Page 131 of Wild Card
Chloe snorted. “That’s a given. You’ve been the true leader of the station since I started.”
Zach nodded. “That’s true.”
He was subdued, eyes focused on his beer rather than on me. Obviously, something was bothering him.
“What is it, Zach? I want you to be honest with me. That’s why we’re here. If you don’t want me for sheriff…”
“It’s not that,” he said, flicking a quick glance my way before averting his gaze.
I glanced at Chloe to see if she knew what was up. She only shrugged.
“Spill it, Deputy,” I ordered in that authoritative voice that Axel enjoyed so much.
“I was a coward!” Zach blurted, ears turning red. “Ava knew something was going on in that office, and I should havedonesomething.” He looked at Chloe. “I should have done what Dalton did. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Hale is intimidating. I get it.”
Zach’s jaw tightened. “I’m an officer of the law. I can’t let bullies intimidate me.” He sucked in a breath. “So if your first act as sheriff is to fire me, I’ll understand. Maybe I’m not fit for the uniform.”
“Zach…” Chloe said, voice pained. “I could have kicked Hale’s ass if I needed to. I was just as intimidated as you were. He has a lot of power over us. I don’t blame you for hesitating.”
“Well, I do,” Zach said.
“Zach, when I walked in, you and Ava were talking about Chloe being in there with the sheriff. You were still processing the situation. If I hadn’t shown up, you would have done exactly what I did.”
“I don’t know,” he said, sounding dubious.
“Either way, the problem was Hale,” I said firmly. “Your sheriff should be looking out for your best interests. That’s why I invited you both here today. I want to hear what you think would make your jobs easier and safer.”
“You’ve done the job longer than us,” Chloe pointed out.
“And I’ve got a lot of ideas,” I said. “But if I take this job, I won’t just be serving and protecting the county. I’ll be serving both of you. I don’t take that responsibility lightly.”
Losing my partner still weighed on me. It always would. But Axel had been right. The best way to honor him was to make sure my colleagues were as safe as they could be.
“Well,” Chloe said thoughtfully, “I don’t like the way Hale is always closed off, the door shut. It makes it harder to approach him about problems.”
“Open-door policy seems fair.” I took out my notebook and flipped it open to write that down. “What else?”
Zach haltingly contributed a concern about how long it took to replace damaged equipment. I wrote that down too.
Once they got going, there was a lot more to say. About the patrol protocols, staffing schedules, the reporting system. We finished our beers, and my notebook was full of ideas by the time our hour was up.
“This has been great, guys. Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” Zach said earnestly. He was in his early twenties, still young enough to be passionate and enthusiastic about the job. I’d watched Hale’s unethical practices dim his idealism over the past two years, and it was damn sad. Today, there was that old spark of excitement in him, though. “It’s been a long time since anyone cared what I thought.”
Chloe nodded. “I haven’t been here long, but it’s nice to be taken seriously. You’re gonna be a great sheriff, Dalton.”
We parted ways in the parking lot, Chloe heading for work—she’d stuck to soda at the bar—and Zach driving home because he was off duty.
I followed Chloe’s patrol car back to the station. Even if I became sheriff, it would be a few months before I worked there again, so I wanted to pack up my belongings.
When we went inside, Ava waved us over to her desk. There was yelling echoing from the sheriff’s office. Hale’s voice could be heard through the door, though I couldn’t make out more than a few curse words.
“What’s going on?” Chloe asked.
“The mayor is in with the sheriff,” she said. “He showed up about half an hour ago. They’ve been closed up in there ever since.”
