Samuels heard the heavy footsteps. He turned his head, a smug, triumphant grin spreading across his red face. He assumed the brass was coming out to support him, to drag this arrogant civilian into a holding cell.
"Captain!" Samuels called out, gesturing to Marcus. "I've got a hostile vagrant here refusing to clear the executive zone. I had to use physical force to secure the perimeter."
Captain Miller stopped dead in his tracks. The color drained from the old captain's face as he looked from Samuels to the man in the suit.
The entire delegation froze. The silence that fell over the plaza was absolute, suffocating, and heavy with impending doom.
Miller stepped past Samuels as if the overweight officer didn't even exist. The Captain stopped three feet from Marcus, snapped to a flawless posture of attention, and delivered a crisp, razor-sharp salute.
"Chief Cole, Sir," Captain Miller barked, his voice echoing over the concrete. "On behalf of the command staff, welcome to Central Headquarters."
Samuels’ heart stopped.
The blood that had flushed his face a moment ago vanished, leaving his skin a pale, sickly grey. His jaw dropped. His mind desperately tried to process the words that had just left the Captain's mouth. Chief Cole. The new Commissioner. The man the mayor had brought in to gut the department. The man he had just physically assaulted on the public street.
Marcus Cole returned the salute with a slow, deliberate nod.
"Thank you, Captain," Marcus said, his voice echoing with absolute authority.
Marcus slowly turned his gaze back to Officer Samuels. The overweight cop was trembling now, his hands shaking at his sides. The false armor of his uniform had dissolved, revealing a terrified, pathetic bully underneath.