Alpha Micah Black: Homecoming

Chapter10

A small, frustrated growl let loose from his throat. Chief Fenton Edwards, my boss, and that delicious-smelling she-wolf’s father, demanded my immediate attention. His crossed arms and scowl added to his obvious displeasure toward me.

“Chief,” I sheepishly grunted in embarrassment.

“Put those back and meet me in my office,” he ordered in his gruff voice.

I didn’t mess around and did as he commanded. I carefully replaced all items into their appropriate boxes and placed them back on the shelf. I left the evidence locker unit and locked the gate behind me.

1:09 PM, February 27th, Chief Fenton Edwards’ Office

I sat myself in my favorite hard seat opposite the Chief. Please note the sarcasm. He still doesn’t look pleased. And frankly, I really don’t blame him. I screwed up…big time. He closed the door before he took his place at his desk. Newspapers, memos, city-specific papers, and files cluttered his desk. My whoopsie came at the wrong time. Truthfully, any time is the wrong time for that behavior. Letting out a long, hard sigh, Chief Edwards began his rant.

“Do you understand why you’re here?”

Of course, I did…and no amount of sad puppy dog eyes could get me out of this mess.

“I f****d up, Chief,” I confessed.

“That’s one way of mildly putting it,” the Chief grumbled. “Be glad that I’m the one handling this instead of Rusty from Internal Affairs. He and Jabberwocky would have a field day.”

Ugh. Dealing with Sergeant Dickhead last time was a nightmare. Yeah, letting my pet peeve get the better of me may end up costing me my job.

“What’s going on with you, Mike? I’ve never known you to leave a scene when you were working it,”

“Huh? This isn’t about me roughing up that young punk, um, POI,” I replied.

“That wouldn’t have been the first time for you,” the Chief stated. “However, I am interested in the details that led up to you leaving the scene.”

“I may have or may not have gotten toothy with the POI…” I rambled out a poor excuse.

“Toothy?” The Chief’s one eyebrow shot upward. “Care to explain, Sergeant?”

So I did.

I allowed my canines to extend. My eyes followed, changing from dark blue to golden.

“Anything else?” He pressed me for more information.

I shook my head to take control of my wolf.

“A growl or a snarl…”

“Ah… Well, that’s one way for them to learn that the streets are RUFF out there,” the Chief slyly told a dad joke.

“I’m glad you find my predicament hilarious, Chief,” I stated. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or not.

“Look, that was bound to happen eventually. Now that we’re here, it needs to be dealt with. Did anything else happen beyond the growling and snarling?”

“Uh, the POI passed out,” I confessed. “Officer Reynolds called out to me and it shook me back to myself. Then he radioed in for an ambulance.”

“Uh-huh, I see. So, how do you think this situation should be handled?” The Chief asked for my opinion on the matter.

“Why are you asking me? You’re the Chief of Police, not me,” I balked.

“True,” he said, leaning on his desk toward me. “But you, Mike, are an alpha wolf. Don’t you think it’s high time you started acting like one?”

“What if I don’t want to, Chief?” I grumbled. “I left that life for a reason…How can I be one when my mate was wiped out with her pack?” No one knows who attacked them or why, hence the mystery surrounding it.

Letting out a slightly frustrated breath, Chief Edwards nestled into his chair. He nudged a photo frame toward me. It was a picture of me and the she-wolf hugging each other and facing the camera. I don’t remember that. I probably should, but I don’t.

“She’s not my mate, Chief. I’m sorry.”

“Ah…Mike, as a cop, you know we go by physical evidence, correct?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Loosen your necktie, expose your neck, and follow me,” he instructed, getting up from his desk. He went to his closet and opened the door, revealing a mirror. “Come on, give yourself a look over,” he challenged.

“And what am I supposed to see, chief?” I whined, looking into the mirror. My neck showed unbroken skin. Amber and I never had the opportunity to mark each other before…

“Tiffeny’s mark on your neck, Mike,” he said gruffly.

“Not to be disrespectful, Chief, but your eyes need to be checked. There’s nothing there,” I protested.

“Mike, I can clearly see it. It’s as obvious as the nose on your face.”

“I see nothing.” I bluntly said.

“Ah—” he sighed, closing the closet door. “---I was warned about this.”

“Warned about what?” I mumbled.

“Take a seat,” he firmly instructed. “Sign this. And it’s going in your employment file.”

Shit. If I get any more write-ups, I may have to go job hunting.

“Since you left Detective Officer Harper in charge, you will work under his lead with this case. Do I make myself clear?” Chief Fenton Edwards barked out his order.

But before he could finish the lecture, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A female uniformed officer awkwardly entered the room. The look of bewilderment had me and the Chief curious.

“So, what seems to be the problem, Officer Higby?” the Chief inquired.

“We’ve picked up a juvenile for shoplifting about an hour ago,” she explained.

“So… What’s so puzzling about that? I’m sure the young shoplifter’s parents are proud of their offspring,” I sarcastically rattled off. The Chief shot an eyebrow upward at my two cents.

“That’s the puzzling part, Sergeant,” she continued. “She claims to be your daughter.”

“Wait… What?!”

The information dumbfounded me. I have a daughter. No, that can’t be right.

“So… What should be done with her?” the officer asked me.

“Stick her in holding until my shift is over,” I suggested. I don’t have time for this. She’ll be fine. “Do I have your permission to head back to work, chief?”

He nodded and then added, “If I ever find out that you’ve referred to my daughter as a b***h again, make no mistake, I WILL come down hard on you. Do I make myself clear, Sergeant?”

I nodded, standing up from the chair.

“You’re both dismissed,” the Chief stated. “Detective, don’t forget to fix your tie.”

1:48 PM, Homicide Division

The same desks, the same presentation boards, and the same three people greeted me as I entered the small area on the fourth floor. I now know why Cass wasn’t here, but I still struggle with understanding.

“Should we pass out cigars, Mike? I hear you’re a father,” Isaiah mouthed off, snickering at the situation.

“Okay, Barton. That’s enough,” Captain Winston advised my colleague. “What’s the verdict on your write-up, Sergeant?”

“Detective Officer Harper will be the lead detective working the case,” I muttered. George, with eyes wide, looked over at me and gulped his silva back down his throat.

“Me? Lead detective?” He stammered. “There must be some sort of mistake.”

“There’s no mistake, George. Except for my own, for leaving you and the rest of the officers in the lurch,” I confessed.

“Besides, Fenton wouldn’t have put you in the lead position if he didn’t think you weren’t able to perform the duty,” Captain Winston further explained.

“And… If you get stuck, we’re here to help,” I chimed in with my encouraging words. “We’re a team. So, what lead should we follow next?”

True to form, the same icy breeze moved past me, and seconds later, the same photo dropped to the floor off the presentation board.

“I’ll get it,” I grumbled, preventing the Captain from straining his back. Hey, he’s not as young as he once was.

Picking up the photo and after getting a good look at it my brain doesn’t register who it is. I placed it back in its spot and plopped in my chair. My eyes wandered over to a photo frame on my desk. Damn it. It’s the same picture that Chief Edwards has on his desk. I removed it from my view by placing it in the bottom drawer. A small pain grips my heart immediately and I suck air.

“You okay?” George asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied, fighting back the tears that came on with the sudden pain. What the hell is wrong with me? I can’t let my personal life get in the way of my job.

“So, I was thinking of paying Ms. Smith a visit at the university,” George suggested his first lead to follow. “And if Isaiah could ask Demi and Raymond if they’ve been able to get any more information from Anderson Jacobs, that would be great.”