I Was You
Author's note: I wrote this story almost entirely on my phone, which should tell you how much it wanted to be written because I typically handwrite all my work. A few warnings on this story before we begin. Those who've read some of my work know that I love writing drama and enjoy tormenting my characters in whatever ways possible; however, this story is particularly brutal (but not graphic). The premise may not be everyone's cup of tea.
Also, I promise Olivia plays more than a minor role in this story, but I won't tell you when or where she'll make her appearance. You'll just have to wait and see.
Chapter One
The door crashed open in a rush of sound.
That sound always lit a fire in Detective Peter Ulric. While he lived for the victims, he loved this part of the job. There was just something about the rush he got from storming a building for a rescue or raid.
"Police! Stay where you are and put your hands up!"
Today the crack of sound and press of bodies was even more electrifying than usual. So much so that Peter almost found himself smiling despite the potential danger of the situation. He couldn't help it. They'd been planning this for a long time and working the case with few leads and even less hope of success for even longer.
As they began to fan out Peter turned his full attention back to the job and the seriousness of what they were about to do. He and Maggie Archer were part of the ascent team; assigned to head upstairs where they expected to find the girls being held against their will and used as sex slaves. Their CO, Lieutenant Cassidy Fleming, was with their tactical assault squad reinforcements to go after the perps - a madam and two guys for muscle and security if their research proved correct. Fleming, of course, had all eyes on the madam. That woman was a prize she wanted all for herself and Peter knew it. Everyone in the squad was well aware of Cassidy Fleming's beef with all female perps. A female in charge of a sex trafficking ring? This madam could never be prepared for what was about to slam into her like a high speed freight train.
They didn't know what hit them at all. Not an inkling of the raid had reached the ring and everything had gone smoothly. By the time Peter and Maggie led the girls downstairs the other three were in cuffs and being led out the door. As the neared the bottom of the steps the girl Peter was escorting slammed to a stop and tried to melt into his side to hide.
One of the ring's enforcers spotted the five terrified girls and nearly pulled away from the officer holding him to lunge at them.
"You keep your filthy mouths shut, hear me?!" he roared.
"Enough."
That single word from the madam came across like a whip and immediately silenced the man. With her dark hair pulled up in a tight bun and an expression of stone she made for an imposing figure. Clearly she was used to being obeyed too. While the man had listened, he clearly didn't like it. She maintained her stony expression as the enforcer continued to glare at her as he was shoved out the door. It was only once the two men were gone and she glanced toward the girls that Peter spotted a slight softening in her features. Before he could further identify that look she was yanked forward by Fleming and pushed rather unceremoniously out the door to be loaded into a squad car.
Leaving any thought for the madam behind, Peter turned his full attention to his charges.
"It's going to be alright," he soothed as he began leading them toward the door again. "You're safe now."
Now that they were in his care and no longer being held by the ring's leaders, Peter was going to make sure that not only did they stay safe, but that they got justice for the cruelty that had been inflicted on them.
O . o . O . o . O
Peter and Maggie were leading the girls into the squad room and toward the interview rooms in back when his lieutenant's snapped command drew his attention.
"Walk! Now!"
He glanced back to find that the ring's madam had come to a dead stop in the entrance to the squad room. Her eyes were blown wide and she was staring ahead of her without moving. Following her gaze as best he could, Peter found his eyes coming to rest on the wall on the far side of the room announcing their squad as the Buffalo Special Victims Unit in large letters.
Nothing shock-worthy there as far as he could tell.
When her eyes finally pulled away from that wall they began shifting around the room, fixing on various points for a moment - the CO's office, the cage, the hallway leading to the interrogation rooms and the crib – before eventually coming to rest on the squad's name again.
The calm, unfazeable expression she'd worn since they'd entered the house she'd run suddenly crumbled. The shift was so huge that there was no sign of the commanding leader who'd put down her enforcers. Her head dropped in defeat and she moved forward without argument at the next demand to walk.
At the time Peter thought nothing of it. Maybe she'd finally realized that she was caught and this was the end. Only later would he realize that she'd focused on all of the key areas of a squad room and wonder how she'd done so even though she hadn't been able to see them from where she stood.
He guided the girls with him away to the left while Fleming led the madam and two enforcers to the right where a lovely extended time in interrogation rooms awaited them. After getting the girls settled in and taking their initial statements, he would head toward interrogation as well. While he knew his CO would be taking the lead on this case, particularly with the madam, he wanted to hear everything said first hand as often as possible.
O . o . O . o . O
Peter desperately needed a break from listening to the heart-wrenching experiences he'd been listening to for over an hour now. Meilin, who he'd been interviewing, also needed a break. There was still a lot more to cover with her for the first round of interviews, and she was only the second of three he was supposed to be speaking with.
With a sigh he made his way down to the interrogations rooms to listen in until he needed to return to Meilin. They'd let all three perps sit and stew in interrogation alone for a while so all three of them, Fleming included, could assist with interviewing the girls. By now, however, she'd been in with the madam for at least half an hour by Peter's guess. From the looks of things, it wasn't going very well. She was in her usual interrogation state of fury and bad cop. Fleming had always been one to push hard and if that didn't work then she just pushed harder.
So far it looked like all of Fleming's pushing was doing just as well as the ocean against a breakwall. She wasn't making any headway, which wasn't a good sign for them since she wasn't asking any truly pressing questions. At the moment Fleming was just attempting to determine who this woman was.
"It's not even a difficult question. I assure you that I'll find out the answer eventually regardless, so you might as well start cooperating now. It will be to your benefit in the end."
The madam simply stared ahead of her and refused to engage in any way. From the level of irritation he was hearing from his CO, Peter doubted the madam had even spoken a single word.
"I will ask you again. Who are you?" Fleming demanded with even more heat behind the words.
Slowly the madam's eyes shifted from their fixed stare at the wall to Cassidy Fleming. While there had only been an emotionless abyss in her eyes before, now they blazed with a fire that almost made Peter shudder. That level of anger and hatred burned even from a distance.
"I was you!" the madam hissed at Fleming.
Peter could see the exact moment the leash on his lieutenant's temper snapped. Fleming launched forward, palms pressing into the table, and leaned nearly into the madam's face.
"A piece of filth like you who sells human beings for a living could be nothing like me!"
Watching from the viewing window, Peter saw the burning rage that had seared the madam's eyes extinguish. That's when he knew. That rage had only been the thinnest cover obscuring the bottomless pit of darkness below, like the camouflage on top of a drop trap. He couldn't even begin to decipher the emotions in that darkness. There had to be emotions down there somewhere, yet all he could read was emptiness and a sense of self-loathing that came more from his gut than any identifiable part of her that he could pinpoint. In that moment, for the first time, he had to wonder if this woman was truly a perp... Or if she was another victim of this ring's cruelty.