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A gentle breeze blew, and Rhys’s nervousness dissipated. He could talk about police work in his sleep. He’d just stay focused on that.
Scott turned to him. “Officer Newman, how long have you been a member of the police department?”
The questioning was just as they had been informed. A little about them and then some information about the dogs.
“Thanks for having me, Scott. I’ve been a member of the CPD for twenty-five years,” Rhys answered proudly. It was an accomplishment to have served his community for as long as he had. He still had some good years left in him. He didn’t see himself retiring anytime soon. After joining the K9 unit, he had truly felt like he’d gotten a breath of fresh air in his career. Police work could be hard, strenuous, and dangerous. But he knew he didn’t want to do anything else. He’d found his calling and he had the perfect partner.
“Tell us about Officer Honor here. She’s a magnificent-looking canine,” Scott said.
The camera focused on Honor who had a talent for this. Her ears perked up, and she gave a wide doggy grin. Her tail even wagged. Rhys barked a chuckle and reached down and gave her a firm pat on her head.
“Honor is a German Shepherd. One of the most commonly known police dogs. She was actually born in Germany then brought over here to the US,” Rhys began. He gave a bit of her background and their training. Honor was a bilingual dog, understanding commands in German as well as English. Rhys, on the other hand, only knew English—and bad English. He’d had to learn some commands himself in German but preferred the English ones.
Raising her to be a police dog was tiring but well worth it. The training was the reason he and Honor had such a close bond. They worked and lived together. She had grown to depend on him just as he had to depend on her.
“What is one thing you want the public to know when coming in contact with a K9 officer?” Scott asked.
Rhys grinned at the question. He pushed his sunglasses on top of his head so he could make eye contact with the camera.
“If you are stopped by a K9 officer and his partner, never run away from them.”
Rhys openedthe door to the precinct and allowed Honor to go inside before him. He had her on her short leash. After their interview with the news channel, they continued their day. Rhys and Honor had a long one. From patrolling to handing out a few tickets, they had even walked the beat in one of the smaller neighborhoods. He loved being deep in the communities. The mayor was wanting to increase the police presence. Robberies, theft, and gang activity had been on the rise again.
“Hey, Rhys,” Polly called out. She was one of the officers who worked the desk out front.
He would never want her job. As many people came in with complaints, the person who worked out there had to have the patience a saint. Everyone came in with grievances that they felt deserved attention right away.
“Polly.” Rhys gave her a nod.
Polly had worked at the department just about as long as Rhys had. She was a pleasant woman in her late forties. Her husband, Frank, had just retired from the department last year. He’d been a detective for the CPD for thirty years.
“Officer Honor, how are you?” Polly’s voice went up a notch. She loved the K9 officers and spoiled them all. She always had treats at her desks for the dogs. Honor’s tail wagged in recognition of Polly. “Why don’t you bring Honor over to my desk so she can get her treat. I think I have the chicken ones today.”
Honor heard one of her favorite words, and her tail wagged even harder. Rhys chuckled and gave Polly a small salute.
“Maybe later.” He gave Honor’s leash a tug as they continued walking along. Honor gave him wide eyes and whined. “Not right now, girl.”
The precinct was busy as usual. He entered the bullpen and took note of the chaos. It was to be expected for a little craziness, but today, something was different. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. He took notice of Amber, one of the cops who Jordan hung out with. Amber had joined the force a few years ago. She was a good policewoman and did a lot of traffic detail. He causally made his way over to where she stood by the water cooler.
“Rhys, how are you?” Amber said. She twisted the cap on her water bottle and turned to him. She gave a smile to Honor. “Hey, Honor.”
“What’s going on?” Rhys asked.
Amber’s smile disappeared. She took a small sip of her water and shook her head. “There’s been a hostage situation that SWAT is being called in for. It’s at some mansion. FBI is involved, so you know the captain and the mayor have been all over it since that means national news. Everyone here is trying to stay busy so that the captain doesn’t lay into them for anything.”
Rhys felt confident that Jordan and the SWAT team would be fine. He relaxed somewhat, but something still didn’t feel right to him.
9
Jordan’s phone screamed from her pocket. She got out of her patrol car and slammed the door shut. She glanced at the fast-food joint she was about to grab a bite to eat at. Her stomach was grumbling. She hadn’t had anything to eat since early this morning before she had left Rhys’s farm. She leaned back against the vehicle and pulled her phone out. Her lawyer’s name flashed across the screen.
Jordan’s heart pounded. Why would she be calling? It had been a while since she’d had to speak with anyone from this office. Maybe it wasn’t the lawyer but an assistant or something.
“Hello?” Jordan answered. Her stomach gave way at the sound of her lawyer’s voice coming onto the line.
“Jordan, hello,” a familiar smooth voice greeted her.
Tamicka Clarke was one of the best damn lawyers in all of Atlanta, and she had represented Jordan. Jordan had been so thankful the woman had been willing to take on her case against her former precinct for the harassment she had endured and even stood by her side during Bravon’s trial. If she were calling now, it couldn’t be good news.
