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“Iread your report, Officer Knight, and I have to say that I’m extremely impressed by the details,” Captain Donald Spook said. He stared at her from his seat in his massive chair. The elder man’s eyes were filled with respect. He was a man who, when he spoke, many listened.
They may not always do what he said, but they at least heard the words that poured from his mouth.
Officer Jordan Knight stood before his desk with her hands clasped behind her back. She stood to her full height in his presence. Not that it was much. At five feet five, she was of average height for a woman and the shortest member of her SWAT unit.
Pride filled her that she belonged to the best damn police department a girl could wish for. She’d busted her ass and earned a spot on the SWAT team. Her training had been brutal, but she’d made it. Her teammates had opened up their arms to her, giving her the sense of belonging. She may be the only woman on the team, but it didn’t matter. She’d ensured they understood she could handle whatever they dished to her. She was officially one of them and had gained seven brothers who would always cover her six.
The moment she’d earned her badge, she’d had to fight to gain respect. From dealing with gender biases her male counterparts never had to experience, to confronting openly racist community members she was sworn to serve. It was even sad to think that racism didn’t stop at civilians but extended into the so-called family of men and women who wore the same badge as she did. Jordan was strong-willed and a fighter. One would have to have thick skin when carrying a badge. Being a police officer wasn’t for the weak.
But here in Columbia, she didn’t have any of the issues she’d had at her previous place of employment that had caused her to leave. She missed the city of Atlanta and the communities she had served. She had been most comfortable with those she’d safeguarded who looked like her and felt she’d made a difference.
She’d come to Columbia to start over and help her sister who had been a single mother. Jordan was the eldest between the two and had always known it was her responsibility to protect Omara. From the time they were children she had felt the need to be a shield for Omara, and many times that had led her to using her fists.
Jordan blinked and came back to the present. She had turned herself around and made something of herself. Her family was proud of her and what she had accomplished.
“Thank you, sir,” Jordan said. She allowed herself a small smile. On the inside she was grinning like a fool. A while ago, Mac had asked for a volunteer to sit in on a new task force the mayor was coordinating. Of course, none of her teammates had volunteered, leaving Jordan to represent SWAT.
The Special Units Task Force was the official title. It included members from Organized Crime, Gang, Fugitives, CSI, Bomb, School Resources, and K9.
Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of a certain K9 officer. Just thinking of him had her heart racing and a genuine smile forming on her lips. The man did something to her. She’d never felt cherished, or wanted, or even needed before him. He made her feel things she couldn’t even put into words.
Rhys.
Get your shit together, Knight, she snapped to herself. It had taken everything she’d had to leave his bed two nights ago. She’d had to pull a shift and attend her big task force meeting. She was scheduled to meet with the captain this morning and didn’t want to risk being unprepared, or worse, late. As much as she would have loved to stay at his house, she had to ensure she was prepared for this week.
Worse yet, she couldn’t be looking like a lovesick girl with a crush in front of the captain.
“I appreciate your volunteering. We normally wouldn’t need a task force like this since our different units already work together when needed, but the mayor wants to make sure everything is seamless when they do. Apparently, he feels this will help with community engagement,” Spook mumbled.
Jordan held back a chuckle at the sight of the accomplished man rolling his eyes.
“Be that as it may, we actually thought it was good to sit down and talk about how we can better work together,” Jordan replied. “Yes, we work together, but to have time to discuss how we can be more efficient was welcomed by all.”
“If that is the case, then so be it. I want you to update your team on your report.” He stood from his desk and walked around it. He perched himself on the corner of it before leveling her with his gaze. He stared at her for a moment. “Does your team know?”
Jordan stiffened. She glanced away from her boss and scanned the room. Her gaze landed on the shelving thatdisplayed his awards and accolades. Captain Spook was the only one in the entire precinct to know the real reason why she had transferred to Columbia. He had to know, and the man was actually understanding. He’d let her work ethic speak for itself when he’d approved her hiring.
The captain was a man who believed in giving someone the benefit of the doubt and second chances.
“No, sir. I haven’t told them.”
Jordan wasn’t a woman to back down from the enemy. She usually ran headfirst into danger, but to share what he was asking about with her team left her afraid.
She didn’t want to lose what she had with the guys. They all trusted her and treated her like one of them. Hell, she’d been to their weddings, parties, met their wives and families. What happened to her back in Atlanta could jeopardize all of that.
“You need to tell them. It’s better they hear it from you than some other source,” Spook said softly.
She whipped her gaze back to him. Her heart pounded.
“Someone else knows?” she asked. Fear crept up in her chest like nothing she’d ever known. She’d tried to keep everything under wraps when she’d left Atlanta. The reason she was here was to put that in the past and move on with her life. It appeared she was going to have to deal with it one last time so she could go forward.
“Not that I’m aware of. But you just wouldn’t want them to catch wind of it from a different source.”
Jordan nodded. Her mind raced with how she could do it. She knew the men like the back of her hand, and the captain was right. They would believe her if she told them. They had to. She’d never given them a reason not to trust her.
She thought about her new brothers she’d gained. Mac, the strong, gruff sergeant. Dec, the sergeant, stern but fair. Ash, Myles, and Brodie, badasses in their own rights. Then Iker andZain, the two goofballs who’d immediately taken her under their wing. She was closest to Iker and Zain. She guessed that’s why she had been hurt and livid to find that Zain had been seeing her sister behind her back.
