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Abe snorted. “Who are you, and what have you done with my Lio?”
“I’m still your Lio, but I don’t have to keep my lascivious thoughts to myself now.” And that was so freeing. “Talk to me, Abe.”
He sighed heavily. “Honestly, I’m bored.”
That was the last thing I expected. As police chief, I had more than enough to fill my work hours and then some. Abe had a lot more responsibility than I did. He had to please the voters, whereas I only had to satisfy the mayor and commissioner. Scary as it sounded, they were more familiar with the ins and outs of my job and therefore more patient than someone whose only knowledge of law enforcement came from watching television or listening to podcasts.
“Bored?” I asked, unsure I’d heard him right. “As in, you miss investigating and serving warrants with SWAT?” Abe had worked his way up to Bryan County’s SWAT commander before deciding to run for sheriff, a move that had shocked everyone who knew him.
“I do miss the adrenaline rush, but not enough to do it again,” Abe replied. He exhaled sharply, and I imagined the furrowed brow and grim press of lips accompanying the gesture.
“No judgment, babe. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“You know what kind of disarray the sheriff’s department was in before I took office, right?” Abe asked. “There was so much corruption and bullshit I had to fix. Now everything clicks along without a hitch on most days, leaving way too much time for settling pissing contests.”
“Like annual reviews and shit.”
“Yeah,” Abe groused. “Christ, I have a stack of those to work through.”
I tilted my head and tried to figure out what he was telling me without really saying it. Then it hit me. “You don’t feel needed there anymore.”
Abe sighed. “I think that’s the crux of it. My undersheriff is better suited to run daily operations since we’ve cleaned house and implemented new policies. He’s a better administrator than I am.”
“Well, I know a county that could use a new badass sheriff in town,” I said.
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Department was in turmoil after Sheriff Wheeler resigned in disgrace. Neither the remaining deputies nor the constituents had faith in the man Wheeler had appointed to replace him until the next election.
“You want me to run for sheriff in Chatham County?” Abe asked.
“I want you to be happy. This decision isn’t up to me, and I won’t try to sway you. I’m not trying to manage your career. Just throwing out suggestions.”
“I mean, it’s not a bad idea. That department makes Bryan County’s problems look teeny tiny.” Abe blew out a breath. “We’d have the county’s two highest law enforcement officers living under one roof. Don’t you think it will create a stir?”
“Yeah, it will get people’s attention, but I’ve never known you to back away from a good fight.”
“I’m thinking more about your need for privacy, Lio.”
I shrugged, then remembered he couldn’t see me. “Meh,” I replied. “I can handle it. Again, it was just a suggestion.”
“One that’s worth considering. Do you have any other good ideas in that sexy brain of yours?”
“Actually”—I drew out the word—“I do, but I thought we’d save it for after we retire from our perspective departments.”
“You’ve got my full attention.”
“We form a company that evaluates and analyzes various law enforcement agencies, then offer suggestions on how to improve them. I’m thinking of a two-prong approach. You’d handle the cleaning house and implementing new policies, and I’d focus on the administrative aspects and the follow-up. It’s one thing to identify problems, but eradicating them and keeping them gone requires a different skillset.”
“I love that idea, but I’m not sure it’s a good fit for us right now. We’d have to travel a bunch, and Alex is in a critical stage where he needs us, whether he knows it or not.”
Us.I hadn’t thought I could love Abraham Beecham more than I already did, but I’d been so wrong. “Alex mentioned something interesting before I called you.” I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut, but a small part of me still wanted to test Abe.
“What’s that?”
“He wants to promote you from godfather to stepfather.”
Abe swallowed audibly. “Our boy is a genius.”
I suddenly found it impossible to breathe. “I fucking love you so much.” The declaration sounded more like a wheeze. So not sexy.
