“Good.”
Carter drew closer. “He didn’t seem in a good mood.”
“I see.” He was prepared as he led Evie through the station to the front corner office and knocked on the door. He went inside when called with Evie right next to him.
“Close the door,” he said firmly. “What were you thinking?”
“What?” Atlas asked with a shrug.
“You went after the instructor and made her get in the suit.” There was a hint of delight in his eyes. The captain was in hisearly fifties and had seen just about everything possible. He was also a good man who had worked his way up through the department over more than twenty years. Captain Rogers was someone Atlas respected a great deal.
“She accused Evie of not working hard and insinuated that Greg and I had somehow set things up to make ourselves look good. So I told her to get in the suit, and Evie laid her out like she was nothing. Sent her sprawling and sliding on the ground.” He kept the smile off his face. “I don’t want to train with her any longer. I’d rather go to the facility in York. It’s farther, but we actually get instruction instead of just a report-pusher.”
“I see,” he said, sitting back. “And the report that you argued with her?”
“She questioned Evie’s ability. If she had something legitimate, that would be one thing. But she wasn’t even paying attention. She was talking with someone else almost the entire time, and that isn’t acceptable either. I know we pay for the time, so we might as well get our money’s worth, and she is not worth what we’re paying. Greg did most of the work with us, not the ‘instructor.’”
“So you took it on yourself to really get under her skin.”
“It’s one of my talents.” He grinned, and the captain cleared his throat.
“No argument there,” the captain said flatly. “I’ll take your wishes to the chief and see what he says.” He lowered his gaze, and Atlas got up to leave. “There is another issue. I understand that you have one of the people we rescued from the back of the truck living with you.”
“Yes. His name is Bazel. The women were able to be placed in a secure safe house, but those are set up mostly for women, so Bazel came to stay with me. There hasn’t been an issue with the arrangement, per se.”
“Good. But there are concerns that we have officers who are getting involved in ways that might not be appropriate. This is someone who will need to find himself a permanent home, or he could be sent back to his home country. Immigration is a difficult issue at the moment.”
“We are aware of that. County welfare is involved, and we are working with Chris from Social Services. She has been in a few times, and we are in contact with her. But the fact is that there are more people who need help than they have space for.” He smiled slightly. “I’m only doing what I can.”
“Don’t give me any of your crap. I know you’re helping him. But there is also talk around the station about the two of you, especially with a certain set of officers. You don’t need me to tell you who they are, because you can guess. All I’m saying is to make sure that all behavior is being conducted properly.” He tugged at his collar. “You know what I’m saying, and I’m sure you’re doing just that.” He didn’t seem to know what else he wanted to say. “Hopefully a more permanent home can be found soon.”
Atlas swallowed hard because that was exactly what he didn’t want to happen. “I like having Bazel at the house. He’s a good roommate and a nice guy. Living alone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and best of all, Evie likes him. She’s a better judge of character than I am.”
“Still. It’s best if he moves to another location when possible,” the captain said.
Atlas paused, his mind a whir of conflicting thoughts as he tried to get his mind around what he was being told. “And why is that?” He narrowed his gaze.
“Think of how it might look,” the captain said.
“To who?” he questioned. “The people I work with who do not get a say in how I live my life?” He asked as gently as he could, but probably failed. “As far as I know, Iworkforthe police department. They don’t get a say in my personal life or who I open my home to. I have done nothing wrong, but suddenly it seems to you that everyone in the department is commenting on who I allow to stay at my home.” He took a step toward the desk. “Or is it you who has some sort of problem with this? Because that would be a real disappointment.” He respected Captain Rogers, and yet maybe he was only now seeing the real person behind the image.
The captain’s cheeks grew red, and Atlas wondered if it was anger or embarrassment. “I don’t care how any of my officers spend their free time or live their lives. But there are a lot of pitfalls with the kind of living arrangement you have. He is from a country that has seen a great deal of conflict, and we found him in the back of a tractor trailer. It isn’t as though he came here through lawful means, and it could look bad for the department for one of our officers to be harboring someone who didn’t arrive here legally.”
“As I said, Social Services is working with Bazel and the others who arrived with him. Some of them have made arrangements to rejoin their families. It’s apparent that Bazel does not have that opportunity, so we are doing what we can to help him begin his life. But I want to stress that no one has the right to interfere in my personal life. And I expect the same kind of deference that every other officer receives. I have not broken the law in any way, and Bazel has been working with us to try to find the people who transported him.” He figured he had said enough at the moment. Atlas had made his position clear. “Is there anything else?” he asked cooly.
The captain didn’t answer right away. “No.”
Atlas turned and left the office, Evie walking right next to him, until they reached his desk. He released Evie, and she went to her spot on the floor, curled right up, and closed her eyes. “That’s right, girl. You’ve had a busy day, and you deserve somerest.” He patted her head and stroked down her back. Atlas wished he could take a nap, but he still had plenty of work to do. His only hope was that he and Evie didn’t get called out for the next little while. Evie would be up for it, that was for certain. The thing was that Atlas wasn’t sure how much action he could take at the moment. He had done a lot of standing up for Evie and for himself today, and it was exhausting, especially when he shouldn’t have had to.
Chapter 12
“HOW DIDEvie do? Did she pass her test?” Bazel asked once Atlas got home and had fed Evie, which he always did first. Bazel was a bundle of energy, and the house was filled with the scent of warm spices.
“She did her best and was amazing. The instructor wasn’t very good, and we had a difference of opinion.”
“What does that mean?” Bazel asked. “Did you get in a fight?”
Atlas smiled and shook his head, which relieved him. “We just had a few words about how she was doing her job. Evie and I won’t be going back there. I hope, anyway. How did things go here? I know you were alone here most of the day.”
