All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. I just like to play with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta edwardsmate4ever.
Vices and Vamps
Chapter 2 – The Office
Bella strode into Police Headquarters on Fifth Avenue in her stocking feet, carrying the six-inch heels. She held her head high as she walked across the main squad room, hearing conversation die as she passed.
They're all staring at my hooker outfit.
Behind her, she could hear Johnson and Stenson confidently greeting their fellow officers.
They won't be sounding so cocky in a few minutes.
She waited for the two men to catch up before knocking on their Sergeant's office door.
"Come in," Banner called to her. Seeing Johnson and Stenson behind her, he kept his face impassive.
Bella bluntly explained why they were there. "Johnson groped me out on the street."
"I was just making her look more attractive to the customers," Johnson said.
Banner leaned back in his chair, exhaling. Bella could imagine him reaching into his desk for his bottle of aspirin, something he had done many times when it was just the two of them in his office. "Johnson, no more contact," Sergeant Banner barked. "You're there to watch her back, not cause her problems."
Watching their interaction, Bella became acutely aware that the two officers were wearing suits as their street clothes, and Sergeant Banner was wearing the Washington State Police uniform that had won awards from the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors, while she was dressed and made-up to look like a hooker.
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"Do you want to file a formal complaint?" Sergeant Banner asked her.
The men stared at her, Stenson twisting the end of his tie nervously.
"No, but I would like for them to get a warning," Bella replied.
"That's not up to you," Johnson growled.
Bella glared at him but didn't answer as Banner shook his head at her.
"You are welcome to reconsider," Banner said formally, "and I will leave my file open for another week. Trooper Swan, you are dismissed. You two, please stay for a few more minutes."
Bella rose and left the room while the two men stayed behind. After the door closed, she walked back across the squad room to her desk. Despite the ringing phones, it was as if the room had gone silent and all eyes were on her. It felt she was walking a gauntlet.
I'm Charlie Swan's daughter, and I have every right to be here.
Finally reaching her desk, she settled in and began checking her voicemails, resisting the temptation to look around the squad room to see who might be staring. As she picked up her phone, she saw her hand was shaking. She set the phone down and tried to collect herself.
It isn't fair.
After about thirty minutes, Sergeant Banner's door opened and the two men walked out. They resumed their swagger when they saw they were the subject of curiosity, and Bella turned around, waiting for Banner to call her back in.
When she finally got back into his office, Bella relaxed in the chair. Banner had always been friendly to her. He had known her father and had been one of the first to truly welcome her into the Seattle police department when she arrived five years ago.
"I gave them a warning," Banner told her. "But they're not your real problem."
"I know," Bella said. 'What can I do?"
"Do a good job," Banner replied. "We need to have someone out there right now. Make it your job to know the area and the girls working it so you can tell us if anyone is missing."
"That's not why Mike has me there," Bella said, "and you know it."
"I won't comment on Lieutenant Newton's orders," Banner replied. He leaned forward and looked at her with tired eyes. "Tread carefully. Careers can be made or broken on these assignments. Think of it as a way to get more informants.
Every job has its possibilities. Make the best of the situation and show you know how to turn anything into an opportunity. Find CI's, make contacts. I assigned those two to you because of the homicides. The men are competent and will protect you out there on the streets."
"Those two…" Bella began.
Banner put out his hand to stop her. "I sent them to tail you. It's dangerous out there. They may be annoying men with little to lose at the end of their careers, but they are career officers and know how to use a gun. They'll keep you safe."
"After tonight they probably will stab me in the back," she said.
Banner shook his head. "After you left, I reminded them you're Charlie's daughter. Johnson looked ashamed. They'll be all right now."
"I should be working those homicide cases," Bella said, "instead of being stuck out there turning in johns."
"Not up to me," Banner said wearily, shuffling papers on his desk and putting a file in his drawer.
"I know." She thought grimly of Mike Newton, who had blocked her transfer to Homicide and channeled her to Vice. If she wanted to work downtown, he had told her, working as a decoy for Vice was the only opening the Department had. In the Washington Police Department, you had to be on the force for five years before you could request a transfer to a specialty area or take the week-long detective course. Mike could stall her indefinitely, forcing her into departments other than Homicide.
She had known going in that the Police Department was a military hierarchy. She just hadn't realized that men like Newton or even Johnson could ruin her. Maybe they already had. "Not a team player." "Emotional." These were the kinds of labels that could tank a woman's career in the Seattle Police Force.
At the end of her shift, instead of changing in the locker room, she covered up her mini-skirt and blouse with her raincoat and went out to her car in the rain. She tugged off the fishnet stockings and slid on her tan Toms slip-ons before getting out when she arrived at her apartment building.
XX
Please review. I will send a preview of the next chapter to all reviewers.
