Chapter 2

It wouldn’t be easy. At best, this joker would give Doyle the silent treatment unless it was absolutely necessary to talk. At worst, it’d be round after round of abuse as they worked side by side every day.

“Kord has a history. Just like you, McCann. Well, maybe not just like you. Kord is kind of like a pimple. You…you’re like an open wound.” The captain smirked. “You’ll find out just how sorry each of you is, as you work together.”

“You’re kiddin’ me, right?” Kord’s deep voice was filled with barely restrained anger.

“I don’t make jokes,” Captain Herd snapped. “I just put bugs like you together in a jar and watch what happens.”

Things grew quiet. Doyle looked at Kord who stared at the floor as if his eyes could burn a hole in the carpet.

“We’ll handle things, Captain,” Doyle said, needing to fill the silence. He had no idea how they’d handle things but he wasn’t going to let this stop him from keeping his job.

“You’ll have to. And you will. Kord, here, knows all about getting close to people he can’t stand and knows how to make things work out. He’s been working undercover, that’s how they operate. How long’s it been?”

“Three years. Three years down the toilet. Just because—”

“We won’t get into it now,” Herd cut him off and reached for a folder on his desk. Picking it up, he flipped it open. “This case is yours now. Let’s see how you do.”

“This a test?” Kord asked. Another flare of anger. The guy was a hothead. Just what Doyle needed in his life. Like he needed his teeth pulled with pliers.

The captain was silent a moment, considering the idea. “Yeah, you could say that. And there’s a lot ridin’ on it, too.”

“Oh, yeah? What do we get if we pass?” Kord again barely concealing the hostility in his voice.

“It’s not about what you get if you pass.” The captain smiled, an evil grin that perked up his scraggly mustache.

“What happens if we fail?” Doyle figured he already knew but he had to ask. Just to confirm

“That’s the sweet part. This case is your last chance. Both of you. You don’t come back with a good, clean collar, you’re gone. Both of you blisters will be popped and drained. No pensions, no gold watches, no good-byes. You’ll be drummed out.”

The captain smiled in the silence that followed his words. Doyle could tell the smile was genuine, mostly because he’d never seen Captain Herd look so happy or satisfied.

“So that’s it then?” Doyle felt something like relief. Maybe this was the chance he was looking for. A chance to prove himself again and maybe…but, no, he knew that no one would ever accept him again the way it’d been before the Incident. But if this went well, they’d know they’d have to live with him on the force and there was nothing they could do about it. He wanted to keep being a cop more than anything. Now, though, the decision was almost out of his hands. Unless he could solve the case. And he intended to do just that. No matter who they paired him with.

This was the kind of challenge Doyle liked. If they failed, it wouldn’t be because he gave up. He didn’t know if Kord felt the same way and he didn’t care. He would work enough for the both of them. He’d have to if Kord proved to be as much of a jerk as he seemed.

“Naw, that’s not all,” the captain said. He tapped a brown finger on his scarred wooden desk. “You’ve got three weeks. Which, in my book, is generous.” 2

“You wanna drive?” Doyle dangled the keys in front of Kord. The former undercover cop had been silent since they’d left the captain’s office. Kord glanced up, as if he’d heard a sound he couldn’t make out. Doyle looked into the man’s clear green eyes and saw something more than anger. Pain? Regret? Frustration? Doyle couldn’t tell.

“You sure you want to risk your life? I mean…isn’t that what you’re not so good at doin’?”

The remark hit home and Doyle knew that’s exactly what the blond hunk was aiming for. Kord was establishing the pecking order and, even if he was a Class A fuck up, he knew he was better than Doyle. That’s how most of the other cops saw things. It made life miserable and time at work almost unbearable. But Doyle had decided to endure the pain, push it to the back of his mind. He could do that now with this guy, too.

“How bad can you be?” Doyle regretted saying that as he folded himself into the passenger seat. He had no idea what kind of yahoo this guy was although the outlines of the problem were slowly emerging. He steeled himself for the ride.