Page 111 of Sergeant O'
Sylvia’s grin didn’t falter. “Something like that.”
I saw the reporter’s phone tilt toward me, waiting for my answer. My instinct was to shut it down, to tell the truth—but I pictured Jade’s face, the questions she’d already been dragged into, the hospital gossip. I wanted it all to go away for her. Maybe this was my chance.
So, I said nothing.
Let them talk about Sylvia instead. Maybe it would pull the spotlight off Jade.
The red light on the reporter’s phone went dark as she tucked it into her bag, thanked us both, and moved on.
That’s it?
I let out an internal groan.
Fucking hell. I should have done that the day I left the hospital.
“I’m not sure if you’ve heard,” Sylvia purred as she tried to caress my arm, but I brushed her off. “Chris and I are separated.”
Like I give a damn.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. Maybe we could—”
I cut her off before she could finish her sentence.
“I gotta get Lainey’s car back to her.” I opened the driver’s door, threw out, “Have a good day,” then quickly slid behind the wheel and shut the door.
I didn’t need this shit today.
~~~~
I went home and spent an hour in the garage, moving boxes around I had no business lifting. By the time I made it back inside, my leg was screaming, and I was out of breath. I took a couple of ibuprofen, collapsed on the couch, and told myself exhaustion was better than thinking.
I couldn’t help replaying the flash going off outside the diner. I’d been too much of a chicken shit to see if the photo had been posted.
The next morning, I woke up to my phone ringing. It was Angus telling me that he’d received word from SLED that I’d been cleared, and he’d have written confirmation within the hour.
“I suspect you’ll have a declination letter from the Attorney General in a week.”
The declination letter was just a formality at this point, but I’d feel better having it.
“That’s good news. So, how soon can I come back to work?”
My dad chuckled. “You’re not going on patrol for a while, Son. Before I can even put you on light duty, you need to be cleared by a doctor. And if you want to go back on the street, you’re going to need the psychiatrist’s approval.”
“Okay. First things first: I’ll see when I can get in to have my staples removed, and I’ll talk to Brady then about clearing me to at least sit behind a desk.”
Although that sounded dreadful—both the staple removal (I don’t care what Jade said) and riding a desk.
Annnnd now I was thinking about Jade again. Not like that was anything new. I’d gone to bed wishing she was next to me and woke up reaching for her.
Angus interrupted my train of thought. “Are you and Sylvia back together?”
“Good Lord, no. Why?”
I could hear him sucking air through his teeth. “Then you might want to stay off social media for a while.”
I froze. “Why?”
