I hadn’t wanted to take the chief’s office, but it was the only one in the building that gave access to the room where the chief met with the Directors.
It was a small room with one chair facing the Directors. I kind of felt like I was being interviewed at a congressional hearing.
The weird thing was that I couldn’t really make out what any of them looked like. They were fuzzy. By that I mean that I would see a glimpse of one of them, build a mental image, and then it’d fade like a dream does when you wake up. Honestly, it was rather annoying.
Each Director acted as the head of various organizations in Vegas, which was weird since none of them resided here. But that was the structure of things. Since they were Directors who represented their particular factions, and since they were assigned to oversee the Vegas PPD, that made them the default leader for the local chapter of their respective clans.
“You will do just fine,” said O, who was the lead mage at the Vegas Crimson Focus. “We will assist you whenever possible.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Let your seasoned officers guide you, Officer Dex,” warned Silver, the head of the Vegas Vampire Coalition. “If you do that, you may just survive this new job of yours.”
I gulped.
“Honestly, Silver,” O said, “was there really any point in that statement?”
“What? I was being serious.”
“Still, you—”
“I think you are the best person for the job,” chimed in Zack, the head of the Vegas Werewolf Pack. “You have certain abilities that go beyond the norm. It’s good you are in this position.”
That made me feel a little better, anyway.
“Thank you, sir.”
“EQK,” said O, after a moment, “have you any encouraging words for Officer Dex?”
“Not really,” said the head of the Vegas Pixies. “Kind of looks like a dick to me.”
I frowned.
“Right,” said O. “Well, we will expect to have meetings once a week until you get acclimated, Officer Dex. Then we will relax a little on that requirement. If anything arises that you need our assistance with, do not hesitate to contact us.”
“I will, sir,” I said, feeling that I was being dismissed. “And, uh, thank you.”
Chapter 11
Rachel was sitting in my office when I returned from the meeting.
“Hey,” I said, taking a seat.
“You okay?” she asked, still looking a bit lost.
I wanted to vent and complain and so on, but I caught sight of the little notebook that Chief Michaels had left me. It reminded me that I wasn’t just an officer anymore. I was the chief now.
That was sobering.
“I’m fine,” I said finally. “How are you?”
“Still pissed,” she replied.
“Nothing you could have done.”
She looked away. “Doesn’t help.”
“I know.”
“I could definitely go for a night on the town and maybe some reckless playtime—”
“Rachel,” I interrupted, bringing my head to my hands as the realization of what I was about to say struck me, “I can’t do that anymore. Not with you or anyone on the crew.” I then bit my lip. “Except maybe Lydia, if she ever gets a robotic body, I guess.”
“Sounds fun, lover,” Lydia said through a private connection.
“What are you saying, Ian?” Rachel said, eyeing me.
“I’m your boss now,” I replied. “It just wouldn’t be right.”
“Wow,” she replied. “I’m…” She was blinking at me. “I’m honestly surprised. That’s very…mature.”
The way she said that didn’t exactly give me the warm and fuzzies.
“Thanks, I think. Anyway, we’ll always be partners…” I glanced up. “Assuming you want that?”
“Of course.”
“Good.” I sighed and smiled. “Good.”
“I’m impressed, Ian,” she said and then stood up. “Or should I call you ‘Chief’ now?”
“Ian’s fine.”
“Glad you said that,” she replied. “It would have been weird.”
“Yeah.”
She walked out of the room, leaving me to my new office and my thoughts.
A lot had happened over the last week, and I hadn’t seen any of it coming. I could only imagine that it was going to get even more interesting as time rolled on. Where I was once just a cop following orders, I was now the guy giving those orders.
That was a lot of pressure.
On top of that, there weren’t many people in this world who had the libido that I did, meaning that I wasn’t bound to find release with ease. The members of my squad were the closest, especially Serena…. But they were all off-limits now.
Thankfully I was in good standing with the Vegas Succubus Society. In fact, I was a diamond-level member. They still couldn’t keep up with me one-on-one, but groups of them might work. Something new to try, if nothing else.
“Lydia,” I said, knowing she was tuned in, “I wanted to thank you again for trusting me last week.”
“Of course, sweetums.”
“You did a great job. I’m going to need to rely on you a lot.”
“You know I’m always here for you, lover,” she replied. “And, Ian, you’re going to make a great chief.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so, puddin’,” she answered. “I know so.”
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John P. Logsdon
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John was raised in the MD/VA/DC area. Growing up, John had a steady interest in writing stories, playing music, and tinkering with computers. He spent over 20 years working in the video games industry where he acted as designer and producer on many online games. He’s written science fiction, fantasy, humor, and even books on game development. While he enjoys writing lighthearted adventures and wacky comedies most, he can’t seem to turn down writing darker fiction. John lives with his wife, son, and Chihuahua.
Christopher P. Young
Chris grew up in the Maryland suburbs. He spent the majority of his childhood reading and writing science fiction and learning the craft of storytelling. He worked as a designer and producer in the video games industry for a number of years as well as working in technology and admin services. He enjoys writing both serious and comedic science fiction and fantasy. Chris lives with his wife and an ever-growing population of critters.
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by John P. Logsdon & Christopher P. Young
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Published by: Crimson Myth Press (www.CrimsonMyth.com)
Cover Art: Jake Logsdon (www.JakeLogsdon.com)
The Chief Page 4