Chapter 1
Amelia
Three years later
“Auntie Rosa, I promise I’m all right. I’m not a kid anymore, you know!”
My blue-green eyes dart over my desk to Ronnie, the senior officer who’s stationed right across from me. I’m taking a call halfway underneath my desk and trying not to get caught.
Ronnie’s got his nose buried in a newspaper and his feet propped up on the table. He looks like he’s not watching, but I know that man is a hawk.
“So, is everything okay at the precinct? I don’t want you doing anything dangerous, you know.” My aunt’s voice over the phone pulls my attention again, and I look away from Ronnie for a moment.
“I’m not doing anything dangerous! In fact, it’s almost boring back here!” I whisper-yell, some of my frustration seeping through.
I’ve been working at the precinct for six months now, and nothing’s happened. Granted, I was a trainee officer for the first month, but this was beginning to grate on my patience.
“Isn’t that a good thing? I still don’t get your sudden passion for the badge—” Aunt Rosa starts off again on one of her worried tirades.
“Auntie, we’ve been over this.” Exasperation colors my voice.
Ever since I chose to join the police force three years ago, my aunt has not stopped voicing her displeasure.
“It’s just, you’re such a bright girl… You could do so well at literally anything else. Why would you want to do such dangerous work? Your father—”
I squeeze my eyes shut, not wanting to hear what she’s going to say next.
Thankfully, Ronnie’s voice cuts into our conversation. “Put the phone down, Boot. You’re not fooling anyone with whatever you think you’re doing.”
My gaze darts up to the older man as my nose crinkles at the nickname the entire precinct has given me.
Boot. As in, bootcamp. As in rookie.
It’s a subtle reminder of exactly why I’ve been stuck in my boring routine.
“Aren’t you supposed to be finishing up the paperwork for that drunk driver?” Ronnie still hasn’t looked up from his newspaper.
The man really is some kind of hawk.
I turn to my phone one last time. “I gotta go, Auntie. You’ll get me in trouble at this rate. I’ll call you later, okay? Bye. I love you.”
I don’t wait to hear Aunt Rosa’s response before I slip my phone in the pocket of my uniform and offer Ronnie an innocent smile.
“I’m almost done with that paperwork,” I say.
Ronnie just harrumphs. He knows I’m not lying. If there’s one thing my aunt was right about, it was that I’m bright. Photographic memory, quick hands, and whatnot.
My efficiency is a double-edged sword in that the chief has joked one too many times about me being better off behind the desk.
Absolutely not. I can’t be a desk cop. Not that there’s anything wrong with desk cops, but I have to be out in the field if I’m going to catch the men who killed my dad and make them pay.
The smile falls off my face as I return to my work, my thoughts full.
Three years ago, my father was brutally murdered while on an undercover mission, dealing with a vicious motorcycle gang called “Sins of Man”.
At least, that was what I’d pieced together from the journal I’d found hidden in his man cave.
He’d written down three names. Josiah Cane, Tanner Smith, and Rueben Blake.
I’m sure that those three are responsible for his death. My digging revealed that they were the three in charge of the Sins of Man gang, with a ruthlessness that intimidated most. I spent many nights agonizing over how horrible it must have been for Dad to die at their hands.
In some ways, my aunt is right. I’m only here because I’m hungry for revenge. I want to finish what my dad started. He’d reported to this very precinct, and that was why I’d wanted to come here.
Despite the years that have passed, I still miss him. I lived with Dad until I was fourteen. He got an important job opportunity right around the time my aunt Rosa convinced him that the best education a smart kid like me could get was at a preppy private school near her place.
I’m not sure which came first, but I was suddenly bundled off to go live with my aunt. I didn’t mind since my dad came to visit often, and we still spent every holiday together. I excelled in high school, and I truly could have done anything else and succeeded.
Instead, I chose to get a criminal justice degree and go to the police academy. Both of these things I passed with distinctions.
I worked hard to get here in the shortest possible time so I could get on the tails of those murderers.
I finish my work, and my eyes zero in on the chief’s office. It’s almost lunch time, and I know he’s in there. I just have to corner him before he can escape.
Ronnie’s watch beeps, signaling it’s lunch time, and I’m out of my seat like a bolt, speed-walking toward the door. Ronnie sees where I’m headed and rolls his eyes.
He knows what’s happening, because this isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Everyone in the precinct knows I’m “Burke’s kid”. They knew my father, so they weren’t surprised when I began to try to dig into the case of his death right after my first month.
As it turns out, the gang case is about to be closed, since there have been no leads for a while. Keeping it open for three years was the most they could do.
I’ve been trying to get a hold of Chief Noah long enough to have a proper conversation, but he always finds a way to wriggle out of my grasp.
I think they can smell my hunger for revenge, and they’re just letting me down easily by avoiding the topic.
I burst into the office and catch Chief Noah in mid-bite of his sandwich. For a moment, there’s true pain in his eyes as he sees me and realizes he won’t get to enjoy that sandwich after all.
He puts the sandwich down almost mournfully.
“Afternoon Chief! I hope I’m not bothering you. I really wanted a few minutes to talk.” I give him my best smile.
Chief sighs tiredly. “It’s not a great time, Burke junior. I have a meeting to get to very soon.”
Liar. You have no pressing plans.
I’m sure he regrets being friendly when I first arrived, telling me I should feel free to ask him for anything since he knew my dad.
I let the lie slide. “I know you’re busy, Chief, but I just wanted to talk about my dad’s case again.”
He begins to stand up, and I can tell he means to make his escape. “I’ve told you already, Burke. There’s nothing I can do. The case has stretched on for too long, and we haven’t been able to find anything…”
In desperation, I block the door to keep him from leaving. “No, wait! What if I have something?!”
Chief stops in front of me and cocks his head to the side, his expression one of exasperation. I’m fully holding him hostage in his own office now, and I can see that he’s almost at the end of his rope with me.
“Burke…” he begins, but I cut him off.
“I mean, I have something!” I hadn’t wanted to reveal it like this, but no one would even talk to me about it. This could be my only chance.
“You know how in my dad’s case no one could find the goods from the deal?”
Chief Noah frowns at me. “How do you know that? The information from your dad’s case is classified. Ugh, Nancy and her big mouth. Have you been talking to Nancy about this? You need to stop probing for information about this…”
I cut him off again. “No Chief, that’s not it.”
I did find out that part from Nancy, the secretary, but that isn’t the point.
“I’m saying I know where my dad hid it! I found his journal at our old house!”
Chief had been trying to go around me, but he stops at those words. “What? You know where the sixteen-million-dollar stash is?! Do you know what you’re saying?” He lowered his voice and pulled me away from the door, peeping out to make sure no one heard.
“Do you know how big that deal was? If we find it, it’ll be the biggest bust this department has ever seen. And we’re not the only ones looking for it. The gang members have been quieter lately, because everyone is still looking for that!”
I’ve never seen Chief look so serious before.
“Are you sure you know where it is?”
I swallow. “Yes, sir.”
A slow smile spreads on Chief’s face as his eyes light up. “Well, if that’s true, then I think this is more than enough to keep your dad’s case open.”