Page 61 of The Rookie's Second Chance

She leaned against the table, arms folded. "You were stressed, Jake. It's okay. I get it."

I shook my head. "No, it's not okay. I love you, Kayla. I should've been there for you, for us, not just the case."

She exhaled, a small smile touching her lips. "I love you too, but Jake, I think I found something."

That perked me up. "A lead?"

"Yeah." She motioned for us to head back to her desk.

Once there, she pulled up a photo on her screen—Officer Kilkenny and Jude, standing side by side like father and son.

I felt a chill snake down my spine. "Shit. Jude might as well have a 'get out of jail free' card if that's his old man."

Kayla's eyes narrowed as she pieced it together. "You think Kilkenny's been pulling strings?"

"It's more than strings. It's like he's been weaving a damn safety net," I said, anger simmering in my veins. "What if he's covering up more than just Jude's petty crimes? What if he's covering up... everything?"

Her gasp was sharp, her hand flying to her mouth. "You mean, like stalking Lexi?"

"Exactly," I said, leaning in. "And what if it's even darker than that? Kilkenny was the lead on both Garrett's disappearance and the John Doe case. What if he made sure Jude was never a suspect?"

The color drained from Kayla's face. "That would mean... he could've killed Garrett. To get to Lexi."

I nodded, the pieces clicking into place. "We've got to dig into Kilkenny's past. See if we can't find any more connections."

Kayla nodded. "I'll pull up everything we have on him. There's got to be something we missed."

"Look at this," Kayla said a few minutes later, pointing at the screen. "Every time Jude's been picked up, Kilkenny's been on duty, even if it wasn't his case."

I leaned back. "It's more than just a father covering for his son. It's corruption, deep and dirty."

Kayla's hand found mine, squeezing tight. "We can expose him, Jake. We can bring him down."

I turned to her, the determination in her eyes reflecting my own. "We will. For Lexi. For Garrett. For us."

Kilkenny and Jude, father and son, were at the heart of it all. We just needed to prove it. And we would, no matter what it took.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

KAYLA

At the station, Jake grabbed his keys with a sense of urgency. "I'm heading to check on Lexi and Luke. You going to be okay here?"

"Yeah, I'll hold down the fort," I replied, offering a tight-lipped smile.

Once he left, a nagging thought urged me to do something... normal. Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, or the need to connect with someone who wasn't tied up in all this mess. I remembered the flowers from Mandy and figured a thank you was overdue.

Driving to Jake's house felt strange, like stepping into a parallel world where life was mundane, and the biggest worry was whether you'd need a second cup of coffee. I shook off the unease as I parked and walked up to the front door, knocking softly.

Mandy opened the door, surprise flickering over her features. "Kayla, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to thank you for the flowers," I said, stepping inside when she gestured.

"Of course. Coffee? Tea?" she asked, leading me into the kitchen.

"Coffee, please," I said, settling at the kitchen table.

Mandy moved around the kitchen, her back to me as the coffee brewed. The silence stretched out.

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