In this excerpt from "Ceremony in Death" by J.D. Robb, there's a light-hearted exchange between the characters Dallas and Roarke. Dallas feels embarrassed about a tattoo of a rose on her body, expressing her discomfort as she confronts Roarke. Despite facing numerous dangerous situations in her career as a lieutenant, she finds the tattoo particularly humiliating and emphasizes its personal significance.
Roarke, however, finds humor in the situation and downplays her...