Sept. 1998 Young and belligerent seventeen years old Jordan stood with his arms crossed around his body as he face off with his father at the Baleria International Airport. “I just said that I do not want to go. I will not go. You can’t make me” he repeated as he had been doing in the past five days since his father had informed him that he was leaving the country for his maternal uncle’s place in Rova. Stupid Rova that he heard they don’t speak English. How was he supposed to survive there? How would he cope? How would he make friends? Was he supposed to leave his friends here to go make friends with sheep on his uncle’s ranch? Who still does ranching as a full-time occupation again anyway? Stupid ranch! Stupid cows! Stupid Unc… No, he couldn’t really call his uncle stupid, even though he did not know the man well enough he had been nice enough to him the last time he and his family came to Baleria. When his Maman died. Jordan had been nine years old then and Maman was sick for a

Jordan looked at his two solemn-looking cousins and he realised that they were serious. He closed his wardrobe and came to sit down on his bed. They both swerved to face him. “I am sorry, kids. I wish I could but I can’t. I..” “Why? Is it because you have serious business to attend to? We won’t disturb you at all” Henley said then he continued before Jordan could reply “Remember how I used to follow you to the Sheriff’s office here? Even deputy Shedrack allowed me to use the radio in the new car the other day. I could be your deputy back in your country” “What do you mean by you could? I thought we were asking for the two of us, you dunce” his sister hissed at him. Henley stuck his tongue out at her before facing Jordan “C’mon Jordan, let’s go with you” “Even if you do not want to take this dumb head with you, you can just take me and we will leave him behind” Fukayna pitched her campaign. “Fuka, you are bad!” Henley said, aggrieved. “Are you two disturbing cousin Jordan with yo

March 2012 The siren wails shattered the night air and hope-filled Jordan’s heart as their sound got closer. He looked down at his partner “Eric! Eric, hang on. You have to hang on, buddy. Help is on the way, you will be taken care of in no time. You don’t get to die on me, man. You hear me?” Jordan said desperately to keep his friend’s eyes open even as the brutal conviction settled in his mind. He had seen many scenes like this almost a year after he had joined the Baleria Police Department. He could almost feel his friend’s life flow out of him as blood flowed through Jordan’s hand. He had tried to apply the emergency first aid he learnt in the academy on his friend, anything to slow down the cold hand of death that seemed intent to claim this man. No, not Eric. He thought desperately as he called him again “Eric, please you have to keep your eyes open. You can’t sleep now, man. Don’t you dare sleep. What would you tell Aria? Damn you!” he shouted as he wondered why the siren he

Jordan had not expected the scene that greeted him as he entered the house that morning. The lady that opened the door for him stepped aside with a sombre look. He did not want to believe what came to his mind as he saw the young lady looking so morose. No, they couldn’t possibly know. He had been specific with his instructions at the station the night before when he informed them not to send anyone over to Eric’s house yet. “I would do it first thing in the morning. I just want that poor woman to have a good night's rest first” he had told them and his colleagues had expressed their understanding as they promised to leave it to him to break the news. “It couldn’t be,” he thought in denial as he followed the young lady to the living room. “Yes, it could be” he affirmed when he heard the most hateful voice he had ever heard in all of his life. The soft-spoken, well-modulated voice of Lance fucking Dickson. “You will have to hold in your grief, ma’am. I understand that you might be d

“Your temper would be your undoing,” Lance said as he got up from the floor with as much dignity as he could muster, which was not much of anything as his chin was smeared with the blood he wiped from his mouth earlier and he had a fresh bruise coming up. “One more sick word from your uncouth mouth and you would see just how much damage my temper could be to you even before it became my undoing, which would not be your call anyway” Yeah. it irked Lance that it was not his call, at least not when they wanted the arrogant bastard. He would like to be around when he finally did himself in though. Oh yes, he would love to see him suffer and beg. He looked around furtively and raised his hand as if he wanted to snatch a fly in the air. That was the signal he had given the dickhead to leave the surrounding, he had no idea if he had seen him but he was not about to let Jordan find out. Jordan narrowed his eyes when he saw the suspicious way the inspector raised his hand and his hand instan