Whew, several rewrites later since I've been sitting on this chapter for six months, its finally out on the web. It was written in happier times for me so there's a lot more humor and mirth here, enjoy.

I posted this a day earlier because I just couldn't contain it after all of the kind reviews and follows.

As always, Zarosguth edited but mistakes are my own.

Thursday, May 15 2013

NYPD 12thPrecinct, Homicide

Finishing up the last bit of filing before she took her much needed vacation, Kate plopped down in her chair and put a slim hand to her head. Her head was still pounding from last night's celebration.

I really should quit drinking, she thought to herself.

Immediately her thoughts ran to her partner who had been stone cold sober for a year and a half after nearly losing everything that she loved in a drunken fist fight on the front lawn of her future wife's home. It was the event that had brought her partner to New York City and it had drastically changed both of them and their loved ones. But in the end it had all worked out for the better and they had all formed a new sense of family.

Alonzo Torrez was dead and their case had been handed off to Reagan and Major Case. There was nothing to be done about it and Beckett hated not bringing it to a close but between her turning down Commissioner Reagan's offer, the transfer request he had subsequently approved, and their LETO trip of which they had been planning since last year, she and her partner had been forced to categorize everything they had and turn it over to Detective Reagan. Fortunately, Captain Gates didn't like it any more than she did and had ordered everything copied as it was gone through.

Major Case would have a fit when they found out but the Captain, Beckett, Castle, Rizzoli, Ryan, and Esposito had all agreed that the case belonged to the 12th and they weren't just going to quit. But that was later, after they got back. She sighed heavily at the thought of the long ride out to Springfield. Especially when they could lose the helmets and she could feel the wind ripping through her hair.

The elevator door pinged and she heard the heavy foot falls of huge riding boots that signalled her partner's return. She laughed inwardly at the sound that was as distinctive as her partner's betrothed. Maura Isles walked with a feminine step and always in stiletto heels and the gentle clop was as unique as fingerprints. Just like Jane's boots that thudded against the floor with a resounding thunk.

"Look Frankie, I apologized already like a hundred times." She said as she came around the corner and Kate could see the iPhone pressed to her ear, "I wanted to give it to you at Christmas as the last gift but I forgot all about it the second I saw my bike."

She stopped in the door and tapped her toe to the floor several times. The resulting clunks had caught Detective Ryan Nash's attention as sure as if she had been banging a gavel on his desk.

"Hey Rizzoli!" he shouted.

She turned to look at him through her aviator sunglasses.

"That don't work anymore, I know you too well." The young detective said smartly, "Think you can quit with the feet? I'm trying to finish my work so I can go home to the new wife. Surely you know what that feels like with that pretty doctor of yours."

Jane's dark eyebrows pinched together and her mouth set into an evil grin. She quickly lifted one foot and stomped it hard at him.

Ryan jumped in his seat, clearly still intimidated by the thin woman in front of him.

"Jesus, Rizzoli." He said as he retrieved the pen that had fallen out of his hand.

She laughed and headed to her desk while she resumed her call, "Look, you wanted to go and I talked to Colin and I got you in. I thought you'd be happy about it."

Jane sat on the edge of her desk and Kate took in her partner's outfit. Jane was wearing her riding leathers she got last Christmas in Boston. Huge Chippewa riding boots that could kick the hell out of someone even without her partner's unique fighting ability were strapped, zipped and buckled up mid-calf on long legs which were covered by hand stitched Brazilian leather pants that hugged her partner's body provocatively in all the right places. Despite their tightness, the pants were comfortable to ride in. The hem at the waist was low enough to reveal the bone of her partner's hips suggestively but never ride low enough to reveal her cheeks, even though she was a plumber's daughter.

Her partner was also wearing a form fitting Brazilian leather vest. Shaped like the vest of a tuxedo but with a higher cut so that her navel was framed nicely by the points on the bottom and showed off her flat abdomen. It also revealed the scar where she had taken a bullet at point blank range. Her pants had no pockets but belt loops ran along the hem as well as around her left thigh. In the thigh loops was a small leather belt from which her 45 caliber Glock and her NYPD detective's badge were prominently displayed.

Completing the outfit was the Kevlar padded leather riding jacket that was currently slung over her chair. Long in the sleeves but again had a higher cut around the waist. It too fit its owner like a glove. Watching her partner as she griped to her brother on the phone she eyed her partner's appearance and made a mental note to hit the gym harder when they got back. Not that Kate thought she wasn't beautiful but, like her partner, she was competitive and wanted to look better than Jane. It kept them both in peak physical condition.

"Frankie what are you complaining about? You're in! You got your invite right from Springfield Arms itself, that's a huge honor that will look awesome in your file when it comes to promotion time. And you're bitching just because you're in the barracks?" Jane droned on, oblivious to her best friend's thoughts.

Kate again regarded Jane's outfit and thought of her own. Her newer Harley boots had been a treat to herself when she had made sergeant and had served her well on the road and in the bars. Her leather pants were Brazilian leather too, just not cut so low and loose enough to accommodate two back pockets. Her vest was the same one she'd owned for years and she didn't care for it as a shirt and instead had opted for her trusty Harley Davidson baby doll camisole tank top. Her leather jacket was almost identical to Jane's except that it fit her just a touch more loosely to accommodate her shoulder holster. Her Baby Doll was one size too small and her jacket one size to big, just the way she liked it. And like Jane, she looked sexy as hell. So says the look Rick had given her this morning when she slipped into her leathers after making love to the writer this morning. She smiled as a phantom of the tingling of her skin from that orgasm washed over her. She loved that man.

"Frankie. Look, you need to get over this. It was a fluke that I got to stay at Colin's place the first year. No one gets to do that and I just got lucky and you really don't want to get in the way I did. Kate didn't get voted in until the last day. Elliot and Liv were there two years before they got in. We all have to vote and it has to be unanimous. Colin has already agreed to let you come over despite the no visitor's rule because you're family with everyone there. You've won your shot, now shut up and put in your time and you'll be out of the barracks before you know it."

She listened again, "Yeah just take 209 down to Shroudsburg and we'll meet you there at the Denny's. Okay little brother, love you too." Jane hit the button and turned to her partner, "Are you sure he's not our little sister. I swear I need to get him a pacifier."

Kate laughed as she dumped the last file into her filing drawer. Her desk was now officially clean. "If he's a she, then that is one manly woman."

Jane chuckled as she plopped down in her chair, "It's the hairy chest."

They laughed together as Gates stepped off the elevator followed by a dark haired woman in a government suit. Jane caught a look at the woman and her threat detection slammed into high alert. Her muscles tightened automatically in anticipation of combat. Her left hand instinctively dropped to rest on her Glock 37.

Kate caught her partner's change immediately. Jane's instincts were deadly accurate and when her body went into fight mode, she did too. Kate slipped her 9mm Glock out of her shoulder holster and held it beneath the open drawer of her desk.

"What is it?" Kate said as she looked around and caught sight of the two women walking down the hall towards the Captain's office.

"It's Beltran," Jane's voice was cold and emotionless as her eyes tracked the dark haired woman from behind her Aviators.

Captain Gates was engaged in conversation with the woman as she stopped to unlock her office door. When her eyes locked on Jane, the detective felt the familiar cold sensation deep within the core of her soul shift and then It flooded her body with raw, unfettered strength that she had honed to perfection. It was dark, cold and raised every goose pimple in her skin to an unbelievable sensitivity.

The DEA Agent stared at her for a second longer as Gates disappeared inside. She smiled a row of perfect white teeth before she followed the dark skinned Captain.

Once out of sight, Jane forced It back to its home and wiped the bead of sweat that had just started to form on her forehead.

"You okay?" Kate asked.

She had watched her partner's change and knew something significant had just happened, although she couldn't say what.

Jane looked back at her but kept a cautious eye on the office at the end of the room. "Hell no." She said. "Let's get out of here before that Fed sucks us into something else."

Her hands shook as she keyed up the duty roster on her computer. Kate eyed her as she did the same. A couple of quick strokes against the keyboard and they were logged on vacation in the NYPD system.

"Okay." Kate said as she picked up her jacket and slipped it on. "We're officially on two weeks' vacation."

"Yep," Jane said as she stood up and worried her hands. "Let's hit the armory and ride out."

Kate nodded and slipped her own aviators down over her eyes and slid her sidearm into the shoulder holster. She then shut the drawer and locked it. They headed out and the doors closed just as Captain Gates came into view. The elevator dropped to the basement.

"Damn," Kate said, "That was close."

"I had a feeling." Jane said.

"Let's book it before she catches up to us." She said as the doors reopened and they marched down the brick hallway to the armory.

The Armory Sergeant, Howard Marshall, greeted them warmly, "Let me guess, Soft bags, full load out minus ammo." In his forties with greying hair, a pudgy face, and a round belly, he always reminded Jane of Korsak although Howard was distinctively shorter than her old Boston partner.

"Yep," Kate said as she pulled the authorization forms out of her pocket. "But you know my partner carries her own issues."

"Yeah, yeah," Howard replied. "She turned in her nineteen for service yesterday. Don't know why, those boys at Springfield do a mighty fine job taking care of your side arms."

"It's because I like your work, Howard." She adopted a deep, sexy tone as she leveled a heated look his way, "No one knows how to handle my piece like you do."

He broke out in a full on belly laugh, "I'd file for sexual harassment, Rizzoli, but no one would believe me." Regaining himself he started pulling cards from the index and yanked out two giant duffle bags. He checked each weapon and piece of equipment before sliding it into the bags, marking them on both the index cards and on a clip board on the table.

Jane watched as she saw Kate reciting the inventory in her head. She too had done the same thing many times over. Kate's heartbeat was rising slowly at the thought of LETO. It was something she looked forward to every year and it was where they had met years ago.

"Rizzoli, did you see that sweep the Yankees had on the Sox the other day?" Howard said as he shoved a tactical rifle into the bag, "That sure was a nice game."

Jane smirked at the loss of her favorite team. "Don't worry. The Sox will come out on top and the Yankees will be crying all the way back to the Big Apple this weekend."

"Beckett, you want to step up here and defend your home team?" He said smartly.

"Hell no." She beamed, "That wasn't a game, it was a slaughter and it wasn't any fun. Its only fun when it's a close game."

"Yeah," Jane said in agreement. "Close games usually have us wrestling on the floor."

He stopped as the image played in his head, "Okay I can see how that can be more fun." He said as he racked Jane's Glock 19 and checked the barrel. "Not a lot of build up this time. Your nineteen doesn't see too much action anymore."

She pulled her Glock 37 and slid the magazine out before setting in on the gun cage shelf. "I favor my 45."

He stopped a second and checked it over. "Got some wear on the slide and a bur on the firing pin."

"Yeah I'm going to have the guys from Glock overhaul it this year." She said as he checked the serial numbers against the index card.

"Okay," he said jovially and set it back down on the shelf. "Bring back a receipt so I can log it in the service."

Kate slid her Glock 19 out and like Jane, pulled the magazine out and handed it over. He racked it and checked it over. "Yours looks worse than hers does." He said, "How many rounds you putting through this?"

"We're the reason there's an excess of nine millimeter shells." Kate said as she and Jane reloaded and holstered their weapons.

"I know Painkiller Jane over there hits the range a lot but why you, Beckett? You're a crack shot already."

Jane smirked and Kate grinned, "Because Jane is a nail driver." She said with a laugh, "Gotta keep up with the Joneses."

"Or the Rizzolis." Jane added.

"Frigging Boston PD trying to rewrite the NYPD," he groaned loudly, but they knew it was all in good fun. Despite the partner's hard line reputation, Howard knew that both tried to have as much fun as possible due to the severe nature of their jobs.

There was a knock on the back door of the armory and he went to check it out. He came back a minute later with a large rifle that bore camouflage paint and was separated into three pieces. He wrapped the optics in foam padding and slipped it into an evidence bag before putting it into Kate's bag.

"That was Esposito with escorts." He said, "Don't know why you want to take the rifle that shot you Beckett but the authorization is signed by Evidence Management so here it is."

Kate's breath hitched in her throat and she couldn't speak. She knew it was coming down but she had secretly hoped that it wouldn't make it before they left.

Jane, seeing her partner needed a minute, answered for her, "Finalizing ballistics before they melt it down."

"Knowing your fondness for long range weapons, I thought you'd find a reason to pop a few off before it goes."

"Well we do need to test its range and accuracy for the logs." Jane said nonchalantly.

It was bull and they all knew it. Rumor was that Beckett had PTSD from the shooting and that she had gotten some help. Firing the very weapon that had almost killed her could be the final step in her recovery. But Beckett was widely respected in the 12th so no one asked, and no one who knew would tell, which just left the rumors.

"Well let me know how it turns out. Couple of us got a pool out on it." He said as he slid the barrel into the bag and zipped it closed. He put a lock on the reinforced zipper and slid it onto a cart.

He then zipped up Rizzoli's bag and after locking it he put it on top of Beckett's. He pushed the cart to the gun cage door and opened it. He held up the clipboard and Jane signed before Kate did the same.

He eyed the nervous twitch in Beckett's jaw and met her eyes levelly, "Good luck, Sergeant." He said and as Kate's eyes widened he pushed the cart out onto the floor.

Jane grabbed the heavy sling and rolled it off Kate's bag. She then took Kate's heavier bag and shouldered it easily. Taking Kate's key from his hand she headed down the hallway towards the parking deck.

Kate took the last key and pocketed it before she slung Jane's bag over her shoulder as Howard pulled the cart back into the cage. He met her eyes again and she nodded, knowing that he knew why she had that rifle, "Thanks, Howard."

"I've been there, Beckett." He said quietly, "I couldn't face it and that's why I hide out in this cage."

He stepped back and let the door shut and lock. He turned away and headed back to cleaning side arms.

Kate stared. Never would she have believed that Sergeant Howard Marshall was working the cage on his own. She, like many others, had thought he had pissed off someone in the brass and was dead-ended here. She had heard that he had lost a partner once and that was when the rumors started flying when he went to the Armory. Now she couldn't help think that Howard had been scarred by his partner's loss and his attention to details about equipment wasn't perfectionism to try to get out of the cage. Equipment might have had something to do with his partner's death.

She turned and walked down the hallway after Jane.

Jane was waiting by the door and she held it open for her partner.

"You good?" she asked.

"No." Kate replied and there was something in her voice, "But I think I will be."

It was the tone that caused Jane's hopes to fly. Kate had been seeing Dr. Burke for over a year now and when Jane had suggested that mastering the very weapon that had tried to take her life. He nodded to her.

In that deep baritone voice of his he'd said, "If she can do that, if she can have power over the rifle then it will lose all power over her. But you can't push it on her; she has to do it on her own."

Jane had talked to Javier Esposito about it two days later before she discussed it with Kate again. She didn't push, she just adlibbed Burke's words. "If you can use this rifle then you will never again be afraid of it." A week before LETO, Javi had caught Kate with it in the evidence room.

She told him that she wanted to learn it, to control it, so that she would never again fear it. He had smiled then and swore that if he had to sneak it out of Evidence in his pants she would have it when she went to Springfield.

Now the very thing she was afraid of was less than a foot away from her. Carried by the one person she trusted above all others; someone who knew exactly how to use it, who would teach her how to use it. Someone who would help her lose her fear of it.

Their heavy foot falls echoed throughout the garage as they approached their motorcycles. And leaning on a police car was none other than Richard Castle. Standing at 6' 1" tall with dark brown hair, thoughtful blue eyes, a comforting smile, and a robust build, it was easy for Jane to see how her best friend had fallen for this man. Despite his childish behavior, he was oddly charming and as he liked to say so often, he was kind of ruggedly handsome. But to Jane's satisfaction, Rick Castle loved Kate Beckett to distraction, and it was easy to see that she loved him too.

"Ah… the pitter-patter of tiny feet in huge combat boots," he said with a grin.

Jane rolled her eyes and mocked him by stomping twice more.

Kate grinned wide and set her bag on Jane's bike. She let go of the strap and walked toward him. "I thought you were meeting with that ex-wife of yours over the latest Nikki Heat book."

"Well, we had creative differences and I called Maura about some medical jargon and she got all in a huff."

"You interrupt her class and she'll always get in a huff." Jane said as she pulled out her spider bungee.

He blinked at her, "No, my ex got in a huff. Maura's phone went to voicemail and I left her a message. She called me back between classes." He smiled at Jane. "She really has been a big help with the medical stuff. It's opened up a whole new magical world of creativity."

Jane lifted her sunglasses so she could glare unrestricted, "You're not writing about me in your books, Castle. You're lucky I haven't cracked your head open over the last book you wrote about me."

He gulped and then forced a grin, "As I recall that particular book was a limited production and the owner of said limited production has the only book in her possession."

She glowered at him as she tied the bag onto her bike. "Yeah, I have a red book. You want to tell me about the one Alexis refuses to talk to me about yet?"

He glanced to his girlfriend for support but she glared at him. "Every story deserves a happy ending."

Jane growled low and rested her hand on her sidearm. "And the production value on that book would be…"

He got serious then, "Jane, If I were to handle your character with the utmost respect, produce only one draft and give it to you to read and if you don't approve, destroy it. Would that be acceptable to you?"

She leveled a malevolent glare at him but considered his words. Rick had expressed his regrets at how distant they had become since she had healed and she had pushed him away for it. She knew that Kate wanted them to be better friends so she didn't have to worry about her partner beating up her boyfriend. She too regretted it because Rick hadn't deserved it. She sighed heavily as she disobeyed her instincts and nodded. "Write your book and you better not put me in some Rook, Heat three-way or you will know firsthand about all that medical jargon my girlfriend has been helping you with. I'm gay and I'm staying that way."

Nodding solemnly, he thought about his tablet and the story it contained, she would be a hard sell but he'd had an idea on how to get her to go for it so he'd ran with it. No way to back out now, "I promise, Jane."

Kate looked at him, "So what are you doing here again?" She said as she pulled her own spider bungee out and tied her bag down.

He looked from his left to his right, realizing that both women were pointing their asses at him. He thought of a hand full of different things he could say to both of their rear ends that would get him slapped silly but thought better of it. He didn't mind getting slapped around by Kate, it was strangely exciting but Jane's slaps hurt too much. Her slaps had a way of working out loose teeth.

"I just had a few moments and wanted to wish you both a nice ride." His phone chirped and he pulled it out of his pocket to look at it. He looked up again to see Jane stretched over her bike.

"He's such a liar." Jane said with a laugh as she stretched to hook the last hook behind her saddle bag. "He just came down to see the two hottest women he knows, clad in tight leather, bend over the hottest Harley's in town, and ride off together. I really don't know what you see in his ass." She straightened and sat on the edge of her bike.

Kate hooked the last one in place and straightened too, "He's got a very nice ass." She said as she slung a long leg over her bike and slowly eased into the seat, her tongue provocatively licking her top lip. Rick saw it.

Jane couldn't help it. She slung her leg over and groaned hotly as she too straddled her bike. She passed a sweet and very seductive grin at Kate and in a bedroom voice, "Yours is better."

Rick dropped his phone on the concrete floor. It clanked loudly before sliding under a car.

His eyes were ice blue and radiated his desire as he stared at Kate, "You're going to leave now aren't you?"

Kate smiled seductively, "That was the plan all along, Castle."

"You can't say you didn't know," Jane added sweetly.

"No way I can talk you into coming home with me for an hour or two?" He said with his voice higher.

Kate and Jane chuckled as they straightened their bikes and fired them up. Kate's Softtail rumbled throatily as she revved it once and stuck her helmet on, clipping the strap neatly in place.

Jane stuck hers on and snapped the strap closed. Her black Fat Boy low rider roared a guttural rumble as she revved it up.

Kate wiggled a come hither finger at Rick and he obligingly stepped closer. She grabbed a fist full of his dark hair behind his head and jerked him into a hot kiss. Tongues danced and lips smacked and when she let go, she shoved him away. A badass Biker Chick, she was as she ran a finger along his jaw.

"Told you that you couldn't handle the sight of me straddling this bike in tight black leather," she said huskily as she pulled the clutch, stepped on the gear shifter and roared out of the parking structure.

Jane laughed heartily at his wanton and bemused expression, "No wild parties, don't burn the house down, and look after Maura." She too roared away.

He ran to the edge of the parking deck and watched as they pulled out of the lot together and roared up 12th street and made a right on Third Ave.

On the ride north, a cab came dangerously close to Jane's bike but a glare from her and a tip of her left leg to show the gun and badge and the cab driver backed off. Kate had her badge plainly visible on her right but her Glock was concealed in her jacket so she had to make a show of it by pulling her jacket back. They made it as far as midtown before they got caught by a light.

Kate hollered over the engines, "Freeway's the other way, where are we going?"

"16th," she replied, "Liv said she borrowed a bike and wants to ride out with us."

Kate looked at her over the brim of her sunglasses, "Borrowed a bike? That's scary."

"I know." Jane nodded.

The light turned green and they motored on. Like true bikers with many years under their belts they rode together, moving in unison as they changed lanes, roared past others and generally scared the hell out of people. This was what they loved, riding together. No words, no problems, just riding in tandem.

They got stopped at another light and a five foot eight, skinny as a rail black man in an evening gown, Dolly Parton wig and rouge lipstick ran up to them. "Hey Rizzoli," he said, "I got somethin' for ya."

"Leon," she hollered back, "I don't want nothing you might have, my health insurance isn't paid up yet."

He nodded, "Okay, you don't want to hear it I get it." He said as he turned and sashayed up the crosswalk.

Jane groaned loudly and looked to Beckett. She raised an eyebrow. Jane tipped her head to the left and they rumbled into a turn and pulled up onto the side walk and shut down. Neither one got off or took off their helmets.

Leon sashayed up to them with an extra wiggle in his hips. He was a cross dressing prostitute Jane had made a deal with for information. Last winter he'd done her a huge favor that had cost her and Kate a couple hundred bucks but that deal had worked out perfectly.

"Fucking dude in a dress has a sexier walk than I do." Kate bitched as he approached.

"Anytime you want lessons, Beckett, you know where to find me." He said as he pulled a cigarette out of his purse and lit it in a very feminine manner.

"Look, Leon." Jane said, "We're on vacation so spit it out so we can get rolling."

"Spit it out. That's good, Rizzoli," He said sharply with a grin. "You practice what you preach?"

She leaned an elbow on the handlebar, "I don't suck; I lick. Now, I've already had a rough morning and you're interrupting my Zen time."

"Look at you," he mocked, "Skinny white bitch gets on a hog and it's all tight ass, all the time. Then she don't remember her friends or the arrangements she makes."

Jane stared at him for a second and laughed, so hard that she slid the kickstand out and leaned the bike onto it.

She smiled up at him, "It's not like you to give up your working time for us so talk to us, Leon?"

Kate leaned over too and stared at him, "I got money, what do you have."

He looked down at her and her bike, "A hard-on lookin' at you on that bike. And that's pretty good considering I don't like chicks."

"And what the hell am I?" Jane scoffed to her sister, "This proves my point, Kate. You're a gay magnet. Me, Liv, and now Leon."

Kate laughed, "Leon has a hard-on for my wallet, not my body."

He smiled as he checked out Rizzoli. "That's true. But you don't look like you could fit a quarter in them tight ass pants." He flicked a finger at her, "But they do make your ass look hot. You mind if I borrow all that leather? I could make a killing in those things."

Her hand dropped to her gun and she smiled, "You are not getting your nasty pecker touching hands on my leathers so give up now."

He looked back to Kate, "Nope. Not my leathers." She said quickly.

"Damn, what's a girl to do to make a profit out here?"

Jane leaned over again with a smirk, "You show me a girl and I'll show her how to make a profit."

"You can make a profit by giving us some good information." Kate interrupted.

"Touché," He said with a grin. "Remember that dude you had me sucking on his neck for like an hour?"

Jane glanced at Kate. Leon was talking about Senator Bracken. A man who had tried to kill them repeatedly until they finally went after him, beyond the law. Leon's job had been to leave the nastiest hickey the Senator ever had while he was stun gunned in the back seat of his own Lincoln. A little gift from Jane to ruin his Christmas after one of his gunmen put Maura in the hospital with two bullets two days before Christmas. It was a job that neither of them talked about again.

"What about it?" Kate said.

"Well I found out who he was by accident and been listening for some fall out for you two bitches." He said as he dragged on his cigarette.

Jane snatched it out of his hand and threw it in the street. "You're ashing on my bike." She said sharply. "You hear anything?"

"Yep," he said as he knelt down between them, "Heard there's some new king shit drug boss in South America that's been taking over cartels and armies and shit."

"Well, that's useful to Narcotics but we're Homicide." Kate said though they were certain said drug lord was landing bodies in their morgue.

"What's this got to do with Dick Weed?" Jane barked.

"Dick Weed?" He stared up at her.

"Yeah," she said "We don't call him by his name so from now on he's Dick Weed."

Leon looked at her, "I think Dick Blow would be better 'cause he was hooked into cocaine money, not Mary Jane money."

Kate put a foot out in front of him. "Hold on," she looked around quickly before dipping her head lower. "Bracken was in the money bed with the cartels?" She whispered.

"No, just one," He said. "Got hooked up through some mob bosses years ago and they've been funneling some money into him every now and again. They call it campaign contributions."

"Why haven't you told us this before?" Jane asked and there was a tinge of anger in her voice.

"Well, Miss Tight Ass Rizzoli." He scoffed at her, "Because like you said, you're not Narcotics and all of this has been circulating around for a few weeks and I didn't pay it no mind because I didn't know that the guy was Dick Weed. Since now I know you had a vested interest in him I started listening and now I'm telling you."

Kate put her foot back on her Harley. "Okay, so anything else?"

"Can you pretend to be Narcs for a minute?" He asked.

"Sure," She said, "Take me to school."

Leon looked around for a second and crouched low. "Okay so here's the thing. This drug boss is bad news, been doing a lot of killing down south and taking over people's shit. Word's been coming down the cocaine lines that anyone who doesn't work for The Raven better get out of the drug business before his reach gets up here. Once he's hooked up here, anyone not working for him is gonna get cut up bad." He looked at Jane, "Your man Dick Weed is hooked into one of those old cartels and it was one of the first to fall. He's been nervous as all shit and wants out. The Raven won't let him out so he's fucked. Just thought I should put you on notice that he's looking for a way out and his bosses aren't happy about it."

Jane nodded to Kate, "If he's in over his head, we'll never convict him before he hits the dirt."

Kate looked around and sighed. "If he hits the dirt, it all goes up in smoke."

"Goddamn it," she shouted. "We finally find someone to turn it all over to and he's going to get himself killed before we can lock him up."

Kate sent her a look, Talk later, ride now.

Jane looked at her.See something?

No, just ride. Kate pulled a fifty out of her wallet and handed it to Leon.

He tucked it into his bra and stood up and loudly said, "Look here, I don't lick cops so you just gonna have to find another bitch." He said with a grin and walked off.

Jane looked to Kate and quickly checked her watch. "We haven't even hit Harlem yet, Let's go if we're going to meet up with Liv on time."

Kate nodded and fired up, as did Jane. They rolled across the sidewalk, pedestrians ducking out of the way as they rolled back onto the street and headed north on third.

LETO an annual law enforcement event held at Fort Justice, Illinois. Just east of Springfield.