After a messy and painful divorce from her ex-husband, Madeline decided to shift her focus entirely to her career. Her passion for medicine and her patients became her primary motivation-until she crossed paths with a blue-eyed detective who disrupt...
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Jay leaned back in his chair, legs propped up on his desk as he munched on a bag of chips, his eyes fixed on the television. Trudy Platt was live on the news today, being interviewed as part of the department's new initiative to show the "friendly face" of the Chicago PD.
"Alright, everyone, be quiet," Kevin said, pointing the remote at the screen to turn the volume up. "Platt's on TV!"
The room erupted with chuckles and amused grins as the camera zoomed in on Trudy, who looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else. Her trademark scowl was on full display as she glared at her interviewer, Betty, who smiled brightly and overly enthusiastically.
"Oh man," Jay said, laughing as he shoved another chip into his mouth. "She couldn't possibly hate this more."
"This is gold," Kim chimed in, hopping up to sit on Jay's desk. Adam joined her, smirking as he crossed his arms. "This is like Christmas. Early Christmas."
On the screen, Trudy grumbled through her answers, her disdain barely concealed behind tight-lipped smiles and curt responses. It was classic Platt, and the whole unit was eating it up.
Then, just as the camera panned to the host with a wide grin, a loud beeping sound cut through the broadcast.
The laughter in the room died instantly.
"What was that?" Jay muttered, lowering the bag of chips as the screen suddenly went black.
Everyone froze, staring at the TV in confusion.
Then, it happened.
A thunderous explosion echoed through the live feed before the signal completely cut out. The force of it was clear, even through the screen—windows shattering, the camera jolting, and the sound of screams before everything went silent.
Jay's heart dropped.
He shot up from his seat, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair. "Let's go!" he barked, his voice sharp with urgency as he bolted toward the door.
The team didn't need any further prompting. Kevin, Kim, and Adam were right behind him, sprinting toward their vehicles.
⋆˚✿˖°
"All right, we got the initial report from Bomb and Arson," Jay said, handing the file to Hank. "It was a single device—cardboard box left in Sheri's office. IED, packed with nails and glass. We're lucky no one was standing closer, Sarge."
Antonio walked up the steps, his hands still stained with dried blood. His expression was grim. "Sheri was pronounced at Med," he said, his voice heavy as he looked around the room. "She, uh... the injuries were too severe. Two others are still in critical condition, but they're expected to pull through. There are a dozen more victims, but right now, Sheri and Betty are our only fatalities."
"The bomb was planted in Sheri's office," Kevin said, shaking his head. "She had to be the target."
"She was getting threats, too," Adam added, his eyes locked on the computer screen. "We recovered four emails, all sent from an anonymous account. Bounced through half a dozen IPs, but the messages are all the same: Burn, bitch, burn. Your days are numbered. You will burn. That kind of thing."
