Meet me downstairs in 20 minutes.
He read the text over and over, and he waited. He had been there in ten. Something was going on and he knew it was serious. She was rarely so abrupt, but he knew when she was, that she meant business.
Here
Be right down
He waited.
She rushed out of the door of her condo moments later, and quickly got in beside him. Without talking to him, she pulled out her phone and called up the information she was looking for. Showing him the address, he nodded and started to drive. He could feel her seething beside him, and wasn't sure if he should poke the proverbial bear or not.
"Anything particular I should be looking for when we get there?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"Don't worry... you'll know it when you see it."
"Ah... right..." It didn't take a genius, especially once he pieced together the address and the fury she was in. "So... should I ask now or just assume what we're about to do."
"If I talk I might explode."
"Okay," he nodded, returning the silence in the car.
It didn't take long for them to enter the seedy part of town. He remembered it a little too well, and it always brought memories of mistakes past. Most of them he had managed to forgive for the sake of others, but around the edges a few things still haunted.
"You have to do the actual ID. I only saw her from the side that one time."
"Don't worry. I'd know her anywhere."
"Yeah... I figured," he nodded, then without looking at her he asked, "you want me to do the talking?"
"I might need you too. I can't swear to my professionalism at a time like this.
He chuckled lightly, "This isn't professional, and we both know it."
"Mmm..."
They drove around a few blocks, keeping close to the address she had provided. Finally, she tapped him on the arm, "There... do you see the blonde?"
Nodding, he pulled to the side of the street and put his car in park. They both got out of the car, and he noticed she was as prepared as himself, with her glock and badge securely attached to her belt.
Together they walked over to the small group laying haphazardly on the corner.
"Hey..." he gently kicked the foot of the blonde woman. When she didn't respond, he kicked her foot a little harder, trying to get her attention.
The blonde opened her eyes and tried to see through her haze, then smiled at him. "Well hello, Handsome. What can I do for you?"
"You can get up now, and get in the back of my car," he pointed in the direction to show her which car he was meaning.
"That's gonna cost ya, Sweetie," the blonde smiled. "Something like this isn't for free."
"Yeah..." he sighed, reaching down to grab the blonde under her upper arm, "but I imagine it would be pretty cheap."
The blonde was about to turn her temper on him, until she saw his badge, and pulled her arm out of his reach. "That's entrapment. I ain't going with you anywhere," the blonde screamed.
He merely chuckled and grabbed her arm again, holding it more firmly this time. "We like to call in 'enchantment' in my neck of the woods, Sweetheart. You're coming with me."
"No... No... get him off me!" the blonde screamed more loudly.
He maneuvered her into the car. Everyone had scattered once they realized he was taking her. The others weren't interested in being the next to be picked up for using.
"I got rights!" the blonde screamed from the back seat. He had handcuffed her to make sure she wouldn't be able to get out. "You can push me around all you want, but I know you! I know what this is all about. You think you can get rid of me and the path is clear sailing. You think once I'm gone, you can go back to your fantasy of the happy family and pretend I don't exist. I've got your number. I know what you want... Ms. High and Mighty."
She continued to sit there, staring out the front windshield. He would have thought her a statue if it wasn't for her fist clenching and unclenching.
He wanted to yell at the blonde in the back seat, but she must have realized what he was thinking, because she reached over and touched his arm. Then with the slightest shake of her head, he knew she did not want either of them to engage the blonde. It would just make it worse. Sighing, he nodded his understanding, and continued driving. She kept fidgeting with her hands, and the blonde in the backseat kept screaming like a banshee. It as a long drive to the closes precinct.
"Sit down!" he said roughly, when they entered. She went to speak with the sergeant at the front desk, while he dealt with the still hostile blonde. Some of the blonde's fight had diminished with the awkward positioning of her hands behind her back. But when she went back to speak with someone in authority, the blonde started yelling at him again, renewing her protest.
"Where did she go? Who the hell does she think she is? She has no reason to kidnap me off the street and bring me here, none. I know my rights. I did what I was told to do and I did it. I'm free, and she can't bully me into anything. I want my lawyer!"
"Awe, shut up!" he finally yelled. She wasn't around to stop him, and he'd had enough of the complaints.
That silenced the blonde for a moment, then she tried to rise again, screaming at the top of her lungs that her rights were being violated. Another officer suggested an interrogation room would be more to their liking, and he agreed. She did not need any more attention to the situation then they already had.
"It's taken care of," she announced once she returned, having been directed to the interrogation room. "Sorry you had to deal with this on your own."
He shrugged. He'd do anything to make things easier for the people important to him, even stay in a room for almost an hour with a belligerent addict.
Other officers came into the room, and stated handling the blonde.
"Where are you taking me?" the blonde demanded, trying to shake them off.
She stared down the blonde, not hiding the disgust in her face, "They are taking you where you should have gone in the first place."
"What do you mean?" the hostility from the blonde seemed to increase, something he didn't think possible. "I did what I was supposed to do. I did my stint at rehab. I'm free."
"Not quite," she almost had the look of pity. Almost. "You were remanded to the rehab facility with the understanding that you would complete your program, and not sneak drugs on the side. I noticed the first time I met you that your nose is quite stuffy. Medical test done when you first entered rehab, showed no concern for allergies, so it got me wondering. What could make you so congested?"
"I've got a cold, so what."
"So... we dusted that forged prescription and found the finger prints of not only two other people in rehab with you, one of whom has already reoffended and been remanded for trial, and the other was an undercover cop who's job it was to keep track of where drugs were entering the rehab. Interestingly another was a dealer well known to the LAPD. In addition to that, handwriting analyses confirms you forged the prescription you gave your son, trying to make him an accessory to your drug smuggling. I have you for theft, impersonating a medical professional, and breaking the terms of your legal agreement to keep you out of jail. You will be held until your trial."
The blonde stood staring in disbelief, looking from one to the other. She stood there with her arms crossed, and he had his hands casually in his pants pockets, shrugging slightly.
"NO!" the blonde suddenly screamed, fighting the two officers who held her arms. "You set me up! I'll get you for this. I'll have your badge. I'll destroy you."
He chuckled wryly, "Don't even try it, she knows the rules."
The two moved aside as the officers dragged the blonde out of the room. "I want my son!" the blonde yelled at them.
"I'll tell him you said that," she said quietly.
He put his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her from the police station. "Feel better?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"I wish I did. I wish I could lock this away as easily as that woman was locked away. It had to be done. I just wish I wasn't the one to do it."
"Hey," he said, reaching his arm further around her waist, and pulling her towards him, "it had to be you. You did this for all the right reasons."
"Then why does it hurt?" she said softly, hugging herself and leaning into his embrace.
He squeezed her quickly, "It hurts because of what comes next, not what just happened."
"Mmm..."
Together they went upstairs to her condo. She had been willing to do it alone, but he wouldn't let her. He was just as much a part of this as she was.
The boy was pacing around the main room, from the kitchen to the living room, and back to the dining area. All the while he looked at his phone. Even though he had turned it off, it would still light up if someone was calling. It hadn't lit for some time.
"Honey, I have something to show you," she said, laying a picture down in front of him.
The boy picked up the picture of the mug shot and stared at it, then he looked over at her. "When was this?"
"Tonight, Kid. We just came from there."
"You... you..." the boy sat down on the edge of the sofa, unsure of his legs.
"Trust me kid. I been there. It's a better place than the streets, which was where we found your mom."
"Why?" tears formed in the boy's eyes as he looked from one to the other.
"Honey, she broke the law, and there are rules about that, especially around what she tried to make you do. But the truth is, I would have left her on the street to deal with her own consequences. We did this for you. You needed to know where she was, and that she was in a safe place."
The kid's watery eyes helped her continue.
"I am so proud of you, Honey. You did the right thing. It took me a long time to get to the place where you are, and even now I fall victim to the manipulation too easily. It's what your mother needs. And if she refuses to get cleaned up on her own, at least she won't be on the streets and at risk."
He stepped behind her, supporting her like he always did. "It's like this, Kid. Maybe this will be her rock bottom. Maybe this will finally make her get better. But even if it doesn't, at least she will be surrounded by people who will keep her alive, and it frees your conscience. You did everything you could. It's up to your mom, now."
"I... I..." the boy tried to speak, but realized he had no words. Only one thing would show the depths of his feelings. Moving forward, he grabbed her into a bone crushing hug, tears freely flowing. "Thank you for doing this," he finally whispered.