Chapter 3: The Rookies

NOTE - DOING A MASS RELEASE ON PATREON (ALREDY AT CHAPTER 10).

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Chapter 3: The Rookies

After thoroughly ahem*inspecting* Zoe in her living room, kitchen, bathroom, and even her walk-in closet, two days had passed, and Jack suddenly remembered an important task he hadn't completed.

With only three days left before reporting to the Wilshire Police Station, he needed to find a suitable place to rent during this time.

There were very few apartment buildings in Los Angeles, most were single-story houses or two-story villas. Although Jack didn't mind choosing a neighborhood with lower security, both Zoe and Hannah strongly objected to the idea.

Initially, Jack thought of asking John if he'd be interested in sharing a place. However, he forgot that John had a wealthy friend and was currently living in a luxurious mansion in an upscale neighborhood.

In the end, Jack had no choice but to move into Hannah's attic. The advantage was that he saved on rent, which he used to buy a used Chevrolet as transportation. However, the downside was that he had to serve as Hannah's personal chef and endure quite a few bite marks on his chest from the mature woman.

Regarding his relationship with Zoe, they both agreed to only meet once a month until they found a suitable solution.

On the day of the rookies' reporting, at the briefing room of the Wilshire Police Station.

Jack's gaze scanned around, recognizing a few familiar faces, and he knew the drill. He headed straight to the front row and took a seat at the table.

It was just like attending college classes, with the seasoned officers sitting at the back while the rookie cops were relegated to the front row.

After a few minutes, a disheartened Lucy walked into the room, looking as if she'd found a savior when she saw Jack.

Waving his hand, he gestured for Lucy to sit next to him, and Jack whispered, "What's wrong?"

Lucy started complaining with a sad tone, "Early this morning, my old car broke down, almost making me late. I had to push it for two blocks, and then a fool tried to rob me of my crappy car in broad daylight."

"Before coming in here, I ran into that fierce-looking Officer Bradford. He threatened me, saying that if he becomes my training officer, he'd make my life miserable. I'm having such a terrible day."

"Hmm," Jack weighed his words, trying to remind Lucy, "Although teasing rookies is a tradition, with your luck, I think you might end up with him for real."

"Oh no," Lucy's mood worsened.

Just before the briefing meeting began, John hurriedly rushed into the room, adjusting his uniform while looking around. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Jack and Lucy, then sat down next to them.

Without waiting for Lucy to inquire, a middle-aged African-American officer walked in. He was Captain Wade Gray, the on-duty commanding officer of the Wilshire Police Station.

As expected, when the time came to pair training officers with rookie officers, Lucy was assigned to the rugged-looking Officer Bradford, while John was paired with Talia Bishop, an African-American female officer.

As for Jack, he was assigned to Angela Lopez, a Latina officer who sat next to Hannah. When he glanced in their direction, Hannah winked playfully.

After the briefing meeting, as everyone left the room, Jack took a glance at John, who was left behind for a private chat with Sargent Gray. He silently mourned for him in his heart. As fellow middle-aged individuals, he knew that Sargent Wade Gray had a deep prejudice against this city's oldest rookie cop. John had a tough time ahead if he wanted to earn the captain's approval.

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"This car, can we still use it?" Jack frowned at the Chevrolet police car in front of him, while Angela Lopez, who was beside him, looked disgusted as this police car was her ride.

They had just arrested a pair of suspected burglars who broke into someone's home, and the bathroom they left behind was a mess.

After putting the two suspects in the back seat of the police car, Jack and Angela started chatting for a bit. But the duo in the back seat started messing around in the police car again.

After finally managing to get them back to the police station, they looked at the messy back seat. Both of them helplessly put on gas masks and rubber gloves to start cleaning up.

"I feel like I've lost something, and I'm not the same person I used to be. Every time I close my eyes, I see that horrifying scene. Why can't those burglars be like the attractive beauties in the movies?" Jack complained while driving.

"Don't mention what happened earlier again, or I'll give you the lowest score in your evaluation today." Angela Lopez sprayed the entire can of disinfectant in the back seat and warned him with a stern look.

Jack complied, turning his head and making a motion of zipping his mouth shut.

Angela Lopez's appearance was slightly different from what Jack remembered; her features were softer, and her distinctive brown eyes were quite charming. However, the life of a patrol officer was clearly taking a toll on her, and her skin showed signs of strain.

She had a somewhat tomboyish personality, speaking and acting in a straightforward manner, entirely different from the female officers who worked in the office.

"Turn right up ahead, there's a food truck in the park at the next block. We usually have lunch there," Angela directed Jack to make the turn.

After parking the car, Jack took out the large food container he had prepared before leaving home from the trunk and walked towards the makeshift tables beside the food truck. The other two rookie teams were already waiting for them.

"How was the morning?" Jack greeted John and Lucy as he approached the food truck.

"Looks like someone needs a comforting hug," Lucy said with an unattractive expression, indicating that she had a tough morning with Officer Bradford.

"Don't you Dare," Lucy glared at John, who was foolishly attempting to open his arms for a hug.

John tried to comfort his girlfriend, "Is the training officer trying to intimidate you? It's part of their job to test our reactions."

"Just think about how to please him; it's not that difficult, is it?"

"Easy for you to say," Lucy glanced at him sideways, "You must already know what your training officer likes to have for lunch, right?"

Seeing John left speechless, Jack ordered a Mexican burrito as Angela requested, along with two bottles of cola. He then turned and walked towards the three training officers who were chatting.

"What's this? Did you make it yourself?" Angela's burrito suddenly lost its appeal when she saw Jack opening the food container.

"Fried pork dumplings, want to try? I made them this morning, and they're stuffed with shepherd's purse and pork," Jack handed her a plastic fork since he wasn't sure if she used chopsticks.

"Here's some chili sauce, also made by me. If you're not afraid of spice, you can dip a little."

Angela nodded continuously while eating, "You can cook Chinese food too? I've never had anything like this before, it tastes amazing."

"Just trying to win the training officer's heart; it's something I'm good at," Jack smugly blinked at the two stunned rookies standing nearby.

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