one of us has more experience with undercover work, it’s Arcayos.
Making my way to Colburn’s office, I put on a well-practiced smile. Everything’s fine, Captain, nothing to see here. What’s that? The new cop you hired is the same murdering psychopath you’ve been trying to catch for the last week? Heh, who knew?
Once I’m inside his office, the captain steps back and I close the door. The blind on the door window clacks too loudly in my ears.
Arcayos—no, Haakon—is sitting in one of two chairs at the captain’s desk, across from Colburn’s high-backed leather seat. When the door clicks shut, he stands up. His expression is completely casual. Totally ambiguous, giving away nothing of how well he knows me.
I’m never going to get used to this.
I flash the captain another innocent smile. The mask has had plenty of use, but it’s supposed to be reserved for monsters who kick dogs, for child molesters and wife-beating scum. Using it on Colburn turns my stomach.
“So, what do you think, Captain? Did he get the job?”
Colburn goes around the desk to his chair. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Have a seat.”
Uh-oh.
I take the seat beside Arcayos, and he sits back down. Colburn takes his seat and leans on the desk, hands clasped.
“After reviewing Haakon’s file...” He pronounces it Hay-kon, the way it looks on file, then gives him a questioning look.
“It’s pronounced Hawk-en, sir,” Arcayos says in a perfectly polite voice that oozes charm. “You can just call me Hawk, if it’s easier.”
“Right. After reviewing Hawk’s file, I can see why you recommended him so highly.” He glances at the computer sitting on his desk. “He’s got great credentials. If you’ve been a cop in New York, you won’t have any trouble getting used to the shit we deal with here.” He nods to Arcayos.
“I can handle it, sir.”
I force a nod of agreement. He needs to be here.
Colburn presses a few keys and recoils in his seat, jerking his hands away. “Damn. I hate these things. What did I do wrong now?” He shakes his head, tapping a few more keys. “I lost a whole file a minute ago too.”
So that’s what he was swearing at,
“Why we couldn’t just keep everything on paper is beyond me,” he adds. “I don’t suppose you know anything about computers, Hawk?”
He doesn’t ask me. I can fake files, but I don’t know how to fix them when things go wrong.
“Not a thing, sir.” Arcayos spreads Hawk’s well-shaped hands, offering an apologetic smile. “If you can turn it on, you know more than I do. If I touch it, it’ll probably explode.”
“You too, huh?” The captain sighs. “I’ll have to get Louie or Ryan in here to look at it after we’re done. If you need anything techy done in this place, it’s those two you talk to.”
“Good to know.”
“All right, so, here’s the thing.” Colburn folds his hands on the desk again. “He’s in, yes. We’ll get him a gun and shield as soon as we’re done, but Cassidy, there is one other thing. He’s new, and the law says he has to shadow someone for the first month.”
Oh, great. Just great.
“But the mayor’s already putting a hell of a lot of pressure on me to get everyone paired up on a permanent basis. I’ve put off giving you a partner for as long as I can.”
Ohhhh, no. Please, no.
He puts up his hand as if expecting me to argue. “I know, I know, you work alone. So you said when I tried to pair you with Max. But I told Hawk you were the only one without a partner on the squad, and he asked to be paired with you. I think it’s a good idea, at least for now.”
Fuck. I’ll murder him.
Truthfully, my being paired up with him is the best thing that could have happened. I can keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn’t blow our cover. I should have asked to be his partner, and it was smart of him to do it. But none of this would be happening if he hadn’t put me in this fucking position to begin with.
Keeping my eyes on Colburn, I swear I can feel Arcayos’ smugness from here, especially when I see him nod out of the corner of my eye.
I give my boss a nod. Professional, cool.
“What, no arguments?” Colburn says. “No hullabaloo about being stuck with a ball and chain or being tied to the new guy?”