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.She's not in the state until eight o'clock tonight."Craig grunted and sat back, chewing his bagel."I hate doing nothing."Hawk didn't respond.Craig's phone rang and he plucked it out of his pocket just as Dani and Vivian came into theroom, laughing.Craig answered his phone but couldn't hear well over the girls.He thought he heard WestShepherd say he was in trouble.He strode into his office and shut the door."Sorry about that.I had to step into my office for privacy.What's the trouble?" he said, even ashe wondered how much more trouble he could handle.***Craig left his office, his mind spinning.Hawk was still sitting at the kitchen table, his plateempty and his eyes full of questions.Other than him, the room was empty.Craig sat down across fromhim."Do you know anything about Operation Arma?"Hawk stared at him for a long time before answering."Yeah, it's just a rumor though."Craig felt his face twist."What's the rumor?""It's supposed to be a secret base somewhere in Nevada where the military is developing somesort of super weapon.Maybe even experimenting with weapons they took off of alien spacecraft,"Hawk said, his voice betraying his disbelief.Craig felt a stone weight roll onto his chest."That was West, the firefighter who used to workwith Emma.He said it's not a rumor.He and his girlfriend just escaped from there and now they arebeing hunted.He says he needs my help.""Hunted," Hawk muttered."By our government?""Yeah," Craig said softly.Hawk made a face."That's bad business.Ten times worse than Oberlin.""Yeah.""And it sure is coming at a horrible time," Hawk mused."I know." Craig sat heavily, feeling like he weighed a ton."Is this the guy who helped you with the mercenary case last month?"Craig nodded, his expression placid, almost sad.Silence stretched through the room as a secret conversation passed between the two friends.They both knew what an awful thing this was to get involved with.They both also knew that Craigcould never turn the other way and pretend he knew nothing about it when an innocent person trulyneeded his help.Hawk finally spoke."Emma would want you to help if you could."Craig stood up, decision made."I'll be back this evening," he said roughly and disappeared outthe front door.Hawk watched him go and said a small prayer.Within a moment, Craig came back in."Can you take Emma to lunch at noon?""Yeah.""And can you pick her up from work?"Hawk nodded.Craig nodded."I'll text her and let her know the change of plans.""Wait, I have to check in with the judge at noon.Tell her it will be 12:30 or 1 before I can getthere."Craig grunted in acknowledgement, his fingers flying over his phone as he backed out the door.Hawk watched him go again, knowing he did not need to say any more.Craig would be ascareful as he could, and he would call if he needed something.Chapter 12Emma walked up the stairs of the fire department, on her way to her big meeting, her notes andher laptop under her arm.She pushed open the fire exit door and walked into the large open areawhere her secretary sat."Sylvia, I can't believe you're still here," she said.Sylvia leaned back and rubbed her pregnant belly."I know, this baby is never going to come.""When is your due date again? Soon, right?""It was the day before yesterday," Sylvia said with a sour grin on her face.Emma winced."You should just go home.You look."Sylvia raised an eyebrow."You look great, but you have to be uncomfortable."Sylvia laughed."I just want to save all my vacation for after the baby comes out."Emma nodded, wondering how much maternity leave lieutenants were allowed.Sylvia waved her towards the meeting room."You better get in there.The chiefs are alreadygathered.You're up first because the fire inspector is running late.""Great," Emma grumped.She pointed her feet towards the room and forced herself to head in.The new chief sat at the head of the long table, eyeballing her.She wasn't late she was earlyactually, so she wasn't worried about that, but he always seemed grumpy.She hadn't had too muchexperience with him yet.He reminded her of a scary Johnny Cash and had some weird thing about alltheir phones."Phone," he barked as she entered the room.Emma took her phone out of her pocket and slid itonto the table in front of the chair she would be sitting in.The chief opened his hands in an expectantgesture that caused her to hurry to the front of the room and pull out her laptop.Forty-five grueling minutes later she had given her report and answered every question theycould think of.When nobody said anything for three minutes she sat down and shuffled her notes,waiting for someone to move on.The chief grabbed the intercom phone in the center of the desk."Sylvia, tell York to get in here!" He bellowed.Emma put a finger to one ear and wondered why heused the intercom at all.Sylvia had to be able to hear him through the door.A voice came over the intercom that she didn't recognize."I'll track him down, Chief."Emma eyed her phone in front of her.Its screen lit up as the text message came across.Herfingers itched to grab it but she knew from experience that the chief would ream her out for it.Shelooked around at the other lieutenants and assistant chief in the room.They all avoided her gaze,knowing what she was thinking.Cowards.Just as Emma was about to grab her phone for a quick second, Carl York came bustling into theroom carrying a large, twisted piece of metal.His eyes met hers and she wondered if he had found outVivian was her sister yet.York hurried over and dumped what was obviously a very heavy piece of metal on the tableright in front of Emma.It wobbled to one side and fell over and she heard her phone crunch.Emma sucked in a breath and snatched her phone up.A long, straight crack ran from one cornerto the other, rendering it completely useless.Fantastic.***When Emma was finally released from the meeting from hell, she was the first one out into thereception area.A woman she didn't recognize sat at Sylvia's desk.A temp from upstairs maybe."Where's Sylvia?"The woman snapped her gum and swiveled her chair around to face Emma."Her water broke.She's probably already at the hospital," she said like Emma should already know that.Emma ignored her as excitement filled her."Oh that's wonderful." She couldn't wait to visitSylvia and hold the brand new baby.Her stomach grumbled and she looked at the clock.12:10."Any messages for me?"The woman snapped her gum again and shook her head no.Emma took off down the stairs,hoping Craig was waiting for her in her office.When she arrived there, it was empty.She walkedoutside and looked in the parking lot.His car was not there.Emma bit the inside of her lip and look down the street.She was starving.She shouldn't have towait for him to show up in order to go get a bite to eat.There was a place on the corner less than twoblocks away that had fabulous spring rolls.Her mouth began to water.Behind her, her office phonerang.She ignored it for just a moment, then turned and walked back inside.Just as she made it to her office, the phone stopped ringing.She picked it up anyway and dialedCraig's number but when it went straight to voicemail she made up her mind and hung up.It wouldonly take her a few minutes to get lunch and be back.She'd get some for him too and they could eat inthe break room.Emma pushed out the door into the midday heat and walked quickly to the sidewalk.She'd beback before he ever even missed her.***Sylvia's replacement, Candi, swiveled in her chair a few times, wondering if she couldsomehow switch the chair with the one at her desk upstairs before Sylvia came back.This one wasmuch more comfortable.As she turned back to the desk her eyes fell on a large white note in Sylvia'shandwriting.For Lt.Masterson when she gets out of the meeting
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