knew he was playing her. Captain Decker understood just which buttons to push to pique her interest. And it was working.
“This better be good,” she warned, though she knew he wasn’t intimidated.
He had her hooked.
*
As Jessie entered the station, she noticed that it was deathly quiet.
That wasn’t a shock at 6:04 on a Sunday morning, but it was still unsettling to walk past the deputy desk sergeant, who was reading a magazine because there was no one in the lobby. It was odd not to hear the standard sounds of phone chatter and keyboard typing that usually filled the bullpen. Jessie passed the half dozen people sitting forlornly at their desks and headed for Decker’s office.
Just before entering she checked her phone one more time. She didn’t really expect a text from Hannah at this hour but she knew that when she got one, it wouldn’t be friendly. Hannah was surly these days as it was. But when she saw the note on the kitchen counter saying that Jessie had gone to the station to discuss a case and to keep the house tidy for Ryan’s arrival, her response was unlikely to be gracious enthusiasm.
Jessie knocked on the closed door to Decker’s office.
“One minute,” came the gruff response from the other side.
While she waited, Jessie glanced back at the HSS section of the bullpen to where she used to sit. Homicide Special Section was a unit within LAPD dedicated to cases that had high profiles or intense media scrutiny, often involving multiple victims and serial killers. For two years, she’d been the unit’s primary profiler, working with a small team of detectives led by Ryan. They’d sat at desks across from each other, initially as partners, and eventually, as much more. The thought of the long hours they spent across from each other, sparring playfully at first, then lovingly, brought a smile to her lips.
With her departure and Ryan’s injury, the unit was temporarily being led by crusty veteran detective Callum Reid. The team included Detectives Alan Trembley and Marjorie Pointer. Detective Gaylene Parker from Vice was even called in occasionally for support when things got especially hairy. They were still the most celebrated investigative squad in the department, but without Ryan and Jessie, HSS had lost a bit of its luster.
Jessie stepped over to the poster on the wall and gave herself a quick going-over in its reflection. She looked reasonably professional considering the day and hour. Her shoulder-length brown hair was loose but tidy. Her green eyes were well-rested, which she suspected would change once Ryan came home. She’d been able to maintain her trim, athletic figure through the recent injuries, though she knew she wasn’t back in tip-top shape yet.
“Come in,” Decker called out, drawing her back into the moment.
Jessie opened the door. She wasn’t surprised to find the captain standing up, dressed in the same attire he wore on a weekday afternoon—a jacket, tie, and starched dress shirt. She couldn’t tell how long he’d been awake because he looked perpetually worn out, with wrinkles near his eyes and bags under them. The few hairs on his head looked tired and wilted. Even his body, with its concave chest, seemed to fold in on itself. Despite all that, he appeared alert. Tall and skinny, his posture was painfully erect, highlighting his sharp nose and beady eagle eyes, which missed nothing.
“Thanks for making the time, Hunt,” he said, gesturing for her to take one of the weathered chairs opposite his desk. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired, Captain. Very tired.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that,” he replied. “But I meant physically. How’s your shoulder? And the burns?”
He was referring to injuries Jessie had suffered before she’d quit the force. Much of her lower back had been badly burned a few months back while rescuing a woman from her burning house, when a man who’d abducted her and then intentionally released her had come back to finish the job. Only weeks later, her left shoulder was dislocated in a life or death struggle with her ex-husband, the same attack in which Ryan had been stabbed and Hannah nearly killed.
“Both are much better,” she assured him. “The burns don’t hurt anymore, though the doctor says it’ll be another year before they heal completely. I’m still in rehab for the shoulder but it doesn’t affect me except when I try to get something off the top shelf or do a power lifting session.”
“You’re very funny, Hunt,” Decker said, not laughing. “That should serve