Dangerous Territory

Ten

"Aww, dad." She said, taking a step closer to him. "I'll only be an hour away and I'll come down on the weekends!"

Her own eyes started to sting as she thought about it.

She was leaving home.

She had been making enough money to rent her own place for a while now, but she didn't see a point in leaving her father behind.

It was sad to think that she may not have much time left with him.

As soon as she found a way to break her mate out of prison they were going off the grid, she would probably never see her father again. She would be a fugitive and he would be sworn to work against her.

Her heart burst with the desire to tell him everything.

How much she loved and appreciated him.

The door opened again and a group of other officers burst in, shouting to her father that he was needed on a job and before she could react, he rushed past her and out of the door before either of them had the opportunity to speak another word.

It was probably for the best, she said to herself.

She walked out of his office, planning to make her own way home now that she was officially no longer employed at the station, when she bumped into Cameron.

He took one look at her and paused like he was going to say something, lips parting and eyebrows shooting up. Seeming to change his mind midway through the action, he snapped his mouth shut, turning from her like he was going to continue walking down the corridor.

"I'm sorry, Cam."

Before he could get away, her hand shot out and she clutched his arm, forcing him to face her.

He kissed his teeth and shook her arm off, "did you have to grab me in a death grip to tell me that?"

"You're a big boy, you can handle it."

He broke out into a grin, wiggling his eyebrows at her. "Damn right, I am."

Just like that the strain was gone.

They walked to the entrance side by side, making small talk until they were out of the station and Mala decided to break the news to him.

"You won't be seeing me around the station anymore," she started. "I'm starting a new job tomorrow."

"You didn't tell me you were applying for other jobs." He looked genuinely disappointed to hear her news, placing a hand on her shoulder.

He was a couple of heads taller than her and she had to strain her neck to look at his face when he moved closer, "it only happened in the last couple days."

He dropped his hand and placed it on his forehead, "where's the new job?"

She swallowed, "it's at Irongate." She told him, watching as he jolted up in unconcealed surprise. "I'm going to be working with a lady, doing criminal journalism. I'll have to go back to school and I'll be moving up there too."

"I mean, congrats on the job, but what's with the sudden career change? You were so close to finishing probation."

She pressed her lips into a line, "just felt like a change."

"Fair enough, I won't push it." The smile was back on his face and he pulled her into a hug, "as long as you're not going back to Irongate to moon over that inmate."

She managed not to jerk away in surprise, forcing out a laugh. "You talking about baldy? Luckily for you, he's not my type."

She returned his hug, breathing in the familiar scents of olive and shea, the smell of Cameron's laundry detergent and the creams he had put on his skin and hair. They all formed a pleasant mix that Mala had become no stranger to over the last year.