Azzi Fudd entered the LAPD as the academy's brightest star-top scores, flawless instincts, and a reputation built on discipline and drive. But none of that mattered the second she met her training officer. Officer Paige Bueckers is everything Azzi wasn't prepared for: sharp, relentless, impossibly composed, and feared by every rookie unlucky enough to land in her patrol car. Paige doesn't bend rules. She doesn't accept excuses. And she definitely doesn't get close to anyone she trains. From day one, Paige makes one thing clear-Azzi will earn her way, or she'll break under the pressure. But Azzi doesn't break. She learns. She listens. She grows. And somewhere in the long nights and high-stakes calls, she becomes the one rookie Paige can't forget how to breathe without. A year later, Azzi is no longer Paige's trainee. She's her equal. Her partner. And the one person Paige should never want. The LAPD has rules. Their careers have boundaries. Their feelings have consequences. But some lines were meant to blur. And on the streets of Los Angeles-where danger waits around every corner and trust can save a life-Azzi and Paige are about to discover that the hardest thing to protect... is each other.

❝ if I knew that i'd end up with you then I would've been pretended we were together. ❞ She stares at me, all the air in my lungs stuck in my throat. I'm making sure i'm not wasting one second of the life I have . . . / 𝑷𝑨𝑰𝑮𝑬 𝑩𝑼𝑬𝑪𝑲𝑬𝑹𝑺 © skullhoe