Page 106 of Sergeant O'
“Thank you, sir.” I gave the room a sheepish smile and wave before sitting down at the counter next to my dad.
“How ya feeling?” Angus asked when I flipped the coffee cup over as our server approached.
I was already plenty caffeinated, so I said, “Decaf, please, Rhonda.”
She gave me a wink. “You got it, sugar. It’s good to see you.”
I nodded in acknowledgement, then turned back to my dad’s question.
“I’m definitely feeling better, but I wouldn’t say I’m ready for duty just yet.”
“That’s good, because you’re still not cleared to come back—even for light duty.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Really? Should I be worried?”
Rhonda returned to pour my coffee, and I noticed she took her time while my dad replied, “Not at all. SLED’s in charge ofthe investigation, and you know how they are—slow and by the book. I spoke with the major running it. They’re just making sure everyI’sdotted andT’scrossed before they release their findings. It’ll come back as justifiable.”
SLED was South Carolina’s Law Enforcement Division. It was typical for them to lead an officer-involved shooting investigation.
I reached for the creamer. “That’s good. Any idea how much longer?”
There was no way I was going to be able to sit around my house doing nothing without going crazy.
That would be too much time to reminisce about my time with Jade and wonder what could have been—frankly, whatshouldbe but probably never will.
The least I could do was clean up this mess I’d started at the bank.
“Any progress on who leaked the bank footage?”
“We’re still working on that.”
I leaned back, trying to look casual as I glanced around, making sure at least someone was listening, before I said, “You know that was bullshit, right? Rachel hit on me in front of Jade, then was rude to Jade, and it pissed me off.”
“So, you kissed Jade to put Rachel in her place,” Angus supplied.
“Yeah. Obviously we’re not dating. But then those stills came out, and it went viral. When we noticed we were being watched at the Cape, we leaned into it. That’s all. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“So why were you sneaking out of her house yesterday morning?”
Fuck, I forgot about that one.
The bullshit I came up with on the fly impressed even me.
“We switched phones on accident. Her alarm went off, and she didn’t answer my call, so I wanted to make sure she wasn’t late for work or anything.”
Angus’s eyebrows knitted together, like he wasn’t buying it.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t that impressive.
“It was completely innocent, and it’s getting twisted.”
I noticed it had gotten unusually quiet around us—no clanking of silverware or murmur of other people talking.
“So, you’renotdating Jade?”
“No. We’re just friends.”
“With benefits,” I heard someone snicker.
