Page 45 of The Lost Empress

Gen sighed, leaning against a brick wall in a narrow alleyway off Wilshire Boulevard. She was hoping to knock out some shadowing hours and also learn about moral philosophy at the same time. “I was born…that’s all. I’m fairly certain that Dwayne Stone hates me because I’m a Beaufont.”

“The first Beaufont,” Jack corrected, peeling back around the corner, having been checking for the criminals they were waiting for. Today they’d be checking up on The Getaway Garage, but since Rogue Riders were bad for business, the owner of the illegal chop shop had asked to meet them in the back alleyway.

Jack gave Gen a consoling smile. “And Dwayne is just intimidated by you. I think that he knows what we all assume…”

Gen frowned in confusion. “Which is?”

Sully glanced sideways at Jack. “Isn’t she cute when she’s being naïve?”

“She’s more than cute,” Jack replied, winking at Gen. “And all the time, but especially when all innocent and unknowing.”

Gen glared at the two men, secretly hiding her blush from Jack’s compliment. “Tell me why you think that Dwayne is intimidated by me.”

“Because your dragon is the ruler over all dragons,” Sully answered. “It goes to reason that you’re destined to be the leader.”

“Over the Rogue Riders?” Gen asked in sincere surprise. “I know nothing about this world and have a lot to learn.”

“Who knows, you could be the President or leader over the world,” Sully replied. “Anything is possible. And yes, you might be old and gray by the time you’re ready to reign but still, Dwayne is worried you’re going to take his job.”

“I can’t do that,” Gen argued. “The Founders make those appointments and they put him in his role. As much as I can’t stand the guy, I’m trying to respect the decision that my father and sister made promoting him to leader of the Rogue Riders.”

“I would loathe him too if he made me read books and study all those moral philosophy theories,” Sully said, handing Gen back the list. “I have heard of the Peelian Principles. It’s all about policing and how it’s about earning community trust.”

Jack bolted forward suddenly, snapping his fingers in his friend’s face. “Sully? Are you still in there? Can you hear me? Blink twice for yes.”

Sully slapped Jack’s hand away. “What? Of course I’m here. What are you asking for, man?”

“Because for a moment, I thought aliens took over your brain,” Jack joked, grinning wide.

Sully scoffed. “Aliens aren’t real and no one took over my brain. I know things about things.”

Gen cut her eyes to the side, avoiding looking at them for a moment, afraid that her little secret about aliens would show on her face.

“You know things from watching television,” Jack retorted.

“Oh!” Sully exclaimed, his eyes wide. “That reminds me.” He turned to Gen. “I was watching Outlander last night and it totally reminded me of you, except in reverse. Tell me, were you married in 1426?”

Gen blinked at him in confusion. “What’s Outlander? And no, of course I wasn’t. I was busy founding the House of Fourteen. Why?”

Sully snapped his fingers, swiping them through the air. “Oh, too bad. Now you can’t have a steamy love triangle with Jack.”

Gen did blush outwardly now. “What? What are you even talking about?”

Jack threw his head back, laughing, maybe to cover his own embarrassment. “Don’t pay attention to him. He’s referring to a show about a woman who time travels to the past and has a present-day husband and a love affair with a Scottish warrior from the 1700s.”

“Sounds complicated,” Gen remarked, dryly.

“Yeah, and I know about the Peelian Principles because they talked about it on a show called Law & Order one time,” Sully explained. “The idea was that law enforcement should be more than about the fear of punishment. In the show, they said that police should be transparent and community-oriented to prevent crime by fostering a partnership with the community they serve.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of big words for you to use together,” Jack teased. “If you keep this up, you’re going to pass out before Tesla shows up for our meeting.”

Sully glanced out the alleyway, an annoyed expression on his face. “If that guy ever shows up. I swear, he better not stand us up again or I’m strolling into his chop shop and outing him in front of his customers.”

“I think you need to practice what you preach, mate,” Jack stated. “Remember, you’ve got to be fostering partnerships, not intimidating our community.”

“Our community steals expensive parts off cars,” Sully argued. “We let him do it without getting arrested if he goes after big criminals at inopportune times and tells us who they are.”

Gen decided this was her chance to cut in. “Hey, I’m just wondering a bit more about this Peelian Principle, since I have to be tested on it and all. It feels too simple. Like create a relationship with your community. How is that even a moral philosophy tenet?”

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