WALKER
From the door, the others and me watched as Alec pounded away at one of the hanging heavy bags. I didn't know about the others but I was wondering if it was Mendoza, he was really pounding on. Feeling his hand on my shoulder, I faced Trevette.
After looking at Alec a little longer, he muttered, "is he sure it was Mendoza?" he asked.
I held his gaze for second before looking back. "When my parents were killed everything about their killers was burned into my brain. When he learned that what he heard in the sweat lodge was his mother's murder the same thing happened to him. He's never been more sure of anything in his life," I said.
Beside me, I heard Gage let out a whoosh of air. "Man then this case just went to a whole new level then when we started months ago. Let's just hope he can keep it from becoming personal," he said, and I looked at him.
"It became personal the second Mendoza shot his mother," I muttered.
There was silence for a moment. "Well at least now he can have justice for her," Sydney muttered, and I looked at her.
"Do you really think that a jury will convict Mendoza? Solely on a man's first memory of life surfaced by a Native American ritual?" I asked, looking at her.
For a second she held my gaze before lowering her's. "He will never have justice for her, and he knows it," I said, just as Alec's cell rang and he stopped.
He turned to walk over to the bench and after looking at the display answered it. "Ryan," he said, into it.
He was silent for a few seconds. "yeah… yeah thanks… no I can do it… no really its time I started doing this… yes I'll see you tonight… love you to, bye," he said, into it.
After taking a sip from the bottle of water next to, he put it back down before picking up his towel draped over his shoulder walked toward him. "Guys Kelly asked me to go pick up Ryan from school so I gotta go, so Walker I'll pick up Angela to. And Gage I don't let things become personal. After what I told you, you should know that," he said, before he walked around them into the lockers.
After watching him go Gage leaned close to Sydney. "Do you think that our kids will have ears like that?" he asked, and the others left me alone.
My face going somber I looked back at the half-empty water bottle Alec had left.
ANGELA
When the bell rang, I quickly packed away my school things and ran out of the room along with the other kids. Keeping the pace, I ran down the steps of the school building scanning the parked cars for daddy's truck. The frowned when I saw Uncle Alec there in daddy's place leaning against his truck smiling up at me.
Smiling I ran down and leapt into his arms. "Uncle Alec! What are you doing here?"
"Well Aunt Kelly called me and I offered to pick you up," he said, putting her down before he scanned the crowd for Ryan.
"Where is he?" he wondered aloud.
RYAN
Taking cover behind a corner, I peeked around, saw the kids chasing me stop, and look around for me. The ringleader pointed and they started running in my direction and I withdrew my head. They blew by me and I started to utter a sigh of relief then stopped when the leader skidded to a stop and slowly turned to face me.
After he called his friends back, they surrounded me. "Well, well look who we just found," the leader said, as one of his friends snatched my bag away and started dumping out the contents onto the ground.
"Come on breed do something," the leader snapped, shoving me.
"HEY!"
Turning I saw Mr. Ryan and Angela walk up. "Is there a problem here?" he growled.
Looking back at the leader, I saw him smile up at him. "No problem Ryan here tripped we were just helping him, right?" he said, looking back at me.
Holding his gaze, I gulped and nodded. "Yeah that's right," I muttered, and a smiling pushed pass Mr. Ryan and me turned to watch them go the leader meeting up with his father.
"Don't worry boy you'll get the breed next time," I heard his father say and I gulped again.
ALEC
With a moan of frustration I looked back at Ryan as he and Angela started packing up his things again as I rubbed the back of my neck. "Come on let's get out of here, ice cream is on me," I said, and he looked at me a spark of flint in his eye while Angela jumped for joy.
Twenty minutes later outside the dairy bar I watched as the two ate their sundaes as I spoon my soft serve vanilla. "Is there something you want to tell me Ryan?" I asked, and he looked at me.
After he lowered his gaze, I sighed looking away. "Did your mother ever tell you about the time when the reservation Elementary school had to close for a week to fix a gas leak?" I asked, looking back at him.
He held my gaze before he shook his head. "Well I was about your age when it happened and we were told that we had to go to a school off the reservation. It would be the first time I ever went to a white school," I said, and Ryan frowned.
"But you must have been with white people before?" he asked.
Chuckling I nodded. "Yeah of course, tourists to the reservation. Families with white relatives. But this was different this would be the first time when I would be with a group of people that would not share the same culture so I thought I would make friends easily even if I was a White Indian.
Boy was I wrong," I said, shaking my head and he frowned.
"You were picked on?" he asked, and I nodded.
"Every day, calling me Injun, half breed, blood traitor, and a whole lot worse that I won't mention. Moreover, I kept it from my family not wanting to seem weak. In that time I changed, became bitter.
A few of my parents, your mother, and… a few friends noticed and were asked, to keep an eye on me by their parents. One day I was being picked on when they came to my defense and they learned just how many brothers and sisters I had and why Indians call each other brother. I told them a little of what they were doing.
They all stepped forward and I never seen a group of kids so scared as your uncle Jason said, 'that just ignorance, and do you know how we deal with ignorance?' One of the bullies said, 'education,' and your mother said, 'close,' and another brother… well he said, 'butt whooping and scalping'. I don't think those kids stopped running until they got home," I said, laughing at the memory.
Looking at him I reached out, took their empty sundae dishes, and threw them away and returning led them back to the truck. "You want to know what I did wrong Ryan?" I said, looking down at him.
"I kept it all inside, I didn't tell anybody, and took my anger on what was being done to me on the people who cared," I said, and he lowered his gaze.
Sighing I knelt down and held his upper arms in my hands. "Ryan you can talk to me about anything. Don't make my mistake and keep it inside. It will poison you if you do," he said.
Slowly a tear ran down his face. "Why do they do it...? what did I do…," he cried out and I held him close.
"You didn't do anything… people like them… need to make other people feel small… that they can feel big," I muttered, into his ear.
"Could you teach me how to fight?" he suddenly asked.
Drawing back, I looked at him. "Code 0 all units in the vicinity of Maple and Elboney respond to a Code 25 and 10-96," came over my Truck radio and I looked at it before I could say anything.
"What's that?" Ryan asked, as I opened the door reaching for my mike.
"Hostage situation and backup," Angela said, before I could answer and I arched an eyebrow and she shrugged.
"It helped me in math," she muttered, as they climbed in after me.
I shook my head bring my mike to my mouth. "This is Ranger Ryan responding Code 3 has tactical and negotiator been called in?" I said, turning the key and engine roared to life.
"Affirmative Ranger Ryan, Sargent Righter in route," dispatch said, I smiled more at ease, and I replaced the mike.
"Ryan do me a favor, flip that switch," I said, pointing as I backed out of the parking lot.
After looking at me he flipped the switch, the lights on my truck started flashing, the siren behind the grill started blaring, and hitting the gas turned into traffic. Soon enough I pulled behind several marked and unmarked police sedans with flashing lights in front of the convenience store. Reaching over I opened the glove box and pulled out the clip of my unloaded weapon.
"Now you two stay here! And keep your heads down!" I snapped, getting out of the truck loading and cocking my Walther before holstering it.
"Ranger Ryan, what's the situation?" I asked, one of the uniformed officers.
"That's usually my line," a voice said, and turning I saw Kelly shrugging on her tactical vest glancing at my truck.
"So what's the situation?" Kelly asked, looking back at the officer.
"I'll tell you what I know ma'am and that is the first responder is trying to make another Hindenburg from what I can tell. He's been here since noon. Now He's got the HT all worked up yelling at him," the officer said, as we made our way to the FR me and Kelly exchanged glances.
"He's been here for over three hours and now he calls for backup, who is it?" she asked, zipping up her vest and checking her side arm.
"Detective Brentine," and I heard her moan as he came into sight behind his car a cell to his ear.
"…to shoot anybody so call me back when I want to talk serious," he said, before hanging up.
"Situation detective!" Kelly snapped, out tying her hair back.
Turning he faced her he sneered before he adverted his gaze. "HT's name is Crocket says if we come in he has the store owner and clerks as hostages. Says if anyone comes in he'll shoot them," he said, looking at me.
Kelly and me were silent for a second. "Is that it?" Kelly asked.
Not looking at her he said, "Says that the store owner fired him for stealing when he was supposed to be paid for two weeks work. Said, it was because he was black and poor, and to cheat him," and Kelly and I looked at each other.
"The log!" she snapped.
At last, he looks at her fully. "Look I've been keeping these people alive! There hasn't been time for a log!" he snapped.
Stepping forward Kelly hissed, "Have you talk to any of the hostages! Do you know if anybody is hurt or needs medical attention! Have you tried to determine if his story is true or not!"
He remained silent. "You're relived! Ranger Ryan you're second! Get the HT back on the phone!" she said, barking out orders grabbing the phone from Brentine and he stepped in front of her.
"Hey! I'm the one been keeping those people alive! You can't…" he started to snap out and I pushed him aside.
"As tactical and negotiator she can and she is pal! Now you go cool off you've done enough damage!" I snapped, pointing.
He held my gaze for a second before he stalked off. "I pity the victim of that tantrum," Kelly muttered, as she dialed and put the phone on speaker as a officer started the log.
"YES!" a voice snapped, out.
"Mr. Crocket my name is Sargent Kelly Righter I'm negotiator with DPD," she said, as calmly as she could.
"Is that how you people think you can talk to me! I have a gun! You people are all the same stepping on the little people like me just because you have money!" Crocket snapped, out.
Sharing a concerned look at the hints of despair in his voice before Kelly continued in a soothing voice, "that was somebody else, you'll be talking to me," and at once they heard shuffling on his end and a second later I saw a young black teen revolver in hand with the phone appear at the window.
At once, the cops around us drew their weapons on him and standing we motion for them to be lowered. "You don't care! You don't care about my son! How he cries all the time because we can't feed him!
I needed that money! I needed it to take care of my family!" he screamed into the phone.
"I have a small son of my own Mr. Crocket why don't you tell me about what happened, tell me about your family," Kelly said, and I saw the fear in her eye even if it didn't show in her voice and she gave a subtle gesture to me.
"What does it matter nobody cares!"
"I care," Kelly said.
Shaking his head the boy muttered, "no, you don't" and he started to raise the gun to his head.
In less than a second, me and Kelly drew our weapons and fired. Her shot shattered the glass window while mine tore into the boy's shoulder and he spun to the ground dropping the gun. At once, me, Kelly, and the other officers bolted forward and restrained him.
Letting out a sigh of relief I looked at Kelly as she holstered her weapon. "Thanks for taking out the glass to give me a clear shot," I said, and she looked at me.
"I didn't trust myself to take the shot, haven't been to the range in a while," she muttered.
"Nice negotiation,"
Very slowly, we turned to face Brentine. "You arrogant bastard!" she growled, her eyes burning.
"You're the one who shot him not me!" he said, then swaggered off.
My eye bore into him before turning back to Kelly. "At least he's alive, and you never had him. If we prove that he was cheated we can help him," I said, and she looked at me before she looked around the store as the hostages were taken out with Crocket on a gurney EMS working on him.
"But the question is did this have to be as bad as it got, and I'm going to find out. And I can't believe you brought Angela and Ryan here!" she said, looking at me as we walked out.
I shrugged. "It was a Code 0, I was in the vicinity, didn't have a choice," I said.
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