I wiped my fingers on a napkin. “A limited-edition VR headset. Still sealed in the box. Those things sell out in ten seconds online.”

“Figures. All that chaos for a toy.”

“Not just a toy,” I said. “They sell for two grand easy on resale sites.”

“Still a toy.” He grinned. “Bet you had flashbacks to your GBI days. Only difference is back then the perps were a little more dangerous than a guy in knock-off sneakers.”

“The store paid us to do a job, and we did the job. I don’t care who we catch as long as the check clears.” I took a bite of a fry. “Besides, he had good reflexes. I almost lost him when he cut past Citizen Supply.”

“That’s because you underestimated the element of… me,” he said, gesturing to himself. An obnoxiously large smile stretched across his face. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

I snorted. “You blocked a door, Parks. Congratulations. Truly the pinnacle of law enforcement skill.”

“Hey, doors are important,” he said, deadpan. “You ever tried catching someone without one? Total nightmare.”

I plucked a fry from the basket and pointed it at him. “You’re lucky security didn’t decide you were the bad guy.”

“Please. I’m too charming to be arrested.”

“Charming is not the word I’d use,” I said, tossing the fry into my mouth.

He tilted his head. “What word would you use?”

“Annoying. Overconfident. Relentless. Take your pick.”

“I’ll take relentless. It sounds almost flattering.”

I shook my head and reached for another fry. “You do realize the guy had no plan, right? No exit strategy, nothing. Just ran in, grabbed the box from the display, and bolted. Yet security hadn’t been able to catch him the four other times he’d stolen from the store.”

“Honestly, I doubt they really tried.”

“All they needed to do was watch the store around the times he’d come before. How hard is that?”

“Not hard for us, which is why he’s in the back of a security van right now, and you and I are here enjoying lunch.” He popped the rest of his fry into his mouth. “And speaking of enjoying lunch…”

“What?”

“You have something on your face.”

I frowned. “Where?”

He reached across the counter, wiped a fleck of salt from my cheek, and went back to eating without a pause.

I didn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction, though the corner of his mouth twitched like he knew I had done it on purpose.

We dumped our trash and wandered back into the Central Food Hall. Parks slowed in front of Five Daughters Bakery.

“Don’t even think about it,” I said.

“What? I’m just looking.”

“Yeah, like you just looked at that barbecue place in Roswell, and we ended up hauling two racks of ribs in the back of my Bronco the rest of the day. I’ll never get the smell out.”

He shrugged. “Worth it.”

“Why are you so annoying?”

“I like to think I’m adorable,” he said.

“Annoying and clueless.”

We passed the neon-lit window of H&F Burger. He glanced at the menu. “You know, we could—”

“No. We just ate.”

“Fries aren’t a meal,” he said.

“Fries and chicken are if you’re an adult with self-control.”

“Then how do you explain you eating more than half?”

I winked at him. “Speed and skill.”

You can purchase Before the Next One Falls here.