Page 60 of Master's Rise

Chapter Eight

Two days

Cort

Trask is waiting with seven deputies in uniform when we pull in. Shit. “Boss.”

“Brother, you bringing applicants?”

He smiles. “Yeah. We have a problem and hope you have a solution.”

I keep the relief I feel from showing on my face. “Come on in and let’s see. Raid, get the Officers in early.” I look at Trask. “We meet in twenty but I have a feeling they’ll need to hear this.”

He nods following me in with the entourage. I stop a Prospect. “Get the meeting room set up now, our meeting is early today. Throw extra for the deputies.”

“Roger, Boss.”

On the way, I ask, “How come you wear a uniform? Detectives are usually in bad suits.”

They laugh. “Department shit. The cost of dry cleaning, replacement when they get wrecked on the job. I can’t remember all the excuses I heard. I took the uniforms since they bought them.”

Makes sense. I point out the meeting room. “Have a seat. I need to check Ops but it won’t take long. A Prospect will have coffee and food coming.”

They sit with no grumbling. Since they came to see me and it isn’t to arrest me, they need something. I wouldn’t bitch either.

I find Web at his computer. “Deputies are in the meeting room. You know why?”

“McCabe was fired yesterday. No idea why.”

Fuck, he was at the supplier. I hope that isn’t it. “We’re starting early.”

He nods and follows me into the meeting room. Falcon and Hade show with Amos.

“Jinx and Brinks?” I ask Hade.

“Here, Boss. Banks is on his way.” Raid, Jinx and Brinks sit. We have two seats left. We need a bigger table. The new meeting rooms are huge, I remind myself.

Every one of my Officers are grabbing food like they’re starving. I shake my head smiling. The deputies all have coffee in front of them. I get one too.

Banks comes in smiling. “The office is almost done. The app sounds crazy but it works great. We could use it for other things. Like Security or something.”

I look at him wondering how such a smart guy misses something so obvious. “We are. Well, Major is with our Brothers. That’s how he’s moving people.”

He sits looking surprised. Web throws a danish paper at him. Banks shrugs. “I do money.”

I look at Trask. “The deputies have a problem. They don’t need ours. What do you have, Trask?”

He pulls a pink paper out of his shirt pocket and hands it to me. “I was fired. Calling in the state wasn’t following the chain of command. The Sheriff told me not to bother looking for work in any county close.”

Shit. “You want a job?”

He looks torn and that worries me. “There are more fraudulent reports, Boss. I gave everything I had to the state, but they aren’t doing anything with it. More files went missing a couple of days ago. I need a job, but I can’t let this go.”

I’m up and pacing. My father, Jules and Byron aren’t getting investigated. “Does anyone have copies of the fucking reports?”

“No, Boss. I have notes from them, but not the reports.”

Sonofabitch! I hit the wall and Raid is at my side. “Brother, sit. Let’s figure this out and make it right.”