Page 7 of The Sinner's Son

Royce’s gorgeous mouth curved into a smirk. “Because the Golden Boy never got in trouble.”

“Until I met you,” Sawyer said. Rigby had summoned them to her office more than once when she’d been their chief.

“Were you the schoolyard snitch?” Kelsey asked Sawyer.

“Hell no. My brother and sister told me what happened to them.Stitches,” Sawyer whispered dramatically.

Royce looked around him to smile at Kelsey. “Can’t you just see him writing his classmate’s infractions in a notebook?”

“Absolutely,” Kelsey replied.

“Your names would be at the top of my snitch list,” Sawyer told them. “Beautiful people picking on the nerdy, chubby kid.”

Kelsey hooked her arm through Sawyer’s and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I would’ve kicked anyone’s ass who picked on you.” She pointed a lavender-tipped nail in Royce’s direction. “It would’ve been a weekly beatdown with this one, I bet.”

“Probably daily,” Royce said with a sigh. “I would’ve been jealous of everything Sawyer had, and it would’ve spilled out of me in the ugliest ways. It’s all I knew back then.”

“But you’re an amazing man now,” Sawyer said. If they were alone, he would’ve kissed Royce, but the chief wouldn’t appreciate PDA in the precinct, especially right outside his office.

A metallic clank interrupted their sweet moment, and Sawyer turned to look at Maeve. She’d removed the lid from the tin and helped herself to a cookie, watching them with a sappy expression on her face as she chewed. “I love your love.” Her face turned bright pink, as if she couldn’t believe she’d said that out loud. “Sorry,” she squeaked.

Sawyer smiled to ease her embarrassment. “That’s very sweet of you to say.” The click of high heels on a tile floor caught his attention, and he turned to see who approached. His eyes widened when he saw Audra Teller from Human Resources making a beeline for them. Her no-nonsense stride matched the serious cut of her navy pantsuit. The only vibrant color on Audra was her fiery red hair, which she’d slicked back into a bun. “The chief called HR without knowing why we requested a meeting?”

Maeve shrugged. “He must’ve done so after I left.”

“And now I know what it feels like to visit the principal’s office,” Sawyer grumbled.

“He actually saved us time by inviting her to join us,” Kelsey said. “Which means he knows why we want to see him.”

Royce nodded sagely. “So it would seem.”

Sawyer glanced at Maeve, who devoured the unfolding scene with wide, unblinking eyes, her half-eaten cookie now suspended partway to her mouth. He didn’t know Maeve very well, but she wouldn’t work for Mendoza if she gossiped, so he classified her reaction as natural curiosity. Their secret would be safe for the time being. If his mother found out about Kelsey carrying her grandchild through the rumor mill… Well, it didn’t bear thinking about.

Audra stopped when she reached Maeve’s desk and straightened her navy blazer. “I got here as soon as I could,” she said, sounding slightly winded. “Mendoza said it was important. Do you know what’s going on?”

Maeve shrugged before tipping her head in their direction. “No, but these are your likely culprits,” she said before taking a bite of her cookie.

Audra cocked her head to the side and studied them with shrewd, dark eyes. “I expected this day with one of you,” she said, her gaze lingering on Royce. “Will someone from Internal Affairs be joining us? Do any of you need union representation?”

Mendoza’s door opened before they could respond. “Oh, good.” The chief’s flat tone said he meant the exact opposite. “Let’s do this.” He turned on his heels, leaving his office door open.

Audra fixed Royce with a scowl. “What did you do?”

“Me? Why not them?” His mock outrage didn’t move her conviction one iota.

“Get real, Locke. Do you need a union rep?”

“Hey, I’m innocent,” Royce claimed.

“Well…” Kelsey said.

Sawyer immediately jumped on the bandwagon. “You are a major part of why we’re here.”

“I knew it,” Audra groaned. “I don’t know if I should run for the hills or hustle into the chief’s office to put out the fires you’ve started.” Both hands went to her hips. “Level with me. Are we talking tiny embers or a five-alarm blaze?”

“You’ll find out faster if everyone comes inside,” Mendoza called out from the depths of his office. “I’m not the one who instigated this meeting, and I have many things to accomplish today. Tick tock, you’re on the clock.”

Audra glowered at Royce before pivoting on her stilettos and marching into Mendoza’s office with her head held high. Royce and Kelsey filed into a single line and followed her at a more leisurely pace, leaving Sawyer to bring up the rear.