A/N Ifound this really hard to write, so I'd love some reviews
Amanda drove slowly along 69th in queens. Izabela looking intently out of the window. She sat in the back. She had told Amanda and Olivia she didn't want to sit in the front in case someone saw her. "Rozpoznaję to" Izzy said to her sister pointing at a run down looking house. "Izzy says she recognises that house on the left." Ola told the detectives. "Is that where the basement is Izabela?" Amanda asked. "I think yes." Izzy said cautiously "and across the road the black van. That Mr D."
"Do you think your friends will be in there now?"
"I think yes because it's the day time."
"Thank you Izzy" Olivia turned and smiled at the anxious girl.
They drove up to a cafe a mile or so away. Amanda bought the girls some lunch while Olivia made some calls. They needed to get those girls out but it seemed from what Izzy had said was that this man was armed and dangerous. They needed backups.
"Sto lat, sto lat
Niech żyje, żyje nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Niech żyje nam!"
Ola sang to her sister. The Polish version of the happy Birthday song as she ate a chicken salad while Izzy had a grilled cheese. Izzy chattered happily to her sister and Amanda, blissfully unaware of the plans Olivia was making. A raid on the basement.
"Hey Izzy." Olivia said coming to sit opposite her. "You remember we said we wanted to help your friends." Olivia said and Izzy nodded in reply. "Well we are going to help them today. Soon. We have some other police friends come and help us. We are going to go into the basement and make sure that your friends get out and arrest Mr D and mommy. Okay?" Olivia looked at Izzy who nodded again. "Izzy, the most important thing is that you stay in the car with Ola okay. The most important thing is that you stay safe." Olivia looked seriously at Izabela "there door at both sides of basement" Izzy said. And explained where the doors were. She was biting her lip. "Izabela." Amanda smiled at the little girl. "You're going to be okay. Olivia and I wouldn't do this if we couldn't keep you safe. You are safe honey. We can take you back to the precinct if you prefer. We would like you to be in the car with one of our officers. Maybe me, and you can help us out."
"No I okay. I be here." Izzy said decisively. "You're going to stay in the car with me though Izzy." Ola said firmly "I promise" Izzy replied.
"I'm anxious." Izzy told her sister. Despite only learning the word earlier that day Izzy was using it correctly. They were sat outside the basement in an unmarked car with blacked out windows. Amanda, Ola and Izzy were sat in the back while Olivia sat in the front waiting for back up, Fin and Carisi as well as some other units. "I know Iz, but I'm here with you." Ola told her sister. "Izzy, we wouldn't be doing this if we couldn't keep you safe. This car has special windows that are super strong and don't get broken okay. I've got a special camera on my top which will go to Amanda's iPad. And I'll have a radio in my ear in case you or Amanda want to say anything." Olivia told her softly. "You're okay Izzy-bug. I've got you" Ola said and slipped an arm around her baby sister gently kissing the top of her honey brown curls.
The back up arrived and Liv took a deep breath. She wouldn't tell anyone but each time she did a raid she knew she was putting her in a dangerous situation. She got nervous, no matter how many she had done. She pulled on her bulletproof vest. Felt to check her gun was on her hip. She banged on the door "NYPD open up!" No answer. Not that she expected one. "Open the door or we'll break it down" Fin yelled as he kicked the door they went in down the stairs along with some armed unis. They came into a room filled with 6 Hispanic girls the youngest looked about 7 and the eldest about 16 all pale and thin. Skeletal even, obviously malnourished. The floor was covered with blankets not even matresses for the girls to sleep on and the room was stiflingly hot, the warm weather outside intensified in the windowless room.The girls cowered away from the intruders. "It's okay we're the police, está bien, Somos la policia." Olivia reassured them. "Vamos, Sal fuera, ahora estás a salvo" she pointed towards the stairs, Spanish being one of the five languages Olivia was at a conversational or higher level. "Vamos rapida." Olivia said again. The eldest girl picked up the youngest and ushered the other girls up the stairs. The police officers went through the doorway into the next room. A similar room filled with European looking girls. "Izabela?" One of the girls asked. "Yes, she's outside, she's safe. да, она снаружи, она в безопасности" Olivia told the girl, Russian another language Olivia was confident, although rusty, speaking.
"STOP." a man in his 30s came in yelling, holding a gun towards the police.
"Put the gun down!" Fin said stepping towards the man. The man grabbed the smallest girl in one of his arms. The girl was so small that it wasn't difficult for him. Keeping the gun pointed at the police He ran out of the room towards the other exit. Olivia and Fin followed, along with a few other officers. While some other officers ushered the other girls out of the basement the other way. The were other officers including Carisi waiting outside in the front yard and the man, who they assumed to be Mr D was surrounded by police so rather than pointing the gun at the police he placed the little girl on the floor and held the gun to her head. The little girl started whimpering, she was tiny only looked to be three or four years old, but then Izabela was eleven and looked eight. "Quit crying Ruslana!" The man growled kicking the girls back. Not hard but she was so tiny that it must have hurt her. "Okay." Olivia said calmly. "I think we all need to take a second and calm down here. No one needs to get hurt... Why don't you let Ruslana go and we can all put our weapons away and talk." Ruslana had looked up at the mention of her name and Olivia recognised something in her eyes. Complete and utter terror.
Up the street in the car Izabela was watching the scene unfold. Stunned. All of a sudden she jumped out of the car and ran towards the scene before Ola or Amanda had a chance to respond. Ola clambered out after her and soon caught up with and grabbed her. At 18 she was much healthier,fitter and faster than her malnourished, tiny eleven year old sister. Izabela struggled against her sisters strong embrace. "Ruslana my friend. I help her!"
"If anyone can help her it's the police." Ola tried to calm her sister. Amanda guided them behind a car. "Izabela, calm down honey." Amanda continued to placate Izabela. "Ola's right we can't risk you getting hurt. The police are the best chance we have." She ushered them behind a car on the street because Izzy was still trying to break free of Ola and they had no chance trying to get her back into the police car.
"You shoot me and I'll shoot the baby." The man threatened. "I don't think that's necessary," Olivia said firmly "why don't you let Ruslana go and then we can talk?"
"I ain't letting my girl go." He said slapping Ruslana's face "I told you to quit cryin'"
"Okay. Let's try and resolve this so nobody gets hurt." Olivia tried again. "Oh come on," the man said "you ain't gonna let me outta here alive."
"We won't shoot if you don't." Fin told him. Just then the man noticed the other girls watching the scene unfold behind the police officers, ignoring the EMTs and paramedics trying to user them into the ambulances that now lined the street. All of the girls were bruised and malnourished and the detectives were hoping to get rape kit evidence too. "мои девочки" my girls the man said, as if he was looking through the police officers. "вы совершили огромную ошибку" you have made a huge mistake. He seemed to be addressing only the European girls.
"Dillon" a Hispanic woman no one had noticed before stepped through the police officers. "This is silly. Remember how you saved me? I don't think you're an awful person. But the police will unless you let Lana go. Why don't we Let her come to me?" She asked. Olivia realised that this must be the 'mommy' character Izabela had spoken about. She was younger than Olivia had imagined in her 30s probably, much younger than Mr D/ Dillon.
"Why do y'all not understand that I'm not gon' let her go. This is all Bella's fault." Dillon said and Izabela froze in her sisters arms. Although he couldn't see her since they were crouched behind a car. "He calls me Bella." Izabela whispered. "Shhh shhh it's okay." Ola whispered back. Trying to hide the anxiety in her voice. Amanda placed her finger on her lip to signify that the girls should be silent.
"If I can't have my girls, my Lana, then no one can." All of a sudden there was a loud bang. Screams and another bang. "Ruslana" Izabela screamed running towards the girl along with some of the other Russians. Amanda stood and her eyes locked with Olivia's. Ruslana had been shot in the head at point blank range. She would have been dead on impact. Mr D was also on the floor, shot by one of the officers from another unit in the shoulder. Still alive but totally incapacitated for now. There was lots of Russian shouting and praying turning to screams and tears once they realised Ruslana was dead. Fin went over to Mr D arrested him and rode with him as the EMTs and paramedics took him to the hospital. Olivia gave the girls a few moments with Ruslana before going over to them. "Liv!" Izabela cried throwing her arms around Olivia's waist and crying into her vest. "мне так жаль." I am so sorry, Liv sincerely apologised to the girls in Russian with an arm around Izabela who was inconsolable. "оставь ее сейчас leave her now. Оставь ее, leave her" many of the Russian girls were now covered in blood as Ruslana was lay dead in a pool of her own blood. The sight of the girl looked peaceful. Like she was sleeping almost, if you ignored the blood matting into her blonde curls. Olivia had seen many heartbreaking scenes in her career as an SVU detective but this had to be one of the worst. She knew it would stay with her.
The girls were ushered into ambulances and taken to the hospital while Olivia took Amanda, Ola and a still distraught Izzy back to the precinct. Izzy was still snivelling by the time they got back. Although she had an arm around her sister Ola was stiff and silent. When they got back Liv took Izzy into her office while Ola and Amanda followed but Amanda took Ola over too her desk. "You ok?" She asked the teenager "it's okay to say no." She assured her. Ola clenched her fists "I'm so fucking angry. And I feel like I need to be with Izzy but I don't think I can right now." She hissed through gritted teeth. She wasn't angry at Izzy. She was angry at that man but she knew she couldn't explode in front of Izzy. Because however Ola felt she knew her sister felt 100x worse. Ola was surprised at her own reaction, she wasn't an angry person. But the rage she felt right now was incomparable to anything she'd ever felt before. "And that's okay, come with me." Amanda reassured her and let her to the cribs, the equivalent of a break room. "She pulled some boxing gloves out of a locker and handed them to Ola. There was a punchbag hanging in the corner of the room. "We had this detective Amaro, Nick, he got angry a lot so we got this installed for his birthday then a coupla months later he left." Amanda laughed wryly. She wisely decided it was not a good idea to tell Ola he'd been shot! Ola put the gloves on and started laying in to the bag. Despite being fairly small and slim Amanda thought that she wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of the teen. After a good few punches Ola's anger broke to tears and she crumpled in on herself onto the floor. Amanda knew that Olivia was usually more adept at dealing with these kind of situations but she sat down and took the gloves off Ola's hands and then put her arms around the teen. Ola seemed unsure at first and stiffened a little but didn't pull away so Amanda kept her arms there. "D'ya wanna talk about it?" She asked tenderly. "That little girl, Ruslana. Izzy said she was five. Five! She's someone's daughter, maybe she has a sister? I can't stop thinking that it could have been different. That it could have been Izzy." Ola sobbed, her whole body shaking with emotion, her brain conjuring up a picture of Izabela in the place of Ruslana, with a gun to her head and then dead on the floor. "Ola, you mustn't think like that honey. You can't think of the what-ifs, they'll break you." Amanda held the teen to her. They stayed like that a few minutes until Ola pulled away. "Gosh Amanda. I'm so sorry." Ola stood up and wiped her eyes. She wasn't someone who usually showed emotion. "I don't know what came over me!" She sniffed.
"Honey you've got nothing to be sorry for!" Amanda stood up too and put a tender hand on her shoulder. "I'll splash some cold water on my face and then go and find Izzy. However I feel I'm sure she feels 100 times worse!"
Ola knocked on Olivia's office door. Inside the office Izzy was still crying. Ola was surprised she still had tears in her tiny body. She was sat curled into Olivia. "Hey look. Ola's here, why don't you give her a hug." Olivia smiled at Izzy. "Sorry." Ola mouthed at Olivia. "You have nothing to be sorry for." She replied quietly. Ola sat down and kissed her sisters head. "I've got you Kochana. You're safe Izzy-bug." She stroked Izzy's hair. While her sister clung to her like a koala her tears creating little puddles on Ola's shirt. "Why don't you try and nap a little. Mama, daddy and Anna will be here in a few hours."