No one would back her up. Her car had been keyed. A lug wrench had been shoved through her radiator; the windshield had been shattered. The last straw was when she’d requested backup for an armed robbery she'd stumbled into at a convenience store on her way home from work. Although the dispatcher's radio traffic had indicated patrols were en route, no one had responded. It resulted in the store clerk being beaten and robbed. She’d been hospitalized for a gunshot through her thigh and one that grazed her arm. The perps had escaped. She’d lost consciousness waiting for someone to respond. Finally, back up rolled up. She'd never forget the words that were said. They’d thought she was dead. "Just what she deserved, the fucking bitch." She’d opened her eyes in time to see them step over her and wave off the responding EMTs. If she hadn't moved her hand to catch the EMT's eyes... She didn't know if she'd be alive today.
"Do you think I can't find you? I got your number, didn't I?" His low question jerked her back from her own personal hell.
"I'm not impressed. How is Lance, by the way?" His brother worked for the NSA. He'd be able to find her. The question was how much information Lance would pull for his brother. If she had to bet, she'd say the telephone number and nothing else. Lance wasn't stupid enough to put his career on the line.
An evil chuckle reached her. "Fine and talented."
"What do you want, Rich?"
"I want to pay you back for all your support and understanding, my lovely wife."
"I'm not your wife."
"Damn straight. Fucking bitch."
She shook her head, keeping silent. Rich was nothing like the man she'd met all those years ago. Something had happened to him during that undercover operation. This wasn't the man she’d married. That man had disappeared when he’d gone under cover. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
That question was met with a low, nasty, laugh. "You ruined my life."
No, that was his doing, and he’d ruined her life in the process. He'd destroyed everything she'd worked so damn hard to achieve, but she'd do it again. They'd sworn to protect and serve. She'd taken that oath and meant every word. "You did that when you killed a defenseless woman."
"I'm going to find you."
"Bring it, Rich, and when you come, I won't be unarmed." She hung up and carefully set down her phone. A glance at the time on the face indicated it had taken less than a minute for him to shred five years’ worth of effort to build a life without him in it.
A young man strolled by with her coffee, a basket of warm bread and a plate of butter. "Hi, I'm Dominque. Your soup will be right up. Both the soup and bread are bottomless, so if you want more, just let me know."
She smiled absently and picked up a piece of bread. The warmth felt good in her suddenly cold hands. She focused on the entrance to the precinct across the street. This was her shot to get her life back. Her handlers at Guardian had set up the interview. They knew everything about her past and had hired her anyway. She would have stayed with them if she hadn't gotten the interview here in Hope City. Although the pay was outstanding, and the organization was one of the best in the world, she wasn't fulfilled being a personal security officer. She needed to be back on the streets, as a detective. Her boss told her to let her know if her 'fuck-face of an ex' became a concern. Jade DeMarco was hell on wheels and didn't sugar coat anything. If Rich made a repeat appearance, she'd consider making that call, but until then, she had a new 'temporary' partner to meet. The man she would be assigned with permanently, a Grant Couch, was due to return soon from a year overseas. Couch was in the Marine Reserves and had been activated for a year-long overseas assignment. She was being placed temporarily with another detective whose partner had been selected to work a Federal Task Force.
The police colonel in charge of Special Investigations had called and asked if she'd report to work early. Fuck yeah, she would. Rambling around in her small apartment, she'd managed to bake enough food to stock her freezer for a year. She'd had to join a gym and worked to keep off the weight her boredom-baking