So, thanks for following along. The story is prewritten as of today so I am hoping to get through the translation quickly. I hope you enjoy.
It is still pitch-black outside when Chris suddenly startles awake. It takes her a few seconds to realize the roar droning in her ears isn't an idiot blasting his music.
It's Luna.
Chris flits quietly to her door and grabs her gun from the holster. The hallway lights are on, which indicates that there has been movement recently, but she cannot see anyone through the peephole.
When she arrives at Molly's door, the security service arrives too.
There are clear scratch marks on the key plate and Luna slowly calms down again.
Chris knocks carefully on the door. "Molly? It's Chris. Is everything okay? Can you open the door?"
The security guard at her side is already rummaging around for his key, but Chris stops him with a harsh gesture as the door slowly opens and a trembling Molly appears in the frame with Luna licking her hand continuously.
Over the last few days Luna had warmed up and shown a lot of trust in Chris, but she didn't leave Molly's side in this situation. When Chris looks Molly in the eye and gently takes her shoulders to lead the trembling woman into her apartment, Molly falls around Chris' neck and sobs.
"Hey," Chris gently rubs her back. "Let's head to my place and I'll make us some coffee. Sleep is out of the question for now."
Before they go any further, Chris turns to the security guard again.
"Where have you been? And how could anyone get up here and work the door like that? I want answers!"
The young man pulls out his phone, and before he can dial anything Chris pushes Deac's business card into his hands.
"I don't care if he wants to know. You call David Kay and he should take care of what is necessary at the LAPD immediately."
A few minutes later, Molly and Chris are sitting on the sofa with steaming cups of coffee, wrapped in blankets, with Luna between them. Chris doesn't mind sharing the space with the sensitive Labrador, who has her head in Molly's lap and is watching her mom with wide eyes.
"Molly, that guy, is unpredictable and very dangerous. Maybe you should go to a hotel or a safe house until the case is over." Chris sounds concerned.
"No, I won't. I won't be intimidated. And besides, I'd have to leave Luna behind. I don't want that." Molly's voice has stopped shaking and Chris can't help but smile. She can understand that Luna is part of the deal. She strokes the animal's head.
"You did everything right today and defended your mom. Good girl."
A gentle "Woof" answers and both women have to laugh. Molly's cell phone rings around 6 a.m. This time, Owen Bennet promises to get his specialist personally and he will take over the management of the operation with immediate effect. She should be prepared for the fact that a completely new team will be in the house in the afternoon and new arrangements will have to be made. By popular request and to Chris's relief, she will spend the day at HQ.
"So you ride with me," says Chris after Molly has finished talking.
Even if Molly wanted to protest, any attempt at a contradiction was pointless and so it happened that Chris arrived at HQ with Molly and Luna in tow. The word got around quickly among the colleagues that it had been a somewhat turbulent night for the two of them and Chris therefore only had to wrestle paperwork.
Molly had been put in an empty office with Luna and was able to work there in peace.
Around noon Chris had taken a short workout break and was now standing by the refrigerator. The decision of what to eat now was not easy. Especially since Luca had filled the fridge with goodies from the food truck again. As she is about to decide on a light wrap, she hears a metallic scratch on the floor. Chris closes the fridge and turns towards the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees a chocolate-colored spot scurrying towards her, just before a rough tongue licks her hand.
Suddenly the metallic scratching becomes clear. Chris shakes her head laughing.
"How did you get your food bowl down here?"
With her dark eyes, Luna looks so innocent that Chris can only smile and not even be angry at the animal.
"Come on. Let's see where your mom is and whether you can get something to eat." Chris takes another wrap and two bottles of water from the fridge takes the bowl and starts walking.
Luna follows her happily wagging her tail.
A few of the officers they pass grin at the duo, even if nobody really knows how the Labrador actually got downstairs.
The office door is closed when Chris arrives, and Molly seems to be in a conversation. Chris presses the handle anyway and pushes Luna through the door first.
Molly gives her a little sign that she'll be done with the call in a moment.
"Okay, thanks for the update. Then I'll stay here until the end of the day and drive back with Chris." Molly ends the conversation.
"She must have missed you and found you," she adds with an apologetic look at Luna.
"I brought lunch," Chris holds up the wraps. "Let's go outside and keep this one here busy," suggests Chris, and the two of them go out and look for a bench from which Luna is at least not always in the way.
As soon as the rope flies, the urge for food is forgotten and the Labrador is happy.
Molly takes a sip of water and laughs when Luna suddenly finds another playmate. She goes jogging with Vanetti's team.
"Leave her alone, the guys will bring her back!" Chris appeases when Molly tries to whistle her cheeky dog back. "Tired is better if you stay here today ."
Molly grimaces and sighs.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I should have discussed this with you beforehand before I agreed with Owen. Is that okay with you at all? Owen is flying in a new team. They are probably still in the air."
Chris is amazed and briefly estimates the additional costs that this change can cause.
"When we get home afterward, they'll probably just start the inspection. Can you sit in on the briefing? I mean you understand more about ..." Chris hears the uncertainty in her voice and agrees without hesitation.
And she can't hide that, despite all the trust in Deac and Owen's people, she has doubts after last night.
After lunch, the two of them get another coffee and are just on their way back to the bench in the sun when Luna comes flying around the corner and greets Molly somewhat stormily. A short scream later, Molly looks aghast at the coffee stain on her blouse and Luna lies quietly on the floor. Only the slight wagging of the tail reveals that she is still ready to go.
"Come on, I must have a sweater and a t-shirt for you," Chris suggests pragmatically and simply pulls Molly with her towards the locker room. Meanwhile, Luna proudly carries her rope with her again and trots after the two women.
"Fits perfectly, thanks," says Molly gratefully after pulling her clothes over her head. When the two walk down the hallway back to Molly's temporary office, there is a lot of whispering and Chris snorts when she understands what's being mumbled.
"For your information, you have now probably switched sides ... either you completed LAPD training or ..."
Molly rolls her eyes briefly. "Good to know, a sweater replaces training. Should I suggest that new idea to Dad?"
The rest of the day is calm and luckily Luna doesn't cause any more distractions. Chris was right. The exertion over lunch kept her calm. When the two of them arrive at their building in the evening, it is immediately clear that the new security team has started work. There are significantly more men to be seen.
Chris looks at the setup from the parking lot and admits that this time everything seems to have been thought through.
In the meantime, Molly has let Luna out of the car and the dog immediately notices that something has changed in her environment. Her nose just above the floor pulls her straight away, the usual way towards the front door.
Molly and Chris stroll after her and only accelerate their pace when Luna barks briefly and then stands still.
As they get closer, the dog positions herself between the women and the guard who speaks into his radio.
"Boss, the client is here with her dog and LAPD company."
He has yet to get some kind of instruction that he confirms and then turns to both of them.
Luna growls softly the whole time and Molly grabs her collar and Chris tries to calm the bitch down.
"Mam, if you would wait here for a moment and please put the dog on the leash," the word leash is commented with a loud whine, but the young man is not finished yet. "And I would have to ask her to go." he directs the word to Molly and both women stare at each other incredulously.
Chris rummages in her bag for her phone and mumbles, "What kind of morons did Owen send this time?"
Meanwhile, Molly asks a little more precisely: "Why does Luna have to be on a leash? She lives here and has always been able to walk without a leash. Your colleagues didn't mind either. And if you could explain to me why I am not allowed into my apartment. .. "
Chris hears the irony dripping from every word but either the man is that stupid or he deliberately ignores it.
"LAPD has no access to the building!" he simply states, and Chris gets angry.
She knows that with Deac she is probably calling the wrong guy and unfortunately she only has the voicemail. "Deac, please call me back. The new team is a disaster." she gives him a short message and then turns back to the young man.
"Don't make me get your boss down here and let us head inside."