Page 43 of Rules

Fuck, I hated everything about this! I headed to the meeting room. I'd given bad news to my team before, but never when we'd had so much pressure on us already.

"Close the door," I told Mark, the last to enter. "What I'm about to share doesn't leave this room." Everyone's face went stoic.

I turned my monitor so they could see the footage, then froze the picture when Michael's face was clearest. "Anyone recognize this man?"

"Damn it." "That's not." "Oh, hell."

The deputies uttered comments at the same time. Then the room fell silent as the realization of why we were together beganto set in. Brooklyn was the first to speak. "You think he's behind the break-ins? And Sophia's murder?"

"I don't know. But the timing is suspicious, and we all know these aren't ordinary crimes." I rubbed my forehead. "There's a reason why we're talking about Michael. As you're aware, Law called. His team has been using satellites to find Michael, tracking his money and watching for a hit. Well, an hour ago they got one and were able to hack into the gas station security system. This," I pointed to the screen, "this is what they saw. Michael is heading our way."

"Aww, fuck," Holly uttered.

Everyone sat in silence, so I continued, "We're not facing this ass alone. Law and his team are coming to assist, but they won't be here for at least a day, maybe two."

"How far away is Michael?" Sang asked.

"About a day."

"So he could change direction and go somewhere else?" Holly asked in a hopeful voice.

"Could, but I'm not taking that chance."

"Great," John muttered. "Just what we need."

"We can handle this," I made my voice sound hopeful and supportive, the exact opposite of how I was feeling. "Our first focus is the break-ins. We're going to let Law keep track of Michael while keeping us informed."

Brooklyn crossed her arms. "This time when they catch him, I'm taking that bastard up on his offer before shooting him. That way I can retire early." Her attempt at humor fell flat, the tension too thick for levity. A part of me wasn't even sure she was trying to use humor.

"Listen, I know you're all exhausted," I acknowledged. "But our commitment is to this town. If Michael shows up here, Law or not, we'll take him down ourselves. Until then, we keep working on catching the four."

"What do you need from us, boss?" Mark asked. He was the youngest on the team, but he was always our practical one.

"Law's team is going to keep an eye on Michael's properties. We'll double our patrols, especially around businesses that haven't been hit yet. Check in with our security system contacts. After the pharmacy problem, I want a list of who's installing them, who might have access to that information. I need to make the Whitaker family aware of what's going on, in case Michael's coming back to settle scores..."

The implications hung in the air. We all remembered what Michael did to Melanie, to Cameron's family.

"Do we need to set up protection for Melanie?" Holly asked.

"No, they're taken care of." Other than Charlie and Evelyn, I was probably the only other person in town who knew Melanie and Cameron were tucked away in an Italian villa with amazing security features, something one of Charlie's buddies had for in-case situations. "They're fine."

After they left, I sat alone in my office, the weight of responsibility crushing down. Law's team wouldn't arrive until the day after tomorrow at the earliest. My mind told me Michael wasn't going to announce his arrival with fireworks and a parade, that he'd lay low for a while, planning whatever he was planning. Shit, maybe he wouldn't stay here after all, maybe he'd pass through.

The thought of that actually made me chuckle. I picked up the phone to make a call that I was dreading because obviously my day hadn't been bad enough.

"Hey, Evelyn, you home? I'm heading over. I need to speak to you and Charlie."

Standing, I made my way out of my office when my phone buzzed with a text from Holly.

Went home, there's a sandwich for you in the refrigerator. EAT IT!

I should. I knew I should. But I turned and headed to the outside door instead, intent on getting this meeting over as soon as possible.

As soon as my fist was about to knock on the door, Evelyn opened it. The worry lines seemed to have multiplied from the last time I'd seen her.

"Tobias," she stepped to the side, allowing me to pass. "I made coffee unless you'd like something stronger."

"I wish, but not till the uniform comes off."

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