Darlington is a small town near Los Angeles, so it only warrants a small police station. This means that the fifteen desks in the center house the bulk of our local PD. Four offices, two on either side of the pen, are home to the four detectives on staff, one of them being my dad, and another being one of my brothers, Travis.
Owen, the brother who, at twenty-six is closest to me in age, is a beat cop who occupies one of the desks in the pen. He’s looking to take one of the other detective spots when Norris retires at the end of the month.
Kayden and Alex are both cops, too, but they went the military route. They are currently serving as MPs down in Florida.
That just leaves Tate, my oldest brother, who is also a cop. Tate lives in LA and works a different precinct. He started as an MP, like Kayden and Alex, which means for six years I didn’t see much of him until he returned to LA and joined the LAPD SWAT team. He’s the idiot who runs into the building with the gunman firing shots when most are running out.
“Reign, are you even listening to me?” My dad’s exasperated voice snaps me out of my musings.
“You were telling me how I’m your favorite daughter.”
“You are my only daughter and I thank God for that every day,” he says looking upward in mock gratitude.
“You should. It’s hard to improve on perfection,” I point out as we walk into the busy bullpen.
Most of the officers ignore us as we pass, but not Owen, who sticks his foot out in an attempt to trip me.
“Real mature, asshole,” I mutter messing up his hair in retaliation.
“Get off of me, woman. What did you do this time?” he questions, knowing Dad only brings me to the station when he wants to give me the lecture about being more responsible.
“One of my Johns got a little handsy, so I shanked him,” I tell him with a straight face, sitting in the chair beside his desk and snagging one of his chocolate doughnuts.
“Hey,” he huffs, trying to snatch it back, but I run my tongue all over it, making him scowl in annoyance.
“I’m just doing my part to stop you from looking like a cliché,” I retort before taking a big bite and moaning, inevitably snagging the attention of the captain, who is walking our way.
I get along with most of the people who work here. It’s hard not to when I’ve been coming here since I was a toddler, but Garrett James, the precinct’s new captain, is not one of those people.
He started here a year ago, bringing five officers with him in a citywide police shakeup.
He was once the all-American boy turned man that most mothers begged their daughters to bring home. Even now, in his late forties-early fifties, he is handsome in a jock kind of way with wavy light brown hair threaded with silver at the temples, dark, almost black, eyes and the build of a linebacker. Rumor has it he moved up the ranks rapidly, probably because he holds the record for the most arrests to conviction cases in the district. But none of that changes the fact that there is something about him that rubs me the wrong way. Being in his presence always makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“Reign, always a pleasure,” he greets me formally. I nod in response and swallow the mouthful of food, which suddenly tastes like cement.
“Captain, I have a case file on my desk I want to go over with you. Something about it isn’t adding up. I could use a fresh set of eyes,” my dad addresses Garrett, who agrees with a nod.
“Collect what you have and bring it to my office in twenty,” he answers.
My dad presses a kiss to my forehead. “I’ll yell at you at dinner instead,” he whispers, making me laugh.
“Love you,” I shout before he disappears inside his office and closes the door behind him.
“Well, I have to get going as well. Johnson is waiting for me and you know how pissy he gets when I keep him waiting. I’ll see you at dinner tonight. Try not to get arrested,” Owen warns me with a sigh, snatching up the other doughnut before I can.
“Captain,” he says with a respectful nod before leaving.
“Well, that’s my cue to leave.” I give the captain a tight