Winter's Shadow |Winter Series #1

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Dedicated to my awesome but silent readers, I appreciate you all.
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Gage Beckett had one rule in his life, one rule he always followed religiously.

Never show your emotions, especially to an unwanted enemy such as officer Lily.

Gage schooled his features in obedience to his rule as he quietly assessed the situation. He admitted quite reluctantly that he had been a bit reckless in his planning, failing to see the variables that could occur, the current one being Officer Lily's interference. Her mischievous smile deepened, and her hands on her waist made her look smaller but ironically more formidable.

She had the right cards in her hands and she knew it, though Beckett would never admit it. Just like them, she was dressed casually in black, her gun resting loosely at her hips.

The three trespassers stared at each other for minutes, and with each second that passed James was quickly losing his last nerves, it was only a matter of time before he broke down.

Officer Lily's light chuckle suddenly brought an end to the deafening silence, "you're quite predictable Beckett," she glanced at James quickly, "ain't that right James?"

"Uhhh..." James stuttered.

"Maybe it's just me," she shrugged, then rounded the desk till she came to stand in front of a still silent Beckett, "you're not going to ask how I found out? And how I got here?"

Beckett's eyes searched over her face, trying desperately to read her expression, but her passive look stood in the way of his assessment.

"Well since you're not going to ask," Officer Lily continued as Beckett remained silent, "I'll tell you. I found it weird and suspicious when both of you failed to come out of the shed immediately after we left, and I guessed you were planning something. Unlike Chief, I don't underestimate your stubbornness, over zealousness and burning need for justice," she paused as though expecting a reply from Beckett, when she got none, she smiled and continued, "and I knew you didn't buy that shit about there being no evidence, so I figured you would sneak in here, seeing as there's no CCTV. I came to see if my hunch was correct, after stealing Chief's keys of course. And I was right." she concluded with a pleased smile.

Beckett found her constant smiling odd, not that there was anything wrong with the smile. On the contrary, it was a very pretty smile revealing her well arranged dentition and dimples Beckett didn't know she had. If only she smiled more often.

"It must have been easy with you being Chief's niece and all." James said, nervousness still crept through his voice.

"True." she replied.

"It's a good thing you know how far I can go to discover the truth, you can't stop me." Beckett said, finally breaking his silence.

"I'm not here to stop you. I thought you were smart Beckett." she said as a matter of fact.

"You're not?" asked James in his usual confusion.

"No James. I'm here to join you, how is it said again?" she placed a finger on her jaw, then her face brightened up, "oh yes, I'm here to become allies."

Beckett gave a dry, humourless laugh, "you don't expect me to believe that do you? Why would you go against your uncle to help us?"