Page 7 of Fierce: Sawyer

He was used to it and had no issues.

James was married with two kids. He had more on the line than Sawyer did.

“Only if it was for breakfast,” he said.

“You’ve got me there,” James said, balling up the wrapper of the breakfast sandwich on his partner’s desk. Half those food wrappers in his SUV weren’t his.

“Do me a favor. Run a check on a Faith O’Malley for me,” he said. His laptop was home and he wanted to see what he could on her before he saw her again.

Not that it mattered and he wasn’t sure why he was bothering other than he was completely intrigued by her and wasn’t sure he’d ever felt that in his life.

James typed it in. “Is this her?” James asked. “The woman with the dog that assisted today? Am I going to lose you to another partner?”

Sawyer laughed and leaned over to look at James’s computer. “Yeah, that’s her address.” There wasn’t much there. Nothing really. No records, not even a speeding or parking ticket in her past. Said she just turned thirty though.

“She’s cute,” James said, looking at a copy of the driver’s license.

He ignored that comment. “If you’re gone by the time I get back, I’ll catch up with you later,” he said.

He turned and walked to where he’d left Faith. She was probably done giving her statement and he’d have to give his.

There was no reason they had to come together, but he was looking for any excuse he could to not leave her presence.

Again, nothing he’d ever felt before or wanted to do.

Now she’d have to wait for him to be done.

“Hey,” he said, coming into the room.

“Just the man I wanted to see,” Officer Conley said to him. “I’ve got everyone’s statement but yours. Though our boy in the cell insists it was a mistake and he was out running and his arm got stuck on the purse.”

“That’s a new one,” he said.

“I thought so too,” Officer Conley said. “Want to give your statement? Or just save my fingers the trouble and type it in yourself.”

“I’m sure you can type faster than me.”

“Fred can probably type faster than him,” Faith said. “I’m sure my aunt who barely sits at a computer could do it.”

Sawyer laughed. “Just the same,” he said. “We have to follow protocol.”

He always did. He wouldn’t break the chain of command of procedures for anything.

He’d always been a rule follower. Maybe because he’d seen so much of broken rules and lies in his life with his parents.

Poor decisions and actions and he’d had enough and decided to go in the opposite direction.

Life was easier when you dealt in facts and not fiction.

“Give your statement then, Detective Brennan.”

“I was out for my morning jog around eight. Ten minutes into my run, ahead of me, a man in dark jeans and a gray hoodie with the hood over his head was walking quickly toward a woman, then reached for her purple bag, yanked it off her arm and started running. I took off into a sprint, checked that the victim was unharmed and gave chase. The perp then knocked into Ms. O’Malley, knocking her to the ground, her dog breaking free.”

Faith laughed and he stopped to look over at her. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s funny hearing it and knowing what happened.”

He nodded his head, made sure Officer Conley was caught up and then continued. “I stopped to see if Ms. O’Malley was okay, helped her up, then gave chase after the perp and the dog. The dog—”

“Fred,” Officer Conley interrupted. “His name is Fred and we should use it. He’s the real hero here.”