Page 36 of King

Becky gave him a triumphant grin over her shoulder as she continued to fax the stack of papers. Sid walked in with Jared, Kent, and Butch following.

“Please tell me you’re back,” Jared said, clasping his hands together like he was praying for the right answer, his expression desperate.

“Yes, I got back this morning,” Becky replied with a smirk, amusement dancing in her eyes. “Thanks for asking, Jared. My trip was great.”

“Sorry,” Jared sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “How was your trip, Becky?”

Rolling her eyes, Becky chuckled at his antics while continuing to work the fax machine. “Aww, you miss me, don’t you.” She snorted and then focused on her faxing.

“Weallmiss you,” Sid chimed in, giving Sloan a meaningful glance. “I’ll chip in a few bucks to up her pay. We need her back, Sloan.”

Sloan ignored him, his sharp gaze shifting to Kent and Butch. “Are you two covering King’s patrols?”

“Yeah,” Butch confirmed with a nod.

“We’re splitting the patrols between our usual routes,” Kent added, glancing at his watch. “I just finished mine and wanted to check in to see where you’ve been putting King.”

Sloan gave a nod of approval, his focus lingering on Kent. The younger man had been a handful when he’d first joined the trainee program, but he’d evolved into a solid and dependable team player. His hard work and newfound teamwork, especially after that rough patch with Raven, had turned him into a key player. Even Katrina had mentioned how helpful he’d been with her training.

“Kent, head out and talk to Kane,” Sloan said, handing Butch a paper with the patrol details. “See if there’s anything you can do to help him figure out who killed Joey’s father and landed Joey in the hospital. Kane might already have some leads, but be prepared. He prefers working solo, but we need answers.”

“Will do,” Kent replied with a quick nod before heading toward the door.

“This is King’s patrol area,” Sloan continued, gesturing to the paper Butch now held. “Bishop and Viktor patrol near there. I’lltalk to them later. Maybe the three of you can split the difference for now.”

“Got it,” Butch said, heading out the door after Kent.

Sid watched the pair leave, his arms crossed. “Kent’s changed a lot.”

“Yeah, he has,” Sloan agreed, his tone thoughtful. Then, noticing Becky finishing up at the fax machine, he turned back to Jared and Sid. “I’m taking the rest of the day off. Keep me informed about Joey’s condition.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Jared replied with a grin before turning to Becky, putting his hands together again in mock prayer. “Please, Becky, come back. We need you.”

“Get the fuck out of my office,” Sloan growled, pointing to the door.

Jared laughed but obeyed, leaving with Sid and shutting the door behind them.

Becky turned to Sloan, her brow furrowed in concern. “Isn’t Joey one of Jessie’s students?” she asked.

Sloan nodded. “Yeah.”

“What happened?” she pressed, her voice soft but urgent.

“Someone beat the hell out of him and murdered his dad,” Sloan said grimly, watching as Becky paled.

Her hand went to her throat as she gasped. “That’s awful. Is he going to be okay? Maybe we should go to the hospital. I’m sure Jessie’s there.”

And this, right here, was one of the countless reasons Sloan loved her. Becky’s heart was so big, and she cared deeply about everyone, even people she barely knew. He stepped closer, his hand brushing her arm in reassurance. “Maybe later,” he said gently. “But first, I’m taking you home so you can get some rest.”

“Rest?” Becky frowned, her hand dropping. “Do I look that bad?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Sloan growled, cupping her face with both hands. “You’re beautiful.”

Her lips quirked into a teasing pout. “Well, I figured since it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, you’d want to ravish me. You know, as a thank-you for defeating the evil fax machine.”

Sloan’s lips twitched into a wicked grin. “Ravish isn’t even close to what I’m going to do to you when we get home. But...” he added, his voice dropping an octave, “you’re also going to rest.”

He punctuated the promise with a hard kiss, one hand sliding down to grasp her ass and give it a firm squeeze. “Damn, you smell amazing,” he murmured against her neck, inhaling her scent.

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