon. Don''t stay out too long."


    "I won''t."


    Yvonne stood on the hospital steps and watched Sandra''s car disappear down the street. Then, she slowly descended the steps and began walking aimlessly along the road. The sky was a heavy, dark grey, with clouds pressing down. Soon, raindrops began to fall, quickly turning into a downpour.


    She took shelter under the awning of a nearby building, watching the rain stream down in sheets, her gaze empty and lost. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the roar of the storm. But through the noise, she heard a familiar bark.


    Yvonne looked up and saw Bullet dashing across the street toward her. He was wearing a tiny raincoat, but he''d run so fast that the hood had fallen back, leaving his big head soaked. He stopped in front of her, shook the water from his fur, and barked again, his dark eyes filled with what looked like concern.


    Seeing him was like finding family. Yvonne sank to her knees and threw her arms around him, the tears she''d been holding back finally breaking free.


    “Oh, Bullet, I''m so sad,” she sobbed into his fur. “Why are there so many bad people in the world? Why do innocent people have to die? They say the arm of thew is long, but sometimes it feels impossible to catch the wicked... Oh, God..."


    She was crying her heart out when she looked up and saw him. Her sobs caught in her throat.


    Bet stood just beyond the awning, holding an umbre. The rain pattered against the ck fabric, a chaotic rhythm against the silence that had fallen between them.


    He looked


    down at her, his dark eyes as still and deep as a well. Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes red and raw. He tilted the umbre, extending its shelter over her head, creating a small, dry world just for them.


    "Are you done crying?" he asked, his voice cool.


    Yvonne didn''t answer. She scrubbed at her tears with the back of her hand and stood up. Bullet sat beside her, his tail wagging as he looked back and forth between them the Silence stretched, broken only by the drumming of rain on the umbre.


    After a long moment, Bet shifted the umbre slightly. "Get in the car. I''ll take you home."


    His ck SUV was parked at the curb, its powerful frame a dark silhouette in the rain.


    Yvonne met his gaze for a second


    before looking away shaking her head. "No thank you. I''ve already


    called for a rideshare. I wouldn''t


    want to trouble you, Mr. Thompson."


    A faint frown creased his brow. He studied her for a moment longer, then said


    simply, "Suit yourself."


    He turned and walked away.