Page 31 of No Sweet Goodbyes

Logan sighs and then leans back in the chair to grab my door handle and close it without actually getting up from his seat. Then he slams the feet of the chair back down and stares at me with all the intensity of a man on a mission.

“Don’t fuck it up, Dom.” He lowers his voice like we’re having a secret conversation about a mission with the chance of being overheard. “Don’t do what I did, man.”

I open my mouth to tell him that I’m not him. That I haven’t broken Emma’s heart like he did Poppy’s, but I can’t force the words out.

I can’t force the lie past my lips, because it would be a lie.

I hurt her, and I knew exactly what I was doing while I did it.

“I ruined her,” he admits darkly. “I took her, and I broke her, and I hit below the belt. I make sure that no one gets her because she belongs to me. But that was where I messed it all up. She’s not mine. She’s no one’s. And now, I just have to wait for her to see me again. To give me a chance. You don’t want to end up like me. To end up like Remy was. He pushed Parker away a long time ago. Right into Danny’s arms. Look at all that drama and chaos.” He waves a hand around. “It’s like we live in a soap opera where the men are idiots. You have the chance to eliminate all of that bullshit and get the girl from the start.” He huffs. “Okay, enough with the girl talk. I gotta go prance around the office and make sure that Poppy sees me here.” He gets up with a snort. “Ten bucks says she quits and moves to Alaska.” He lowers his voice again. “Don’t tell anyone what I told you, or I’ll convince Linc we need to murder you and get rid of the body.”

When he opens the door and walks out, I feel like I’ve just been given the only warning I ever will from him. Although, it isn’t like I’m going to open my mouth about his relationship with Poppy to anyone. Not only do I like being alive, but it isn’t my business.

Still, when I follow him out and see Stryker hovering over Emma, with her smiling up at him, I lose my cool.

The chief’s office is open, so I walk in without knocking.

“Dom.” Alex waves a hand at the empty chair. “Go ahead. It’s not like I don’t have an entire department to run and a detective who keeps making my job more difficult by the hour.”

“Stuff it, pops.” I laugh. “Thanks for bringing Logan on with such short notice. I know my leaving isn’t convenient.”

His eyes darken. “Not in the slightest. But at least you gave me notice. You could have just up and left, so I’m thankful. But don’t think this buys you an easy ride when you get back.” His pen taps against the desk, like it always does when he’s trying to figure something out. “How’s she doing?”

“Good,” I answer honestly. “She’s probably better than her brother when it comes to remembering information or coming up with a creative way to speak to citizens. She’s got the persona to be a cop. On the street, she’s very no-nonsense. Gives off the aura of someone six feet tall, instead of her five-foot frame.”

“She fainted today.” He raises an eyebrow. “Have any information on that? Something I should be aware of?”

“She’s pushing herself.” I find myself defending her. “She’s working out at lunch, after work, and probably beforehand too. I think she’s going to pass at the academy, without a doubt.”

“Good.” He nods. “You know, I’m gonna have to give half the department the day off when she graduates. They’re all related to her.”

“Get coverage from Maine State Police,” I offer.

While he rambles on about the inconvenience of having another agency cover our jurisdiction, I try to figure out if there’s a chance that I might make it home before she graduates. Hearing the details of everyone else being there sends a spike of jealousy straight into my brain that I can’t get rid of. Logistics start flying while I tune out my boss. The academy is only eighteen weeks, which means I have less than six weeks to play with for leeway. I know I’m gone at least twelve, but shit always tends to go sideways. At least it does when there’s a reason for me to be in play.

“When’s she leaving again?” I pull out my phone and open the calendar app, counting forward eighteen weeks from the answer he gives me, and put it in as a hard return date.

Commotion in the bullpen draws our attention, and I lead the way out of his office into utter chaos.

Daisy, completely ignoring a furious Remy, runs around the room, knocking into chairs, desks, trash cans, and people like they are nothing.

“Someone gave her a treat,” Logan calls out over the cacophony of noise.

“I’m that someone.” Emma laughs and throws another treat in the air for Daisy. “She’s such a good girl.”

“I don’t know whether to yell or laugh,” Alex says from my side. “She’s not technically doing anything wrong, but Daisy’s an asshole.”

I stare at Emma, smiling and cheering for the dog who keeps spinning around and jumping in the air like there’s a pogo stick under her back legs. “Let her do it. Her life is about to change.” Everything is about to change.

In the midst of all the noise, I forget what I even came to talk to Alex about. But Emma does that to me. Her presence makes everything chaotic and noisy, all without even trying.

Alex turns around and shuts himself in his office, leaving me in the bullpen with the rest of the noise, and I have the briefest moment of regret for defending the chaos. Until Emma pauses and looks at me with her heart in her eyes.

Daisy jumps up on her lap, and Emma looks away to give the working dog a rubdown.

Remy joins me on the far side of the room, crossing his arms as he watches what’s happening. “Why are you letting her do that?” Usually, Remy at least tries to keep his K-9 partner from destroying the world.

He stares at Daisy and then looks over at Linc and Emma before making eye contact with me. “Just got back from the vet. She’s got cancer in her bones. They don’t know how long she’s got.” His voice is rough with emotion, and I can’t blame him. “But they’re gonna do their best to save her.”

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