6 years later

Riley Torres had never imagined herself in uniform, least of all the kind that came with a badge and a gun. But life had a way of pushing you into places you never thought you'd go. She stood in front of the precinct's entrance, her fingers curling and uncurling around the strap of her duffel bag, eyes fixed on the police insignia etched into the glass doors.

Inside the precinct, the air was heavy with the smell of old coffee and paperwork. The place was a mix of chaos and routine—phones ringing, officers hustling from one task to the next. And standing near the front desk, looking every bit as immovable as a mountain, was her training officer, Luke Maddox.

"Look alive, Torres," Maddox barked the second she stepped in, his sharp eyes narrowing as he sized her up. "You're late."

Riley didn't flinch, though his tone had an edge that could cut steel. Maddox was known around the department for being a hard-ass, especially when it came to rookies. The stories about him were practically legend—how he'd driven at least three recruits out of the academy because they couldn't handle his intensity.

But Riley wasn't the type to back down. She'd grown up tough, hardened by a life that didn't give second chances.

"I'm two minutes early," she shot back, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maddox's jaw tightened. "Two minutes early means you're still late in my book. I don't tolerate slackers."

She could feel the tension already brewing between them. It had been that way since day one of their partnership—like oil and water, two volatile forces clashing at every turn. But she had to admit, Maddox knew his job. He'd been in the game for over a decade, respected on the force, but he was hard to like.

He wasn't just strict—he was relentless. Maddox had made it his mission to push every trainee to their limit. If you didn't measure up, you didn't make it.

"Get your gear," he ordered, turning on his heel and heading toward the squad car without waiting for her to follow.

Riley gritted her teeth, grabbing her vest and slinging it on as she jogged to catch up. As she slid into the passenger seat, Maddox was already pulling out of the lot, his eyes focused dead ahead.

"Today's your first patrol," he said. "No screw-ups. You keep your mouth shut, your eyes open, and your hands where they need to be. You listen to me, and only me. Understand?"

She rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. "Yeah, I got it. I know how this works."

"No," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't. This isn't some classroom exercise. This isn't about ticking boxes or passing exams. This is the real world, Torres. People die out here."

Riley clenched her fists in her lap, biting back the retort that danced on the tip of her tongue. She knew people died. She'd lived with death her whole life. But she also knew she was more than capable of handling herself, no matter what Maddox thought.

They rode in silence for a while, the city passing by in a blur of noise and flashing lights. As it often did on difficult days, Riley's mind wandered back to Josh, to his funeral, the cold stone of his grave. What would he think of her now? She couldn't fail. Not after everything that had happened.

After a long stretch of quiet, Maddox broke the silence. "You think you can do this, don't you?"

Riley glanced at him, his profile sharp and unyielding. "What?"

"This job. You think you can just waltz in here with all that attitude and make a difference. But let me tell you something, Torres—this job will eat you alive if you're not careful."

"I've been through worse," she said, her voice steady.

Maddox's eyes flickered, just for a second, before his mask of indifference snapped back into place. "We'll see," he muttered.

As they approached their first call, the tension between them was palpable. Riley knew Maddox didn't trust her, and she wasn't sure she trusted him either. But there was no room for doubt now. She was here for one reason—to make sure no one else became a victim like Josh.

And no matter how hard Maddox tried to push her away, she wasn't going anywhere.

___________________________________________________________________

Riley's patience was already wearing thin by the time they pulled into the alley where Officer John Meyers and his rookie, a nervous-looking guy named Tim Preston, were waiting. Meyers had been on the force for over two decades, and unlike Maddox, he was known for his laid-back approach to training. He'd always carried an easy smile, a stark contrast to the rigid authority that Maddox exuded.

"Hey, Maddox," Meyers greeted with a grin, nodding at Riley. "You get the new meat too, huh?"

Maddox grunted in response, his arms crossed as he leaned against the car. Riley stood a little straighter, ignoring the way Tim kept fidgeting beside Meyers. The kid looked barely out of high school, but that didn't make Riley feel any better about being thrown into this situation.

"You two ready for some real action?" Meyers asked, jerking his head toward the dilapidated building behind them. It was an old warehouse, abandoned for years, windows shattered, graffiti marking every inch of the crumbling exterior.

"Dispatch says someone's been hearing noises inside," Maddox said. "Could be squatters, or worse."

Riley felt her pulse quicken. She had a feeling where this was going.

"You know what?" Meyers said, rubbing his chin theatrically. "I think this sounds like a perfect opportunity for our rookies to prove themselves."

Tim's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

Maddox's lips twitched into a shadow of a smirk. "I agree. Let's see what the rookies are made of."

Riley shot a glare at Maddox, but he didn't even look in her direction. Of course. It wasn't enough that he rode her hard on every little thing; now he was going to throw her into some abandoned building with nothing but a nervous wreck as backup. She could feel the heat of his challenge radiating off him, daring her to complain.

Riley straightened her shoulders and squared her jaw. "Fine."

Meyers slapped Tim on the back. "See? Your partner's got the right attitude. You should learn from her."

Tim gulped audibly, glancing at Riley for some kind of reassurance. She gave him a quick nod before stepping toward the entrance. The old door creaked open with a groan as they pushed it aside and stepped into the darkness.

Inside, the warehouse was worse than it looked from the outside. Broken glass crunched under their boots, and the smell of mildew and rot filled the air. Long shadows stretched out ahead of them, cast by the fading sunlight filtering through the boarded-up windows.

"Great," Tim muttered under his breath, his voice shaky. "This place gives me the creeps."

"Just stay close," Riley said, trying to keep her voice steady. Her heart pounded in her chest, but she refused to let Maddox—or Meyers, for that matter—see any sign of hesitation.

They crept further inside, their flashlights cutting through the gloom. Every noise, every rustle, sent Tim into a near panic, and Riley was starting to feel her own nerves get the better of her.

Then, from the far corner of the building, something moved. Fast.

"Did you see that?" Tim yelped, his flashlight shaking.

Riley's throat tightened, but she kept her light steady, moving toward the source of the sound. Something scurried again, this time across the floor in a blur of fur and claws.

"Shit," Tim swore, backing up. "What the hell is that?"

Before Riley could react, a small creature darted out from the shadows, followed by several more. Tim screamed, dropping his flashlight as the group of raccoons barreled past them, disappearing into the night.

Riley's heart leapt into her throat, and she instinctively stepped back. It took her a second to process what had just happened. Raccoons. Not intruders, not squatters—just a family of raccoons.

Tim, on the other hand, was halfway to the door.

"Hey, wait—" Riley tried to stop him, but Tim was already gone, sprinting out of the building like his life depended on it.

When she finally made it outside, Maddox and Meyers were leaning against the patrol cars, watching them with barely concealed amusement. Tim was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air.

"Raccoons," Riley said, wiping her hands on her vest.

Maddox raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"A family of raccoons," she repeated, more firmly this time.

Meyers burst out laughing, slapping Maddox on the back. "Rookies, man. Every damn time."

Even Maddox's lips twitched, but Riley could see that he wasn't going to let her off the hook so easily. "Nice work, Torres. You handled those raccoons like a pro."

Riley glared at him. "Are we done here?"

"Not quite," Maddox said, crossing his arms. "Go grab me a coffee from the corner shop. Black."

Riley blinked. "What?"

"Coffee. Black. You know what that is, don't you?"

Her fists clenched at her sides, but she bit back the urge to tell him exactly where to shove his coffee. Maddox's smirk deepened, clearly enjoying the power play.

"Sure," she said through gritted teeth. "I'll be right back."

As she stalked off toward the shop, she could hear Meyers laughing again behind her. Great. Just great. Now she was fetching coffee for her hard-ass training officer like some intern.

When she returned with the cup, Maddox barely acknowledged her, taking the coffee with a curt nod before getting back into the patrol car.

"You're a real dick, you know that?" she muttered under her breath as she slid into the passenger seat.

Maddox didn't respond, but the way his jaw clenched told her he'd heard. Good.

_____________________________________________________________________

Later, in the locker room, Riley let out a deep breath as she sat down on one of the benches, pulling off her boots. She rolled her neck, trying to ease the tension that was sure to build up every time sat in a confined space with Luk Maddox. A few moments later, another one of the rookies that Riley recognized from the academy, Julie Anderson, flopped onto the bench beside her and groaned. Riley raised her eyebrows and continued to tie her shoe, saying nothing.

Julie groaned again, louder this time. Riley slowly turned her head toward her, giving her a questioning look.

Julie sat up and gave Riley a playful glare, huffing. "Wow, Julie, you sound like you've had a tough day," She mimicked before continuing on as herself. "Why yes, Riley, I have had a tough day."

Riley snorted a laugh. "What happened?"

Julie looked at her, dead serious. "Brett and I caught a shoplifter in action. When he ran out of the store, my training officer, Officer Miller, just looked at me, and said 'Well?'" Julie ripped off her vest and shoved it in her locker. "So I had to chase the guy, and of course these stupid boots are new, so I got a blister. A big one." She held her foot up in front of Riley's face for good measure.

Riley leaned back and made a disgusted face. Julie continued, gesturing wildly. "I chased this guy for six blocks. Six! Just for Brett to pull up in the squad car and catch him in ten seconds after watching me struggle for like half an hour."

Riley gave her a sympathetic look. "Oof. What did the guy even steal?"

Julie's face contorted in even more rage. "That is the worst part. He stole a muffin. A muffin. You have no idea how pissed I was when I patted him down and realized I did all of that for a singular muffin."

"Anyways, how was your first day on patrol?" Julie asked, as Tim walked in and began to go through his locker.

"It was alright, I guess." Riley responded. "Maddox is a hard ass."

"More like he has a hard ass," Julie taunted, wiggling her eyebrows.

Riley laughed, shaking her head. "Tim and I had to chase a bunch of raccoons out of an abandoned building."

Tim, still shaken from earlier, chuckled awkwardly. "At least you didn't scream like I did."

The group laughed, and for a moment, Riley felt a little lighter.

Julie sighed, looking at the ceiling dreamily. "At least you got a hot one, right Riley?"

Riley wrinkled her nose. "Please. He's the human version of a wet napkin."

Tim chuckled from the other side of the lockers. Julie shrugged. "I'd climb that mountain of wet napkin any day. It's too bad it's against the rules for a rookie to date a training officer."

Riley shook her head, but a small smile played on her face. She was looking forward to working with these people.   

*****************************************

Author's Note:

HI! If you made it this far, thank you for reading! 

This is my first attempt at writing, so constructive criticism and suggestions  are welcomed! If you have anything you want to see from the characters, please feel free to leave a comment.

Let's chat!