Page 3 of Trigger

“Hey,I was just trying to be helpful. And why are you always standing up for him?You’re not his mother, and you’re certainly not his girlfriend because healready has one.”

“I’mhis friend, you prick,” Shelly said, red in the face. “Ever heard of theconcept?”

“Sure,”he replied, chuckling. “Ever heard of false hope?”

Sheflipped him off, her mouth filled with hairpins as she was trying to tame herfiery, red hair.

“She’snot standing up for me, Adam,” I said, clenching and unclenching my fists underthe desk. “Cut it out.”

Justbreathe.

“ThisBelgian guy,” Bruce mumbled, pulling a gherkin out of his beard and tossing itinto the trash. “People say he was the best detective in his precinct before…well, before he fucked it all up. As you do.”

“Is hethe one they call Viking?” Ruth from HR asked, sounding intrigued.

Shellygiggled. “Why? Does he look like one?”

“Idon’t know, but I hear he’s the type who hits first and asks questions later.”

“Mypoint, exactly,” Adam said mockingly. “You’re a match made in heaven, Trigger.”

I feltwarmth invading my cheeks, but I wouldn’t look at him. If he knew he wasgetting to me, he would have a field day, so I kept my eyes down and my mouthshut.

Whenmy phone pinged with a text, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Perfecttiming, Vic.

“Anyway,I hope you have more luck this time,” Adam said, smirking. “We all know howyour last partner ended up.”

Icouldn’t remember jumping out of my chair or grabbing him by the throat. Iwasn’t aware of his face turning purple or his eyes bulging out as my fingersdug into his neck. The only thing I knew was my vision turning red until it wasall I could see. The rush of blood in my ears made all the other sounds fadeaway into the red-tinted background. An overwhelming sense of peace overtookme, and then there was just stillness and... quiet.

Onlywhen I felt hands grabbing me, trying to overpower me, did I realize somethingwas wrong. Only when I heard everyone shouting around me did I return to mysenses. I realized I let myself snap yet again when I knew… Iknewwhatit did to me.

“Get agrip, man,” Bruce said, sounding alarmed. “Don’t let the chief see you likethis.”

“That’sright, Trigger.” Adam wheezed the words out with his hand on his throat, whichbore the red, ugly marks of my fingers. “Don’t let anyone see what you reallyare. A fraud. A charlatan. A fucking joke.”

Ipunched him in the face before anyone could stop me, as that red sensationengulfed me to the point of bursting.

“Enough!”Chief Bibb bellowed, his voice booming across the room. “What is this? Akindergarten? What are you doing, you bunch of losers? Fighting each otherinstead of solving crime? Sending me to an early grave? You, Markland. One morestunt like this, and I’ll suspend you for so long that people will forget whatyou look like. Bruce, take Markland to the ER and get him out of my sight.Carter, go home.”

“But,Chief—” I protested.

“Home!”Chief Bibb shouted. “I don’t want to see your face here until tomorrow, oryou’ll regret it. I’m sick and tired of you… all of you. You are acting like abunch of preschoolers, not police officers. This may be a shithole, and you maybe a bunch of losers, but this is my shithole, and you are my losers. Now goback to your jobs, or I’ll fire you all!”

Thorsen

“You’rea disgrace,” Chief Stensland hissed as I pulled away with a grimace, dodging aspeck of his saliva before it could hit my face. “An utter and absolutedisgrace.”

Hisflushed, angry face conveyed pretty much the same message, but I kept my coolbecause I was a cool guy.

“Yo,Tye!” Levi “The Bazooka” Bradley bellowed across the room. “Beer and chipsafter work?”

“Countme in,” I replied, glancing at him over my shoulder.

ChiefStensland, unfortunately, didn't care about my dinner arrangements.

“Whatyou did will not affect only you, but also the entire NMPD,” he shouted,getting into my face. “Are you even aware of that, you selfish degenerate?”

---