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Caleb
“You’relead on this one, Zeke. I need to know that your head is in the game. I saw something back there. It was so minute that most people would have missed it, but I didn’t, and neither did Alex.” I sit on the edge of my desk, facing him. “Want to tell me about it?”
“It’s nothing.” Zeke barely meets my eyes.
“It’s something. This team needs you. We rely on you. We trust you, and that trust needs to go both ways.”
He jerks up his head. “I trust you,” Zeke says emphatically.
“That’s good, brother,” I reply casually. “Because we need you. We believe in you.”
He gets up and walks to the door, stopping with his hand on the doorknob, then turns around, “Am I a consolation prize? Was I the only one who stuck it out this long?”
“Where the fuck did you get that?” I’m furious that someone would make him think that. I decide to lay it out for him. “We’d been searching for the right person for our team. Damian heard about a tech genius who was smart and eager. We brought you in and gave you a taste of what we were all about. It was when Alex needed you the most that you showed us what you were all about.”
“Thanks,” he says, with very little passion.
“You’re the right man. I’m sorry if that hasn’t come across, and I’m the one to blame for that. I thought you saw it and didn’t think it had to be said,” I confess.
“You shouldn’t have to.” Zeke walks back to me. “I’m letting my past cloud my judgment. It won’t happen again.” He puffs out his chest and stands tall.
“I’ve done the same. I was the youngest to take a lead role in this precinct. I was lucky enough to have a senior man sit me down and have a chat with me. I get it. New guy. Big responsibilities. Swear to God, I would never allow you on this crew if you weren’t ready.” I give him a grin.
He slowly returns the smile. “We’ve got cases to finish.” His chest fills out with confidence.
“Damn right, we do.”
* * *
Alex
“Check. Check. Can you hear us?”I ask through the mic. We’re set up in the van across the street from the gallery. Damian and I are backup. Zeke tested all the equipment before heading out. It’s like aFreaky Fridaymoment. Usually, I’m the guy out there and Zeke’s got my back. I’m finding this side more unnerving than expected.
“Loud and clear,” Zeke replies. We watch as Zeke walks hand in hand with a fellow officer, Susan Hutton. It’s amazing what a change a little hair dye and different clothes can make to a guy. Zeke looks like a college kid. He’s carrying a sketch pad and making it look like he’s out for a day with his girlfriend as he mimics the great artists with his interpretation of their art.
“We haven’t got eyes inside, so you’ve got to stay in touch,” I remind Zeke. He’s completely out of sight now, and I don’t like it.
“Hey, babe, the sign says the Reinhardt exhibit is this way,” Zeke says, giving us an indication of where he’s heading.
Damian looks at the schematic outline. “He’s starting at the top and working his way down.”
We wait patiently. Every time Zeke talks to Susan, I know he’s telling us something. It’s the silent moments that are killing me. Ten minutes, twenty, and now over an hour has passed before I hear Zeke again.
“Fuck me,” Zeke whispers. “Shit, I think I got it.”
I blow out a heavy breath, while Damian tells him, “Great, get out of there.”
“Not yet, babe. Stand over there.” We hear the shuffle of feet. “Pose for me, beautiful. I want to sketch you right in front of this statue. Look up. That expression of awe is incredible.” Zeke is playing it up good. He knows that a camera would attract attention, but an art major admiring a statue and sketching is more likely to go unnoticed.
“That’s real good, kid.” An unknown voice is heard, which means this stranger is close. Too close for my liking.
“Thanks. One day I hope to be hanging on these walls,” Zeke replies.
“Well, if this picture is anything like your other stuff, then I can see it happening for you,” the man says. The more he speaks, the more I can decipher his accent. “You got a name, kid?”
“Flynn, Flynn Redman, sir.”
“Sir? Shit, sir’s my father.” The man chuckles.
