Fire. Smoke. Screams. The perp shooting at me. The innocents who were caught in the crossfire screaming, praying, and pleading for help. The sound of the bullet whizzing out of the chamber. Blinding pain.
“Sir, you were saying?” His voice pulls me from my thoughts.
“Oh, sorry. I spaced out there. The city is loud, busy. Everything moves fast, much faster than here. The crime rate is a lot higher too, and it is serious stuff. It’s not anything like what you see here. People will run from you. People will shoot at you. You think you’re ready for that?”
He smiles wide from just hearing about the excitement. “Yes, sir.”
I nod my head. “I hate for you to leave before we’ve really had a chance to get to know one another, but only you know what’s best for you.”
“Thank you, sir.” He stands up and shakes my hand before rushing out of my office.
Five
Nina
“Nina, some of the guys and I are going out for lunch. You wanna come?” Claire asks, popping her head into my office.
“No, thanks. I’m busy, and I packed a lunch. I was just planning on staying here. Thanks, though.” I offer her a smile from over my shoulder.
“Okay. Will you man the phone while I’m gone?”
“Sure.”
Twenty minutes later, I can tell almost everyone has left because the building suddenly gets quiet. Now, everyone can’t leave at once, but I bet there is only one other officer left here, along with the two out on patrol right now. The guys seem to take turns on days we go out. I wonder who got stuck at the station today.
I push away from my desk to head to the break room. I stop dead in my tracks when I see Bryce standing at the microwave, heating up his lunch. His green eyes bounce up and lock on mine.
“Oh, I thought I was the only one here. You didn’t want to go to lunch?”
I shake my head. “No, I went out to eat yesterday, so I packed a lunch today.” I grab my bag out of the fridge and sit at the round table.
“Well, then, if you don’t mind, I’ll sit and eat with you,” he says, pulling his Hot Pocket out of the microwave and sitting across from me.
“Sure,” I reply, trying to remember Red’s words. Become his friend. I can do that. I can be friends with anyone. I consider myself a real people person.
“So, what brought you from the city to this little old town?” I ask, pulling my bowl of salad out of the bag.
He removes the paper sleeve from his Hot Pocket and sets it aside. “Needed a change of scenery. The city just got too loud, too busy. I thought I’d come here, work a few more years, and then retire here, where I can spend my days hunting and fishing and watching the sunset. What about you? Were you born here?”
I shake my head. “No. Well, I guess I could’ve been. I don’t really know. My birth mother left me at a hospital when I was born. I was adopted by my parents and lived my whole life in the city.”
“Oh, wow. Not many people have that kind of backstory. So, what brought you here?”
“My parents died a few years ago. Home just didn’t have the same feeling, you know?” I pick at my salad, wondering how we got to this conversation already. Usually, it’s months into a friendship before I reveal anything about my past. I guess a part of me feels comfortable talking to him.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks. It was a couple of years ago now. They were actually killed in that bank bombing. You remember that?” I point my fork at him. If he was a police officer in Denver a few years ago, surely he’d remember. It was all over the news. A group of people decided to rob a bank. They didn’t mean to do so while a cop was in line, but that’s how it turned out. Things went to hell fast, and before anybody knew it, the whole bank exploded when one of the guys got cornered and freaked out. He shot his gun at the cop to try and get away, but he missed, and the bullet went into the wall, right into a gas line.
He nods but doesn’t meet my eyes. “Remember it? I was working it.”
“You were?” I ask, my eyes widening. “You weren’t the cop who was in the bank when it started, were you?”
“No, that was a good buddy of mine. He lost his life that day.”
“A lot of good people did,” I agree, feeling a sudden strain on the conversation. It’s clear he doesn’t want to talk about this any longer, so I let the conversation fall away to something a little easier. “So, what do you think of our little town anyway?”
He sits up straight now, his green eyes softening. “I like it. It’s small and quiet. Everyone seems to be friends. They’ve all been very welcoming.” He gives me a small smile.
I nod. “I figured they would be. Just wait until you meet Mr. Bounty. He retired a few years back. He was the sheriff, and I think he still thinks he is.”
He lets out a deep laugh. The gesture touches his eyes and makes them practically glow. The sound hits me hard and makes my thighs tighten.
“I can’t wait to meet him.”
“Count your blessings that you haven’t yet. I’m sure he’ll be strolling in within the next couple of days. He probably just wants to give you time to settle in before he starts in on you. He expects to be treated like royalty around here. He’ll come in and throw out demands about things he wants to have done with regard to this or that. And if you don’t do them, you’ll never hear the end of it. The last sheriff thought he could take him on, but Mr. Bounty wouldn’t let up. That’s why he eventually transferred. Said he couldn’t take small towns any longer.”
He’s still smiling, and I’m not sure if it’s because of my story or if it’s because of the way I’ve been rambling on. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“Good.”
“So, what made you take this job? I mean, other than the fact that you’re clearly good at it.”
I shrug one shoulder as I chew a bit of my salad. “Honestly, I moved here for the town and my secluded cabin up on the mountain. After I found a home, I found a job. Now comes the next step.”
“And what’s the next step?”
I press my lips together as I think this over. Do I really want to tell him already? I was hoping to have built a better foundation for our friendship before bringing him into this. I guess we’ll see where it goes. “Have you noticed the number of kids who have been brought in since you’ve been here? I mean, it’s only been a day, but already, three have been arrested.”
He nods. “I have. I just chalked it up to kids being kids.”
“Right, that’s exactly what it is. If kids don’t have anything better to do, they’ll cause trouble. And this town is so small, there isn’t much for them to do. So, I want to open a youth center. Someplace where they can go to hang out and have fun. Keep them out of trouble. I’m thinking basketball courts, skate ramps, swimming pool. Along with art, computer, and specialty classes. Tutoring for the SATs, college prep. That kind of thing. I think it would be really good not only for the kids, but for the community. It would add value to the town and draw in teens from neighboring towns, essentially bringing in more money for the whole town.”