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personal barista for Valerie, me, and the team. I also had a commercial coffee machine delivered. You know, the kind you pour the water in and there’s enough for everyone in three minutes.
    As my own private joke, I stopped by the donut shop on my way in and bought a couple dozen donuts of various kinds. Whatever palate an employee or any of the guys working here today may have, there’s something here that’s sure to please.
    “I’m so proud of you.” I smile when I recognize my lover’s husky voice, before I turn around and hand her the cappuccino I just finished making for myself.
    “You get the honor of having the first one, Valerie.”
    “I say we share it so we both get the honor, you know, to break the place in.”
    “I’ve got better ideas of how to break this place in,” I murmur, pinning her with my heated gaze.
    She takes a sip of coffee and it’s all I can do not to lick the froth off her upper lip. She reads me so easily and arches a brow as she smirks at me over the steaming mug.
    “No time for that, big boy. I’m afraid I come bearing bad news. Or good news, I guess, depending on how you want to look at it.”
    I take the coffee cup she offers me and take a sip, bracing for whatever it is she needs to tell me.
    “We got a body part down by the river. Some sicko left a riddle written on a severed leg.”
    “What the hell? The perp deliberately left us a clue? Now that’s the kind of stupid you don’t see every day.” I continue talking before she can answer, “The ones who operate like that are usually trying to engage. The only question is, does he have a specific target he’s looking to interact with?”
    “You got it. You know as well as I do time is the only thing that will tell us exactly what he’s up to. It takes time to profile these sickos.”
    “What sicko?” Max’s voice chimes in from the doorway where she’s been listening. Valerie immediately includes her. I can see these two working well together and, unlike most of my law enforcement brethren, I’m all for the whole girl power thing. Let’s face it, women can pick up on subtleties that men often miss.
    “Let me go with you guys to the crime scene. I swear I’ll keep my mouth shut. It’ll give me a chance to take notes. We could have our first blog up by tomorrow morning, Jack.” She’s talking fast, deliberately trying to persuade me before I can open my mouth to refuse her.
    I study her for a minute to let her know I’m serious about what I’m about to say. “Max. Technically… this isn’t our case.”
    “It’s mine, though,” Valerie interrupts.
    I cut my eyes at her in warning. “Don’t encourage her.”
    “Back to you,” I say sternly, returning my attention to Max. “You have to respect these guys. These are street hardened cops who aren’t going to like the idea of press being involved, especially if it involves social media.”
    I resist the urge to laugh as Max nods her head quickly, agreeing with everything I’m saying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the kid so agreeable.
    “Come on, ladies. The first thing we need to do is put somebody in charge while we’re gone.” They follow me out of the office and wait as I lock the door. We make our way into one of the rooms where Cash is working. He’s the head of Undercover Elite and a man I’d trust with my life.
    “Cash,” I say quietly. He looks up from where he’s bent over a desk, working. “Hey, man, what’s this?” I ask as I cross the room. “Jeans today and not one of your usual tailored suits?”
    Cash always looks like he just finished a magazine cover shoot. Even in jeans, he’s an imposing figure.
    “What’s up, man?” He stands, smiling and brushing his hands off on his designer jeans before reaching out for a handshake/one-arm-bro-hug combo. I introduce him to Max and he exchanges brief pleasantries with Valerie.
    “Well,” I say grimly, “it looks like Urban Elite has gotten our first case—unofficially, of