"Lena?" Dawn, Lena's swing-shift replacement dispatcher, took off her headset. "Lieutenant Gomez radioed in, and he wants to meet you in the parking lot on your way out."

"My shift just ended." She closed her desk drawer and stood. "Why would he want to meet me outside?"

"No clue." Dawn slipped the headset back on her head. "Maybe the man is going to ask you out for coffee or drinks or try to con you into buying gift wrap his son is selling for his peewee basketball team. He got me to buy into forty dollars' worth of paper with poinsettias on them. Like, I'm seventy years old and giving away butter cookies in a tin can."

Lena laughed. "Sucker."

"All I'm saying is stay strong. That man can sweet talk anyone." Dawn pushed the button on the wire at her hip and directed her attention to the emergency call coming in.

Lena carried her coat and purse out of the room and cut through the police department to leave the building. At the door, she hesitated. There were police lights flashing in the parking lot. At least once a month, an emergency happened in view of the station. People would drive for help, instead of calling 911, or a domestic situation got out of hand, and the female would arrive seeking refuge because it wasn't safe to use the phone at home.

She pushed through the door and dug through her purse for her keys. Scanning the area, she looked for the lieutenant. Her training was strictly about handling emergency communication between police, fire and rescue, and ambulance service, not working hand in hand with the police or fire department at a scene. Not knowing why she'd be needed outside, she skirted the parking lot automatically heading toward her car—which seemed to be in the area with the commotion.

Lieutenant Gomez walked out of the flashing blue and red lights toward her. The seriousness and concern etched on his face stopped her from getting closer.

"Hey, Lena." Lieutenant Gomez guided her back onto the sidewalk, turning her away from the activity. "Officer Johnson pulled into the lot and noticed something strange on your car."

"Ugh, don't tell me someone backed into my car," she said. "I've only had it nine months."

"Fortunately, your car is fine. Normally, we wouldn't give this any thought if it happened to a patrol car or a detective's vehicle. Retaliation is a part of the job, and usually, a sign like this is part of an initiation into one of the gangs in the area. Damn kids challenge each other to get close and person with law enforcement without getting caught." Lieutenant Gomez mouth tightened. "But, Detective Mooney mentioned you received an untraceable threat by text, and that concerns me after finding a bandana on your car."

Detective Mooney had agreed with her that it was probably a wrong number or a friend drunk texting someone else. She turned around and looked at her car. Squinting her eyes, she studied the three officers standing close. Nothing stood out as alarming.

"Exactly what happened to my car?" She turned back to Lieutenant Gomez. "I'm not following you."

"A blue bandana was tied to your driver's side mirror," said Lieutenant Gomez.

"And...?" She shook her head. "Did you want me to put it in Lost and Found?"

Someone could've found the bandana on the ground by her car, thought she'd dropped it, and tied it to the mirror for her to find. His request was strange. The receptionist inside the lobby could take the object or one of the police officers after hours could drop it in the box behind the desk.

"Lena...Tigres, one of the gangs in the area, use a bandana to warn of an attack. It's usually used to mark the person they've got a vendetta against." Lieutenant Gomez put his hand on her arm. "I'd like to make a report about what happened here tonight and get more information on the threat you received on your phone. That way we have the incidence on record."

An attack on her? There had to be a mistake. She worked, went home, and then returned to work. She had no social life. The people in her life were co-workers. She swallowed and looked up at Lieutenant Gomez. "This has been a mistake. I haven't done anything to anyone."

Except, she'd been with Thad.

Two days ago, when Thad dropped her off after their ride to Astoria, he'd walked away without a word. She'd disappointed him. He hid it well, but his silence spoke loudly.

If she was honest with herself, she hadn't delved into him belonging to a biker gang and what that entailed. She'd assumed because he worked with the police department finding missing persons, his activities were based on good rather than bad. But, what if Tigres had a vendetta against Thad and not her?

"Do you think...?" She clamped her mouth shut.

The text came when she was with Thad. The warning from Tigres gang came after she went out on a date with him. Thad even questioned her about her relationship toward Gomez.

"What?" asked Lieutenant Gomez.

She slipped the handle of her purse over her wrist and crossed her arms. "How well do you know Thad Bowers?"

"I've known him for the last twenty or so years. Why?"

She shrugged, watching the police cars surrounding her vehicle turn off their flashing lights. "Just thinking."

"If you have anything that'll help us figure out why you've been targeted, we'd appreciate you sharing the information."

"I don't think I have anything that'll...help." She held her purse and coat closer to her chest.

Thad was a biker, who belonged to a club, not a gang member. If someone had a beef with him, they wouldn't come after her. She barely knew him.

"Lena?" Lieutenant Gomez lowered his voice. "I know you're seeing Thad."

"Why would you think that?"

He ran his tongue across his top teeth. "I noticed he walked you away from the bar the night I introduced you."

"So?"

"I know Thad well enough to know he doesn't go on walks unless he's planning on taking a break when he gets to where he's going." He inhaled deeply.

Lena shook her head. That made no sense.

"Do you want me to call him and let him know about what is happening here?"

"No." She stepped off the sidewalk. "I don’t even know what is going on. Neither do you. It's a bandana. I just want to go home. I've been working a twelve-hour shift and right now the only thing I want to deal with is getting eight hours of sleep before I'm due back to work. The rotation schedule and mix of different shifts are kicking my ass."

Lieutenant Gomez walked beside her. "I'll escort you home."

"I thought you were off duty?" She fiddled with the keys in her hand.

"I am, but I want to make sure you get home safely." He motioned in front of her. "I'll follow you."

At her car, she became a little peeved that the men around her at work, and Thad, believed they could keep her safe as if she was helpless. "Are you going to follow me to work tomorrow, too?"

Lieutenant Gomez dipped his chin. "It's my day off, but I'll find someone else to follow you over here."

She rolled her eyes and unlocked her car door. Inside, she shoved the key into the ignition and put her seatbelt on. Glancing at the side mirror, the bandana that had gained Officer Johnson's attention was gone.

The advantage of working with law enforcement and hearing every 911 call that came into dispatch, she knew how policemen were wired. They took the simplest activity seriously instead of assuming everything was normal. The disadvantage was that everyone made her paranoid and she went out of her way to protect herself and stay safe.

It was a discarded bandana. That was all.

Ten minutes later, she pulled into her garage, waved to Lieutenant Gomez, and pushed the button to lower the garage door closed. Shutting out the world, she relaxed. Her home was hers alone. The one place she belonged. Where she could be herself. Where no one judged her.