Page 29 of Taken from Her (Phoenix Ridge Police Department #4)

Diana handed over the evidence. "A threatening message was sent to Lavender's houseboat this morning. Professional quality suggests an organized retaliation for stumbling into yesterday's operation."

Morgan examined the message, her technical mind already working. "I can run analysis on the paper stock, printing methods, and maybe get DNA from the envelope. The timeline suggests this was prepared quickly after what happened yesterday."

"Or it was prepared in advance," Diana said. "Someone who anticipated that we'd get close and wanted to be ready."

Lavender watched the exchange, seeing Diana command respect and loyalty from her team. But she also saw something else—the weight Diana carried, the burden of keeping everyone safe while knowing that threats could come from anywhere.

"I want a full threat assessment," Diana continued. "Background checks on anyone with connections to yesterday's operation and an analysis of who might have had advance knowledge of our investigation timeline."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll coordinate with the federal task force and see if this fits patterns from their broader investigation."

After Morgan left, Diana sat heavily in her desk chair. The confident chief who'd just issued orders looked suddenly exhausted.

"This is what I was afraid of," Diana said quietly.

"What?"

"That caring about you would compromise my judgment. That I'd make decisions based on protecting you instead of protecting everyone."

Diana’s hands clenched and unclenched, and Lavender moved closer. "Is that what you're doing?"

"I don't know." Diana's honesty was raw, unfiltered. "When I saw that message, my first thought wasn't procedure or protocol. It was getting to you, making sure you were safe, and eliminating whoever dared to threaten you."

"That sounds human, not a compromised response."

Diana’s laugh was bitter. "Being human isn't what this job requires. The community needs me to think clearly and strategically. They need me to protect everyone equally."

Lavender understood then. Diana's walls weren't just about emotional control; they were about the terror of caring so much that you'd sacrifice everything else to protect one person.

The isolation of command meant carrying responsibility for everyone while trusting no one enough to share that weight.

"Diana, look at me."

Diana's dark eyes met hers, and Lavender saw fear there. Not of physical danger, but of emotional failure.

"You think caring about me makes you weak," Lavender said. "But yesterday in the forest, when you protected me, were you thinking clearly?"

"Perfectly."

"Were you strategic?"

"Yes."

"Did you get us both out alive while gathering evidence?"

Diana paused. "Yes."

"Then maybe caring doesn't compromise your judgment. Maybe it clarifies it."

The office door opened after a brief knock. Captain Michelle Reyes entered, followed by Detective Julia Scott and Lieutenant Angela Hodges.

"Chief," Michelle said, "Morgan briefed us on the threat. We're here to coordinate a response."

Lavender watched Diana straighten, professional mask sliding back into place. But something had changed. The fear was still there, but so was determination that felt different—not just duty, but fierce protection fueled by personal investment.

"The threat assessment indicates it was an organized response," Diana began, falling into command rhythm. "Someone with knowledge of our investigation timeline and personal connections."

"Protection protocols?" Angela asked.

"We need extra security for Lavender and the café. The threat specifically mentioned community spaces becoming the next targets."

Julia consulted her notes. "Community members need to know there's ongoing danger without causing panic."

"Lavender can help coordinate that," Diana said, then caught herself. "If you're willing."

"Of course," Lavender said. "The community trusts me to help keep them safe."

"Resource allocation?" Michelle asked.

"Whatever we need. Personal protection, surveillance, community patrols. I'm not losing anyone on my watch."

The phrase carried weight that went beyond professional responsibility. Diana's team exchanged glances that spoke to years of working together, understanding each other's motivations.

"Chief," Julia said carefully, "emotional investment can be an asset in cases like this. It provides motivation and insight that pure objectivity sometimes misses."

Angela nodded. "Your integrated approach has been effective. Community cooperation has increased significantly after you started working directly with Lavender."

Lavender felt something shift in the room's dynamics. Diana's team wasn't questioning her judgment; they were validating it and supporting not just her professional decisions but her personal ones too.

"The community sees the difference too," Lavender added. "They trust you because they see that you care, not despite it."

Diana looked around the room at faces that reflected loyalty and respect toward her. Her professional family accepted and supported the personal connection that had made her better at everything.

"All right," Diana said, decision made. "We’ll have a coordinated response where professional resources support community networks. We protect everyone by working together."

The team dispersed with clear assignments.

"Your team accepts us," Lavender observed.

"They accept that you make me better at my job." Diana's smile was small but genuine. "And that protecting you means protecting the community we serve."

"We're not so different, are we? You carry the weight of keeping the whole community safe. I carry the weight of keeping the lesbian community connected and supported."

Diana nodded slowly. "We both know what it means to be responsible for the safety and wellbeing of other people."

"And we both know what it costs to care that much."

"But we don't have to carry it alone anymore," Diana said.

Outside the office windows, Phoenix Ridge stretched toward the harbor where Lavender's houseboat and cats waited. Somewhere in the city, more threats moved in the shadows, but here in Diana's office, surrounded by evidence of professional competence and personal connection, Lavender felt safe.

Not just protected, but understood. Diana's fears about caring too much weren't weakness; they were the same fears Lavender carried about community responsibility. They were both protectors, both leaders, both women who'd learned that caring deeply came with the risk of devastating loss.

But it also came with the possibility of saving everything that mattered.

"What happens now?" Lavender asked.

"Now we go to the conference room and plan how to keep you safe while catching whoever the hell sent that message." Diana stood, straightening her uniform. "Together."

The conference room buzzed with focused energy. Diana's entire team had assembled around the rectangular table where maps of Phoenix Ridge covered every surface, red pins marking locations that had become part of Lavender's daily reality over the past month.

Lavender sat beside Diana, officially present as a civilian consultant but understanding that her role had evolved far beyond that simple designation.

Detective Morgan Rivers connected her laptop to the wall display while Captain Michelle Reyes coordinated patrol schedules on her tablet.

Lieutenant Angela Hodges reviewed tactical protocols, and Detective Julia Scott organized community liaison reports.

"The threatening note indicates an escalated retaliation from someone with detailed knowledge of our investigation timeline and personal connections to key personnel," Diana began, her voice carrying command authority.

Morgan pulled up the analysis on screen. "The message composition suggests professional resources. Quality paper stock, commercial-grade printing, and intentional word choice designed to maximize their psychological impact."

"What was the timeline?" Angela asked.

"Delivered within twelve hours of yesterday's forest operation," Diana replied. "Either it was prepared in advance or produced rapidly with significant resources."

Lavender studied the faces around the table, recognizing how Diana's team had adapted to include her in operational discussions. No one questioned her presence or suggested she wait outside while they handled official business.

"Community impact assessment?" Julia asked.

"The threat specifically mentioned community spaces," Diana said. "Lavender's Café serves as the primary gathering space for Phoenix Ridge's lesbian community. Targeting it would affect far more people than just Lavender herself."

Michelle consulted her notes. "Should we step up security protocols for civilian protection?"

"Personal security detail, surveillance expansion, and modified routine protocols," Angela replied. "But we need to balance protection with maintaining normal community operations."

Lavender leaned forward. "The community can't see this as police surveillance. They need to understand it as collaborative protection."

Diana looked at her, a silent invitation to continue.

"If you flood the café with an obvious police presence, people will stop coming. The space loses its function as a second home." Lavender gestured toward the maps. "But if we integrate the enhanced security with existing community networks, people feel safer rather than watched."

Morgan looked up from her notes. "Should we coordinate a community volunteer system with official backup?”

"Exactly. Buddy systems, communication trees, and volunteer patrols that connect with your patrol schedules." She had spent years developing these networks and felt confident this would work best without putting the entire community on high alert.

Julia wrote notes quickly. "Should we offer some community education about recognizing threat indicators?"

"We can handle that through existing meeting structures," Lavender said. "Workshop format with practical safety measures and emergency protocols that feel empowering rather than fearful."

Diana studied the tactical maps, her analytical mind processing multiple variables. "What’s the available resource allocation for sustained protection?"

"We need full department commitment," Michelle said without hesitation. "Rotating shifts for personal security, higher patrol frequency, and priority response protocols."

"Will we coordinate with the federal task force?" Morgan asked.

"They're tracking broader network activity," Diana replied. "This threat might connect to their ongoing investigation."

Angela reviewed her tactical notes. "Should we discuss safe house protocols if the threat escalates?"

Lavender felt a chill at the suggestion but understood its necessity. "Temporary relocation would mean closing the café and potentially other community spaces at risk. That hands them exactly what they want."

"Which is why we prevent escalation," Diana said firmly. "Whoever sent this message wants to disrupt community operations, isolate people, and keep them living in fear. We don't give them either outcome."

"One more consideration," Julia said as the meeting began winding down after another twenty minutes of discussion. "Media management. If this becomes public knowledge, it could create panic or vigilante responses."

"Community leadership handles internal communication," Lavender said. "I can manage the information flow through existing networks to ensure accurate information without sensationalizing the threat."

Diana surveyed her team. "Questions? Concerns about the integrated approach?"

"Chief," Angela said carefully, "the coordinated protection strategy between official and informal networks requires trust levels that we've never operated with before."

“True,” Diana said.

"Community members need to trust the police presence as protection rather than see us as an intrusion.

Likewise, officers need to trust community volunteers as assets rather than complications.

" Angela glanced between Diana and Lavender.

"Success depends on partnership that goes beyond standard civilian cooperation. "

Michelle nodded. "It requires acknowledging that community networks provide security capabilities we can't replicate through our official channels alone."

Diana straightened in her chair. "Then that's exactly what we do. We acknowledge community expertise, integrate our resources, and protect everyone by working together."

Julia smiled slightly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Assignments," Diana continued. "Morgan, coordinate a technical analysis with the federal task force. Julia, develop community education protocols with Lavender. Michelle, allocate resources for sustained operations. Angela, focus on integrating tactical security with community volunteers."

The team dispersed efficiently.

"Your team doesn't just accept our relationship," Lavender observed. "They see it as a professional asset."

"Because it is," Diana replied. "You make me better at this job. I’ve learned more about understanding community dynamics and building trust in the past month than in fifteen years of traditional policing, and that’s because of you."

"And I've learned that institutional resources can support community care rather than replace it or without it becoming overbearing and stifling."

Diana gathered the tactical maps on her desk. "We've built something neither of us could have created alone."

"Professional partnership and a personal connection that strengthen each other."

"Exactly." Diana stood, checking her watch. "Is there a community meeting tonight?"

"Seven o'clock. We’re having a safety workshop with practical security measures."

"I'll be there, not as an official police presence…but as your partner."

The distinction mattered. Lavender understood that Diana had learned to navigate multiple roles: police chief and community collaborator, law enforcement officer and a woman in love, institutional authority and a partner in informal networks.

"Diana?"

"Yes?"

"This morning when I got that threat, I was scared. Not just for myself, but for what it might mean for us, for the community, and for everything we've built."

Diana moved closer. "And now?"

"Now I understand that threatening us proves we're worth protecting." Lavender stood, gathering her belongings. "Someone sees our partnership as dangerous to their agenda. That means we're doing something right."

Diana's smile was small but genuine. "We are. And we're going to keep doing it."