Prologue
Four Years Ago
I pulled my mass of curls into a tight ponytail and straightened my shoulders. Nerves were bouncing around in my belly, but I was determined to not let it show on my face. It was my first day as the dispatcher for the Calla Bay Police Department, and I wanted to make a good impression.
I’d graduated from college last summer, but for the last twelve months, I had bounced around as a temp law clerk, waiting for an opportunity to go full-time. When I finally realized that wasn’t going to happen, I started applying for other jobs. I didn’t even remember applying for the police dispatcher position in the small town of Calla Bay on the other side of the state until they called me to schedule the interview.
Now that I was standing in front of the small brick building that housed the police department, fire department, and EMT service, I was nervous but excited to start my first grown-up job.
“You need help with something?”
A tall man with neat brown hair and deep green eyes was looking at me with concern. My heart skipped a beat, my already overstimulated nervous system short-circuiting as Ilooked at him. He wasn’t much older than me, but he carried himself with an air of confidence, although that uniform that he filled out so perfectly may have helped with that. I blinked myself out of my stupor and found my voice.
“Sorry. It’s my first day. I was just hyping myself up,” I told him honestly.
A dimple puckered his left cheek when he smiled at me. He strode over to me, standing shoulder to shoulder as we both looked at the building.
“Okay, new girl…”
“Scarlett,” I told him, my gaze bouncing to his quickly before turning back to the front of the police department.
“Okay, Scarlett. How’s this? You are smart. You are capable. You are going to kick ass today and every other day. Everyone is going to love you, and you are going to be the best damn… officer?”
“Dispatcher.”
“The best damn dispatcher this place has ever seen.” He shifted his head toward me slightly, a small smile on his full lips. “How was that for hyping you up? You ready for this?”
“I feel like I can take on the world after that speech.” I smiled back at him. Did my eyelashes just bat? God, I hope my eyelashes didn’t just bat.
He chuckled quietly, the sun making his green eyes sparkle.
“Come on. I’ll show you around and help you get settled. I’m Luke, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Luke. Let’s go kick ass today as the best damn dispatcher and the best damn… officer?” He grinned, nodding at my correct assumption. “This town has ever seen.”
Luke escorted me into the building, swiping his key card to gain entry to the space behind the front vestibule.
“Morning, Wilder.” A man dipped his head at Luke, his gaze doing a full sweep of my body. His blue uniform was as neatly pressed as Luke’s, but he didn’t fill it out the same.
“Morning, Souza. Is Amy in? I’ve got a new hire here.”
“Oh, good. So you’re not a friend of Luke’s?” Officer Souza said, his eyes on me.
“Souza. Amy?” Luke didn’t yell or raise his voice in any way, but the hardness of his tone whipped around us.
The man straightened his shoulders, his eyes on Luke, looking like he was addressing his superior. Maybe he was. I had no idea. “Yeah. I saw her heading toward the breakroom a minute ago, so if she isn’t in her office, she’s probably there.”
“Thanks.”
“It was nice to meet you,” I called to him as Luke escorted me further into the building.
Amy Lingard was the human resources manager who interviewed me two weeks ago. Her frazzled blonde hair and 1980s deeply curled bangs greeted us as soon as we entered her office, a steaming cup of coffee on her desk.
“Scarlett,” she cried, her round face breaking into a grin. “Welcome. I see you’ve met Officer Wilder already. Thanks, Luke. I’ll take it from here.”
“Good morning, Amy,” he said before turning to look at me. “It was nice to meet you, Scarlett. Welcome to the Calla Bay Police Department.”
“Thank you.”
