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"Is that a fact?" she asked, her tone clipped, each word sharp enough to draw blood.
"Reservation business now." Kai took a step forward, his silhouette menacing against the waning light.
"Interfering in an active investigation is a crime, Deputy," Ethan warned, his stance widening ever so slightly, ready for whatever might unfold.
"Wouldn't want to arrest a fellow officer, would we?" Rachel chimed in, the challenge clear in her voice. Her thumb brushed the snap of her holster, a tactile reminder.
"Anna was one of us," Kai shot back, his voice rising, the personal stakes etched into every line of his face. "You don't get it."
"Then help us get it."
"By stepping aside," Ethan finished, leaving no room for argument.
Kai exhaled sharply through his nose, the sound like steam from a pressure valve. His friends tensed, a collective bristle of loyalty to their deputy.
Kai was brushing up against the line now. She could tell he was itching for a fight. Whether because of her, or just because of his own demons, she didn't know. But eventually, his maverick behavior was going to get someone hurt. Likely one of them.
A sharp crack splintered the moment, a gunshot ripping through the wooden door of Walter Boyd’s home. Ethan jerked sideways, a hair's breadth from where the bullet punched into the wall behind him.
A gunshot from inside the house. Boyd was shooting at them. The first shotgun blast had missed, tearing through the door. Now, the door was swinging shut, having ricocheted off the wall. She lost sight of Boyd.
"Down!" Rachel barked, shoved Ethan toward the ground with one hand, already moving.
Instinct honed by years on the force propelled her toward the window, glass and frame offering no resistance to her determined momentum. She crashed through in a shower of glittering shards, rolling to absorb the impact, eyes scanning for the gunman.
She spotted Boyd standing tall, shotgun raised, aiming at the door.
"Next one doesn't miss!" he shouted. "Get off my land!"
His voice was hoarse with barely concealed fear.
She flung herself at him, slamming into him from behind and bringing him crashing to the ground.
He grunted, air whooshing from his lungs.
Rachel's fingers were iron as they clamped down on the suspect’s wrists, her movements swift and efficient. The metallic snick of the handcuffs echoed in the night air, a satisfying conclusion to the scuffle. He squirmed beneath her, but she applied more pressure, an unyielding force of law and determination.
"Stop moving," she hissed, her knees digging into his back, securing him to the cold ground.
"Alright, alright," the man gasped, breaths ragged under her weight. His defeat was palpable, the fight draining out of him as he realized escape was impossible.
"Clear!" Ethan called from the doorway, his voice steady but laced with adrenaline.
He came hurrying into the room, his own weapon in hand.
Kai and his two deputies were slinking away. She spotted as they hastened towards their parked vehicle, likely frightened by the paperwork involved in a police shootout off reservation.
Far outside their jurisdiction.
"Come on," Rachel insisted, shoving Boyd ahead of her. "If you see a gun, duck."
"If I see... what?" he trailed off, his voice quavering.
She didn't wait to explain it to him, but gave him another little push towards the door, and towards their waiting car.
"I don't know any Anna," he said, his voice pleading.
"Your phone does," she countered.
