Thanks for the reviews. There were comments on when/how/where Flack said those 3 little words. I intentionally chose not to tie it into the shooting or her recovery, so she wouldn't think it was out of his fear of losing her. Nor did I want it under the perfect conditions of dancing/dining/candle light like it was all 'set up', if ya know what I mean. Flack would know when the time was right and genuine.
My characters for this chapter: Steven 'Stevie' Hill & James 'Jimmy'Swanson.
This chapter begins right where chapter 1 ends; with Flack recieving a call from Vice Agent Eppes, and Lieutenant Sythe entering as he concludes his phone conversation with Mac.
Thanks, as always, to my beta reader TerriBerri23.
chapter 2
An hour later...
"Whadaya mean they're missing?" Flack yells into is phone as he
paces the bullpen floor, running his free hand through his hair.
"The operation was complete, surveillance agents had packed up all
the equipment, and one of the vans went to pick up Miena, Angell,
and Walton,... but they were gone." Vice Agent Eppes explains to
Flack while trying to stay calm himself.
Lieutenant Sythe walks up to Flack as he flips his phone closed,
"That was Mac. He and his crew are on route. ETA is three minutes."
"I'm on my way." Flack informs Eppes before hanging up.
"I'll drive." Sythe states, picking up the keys from Flack's desk.
"Sir?" Flack says in surprise.
"One of mine is missing. I don't take that lightly. I'm going with you."
Sythe declares. Water cooler gossip or not, it didn't take a seasoned
detective to figure out there was a relationship between Flack and
Angell. He was a married man himself and knew that look he'd seen
between two of his detectives.
"Mac." Was all Flack said to announce their presence as he and
Sythe quickly walked up to what was now a crime scene.
"There's nothing here." Mac says, "Just common debris on a
common sidewalk, and common vehicle marks on a common street."
"Footage?" Sythe asks.
"Adam's already got street footage from that camera." Mac answers,
gesturing to a street-cam half way down the block. "And Eppes has
his agents checking their surveillance footage from yesterday and
today."
"You think it's one of the Johns?" Flack asks.
"Doubtful. But the ones from yesterday and this morning are already
out on bail, so we can't discount the possibility." Mac says, pulling
out his ringing phone, "Taylor." He answers. "That was Adam, we've
got a black van that pulled up and picked up all three women."
"There were two black Vice vans here earlier. One a block that way,
another a block that way." Sythe says, gesturing in each direction as
he talks.
"True." Mac says, "But this third black van wasn't from Vice and
picked them up before one of the other two was supposed to."
"Does the footage show if they were forced into the van?" Flack asks.
Mac shakes his head, "No. The camera angle doesn't show that.
But we have a make, model, and partial plate, so an APB has
already been issues on it for a triple officer abduction."
"I just got a text from Eppes. His crew has isolated several of the
Johns that exhibited risk factors." Sythe says, still looking at his
phone, before looking directly at Flack, "Let's you and me head over
there and help find these men."
30 MINUTES LATER...
Agent Eppes leads Flack and Sythe into an AV room where 4 other
Vice agents have footage cued and ready for them to see.
"These men, in particular, were more interested in giving the women
a hard time, one even trying to get out of paying." One of the men
said aloud to everyone in the room. He then played the footage one
at a time.
'This is hard to watch.' Flack thought to himself as he looks at the
monitor, watching the woman he loves play her role in the sting
operation to the best of her acting abilities. On the first monitor he
watches her sit on the edge of the bed and lean back to rest on her
elbows, as Miena is trying to get the guy to either pay or leave. The
guy ignores Miena and walks over to Angell, standing between her
knees, leaning against the mattress. 'I'll pay ya when I see how good
she is.' His words make Flack sick, but he continues watching as
Angell pulls up a knee to place the bottom of her boot on the guys
chest, 'Ya gotta pay before you can play.' He hears her say, a slight
shock jolting through him. He'd never seen her in an operation like
this before and it was a bit unnerving.
He then turns is attention to the second monitor where he watches
another John try to touch Angell before she playfully slaps his hand
away. 'No free samples.' he hears her say, and another shock goes
through him.
On the third monitor they all hear the John say he couldn't blow that
much cash, followed by Angell's words about her blowing something.
He tried to let that particular shocking jolt go directly to his brain so
he wouldn't have to remember what he'd just seen and heard, ever
again.
"Saved my favorite for last." He heard the agent who was running
the AV room say as they all turned their attention to the fourth
monitor. Angell was once again laid back on the bed propped up on
her elbows. The John couldn't pay Miena fast enough, which was no
surprise to any of them as he was a short, fat, bald guy. Angell
straightened her leg, slowly sticking it up into the air and twirling her
foot around playfully. She then reached behind her thigh and slowly
started to unzip her boot, stopping behind her knee, just far enough
she could fold down the front of her boot to reveal her badge clipped
to a garter on her thigh before she looked at the guy with a smile.
'Busted.' she all but whispered to him before the Vice team swarmed
into the room to cuff him.
"These four men are our starting points." Eppes said, then Flack and
Sythe took their leave to start tracking them down.
MEANWHILE, 2:30am, IN A WAREHOUSE...
"Don't give me that bull shit. I wanna know who you're working for!"
Stevie shouts at the three women as they all stand in the center of
the warehouse.
The black van that had picked up the three women turned out to be
driven by Stevie as his co-pimp in the passenger seat Jimmy held a
gun on the three women that quickly realized they'd gotten in the
wrong van only a second too late.
"There ain't nobody gonna squeeze our territory and get away with it,
bitch. Now who ya workin' for?" Jimmy yelled directly into Miena's face.
"We already told you." Miena said, with an intentionally shaky voice.
She knew that if she showed her true 'I'm-gonna-kick-your-ass' colors
that they'd all be made as cops in a second. That fact was their ace,
and they were gonna hold onto it for as long as possible. "We don't
know anything about territories."
"Look." Angell spoke up, following Miena's lead, "We were just out to
have a little fun is all."
"Your cutting into my profits ain't 'fun' for me, bitch." Stevie said, his
hand balled into a fist as if to hit her.
"But,... we didn't know. Look, we're sorry. We were just out to,... well,
to see if we could do it." Walton said, also playing along.
"Yeah right. Three grown women just out to prove they can score a
John. You expect me to believe that crap story?" Stevie yells.
"But it's true." Angell says, concerned that Stevie's fist would soon
collide with one of their faces. "Our husbands were all busy working,
and we had a little too much to drink, and then came up with this
crazy idea... just, ya know,... just to see if we could do it."
"That's all that happened. We've never done anything like this
before. We even picked a random place, didn't know anything about
it being,... well, taken." Walton adds, hoping their story will stick.
"Put 'em in the room with the others." Stevie orders Jimmy. They
would deal with the women later.
BACK AT THE PRECINCT...
"Flack." Flack says into his cell phone. "Yeah, all 4 men's alibi's
check out. Those sleaze-bags may be guilty of adultery, but not
kidnapping."
"I've got 3 possible combinations on the partial license plate from the
street cam footage that go with the black van." Adam informs him.
"Thanks, Adam." Flack says before getting started on the newest lead.
"Keep us posted, Man." Adam requests before going back to the footage.
BACK AT THE WAREHOUSE...
"You get anything?" Angell asks Walton as the three huddle quietly
at one end of the room.
"The women I talked to, well, just girls in many cases, are all here
after being abducted." Walton quietly informed Miena and Angell.
"And that one over there, the blond on the far cot, looks a lot like the
Mayor's granddaughter."
"That's the same story I picked up from the ones I talked to. One of
'em even warned us to be careful so we didn't end up like Laura. I'm
assuming she means Laura Hopes, the prostitute. Your forensic
scientists are working her homicide case." Miena surmises.
"I got told the same thing." Angell adds. "Now we just have to figure
out how to get out of here. That door over there leads back to Stevie
and Jimmy in the main part of the warehouse, and that door over
there - that leads to God only knows where - has two locks on it. But
neither door will do us any good without keys."
"I think I can fit through that window." Miena says, referring to a
narrow window up high on the wall. "I saw stars, so at least we know
it leads to the outside."
AT THE LAB...
"Boss!" Adam calls out as Mac is passing the A/V lab.
"You got something, Adam?" Mac asks, entering the room.
"I think so. I've picked up a reflection of the drivers face in his side
mirror. It's kinda blurry, though." Adam explained.
"Let's get that image to Flack and have him cross it with those plate
numbers." Mac instructs. "Good work, Adam."
AT THE WAREHOUSE...
"If we're gonna gain the trust of these women, we're gonna have to
blend in, have opportunity to talk to them." Miena says, referring to
the 20+ prostitutes locked in the room with them.
"What about 'safety in numbers'?" Angell asks, "Should we stick
together, or spread ourselves out in the room?"
"I agree with Jasmine." Walton said, "We should spread out, and
even if something does go down, at least they won't have us all
cornered."
The three agree on a plan and chose cots around the large room,
wanting to talk to as many of the prostitutes as possible.
AT THE LAB...
"We got 'em, Mac." Flack says as he all but charged into his office, "I
ran down the three partials, matched vehicle owners to their drivers
license photos, and came up with a match to the image Adam got off
the street cam footage."
"Steven Hill." Mac reads aloud from the file Flack had handed him.
"Goes by 'Stevie'. He's a low-life pimp, workin' his girls in the
warehouse district in this area." Flack says, gesturing to a map in
the file now lais open on Mac's desk.
"Okay, but I can't picture one pimp grabbing two detectives and a
Vice agent all by himself." Mac says.
"He's got a partner." Flack says, handing Mac another file. "Name's
James Swanson. He goes by 'Jimmy' on the streets and runs Hill's
money laundering for him."
"Any idea where he might be?" Sythe asks, walking into Mac's office.
Flack shakes his head, "The only address we've ever had on him was
at his mother's place in Queens."
"Let's check into property holdings for both Hill and Swanson. It may
give us a lead on where they're holding them." Mac says, as Flack
writes in his note pad.
AT THE WAREHOUSE, NOW ABOUT 6am...
"You get any sleep?" Miena asks Angell as she approaches her cot.
Angell shakes her head, "Not in this place. You?"
Miena also shakes her head. "This place is filthy."
"I think I heard a rat nibbling at the bottom of my cot all night."
Walton says with a shudder, taking a seat next to them.
"We've gotta get outta here. We can't help these women if we don't
get outta here." Miena says.
"If we timed it right, we could take Stevie and Jimmy down. But if we
leave without the women, they'll have them gone before we can get
back with backup." Angell says, Walton agrees.
"I'm not convinced we should take that risk, since they have a gun.
What if I go out the window and go for backup alone?" Miena suggests.
"You're the only one who'll fit through that tiny thing." Walton says.
THREE HOURS LATER...
There is a noise at the door, it being unlocked. Stevie and Jimmy
enter the room. The girls working the early shift would soon be taken
by van to their locations for the day.
"You three!" Stevie yells, "Get out here!"
Miena, Angell, and Walton all comply, slowly walking into the main
part of the warehouse. Again, acting scared.
"I'm only gonna ask you one more time." Stevie says, "Who are you
workin' for? And don't tell me that same crap story you tried
yesterday, 'cause housewives don't dress like that." He added,
referring to Angell's attire.
"Halloween is next month. This costume was easy to find." Angell insisted.
"We want the truth." Jimmy orders.
"We already told you." Angell begins, "Until yesterday, we were just
three bored housewives, feeling a little sorry for ourselves while our
husbands are all out of town, until we came up with this stupid idea-"
"Stupid idea?" Miena interrupts, "Who's idea you callin' stupid?"
"Yeah," Walton chimes in, playing along, since the game had
obviously changed, "We just said, 'let's do something new and
different'."
"Hey, you're the one with kids," Angell says to Walton in an irritated
tone of voice, "You're the one who felt 'old' and 'boring'."
"I kinda like these cat fights." Jimmy says to Stevie a minute later,
after they'd watched things escalate to the point of yelling between
the three women.
"Yeah, well, I don't have time to watch a chick fight right now." Stevie
replies. "Shut up!" He suddenly yells at the women, then ushers
them back into the locked room.
After the door locks behind them the three women smiled at each
other. Then Miena ripped the heels off her shoes as Angell and
Walton position a cot under the window to stand on. A minute later
Miena stands precariously on their shoulders, a pillow case wrapped
around her hand in case she needs to break the glass, struggling to
reach a pipe on the wall to use to reach the window. It takes several
minutes and several tries before succeeding.
"Don't look back." Walton whisper-shouts to her as she squeezed
herself through the tiny window.
"Just keep going, no matter what." Angell encourages her, knowing
she and Walton will incur any fallout if Miena is discovered missing.
"Let's get this cot moved back, before they suspect something."
Angell says, grabbing one end.
"Too late." Walton warns, gesturing to Abbie Webster, the Mayor's
granddaughter, who had begun banging on the locked door and
yelling for Stevie and Jimmy. All the other women in the room had
kept quiet, hoping the tiny petite blond would make it out the window
and get help for them all.
Walton and Angell rush over, grabbing Abbie, trying to quieten her.
"That won't do any good." One of the girls speeks up. "She may be in
here with us, but she's still their rat."
Abbie continues yelling untill the door opens and Stevie enters.
Walton and Angell both rushing him like football players tackling an
opponent with the ball. They knock him down, sending his gun
sliding along the floor. Abbie runs out, hopeing to grab the gun, but
several of the girls run after and restrain her, allowing Walton to
reach the gun first. She immediately grabs Stevie's jacket, hoping
the keys are in the pocket, then ushers all the girls back into the
room, away from the fight between Angell and Stevie.
"Get 'em outta here!" She hears Angell yell. She knew her colleague
could defend herself and probably take Stevie down as well. But
right now their priority was to protect those girls, even Abbie, and get
them out of there. Once back inside the room, she forced herself to
remain calm. Several of the girls restrained Abbie, who would run
back out to Stevie if given the chance, while she trys key after key on
the ring, needing first to lock the door they've just come through, then
open the large metal door, hoping it lead to the outside.
AT THE PRECINCT...
"Hill is the registered owner of this property right here, and right
here, and another one right here." Flack says, referring to locations
on the large wall map. "These warehouses are listed under a fake
company name, so it took a while to get through all the red tape and
facades. And there's no cell phone registered to either Hill or
Swanson."
"We'll split up with SWAT and check 'em all out a lot faster." Sythe
says, putting on his kevlar. No one was taking one of his and getting
away with it.
MEANWHILE...
Miena hadn't needed the pillow case for the window, but it came in
handy as she found the warehouse's parking lot surrounded by a
chain link fence topped with barbed wire. She endured several cuts,
but made it over the fence and took off running.
At the moment, her feet were carrying her as fast as they could to the
nearest public place to find a phone. She ran about two miles before
spotting a deli.
"I need a phone!" Miena yells, as best she can from running so hard
and fast, as she enters the front door to the deli.
"Pay phone's around the corner." The deli owner says in a monotone
voice without even looking up from the sandwich he is making.
"This is police business! I've got two NYPD detectives in trouble and I
need a phone! Now!" Miena yells. As the deli owner looks up, three
customers have already extended their phone-clad hands to the Agent.
12th PRECINCT PARKING LOT...
"Hold up!" Eppes calls out to everyone as they are already loaded up
and about to head out in three different directions. "I just got a call
from Agent Miena. They're being held at the warehouse on Marshall
Avenue. Scratch the other two warehouses, everyone head to the
one on Marshall Avenue!" He loudly instructs.
Flack was driving the lead car with Agent Eppes in shotgun. Stella
and Mac are right behind in his Avalanche. "Flack's gonna get
himself killed, driving like that." Stella says as she flinches again.
"He's gotta get to her, Stella. He doesn't care about anything else
right now." Mac says, grateful for the lights and sirens that were
helping clear a path in the traffic.
MEANWHILE...
Walton had succeeded in finding the key it took to lock them into the
room, away from the fight currently going on between Angell and
Stevie. Walton was now repeating the process to find, not just one
key, but two, for the two separate locks on the large metal door. If
this door didn't lead to the outside, she was gonna be mad.
Angell was tired, but there was no way she was letting up. She knew
Stevie was tired, too, but he had a lot to lose, and there was no way
he was giving up either. So the punches and kicks continued.
TWO MILES AWAY AT THE DELI...
Lindsay pulls up in front of the deli, Miena barely in the passenger seat before they take off.
AT THE WAREHOUSE...
"Yes!" Walton shouts as the door finally opens, even happier that it
was to the outside as they'd hoped for.
"But, the fence." One of the girls questions, disappointment and fear
obvious in her voice.
"Don't worry about it, dear." Walton says in a comforting tone, as she
can hear the sirens in the distance. "Let's wait over there." She
instructs, gesturing to a spot a little closer to the gate.
Flack let the SWAT vehicle take the lead, knowing they'd use the grill
of their SUV to ram the fence open, allowing he NYPD, CSI's, Vice,
and SWAT vehicles to enter and surround the warehouse.
One of the NYPD vans veer right just inside the gate, stopping near
Walton and the women she had with her. The women are quickly
loaded into the van to be taken to the hospital and checked out.
Walton joins a team of 3 SWAT members to cover the back door she
had come out of. But the keys she had used previously were now
useless, as the door was self-locking and keyed from the inside only.
So they search for another point of entry.
Angell could hear the sirens, lots of them, and hear the crashing of
the front gate. She knew Flack would be with them, that he wouldn't
stop till he found her. But until they had made their way inside, she
and Stevie would continue their exchange of punches and kicks.
Flack's heart was pounding and he'd barely got the car in park before
exiting. SWAT fanned themselves out around the building, looking
for every door and window they could find to get in. Mac and Stella
would join Flack and Eppes at the front door, two officers ready with a
large door ram. Eppes gave the signal, the door is busted open and
they all enter.
Angell can hear the door being busted down. Help had arrived, now
they just had to get to her. They probably thought that would be the
easy part, she knew it wouldn't.
Flack carried a shot gun with a flashlight on it, aimed and ready. He
didn't need it. Well, the flashlight part anyway. He could see Angell
right away. The warehouse was sectioned off in a way he'd never
seen before. Once inside the front door, you were in the main part of
the warehouse as expected, but there was chain link fencing, floor to
ceiling, to get through. The fencing ran around three sides of the
large open space, like a 6' wide wrap around hallway, leaving the
middle almost like a giant cage.
Stella and Eppes went right, Mac and Flack went left. At the end of
the make-shift hallway - as if the fencing was a substitute for a wall -
Flack and Mac came to stairs that led to a loft above the room the
women had been kept in and looked out over the warehouse. Flac
could still see Angell easily, but none of them could get to her yet.
Stevie punched Angell again, sending her back onto a stack of
crates. She took opportunity to kick him in the gut, which sent him
back on his ass, she then took off for the stairs. She thought that if
she could just reach the top, she might find a way to let Flack and
Mac in. She could hear them both calling to her as she neared the
top, but Stevie was right behind her and grabbed her by the ankle,
sending them both tumbling back to the bottom. Angell made it to
her feet first and flipped Stevie over onto his stomach, pinning an
arm behind him. But his elbow made painful contact with the side of
her head as he struggled to flip himself back over to regain some
control. Stevie could see the officers all around them, separated
only by the chain link fencing they hadn't gotten through, yet. He
could also hear their voices calling out to him to 'freeze' and knew
several guns were trained on him. In other words, he had nothing to
lose and wasn't about to go down without a fight.
Flack had had all he could take. He wasn't about to continue
standing there helpless as his girlfriend was taking blows like that.
"Come with me." He orders Mac without even thinking. Mac runs
behind Flack, back across the loft, down the stairs, and around the
hall. "Wait here. And stay clear!" He orders again, then takes off out
the front door.
"Where's he going?" Stella asks, as she and Eppes return from their
side, not having any luck getting through the fencing either.
"I don't kn-" Mac started to say, just as one of the SWAT van's came
crashing through the front door and keeps going till it had also
crashed through the fencing, stopping almost in the center of the
warehouse.
Flack slams on the brakes as soon as he knows the SWAT van is
in. "Freeze!" He yells as he exits the vehicle, pointing his gun at Stevie.
Angell blocks another punch, before sending one of her own. She
can hear Flack yelling at Stevie, but he's obviously not listening or
caring. Suddenly he takes her to the ground, the back of her head
hitting the concrete floor as he begins to choke her. Angell brings
her hands up between his arms to break his hold as she also brings
her right leg around and kicks him off her. This sends him
backwards onto the floor with a thud.
Angell didn't move. She didn't have to, she remains on her back
looking up at her team and SWAT members around them. It was
finally over. If Stevie dared move, they could deal with him.
"Don't you mo-" Flack starts to yell, his gun trained on Stevie. But he
didn't finish his sentence. Silence.
"Angell." Stella finally says rather softly, crouching down beside her.
'Why is she talking to me like that?' Angell wonders to herself,
exhausted and just laying there, still trying to catch her breath. She
looks up, Stella and Mac were both looking over at Stevie. She
struggles a bit to sit up, feeling resistance, then she sees it. Her
boot. When she had kicked Stevie off her, the stiletto heel of her
boot had gone through his neck. They all watch as Stella checks for
a pulse, but she just shakes her head. There's nothing to say. Stevie
is dead.
Angell slowly runs her hand down the back of her leg, undoing the
long zipper to release her leg and foot from the boot. She then slides
herself back a few feet away from the body before removing the
other boot, which she leaves on the floor before walking away.
A FEW MINUTES LATER...
Flack walks around the back of the SWAT van that he'd previously
crashed through the door and gate, that had yet to be removed from
inside the warehouse, to find Angell setting against it's bumper, an
ice pack held to her head.
"I need her at the ambulance, sir. Agent Eppes' orders." The
paramedic says, addressing Flack.
"She'll be over in a few minutes." Flack assures him, then watches
the paramedic nod and walk away. "Jess." He says, carefully moving
the ice pack aside so he can survey the damage for himself.
Angell looks up, making eye contact with him. "I'm okay, Don." She
assures him at seeing the concerned look on his handsome face.
She was lying. Every part of her body hurt, but it was her first
assignment back on full active duty again and she wasn't about to let
anyone see her weak, not even him. Well, at least not now.
"I know you will be, but for right now you still need to get checked
out." He reminds her as he removes his jacket and wraps it around
her shoulders. It was all he could do to contain his emotions, after
searching for her, then finding her but not being able to reach her.
And now, now she stood before him, safe, but he knew she was lying
about being 'fine' as the bruises that were now forming were a dead
giveaway to the truth of how much pain she must be in.
"I will. I just,... I just don't wanna be fussed over at the moment."
She says, that part being true.
"What can you tell us about Abbie Webster, the Mayor's
granddaughter?" He asks, changing to a subject that will make her
more comfortable.
"Most of the women here, were here of their own accord. But the
younger girls, many of them were abducted, including Abbie. It
appears that she came to like it her. Probably the attention, the
clothes, being made to feel grown up and special. One of the girls
told us that she was Stevie and Jimmy's rat among them." She says,
sliding her arms into the jacket sleeves to better cover herelf.
"Speaking of 'Jimmy'." Mac says, causing both Flack and Angell to
notice his presence. "Any idea where he is?"
Angell shook her head, "No. He split earlier, leaving just Stevie here
with us. Went to drop off more girls, I think, but never came back."
"We'll get an APB out on the van. It was the same one they used to
pick you up." Mac says before walking away.
"Come on, Jess." Flack says, gesturing towards the ambulance,
"They're waiting for you."
Angell looks over, seeing Eppes headed her way and stands up. She
nods, giving in before Eppes can reach her, then slowly heads for the
ambulance, feeling Flack's hand gently on her back.
Monroe and Messer were both at the ambulance, taking statements
from Miena and Walton. "Hey, Angell." They all greet her.
"What a waste." Monroe says, as Sid and his ME assistant wheel
Steven Hill's bagged body past them, the zipper part way open with
most of the boot sticking out of it.
"Yeah, of a perfectly good pair of boots." Miena says, obviously
having no tolerance for those in the pimp business. "And a perfectly
good pair of pumps, too." She adds, gesturing to the heelless pumps
still on her feet.
"Any luck tracking down Jimmy?" Flack asks Stella as she
approaches, finally having an opportunity to check on the ladies for
herself.
"No. He's still in the wind. He has no cell phone, no residence, and
there's no luck yet spotting the van." Stella replies.
"He was talking on a cell phone earlier." Walton informs.
"Then how's there no record of it?" Angell asks.
"It's just not registered in his name, so with no clue as to who's name
it is under..." Stella says, trailing off.
"His mother." Flack blurts out. "The only contact info we could get on
him was his mother's address. She's an elderly lady that thinks her
son can do no wrong."
"So, maybe she's added him to her plan." Stella finishes for him.
"I'm on it." Lindsay says before walking away.
Once Miena, Angell, and Walton all finish at the ambulance, they are
load into a Vice SUV for transport back for debriefing.
LATE THAT EVENING...
"We got 'im." Flack says to Angell as soon as she opens her
apartment door.
"Good." Was her simple reply, accompanied by a sigh of relief, as
she steps aside to let him enter.
Flack slowly lays his jacket across the back of a chair, taking the
extra moment to take in her appearance. Her hair is still wet from an
obvious shower, but her arms were red. "Did it work?" He asks.
"Did what work?" She questions, not sure what he is referring to.
"You've just spent two long days dressed and acting like like a
prostitute, being treated like a piece of meat for men to ogle and
fantasize about. And now,..." He pauses, setting on the couch
beside her, "and now your arms are red, either from a scalding hot
shower or from scrubbing yourself raw. Either way, wanting to get it
all off of you." He pauses, wanting to touch her arm, but doesn't, "Did
it work?" He asks again.
"I wish it did." She replies, avoiding direct contact with his blue eyes.
Flack gently raises her chin with his hand, finally causing blue to
meet brown. "Talk to me, Jess." was all he had to say. It was
enough.
She wanted to continue looking at him, but couldn't. She looked
away for a moment before speaking, "I worked Vice before coming to
Homicide. Ya gotta learn a lot about what it's like. Out on the
streets, I mean." She reminds him, seeing him nod in
acknowledgment. "Where do the girls come from, how do they end
up like that, what will they do to get out." She continues, as if
thinking out loud. She pauses, laying her head down on a cushion.
"Oh God,... it's all just so messed up. Most of those girls could've
left. They could've gotten out of there. But they don't. Some have no
place to go, except right back to the hell-hole they ran away from.
Some are so ashamed of what they've done that they would rather
keep selling themselves than face it. Then there are girls like Abbie
Webster, who start out abducted, but end up staying for the thrill.
Then the ones like Laura Hopes, who try to escape, or even think
about it, end up dead."
"You're right, Jess. It's messed up." Flack agrees, "Now you wanna
tell me what's really bothering you." He adds. It wasn't really a
question.
Angell raises her head, making eye contact again. 'He knows me so
well.' She thought to herself, seeing a sympathetic look on his face.
"Stevie." She manages to say.
"But,... he didn't-" Flack starts to say. His mind flashing with the
disgusting words Stevie would have said to them, the way he would
have sold them for sex just to line his own pockets, the things he
would have done to them himself if given the chance. If they had
been anyone but undercover cops.
Angell shakes her head, "No. He didn't." He sighs in relief and his
expressions softens again. "But you know pimps usually initiate their
girls themselves. And even though he and Jimmy had a gun, and
even though we didn't wanna risk anything that could get any of his
girls hurt, there was no way Walton, Miean, or I were gonna let that
happen. We'd already agreed on that. It's just that,... it got me
thinking." She pauses, touching his face, "The first time a man
touches me,... I want it to be you."
Wordlessly, he reaches over and wraps an arm around her waist and
pulls her onto his lap, holding her close. She rests her head on his
shoulder. He knew now was not the time. She'd just spent days
having men gawk at her, willing to pay a lot of money for sexual
favors from her. Right now she needed to feel loved, respected, and
cared for. And he had an abundance of those things for her.
"Don." She eventually said, without moving.
"Hmm?" He acknowledged, also without moving.
"My dad is hoping that the next time I get a couple days off, that I'll go
visit him again. Will you come with me?" She asks.
"Anything you want, babe." He answers.
FAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFAFA
Next chapter; Flack goes with Angell to visit her dad, but, what will
happen when they get there?
I've always written Angell as a tough kick-ass cop who can take care
of herself, so I'm not sure why I keep doing these 'damsel in distress'
storylines, but oh well.