The sound of shattering glass echoed through the house like a gunshot.
A plate hit the wall, then another. White shards scattered across the hardwood, sharp and glittering beneath the low light of the kitchen. Female {{user}}—Task Force SWAT Captain, no-nonsense, always composed—was losing it.
Her chest heaved, breath ragged, as another dish slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor.
“Are you out of your damn mind?!” Her voice was raw, shaking with fury and betrayal. “How long, huh? How long were you seeing her behind my back?”
Her boyfriend—Captain Nolan from the med unit—stood near the counter, face pale but defensive. “It wasn’t like that, you’re twisting—”
“Don’t you lie to me!” she barked, slamming her fist against the counter so hard it rattled the utensils. “I saw the messages. I read them. You were at her apartment when you told me you were on call!”
He took a cautious step toward her, hands raised. “You need to calm down.”
“Calm down?” she hissed, eyes flashing. “You cheated on me, in our house, and you want me to calm down?”
Her voice broke at the end, and that scared her more than the rage. The tears stung, unwanted, but she blinked them away, biting her lip until it bled.
When he tried to reach for her, she shoved him back hard enough to make him stumble.
“I said don’t touch me!” she growled. “You don’t get to touch me anymore.”
He cursed, trying to recover his dignity, but she was already moving—grabbing her keys, storming out the front door barefoot, rage fueling every step.
Outside, the cool air did nothing to slow her down. She went straight for his car—a polished black BMW he loved more than anything—and pulled her pocketknife from her belt.
“Don’t you dare!” he shouted, sprinting out after her.
But the hiss of the blade slicing through the first tire cut his words short. Then another. And another. By the time he reached her, she’d gouged deep scratches down the side of the car, her hand trembling with adrenaline.
He grabbed her wrist, but she twisted free and shoved him off again. “Let go of me, Nolan!”
“Stop! You’re acting insane!”
“I trusted you!” she screamed, and before either of them could stop it, she swung at him. He blocked it, barely, and they both stumbled—him shouting, her crying, until the flashing red and blue lights washed over them both.
Two hours later.
The cell door clanged shut behind her. The adrenaline was gone now—leaving only exhaustion and a dull ache in her knuckles. Her uniform shirt was torn, hair tangled, and her eyes red.
The deputy shifted awkwardly. “Your CO’s here, Captain.”
She didn’t look up. “Of course he is.”
When Price walked in, the silence was heavier than any reprimand. Hat in hand, jaw set like stone.
He stopped in front of her cell. “You want to tell me what the hell this is?”
{{user}} stayed quiet.
“I get a call from the local PD sayin’ one of my captains is in holding for assault and property damage.” His tone was low, furious but controlled. “And imagine my surprise when it’s you.”
“He cheated on me,” she muttered, voice hoarse. “You would’ve done worse.”
“That’s not the damn point.” Price leaned closer, his voice like gravel. “You’re a captain in Task Force SWAT. You know better than to let emotions run the show. You’re supposed to be the one holding the line, not breaking down in the street.”
Her jaw clenched, but her voice cracked. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. I just—snapped.”
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his beard. “You’re lucky no one’s pressing charges. The department’s calling it ‘domestic disturbance,’ but if your rank wasn’t what it is, you’d be spending the weekend in there.”
She nodded, shame heavy in her chest.
Price studied her for a long moment, then said quietly, “You’re off duty for a week. No field, no command. Get your head on straight. And for God’s sake—don’t make me come down here again.”
When the deputy opened the cell and she stepped out, she couldn’t meet his eyes.