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She made her way to Clare’s office, which was guarded by Lena at the desk out front. Roxie offered her a smile. “Clare asked me up.”
Lena’s return smile was completely fake. “You can go right in.”
Roxie knocked, regardless. She waited until Clare called out, “Enter,” and then she stepped into the office. Bigger than any commander’s office she’d ever been in. This one had a bathroom, and rumor had it there was a back stairwell to an apartment upstairs.
Clare got up from behind her desk, her wedding ring glinting in the overhead light. “Let’s sit on the comfy seats. My back already hurts, but my new chair doesn’t get delivered until Thursday.”
Roxie headed for the couch and sat, crossing one knee with her boot. Her boss was former Army, so they’d bonded as much as friendly rivalry allowed.
“How are you?”
Roxie hadn’t come up here for this. “I’m doing okay.” She wasn’t about to lie. “Are there any updates?”
“There was no evidence on the cardboard box, and nothing about the snake gave us a clue as to who sent it to you or where it came from.” Clare shot her a sympathetic look. “One of your neighbors has a camera doorbell, but all it caught was a white delivery van. Nothing that we can pinpoint. So we need you to stay vigilant.”
Roxie nodded. Not once had Clare doubted her story or asked her to prove Mark was—in fact—alive. “I will.”
“We need you to go home and stay with Destiny.”
Roxie flinched. “Why? She’ll be in danger.”
“She’ll have a police presence since a whole group of officers volunteered for protection detail when they’re not working. No one wants Blake’s sister to get hurt. Same with you.” Clare didn’t waste a second. “And you need her.”
“That’s not a good reason to put her in danger.”
“I’d argue the damage has already been done. So go be with your friend in your familiar comforting space. Live your life and let us take care of you.”
Roxie pressed her lips together. Then she said, “Is that an order?”
“If you need it to be, yes.” Clare nodded. “Go home, Roxie.”
FOURTEEN
Liam pulled up outside Destiny’s townhouse while on the phone with his lieutenant, Gage DeLuca. He shifted his truck into park, and his boss’s voice came through the speakers. “You should have told them by now.”
Liam let his hands fall to his lap. “I know. I want to get their next step set up so they have options.”
“And yours?”
Liam said nothing. He was running out of avenues to go down with this.
“Do you know what you’re going to do?”
“Intelligence doesn’t need a sergeant right now.” Liam had been too busy to make any other inquiries.
“There’s a precinct on the north side of Benson that needs a new patrol sergeant. Want me to float your name, see what the chief thinks?”
Liam didn’t have much choice. He had to move to whatever position remained open when his was closed as a full-time spot and transitioned to a collateral duty position.
“You’ll still be the SWAT sergeant. I’ll still be the SWAT command officer.”
“Doesn’t mean everything is going to be the same.”
“I know this isn’t about you,” Gage said. “You want to make sure Blake and Jasper land somewhere they’re good with, but you’ll still get them on SWAT callouts.”
“I know.” Liam squeezed his eyes shut. “I don’t know why I’m being a baby about it.”
Gage chuckled. “That’s fine because I do.”
