Rabbit Hearts & Bulletproof Vests || Tim Bradford??

6:04 AM - Mid-Wilshire, Patrol Briefing Room

Captain Grey paced the front of the room like a storm cloud in a pressed uniform.

"Due to our recent personnel reshuffling," he said, "today's assignments will rotate on a triple-duty basis: patrol, gang enforcement, and undercover prep."

A low groan moved through the officers. Alice sat between Lucy and Jackson, alert despite the early hour.

Tim raised his hand slightly. "Triple-duty means three rotations. How are we handling overlap?"

Grey didn't blink. "Carefully."

Lucy leaned toward Alice. "Carefully usually means chaotic."

Alice smiled. "And chaos is our middle name."

Jackson sighed. "Speak for yourself. I was hoping for a nice paperwork day."

"Too bad," Grey said from the front, as if reading his mind. "West, Chen, Hartwell - you'll rotate together."

Alice's eyebrows lifted. "So we're stuck with each other?"

Lucy bumped her shoulder. "More like lucky."

---

8:00 AM - Southside Alley, Gang Unit Ride-Along

Alice sat in the back of a blacked-out SUV with a detective from Gang Enforcement and Officer Nyla Harper. They were running surveillance on a suspected turf war hotspot.

Nyla passed Alice a tablet loaded with photos.

"You recognize any of them?"

Alice hesitated. Some of the graffiti tags matched ones she'd seen years ago - in Phoenix. In another life.

She pointed to one.

"That symbol was used by the Cota family - cartel-backed enforcers. But this style? It's copycat work."

Nyla raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

Alice nodded. "They're trying to scare people by looking bigger than they are."

"That'll get them killed faster," Nyla muttered. "And drag more civilians into it."

Alice swallowed. The familiarity in the fear made her skin crawl.

---

10:47 AM - Downtown LA, Patrol Rotation

Lucy drove. Jackson managed comms. Alice leaned against the passenger window, eyes scanning the sidewalks.

"Triple duty feels more like tripwire duty," Lucy said, squinting into traffic.

Alice smirked. "So poetic."

"You'd be poetic too if you were this tired," Jackson added. "We've got gang tension flaring, limited resources, and now undercover operations prepping in the background?"

Lucy glanced at Alice. "They pulling you in on that?"

"Background support only," Alice replied. "Intel analysis. It's fine."

Jackson raised a brow. "You're okay working in that space again?"

Alice didn't answer immediately.

Then: "It's not about being okay. It's about doing the job."

Lucy didn't push. But she watched. And that said more than words.

---

1:15 PM - Mid-Wilshire Courtyard, Angela's Checklist

Angela paced near the fountain, wedding binder in one hand, phone in the other. Alice approached cautiously.

"You planning a wedding or invading a country?"