Page 24 of Fierce Hope (Hope Landing: New Recruits #3)

Less than an hour later, Jade sat at the glass-topped conference table back at Knight Tactical, fidgeting with a pen as she watched Kenji and Zara work their technological magic.

Their wide monitors cast blue-white glows on their focused faces as they pulled up banking records and location data on the wall-mounted screens.

“Got another hit on Delgado’s credit card,” Zara announced. “Gas station near the church, right before the incident.”

Kenji nodded, adding the data point to his timeline. “Building quite the picture here.”

Their easy banter wrapped around Jade like a familiar blanket, but she couldn’t shake the morning’s unsettling revelation. Chad Delgado. Sarah’s ex. The thought made her stomach clench. How had he gone from Sarah’s lovesick puppy to ... this?

The ambient hum of air conditioning felt too loud in her ears as she tried to focus on the updates scrolling across the screens.

A crackle of static broke through her thoughts as Ronan’s voice filled the room via speakerphone. “We found the kid’s ride,” he reported. “Front bumper’s damaged ... looks like paint transfer from Jade’s car.”

Axel’s voice chimed in from the background, “His living situation’s sketchy too. Four guys crammed into a one-bedroom condo. Place is a disaster.”

Jade’s pulse quickened as Ronan continued, describing the matching paint flecks they’d found.

“Seriously?” Zara made a disparaging sound. “Our boy is not exactly a criminal mastermind.” She shook her head. “Chad deposited five grand in his bank account the day after your hit and run. Unless part-time ski instructors get massive tips I don’t know about ...”

Jade stared at the bank statement, her throat tight. The evidence was mounting, neat and tidy.

“Time to call the police. This kid’s going down. We’ve got enough to have him arrested,” Deke declared, arms crossed as he surveyed the team around the conference table. “Hit-and-run plus suspicious deposits—Chad’s a flight risk.”

Jade nodded slowly, fighting the conflicting waves of relief and apprehension washing over her. “So we turn him in?”

“Absolutely,” Kenji confirmed, closing his laptop with a decisive click. “He knows we’re onto him. If we don’t act fast, he could skip town.”

Zara leaned back in her chair, stretching. “I agree. Better let the local PD take it from here. We can’t hold him legally.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her eyes held sympathy as she glanced at Jade.

Relief bubbled up in Jade’s chest at the thought of Chad being off the streets, but something nagged at her.

The scattered pieces of evidence felt too convenient, like a trail of breadcrumbs leading exactly where someone wanted them to go.

Like Zara said, Chad wasn’t the brightest guy.

He couldn’t possibly have arranged all this alone . ..

The thought followed her out to the parking lot, where one of Knight Tactical’s black SUVs waited.

Deke insisted on driving, his jaw set in a way that told her arguing would be pointless.

The late afternoon sky blazed golden, painting Hope Landing’s mountains in dramatic shadows, but Jade barely noticed the beauty.

Her fingers drummed an anxious rhythm against her knee as they pulled away from the curb.

“You think they’ll arrest him today?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Deke’s eyes remained fixed on the road, but she caught the slight softening around his mouth. “With the evidence we have, they’ll at least pick him up for questioning.”

Jade fell silent, watching familiar storefronts slide past. The sight of the police station ahead made her stomach clench.

She hated this—hated how the mere proximity to law enforcement brought echoes of her father’s world rushing back.

The weight of old secrets pressed against her chest, threatening to surface.

She forced her breathing to stay even, unwilling to show weakness. Not now. Not in front of Deke. But as they pulled into the station’s parking lot, she couldn’t quite suppress the tremor in her hands.

The Hope Landing Police Department’s lobby hit Jade with a wave of antiseptic cleaner and stale coffee.

Phones rang intermittently at the front desk, where a bored-looking receptionist barely glanced up from her computer.

Deke’s solid presence at her side anchored her, keeping the flutter of nerves in her stomach from spreading to her limbs.

“Howdy, neighbors.” A tall figure emerged from a side hallway, windburned face breaking into an easy grin. “Finally decided to let us in on the fun?”

Chief Croy Frazer looked more like he’d stepped off the ski slopes than out of a police briefing—tousled blonde hair, relaxed stance that matched half the town’s population. But Jade caught the mild rebuke beneath his casual tone.

Deke shifted beside her, shoulders squaring. “We tried to handle it internally first, but now there’s enough evidence?—”

“Save it for the interview room,” Frazer cut him off, waving them forward. Jade’s heart hammered against her ribs as they followed him past a row of cubicles. She had nothing to hide now. Right?

The interview room was cramped, its institutional beige walls making it feel even smaller.

Jade perched on the edge of her chair, hyperaware of Deke’s watchful presence as she recounted each incident for Chief Frazer.

The parking lot break-in. The forced off-road encounter.

The evidence connecting Chad’s car to the damage.

“Why didn’t you report the accident sooner?” Frazer interrupted, pen poised over his notepad.

Jade opened her mouth, but Deke stepped in. “We only found the paint transfer and deposit info today. We have a specialized team for that.”

The chief’s knowing look spoke volumes. “Yeah, I know all about Knight Tactical’s ‘specialized teams.’ Next time, come to us first, okay?”

Each detail she shared felt like another piece of herself exposed. Jade couldn’t shake the fear that too much scrutiny might lead them to dig deeper, to ask questions about her past that she couldn’t answer.

“We’ll bring Delgado in for questioning on the hit-and-run alone,” Frazer announced, setting his notepad aside. His casual demeanor had shifted to something more serious. “That’s enough for an arrest.”

Jade exhaled slowly, feeling her shoulders slump with relief. The tension that had been coiled in her chest all afternoon began to loosen, if only slightly.

“We’ll investigate,” the chief continued, “but if there’s more going on, we’ll need proof.” His eyes met Jade’s directly. “Keep an eye out for any new threats. This kind of thing rarely ends clean.”

Deke gave a curt nod. “We appreciate it, Chief.” His tone suggested their interview was over, and Frazer didn’t argue.

Outside, the winter sky had transformed into a canvas of oranges and pinks.

Jade pulled her coat tighter against the crisp mountain air, so different from the station’s sterile atmosphere.

She should have felt safer, knowing Chad would soon be in custody.

Instead, her stomach churned with growing unease.

“You okay?” Deke’s quiet question made her look up, catching his sideways glance.

Jade forced a smile that felt brittle even to her. “Yeah, just ...” She hesitated, then voiced what had been nagging at her all day. “I don’t think Chad’s smart enough to pull all this off alone.” She couldn’t quite keep the tremor from her voice.

“Not even close.”

They walked toward the SUV in silence, the weight of unsolved danger pressing down on them both.

Yet beneath that weight, Jade felt something else—a current of warmth, of unspoken connection that grew stronger with each shared crisis.

She wondered if Deke felt it too, this pull that defied professional boundaries and common sense.

The mountain sunset painted everything in soft gold, but Jade couldn’t appreciate its beauty. Not with the certainty growing in her mind that Chad’s arrest wouldn’t end this. It was just the beginning of something much darker.