To B, a little McSwarek distraction... hope you're still here. I know it's not easy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rookie Blue. Not now, and not any time soon, I'm afraid.
The pounding sound of heavy tools working on that road construction site down the street drove him crazy. It was late at night and he just got back from work. The place was a mess as he kept the appearance of a bad guy, though he hated this look. It wasn't like him to be so untidy and maybe even a bit dirty, but he had a role to play, and he played it well. It was hard to fall asleep on a bed that wasn't his night after night, but he did it for nearly nine months now. Bad sleep, bad cleaning and hygiene habits, bad nutrition. Life sucked and he hated it, because he knew this isn't the way it's supposed to be.
And tonight is going to be his last in this crappy one room apartment. By this time tomorrow, if all goes well, he'll be sleeping back in his own bed. In his own house. Eating his own cooking. That's why sleep is so important tonight. He must be focused in the morning.
And these damn things just keep pounding and taka-taka-taka-ing his brains out.
He remembers back when he was a rookie and he was given the night watch shifts, making sure public safety is kept even at late hours of the night by being on construction sites while works continued. He understood the need for such road works to be done during the night because of the day time traffic, but this was getting insane. It's been like this for more than a month already, and it didn't seem like they were going anywhere. For all he knew, they already dug their way down to Timbuktu. How can someone live and raise a child in such a noise was beyond him. But no one actually did, not in this part of town.
There were no babies in this neighborhood. No babies. No children. No flowers or gardens.
No future. No past.
Only tractors hammering in the night.
Usually he didn't care because he was too tired and just slept through it. But tonight he must sleep. He just must.
He unknowingly allowed his mind to drift to her. The hope of seeing her again cheered him up and kept him motivated these past two weeks since he saw her.
It was the briefest encounter with influence that lasted longer than most. Her beautiful brown eyes. Her slender figure in the blue uniforms, which only a handful of people really wore well, and she did. Truly well. She was haunting him wherever he went. Especially at times like this, when hope prevailed and the noise outside bothered him to the core of his soul.
His eyes slowly closed as he fell asleep with the tiniest smirk on his lips. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. He'll see her tomorrow. She's less than a day away.
The morning came too soon to his opinion. The construction works took place till the early hours of the morning and between that and thinking of her, he only got two hours of sleep altogether.
He boiled some water and got dressed in the meantime. He was happy this was his last morning here. His last coffee. He really couldn't take another morning with this slow kettle and stale hot water. Even the coffee in the barn tasted like heaven compared to this. Tonight, he told himself, tonight I'll have a decent cup of coffee in the barn while being debriefed. And I'll see HER.
He made himself a strong dark coffee to go, counting on the bitterness of it to wake him up – if not by the high level of caffeine then by pure disgust.
Grabbing the coffee tumbler and his keys he briefly checked the place is in order so it could be easily packed later on. Nodding approvingly he left the place, remembering to lock it, though he didn't understand why to bother - there was nothing there to steal.
Hill was waiting for him at the restaurant when he walked in at half passed ten. Sam already agreed with Peck that take down will be at eleven thirty - just before the lunch rush hour, when Hill will for sure be there.
Killing time, Sam went upstairs to say hello to Emily and check everything is fine with her. He didn't tell her today was the day, just that it's nearly time.
Talking to her, he walked to the window and looked down to the alley, a habit he got a long time ago. He recognized some of the task force backup snipers and watchers already in place. There was no way the Toronto police is going to allow technicalities ruin this op. It was too important. Plus it was election year, and the mayor needed to prove he's doing things to 'clean the streets' as the press liked to call it.
Standing up high on the third floor, he recognized an unfamiliar luxury car driving into the alley. Out of it stepped a man who shouldn't be here right now. And Sam had no idea why he was. This wasn't a good sign. George Edmonds was the strongest criminal lawyer in town. Sam recognized his face from the newspapers, though they never actually met before. The tall masculine figure with dark, thick and somewhat curly hair, the tailored suit and handmade shoes – he got it all. He was the dream man for many women in Toronto – handsome, successful, middle-aged who built himself from scratch. Sam looked at Emily who saw nothing, decided to keep her in her ignorance bliss and went back downstairs to the main floor.
Walking down the last steps, Sam saw Hill and Edmonds shaking hands like good friends. He frowned inwardly, knowing this cannot be a good sign. Not today. Not any other day.
Sam rolled the options quickly in his head, fear sipping in. If Edmonds was here, it means Hill is getting ready for trial, which means Sam's made, hoping it's only him, and not the entire takedown today. There's no time to alert Peck and the guys, so using the snipers seemed like a more suitable ending for this day. Hoping the one getting shot will not be him. He must be fine by the end of it. He must see her again today. He must learn who she actually is. He must.
"Oh JD, come here, I want you to meet someone" Hill called him to join them and flashed his hands towards Sam, as Hill and Edmonds headed to one of the back tables in the main hall of the restaurant. Sam smiled crookedly while actually biting his inner cheek, wondering which way this was going. He scratched the back of his head and started walking towards them, stomping his feet in the process, a walking mark he adapted for his JD character. The table was already set for three as they all set down. Sam maneuvered them so he'll face the main entrance, and they sat down to talk business and eat.
As they sat down, Hill and Edmonds started talking about shipments and delivery times. They spoke in codes, and Sam pretended he doesn't care what they're talking about, though by the look of it Hill and Edmonds were involved together in something Sam was unaware of when listing Hill's potential charges. All he could figure out was the something will happen three times in the next months, and then the return will happen and the transaction will be complete.
At some point, Hill looked at Sam and talked directly to him.
"I want you to be on top of this, JD. I trust you'll make the right calls on my behalf and follow things through to my satisfaction. You've never failed me before." It annoyed Sam to hear the men talking about a crime like it's a walk in the park, but that's the low life he had to have for this op. Sam moved his eyes from Edmonds to Hill and back, trying to find answers to the never spoken questions in his head. Apparently Hill thinks JD is going somewhere after lunch, with Edmonds. Sam had to know what this was all about. He was relieved to understand it had nothing to do with himself or with the takedown, but he still had to know what was expected of him, and how to communicate it to Peck in a timely manner.
"What exactly are we talking about, boss?" addressing the slime like a superior gave him the creeps at first, but he somehow got used to it, knowing it's for a good cause. Edmonds took the hint from Hill's staring look, and left the table for a while.
"Edmonds and I have some… business… together, and I need you to stay with him to make sure things go smoothly. He knows this, and will give you a job at his firm. Nothing glamorous, I'm afraid, but you'll get to see all those beautiful girls who work for him on a daily basis. That's a perk, believe me, I've been to his office before. And you'll stay with him until it's over."
So many questions were running in Sam's head, but he had no one to ask about it. So he simply nodded his head, kept his expression as stoic as possible, and Edmonds came back. They ate in relative silence, Edmonds and Hill telling jokes every now and then, feeling comfortable with each other now the heavy conversation was out of the way. When they were almost in dessert, Sam caught a glimpse of movement in the street in front of him.
It was a matter of split seconds before the troops will storm in, Sam knew. And he had to make a decision right now. The wheels in his head reeled madly, and then he made up his mind and snapped up from his chair, looking at Edmonds. "I think we need to leave now" he said and grabbed Edmond's hand by the sleeve, pulling him towards the back door. The baffled look on both man's eyes was soon gone when the first policeman stormed in to the place and Sam and Edmonds were almost by the back door already.
Sam pulled Edmonds outside merely seconds before the task force went in. he managed to see the surprised look on Peck's face, and knew something went wrong in countdown if they didn't enter from both sides at once. But this was for his own benefit. He took advantage of Peck's surprise and walked to Edmonds' car. "Keys" he said firmly and held his hand out. When he got the keys, he pushed Edmonds to the back seat, and entered the driver's seat. "Buckle up" he gave Edmonds a warning before the car sprinted from the alley and into traffic. Sam drove away like crazy, hoping Peck will decide to not chase him.
His hopes plumped to the ground when he heard sirens behind him. So he sped up, made some fast turns, and left his followers behind in a cloud of dust. Just like he did to her. Here she comes again, enters his thoughts in the most uncomfortable times. He obeyed his mind to forget about her for now, slowed down and headed down town to Edmond's office, according to the address the man gave him.
When Edmonds got his breath back, he looked and Sam and asked "how did you know?"
"I saw them in through the door. They weren't really discrete. And you were closer to me, so I grabbed you. There was no time to grab Hill as well. Too bad for him. To spend the night in detention. Well, at least he got a decent lunch." Sam checked Edmond's face in the back view mirror, and saw the questions and disbelief shade the men's eyes. So he continued fast: "And his lawyer is not in jail himself." He added with a smirk, hoping this will distract Edmonds enough to not think about how JD drives like a pro getting away from cops, or about how the policemen outside the restaurant didn't chase them to the car.
Back in the rotten bed, late at night. The sound of pounding machinery in his ears again. Sam wondered if he did the right thing today. He couldn't allow a big shot lawyer like Edmonds get arrested with a scumbag like Hill, it will look bad on the press. Plus there was this new 'business' Hill and Edmonds now shared, and it didn't sound completely legit, to say the least.
Sam sighed heavily.
He did the right thing. He knew. He'll have to find a way to explain this to Peck in the morning.
He did the right thing. He was sure. Even if it means it will be another while before he sees her beautiful eyes and fine body again. Just another rock on the road. He will see her soon enough.
Little did he know it's going to be another two months before he does.
And it's not going to be in the barn.
A/N: like it? Hate it? See some potential here? Let me know what you think.