Jade kept watching out the window. Not spying, but observing. Jade knew there was a difference, and she’d learned years ago that how people moved before they entered a room told you just as much as what they said inside it.
Maddox walked with military precision, her shoulders back, her back ramrod straight, and her chin level. Each step was measured, but she wasn’t hurrying. Her pace was deliberate, the gait of someone forcing themselves forward on sheer discipline alone.
Behind Maddox, the K-9 building sat quiet. Zeus would be there, and Jade wondered if Maddox had said goodbye, if she needed that moment before walking into something she didn’t want to do. Within seconds, Maddox reached the main entrance to the station and disappeared from view.
Jade moved away from the window and resettled into her chair opposite from the other. She breathed deeply and slowly, centering herself and letting the noise outside her makeshift office fade into the background. Her eyes flicked to the wall clock: one minute until the session began.
At precisely 2 p.m., a sharp, decisive rap sounded on the door, not hesitant but not aggressive either.
“Come in,” Jade said, her voice steady.
The door opened, and Maddox stepped inside then closed the door behind her. “Shaw reporting as ordered.”
The words came out flat, edged with just enough sarcasm to make her resentment clear without crossing into outright insubordination. Jade didn’t react to the tone. In fact, she’d been expecting it and had heard variations of it from dozens of officers who’d been mandated into her office.
Jade gestured to the empty chair like extending an invitation. “Please, sit.”
Maddox’s eyes swept over the room in one efficient scan. Textbook hypervigilance, and Jade knew she was cataloguingexits, furniture, Jade’s position, and the overall threat level to manage the situation in case anything went drastically wrong. After a few beats, Maddox sat in the offered chair, keeping her spine straight and resting her hands on her legs, ready to stand, to move, to be anywhere except here.
“I appreciate you being on time,” Jade said.
“Didn’t have a choice,” she said, her voice rough.
“You always have a choice, and you chose to show up.”
Maddox’s eyes narrowed slightly, just a flicker of something that might’ve been irritation or possibly interest. “Semantics.”
“Maybe.” Jade settled back in her chair, keeping her posture open and non-threatening. “But showing up is still a choice, even when it doesn’t feel like one.”
The silence stretched between them, and Jade let it sit and breathe, comfortable with the space. Maddox was less so; Jade could see it in the minute tension around her shoulders and the way her fingers pressed slightly harder against her thighs. It was clear she wanted to fill the silence or walk out the door to leave it behind.
But still, she didn’t move. One point to Maddox for discipline.
“Let me explain how this works,” Jade said, keeping her tone conversational and matter-of-fact. “This isn’t traditional therapy. Think of it more as a tactical debrief.”
Maddox’s shoulders dropped fractionally. Not much, but it was enough for Jade to notice the shift. Tactical language worked; it always did for military types.
“Like we discussed before, we’ll meet weekly for one hour each time,” Jade continued. “And what we discuss stays between us, unless you’re a danger to yourself or others. Standard confidentiality applies.”
“I’m not,” she said quickly.
“Good. Then this is your space.”
Maddox’s expression didn’t change, but something that looked like skepticism darkened in her eyes. “I don’t need space. I need to get back to work.”
“You will,” Jade said. “In fifty-eight minutes.”
The corner of Maddox’s mouth twitched. Not quite a smile, but close, almost like she appreciated the bluntness. “Are you always this direct?”
“Usually.” Jade leaned forward slightly, just enough to make it feel like a conversation instead of an interrogation. “I don’t see the point in dancing around things. You’re here because Chief Marten mandated it. You don’t want to be here, and I’m not going to pretend that you do.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Because you had a rough month with multiple high-stress calls, including the one last week with the armed domestic. And because Chief Marten knows you well enough to recognize when someone’s running on fumes.”
Maddox’s jaw tightened. “I handled that call by the book.”
“I read the report. Youdidhandle it perfectly by all accounts.” Jade kept her voice even and non-judgmental. “That’s not the question.”
