I was making a mental note to have a discussion with my Sergeant when Ava rounded on her. “Maybe don’t consistently turn a blind eye to all the shit going on in this county.”
Voices raised one after the other. Remi sat quietly observing from the holding room, like this was just another day in her life. I needed to figure out what the hell I had just walked into.
I raised a hand. “Enough.”
All three fell silent.
I looked back at Remi Carter. She looked me straight in the eye. She was so young, but her wide hazel eyes held a multitude of emotions, adepth of wisdom beyond her years, and a pain that was hidden yet always there.
I felt something twist in my chest.
I needed the full report. But something about this whole thing was off. And it wasn’t coming from her.
One thing that was becoming increasingly clear was that this wasn’t as straightforward as it had initially appeared.
And maybe, just maybe, I’d gotten it wrong.
CHAPTER 3
AVA - THE SMIRK
I was sitting on a stiff vinyl bench with Jack pacing in front of me, his jaw clenched so tight I was pretty sure his molars were one exhale away from cracking. The station had gone quiet. And I knew why: people were behind closed doors, whispering, second-guessing. They sensed it, they had fucked up and now they needed to assess damage control.
Across the bullpen, Harlan Gray stood inside his office, pacing, talking low and fast to two of his officers. His arms were tense at his sides, hands flexing like he didn’t know what to do with them. His face was set, but not hard. He looked... shaken, like someone who’d just realized the foundation beneath them might not be as solid as they thought.
I studied him, close cropped hair, military style that could be seen as light brown or dark blonde. Eyes that could be blue but looked like a stormy grey. He looked like he was in shape, fit in the way military men born into it were. His whole presence screamed order.
He could be considered handsome if he wasn’t such a stuck-up asshole.
I took a steadying breath trying to calm the rage inside me, the fear... and then held one as I watched him step out of his office, cross the bullpen, and disappear down the hallway toward holding. Toward Remi.
A minute passed. Then five.
When he returned, he looked pale. Ashen, actually. He didn’t say anything to anyone. Just went back into his office and closed the door.
Everything was on pause. Remi hadn’t been booked, not officially. No charges, no further processing. Just a holding pattern, like thewhole place was waiting for someone to say what everyone else was too afraid to.
I was doing everything I could to not scream.
I’d been trying to call Sofia for the last thirty minutes. Straight to voicemail. Her aunt didn’t answer either. The clinic was locked and dark. Sofia hadn’t shown up for her appointment. Instead, her violent ex had, with a weapon.
And no one seemed to be asking why.
I stood, pacing now, scrolling through my contacts again. Nothing from the shelter line. Nothing from the emergency backup phone we gave Sofia last week. Just static. Dread building behind my ribs like water building pressure behind glass.
Jack watched me, but he didn’t say anything. He knew better. When I was in fight mode, words were useless; actions spoke louder.
The door to Harlan’s office creaked open again, and Sergeant Erin Voss stepped out, all smug self-importance and sharp eyeliner.
“Sergeant,” I said, voice sharp. “I need a car sent to check on Sofia Cross. She’s the client. The one whose ex attacked me and Remi today. She never showed up. No one’s heard from her.”
Erin didn’t stop walking. “This isn’t your personal security service, Ms. Sinclair. You don’t get to demand police dispatch every time someone ghosts you.”
I stepped into her path, trying so hard not to grab her by her perfectly slicked back bun and drag her to the Cross home with me. “This isn’t ghosting, Voss. It’s a potential DV escalation. If you won’t call it that, then do it as a wellness check. As her counsellor, I’m within my rights to request one.”
Erin sneered. “Still doesn’t mean we jump because you snap your fingers.”
“I don't understand how you are in law enforcement,” I said, fury tightening in my chest. “I will make sure to let her family know how enthusiastic you were to help.”
