Got your back

Chapter 3

A few days later, the team was relaxing in the bullpen, enjoying one of the rare occasions when they didn't have a case. Jay was sitting on Hailey's desk, as usual, and they were all discussing their plans for the upcoming weekend. They all quickly fell silent as they heard the gate to Intelligence buzz open and an unfamiliar face appeared at the top of the steps. The five members of intelligence looked at the newcomer with confusion, turning at the sound of Voight walking out of his office.

"Team, meet the newest member of Intelligence. Effective today, the Ivory Tower has assigned Caden Wilson here," Voight explained, doing little to hide his annoyance that he hadn't been given a say in the matter. If Caden noticed, he gave no indication. Instead he confidently walked over and shook Voight's hand before doing the same with Jay, Adam, and Kevin. He made his way back to Hailey, but missed Kim altogether.

"Hey guys, glad to be here. I've heard good things about this unit," Caden said. The team all replied with various welcoming comments, doing their best to hide their shock and, in some cases, annoyance.

Voight turned to Hailey and Jay. "He's riding with you two today," their sergeant said, before retreating back into his office to avoid any complaints. Hailey and Jay exchanged a look of annoyance, before turning back to size up Caden, who looked like he belonged in a frat house not the center of the bullpen.

This was going to be a very long day.

———

A couple weeks later, the team was sitting around the bullpen, finishing up paperwork from the case they had just closed. Caden had been more or less acclimating to the unit, although he still stuck out as an outsider. But, all things considered, he wasn't the worst addition that had ever been forced onto Intelligence. As it grew later in the afternoon and as the paperwork came closer to being done, talk increasingly digressed from the case to the baseball game the night before.

"Man, did you see that home run? Gotta be his longest one this season."

"How about that sweet double play in the eighth?" Hailey chimed in, turning her chair around to face the boys.

"You watch baseball?" Caden asked, sounding surprised. Hailey nodded in reply. One of her happier memories as a kid was her dad teaching her to play baseball with her brothers, and ever since, she'd loved the sport.

"Who's your favorite team?"

"Cubs, obviously." Which was why she knew everything that had happened in the Cubs game last night, the one that they were currently discussing. She probably knew more about what happened than Jay did since he kept trying to distract her as they watched it on his couch together. Not that she was complaining.

"Favorite player? No, wait, let me guess- Bryant?"

Hailey shook her head. Bryant was a good third basemen and one of the most popular players, but Hailey knew the reason Caden thought he was her favorite player was because Bryant was, admittedly, kind of cute.

"Nah, Baez," she corrected. He couldn't hit a slider to save his life, but he was a heck of a middle infielder and an even better base runner. And, besides, he was a lefty and short like her.

"Hmm," Caden replied, seemingly amused. He turned to face Kim.

"Burgess, who's your favorite player?"

"I don't know. I don't really follow the Cubs," she replied, not looking up from her computer.

"Ahh, so you don't like sports," the younger officer responded knowingly.

"Just baseball. I prefer hockey."

"That's my girl!" Adam called out. Kim smiled and rolled her eyes at him before turning back to her screen.

Hailey turned back to her desk and handed Jay one of the case files before returning her attention to her unfinished paperwork.

As the rest of the team got back to work, Caden alternated glancing between his female colleagues, trying to process the conversation that had just taken place.