There is a moment, after the taking of a life, a time when the human soul weeps, when the heart takes harsh inventory.
The smell of cordite hung thick in the air.
The coppery scent of fresh blood filled the world.
Jessica looked at Byrne. They would be forever linked by this moment, by the events that had occurred in this dank and ugly place.
Jessica found that she was still holding her weapon out, a two-handed death grip. Smoke seeped from the barrel. She felt the tears dam up behind her eyes. She fought them, lost. Time passed. Minutes? Seconds?
Kevin Byrne gently took her hands in his, and eased the gun out.