My mouth is still hanging open when the door snicks shut behind the fucking Goody Two Shoes.
“Saber, I don’t know what the hell to do with you. Your last partner quit because you kept going rogue. Taking off alone. He thought you would get yourself killed and take him with you! If you keep this up, I won’t have any choice.”
I shake my head. “Are you firing me?”
Roman blows out a deep breath and looks toward the ceiling. He’s taking way too long to answer.
I stand. “Fine. If that’s how you feel about it, I’ll have my desk cleaned out in five minutes.”
I move toward the door, hoping I make it to the restroom before the tears burn down my cheeks.
“Stop,” Roman commands. “You’re not fired. But you are suspended.”
“I think that might be worse!”
He gestures to the seat I recently vacated. “Sit. I need to talk to you about this.”
I flop into the chair, scowling at him, willing the tears to stay put.
When I get mad, I cry angry tears. It might look like I’m upset about what’s going on, and in a way, I am. I’m usually fucking pissed about the situation. When I’m feeling betrayed, my body wants to push that betrayal out somewhere, and it’s generally through my eyeballs.
Fucking tears.
“Teams combed the house and found a body,” Roman’s voice calms as he looks at me.
We’ve worked together long enough. He recognizes when I’m about to blow.
I nod but remain silent.
“We’ll have to run DNA on the remains to make sure it’s Helfinger.”
I nod. “You’re thinking it’s a plant.”
Roman shrugs. “Could be.”
“You got eyes on the sheriff?”
My boss pauses. “What are your thoughts on this?”
“It’s awfully convenient that the very sheriff we rescued from being a casualty shows up in Dakota’s house of horrors. Then, he makes a big dramatic show of shooting our suspect right before the house blows up?” I shake my head. “It’s too damn suspicious.”
“Agreed.”
“Did the sheriff say how Dakota found him?”
“Claims one of Dakota’s minions was waiting for him when he stepped out of the motel room to get a soda,” Roman dry scrubs his face.
“I don’t like it. Any of it. There’s no way the sheriff should have been outside the safe house motel room in the first damn place,” I point out. “It stinks to high heaven, boss.”
“I know,” Roman sighs then pushes paperwork toward me. “But as of right now, you’re off the case. Suspended with pay while we investigate.”
I look down at the orders on the desk, afraid to touch it like it might go nuclear. Or, maybe that’s me that will go nuclear.
Before the angry tears boil over, I snatch the paperwork off of Roman’s desk and trudge toward the door.
“Saber? Stay out of fucking trouble.”
I throw a saucy wink over my shoulder. “Trouble? Me? I would never…”
I barrel through the door before he can reply, making a beeline for my car. I get a mile down the road before I have to pull over because I can’t see through the tears.
