Chapter 161 No More Hiding

• CHIEF KAREEM’S OFFICE LATER THAT SAME DAY
• The air in Chief Kareem’s office was still, save for the soft ticking of a golden desk clock.
• Chief Kareem sat behind his wide mahogany desk, dressed in a crisp kaftan the color of steel. His phone lay facedown on the desk, untouched. His laptop was open to a spreadsheet, but he wasn’t typing. His mind had wandered, quietly orbiting around the shifts in his household—the tone in his son’s voice, the growing independence in Zara’s eyes.