"Back in Boston, people like you execute people like me," Tess snaps, "So excuse me if I'm always on my goddamn defenses, but what I've said to you doesn't even approach hostile. It's called being a survivor."

By her strung-out, trauma-survivor standards, anyhow, and god knows those have edged more and more violent over the years. Tess stays put for once, though, and she lowers the gun enough to gesticulate to it with her free hand.

"I'm not going to die in here just because you want to play cop right now."