Hey reader!
Thank you for taking the time to read this piece. Let me take a moment to brief you on what has happened to 20 Squad SWAT so far...
In Trojan Horse the squad faces a very dangerous mission that leads to Street and Chris being declared dead before a friendly face rescues them. At the end of the day, the other four members uncover a detail that they decide to keep as a 20 Squad secret.
Following this, in JR Swat we have the squad volunteer in Nichelle's center for what they thought was just a day with kids. Little did they know they were to meet their young self in the form of six brave teenagers that later helped them solve a high speed chase. The teenagers have a big impact on the officers, especially on Street and Chris, who ponder on their near future and their relationship.
Alonso, Gone has been the greatest hit so far of the collection. It is the third story of Unexpected and begins with a quest. Chris and Street follow clues to find a missing character. Later, when that character is found, the group then find out someone has abducted Chris Alonso. As the story unfolds we get to learn many aspects of Street's feelings and dreams, as he is faced with a life or death decision for the two people he loves the most. In the end, we find that the scare he went through in Trojan Horse was nothing compared to the many tests he faced in this thriller. 20 squad comes together and Chris makes a decision that will impact her life, as well as the squad's fate.
As Street unites with his young self and the love of his life, daily life becomes somewhat of a struggle as portrayed in Digital Purge. Story number 4 begins with the team under protection by the FBI and moved to a secure location. The officers, plus Hicks and Evan Whitlock, find out a dark secret about the plan to exterminate 20 squad altogether. With a masterful plan and some inside help, they set out to survive this major attack against the entire squad and their immediate families.
Next up, we find Deacon in a very difficult situation in The Perfect Daughter. It starts out as a very romantic date with his lovely wife, but quickly transforms into a SWAT mission. As Hondo fights to survive after getting shot, Deacon and the others track down the perps. The action is suddenly cut off when Deacon sets off to find his missing daughter. She has a dark secret that she has kept for a long time but comes out as a bomb to both her parents. With a very strong message, this story deals with a topic dearest to all of us.
In the fifth story, Street's #1 fan, Street is kidnapped by a lady who was once supposed to be his date. Meanwhile, Chris was removed from SWAT to fight for the most coveted position in all of LA law enforcement agencies, the commanding leader of an elite and prestigious task force. She had to make a decision between her career and Street, as his life was threatened and no real lead existed. The decision changed her life and impacted her family situation forever. At the end, 20 Squad were left as a crew of five.
Hondo and Nichelle's relationship went through a tough test in the last story Franken Doc. The couple looked to make their dream of having a family come true with alternative methods of conception. Unfortunately, they found themselves victims of a cruel scam by a white supremacist ring, whose main goal was to reach purity of race in the city and the country. Hondo saw himself fighting to keep his relationship steady, while suffering internal set backs himself. Meanwhile, Street and Rubio went through yet another scare as they faced a difficult dilemma while camping. The story ends with a character returning home.
Now with Hondo recovering and trying to put the pieces back together, Tan and Luca trying to connect with family and Street with important pending decisions, we begin a new story. Story number 8, Stand Proud, begins right where the last story left, but will take the crew readers to a new level of angst. This time the squad will be part of Chris' development and progress. She will have to take yet another tough decision, as Hondo will now the true meaning of family bond.
I hope you enjoy this thriller, and the next ones coming up! Remember to cast your vote and leave comments. I love reading and responding to your thoughts, so don't be shy! Thanks for the support!
Disclaimer: This story may contain elements not suitable for children, and scenes that may be very intense for some audiences. Reader discretion is advised.
CHAPTER 1: Homecoming"Pops, you didn't have to fight" Rubio said between giggles
"Did you see? The guy totally cut me off!" Street said annoyed
They had taken a small detour to get some sandwiches and downed them on the road. Now, they were both tired and desperate to get home. They made it out of the car and into the building.
TIIIIIIN
The doors of the elevators opened gracefully and both males stepped outside. The teenager was still giggling, as Street struggled to carry all the bags.
"Hey bud, can you carry at least one?" Street asked kindly
"You said not to force it, pops. You confuse me!" complained the teenager who sported a soft cast in his right arm, held by a sling
"Just take the lighter one, with your left arm. Ok?"
"Ok." Rubio said as he approached Jim and took the bag from him
The black bags under his eyes, the dystrophy of his back muscles and the constant groans were clear signs that Street needed to rest. No way he could make it to work the next day like that!
"Let's go home!" he urged the teen
"Ok" he said eager to get to their place and relax.
Rubio picked up the bag with the two pillows and made his way down the hall as Street searched for balance between the other four giant bags. As Street was completing the balancing act, he kept glancing at Rubio, who made his way down the hall in a hurry, until...
GASP!
"Pops!" he called whispering, "Pops!"
Street looked up and found the teen staring at his him breathing hard, eyes popping out, face full of fear. Rubio tip toed back, sticking to the wall.
"Gun!" he whispered, as Street let go of all of the bags immediately and went for his service weapon. He gestured to his back, as if signaling to Street the person wore a gun on the back.
He gestured for Rubio to come to him, but also placed a finger over his lips to motion silence. "C'mere!" he repeated whispering
Jim immediately went all SWAT, by crouching over and presenting his weapon. He needed to make sure the boy reached safety before making a move. Rubio moved quickly, back crawling against the wall.
"Is a robber, pop. Door is wide opened!" Rubio said spooked, cradling his cast. He wouldn't be this scared if he didn't have it, for sure! Street thought
"Get over there...don't move... stay there!" he motioned to the elevator
Street watched as Rubio made his way to the elevator, hiding behind the corner wall, about 8 feet from him. He turned his attention to their apartment.
How could someone get in here? They had to go through security points, including code in the front and keys in both the entry and the elevator. I guess, they must've sneaked in...but I thought Chris said this place was pretty quiet. No known crimes in the last years! I better be careful. he thought as he meticulously approached the door
He tip toed his way through the corridor, pulled his weapon up, approached the wide opened door and took a step in.
"LAPD! GET OUT!" he began yelling
GASP
He couldn't believe his eyes. She. Her. What? No way!
"Jim?" she said as she turned around both hands covering her mouth, eyes popping out
"Chris?" he said slowly as his heart returned to rhythm and he lowered his weapon.
Rubio came running in "MA!" he yelled as he jumped on her with a big bear hug. She took her hands down and hugged the boy, while shooting a frown at Street, who was still breathing hard.
"Ma, ¡que bueno que estés aquí!" (Mom, it's so good you're here!) the boy said cheerily
"Que bueno verte, amor. ¡Estás grandísimo!" (It's so good to see you, my love. You're huge!)
"Me hiciste falta, de veldá." (I missed you, for real!)
"Y yo a tí, cariño. Oye, dame un segundito, ¿quieres?" (And I you, honey. Hey! give me a second, will you?)
"Si." (Yes) he said slowly pulling away
She held him by the shoulders and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. He moved to the side, while she turned to Jim. The angry frown that she shot at the officer could've as well been thirty rounds of an automatic riffle!
"Jim, what happened to my apartment?!" she asked raising her voice with every word
Rubio turned to Jim...eyes wide opened. Jim opened his mouth, but his brain was shut. He had no idea what to say.
"Este..." ("Um..") Rubio sensed his dad's desperation and stepped in front of Chris, who immediately turned her attention to him, "Ma, ya eres capitana, velda?" ("Mom, you're already captain, right?)
"No, cariño. Aun tengo que completar algunas examinaciones...Jim?" (No, honey, I still have to complete some examinations...Jim?) she said as she quickly moved her head towards the young officer who stood frozen by the door
"Uh...babe, you look really good!"
Rubio hung his head low, rolled his eyes and shook his head slowly. "Pops!" he complained
Chris crossed her arms and stared at him. "You know what? I'm tired, and...I'm not dealing with this right now. No!" she said placing both hands up in a surrendering gesture. She hurdled over to her room, as Street opened his eyes wide.
GASP
Rubio noticed his reaction and both took off to block the bedroom door access. Chris was startled as the both ran past her and planted themselves in front of the door.
Rubio looked at Jim, and he to Rubio. Both with a desperate and scared face expression. With the mess that was behind the door, they knew that if she opened that door, her screams would be heard all over Los Angeles!
"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously
RIIIING
RIIIIING
All three were startled as they heard her cellphone ringing in her pocket. She kept her stare at both males, as she moved her hand over to get the phone. She took a look at the screen and put a finger over her lips, indicating silence.
"Sir?" she answered
She bowed her head as she listened in. She took some steps back and now stood some five feet from them, back to them.
"Buddy, I need your help." Street whispered to Rubio
"Pops, she see the mess and she gonna kill you" Rubio complained
"I know, listen-"
"Yes, sir. Let me locate it, please." they heard Chris say as she turned towards one of her bags. She pinched her cellphone with her shoulder and ear, turning her head slightly diagonally, as she opened the suitcase and rummaged through its contents.
"I'll pay for the baseball camp you wanted, ok? Your cast is coming off soon, you'll be good to go for tryouts." Street whispered quickly, as they both stared at Chris, watching her every move
"Pops, you have the money?"
"I'll do overtime and get some gigs. Don't worry about it, I'll find the money...just help me out here, bud!"
"Pops, ma is gonna kill you!"
"Shhhh..." he said as he placed his index finger over his lips, "not if you help me!"
"Sir, I will have it ready by then... Ok." they heard Chris say as she kept nodding
"Ok, I have an idea, pops. Just...déjate llevar." (go with the flow)
"What? English!" Street snapped, as they both watched Chris move
"Yes, sir... Thank you, sir." she said as she pulled her phone away
"Go with the flow!" Rubio whispered, as Chris dropped her phone and took a deep breath.
She then turned around with the nastiest frowns ever, scaring Rubio who had taken a step forward. He took a glance at Street, leaned his head backwards to stare at the ceiling and salute God for a second, then approached her, hoping for the best!
"Ma, te ves cansá!" (Mom, you look tired) he said softly
He knew he had some leverage to work with since the issue wasn't all on him. He just couldn't let his pops hanging. He took several more steps forward, as he adopted a tender and soft tone.
"Si, amor...¡estoy requete cansada!" (Yeah, dear...I'm super tired!)
"Pues...¿no crees que es mejor que descanses? Te vendría super bien...además que para el exámen de capitana necesitas estar relax, chillin." (Well... don't you think it will be better if you get some rest? It will do you lots of good...plus you need to be relax, chillin for the captain's exam) he continued
Chris squinted her eyes as she looked at Rubio and then glanced at Street who was still by the bedroom door, motionless. Her frown wasn't encouraging at all, especially accompanied by a hand to the hip.
"Tienes razón, corazón." (You're right, honey.) she said nodding, still suspicious
"Pues mira, ma, pa y yo estábamos preparando algo de sorpresa para tí, pero...no queremos dañarlo. Todavía no está ready. Hicimos un pequeño reguero en el cuarto...pero, pero, fue mala mía. No fue él." (Well, look ma, pops and I were preparing a surprise for you, but...we don't want to ruin it. It's not ready yet. We made a bit of a mess in the room...but, but, it was my fault. Not his.")
Chris turned her head sideways, now crossing her arms. She shot another look at Street, who she was sure had no idea what the kid was talking about. The man looked completely lost, as he kept glancing between her and the boy.
"Una sorpresa?" she said skeptically (A surprise?)
"Si, pero no te puedo decir. Así que...antes de que cometas homicidio con pa...ma, ¿que tal si te relajas? Mi cuarto está super ready, sin reguero ni nah..." (Yeah, but we can't tell you. So...before you commit homicide with pops... ma, how about you relax? My room is super ready, no mess, no nothing...") he approached her, placed is arm around her shoulders and began pulling her to his room, "Yo sé que tu estás explotá, mai...asi que tu tranquila. Coje un sueño hasta mañana, que pops y yo vamos a estar bien." (I know you're exhausted, ma...so you just relax. Just sleep until tomorrow coz pops and I will be fine.)
"Pero..." (But...) she said suddenly stopping and showing a smile, "tu debes descansar también, cariño. ¿Por qué no duermes en tu habitación y yo duermo acá?" (you should rest too, honey. How about you sleep in your room and I sleep here?) she said taking a step towards Jim, shooting a menacing glare at him. Street shot a look a Rubio, which made the teen pivot.
"No, no" Rubio said stepping in front of her, "Chica, vas a dañar la sorpresa, ma! Mira," (Girl, you're gonna ruin the surprise, ma. Look,) he said grabbing her arm and turning her around, again towards his room. "yo he esta'o tira'o en una cama por días, de que jalto ya! Yo me voy a quedar ahí tranquilo en la sala viendo Netflix y vacilando en Facebook. Tu tranquila!" (I have been laying down on a bed for days, I'm done with that! I'm gonna stay quiet in the living room watching Netflix and having a good time in Facebook. You just relax!) he said taking her to his room.
Chris was steaming, she knew they were playing her, but the bed looked so tempting she just...
YAWN
Her eyes began to gave way, as she took several deep breaths. Her brain was begging for her to take a break as her knees buckled and her thighs and shoulders weighed a ton.
She put a finger up, then said "I know what you're doing!"he said to Street, "You're lucky I can't even think straight!"
"Just get some rest, bae. Relax!" Street intervened, approaching her. Careful not to provoke her!
"I will murder you!" Chris threatened, placing a finger on his chest.
"Ma, you tell me always that violence is not the solution."
"You"she said turning towards him finger pointing a the youngster now, "Be quiet...coz I know what you're trying to do?"
Rubio was scared, as he stared at her.
"You're trying to save his ass." she said pointing at Street
"Ma, language!" Rubio scolded with a giggle
"Chris, c'mon. Word, please." Street complained
"You know what? Ok. I'm gonna go to sleep." she said removing her uniform jacket. "I'm gonna go to sleep and I don't want any interruptions, ok?"
"Yes" both males responded nodding slowly
"...and when I wake up, I better have my apartment...THE WAY I LEFT IT!" she finished sternly, with a hard loud tone.
"Yes, ma'am." Street said as they both froze
They saw as she sat down on the bed and took off her shiny shoes. Street placed a hand on Rubio's shoulder. They both left quietly as Chris leaned back on the pillow. Street closed the door as both leaned their backs on it and exhaled dramatically.
"I owe you big time, kid!
CHAPTER 2: Moving quick
The next morning...
"Sir" called Deacon, as he approached Hicks. The older gentleman was walking to his office, phone in hand.
"Deacon!" he said as he turned towards Sgt. Kay.
"I need you to sign this authorization. I was subpoenaed to testify in the Lorenzo trial today." he said showing an envelope to Hicks
"Ah, yeah. I remember. The detective called yesterday to remind me." he answered as he opened the door to his office and grabbed a pen from his desk. He extended his arm so Deacon could hand him the papers, then turned and signed them. He handed them back to him, who placed them in the folder.
He placed the pen in his suit pocket, then pointed at Deacon. "Don't forget, today's the big showdown with 60 squad. It's a pride thing!"
"Yes, sir" he said nodding once
"You gonna make it?"
"Of course. Testifying should take one hour, two tops if you include traffic."
"Good. The challenge is in three hours, which gives you plenty of time to make it back." he said crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against the desk, "Except for Chris, you should have your whole team."
"Street coming today?"
"Yup. Talked to him yesterday. Said he would show up."
"Ok." he said nodding once, again
"Talk to Hondo before you leave to get your assignments."
"Yes, sir" he answered as Hicks went around his desk and Deacon exited the office.
Just as he was closing the office door, he saw Tan at the end of the hall. He seemed somewhat annoyed, holding his bag and waiting by the boxing ring.
"Hey Tan! You okay?" Deacon greeted as Tan turned to face him
"Sup, Deacon? A little bit annoyed. I gotta do my hours in SWAT Academy, but Luca just pulled me out. Said Hondo talked to the boss...looks like I'll be doing chores all day. That's no fun."
"Maybe he has a reason...have you seen him?"
"No, I was gonna ask you the same question."
"Oh, well. Hicks told me to go by him before I take off. So..."
"Where you headed?"
"Downtown. Lorenzo trial. Prosecution subpoenaed."
"Oh, ok."
"Listen, I gotta go. Just have Hondo call me-"
"There he is!" Tan said turning to the locker as the door swung open and Hondo exited
"Yo!" he called
"Hondo, man, why you pulled me out? I was just starting to warm up with the recruits, plus I'm short on service hours. You know that!" Tan complained
"Yadda yadda!" he responded as he made a gesture with his hand of a chicken's beak opening and closing, "Stop your yapping, man!" he said with a smirk
The young officer frowned, as Hondo continued, "Listen, man, I need you to help me out with something and in exchange I'll have the office approve your hours."
"What?" Tan said interested
"Listen, I've been completing everything IAB and the doc have scheduled: physicals, meds, sessions...the works. But I feel like they stretching this thing like bubble gum. Like...at this pace? I'm be back at the field next year!" Hondo said annoyed
"C'mon, Hondo. You know shoulders take time to heal." Deacon added
"I get it...but they aint gotta go all turtle like speed with me, man! I'm tired of pushing papers, D!" Hondo continued
Deacon shook his head as Tan rolled his eyes, both with a smirk.
"So, I heard Luca say that you hurt something surfing and had a contact that gave you some exercises to help you heal faster. That true?" Hondo asked turning to Tan
"Yeah...it was actually through Street!" Tan responded straightening up
"Where is Street? I gotta talk to him about a security gig next week." Deacon asked
"Business booming, huh?" Hondo asked, making a pause as Deacon nodded quietly, "I think he may not be coming, right? His kid's still in the hospital?"
"Nah, Luca told me they dispatched Rubio yesterday morning." Tan said
"Yeah, he told Hicks he was coming today. So..." Deacon added
"Yeah, we got that huge show down with 60 squad today, remember?" Hondo added
"Yeah, you making it on time, D?" Tan asked Deacon
"On time? Where you going?" Hondo asked confused
"Court. Gotta testify today, but it'll be two hours tops. I'll be back on time." Deacon said, suddenly turning to Hondo, "Which reminds me, you gotta give me the chores and routines to work this week."
"Hey guys!" Street said rushing in, "Am I late for the show down?"
They greeted Street, as all three men shook their heads in disappointment.
"That's in three hours, Street!" Deacon responded
"Oh, ok. Phew!" he said, embarrassed to have ran all the way to HQ, blowing off two red lights and probably cashing in more tickets to his already high count. "You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to get a teenager up and going during summer break!"
All three SWAT officers looked at each with deep skeptical frowns. "Street, you're kid's hyperactive. He hardly sleeps!" Hondo said
"Yeah, Annie told me during the purge, he was their alarm!" Deacon added
The three giggled as Street bowed his head in embarrassment.
"Kid, just pay attention to the damn alarm and get your lazy ass to bed earlier!" Hondo said as the others continued to giggle
"Yeah, I guess screwing up is easier now that he has a kid he can put the blame on." Tan teased
"uuuuhhh" taunted the others
"Tan, c'mon, bro!" Street complained, as the other giggled
"Hey, Street!" Luca came with a clipboard. "Yo, everyone meeting without me? What's up with that?"
"We would never do that to you, Luca!" Tan said greeting Luca
"You're the life of the party" Hondo added fist pumping him
"Exactly." he said showing his hand in a 'surf's up' sign. Then, he turned to Street. "Street, you're with me in the Academy. We're moving to the training camp in 15 minutes."
"Wasn't Tan going?" Street said pointing to Tan
"Nah, I called him over." Hondo responded
"Deacon? You doing chores today?" Luca asked
"No, I'm heading to court."
"Oh, ok. But...you gonna make it to the show down, right?" Street asked
"Of course!" Deacon said nodding once
"Hey, Street?" called Tan as everyone turned to him, "How's the kid doing?"
"Yeah" the others said nodding
"He's doing ok. Just dropped him off at Sarzo's. Chris came by yesterday."
"Really?" asked an enthusiastic Luca
"That's awesome!" Tan said cheery
"Captain's hat and everything?" Hondo asked curiously
"Yeah!" cheered the rest
"No, actually, she wasn't able to complete the examination. Turns out there was a COVID break out down at the chief's office and they sent everybody home yesterday while they fumigated and sanitized the whole building."
"Aw, man. Sis, alright?" Luca asked
"Yeah, she gets tested every day. She's ok. But um...hey! I was meaning to talk to you guys about doing something, maybe a get together or something, when she finishes the program."
"Yeah" cheered the others
"Sounds good." Tan said
"We gotta do something big!" Luca said moving his hand
"When's the program due?" Hondo asked curiously
"Well, they extended it yet again and probably gonna push it back to two weeks now with the Covid breakout going on."
The guys nodded their heads as they understood just how much more difficult COVID has made everyone's life.
After a two second pause, Street continued, "So, I'm thinking we could do something for her after I do something special with her and the kid."
"Uuuuh! Street, you getting creative?" Tan asked
"Yeah, I mean, with the trial and her program, the abductions and the purge... it's being a rocky start for all three of us, so..."
"When's trial scheduled?" Deacon asked
"In two months."
"Yeah, so...I was thinking, since he's Puerto Rican and Chris has family from the Caribbean, then...maybe...take them on a cruise from Florida and-"
"Nope!" Tan interrupted
"Nah!" Hondo said shaking his head simultaneously
"Pick something else, buddy!" Deacon added as well
Street and Luca turned to look at each in surprise as they were caught off guard by the immediate reaction of their teammates.
"I wouldn't even consider a cruise" Tan added shaking his head
"Well...I mean, she could've changed her mind though." Deacon said
"Deacon! We're talking about THE Chris Alonso." Hondo snapped
Deacon thought for a second then immediately said, "Nevermind!"
"Wait a minute! She talked about going on a cruise?" Street said confused
"More specifically why she would never get in one." Deacon answered
"What?" Luca said puzzled
"Yeah, I think her exact words were: I would never want to be trapped. No escape, no way." Hondo said
"Yeah, then added that wasn't gonna change in this lifetime." Deacon added
"Oh" Street and Luca were stunned
"Sorry, Street." Tan said
"I would stay a bit more local if I were you." Deacon said nodding, as the other two grinned
"I know sis would like a road trip." Luca suggested
"Yeah, sounds good." Street nodded in agreement as Deacon took a look at his watch
"I gotta go. Street, walk me out?" Deacon asked
"Tan, let's roll." Hondo said turning to Tan
"Yo! Don't forget: block at 6 in three hours, yo! We gotta cream 60 squad." Luca called as each went their own way, and Deacon headed to the elevator, followed closely by Street.
"What's up, D?" he asked as they reached the elevator
"You still up for a security gig?" Deacon said clicking the button with the arrow down
"Yeah!"
"Ok, then walk with me." he said as the elevator doors sprung open and they got on.
CHAPTER 3: Debt
"So, Street, I gotta talk to you about that gig I mentioned last week." Deacon began as the elevator doors closed
"Yeah? You got the details?" Street asked curiously.
"Somewhat. So, a buddy of mine called me and said these two young stars, he didn't say who, were looking to rent out the space where the old fair used to be for a music video."
"You mean the old Amuse R Us? The one by the beach dock?" Street asked puzzled
"Yeah, that one."
"That's been closed for decades. Is it still standing?"
"Just a bunch of broken down rides and stuff...I heard some of it is used for Halloween parties and stuff like that. I know the old Ferris wheel still stands."
TIIIIIN
The elevator doors swung open and both men walked out to the parking lot, both thinking. Deacon focused on the gig and Street wondered about the details. When they exited the building, Deacon continued.
"Listen, this gig is going to bring in a huge check. My contact says we'll make more in this gig than we would in three!"
"Woah!" Street said surprised
"Yeah, these two mega stars are willing to pay some big bucks for top of the line security. It will be a crowded weekend, so they want extra security. Buddy of mine told me they're requesting personal detail everywhere they go, from the moment they land, until the moment they leave!"
"It's going to be the whole weekend?"
"We'll pick them up on Friday night, shooting starts on Saturday and we'll drop them off Sunday at midnight."
"Dang! So...no sleep for Monday's shift?"
"Unfortunately so, but my buddy told me those two are willing to throw in extra compensation for anyone willing to offer them close detail. So..."
"That's tempting! I guess sleeping can be done Monday night!"
RIIING
RIING
"Give me a second." Deacon requested as he opened the car door with one hand and took his cellphone out with the other.
"Hello" Deacon answered as he listened in
Deacon turned around, listening close. Street just stood there, awkwardly. He thought about returning to HQ, but honestly, he wasn't looking forward to working with the recruits. It had been a long morning of dragging his behind out of bed after a long cleaning shift the day before. Matter of fact, the only reason he didn't call in sick was because he didn't want to get at it with Chris... and Rubio was driving him crazy to take him to Miss Rita's. He made sure to remind him not to play baseball with his friends once there. Boy was still with the soft cast and the doc made it clear: he couldn't stress it...but it was a struggle! It was definitely a challenge to tell Rubio to stay still! Street, however, felt his hole body ache!
"Ok. Thank you ma'am." he heard Deacon say as he shrugged
"Everything ok, D?" Street asked curious
"Yeah" he said still puzzled. "That was the deputy. Prosecution made a deal with the defense. Looks like I wont have to rush back for the show down after all!"
15 miles south, Miss Rita's house...
"Alright, boys. You can play in the yard, but be careful now." Miss Rita said as she sat down on her favorite rocking chair in her back porch. She watched as her steps were filled with bags and belongings.
She was glad some of the kids stuck around for the summer because she loved the company. During the first days or so only three showed up, but by now, there was a whole gang of kids. Most come walking or driven there, as she most of the time had refreshments and water for them. Some would help her do house cleaning, others keep up the garden, others entertained her, etc. At times, even some of the JR SWAT kids would show up to play. Lately, more and more kids from the poorer neighborhoods in the city have been coming over more often, taking advantage of the beautiful LA weather to play some ball. Most wore long sweat pants or short basketball pants, old baseball gloves, worn out baseball hats and any gear they could find.
Right behind her backyard fence was an open space that divided her neighborhood from Cooper Heights, a series of fancy walk-ups belonging to the richest folks in that side of Los Angeles. The back of her house was the beginning of an open grass area that kids named 'The Sandlot', after the famous classic American movie about baseball. It was the size of a small baseball stadium and was accompanied by two small sheds built over the years as dug outs and two handmade three bench bleachers to each side of the yard, opposite of Miss Rita's yard. Moreover, the outfield was backed up by an immense wall. It was about 15 feet high and featured pointing metal wires in the top, clearly showing no wish for any interactions. Miss Rita has always called it 'The Dividing Field' where the lower class and the higher class made distance.
In this morning, the group of seven kids, led by Rubio, gathered in her backyard to head out to play ball. They usually gathered first, as they collected their gear and gloves and waited for anyone else to come. Miss Rita saw as Rubio was gathering the troops and immediately called for his attention.
"Rubio, honey, your pops say you was supposed to be quiet and steady with that arm of yours." she called from the porch, as the kids continued to chat and Rubio approached her
"But, Missi Rita, it's ok. It don't hurt or nothing." he stated as he showed her his arm
"Officer was pretty clear, boy."
"I know, but I talk with pops. It's ok." he hadn't in reality, but he figured if he got caught he would probably use his 'Get out of Jail' card. In other words, he knew his pops would back him up if Chris found out he was playing ball. He had to, after all he said he 'owed' him one!
"You sure, now? Should I call up yo momma?" she asked looking for her cellphone
"NOOOO!"He said startled, as he raced up to the stairs. He stood right in front of her rocking chair.
"Why is you so scared, boy? I thought you said you talk with your pops, huh?"
"I did, but Missis Rita, ma is busy. She gonna have a lot today and I don't do nothing. I gonna play relax with the kids. I promise."
"UUUUHHH Hmmmm" Miss Rita said skeptically, pinching her lips and staring at him.
"Please. I gonna be relax. Ma is busy, don't call her."
"Well, alright then...you go on and play with ya lil friends,"she started as the boy darted from the porch onto the patio, as she continue to shout, "but don't be getting into no trouble, now!"
"Yes, Misi Rita!" he called
"Oh, pero, bueno... ¡vamos a jugá!" his best friend Pito called. (So, hey...let's play!)
"¡Vámonos, maní!" he called back (Let's go, dude!)
"¡Llegaron más!" Moncho, another Dominican kid, announced coming from the side of the house (Others are here!)
Rubio and the other guys stopped and made their way through the side hall to the front of the house. Just beside the group of skates, bikes and scooters, there was a group of black teenagers approaching the house. Many came walking, but one caught Rubio's attention: Leyla.
"Wassup!?" a boy named Shawn greeted
"Yo!" Pito greeted bad, shaking his hand
Shawn was one of the best first baseman Rubio's school has ever had. Many speculated to which major school he would end up, since there were scouts already coming in to see him. Pito, on the other hand, was a very prominent pitcher in the south side of LA. Both were beginning to get recognition, with the biggest obstacle being economical support. Both boys came from very difficult backgrounds. Shawn's father was doing 25 to life in a state penitentiary, his mother was a junkie and one of his older brothers was one of the most feared gang leaders in all of South LA. He and his 4 younger siblings lived with their grandparents in a two bedroom house. On the other hand, Pito lived with a host family after being sent to US by his parents to follow the dream many Dominican kids fight for since birth: a chance at the Major Leagues. He had the pressure of his 8 member family on his back, as well as his people back in La Romana.
"Hey Leyla!" Rubio greeted Leyla, just stunned by her beauty. She wore her basketball shorts with a tight white tank top, as she rode two lined roller blades.
"Hey! Heard y'all was playing today." she said looking sexier than ever
"Yeah, you in?"
"Just how do you plan to play baseball with just one arm, Rubio?"
"I'll manage!"
"You know yo momma's gonna kill you!"
"Nah, my pops got it. He owes me!"
"Let's go!" Carlos called, one of the oldest kids in the bunch
All the kids made their way to the back, as they dumped their belongings right next to the mountain of bags at the foot of Miss Rita's porch steps. They were all excited to get out to the field!
CHAPTER 4: She, captain
Rubio sat on the stone walkway at the side of Miss Rita's house. There, most of the kids gathered just before they headed out to the field. Rubio began putting on the catcher's gear as the others chatted. He had earned the position after an intense discussion and small tryout-like drill with rival teen Giovanni 'Gio' Mercedes.
The kids were used to sharing equipment and gear, even the catchers. Rubio collected things from everybody he knew and pieced them together. After all, he knew his parents were tight on money and wasn't expecting them to just hand him the hundreds needed to buy the gear.
"Papi, un día de estos, en vez de estar poniendome to este rebolú, me voy a estar vistiendo con el chaleco y to'as las pistolas como mi viejo y mi mai." (Dude, one day, instead of putting on all this mess, I'ma be putting on a vest and guns, just like my old man and my ma.) he said very proudly
"¡Di que te va a busca problemas con el jefe!" (You gonna get in trouble with your boss!) Pito teased
"¡Oye que te lo digo! A lacito 'e oro lo van a botar de la policía esa de SWAT!" (Listen, I'm telling you, blonde's gonna get kicked out of that police SWAT thing) Moncho added making the others giggle
"¿y? ¡Maní, a mi pai lo botaron y comoquiera volvió! ¡Estamos ready!" (So? Dude, my pops got kicked out but he got back in. I'm ready!) he said as the group continued to giggle
"Bori, ¿y cuando vamos al partido?" (Bori, so when are we playing?) Pito urged
"¡Fuímonos!" (Let's go!)
Leyla heard this, so she went to sit next to him. She got close to him, as the boy was finishing tying up the vest and shin guards.
"Hey! Nuh uh! You aint gonna catch today!"she said, shaking her head and untying her skates.
"What's up, Leyla?" he said frozen
"You aint gonna be catching! You got one arm, Rubio!" she turned to the group gathered just outside of Miss Rita's back fence, waiting on the ones changing. "Gio, get your stuff!"
They 16 yr old Venezuelan boy turned towards her with a puzzled expression. "Epa, ¿no vas como receptor, Rubio?" (Hey, you're not gonna be the catcher, Rubio?) he asked approaching them
"¡Seguro que sí!" (Of course!) he said immediately snapping at him. He then turned to Leyla, "Leyla, what's up with that?"
"Rubio! That's crazy! You had burns and cuts in yo arms!"she paused as he shook his head angrily, "You don't take that stuff off and I'm leaving"
"That was last week. I'm fine!"
"Ok" she said as she grabbed her roller blades and began putting them on again.
"¡Chica!" (Girl!) he complained. She took off one shoe. No word.
"You serious?" she took off the other shoe. No word.
"Leyla?" she put on one shoe. No word.
"¡'Ta bien, 'ta bien!" (Ok, ok) he complained letting go of the helmet and taking off the vest. He shook his head, lamenting the grip she had on him. He then began taking off the gear, while cussing under his breath.
She smiled back. "Thought so." she said giggling."I got you all figure out!"
"You're mean, Leyla!"
"You and me, we're playing outfield today!"
...and so, they were off! Everyone ran off to the space as Miss Rita supervised from her chair. The Infield was taken care of the best four fielders in the group: Shawn had first; Tomás and his brother Jacobo, aka Bobo, the brothers from the slumps, had second and short; and Larry, the poor white boy from 67th and 7th, had third. Outfield consisted of Leyla, Moncho and Rubio. Pitching was done by Pito and catching duties were covered by Gio.
The others usually took turns on the field and batting. On deck were the Johnson brothers: Jaylen, aka Jay, Delmonte, aka Monte and Kyrone, aka Ky. Also joining them were two more guys that came in with Leyla.
As everyone settled, they waited for Pito to warm up. Rubio and Leyla gathered in the outfield while Moncho and Bobo joked around in right field.
"So..." she said as she cradled the glove
"Why do you get to play center?"
"Because I'm the captain of the outfield. Hello?"she said with a smirk
"Para, para...and why you the captain?" (Wait, Wait...)
"Excuse you!"she said crossing her arms in a defiant pose, "Who the one downtown 'bout to be captain? your momma or ya daddy?"
"What that gotta do with us?"
"Coz aint no way in hell you better than me boy."
"Yeah, I am and I could be."
"Boy, stop tripping!"
"You know it could've been vice versa, I'm 24 and you 26, better."
"You know what? You're crazy!" she said uncrossing her arms, now placing both hands on her hips, "Coz if I was like ya momma, all gangsta sniper and stuff, I would've shot ya ass a long time ago! Mhhh hummm" she said with a smirk
"No way, Leyla!" he said smiling and shaking his head, "I know you like me...besides, you gonna dump Byron any day now!"
"Now, why would I do that?" she asked puzzled
"Coz...I'ma get you tickets to the concert of Ed Sheeran for your birthday!"
"No way! That's like in five months and people already sitting by they computers ready to hit the buy button. They gonna sell out in 10 minutes or less. For sho!"
"I'ma get us in. I already talked with Tío Cosa for a job in his food truck, and I got someone that works in the stadium. Relax, Leyla."
"I don't know...besides, you think buying me something is gonna make me forget that thing around ya ankle?" she said annoyed
Rubio hung his head, complaining under his breath. "C'mon Leyla. I tell you what happened."
"You don't get it, do you? I cannot be seen with a dude on house arrest! What the people gonna think of me? Rubio, girls 'round here end up pregnant or junkies before they 14. I'm working my ass off to not be another damn statistic."
"I know" he said nodding his head slowly
"No, you don't" she said shaking her head, "coz unlike me, ya ain't gotta worry about people talking 'bout you like you some type of slut...a girl every dude can hit up..even them arrested ones! You don't see them, but I do. High fiving, grabbing they d*cks, claiming they big men! I don't wanna be that, Rubio!"
"Ok, ok. But, after the trial, we can talk?" he asked as the others began shouting to start the game
"Maybe. But you gotta stay out of trouble."
"I'ma angel, Leyla. Soon as I get this off, I'm asking you out. Deal?" he asked as the others got into position.
"Aight"she said nodding smiling, retrieving to her position.
He kept staring at her,smiling from ear to ear. Suddenly, he noticed some guys sitting in the hand made benches to her far right. They were four tough looking men, who sat staring at the group as the batter came up to the plate. Rubio didn't make much of it, since it wasn't the first time they had a crowd join them.
"Oye...¿e'tamos?" (Hey, ready?) yelled Pito from the mound, turning around and gesturing to everyone in the field
He received nods and thumbs up, so he turned around and began his wind up.
As the game got under way, batter after batter, they played on. Half an hour went by and it was Moncho calling to bat. The teenager ran over to home plate as Ky came out of the little shed to the left side and took his place.
"Hey! What a joke!"yelled a guy from the driver's side.
Everyone stopped and stared at the car that came to screeching halt next to Rubio's side of the field. He recognized them because they played for Riverside Academy, just 25 minutes away. That school only hosted kids from the richest parts of this side of the city, including Cooper Heights. Rubio identified the five white guys as: Elijah, Williams, Benjamin and Noah, all big prospects for big schools in the state.
"Shut up!"Rubio yelled back, as the others approached the vehicle
The groups began yelling at each other, as the rivalry intensified. Leyla however heard a strange sound in between all the noise. She heard the sound of motorbikes.
BRRRUMMMM BRRRRUUUUM
The others seem to be oblivious to it as she was the only one to turn around and notice the shady guys in the corner had gotten up and were posting up. All of them had one hand on their hips, and an AK 47 in their other hand. One of them held something close to his mouth, as all the others put on black sky masks.
Uh oh! she thought. She knew it would be a matter of seconds til the shoot out started.
BOOOOOM
Cement went flying everywhere knocking Ky and Leyla to the ground. A huge whole opened in the big dividing wall, as a swarm of guys came out, all with automatic riffles.
BRRRRUUMM
BRRRUMMM
Five motorbikes made it to the scene, as the guys from the bench stood and pointed their guns at the men coming from the hole in the wall. Suddenly...
POW POW POW POW
POW POW POW POW
POW POW POW POW
CHAPTER 5: First Class
Meanwhile, Police Plaza...
"Major General Tiberius, Sergeant Alonso and Lieutenant General Sims" called the deputy who had rushed in the door, interrupting the seminar. All three characters turned to him and stood when their names were mentioned. "Main Room, NOW!" he urged as he gestured for them to leave.
All three gathered their belongings from the table and the bag from their chairs and headed out the door, quickly and quietly. They were taken to the third floor, to the main conference room right next to the chief's office. All three officers seemed determined, as they had been warned that tryouts for the Captain of Major Operations (CMO) with real life operatives would be underway any time soon.
"Lady and gentlemen, welcome!" greeted Assistant Director of Chief Vargas, First Rank Commander Daniel Johnson, as more officers filled up the seats.
When the door closed, Chris found herself surrounded by a crew of 14 men, all dressed in full uniforms, sitting across three long rectangular tables, situated in one side of the room. In the front of the room there was a massive wooden desk with a computerized system. Next to it a podium with a thin microphone standing upright and a control board. Behind the desk and podium, the wall was covered by a large screen and a large whiteboard, with an eraser and just a few markers on the rail. Three big glass windows allowed for the sun rays to sneak in through the closed curtains, as the faces of the men reflected excitement and worry.
"We have a situation taking place in the southern part of central LA. Two gunmen have taken over an entire section of an estate and have created a massive shoot out with gang members in the adjoining neighborhood. If this escalates, the number of casualties could rise exponentially." he reported as some quickly jotted down details on small notepads, especially the three competitors. "LAPD, SWAT and other agencies have been called to the scene"
SWAT?! she thought exited, as a slight grin spread through her face. Yes!
"Chief has requested to begin auditions for the position of Captain of Major Operations of the Mass Shooting and Trauma Task Force as soon as possible... and I believe this would be a perfect chance to put our candidates to the test! We will divide the crews into First and Second Response, each with a particular goal and focus established by the commanding captain. One of the candidates will get a chance to try for the CMO now, while the other two aid in the op. People!" Johnson called
"Yes, sir!" responded the eager crowd
"What is our motto?"
"Serve, protect, limit damages and restore control!" chanted everyone in a perfect chorus
"For this operative, we will have Major General Tiberius as acting CMO, with Lieutenant General Sims leads the crews. Sergeant?" he called as the rest of the room stared, "You will lead the air team operations and control from our surveillance room."
What? Are you serious? Everybody gets to go and I get stuck in a room? This is bull! It's like going back to police academy with gender sh*t again! she thought frustrated as she slowly shook her head and clinched her jaw
"Details will be provided along the way. Mobile Command Center is waiting. Let's go!" he called as everyone got up with excitement. Every officer in the room was eager to participate in the first ever real life op...except Sergeant Alonso, of course. She watched as all gentlemen flew out of the room and a Marshall came to her to escort her to the surveillance room.
She walked alongside the officer steaming from the humiliation she was just being submitted. It was bad enough she was the only female in the entire roster, now she was being sidelined in their first true test! With all the anger she felt, all she needed was a Sci Fi writer to turn her into an abomination right then and there!
"Sergeant Alonso?" she heard behind her
It was Johnson's assistant, Sergeant Sherman Pennington, who was rushing down the hall to approach her. Both she and her escort turned towards him, but immediately the man made a gesture to the Marshall that made the guard retrieve and set himself aside.
"Sergeant?" he whispered when the Marshall was gone
"Yes, sir." she asked puzzled, still steaming
He took a nervous look around to make sure no one was near ear shot. She noticed his nervousness and got curious.
"Sir?" she asked
"There's a reason why you're being sidelined." he whispered
"Yes?"
"My boss didn't say it there in the meeting, but... the incident is taking place in Cooper Heights and the adjoining neighborhood."
"Cooper Heights?" she asked trying to think. That name resonated with her.
"Does the name Margarita Lee Stevenson ring a bell?" he whispered staring at her
GASP
Meanwhile, HQ...
"What's going on, boss?" asked Hondo, as 20 squad followed him in the main room
Commander Hicks had called all units to report to the main room as soon as possible, mobilizing even those in SWAT Academy and authorizing the recruits to gear up for backup.
"Ok, everyone. Let me have your attention. We have received a call from South LA Division with a major development. Two assailants went into a house with a gang and have taken over hostages in two homes, so far. They have also created an escape route through the adjoining neighborhood by blowing up on a concrete wall. The wall separates the wealthy estate from the poorer neighborhood with a plain field in between. Patrol reported the responding officers were taken to the hospital with wounds caused by explosives and grenades. So far, the perps have kept a steady shoot out against patrol but we also have rival gangs shooting at each other outside. All units will be activated for this op, 20 squad will lead. Deacon take the field, Hondo direct air traffic control and command of responding officers. Oh! and one more thing." Hicks paused as he straightened up and approached the center of the room, "The Chief's office has activated the new MST Task Torce." he paused as he glanced as the members of 20 Squad.
None of the men reacted, except Street. "Mass Shooting and Trauma Task Force" he said. Because of the silence of the room and softness of his voice, everyone heard his expression.
"Chris?" Luca whispered. Street grinned and nodded.
They were interrupted by the local news, being shown in the screen at the far end of the room. Everyone made quiet and approached.
"Good afternoon everyone! We interrupt the daily programming to bring you break through news! A state of emergency has been declared in the southern part of central LA! We have obtained information about a major development happening, where the police are entangling in an intense shoot out against a group of assailants that began an attack in several homes in Cooper Heights, but have spread out to the field that separates these estates from Willowbrook. Authorities..."
"Wait! Cooper Heights? That's close to Miss Rita's house! Stevens, could you turn that up?" Street asked panicked, as the older officer grabbed the remote control and hit a button. The volume went up as visual images showed the pursuit happening in that side of town. The air footage also showed a wide field with what seemed to be ant sized people moving and scrambling. Then, showed the movement of what seemed to be pallets and debris as to form a shield from the blaze, as round after round after round resonated loudly.
"Oh my God!" Street said over the newscaster's voice
"We are getting these images from the aerial news cover showing some civilians hiding in the adjacent baseball field as LAPD and a two groups of gunmen engage in a fierce shooting war...Witnesses confirm a group of teenagers were playing in that field as the shoot out began..."
"Oh no!" Street said shaking his head. Hondo approached and put a hand up his shoulder. The rest joined in.
"Please don't tell me your kid's involved!" Luca pleaded
"...images show a young man gathering debris and wood planks from the dumpsite close by, to recreate a battle bunker, as bullets from both sides surround the panicked minors, caught in the crossfire..."
"Long hair! Cast in the right arm!" Luca confirmed, pointing at the screen
"F*ck!" Street let out
"Roll swat! Go!" Hick ordered loudly
CHAPTER 6: Mission Copper Heights
"Captain, we have two simultaneous crossfires going. One with the first set of suspects in a corner street of the estates. They have gunmen shooting from several windows and the roof. LAPD confirms five suspects in two houses. The other crime scene is just outside of the area, as part of the original crew busted part of the cement wall that divides the neighborhoods. They met with the Rolling 40's and part of the Mexican Mafia. DEA says those two are rivals, so they're not backing down until they eliminate the competition, sir. That's where the kids are hiding out behind wooden pallets and other materials." reported Deputy Brown as Captain Tiberius came in with General Sims and Sergeant Alonso.
GASP
Chris recognized the area very well, but needed to keep her composure.
It took some convincing, but she was able to get reinstated in the mission with the condition that she did not let the events cloud her judgement. Johnson made it clear that she needed to portray herself as a public servant and not a parent. He told her that he was aware that most of the kids in the group were from poor neighborhoods and undocumented. Then, there was the long haired kid that had the cameo on the local news! He was adamant about executing to perfection, as he knew the had the eyes of Congress looking over their shoulders. They needed to demonstrate true excellence.
"Sir, Commander Hicks, LADP SWAT Metro Division! Sergeant Harrelson, leader of 20 squad" called Commander Hicks entering the Mobile Unit. Both nodded their heads once and went towards the acting captain to shake hands.
"Commander, welcome. General Sims" he said gesturing to the man on his right, who answered with a nod of the head, "..and you may know, Sergeant Alonso." She nodded her head as well, holding on to the excitement. Hicks nodded as a slight grin sneaked up on the corner of his lips. Hondo made a gesture of placing his fist over his heart, to what she responded with a nod and a slight grin.
"Sir, we have all of our units ready and geared up. We await your orders. What's the plan?" Hondo reported
"Ok, so the map shows that the houses are located to one closed corner of the area, which means the assailants blew up the wall as their only escape form. The problem was that they encountered two rival gangs as they tried to escape. We must devise a plan that guarantees the best possible result with the less amount of casualties, if any." the captain stated, turning to the side.
In the walls next to them were two big screens. One showed the map of the area, while the other presented pertinent police information.
"Captain, the first team can work on disarming the suspects in the first residence." said the general
"That's good. Plan to breach without exposing anybody in or the officers outside. Sergeant Alonso? Intervene with the second residence in attack. Make sure to retrieve safely any hostages."
Chris was confused, showing a puzzled frown. None of the men noticed her as the captain continued explaining and presenting orders.
"Uh...Captain? What about the kids?" Chris interrupted
Everyone turned to her, as both candidates frowned. "Sergeant, we have to secure first the residential area. The open space helps to delude the attack. We already have enough patrols holding ground."
"With all due respect, captain" she said moving towards the screen that reflected police information. She clicked on the side of it and the broadcast of the air coverage was shown, "That is containment? Those kids are in the middle of a cross fire!" she complained, trying to remain calmed
The acting captain took a deep breath and crossed his arms. "Sergeant, we need to take control of the original source of the alteration and then move successively. There needs to be control first, as is dictated by the protocol of this task force."
Chris couldn't believe what she was hearing. Unbelievable how protocol was more important than saving the lives of those kids.
She was stunned and as she tried understanding what was going on, the captain turned and continued his orders. Turns out her team was in charge of the second house that was broken into by the assailants.
But...Chris couldn't agree. She grabbed the map, the documents and the walkie and headed towards her assigned crew. She stood in front of them repeating the same commands provided by the captain, feeling in her heart it wasn't right. It just wasn't right. All the attention going to one side, while the other was in imminent great danger!
She finished reciting and as the faces of those men stared at her, waiting for her command to begin their march, she froze. She took a deep breath, then turned back to the command center.
"Captain, sir" she called. Inside there was only Deputy Brown, Hicks, Hondo and three officers. They were all in charge of the phones, documentation and aerial coverage information distribution. As soon as she walked in, Hondo and Hicks turned their attention to her even without moving.
"Sergeant, why aren't you in position?" Tiberius asked annoyed
She took a deep breath, bowed her head for some microseconds, then pulled herself together taking a defiant stance against the man. "Sir, I can't go forward thinking we are putting all of our manpower on one side alone. The shoot out can be leveled if we pull the gang members to one side, while removing the victims from the other. SWAT has extensive training in attacks, hostage handle and removals. If we take one squad and one of our crews we can move now and have a better chance at less casualties...especially if those casualties are minors! Our city has already had its share of tragedies and enough school shootings have happened in this country for us to wait for protocol to get those kids to safety!"
"Is this a mother talking or the leader in a specialized task force?" Tiberius asked stepping in front of her, crossing his arms defiantly
"It's a human being that understands the fear those kids must be going through right now. Sir, again, with all due respect, we can argue back and forth all you want, but the matter of fact is they need as much help as the families trapped in those houses, maybe even more!" Chris pleaded
Captain squinted his eyes, took a breather and crossed his arms. "What do you suggest, sergeant?"
Hicks and Hondo exchanged looks, as both were now engulfed in the leaders' conversation.
"We work with LAPD to create a close perimeter, removing anyone within proximity of the scene. Then, we use gas bombs and neutralizers with the shooters. If they engage in fire power, then we go in with all we've got. My crew will create a cover for a separate group to go in with several shields and guards to remove the kids to safety." she explained quickly
"Alright, move over here." he instructed as they moved closer to the map shown int he screen. They went over the area and design a plan of breath and control. After some minutes, they were in the same page!
"Ok, Second Response Crew, be advised 20 Squad is right behind you. Do not deviate from the original route. Hanson, start your march." called Chris over the talkie
"Copy that, sergeant!" Hanson responded
CHAPTER 7: Pivot
As the task force crew moved in, 20 squad lined up approaching the field from the far left side, which was the only side not covered by any of the gangs in the fight. Hanson, the crew leader, tiptoed behind a car parked in front of the small dugout. Two more of his men came in from Miss Rita's back yard, left side. The last duo came in from the corner of the outfield. Deacon watched Hanson's every step, leading the formation of SWAT officers.
Hanson stopped abruptly at the side of a damaged car, oddly positioned by first base side. The car seem to have swiveled on the road and was now sitting with one wheel on the sidewalk, and the rest in the road. He put his fist up, as the crew came in and gathered behind him following formation. They knew they had to make sure the vehicle was vacated.
Suddenly Captain Tiberius heard screams from his talkie. Chris and the others got spooked, as the noise from the background was deafening.
"Mayday! Mayday!" yelled General Sims from the adjoining room
The other crew seemed to have encountered heavy resistance from the assailants. He took the talkie to the other room, which left the a vacated position on the mission in the field.
"What happened?" they heard him ask as the door closed
"Hondo, we got a problem." reported Deacon, watching the leader of the task force crew move through the side of the car. He noticed there was a man sitting by the passenger's side of the front bumper. He seemed to have been hit, for his head was bowed down hardly, motionless, but he was breathing.
"What?" Hondo answered
"Suspect at crew's 1 o'clock. Be advised, suspect could be armed, but is down on the ground."
"Copy that." Hicks responded, both leader and commander turned to Chris who was focused on the visual from aerial coverage.
"Commander, this is 50 David! We have a situation!" Stevens called, desperately
Hondo and Chris looked at each other, as Hicks responded, weary of what was going on in that side of the op. "Come in Stevens."
"The task force crew is taking heavy fire from the roof and the bottom window. We confirmed 3 hostages in the first house and 60 Squad noted 2 in the other."
"Copy that!" Hicks turned to Hondo and quickly said, "Take care of the guys on the field. I gotta follow up on this." Hicks turned and moved to a smaller space, to the right of the center.
"Yes, sir."
"Hondo?" called in Deacon
"Yeah, Deac."
"What's the order?"
"We're still waiting confirmation. Stay put."
"10-4"
Chris heard all this and began to panic. Rules clearly state that she had to wait until orders were dispatched to make any decision. However, she had possibly four victims in a car, plus the kids in the field. She was caught between what she should do and what to do.
Hondo approached her and using his finger pointed to the position of the man, who was hardly noticeable because of the sand and dust being lifted by the chopper. "Serge, there's an armed suspect at this side of the vehicle where your men are moving in."
"Ok." she said to him and she grabbed the talkie, "Hanson, halt position."
"Sarge, we count four possible victims inside." called Hanson
"We weren't counting on people being in that car." said Hondo, as he turned to Chris
"That's why mass control is so variable and unpredictable." she said to herself, as her former leader stared at her. She turned and found him looking straight at her, "I'm not supposed to give out orders until I get confirmation from my boss"
"I know" Hondo said nodding
"But...we may have more than 6 victims, who may end up in body bags if we don't act fast."
Hondo nodded quietly. "So, what do you wanna do, serge?"
She shot a look at him, then a the screen showing the crews frozen in the field and knew she had to consult first. After a deep breath, she took off into the next room, but Tiberius was now on the phone with one of the assailants, acting as the negotiator.
"Captain?" she called
The man was so engaged, he didn't even notice her existence. She called again. No response. Didn't even turn around to face her. She was starting to get really pissed off now. One more time. He waved her off.
So...what the hell do I do now? He doesn't even care for those kids! I gotta do this on my own, but...can I? This isn't like SWAT. My decision doesn't just impact my guys, I got another squad that depends on me, plus the kids, the gang bangers, the neighbors, etc... Damn! This is hard as hell! she thought getting frustrated.
"Sarge?" Hondo said snapping her back
She stood at the doorway, looking at her captain, then at Hondo...back at Tiberius, then Hondo. She took a deep breath and realized, it was up to her. Nobody else!
"Chris? We can't move until you give us the go!" Hondo said, "Let's do this, Sarge!" he said nodding his head once
She nodded her head, determined. "I gotta an idea."
She returned to her post, and examined the map and the visuals for a second. Then she turned to Hondo. "New plan. We're gonna pivot."
"Yes, ma'am!" Hondo nodded
She stared at the visuals and she directed her speech to Hondo. "Hondo, let's make a trap. I'll have my crew work from front to back, sending the perp towards SWAT. You neutralize him and then I send my guys in to make a barrier for your guys to get the victims out. If there is someone that can't be moved, then one of my guys can stay while an RA gets there."
"What if the shooters from the other side turn towards our side?" Hicks said coming in from the other room
"We'll move towards the wide opened space down the first line and with the shields, we'll create a barrier. We'll keep approaching slowly but steady. Have them empty out their weapons, use all of their ammo. Throw in as much gas as we have around the left side of the field. Also, bring in Black Betty for cover. I'll tell the chopper to reduce height and create a cloud of dust on the field. SWAT can use it all as cover to sneak in and get the kids that are barricaded at that end of the field. We gotta work in sync, or this will never work."
"Yes, ma' am!" Hondo nodded once as agreement.
"Alright, that's a plan!" said Hicks nodding
CHAPTER 8: All together
"Hanson, move in!" Chris called
The MST crew had gathered in formation to the left side of the car, as SWAT provided confirmation about the suspect sitting in the front left side of the car.
"Deacon, be ready in position for possible confrontation."
"Roger that."
"Ready?" Chris called to Hicks and Hondo, both of whom nodded their heads. "Move in!" she called.
In the screen they saw as the crew made their way to the front of the car, sneaking in behind the suspect. They stopped and only one approached the subject.
"Sergeant? Suspect is hurt, pulse is very very slow." Morales, the crew's youngest member, called as he went to check on the suspect
"Inside? Give me info on the status of those victims." Chris called, "SWAT, hold position."
In that moment, Hondo clicked on the controller and the full audio was heard from the field. Even with the background noise, they could clearly hear the voices of the SWAT officers.
"Deacon, I have eyes on the kids hiding behind the barricade. Shooting ceased. Shouldn't we move in?" asked Street, who clearly sounded desperate
"No, it's too risky. If we don't move as one, they'll have the advantage. Wait for the call!"
"One of them is bleeding and one has a cast! Why are we waiting?" Street complained
"Street! Hold your position!" Deacon said
"We'll get em, Jim. We'll get him!" Tan said
"Bro, we'll get them out... but it's gotta be safe!" Luca said
Just trust me, Street. She thought as she too felt the same desperation as he did. In the visuals she could see the movement of the officers as they tried to convince him of staying put.
"Going for a close up." the voice of Morales snapped her back
"Roger that." she turned to Hondo again, "We can't make any moves until I get clarification on the people inside that car. Hold your positions. Move in on my signal only!"
"Yes, sergeant!" Hondo said nodding. "30 David, we're going in for visuals on the victims in the vehicle. Hold your position."
All three stared at the screen with the aerial coverage, following every move. The shoot out had ceased momentarily as the members recharged their weapons.
"Sergeant?" Serrano, another one of her crew, called
"Come in!"
"Four white males, teenagers, probably 16 to 18 years of age. They present cuts and bruises, all breathing. Seem as symptoms of vehicle collision."
Hondo nodded to Chris, as she returned to the talkie. "Hanson, any suspects in the vicinity?"
"Negative"
She turned to Hondo, "Move in, have two on guard and two assist the crew." she quickly went back to her talkie, "Hanson, SWAT is coming in to help retrieve the victims. Have White and Lee check each boy for any possible neck injuries, and have two officers on guard. Do not approach from the right side of the vehicle."
"Roger that."
"White, Lee, check for neck injuries. Work with SWAT. Morales, Alvarado, retrieve our suspect, Raje, you're with me on guard." was heard from the leader
Hondo relaid the instructions and SWAT immediately went into motion.
"Tan, Street, go in and assist the officers to retrieve the victims. They'll check for neck injuries. Luca, you're with me. You take the front, I'll take the back, we're on guard." Deacon ordered
From the visual coverage they saw as the squad came in and aided in the recovery of the victims. She could see Lee opening the back left door, while White opened the driver's door. Deacon lined side by side with Hanson, as Luca with Raje in the front.
Morales and Alvarado were able to drag the suspect's body to the left side of the car and lay his body on the dirt. Meanwhile, the others continued to work on the victims inside of the car. Through the audio, the leaders and the commander could hear their communication.
"Ok, hold on to this." Lee said
"Can you hear me?" Street yelled
"Buddy I'm gonna need you to squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Tan said
"You're good?" White asked
After some minutes...
"Sergeant!" called Lee
"Come in. What's the status?"
"Terribly scared but otherwise unharmed, except for the driver who is complaining about back pain, the others claim they can walk." he reported
With a fist in the air, Chris nodded in approval. "Get Luca out and ready in Black Betty!" she called to Hondo as he relaid the order. They watched the monitor as one of the officers ran quickly out of the area.
"Deacon! We gotta move fast. Fire has picked up in the right side. We still got the kids trapped!" called Street
"Hondo, all victims are secured." Tan reported
"I'll call for two ambulances. Bring in Black Betty! " she called
" Luca NOW! Bring in Black Betty!"
They watched as the black truck went up the sidewalk and into the open field, coming into a screeching halt as it parked side by side with the victims' car. Immediately following were two ambulances that quickly unloaded two pair of medics each, heading towards the car.
"Victims and suspect secured! Ready to proceed, Sarge!" called Hanson
"All injured victims and suspect are safely out, Hondo!" called Deacon almost simultaneously.
Hicks nodded towards Chris, who had take a deep breath with her eyes closed. "We're ready sarge."
She glanced to her side and noticed both men were staring at her. "Alright, let's go!" She grabbed the headset off the control unit in the table next to her.
"Aerial unit, decrease elevation. We need a huge cloud of dust!"
"This is aerial unit, we can't move our position. Captain has made clear coverage must cover the entire perimeter."
"What?" Hondo asked.
"Damn! Captain Tiberius must've made the call." Chris lamented
"Plan B?" Hicks called
"Sergeant, what's the call?" Hanson called over the talkie
"Fire has started again!" Hondo announced as they heard the rounds through the officer's audio.
POW POW POW POW
POW POW POW POW
POW POW POW POW
The assailants fired round after round...the semiautomatics kept shooting and the bullet caskets kept piling up!
"Street! Street!" Deacon called over the com, behind cover
"This is 30 David. 20 David, do you copy? We're under heavy fire!" Called Deacon desperately
He didn't want to admit it but they were pretty much trapped!
"Hanson, give cover. Tell SWAT to make a barrier." Chris called. She turned towards Hondo, "Tell Luca to put in parking and hit the accelerator on my signal. We wont have as big of a cloud as with the chopper, but it'll be enough."
"Roger" Hondo answered, "Deacon, the crew will cover you to retrieve behind Black Betty"
The crew came in, as Hanson approached Deacon "Put the shields up! We'll cover you!"
"Ok" Deacon yelled back, He motioned for Luca and Tan to place the shields firmly on the ground as everyone took cover. The moved sideways as they made their way to the back of the truck.
"Luca, go to Black Betty. Put it on park. Then, on my signal, hit the accelerator." called Hondo
As soon as Luca made it back, Hanson and his crews began throwing gas bombs and non lethals. Deacon, Tan and Street did the same. It was starting to work,as they thought the gang members were beginning to retrieve, until...the perps put on masks!
"Damn! Bastards have masks! Bombs wont do anything." Hicks called as the fire intensified
"Hondo, tell Deacon to hold ground. Luca, hit the accelerator!" Chris ordered
The big truck produced enough dust to cover the area and act as the perfect shield to protect the officers. With the suspects confused between the dust and the gas, the crew and the squad could advance.
"Sarge, do we begin the advance?" Hanson asked
The aerial coverage showed a group of three getting on a black Camry and two on motorbikes, quickly following behind. Since the entire block was sealed with patrols and LAPD, there was nowhere for them to go. They were quickly surrounded by officers. In the field, however, there were still five men firing away.
"Ok, we've reduced the attackers by 5, most using the bleachers from the right field as shield." Chris announced
"Could split. One group focuses on the perps, the other one retrieves the kids." Suggested Hicks
"Agreed. Tell Luca to move forward towards the bleachers and park sideways in center field. Do the cloud of dust again, then have Street and Tan go with Morales, Lee and White and the shields to retrieve the kids. Let's have the rest provide 's important we do not expose those kids to bullets, so we have to make sure we make a barrier!"
"Understood!" Hicks responded as both leaders relaid the instructions to their teams.
CHAPTER 9: Get 'em!
"On my count!" called Chris
Hicks and Hondo nodded, as they watched the screen. "Send in Black Betty. When I give the signal, begin the advance"
"Roger!" Hondo said. "Luca, go!"
They watched as the big truck went backwards, then forward, entering from left field. As it was crossing right center, Chris called for advance. Using the truck and the shields, the officers began advancing towards the bleachers. The fire intensified with every step they took.
"Fire has picked up!" Hicks called
"If we take those kids out, we'll be exposing them too much." Chris said. "Halt Black Betty. We're going for deceit again, this time, throw the dust onto the perps."
"Yes, ma'am!" Hondo said nodding his head. He relaid the instructions as she did the same.
"Ready?" she asked Hondo, who nodded once. "Ok, turn Black Betty, slowly"
Luca was able to make almost a U turn in center field, as he lined the back of the vehicle towards the bleachers. The officers hid behind the front.
"Now!" called Chris
In seconds the perps were bombarded with dust as the cloud disoriented them enough to help law enforcement come in. Deacon came into confrontation with one, as two of crew help tackle the man. The other four continued to shoot aimlessly, as the officers advanced.
The only officer that did not move forward was Street. He saw as everyone advanced forward, while he staid behind. He stood frozen!
"Who is that?" Hicks asked
"Street!" Hondo called, getting Chris' attention. She turned to the screen.
"Hondo, each suspect is engaged with an officer. Fire is controlled." Street called
"Suspect down!" called Hanson
"Second suspect down!" Deacon called
"Rabbit!" called Tan as one of the men ran towards the opposite field. Street turned to tackle him but he showed some slick moves and avoided the officer.
"Damn!" he lamented
Tan and Street went after the man as Alvarado followed and Luca, who had just come down from the truck, joined in the chase.
"Third suspect down" called Lee
"Get him!" Luca said
"Policía! Policía!" (Police! Police!) Pico yelled from behind the barricades. The kids began screaming as the man approached their hide out.
"Don't let him get to the kids, Street!" Luca yelled
Street and Tan ran step by step with the man, as they pushed their semiautomatic out of the way to run faster.
"He's going straight for the kids...probably use them as hostage for leverage!" Hicks said
"C'mon guys!" Hondo cheered
The man was greeted with an enclosed space, as the teenagers were able to move the pallets and debris closer together, not allowing for a single opening. Frustrated, the man stood and pointed the gun at one of the open slots between the front pallet.
POW
That one shot froze the officers, as the kids began screaming inside.
"Pitoooooo! Pitoooooo!" they could hear Rubio yelling
"STOP OR I'LL SHOOT!" he yelled over their voices towards the officers
All four of the officers surrounded the man, standing in formation with weapons pointed at him. They stared at him and they wondered if the kids were alright.
"Hey! Hey!" said Alvarado, taking a step forward
"Back up! I said back up!" he yelled
"Pops! Pops!" Street heard Rubio calling him...and so could Chris!
"Hold! Do not fire!" she called, "Alvarado, do you copy?"
"Yes, sarge!"
"Tell the kids to stay back. ¡Quédense atrás! ¡Atrás! Yell it to them!" (Stay back! Back!)
"Yes, sarge!" he looked at all three SWAT Officers and put a fist up. Then he yelled the phrase, three times. It worked, they noticed the scrambling behind the pallets, as the kids became shadows.
"Shut up!" yelled the suspect angrily
"Ok, ok, buddy. You got our attention. Just relax! Nobody has to get hurt." Street said
"There's not way out of here, man. Drop the weapon!" Tan urged
Suddenly...
RAAAAAMMMM PUM PUM CRACK
All the kids bulldozed the pallet, as the man's arm was caught in between the slots. The sound of broken bones was heard once the pallet went towards the ground and the man's wrist was caught on a 120 angle.
"AHHHHHHHH" the man yelled in pain
The kids fell hard on the pallet, as the man fell underneath it, trapped. There was no way he could pull the trigger because he was yelling in pain since the moment of the descent. The officers rushed in as Luca called "We're code 4!"
"YES!" celebrated Chris, along with Hicks and Hondo.
"Great job, Sergeant!" Hicks said nodding with a big smile
"You aced the tryouts!" Hondo celebrated
"Couldn't have done it without you guys! Thank you" she said as they shook hands
They all shared a fist pump, as suddenly Chris remembered the other op. Cooper Heights.
"I gotta report to my boss, but...please take care of Rubio. Give a hand to Jim, please?" Chris asked
"Always." Hondo said
"Thank you. Love you guys!" she said
After short good byes, she turned and headed towards the other room, which was chaos at this point.
"Alright, alright" called Luca, as he high five each kid, with the paramedics working on them in the field. Turns out Ky had twisted his ankle running towards their hideout and Pito was braised in the arm by the bullet of the mad man in the end. Other than that, the kids were fine.
All suspects had been reprimanded and taken into custody by patrol. Three ambulances were called to the field and were now attending the kids. "Whose idea was it to ram down the bad guy?" Luca asked curious
"Leyla!" all answered together, as she shook her head and blushed with embarrassment
The kids cheered as they were excited their plan worked.
"I mean, It was just an idea! I never thought they would actually do it." she said, followed by giggles
"We knew you needed help." Rubio said to the officers
"What were you doing playing? Didn't we say this morning that you would take a break until your arm recovered, Rubio?" Street asked shaking his head
"But pops, I get bored...and I don't do nothing in the outfield. Relax."
"You know ma is gonna kill you, right?"
"You owe me, pops!" he said pointing at Street
"No, no, no! Do not get me involved! You directly disobeyed her orders!"
"And you didn't clean, pops!"
"Damn! He got you there." Luca said, fist pumping with Rubio
"Gotta help me with ma, pops." Rubio added
"Kid's got a point, bro" Luca said smiling, as he put his arm around Rubio
"Luca!" Street complained
The kids were soon take off the field, with just the two boys being attended to in the ambulance. Rubio stared at Alvarado, then offered his hand. The officer shook it and said, "Nice job, kid."
"Thanks. You work with my mom."
Alvarado frowned, as he didn't understand. "Who's that?"
"Alonso... Chris."
"Oh, yeah. She was acting team leader today, but if you ask me, she'd be a great captain."
"Yeah, she gonna be a captain!" the teenager said confidently
"Let's hope so!"
"Can you do me a favor, officer?"
"Sure, kid."
"Sergeant Alonso, do you copy?"
Chris heard her talkie on her left hand and froze. She thought everything was resolved and they were just packing up. She was startled, then again it could be the fact that the first operation had turned into such a mess, everybody was jumpy.
"Come in, Alvarado."
"Ma?" she heard Rubio on the other line. Instantly a smile spread across her face, as she left the room quickly.
"Rubio, mi amor!" (Rubio, my love) she answered excitedly
"Ma, ¡gracias!" (Mom, thank you)
"De nada, cariño. Luego hablamos para que me expliques que hacías en el parque cuando te dije claramente que estás lastimado! A ver chiquito, ¿qué pasa que nos sigues instrucciones?" (You're welcome, honey. Later we're gonna talk so you can explain to me what were you doing in the field when I clearly told you that you're hurt. Let's see, kid, what is going on that you're not following instructions?)
"Ay, ma. Relax, pa me dejó." Rubio complained (Aw, mom. Relax, pops let me.)
"El no te va a cubrir porque tu lo cubriste a el cuando vi el departamento regado, ¿ah?" (He's not going to cover for you just because you covered for him when I found the mess in the apartment, hmm?)
There was a moment of silence. "Told you she's too smart!"
"Jim, you're not off the hook either. What is he doing in the field?"
"I don't know, but...um..we're proud of you, Sergeant!"
"Yeah, captain!" Rubio said excitingly
Chris smiled and blushed, "I love you both. Alvarado, take care of them. Gotta go!"
"Roger that!" Alvarado said
"Hey Street!" Luca said coming in
"Go on and say good bye to your friends, ok?" he said as Rubio took off
"Hey Luca, just finished talking with Chris." he said cheerfully
"Oh ok. Heard the other mission is done. They got the perps but Stevens was taken in with a shot to the leg and two more of 60 Squad with injuries...but, um, Deacon just told me Hondo left in a hurry. Told him he was headed to St. Agustin's with a patrol officer."
"Woah! What happened?" Street froze surprised
"I'm not sure. Deacon said Hondo told him his mom called, said some ladies in the center called an ambulance to rush Nichelle to the ER!" Tan said as he rushed in
"We're taking Black Betty in and then changing, to head over there. You coming?"
CHAPTER 10: The pain
"Baby? Baby? I'm here!" Hondo said as he rushed in.
Nichelle was lying on the bed in fetal position, still sobbing in pain. The tubes of the recently installed IV coming out of her arm and the bags hung from the posts.
"Hey, Hondo! I'm so worried about her!" Deja, one of the ladies from the center, greeted
"Hey, Deja. How is she?" he asked desperately, as he saw that Nichelle laid motionless, sobbing quietly. Deja stood up from her chair and placed a hand on Nichelle's curled up arm
"I can't...move..." she struggled to say, as she cried quietly
"Oh my God!" Hondo lamented
"Calm down girl." Deja said as she brushed the top of her head with a damp cloth. She turned to Hondo, "I don't know what happened. We were watching the news, as you and SWAT were rescuing those kids and the robbery in Cooper Heights when all of a sudden she started screaming in pain!"
"Did she eat anything or do somethin' to require a lot of energy? Maybe lift a heavy box or something?"he said moving to her bedside and grabbing her hand.
"Not that I know of. I asked her if she had her appendix taken out, but she said no. So, I'm thinking that could be it."
"Makes sense." he paused to give her a soft kiss in the forehead. "Baby, it's gonna be ok." he turned to Deja again, "What did the doctor say?"
"He wouldn't say until they ran tests. But he did examine her abdomen and stuff. Then, he moved quickly with the tests. So, I don't know."
RIIIING
RIIIING
She dug into her purse, took a look at the screen and then asked to excuse herself. Hondo nodded and thanked her, and she left the room.
"Baby, it's gonna be alright. Just breath, ok?" he said as he grabbed the cloth and imitated Deja.
"Honey?" she said, lifting her head.
"Yeah, baby? I'm here. You gonna be alright."
She looked around and straightened her legs, still trying to regain consciousness. She moved gingerly as Hondo guided her with his free arm.
"I don't know what happened...really!" she said slowly, "One moment I was fine, the next I was throwing up and then this pain in my abdomen, baby. Just-"
"Ma'am, how are we feeling?" a young man came in. The young nurse came in straight towards the monitors, nodding to Hondo. "Sir?"
"Hello...she ok?" Hondo asked greeting him as the man checked that everything was running smoothly
"Well, she came in very weak, we had to put her on IVs. Her blood pressure was sorta high too and she came complaining of abdominal pain."
"Y'all did tests? When do we get the results?" Hondo said as he rested against her bed
"Well, we are kinda rushed , so it might take a while. For now, the doctor wants her to rest. She has to finish the IVs. He will come in and discuss the test results with you as soon as we get them." the young man said, jotting down notes on the clipboard at the side of the bed
"Ok" Hondo said nodding, still worrying about her
"We did X Rays, scans and other tests, as precautionary. She also told us she'd been involved in a car accident recently?"
"Some time ago, yes. Do you think she might have aggravated the injuries?"
"Maybe, but doesn't look like it. The pain's more to her belly."
The nurse exited shortly, as the couple remained in the room, chatting quietly. Nichelle lasted awake for some minutes until the pain returned and Hondo convinced her of closing her eyes. She drifted off peacefully.
Meanwhile, Tan, Luca and Deacon were on the back of Black Betty, waiting on the authorization to head back the HQ. They had cleared everything with Hicks just minutes before and were now taking off some of the gear to head back to the office.
BZZZT
BZZZT
"Hey guys?" Luca said, "I just got a text from Hondo. Says they're waiting for the results of the tests they did on Nichelle, but to not worry about it. He'll meet with us later."
"You think it's serious?" Tan said
"I hope not coz he went out in a hurry!" Deacon said unbuckling his vest
"Man, they can't catch a break, can they?" Luca lamented as the other two shook their heads
"Hey!" greeted Street approaching the group. He had his arm around Rubio.
"How are your friends doing, kid?" Luca asked as the others nodded. He fist pumped both officers.
"They're ok. Only two go to the hospital. The others will be fine." he said pulling away from Street to greet the rest of the officers
"And you, blonde?" Tan asked grinning
"I'm ready!" he said as the others smirked. The teen turned to Luca, "Tío, I gonna start tomorrow, ok?"
"Wait a minute, start what?" Street said puzzled
"He told me he wanted a job at the food truck." Luca responded
"How bout you tell me first, buddy?" Street complained
"Ma say yes, pops." he said as Street rolled his eyes and grinned, "But Tío, can I take the leftovers to Moncho on Saturday? His birthday is that day, but he don't have family to celebrate. I take a brownie or something. I talk with Leyla and the others to sing happy birthday to him."
"Sure, buddy! I'll have the cook fix a pie or a cake for your friend." Luca said
"What 'bout Matthew? And Sammy? They can come?" Rubio said turning towards Deacon
"I'll talk with him. I think Annie is taking the girls to a birthday party. So, the boys might prefer your idea." Deacon answered with a smirk
"Yeah!" the boy said excited
"Rubio!" called some of the boys from the sidewalk. He turned to Street who waved him off. He fist pumped everyone very quickly and left.
"He's pumped up, man!" Street said annoyed as the others smirked, "Unbelievable! The kid's unnerved!" he finished shaking his head.
"Reminds me of someone!" Tan said staring at Street
"I wasn't that bad." Street said confidently
"Right" Tan said skeptically
"Yup" Deacon said nodding slowly
"Nah, bro!" Luca said grinning and shaking his head
"Anyway, how's Hondo doing?" Street asked
"They're waiting on results. Where u gonna leave the kid, Street?" Luca answered
"He's gonna stay with Miss Rita in a neighbor's house. She said she's gonna stay over there until everything calms down, just until tomorrow. You know?" he paused, "Those bastards really messed up her garden...she grew a lot of the herbs and stuff she uses for her cooking, plus the kids really enjoyed helping her out. Now the whole backyard is a mess!"
"They really did a number in it. I remember when I brought Matthew the other day, he really enjoyed learning about gardening and farming and stuff. Miss Rita is a gentle soul for sure." Deacon added
"Yeah, I wish I could help her out." Street said turning to face the destruction in her yard. Black Betty was sitting just outside of the baseball park, so her house was pretty much on sight.
"Well, I'm bringing the cake on Saturday. So, I can take the morning to fix it up before the kids get there." Luca offered
"Really? That would be awesome. I'll help!" Jim said excited
"Count me in!" Deacon said nodding his head
"Got a thing with my brother at 8, but after that I'm free." Tan said
"Street get the kids to come. I'll bring the BBQ and we can cook burgers and hot dogs." Luca suggested
"Yeah, we can fix this field too. Got a buddy at the hardware store that can find us some cheap lumber to fix the dugout and the bleachers." Deacon added
"You guys are so awesome. I'll tell the kids. They'll be excited!" Street said with fist pumps
"Excited about what?" a voice called from behind the opened back door of the truck
CHAPTER 11: The wait
Hicks came from behind the door as he pushed it closed, revealing a smiling Sergeant Alonso.
"SARGE!" yelled the men excited. Each went to hug and greet her, while Hicks smiled contently. They hadn't seen her in weeks, ever since she left SWAT to pursue the new role. Plus, when they arrived they were immediately sent to the field, so they didn't even know she led them to a successful operative. The best part was that she was even more excited than them, as she went one by one giving each a huge hug.
"Guys, this gal right here? Wow!" Hicks said pointing at her, as she pulled away from the last hug.
The guys erupted into rounds of applause and cheers, as she blushed and shook her head slowly.
"Nah, it was all a team effort. Hicks and Hondo did a great job." she said shyly
"Absolutely not!" Hicks immediately said, "Guys, we literally just stepped back and let her do her thing." Hicks paused, "She had to pivot, come up with stuff on the spot, managed the chopper, two units...it was marvelous and I couldn't be more proud!" Hicks said smiling at her
"Let's go, sarge!" Luca cheered throwing punches in the air, as they others joined the cheers among a sea of smiles.
"I tell you, it fills me up with joy to think that one of my own has reached such a high level of professionalism and provided such a tremendous performance. Thank you, Chris! Thank you for representing all of us in SWAT and LAPD."
The guys renewed the applause as Chris blushed, shook her head and waved them off. She felt her old commander was praising her too much. They did most of the work anyway!
"Honestly, I couldn't have done it with you guys. I was scared as hell, but I needed to trust my gut and everything I learned in SWAT and LAPD. Making the calls is tough, really. Now more than ever I appreciate what you did with us." she said turning to Hicks
"Well, it doesn't really help when your boss leaves you like that." Hicks said annoyed
"What do you mean?" Deacon asked
"While you guys were in the field, her boss focused on the first mission. His actual orders were to breach and secure the residents first and then move to the outside." Hicks said turning to them.
"But... the kids were in the middle of the crossfire!" Tan said confused
"Exactly, my point! He called me off, so I had to send you and my unit over here." Chris responded
"She stood her ground and even presented her own plan." Hicks said
"That explains the sudden change of position." Deacon said as he remembered how they went from heading to the house to running all the way to the field!
"Yeah, I had to convince my boss that the kids needed as much help, if not more. Then, once the op started he went to negotiate with the perps on the other side. I didn't have much of a choice than pivot...it was sink or swim at that point!" she said with a shrug
"...and that's why she's gonna be a rockin' captain! Woot woot!" Luca cheered stirring up everybody in the group.
As the men entangled in an enthusiastic dialogue, Hondo was still stroking Nichelle's hair as she slept peacefully in the cot. It was a heartbreaking scene for him, especially since he made himself promise never to be the reason why she ends up in the hospital ever again. After the accident, watching her recover was the most painful experience he'd ever gone through. It was ten times worse that his own recovery!
He began reminiscing of all his time in Japan, going over the places she marked in her book, their dinners, cooking for her, sharing romantic moments, walking in the beach...
"Hondo?" she called softly, opening he eyes slowly
"Yeah, baby. You okay?" he snapped back and leaned towards the bed
"Yeah, much better." she said as she stretched her arms and upper body. She lowered the sheet to her waist and sat up in the bed. She took a look around and stopped when she found the water bottle in the small table next to the bed.
"You want me to get you something?" he asked
"I could go for some coffee or hot cocoa...it's cold in here." she said with a slight shiver
"Alright. Don't get up, ok?"
"Ok" she said as she leaned and they shared a soft kiss.
RIIIIING
RIIIING
"Hey, Raymont! What's up?" Hondo asked surprised
"Hey, Hondo. You got a sec?" Raymont asked desperately
"Yeah, sure." he answered as he stood in front of the coffee machine
"Listen, business was going great til some rich punk got on my way. I need your help with something but I can't really explain it right now. You think you'll have time tonight?"
"Yeah, ok. Yo, I'm sorry bout not getting you more sponsors when you asked me."
"It's ok. With the deal that is brewing, I wont need any. I would be set for life!"
"Woah! That big?"
"Yeah, and I got a great opportunity, but somebody's messing it all up. Listen, I'll talk to you tonight, alright?"
"Yeah, no problem. You take care now."
"Will do!" he said just before hanging up.
Hondo was left wondering what was the new adventure the kid was embarking, but trusted his judgement. Raymont was a smart guy, he wouldn't get in with anything shady!
BZZZZT
BZZZZT
As he dialed in the ordered coffee, he felt the vibration in his pants. While the machine did its magic, he dug his hand into his pocket and retrieved his cellphone.
How are things going? Any updates?
Deacon. He was surprised he would be texting right after a complicated op. He probably was on his way back to HQ by then.
Still waiting for the doc to come. Thanks for asking
He pictured his team removing gear and starting the paperwork. He really hated being sidelined! Damn! What brought him comfort is the fact that he was nearing the end of his rehab sessions and he would be evaluated shortly. Hopefully by the end of next week he will be cleared for duty!
Just as he placed the cellphone back and grabbed the small cup, burning his fingertips in the process...
BZZZT
BZZZT
Baby, get over here. Doctor's here!
Oh my God! He needed to move and quick! He grabbed the cup, forgot about his own order and sped off.
He arrived at her stall, handed her the coffee and grabbed her hand. His greatest fear was a complicated diagnosis, but he wasn't going to focus on that. Suddenly the curtain flew open and a tall dark colored man in a doctor's robe and a stethoscope in his pocket came in. Hondo was right in front of him as he was on his way out of the small space. He froze and shook the man's arm, immediately turning around to join Nichelle.
"Hello. Doctor Jefferson." he said extending Hondo his hand. "Are you her companion?" he asked pointing at her
"Yes, sir. Everything ok with her?" Hondo asked desperately
"She can go home." the doctor said unnerved
Hondo and Nichelle looked at each puzzled, as the doctor grabbed the clipboard and wrote notes, quietly. There was an awkward silence. After some seconds of writing, the doctor placed the clipboard back and placed his pen back in his robe pocket.
"I do need to discuss something with you miss. Would you like it in private?" he said breaking the deep silence
"No, it's ok. He's with me." she said going for Hondo's hand.
"Well, in that case, congratulations ma'am! You're three weeks pregnant!"
CHAPTER 12: Comfort, Discomfort
"WHAT?" both yelled at the same time, just to realize they were still int he ER!
The emotions were obvious as smiles adorned their faces. Hondo grabbed Nichelle into a big bear hug, as she laughed and cried. Happy tears! Tears of joy of finally getting their prayers answered!
Meanwhile, finally the 40 something pound gear was off of Street's shoulders. He couldn't wait to take a long hot bath at home, but...he had to wait! Deacon had relaid the order to complete all paperwork before the end of shift. Everyone was ordered to complete the usual, plus a recount of every single move done. Everyone in 20 Squad was surprised the orders called for a recount of every single detail that occurred, with threat of suspension and expulsion, if perjury was proven!
"Why so much paperwork?" Street asked annoyed, as he joined Tan, Luca and Deacon in the cubicles at the far end of the floor.
"Hicks said chief's orders were down to the last detail...and if they proved we left something out on purpose or by accident, we risked suspension without pay or even expulsion!" Luca responded
"Yeah, but why?" Street asked still confused. In all the years he's been SWAT he's never seen so strict orders and so many papers after one single mission!
Luca and Tan took a break and leaned back in their chairs, staring at Deacon with frowns in their faces. The acting leader took a deep breath, bowed his head and then turned to Street.
"I'm sorry to say this Street, but...I heard there was a commotion downtown. Chief was called and there was a mess: going after each other, some officers stood and left the meeting room, others were thrown out by the board...just horrible!"
"You mean...Chris?"
"I don't know. I asked, but...Hicks wouldn't say. He just told me chief gave them a couple of hours to cool off."
"What's the big deal? The perps were detained and order was restored." Tan said shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, but remember the mission of that task force is to limit the damage. Stevens and two others had to be taken to the hospital, plus two of the kids and one of the hostages!" Deacon said
"Yeah, in the eyes of that office, the op was a failure." Luca added
"They have really really high standards." Street said skeptically
"Keep in mind: it's not just LA watching. It's California and Washington! The whole thing is a pilot program developed by a congresswoman!" Deacon said
"They have to be perfect!" Luca added
"Damn!" Street lamented, thinking and wondering how it could've affected Chris.
BZZZT
BZZZT
Luca dug into his pants to retrieve his phone. "It's Hondo. He says he has news, but wont be making it here til tomorrow. Says they're out of the hospital."
The others frowned and smiled.
"News?" Tan asked curiously
"That's what it says" Luca responded
"A woman with abdominal pain and a man saying he has news?" Deacon asked slowly
"They're pregnant!" all four said at the same time
After a long day of SWAT, the hospital ordeal, a romantic dinner cooked by the self proclaimed best male cook in the Harrelson family and a very very short stint at the gym -which was only done to comply with therapy, not because there was any legitimate intention to go!- Hondo was officially: exhausted!
He was so tired, every step he took felt like he had an iceberg attached to his legs. The weigh of his body was unbearable, and all he wanted was to sleep...just do nothing at all! With his baby, cuddling til he fell into oblivion!
He opened the front door and noticed Nichelle munching away and scrolling through her phone. She seemed so relaxed...just like he wanted to be!He was so envious!
"Baby, I'm soooo tired...like, I ain't even playing." Hondo said as he dumped his backpack somewhere on the floor and laid a soft kiss on Nichelle's lips. She had been munching away the whole day! She had wrappers, plastic bags, used napkins, bottles, empty plastic take out plates, etc.
"Why? What happened, bae?" she asked munching on pickles, straight out of the jar
Hondo was so tired, he slouched on the couch, looking straight at the ceiling. He didn't remember the last time he sat that day. He was exhausted!
"This week has been intense! Whole lotta training, workouts, running, jumping, etc. and since we're down to five, Hicks got me involved in recruitment, so...more damn paperwork! I think I've racked out so much overtime these past couple of week, girl, it's ridiculous! Not to mention the op today, our happy news, therapy...they whole thing!"
"I don't know why you are killing yourself so much-"
"Well, I was anticipating, baby! I believed you and me would get our dreams come true. Didn't they now?" he said leaning over and planting a soft kiss
RING
RING
"Aw, daaaamn! I hate that phone" Hondo whined, as he grabbed one of the cushions and smashed it against his face. His work phone has become his nemesis!
"Again? You just clocked out!" Nichelle complained, as a piece of pickle landed on the top of her shirt. "Baby, come 'ere!" she said as she moved and leaned back on his chest.
RING
RING
"Hm...I'm liking this." he said ignoring the ringing, as they both engaged in long soft kisses. He took both arms and hugged her as they began passionately kissing. It was the best part of his day!
RING
RING
Kissing. More kissing.
RING
RING
Hondo took one hand off Nichelle, dug it into his pants pocket and grabbed his phone. From the corner of her eyes she saw his movement and began pulling away slowly, understanding that as a leader, he was always going to be needed. That's what she loved about her man, he was passionate about everything that's important in his life. She knew she was important for him, but he was a hard headed one...workaholic as they call it.
To her surprise, Hondo swung his arm backwards, sending the mobile flying across the living room. She giggled as she let her man wrap his arms even tighter, kiss her even more passionately.
She giggled as he held her closer! He was truly tired, but never for her. Nothing could stop them now. Unless...
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Damn!" Hondo lamented as Nichelle giggled. "That better not be SWAT or any of my homies coz I'ma kill em right now. I aint playing!" he said annoyed
"Go! Get the door!" she said between giggles
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Do I have to? C'mere!" he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and began another intense round of kissing.
RIIIING
RIIING
Nichelle slowly pulled away, this time sporting a frown. "Baby?"
Hondo still had his eyes closed, moving his kisses down to her jaw and neck areas.
"Stop! I'm getting scared now." she said seriously
"shh" he said as he leaned forward. She pulled back and pulled him away from her, this time legitimately concerned.
RIIIING
RIIIING
"Baby, please answer. What if it's an emergency?" she begged
Hondo leaned his head backward and stood up cursing under his breath. His phone stopped ringing, so he could breath again. He looked for it, as a sound came from the door.
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Alright, alright!" he called loudly, his tone showing annoyance and anger
He went towards the door, placed his hand on the knob and took a look at the peephole. He pulled away with a surprised frown and twisted the knob. He slowly opened the door.
"Raymont?" he asked surprised
"Yeah, Hondo! I couldn't find you over the phone and I remembered your address. I hope you don't mind." he spoke quickly
"It's past 10pm, whatchu doing here?"
"I told you. I need a huge favor. This means my career!" he sounded desperate
CHAPTER 13: Like…now?
Disclaimer: strong language and scenes are presented in this chapter. Readers, please be advised it is not suitable for younger audiences.
"Hondo, my whole career rests in this gig. Man, I'm not even playing. The payroll is huge!" he said desperately. He took a step in and noticed Nichelle pop her head from behind the corner wall. "Oh, hi!"
"Hello! Nichelle, nice to meet you." she said as she waved to him
"Raymont, evening ma'am." he said shyly
"Good evening. If you'll excuse me..." she said as she headed to the bedroom and closed the door quietly
"Ok. Boy, take a breather and talk to me." Hondo said as he crossed his arms, watching the young man pace the floor
"So, a buddy of mine contacted me . He knows the production manager of this local media company, right? A kid that took some management college classes with me runs it. Anyway, he got the call that Ed Sheeran and Billi Eilish, two huge mega stars, want to shot a video here in LA. Hondo, these are like... the trending celebrities right now. Ed Sheeran's concert tickets are gonna start at almost $200 a pop! He's gonna use the video as sort of an extra promotion to his concert in 6 months. Guy's promising 3 shows!"
"Woah! Two hundred? Damn!" he asked surprised
"Yeah and that's way up there!" Raymont said gesturing the roof
"Wow! So...what do u need, kid?"
"Well, the guy I know put me in contact with the producer and we were about to sign a huge contract. I just had to secure the investors, license specialists, contractors, staff and security. The only problem is that this rich kid from Beverly Hills, name's Clayton Hillshire, went and talked with the guy and rumor has it he wants to bail out from our deal. But Hondo, I already got most of the staff ready. Permits are in process and almost signed!"
"You gotta talk to him then"
"I need leverage! This Hillshire kid has tons of contacts that I don't have. I have only one card to play, if you help me out."
"Ok, I'm listening."
"Look, if there's one thing you can get Sheeran on is with security. The guy is paranoid! He wants top of the line security everywhere. Heard he's a loner and likes to spend as much time alone as possible, so he hires tons of guards. You know? Keep space tight. So..." he paused approaching Hondo, "I need to have the ultimate security team if I'm gonna convince him and his people to hire my services over Hillshire Enterprise. So, do you know anyone? Like retired law enforcement or if they're active, willing to take a side gig? I need like top star, squeaky clean!"
Hondo thought for a second. "One of my teammates has a security business."
"Really? You think I could convince him?"
"Let me talk to him first coz I think he told me something the other day of getting a call from some a rich partner." Hondo said nodding slowly
"Damn! That's probably Hillshire. Just please talk to him. Have him call me too!"
Meanwhile, Street was so tired, every step felt like he had bricks stuck to his feet. He had gotten himself some dinner alone. Miss Rita told him somebody helped her take care of Rubio. When Street called her she told him to just head on home and rest. This after many minutes thanking him and his squad for saving them from the bad guys that afternoon!
Street was so tired he didn't even question or ponder about the kid. Yeah, he loved him very much, but tonight, he was exhausted! If the kid wanted to sleep over Miss Rita, then so be it. He'd swing by in the morning!
As he opened the door to his apartment, he swung his backpack to the floor, threw his keys in the counter -braising the key holder that was right there!- and dumped himself on the couch. He yawned loudly as he began to close his eyes, titling his head backwards.
"No wonder why there's always a mess around here!" he heard the familiar female voice
He immediately opened his eyes and found Chris standing with her arms crossed at the door of the bedroom.
GASP
"Babe, you're home!" he said as he completely forgot about his tired body and ran all the way to her. She threw her body onto his and an intense kissing session began.
He ran his fingers through her hair, as he felt her nails dig into the skin of his neck. She pulled him, he pulled her. Their tongues engaging into an intense wrestle, as their body temperature rose...until it everything took a stand!
"Woah! Stop!" she said as she suddenly pulled back, out of breath
"Whaaa?" he asked disoriented, out of breath as well
"We can't...there's a kid behind that door, Jim!"
"The first time was incredible, let's just repeat." he said pulling her close and kissing her neck intensely
"Coz there wasn't a minor nearby!" she said between giggles
"Chris?" he called, as she looked up and him,"You have me on a diet for over month, I'm getting some!" he said sternly as he pushed her back onto the wall.
"Hey! You wanted me to go for the program!" she said between kisses
"Don't! Do not put this on me! Nuh uh!" he said between kisses, shaking his head
"Then, shut up and...put it on me!" she said as she kissed his lips softly
"Yes, ma'am!"
The tongue war resumed as the bodies became warmer and warmer again. They bumped into walls, corners, empty spaces... as he moved her body backwards unto the bedroom. He grabbed her, lifted her up and threw her down on the mattress, laying his body on top of her. All the meantime they engaged in furious biting, kissing and licking action.
As she unbuttoned his pants, he grabbed her shirt and pulled it up, arm after arm. The emotions ran intense, while the bodies moved quickly and violently. Whether there was a minor next door or not, it didn't matter anymore.
The bedding was smothered, the bed out of place, the sounds beginning a symphony, when suddenly...
RIIIIING
RIIIIING
She gasped! Stopping and holding her breath, allowing him to reposition on top of her, while her eyes popped out and her tongue ceased movement.
RIIIING
RIIIIING
"Oh my God!" she said as she pulled away slowly. She did continue to kiss him, just to smooth things out.
"No! No!" he pleaded, grabbing her by the neck with one arm and the other her backside, to pull her into his body.
She gasped as he pulled her strongly and she fell under his spell. He then slipped his hand inside of her blouse, which made her pop up. She gasped, as she slipped her hand down his opened pant's zipper. As they both felt divine sensations, the moment was perfect until...
RIIIING
RIIING
"I'm... sorry...I'm...so...sorry!" she said between kisses, as she pulled away. This time she removed both of his arms delicately, making sure not to hurt his feelings or send the wrong message that she didn't want to be in his arms.
"Babe, no! C'mere!" he pleaded, kissing her neck while she tried to pull away.
Street and Chris entangled into an awkward chase as she went towards the ringing cellphone with him strapped to her like glue. He wouldn't let go! He couldn't! His whole system wanted her!
"Sergeant" she answered almost out of breath, after successfully grabbing the phone and maneuvering her lips off of his grasp.
Frustrated with the turn of events, Street began cursing under his breath, very close to the mobile.
"Shhh!" she gestured to him, giggling, as they continued kissing
GASP!
"Yes, sir." she said as she pulled away completely from Street, this time wearing a worried look and taking deep breaths as she listened to the mobile intently. As much as he wanted -and needed- to continue, and eventually devour her, he couldn't help but to feel worried for her. She took some steps away and sat on a chair, still listening in. Her demeanor had changed drastically, as she was now silent, nervous and serious. She grabbed her forehead and sat staring at the floor.
"Yes, sir. I understand." she said nodding. She turned to look at Street while moving her lips I'm sorry. He let out multiple deep breaths, shaking his head in the process.
"Ok, understood. Bye." she said, hanging up and exhaling loudly.
She sat there, staring at the floor, thinking. Street looked at her, gathering his thoughts. Judging by the look on her face, it wasn't worth it to even try to restart their kissing session.
"What happened?" he said softly, zipping his pants, and then grabbing the chair next to her to sit down.
CHAPTER 14: Gotta make it right
Disclaimer: strong language and scenes are presented in this chapter. Readers, please be advised it is not suitable for younger audiences.
Chris took a deep breath, then lifted her gaze by straightening up in the chair. Her eyes cluttered with tears, as she stared aimlessly in front of her.
As much as Street really wanted -and needed- to continue their erotic session, he knew he had to take a break. Her eyes were screaming for comfort, not sexual contact.
"Babe?" he asked, moving his chair closer to her
"I lost it, Street." she said swallowing hard
"What happened?" he said, placing his arm around her and pulling her slowly
"I just couldn't stand to be quiet while he said those things about minorities. I just- I couldn't!" she said slowly
"Just tell me what happened." he said, as she turned and dug her face into his chest. He rested his chin on her head. They remained like that for some seconds until she slowly pulled back.
"Thank you" she said, almost in a whisper. She planted a soft kiss on his lips, as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"Chris, tell me what happened. Let it out."
She bowed her head, took a deep breath and rested her head on his chest.
"After I met with you and the guys, I was called back to the mobile center. There, captain was waiting for me with Sims, his arms crossed, really mad looking. I didn't pay attention coz at that point all I could think about was how great everything turned out." she paused as she wiped another tear, clearing her throat, "Then he started scolding me as if I was a child. I let it pass, you know? Swallowed all the curses and keeping my fist away from his face."
"Ok."
"Then we went back to Police Plaza, where Johnson and his staff were waiting for us for even more ass whooping. He and his executives continued to shake their heads and say how the op was a total bust, when in my mind, it wasn't. I mean, yeah, two kids were injured, but that happened before we got there."
"Yeah? So?"
"Then, this bastard Tiberius asks to speak and starts bashing me in front of the whole board. I didn't have an issue in the center, but there? No way! Especially after I had heard him say 'We'll get to the little rascals there, coz eventually another black momma is gonna have more and the others will be jumping the border!' D*ckhead! So, I asked to speak and I called him out. I told them what really happened in the truck, what he said to the patrol officer, how he spoke about immigrants and blacks...everything! He interrupted me a couple of times til I told him to shut up and let me talk. And you know what that rat bastard said? Like, to me?"
"I'm afraid to ask."
"He told me I felt enraged because me or my family knew what those kids were feeling coz it was just like crossing the border! Like, he questioned my own family's legal status! What the f*ck! Street, I wanted to just knock all his damn teeth out!" she said, as she clinched he jaw and closed both fists.
"Oh my God!"
"Yeah...but, we really got into it, then officers began arguing among themselves, until the whole room was a mess. I lost my cool and slammed my hand on the table. That's when they drew the line. Johnson yelled to shut up and stared at both of us for a second til he kicked us out. Said he had to think if it was worth it to go back to the selection stage of the first step of the program. I stopped by the bathroom and heard a couple of officers walking by, being sent home to cool off. It was just a disaster." she finished shaking her head
Street rubbed her arm, as she continued to rest on his chest.
"But...I gotta make it right, Street! I can't let him down!" she said as she slowly rose
"What are you talking about?"
"Rubio. I picked him up from Miss Rita's when I was dismissed by my superiors. I was so mad, I just wanted to see him. I knew what I did was wrong, talking back, but...I couldn't let him talk about my kid like that. About us! All of us! My aunt and uncle, many of the people I know, fought hard to be in this country. Good people. Just...I heard him talk to the boys about me with such praise, I didn't even know what to say. Then, all the ride here he kept saying a lot of great things about me that at one point I didn't know if he was talking about me or somebody else!"
"He looks up to you, Chris. He admires you a lot."
"I know...but it' like an even bigger pressure than the one I'm used to, Jim. I've never really had to do it right. I mean, I chose to, but because I wanted to, not because I knew someone was watching."
"You know? Someone once told me that having a kid is like having the spotlight on you 24/7."
"Right?" she said turning to him, "Must've been a fortune cookie or something." she said with a shyly smile
"Nah, just a really smart guy." he said extending his hand for her to grab, "Chris, don't think of him or me as an immense pressure. We don't want you to be perfect, we don't even need you to be perfect. He needs someone who can give him stability, someone he can trust. As well as me."
She moved her arm so as to grab his and rest her elbow on her knee. "What are we going to do after the trial?"
"I-" Street began
RIIIIING
RIIIING
"Sorry." she said lowering her gaze to the phone. Street was disappointed, but knew this was important too. "Sergeant" she answered
She quickly turned to Street, still her mobile on her ear. She quickly stood and planted a soft kiss on his lips, then quickly moved towards the kid's bedroom. Street rose to his feet in time to see her plant a kiss on Rubio's forehead, nodding to the phone. She pulled his bed sheets higher and placed a tender hand on his shoulder, as the teen slept peacefully.
She only stood there for two seconds, when she suddenly went towards him. "I gotta go. Board's calling us for an SOS meeting." she whispered to him, while pulling the cellphone behind her back. He nodded and she grabbed her bag.
"Yes, sir. Understood. Thank you." she said hanging up. She took a deep breath, titled her head back and whispered curse words in Spanish. Street came over and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Babe, it's gonna be ok."
"It's the whole board of members. Congress called, said they watched the news. We're in so much-
"Language!" he interrupted, pointing his index finger
Chris didn't have a choice but to giggle. "They sent a car to pick me up. It's downstairs."
"Hey! It's gonna be fine. You got this. But this time, if he gets in your face, no matter what he says, I want you to think of what would you want our kid to do and say in a similar circumstance."
"Damn!" she paused to think, "Bite my tongue until I get the top spot and then kick his ass?"
"Um...sure." he said with a smirk
"I'm sorry!" she said planting a soft kiss on his lips, "But I promise you, when this is over, I'll s*ck u harder than a vacuum!" she said as she kissed him and bit his lower lip.
He clinched his jaw and roared, as he truly wanted -and needed- her to stay in that moment. However, she turned around so quick, he didn't even have a chance to respond!
"Damn! F*ck!" Street said as he stood frozen for a full minute...still trying to snap back to reality!
Suddenly, he snapped and raced through the door and down the hall towards the elevator. But...she was gone! When he looked up, the elevator marked ground floor. She was gone!
"F*ck!" he let out in frustration and other strong emotions, "She -I mean- f*ck! She's gonna drive me insane! Chris!" he finished with a strong fist to the wall. Yet, again, another structural innocent victim of their romance!
CHAPTER 15: Peek a boo
Feeling as frustrated as always, Street turned back to his apartment... still talking to himself.
"I know I've been a screw up all my life, but I think I deserve some slack, God. Just let me have my girl home! I need her here!" he pleaded, as he closed the front door
I'm gonna check on the kid and then take the longest cold shower of my life. he thought as he knew he needed to calm down if he was ever gonna catch some ZZZs.
He went over the kid's room. He opened the door and stuck his head in. Rubio was peacefully sleeping, sheets all the way to his jaw as he lay on his side. Just before retrieving, something on the bedside chest caught his eyes. He tip toed his way inside, trying to keep the noise to a minimum.
He took two steps, then felt something on the floor peek through the skin of the bottom of his left foot. "Oow!" he whispered as he grabbed his foot
"AAAAAHHHHH" the kid yelled, as he rose in an instant to his feet, landing on the other side of the bed.
In a swift move he tossed both pillows at Street and flashed a big carving knife. "GET OUT! ¡LÁRGATE PAL CAR*JO!"(Get the hell out!) he yelled repetitively
"STOP! STOP! IT'S ME!" Street yelled, both hands in front of him.
He tried to get the teen to calm down but nothing worked. Rubio was enraged! He grabbed the knife in his fist and took violent swings at Street. Then, Street remembered the negotiation and training seminars he had taken, for he realized the boy must've been having a psychotic break. According to the training, those occur when something provokes the individual to relive a traumatic situation. He was taught to never engage in a physical confrontation with someone in the ordeal, but to remain calm. Another important aspect he remembered was that sometimes victims tend to open up or reveal details of the attack during these episodes. So, with a swift move, Jim dug one hand unto his pocket and pressed the home button on his cellphone twice, then clicked on the screen.
He breathed deeply, then took a step towards the wall, switching the light on. It revealed a teary petrified teenager, holding a knife and breathing hard.
"Rubio, it's me. Jim! Relax" he said in a soothing voice tone
"Please, man...don't! Don't do me like Marcos and Sebastián! ¡Por favor, te lo ruego! (Please, I'm begging you!)" he said as he began to cry loudly. He wept and sobbed, as now the tears wet the floor. The teen was inconsolable!
"Rubio, relax. Ok, buddy? It's me, Jim, remember?" he said softly, as he slowly took a step closer to the teen, "Listen, I'm gonna ask you to put the knife down, ok?"
"¡NO! ¡ESO FUE LO MISMO QUE LE DIJISTE A MARCOS!" (No! You said the same thing to Marcos!) he yelled between cries. He kept wiping his face with his free hand and swerving the knife towards Jim with the other. "Hiciste que se volviera loco y se matara. ¡Alfrente de mí, canto eh c*brón!" (You made him go crazy and commit suicide. In front of me, you f*cker!)
"I don't- I don't understand what you are saying- Sorry."he said slowly, lamenting his lack of understanding of the language. His only consolation was the recording on his phone.
However, the kid was blind to the world. He kept screaming and yelling things Jim couldn't comprehend. It was at that moment he regretted Chris' departure even more!
RIIIING
RIIIING
"Hey Street! What's up?" answered a cheery Luca
"Hey Luca" said a tired Street
"You sound tired, man."
"Yeah" he answered dryly
"Listen, tomorrow I told the guys to meet up and head on to Hondo's house. Go and congratulate him on the new baby coming soon. Whatcha say?"
"I don't think so." Street answered with the same stale tone
Luca was puzzled with Street's answer, as there was an awkward silence. "Um...ok? You're- umm- skipping work tomorrow Jim?"
Luca was getting a weird vibe through the phone. Jim was usually a talker, yet his answers have been dry and to the point. He had a bad feeling about this!
"Probably."
"Everything ok, bro?"
"Not really."
"What's up? Where are you?" he asked desperately, now fearing the worst
"I'm at St. Mary's."
"What? You're in the hospital? What happened, man?" Luca asked panicking
"Rubio went at me with a knife, then slid his wrist. Suicide watch."
"Oh my God!" Luca was speechless for a moment. "You want me to meet you there?"
"If u want."
"Talk to me, bro. It's gonna be ok. You need anything, Street?"
"Chris" he said dryly
Luca placed the ice scream bowl he had just served himself in the fridge and ran to his room. With keys in hand, he grabbed a towel, a blanket, a jacket, some socks, toothpaste, a new toothbrush, and some long pants and stuffed them inside of a bag as quickly as he could. Many thoughts ran through his mind as he knew what awaited him was a long night, but...his friend needed him! He thought of calling Chris, but then changed his mind.
"Hey! What's the rush?" Terry asked, from his computer desk
"I gotta go to the hospital." he answered quickly, closing his bedroom door behind him
"Who?" he asked stopping his movements to stare at Luca, who froze in front of his door
"You can keep asking me stuff or you can help me, bro."
"Alright, let me save this." he clicked and left the room
Both brothers rushed to the truck, as Luca explained the recent events to Terry. Both were worried, as they had created a great bond with the kid. However, as much as the kid was in danger, Luca was more worried about Jim. He sounded devastated!
They were about 5 minutes out, when...
RIIIIING
RIIIING
"Hey, Hondo!" he greeted as he grabbed the cellphone with one hand and the wheel with the other
"Yo, Luca, you alright?"
"Yeah" he paused, "You know what? No. I'm not. I'm worried about Street and his kid."
"I wanted to talk to you about those two, but...what happened?" Hondo asked confused
"Seems the kid attempted suicide. Slid his wrist."
"WHAT? Dear God!" Hondo said almost out of breath, "Listen, I know it's a bad time, but if you can get Street to give me a call. It's about his kid's trial."
"What about it?"
"Calvin got Katrina to help out and she might be able to help clear the kid."
"I wish those could actually be great news in this moment, boss." Luca lamented
"Listen, let me know if y'all need anything, aight? ...and don't let Street out of your sight! Something tells me he might do something drastic."
"Like what?" Terry whispered to Luca curiously
"Like what, Hondo?" Luca echoed into the phone
"Did he asked for Chris?" Hondo asked
"Uh oh!" both brothers said staring at each other
CHAPTER 16: 3-1=2
As the birds sang, the sun shined its early morning rays on a quiet setting. Hondo's house seem very still from the outside, as Tan and Deacon stood by the front steps chit chatting. Luca's truck stopped and the officer approached them.
"Hey Luca!" Tan greeted as they shook hands and shared a half hug
"Hey!" a tired Luca answered
Deacon frowned surprised as he extended his hand to him. "Hey Luca, you tired?"
Before answering Luca covered his mouth as he yawn loudly. He rubbed his tired eyes.
"That would be a yes." Tan said as both looked at Luca puzzled
"I'm tired, man, but...I'm gonna be alright. Any idea if Hondo's up already?"
Tan and Deacon shared a look, shrugged, then turned to him shaking their heads quietly.
"Well, let's find out." he said as he went ahead and split between them heading to the front porch. He knocked on the door twice, as Tan took a peak through the window.
"I see movement. I think he's up." he whispered approaching the duo at the door
The doorknob twisted and when the door opened all three officers stood together to discover that the responder was actually Nichelle. She received them with a beautiful smile, looking wide awake. They were happy to see her all smiles in her dark business suit.
"Hey Nichelle!" greeted Luca, this time with much more energy than before. The other two nodded and smiled.
"Hi guys! Everything ok?" she asked, as she combed her hair with her fingers.
"Baby, who's at the-" Hondo asked as he came through the hall, "Yo! Morning stooges!" he said as he noticed the three fellows at his door.
"Hey!" all three just grinned, shook their heads and waved hello
"We just wanted to check up on you...make sure you were okay." Luca said
Hondo approached the group, fist pumped the guys and grabbed Nichelle by the waist. "We good...all three of us!"
The happy couple smiled as there was an awkward second of silence, as the guys processed his comment. When they finally got it, cheering began.
"Yaaaay"
"Woot! woot!"
"That's what I'm taking about!"
All five shared hugs as emotions ran high. After some minutes of small chit chat, Nichelle excused herself to get ready for work, as Hondo invited the guys for a quick word.
"Can I get y'all something? Coffee?" he offered
All three men shook their heads as they answered "No, thank you".
"So, how's Street and the kid doing?" Hondo asked staring at Luca. They took seats in the living room couch, with Hondo sitting on a chair.
"What do you mean?" Deacon asked following Hondo's gaze
"Something happened with Blonde?" Tan asked turning to Luca
"Yeah-" Luca started
"You didn't tell em?" Hondo asked surprised
"I wanted to keep the bad news for later...I didn't want to spoil the moment."
"Bad news?" Deacon asked expecting an answer this time
"Yeah, that's why I'm so tired. I spent a big chunk of last night in the hospital. Street's devastated." Luca said bowing his head
"Why?" Tan asked
"What happened?" Deacon asked concerned
"Kid...had a psychotic episode and tried to take his life." Luca lamented
"What?" Tan asked in awe
"Oh my God!" Deacon said grabbing his forehead
"What sparked it?" Hondo asked
"Jim says he went into his room and the kid jumped out scared. Said he swung a knife at him and then got frustrated and cut himself in the kept screaming a bunch of stuff but Jim couldn't make much of it coz it was in Spanish."
"Aw, man!" Hondo lamented, shaking his head slowly, as the others remained quiet
"Yeah, CFS made it to the hospital, as well as the attorneys of his case. At least the hospital will make sure he doesn't try anything, they'd put him on suicide watch for the next 24 hours, just in case. Good thing is the first intervention went well. They told Jim the kid wasn't aiming at taking his life, just to scare Jim away from hurting him."
"Why was he scared of Street?" Tan asked curious
"Because he came into the kid's room while he was sleeping and the door was closed. That triggered some memories and the kid just broke. The doc did say that it was interesting how he kept talking in third person... kept describing the events through the eyes of a narrator." Luca continued
"Could mean he wasn't the victim, but a spectator." Hondo added
"Oh my Lord! Those people could've hurt more kids." Deacon said shaking his head
"Yeah, Jim swore he heard two names in the screams." Luca added
"Did he get anything at all? I mean, I know Spanish isn't his language, but one or two words?" Hondo asked curiously
"No. But...he told me he got the whole thing recorded on his cellphone. He left his camera on!"
"Smart" Tan said nodding
"That's really smart." Deacon and Hondo said also nodding
"Who knows? Maybe what the kid was screaming was somewhat of a confession or testimony." Tan added
"Yeah, Alex could use it in court." Luca said confidently
"And Katrina." Hondo added
"You mean Detective Walsh?" Deacon asked turning to Hondo
"Calvin's mom?" Tan asked confused
"Yeah, she told me Calvin was driving her crazy to help Rubio with his case. So, she promised him she would get one of the guys from her old crew to help out, especially if there are federal charges involved."
"What's going to happen to Rubio now?" Tan asked turning towards Luca
"They put him under medication to calm him down and they will do another psych evaluation, this time with both guardians and the CFS worker present." Luca responded
"Chris was there?" Hondo asked
"Yeah, the hospital called, said the kid would only open up with her. So, she managed to convince her bosses downtown. Thanks to her they were able to do the first intervention. The second one was going to be more of an evaluation, to check his progress. According to Jim, the diagnosis was promising." Luca explained
"That's good." said the others nodding
"Yeah. I'm worried about Street." Luca paused, "At one point the nurse told me they would evaluate him too, make sure he wasn't depressed. These sort of events can really take a toll on the parents too."
"Tell me about it! It's taken Annie and I time to just breath through the day without fearing Layla doesn't try anything. Me personally, I live attached to my cellphone, praying to God I don't get a call about my daughter." Deacon lamented
"Did they test Street?" Tan asked
"Right after the kid's evaluation. I saw him talking to Chris, which might help too." Luca responded
"Man, she must feel like the meat in the sandwich!" Hondo said
"Did they decide what they wanted to do once the trial's over? Assuming the kid goes free." Deacon asked
Luca took a deep breath as he shook his head slowly, "I don't think so."
"I told Street he needed to set things straight with Chris. The kid needs stability and support." Deacon announced tot he group
"I think they should keep the kid, it has brought the best outta them." Tan added
"Yeah, but Chris is torn. The other day we talked for a short while and she told me she really loved the kid but this gig with the chief's office was a true test. She was having a hard time with all the theory and the psych evals were bringing the worst out of her, and she was worried if she would actually be a good fit for a mother. I told her that this is just a tough stage, it will pass." Luca explained
"That's tough coz she's like the glue in that family." Hondo added
"Yeah, Jim's like a big kid, so...both guys need her to keep them sane!" Tan said
"How's the program going?" Deacon asked
"Well, remember when you said Hicks told you about a mess that happened downtown?" Luca asked, turning to Deacon
"Yeah, but he didn't say anything else, which was strange." Deacon said shrugging
"Well, before I went home for some shut eye, Chris arrived and I had a chance to talk to her briefly. She was involved!"
"For real?" Hondo asked in awe
"Aw, man!" Tan lamented
"Oh no!" Deacon said
"Yeah, she told me the captain- The guy in charge-" Luca said pausing
"Tiberius, I think it was." Hondo said
"Yeah, him! He got on her face and they went at it. Next thing she knew the whole room went nuts. Bosses dismissed everybody and sent a couple of officers home to cool off. She got sent home."
"Aw, damn!" Hondo lamented
"She got called to face the board, but... she avoided a disaster, guys. At least for now." Luca said cheeringly
"What did they say?" Deacon asked curiously
"She said they gave her a punishment for her behavior in the meeting but the officials actually praised her job in the op, said it was the only bright spot yesterday."
"That's good." Hondo said nodding his head
"Listen to this" he paused to take a look around them, "She said rumor was that the captain was kicked out of the program for being biased...she heard they offered the spot to her team leader, Hanson... you guys remember him, right?"
They others nodded.
"Well, turns out he declined the offer, so the race is now between the other guy and Chris. She just has to behave and keep her record clean."
"You talked to her about that?" Hondo asked
"Yeah, I did! I told her she had to take it easy, she had to be the better man (or woman)."
"Yeah, she can't let em win." Tan said shaking his head
"Just cannot let people get under her skin, you know?" Deacon added
The others nodded. Tan checked his watch and then quickly said "We better go."
The men rose from their seats, as they greeted Hondo and said their good byes, heading to the door.
"Hey, Deac, can I talk to you for a sec?" Hondo asked as they approached the door
"Sure." he responded, the turned to the guys "I'll catch you at work"
The other two nodded and went to their cars. Deacon turned to Hondo,
"What's up?"
"Did you, um...get that gig that you told me about? The one you told me you was gonna ask Street for help?"
"Uh...no, there's still a dispute with the bosses. Why?" Deacon asked curiously
"Do you have any idea who your bosses are working with? Who's the connection?"
"Uhhhh..." he said as he bowed his head, holding his chin. He staid like that for some seconds, thinking. "I'm not sure." he said shaking his head slowly, "I think some company was trying, but another stepped in. Something like that. They just told me that it was for two big celebs and that there's one company that's willing to hire us on the spot while the other one holds the contracts. Some big dispute."
"Well, did you hear the name Hillshire?"
"Sounds familiar." he said nodding his head
"Listen, Deac." he said approaching Deacon, "Raymont is the one behind the contract but this enterprise, Hillshire, is trying to sweep y'all away coz the celebrity is huge on security. They're blocking any attempt at them getting legit security contracts so they can hire the best themselves and that way have the negotiators be on their favor. Eventually snapping the contract away from Raymont and his guys."
"So, it's a business battle, huh?" Deacon said crossing his arms over his chest
"Yup, two titans. No one is willing to give up." Hondo responded shaking his head
"But Raymont had it first."
"Yes. They made the deal verbally and he says he has everything they requested, except security. Asked me if I knew anyone willing to provide top of the line protection and I thought of you. Plus if you get Street on board, that'd be two from SWAT. Doesn't get any more top line than that!"
"Ok, I'll talk to my bosses."
"D, this is huge for the boy! He says this is the break he be waiting his whole life!"
"I'll talk to him...see if I can convince him of signing with Raymont's company."
"Thanks man!"
CHAPTER 17: Daddy'ing
Days flew by like birds in the sky and Friday morning came barging in. Gray skies, low temperature and constant showers became a trend as the city had already collected several centimeters of rain fall. It was rather strange to have so much precipitation two days in a row with summers in Los Angeles being so hot and dry, but many civilians were actually enjoying somewhat chilly temperatures so early in the year.
For SWAT it meant muddy boots, damp uniforms and lots of cleaning, especially for Luca who wanted Black Betty to always look sharp. Today was no exception, as the team had to tackle a violent bank robbery in East LA. Deacon was hit in the head, Luca had to get some stitches in the chin and Jim had a black eye. Everyone, even Hondo who was still sidelined and stood outside, needed a long hot shower after. All in all, a complicated op.
By noon, finally the guys took a break and headed towards the kitchen, hoping for enough time for a quick lunch. Hicks warned them to stay alert for any possible call because everybody knew rain was the best cover for criminals in the city.
Street made a small detour to the locker room before joining the guys in the kitchen. Luca with his chin tapped enjoyed Mexican food leftovers, sitting across from Tan who was enjoying leftover noodles from the night before. Deacon stood with his back leaning against the counter as he held an ice pack on his head with one hand and slowly drank a protein shake with the other. Meanwhile, Hondo had taken some containers out and was arranging them to heat up in the microwave.
Street came in with a folder filled with papers and sat on the edge of Tan and Luca's table. He opened the folder, then groaned loudly. He leaned his head back, then forward until he laid it flat on the stack. He groaned as the other men in the room frowned puzzled at the act unfolding in front of their eyes.
"Uh...Street?" Tan asked lost
"You ok, bro?" Luca asked puzzled
"And I thought I was having a bad day!" Deacon said taking off the pack and placing it back in the fridge, while some smirked.
Street suddenly rose and sat hunched up, grabbing his forehead with both hands as he rested his elbows on the table and closed his eyes. The others exchanged looks, as he took deep breaths. He suddenly regained his composure, sat up straight and took one final deep breath.
"Everything's fine." he said with a dramatic nod. He went paper by paper, as the others frowned at him. After some seconds of watching him, they just shrugged it off and continued their tasks.
"I'm screwed!" he finally said, sitting back.
"Street, what's going on, man?" Hondo asked from the far side
"I...gotta figure out...the finances! Coz this -the bills- are really kicking my ass! Who would've thought having a kid would be so expensive. Damn!" he said frustrated as the others shook their heads.
"Tell me about it!" Deacon said under his breath. The problem was that since the room was so quiet, everyone was able to hear him, which provoked giggles and smirks.
"Right?" Street said turning to him, "With all due respect, Sergeant, you...you're crazy! No offense."
Deacon shook his head slowly as he said, "None taken! I question my sanity every day!" he said as if making a toast. Then he took another sip of his shake.
"But...it's 50/50. So...I'm not gonna freak out. It's all about balance, right?" he said to himself as the others smirked and watched him.
He went paper by paper, setting most to his right and to his left the least amount. Just one laid in the middle. "There! I think this works." he nodded confidently with a grin
He turned to the guys who were staring with deep frowns and happily announced "I'm ready for lunch!"
He stood up happily and went towards the fridge. He retrieved the jar of peanut butter, the one of jelly and the remainder of the loaf of bread. There was a deep silence as the guys followed his every step until Luca decided to break it.
"Uh...hey bro? What exactly did you come up with?" Luca asked curiously taking quick glances at the paper stacks to his left
"Well, I figured" he began to explain while capping off the condiments,"the bills will be split depending on income and since Chris makes way more than I do, then it's only fair she gets a bit more than me. I mean, it's logical! I'm a genius! I should open up my own accounting firm!" he said shaking his head in triumph
Tan shot a frown at Hondo, who looked at Luca, who turned to Deacon, who returned the frown to Tan.
"So...what do you get?" Luca asked slowly
"Oh, just the Internet bill, back to school materials, half the rent and my gym membership."
"Ok?" Luca said confused
"I don't mean to get in y'alls business, but...uh...Street?" Hondo said confused, setting his food down on the table, next to Tan
"Yeah, boss?" he asked as he finished assembling the sandwich
"There's like a mountain of papers to one side!" Hondo said pointing to the table, while the others giggled
"Yeah, exactly. Equality and distribution." he said as he placed the ingredients back in the fridge. "Genius, isn't it?" he said excitingly staring at the group with sandwich in hand
"Oh boy! She gon kick ya ass out for distributing her money like that" Hondo said over the laughter of the rest. He sat down and began eating.
"Street, when you do finances you gotta sit down together and figure it out. Unless a judge and a group of lawyers does it for you, you gotta do it together. It's not something you take charge of. The woman should have a saying on it." Deacon said sternly
"You don't get to impose your will on her, especially when it comes to money, Street!" Tan added
"You just don't get it, do you?" Luca began angrily, "Dude, you almost got killed for signing her name to get the kid and now you're telling her how to spend her own money? After everything she's gone through downtown?" Luca asked, as the others shook their heads, "Bro, you should take those bills and be grateful if she helps you out, coz half of those are because of a kid you signed her on, like...you put the rope around her neck!"
The others nodded as Street took a big bite of his sandwich and complained. "But dude, I'm almost to the point of eating ramen every day! I can't possibly take on all of that." he said as he took a paused to swallow and take another bite, shaking his head continually, "I mean, no way! I'm gonna need the next decade or so -every single day- to sell blood and semen to make it!"
"Woah!" Hondo said gesturing vomiting as the others shook their head in repulsion. "Street, we in the damn kitchen, man!"
As the afternoon went by, the guys focused on appointments, paperwork and other chores. Hondo headed downtown for a check up, while Luca and Tan worked with the recruits, Deacon headed out for personal business and Street finished his physical and shooting workout sessions.
By the end of shift, everyone had finished their work and the leaders had returned. Street was still trying to catch his breath after completing all the the reps in his sheet, sitting next to the ring.
"Pops! Pops!" called an energetic Rubio from the elevator hall.
"Hey kiddo!" he said as he rose from the chair. His back and knees were killing him, but at least he got it over with. Hondo had stepped up everybody's reps, which meant they also had to spend more time with body care. That took a very long time, which most nights Street didn't have, since he continued to pull all nighters for overtime money.
"You stink!" the teen said putting a hand out and stopping midway
"I just finished a workout. It's not like you smell like roses every day, buddy."
"I smell good, pops."
"Yeah...well, what are you doing here?"
"Terry give me a ride. He say you say to him we are going to do something special? What it is, pops?" he asked puzzled.
"Ohhhhh, yeah, I forgot." Street complained. He pinched his lips and shook his head. He completely forgot about the meeting.
"So...we going?" Rubio asked lost
"Yeah, yeah. Listen, um..." he said as he approached him. "Just wait for me in the kitchen. I'ma take a quick shower. There's someone I want you to meet, ok?"
CHAPTER 18: Extended Family
"So, just wait here. Do not touch anything and if somebody comes in, just tell them we're on our way out, ok? Don't annoy anyone, please!" Street pleaded as he guided the boy to the room.
"C'mon, pops, you know I'ma angel!" the kid said with a smile as he dumped himself into one of the chairs
"Yeah, well, that's tough to believe!" he said as he opened the fridge and took out a water bottle. He placed it on the table in front of Rubio, then continued "Do not open the fridge...coz if you touch something of Hondo's or Hicks', both of us are ending in a shelter tonight! I'm not kidding!" he said sternly, pointing at the boy
"Those are nice." Rubio snapped
"You wanna go back?" Street stopped halfway, placing both hands on his hips
"If you don't clean, ma is gonna kick us out anyway, pops!" he answered shaking his head
"Hey! That" he paused as he took some seconds to think, "has nothing to do with this conversation, boy!"
A loud giggle was heard from the young man, as Street approached him and lightly wrestled.
"Hey, everything's gonna be ok. We'll be ok." he said placing a gentle hand on the teen's shoulder
"I know pops. I'm sorry about freaking out."
"I told you, you don't need to apologize. I do. I'm sorry for scaring you like that." he said stepping back and taking a seat across from the boy, "Listen, the therapies and sessions are going to help you, ok? I'll help you through it, just...trust me. I'll never do anything to hurt you."
The teenager hung his head low, then raised his gaze up to Street. "Ok." he said nodding slowly
"Just...when you feel scared, say so. I can't help you if you don't talk to me. I know what it's like, ok? Having to defend yourself from bigger dudes, guys that wanna beat you to a pulp, break every single bone in your body for fun. I know. I also felt the stares from men and their hands getting to close to me in the train or the bus or stuff like that." he paused, "I don't ever, ever, ever want you to feel or even think I could get those thoughts coz I'll never do anything to hurt you. I'll never want you to live in fear like I lived. And your mom? She also knows a thing or two of the same fear you live with every day and it's a struggle for her too, buddy. You heard her. She understands you."
"Yeah." the kid said. Suddenly a smile appeared in his face, as he giggled softly.
Street was confused. "What's so funny?"
Rubio placed both arms of the table and leaned forward. "When we finish the last session and the doctor tell me to go home, I feel better. Ma told me she knew what it was like to be assault victim but that it wasn't my fault because the creepy one is the man that come after me. Then, when the doctor was talking to you she say something that make me laugh." the boy paused to giggle softly again, "¡Ma está pasá!" (Mom, is the best!) he whispered
"What does that mean? What she say?"
"Means, she the goat!" he said with a wide grin
"Are you gonna tell me what she told you or not?"
The boy wiped his lips, gazed out, then returned his stare to him. "She said not to tell you because she gonna say it to you."
Street took a deep breath and even though curiosity was killing him, his stench was mortifying him even more. So, he decided to let it go and ask Chris later. For now, he had to think of the big meeting they were about to have.
He departed, repeating the instructions to the teenage boy. Some minutes went by and the boy sat quietly with his cellphone, giggling to himself.
"So, I told Nichelle she better not give my baby girl no weird hood name, you know?"Hondo said coming in through the far side door, follow by Deacon who shook his head slowly
"You already calling it? Baby girl?" Deacon asked not realizing the boy in the room
Rubio removed his airpods and stood. Now both men turned their attention to him. However, instead of approaching him, the boy immediately stood and moved towards the wall.
"Hey Rubio"
"Yo! Whatchu doin here?"
The boy didn't move, as he was now facing the wall, opposite to the incoming men. No movement. No sound. It was as if he was frozen, back to them.
"Hey. Earth to blonde!" Hondo said jokingly
The boy continued to press the wall, as he remained motionless, quiet. The mood suddenly felt darker, heavier, gloomier. Both men sensed the teen's uneasiness, as they exchanged worried looks.
"Feeling better?" Deacon asked approaching him
Silence. No motion.
"That arm healing well?" Hondo asked
No response. Rubio just pulled his long sleeve shirt lower, hiding his bandages. He hid the stitches under his sleeves, as they wouldn't be removed for another day. He stood quietly, as he felt embarrassed and intimidated against two top SWAT sergeants.
Hondo whistled softly and immediately Deacon turned to him. Hondo moved his chin, signaling the door and Deacon nodded.
"Take care, you need anything, let me know. Matthew says hi. Give him a call!" he said before turning to the door. He nodded towards Hondo and opened the door.
The boy just pinched his lips, but didn't raise his view. Once the door was shut, Hondo leaned his back on the counter and crossed his arms. Some seconds of awkward silence went by.
"You know? Back in the hood, we was taught that if u got beef with someone you beat em up. If that don't work, grab a gun somewhere and empty out the clip. That's how you showed you was a man, you know? So, when homie came at me with a gun coz his girl be looking at me, I just stepped back. Everyone be laughing at my face for not retaliating. But, you know what?" he paused as he took some steps towards Rubio and sat in the same chair Street occupied minutes before, with the minor still motionless against the wall. "I didn't want my momma to cry, coz I love that woman to death. She be the only one that could do whatever she wanted to do with me and I'd be like "yes, ma'am." But a couple of weeks ago, I got into this horrible accident, coz I was trying to save the girl of my dreams, and I...watched as she was taken to the hospital. I swear, all I wanted was to get her out of that bed and put my body there. She don't deserve that! I did! So, for days I sweat it out, hit the bag like I wanted to pulverize it. My shoulder? Broken in pieces. My knee? Ha! Bent. But it don't matter, coz I needed to feel pain. But you know what? No matter how much pain you inflict in your body it aint ever gonna make the one in ya heart go away."
He paused as he heard Rubio sob softly. Hondo stood up and noticed small droplets on the floor. He realized the boy was hurting.
He placed both hands on his pockets and bowed his head. Then, he raised it, "I know you're hurting. I know you just wanted to feel pain anywhere else except inside. The anger." he paused. "The despair". he paused. "The fear." he paused. "The thought of the never ending fall to oblivion...a dark black hole."
Suddenly, Rubio's foot turned back and the boy began raising his gaze to him, as he began to turn his body around.
"The thought of not being worth it. Of questioning whether or not you can be any good. But you know what? It's ok." Hondo said taking one step forward. "It's ok to feel lost, hurt, alone, scared. It's not weakness. It's human condition! You're a survivor, Rubio. You ain't do nothing wrong. You carrying a bunch of weight that don't even belong to you. Placed there because of evil minds, bad circumstances. But that don't make you you! It's part of your past and your past is not something you carry on forever. You learn from it, you dismiss it. Gone! Done!"
Rubio placed both hands in his pockets, now turned completely towards Hondo. Still looking sad and shy.
"Hey! You got two people that lived horror movies of they own, but...they trying to protect you from that. Show you that there is some positive in life and that you're meant for greater things, kid. They aint gonna hurt you. I know so. I can bet my life of that. You understand?"
Rubio nodded slowly.
"You know how I know that? How I know that's for sho? Coz they aint never want anybody to go through what they went through. That's the main reason why they became cops, to defend those who are defenseless and to give voice to those who were shut quiet. Your pops always be giving me headaches. God dammit!" he paused shaking his head, as one side of Rubio's lips moved upwards, "Boy be getting in trouble so much, but...he ain't dumb. He came here thinking he had to prove his manliness, his toughness, when all along he only needed to prove he cared. He learned that we ain't here to twist arms and shoot at people, we here to provide control, protection and a secure place for kids like you... families, grandmommas and all them people out there. He? He gots skills that can't ever be taught in the academy or anywhere else. That kid? He among the greatest cops I've ever worked with and a great human being, once you peel off the layers of hurt. Your ma? She tough, but it aint coz of her muscles, nah! She light! But her brains, her wit, her intelligence, her touch? Aint nobody can stand next to her! And you know it. She left a mark here in SWAT that nobody can erase!"
Rubio finally eased up and took his hands out of his pockets. His breathing had normalized and he was looking much more relaxed.
"I don't bite. I ain't here to call you out either. But...I will tell you this kid." he paused as he took both hands out of his pockets and placed them on the table, leaning forward. "I put my life in the hands of both of them peoples that trying raise ya, so I know when I tell you this: no way in hell they will hurt you!" he said shaking his head slowly, "They may make mistakes, especially him, and she be tough, really strict momma, but they aint ever gonna denigrate, attack, make you feel bad, touch you, abuse you...aint no way in hell! And you know what?" he paused, "Look at me." he instructed as the boy lifted his gaze, "They aint alone. You aint alone, kid. You gots all of us here. We family. We aint gonna let nobody hurt you anymore, Rubio. You feel me?"
Rubio nodded slowly. Hondo stood back, grinned and nodded once. He went around the table and extended one fist. Rubio look at the strong hand, then at the man with the frown in front of him, then thought for a second. He took a step back, worried. Then, a second look at Hondo, who hadn't moved a muscle, waiting patiently. The kid understood: he wasn't gonna move, he wasn't going to give up. Rubio grinned and returned the gesture.
Using that same fist, Hondo moved it and placed it over the left side of his chest, nodding once.
CHAPTER 19: 'Plaid' it out
"Ready to go?" Street asked startling Rubio who was deep into his thoughts
Rubio cleared his throat, downed the last sips of water and got up to throw the bottle to the trash.
"Everything ok here? Anybody came by?" Street asked curiously
Rubio shrugged, and smiled. "Everything good pops."
"Alright, then. Let's go!" he gestured to the door
They reached the highway, as Street knew the way by drove in silence for about 20 minutes, both males deep into their thoughts.
"So." Jim said as he took a glance at Rubio, who had his earpods on
He playfully slapped the kid in the shoulder and gestured to remove the small ear pieces.
"You wanna talk, pops?" Rubio asked, already knowing the answer
"Yup. Is that ok with you?"
"Yeah." Rubio said nodding, s he placed the small ear pieces in his pants pocket
"Good, coz we were still gonna talk!" he said as the teen shook his head and grinned. "Listen." he paused as he took a curve. "Chris and I, we talked. I didn't wanna bring this subject again coz I wanted to clear some things with her. Both of us, we got really really scared with what happened because we didn't know what to do. We really care about you, Rubio. Both of us feel like you're our true motivation to do everything we do every day. I'm doing overtime like crazy and well, you know what she's doing, right?"
Rubio nodded, quietly. Street took a glance at him and continued.
"Truth is your mom got in trouble with her boss because, well, she went against his rules and then got into a verbal altercation in front of the board."
"What happened?"
Street took a deep breath. "Some times, as a woman, she will face much much harsher conditions and judgement than us guys. Higher authorities want to be seen and thought of as tough and strong, and well...many believe women do not reflect that."
"That's sexist, pop!" RUbio said annoyed
"I'm not saying I agree, Rubio. But...it is what it is!"
"So, ma will never be captain coz she's a girl?"
"She could get the title and rank, yeah, but...leading? That's different."
"Why? Coz she's a female, she can't lead an army? You ever have a girl boss, pops?"
"Yeah, I did. My first years in SWAT, the captain was a really strong lady. But...I don't know, buddy. Your mom's up against a whole system." he lamented
"But it's the same as SWAT. She was the only one, but she made it."
"Yeah, but after a long long difficult journey."
"So, she can't do it again?'
"She's giving it her all, Rubio. You know she is, but...she doesn't want you to feel like she let you down if she doesn't get the spot. The pressure that she's in is a lot and it's taking a toll of her."
"She feel bad?"
"Some nights, she doesn't sleep. She cramps up booklet, about booklet, after manual, after book, after book...until she gets a headache and goes to sleep medicated. The psychological evaluations of her are not good either because they're bringing out stuff from her past that still aches."
"That sucks pops."
"I know. But...nothing really mattered the other night. She's left the program twice, once for me and once for you, coz nothing else matters to her. When the hospital called and her bosses downtown took time to sign her petition for release, she just took an Uber. To be honest, Rubio, I don't feel comfortable with that."
"What you mean?" he asked confused
Street took a deep breath. " I know she's trying her best, but I question if she's truly happy where she is, you know?"
"Yeah."
"We talked about you because you seem to be the constant in our lives."
"Yeah?"
"So, we didn't have enough time to talk everything through and she and I still need to clear some stuff between us, but... we both feel we can't lose you. You're the main reason why we're pushing ourselves to be the absolute best we can be, to have the home that our parents failed to give us, to have that stability that we always wanted as kids. You know? It's weird to have to almost promise to come back home. It's the first time in our lives that we actually have someone waiting for us, and just a romantic partner, but an actual person that depends on us. Everything we do is watched. There's an actual echo when we talk." he paused as they had arrived. He turned off the engine, but neither male moved. "Listen, Rubio, when I made the decision to take you from the park, I never thought it would end up like this. I just thought, 'You know? Let me help him out like someone else helped me when I was a kid and lost.' But..it just, kinda blew up in my face! And then, getting Chris involved stirred up emotions and doubts and questions, like...a mess!"
"I'm sorry." Rubio said bowing his head
"I've never been happier in my life." Street said immediately
"What? Pops, you're bipolar?" Rubio asked confused
Street smiled and shook his head. "Rubio we want you to stay with us. We want you to tell the judge that you want to be our kid, officially."
"Really?"
Street smiled and nodded his head.
"¡Que duro!" (Awesome!) the kid said unbuckling his seatbelt and throwing himself towards Street in"a big bear hug.
The police officer immediately unbuckled his belt and wrapped his arms around him. "Oh, yeah! I finally know what that means."
Rubio just giggled, as he whispered her name.
They remained motionless for some seconds until Rubio pulled away and opened the car door. He noticed Jim didn't come down immediately, so he went around the truck and opened the door for him.
"Pops?" he asked curious
"Hey! Put this on." he said handing him a folded plaid shirt
"A shirt?" he asked confused, "Like yours"
"Yeah, it's my signature."
"Who is here, pops? Is ma here?" he asked frozen
"Put it on" he urged, as he took the shirt form the boys arm, unfolded and presented it to him. Rubio turned around, as Street continued. "She's not here, but she left you this. It was one of the only clean ones I had, so... sorry."
"And because she have it!"
"Not the point!" Street snapped at him, "Anyway...there's somebody I want you to meet. Someone that means a lot to me because besides your mom, he's the only one that really cared about me."
"Grandpa?" Rubio asked still straightening up the shirt
"Kinda."
"But, you told me what happened with your mother." he asked confused, as they began walking to the front porch
"Yeah, I was pretty much an orphan as a teen...but, he actually is one of the reasons why I made something of myself. He pushed me and gave me the tools I needed to not be another statistic of the foster system here in California."
"What did he do?"
"Well" he paused, "He protected me from my mother and set me straight. He was tough like Hondo, but gentle enough to have just a little more faith in me."
"Protected?"
"He's the reason why my mother was incarcerated for most of my teenage and adult life, and honestly? It was for the best. My mother suffered a lot and could only love me by making me suffer along side her."
"Did Chris meet her coz I dont think she like your mom, pops."
"Yeah, um...let's just say they weren't bffs." he said with a shrug
They arrived at the front steps. Street placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Listen, he went through a lot some time ago and my team, we helped him out. He may be rough around the edges, but be respectful. Ok?"
"Ok" the kid said nodding
Street nodded, then they both went up the stair towards the door. He took a deep breath and knocked.
KNOCK
KNOCK
"Use the damn bell!" they heard a man's voice from inside
Rubio giggled, bowing his head and covering his smiled. Street looked at him, pinched his lips and shook his head. He still wondered if this was a good idea after all. He made it all the way there, so...what the heck?
"Open up, old man!" Street yelled back as he hit the bell buzzard
CHAPTER 20: THE 20 David
"Jim?" they heard a male voice from behind the door, "Street?"
"Hey Buck!" he said waving at the peephole
The door opened violently to a surprised Buck Spivey, former team leader of 20 Squad.
"What are you doing here?" he said as he suddenly turned to the kid next to Jim
"Um.." Jim began as the kid giggled, "I wanted you to meet my kid, Rubio." he said gesturing proudly to Rubio, who stood with a shy grin.
"Oh my God!" he lamented, holding his forehead, "Didn't I tell you to wrap it up, Jim? Tight!" he scolded, as the kid began to giggle and Jim felt embarrassed.
"Hi!" said a skinny teenage boy, standing behind Buck
"Hey, go wait by the couch...and don't eat all the popcorn!" Buck said gesturing inside. The man opened the door wide and continued inside. He then turned to the people at the door. "What? You're planning to stand there all night?"
Rubio shot a puzzled look at Street, who took a deep breath and shook his head with a smile. The kid went first, as Jim closed the door.
After greetings, serving refreshments and settling in the couch, all four enjoyed some quiet time watching a Netflix marathon on dinosaurs.
"You see the last movie of Jurassic World?" Rubio asked the kid
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah, I liked it. I don't know why people say it's so bad!" Rubio said, shrugging
"I guess they don't appreciate good films." the boy said, as they both sat on the couch hauled over the big bowl of popcorn in between their cushions. The boy suddenly turned to Rubio, and excitingly asked "Hey, I gotta collectibles' pack of dinos. Wanna see it?"
"Yeah!" Rubio said with a mouthful of popcorn
The boys rose up immediately and went towards one of the rooms. The adults were surprised at their enthusiasm, but didn't even move a muscle to stop them.
"So...Buck, how u been?" Street said taking a sip of his coke bottle
"Been doing really good. Spending time with the grandkid. It helps a lot. At least I get to see him sometimes."
"He seems like a good kid."
"He is! Really quiet type. He has a couple of health issues, you know?" he paused to think, as Street took another sip, "Gets bullied a lot in school."
"Oh"
"Yeah. He has some rare skin conditions, in his blood and breathing. I mean, poor kid has been sentenced to life with tons of pills."
"But, he seems happy."
"Aw, yeah! He's great. I try to spend as much time as possible with him, you know?"
"How many grandkids you got, Buck?"
"Two for now." he said with a deep breath. "When I lost control, I got divorced and the kids took her side. I did make amends, but only my daughter came forward. She has two, Noah and Oliver."
"He's Oliver?"
"Yeah, I call him Rex coz he's a huge fan of dinosaurs. Says he wants to study history and paleontology when he goes to college. Says he wants to work on digging sites in the mountains or the desert, like Doctor Grant." he paused as he smirked, staring at the direction the kids took when they ran off. "I've never met little Noah. His jerk of a father took out an order to protection against me coz of my fallout."
"Aww, man, I'm sorry Buck" Jim lamented
"He's a fancy lawyer and has many ties with the big boys. Fought like hell for full custody after my daughter suffered from depression, and that bastard told the judge I was a danger to the kid. Slipped a couple of dollars and got the order."
"She ok?"
"Yeah, but only gets to see her kid twice a month, every other weekend and that bastard always cuts it short."
"Are you kidding me?"
"She lived hell with that guy. He hates me coz I told her to get outta that situation. I already dealt with an abusive father, saw how that ends up. I didn't want to lose her." Buck said as he stood, grabbed the half empty bowl of popcorn from the couch and headed towards the kitchen.
"Aw, man!" Street lamented, following him,"I'm sorry bout that, man. Is she ok now though?"
"Yeah, she's fine. We're both fine. Now." he said emphatically
He placed the bowl in the kitchen sink and went towards the fridge.
"Look" he said as he opened the door.
Street took a glimpse of the refrigerator and then at him, lost. "What?" he said as he noticed Buck's grin
"Not a drop around!" he said proudly
That's when it hit Street: he was right. He glanced at the fridge again, then at the countertop, then took a few steps around the kitchen, until he realized it. Buck didn't have any alcohol in the house.
"You've been sober?" he guessed
"That's right. Not a drop!" he said proudly, "You see that kid? Rex?" he said pointing to the room where the kids played, "That's my addiction! I promised myself I wouldn't do nothing to jeopardize loosing him. And...I'm gonna fight for Noah! Coz I want to meet him."
"I'm glad to hear that, Buck." Street said nodding his head slowly
"Program went good but when I saw my daughter in tears, that was it. Jim, I've never felt so much pain in my life. A dagger stuck to my chest! Hurt like hell! When she told me she had to give up her kid to his dad, it broke my heart. I promised her I was gonna get clean and fight that damn man to give her back her kid. I'm working on it. At least Rex has helped a lot. He spends some nights here, then I take him back. It's a long drive, but we're ok with it."
Street nodded feeling happy for him.
"So...what in the world did you get yourself into? Who did you knocked up?" Buck asked taking out two bottles from the fridge, closing the door and handing one to Street.
"C'mon, Buck! Have a little faith in me." he whined as he received the beverage, "I didn't get any girl pregnant. I'm actually...his legal guardian."
"A real judge signed it?" Buck said skeptically
"Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?" Street demanded, removing the cap and depositing it in the garbage can.
"Uh...right? Jim, you only threw that cap in the garbage coz you're being polite! You wont even clean the crumbs off your mouth when you eat!"
"Hey! Hey!" Street snapped, "I just hate cleaning, that's all."
"Right." Buck said frowning and nodding once, "And you mean to tell me a judge signed him off to you? Just like that?" he asked skeptically, pinching both lips together and raising an eyebrow
"Not exactly." he answered slowly
"What did you do, Jim?"Buck said as he placed the bottle down his arms on his chest.
"I met him during community service and-"
"You mean punishment coz you screwed up with Hicks or Hondo?"
"Kinda." he paused as he noticed Buck shake his head in disappointment, "Anyway, I don't know. I kinda identified with the kid. Then I found out he was homeless and picked him up, told him he could crash in the couch for the night."
"Then things got complicated and you had to make a decision, right?" he paused as Street pinched his lips nodding, "What about foster, Jim?"
"He was running away from his. Abuse."
"So...somebody helped you convince the bad man downtown, huh?" Buck asked suspiciously, as Street looked away and didn't say a word.
"Hondo?" Silence.
"Luca?" he asked skeptically. Silence.
"No way!" Buck said grabbing his forehead, "How are you breathing?"
"It wasn't that bad!"
"Oh my God! She wanted to kill you, didn't she? Don't tell me: she broke your legs and you're just coming off surgery and therapy today?" he said confidently
"No, she didn't break anything."
"That's disappointing."
"Buck!"
"She finally admitted her feelings for you?"
"What?" Street asked puzzled. "How? -like- You knew?"
"Look, Jim, taking on a kid is a huge responsibility-"
"Buck, I know." he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Now more than ever... but, I don't know, I can't see myself with him. You know? For the first time in my life I have a home." he paused as Buck took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You realized that I've never really had to promise someone I'd be back from work? Someone who actually calls me out for not cleaning! I mean...he takes some of my clothing, uses my after shave, and it's...I dont know."
"Great?" Buck said smiling
"Awesome!" Jim said smiling
"How are the finances?"
"Kicking my ass!" Street responded immediately, hanging his head off his shoulders and grabbing it as to not fall to the floor.
"Yup, welcome to fatherhood!" Buck said, leaning forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just do me a favor."
Street raised his head. "Yeah?"
"Whatever you do, do not go behind her back!"
"Uh...kinda late for that!" Street whispered shyly, as he pinched both lips together
"What?!" Buck snapped angrily. He took a few steps forward, and pointed at the door to the back porch door, "Get your butt over there!"
CHAPTER 21: Add one more
"Jim?" they heard a male voice from behind the door, "Street?"
"Hey Buck!" he said waving at the peephole
The door opened violently to a surprised Buck Spivey, former team leader of 20 Squad.
"What are you doing here?" he said as he suddenly turned to the kid next to Jim
"Um.." Jim began as the kid giggled, "I wanted you to meet my kid, Rubio." he said gesturing proudly to Rubio, who stood with a shy grin.
"Oh my God!" he lamented, holding his forehead, "Didn't I tell you to wrap it up, Jim? Tight!" he scolded, as the kid began to giggle and Jim felt embarrassed.
"Hi!" said a skinny teenage boy, standing behind Buck
"Hey, go wait by the couch...and don't eat all the popcorn!" Buck said gesturing inside. The man opened the door wide and continued inside. He then turned to the people at the door. "What? You're planning to stand there all night?"
Rubio shot a puzzled look at Street, who took a deep breath and shook his head with a smile. The kid went first, as Jim closed the door.
After greetings, serving refreshments and settling in the couch, all four enjoyed some quiet time watching a Netflix marathon on dinosaurs.
"You see the last movie of Jurassic World?" Rubio asked the kid
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah, I liked it. I don't know why people say it's so bad!" Rubio said, shrugging
"I guess they don't appreciate good films." the boy said, as they both sat on the couch hauled over the big bowl of popcorn in between their cushions. The boy suddenly turned to Rubio, and excitingly asked "Hey, I gotta collectibles' pack of dinos. Wanna see it?"
"Yeah!" Rubio said with a mouthful of popcorn
The boys rose up immediately and went towards one of the rooms. The adults were surprised at their enthusiasm, but didn't even move a muscle to stop them.
"So...Buck, how u been?" Street said taking a sip of his coke bottle
"Been doing really good. Spending time with the grandkid. It helps a lot. At least I get to see him sometimes."
"He seems like a good kid."
"He is! Really quiet type. He has a couple of health issues, you know?" he paused to think, as Street took another sip, "Gets bullied a lot in school."
"Oh"
"Yeah. He has some rare skin conditions, in his blood and breathing. I mean, poor kid has been sentenced to life with tons of pills."
"But, he seems happy."
"Aw, yeah! He's great. I try to spend as much time as possible with him, you know?"
"How many grandkids you got, Buck?"
"Two for now." he said with a deep breath. "When I lost control, I got divorced and the kids took her side. I did make amends, but only my daughter came forward. She has two, Noah and Oliver."
"He's Oliver?"
"Yeah, I call him Rex coz he's a huge fan of dinosaurs. Says he wants to study history and paleontology when he goes to college. Says he wants to work on digging sites in the mountains or the desert, like Doctor Grant." he paused as he smirked, staring at the direction the kids took when they ran off. "I've never met little Noah. His jerk of a father took out an order to protection against me coz of my fallout."
"Aww, man, I'm sorry Buck" Jim lamented
"He's a fancy lawyer and has many ties with the big boys. Fought like hell for full custody after my daughter suffered from depression, and that bastard told the judge I was a danger to the kid. Slipped a couple of dollars and got the order."
"She ok?"
"Yeah, but only gets to see her kid twice a month, every other weekend and that bastard always cuts it short."
"Are you kidding me?"
"She lived hell with that guy. He hates me coz I told her to get outta that situation. I already dealt with an abusive father, saw how that ends up. I didn't want to lose her." Buck said as he stood, grabbed the half empty bowl of popcorn from the couch and headed towards the kitchen.
"Aw, man!" Street lamented, following him,"I'm sorry bout that, man. Is she ok now though?"
"Yeah, she's fine. We're both fine. Now." he said emphatically
He placed the bowl in the kitchen sink and went towards the fridge.
"Look" he said as he opened the door.
Street took a glimpse of the refrigerator and then at him, lost. "What?" he said as he noticed Buck's grin
"Not a drop around!" he said proudly
That's when it hit Street: he was right. He glanced at the fridge again, then at the countertop, then took a few steps around the kitchen, until he realized it. Buck didn't have any alcohol in the house.
"You've been sober?" he guessed
"That's right. Not a drop!" he said proudly, "You see that kid? Rex?" he said pointing to the room where the kids played, "That's my addiction! I promised myself I wouldn't do nothing to jeopardize loosing him. And...I'm gonna fight for Noah! Coz I want to meet him."
"I'm glad to hear that, Buck." Street said nodding his head slowly
"Program went good but when I saw my daughter in tears, that was it. Jim, I've never felt so much pain in my life. A dagger stuck to my chest! Hurt like hell! When she told me she had to give up her kid to his dad, it broke my heart. I promised her I was gonna get clean and fight that damn man to give her back her kid. I'm working on it. At least Rex has helped a lot. He spends some nights here, then I take him back. It's a long drive, but we're ok with it."
Street nodded feeling happy for him.
"So...what in the world did you get yourself into? Who did you knocked up?" Buck asked taking out two bottles from the fridge, closing the door and handing one to Street.
"C'mon, Buck! Have a little faith in me." he whined as he received the beverage, "I didn't get any girl pregnant. I'm actually...his legal guardian."
"A real judge signed it?" Buck said skeptically
"Yes. Why is that so hard to believe?" Street demanded, removing the cap and depositing it in the garbage can.
"Uh...right? Jim, you only threw that cap in the garbage coz you're being polite! You wont even clean the crumbs off your mouth when you eat!"
"Hey! Hey!" Street snapped, "I just hate cleaning, that's all."
"Right." Buck said frowning and nodding once, "And you mean to tell me a judge signed him off to you? Just like that?" he asked skeptically, pinching both lips together and raising an eyebrow
"Not exactly." he answered slowly
"What did you do, Jim?"Buck said as he placed the bottle down his arms on his chest.
"I met him during community service and-"
"You mean punishment coz you screwed up with Hicks or Hondo?"
"Kinda." he paused as he noticed Buck shake his head in disappointment, "Anyway, I don't know. I kinda identified with the kid. Then I found out he was homeless and picked him up, told him he could crash in the couch for the night."
"Then things got complicated and you had to make a decision, right?" he paused as Street pinched his lips nodding, "What about foster, Jim?"
"He was running away from his. Abuse."
"So...somebody helped you convince the bad man downtown, huh?" Buck asked suspiciously, as Street looked away and didn't say a word.
"Hondo?" Silence.
"Luca?" he asked skeptically. Silence.
"No way!" Buck said grabbing his forehead, "How are you breathing?"
"It wasn't that bad!"
"Oh my God! She wanted to kill you, didn't she? Don't tell me: she broke your legs and you're just coming off surgery and therapy today?" he said confidently
"No, she didn't break anything."
"That's disappointing."
"Buck!"
"She finally admitted her feelings for you?"
"What?" Street asked puzzled. "How? -like- You knew?"
"Look, Jim, taking on a kid is a huge responsibility-"
"Buck, I know." he interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Now more than ever... but, I don't know, I can't see myself with him. You know? For the first time in my life I have a home." he paused as Buck took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "You realized that I've never really had to promise someone I'd be back from work? Someone who actually calls me out for not cleaning! I mean...he takes some of my clothing, uses my after shave, and it's...I dont know."
"Great?" Buck said smiling
"Awesome!" Jim said smiling
"How are the finances?"
"Kicking my ass!" Street responded immediately, hanging his head off his shoulders and grabbing it as to not fall to the floor.
"Yup, welcome to fatherhood!" Buck said, leaning forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just do me a favor."
Street raised his head. "Yeah?"
"Whatever you do, do not go behind her back!"
"Uh...kinda late for that!" Street whispered shyly, as he pinched both lips together
"What?!" Buck snapped angrily. He took a few steps forward, and pointed at the door to the back porch door, "Get your butt over there!"
CHAPTER 22: Water fight!
"Hey! Is it about the baby?" Luca asked panicked, as Hondo led the guys down the side of the house to the front of the drive way, away from the crowd.
"Nah, man. Everything aight today. Check up went fine."
"Phew!" Street said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead and the others nodded, agreeing with his reaction.
"Y'all think I'd be this relaxed? I see her name on the caller Id and I swear my heart stops! I can't be taking nothing else, yo!" he said as the others giggled, "Nah, listen, it's about the Cooper Heights op."
"What happened?" Deacon asked
"Listen, yesterday I heard something that got me thinking. So, I reached out to a buddy of mine in City Hall, and...damn! It's bout to blow up, y'all!" he paused, "The mayor and representatives from DC are coming down on Monday for a special meeting downtown with the chief, the board and LAPD. They planning to do a full on investigation as to what happened here. Heard they're gonna call Hicks and each of us to testify."
"This is about the task force, isn't it?" Luca asked
"Oh yeah! Seems the mayor's office is concerned about how they're running things in the Chief's office and they may be joining in the efforts to fortify the training. I think it's not a bad move at all, especially if you get FBI, Marshalls and top DC security personnel involved." Hondo answered
"How does this impact Chris?" Tan asked turning to Street
"Aw, man! Please tell me they're not moving the program out of town... or out of state! It's been over a month already!" Street lamented, suddenly turning his body to take a glance at Rubio who was helping in the garden.
Luca took some steps towards him, placed a comforting arm around his shoulders and said "Hey! It's gonna be ok, bro. It's just a minor set back!"
"I don't know. My buddy couldn't get that much. They're keeping it all hush hush for now. They don't even know what the plans are from DC either." Hondo paused, "But, Street, believe me, kid. We gon' help you out, ok? You ain't alone."
"I appreciate it, guys. I do. I just...I need to talk to her." he said frustrated
A collective sigh was heard as all men took deep breath, staring down on Street, who took the longest to exhale. They felt the immense pressure on his shoulders, but were determined to help any way possible.
"SWAT suddenly changed HQ now?" a voice interrupted their gathering.
The men turned as they saw Buck arriving next to skinny boy. All the worry was soon forgotten, as there was clear joy in their faces.
"Buck!"
"Yo, Buck!"
"Hey man!"
"Buck, my man!"
The older gentleman smiled and greeted each officer with joy, as Rex stood back shyly.
"Hey, guys! This is my grandson-" Buck started saying
"REX!" Rubio yelled from the back of the house
"Can I go, grandpa?" he asked as Rubio joyfully approached
"Sure, kid!"
"Papi, ¿qué es la que? What's up?" (Dude, what's up?) Rubio cheerfully greeted, by exchanging a secret handshake that only they understood.
"Dímelo, grandpa!" (What's up?) he said greeting Buck with a fist pump
Buck smiled and shook his head. "Hey!" he said as he noticed the others giggled "You doing good kid?"
"Yeah" he said nodding happily
"Alright, you two head on and get dirty!" He instructed
"Yeah!" Rubio said excitingly as he and Rex entangled in chatter as they ran along.
"Grandpa?" Luca asked on behalf of everyone else.
"I'm glad to see you doing well, Buck!" Deacon said
"Yeah. Thanks guys." he said exchanging fist pumps. "Yeah, been doing much better."
They continued their chatter until Nichelle called out for Hondo's help and the kids in the outfield called for Tan. A van parked up front and called for Luca, claiming to be delivering the donations from Terry's business work.
Soon, the only ones left standing were Deacon, Buck and Street.
"Hey! Now that I got the two of you here. I got a business proposal to talk to you about." Deacon said crossing his arms on his chest
"What's up?" Street asked curiously
"I'm a retired ol' grandpa!" Buck said putting a hand up gesturing stop
The other too smirked and shook their heads.
"Listen, Hondo told me there's a dog eat dog kinda battle for the huge gig I told you about, next week." he said as he turned to Street. Then he turned to Buck, "Two famous celebrities are coming to town to do a music video at the old fair."
"Ok?" he answered
"Bottom line, I talked with my boss. One of the companies is working closely with Raymont Harris."
"Raymont?" Buck said suddenly serious
"Yeah. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable Buck, but...this is a huge break for him and his business. He's some type of entrepreneur dealing with contractors and events, business of different kinds."
"No, no. Don't you worry about me, Deacon. You the boss." he said sternly
"Well, boss and the contractor say that if we build up a good team able to provide 24 hours all out security, we'll be hired by his company to secure the deal with the celebs and their people. But" he paused as the two men listened carefully, "we have to have everything calculated, down to the last detail. Word is this English man is very adamant about his security detail, while the lady requires a lot of follow up because she tends to wander off."
"You can count on me, Deacon!" Street immediately said
"I'll help any way possible." Buck said
"Alright. The complicated aspect is that I will be in charge of supervising and directing the personnel. I got four guys already confirmed, but I need two people that can work directly with each celeb to make sure they're protected at all times."
"Which one do you want, kid?" Buck asked turned to Street, who stared back at him
"Whichever...as long as I get paid!" Street said desperately, making the other two smirk
"That's another thing. They're willing to pay three digits per hour depending on background and service!"
"Guys, I need this!" Street said desperately
"We know...but what about Rubio?" Buck asked concerned
"I got that covered. He can stay with Spencer, Matthew, Sammy and Parker. They're doing a Smash Brothers tournament and Connor told me they could sleep over there. I'm sure Rubio wouldn't mind sleeping over with a bunch of kids hyped up on pizza and soda."
"Yeah, it's better if they stay indoors!" Street said staring at Deacon
"Oh God, yes!" Deacon agreed shaking his head
Buck looked at both of them puzzled. "Did I miss something?"
A big city delivery truck came to a screeching halt just 10 feet feet from them. The noise of the wheels stopping plus the door being pulled back made the men interrupt their chatter and turn to the vehicle.
"OFFICER STREET? OFFICER LUCA?" yelled the chubby white man from inside
"YEAH? STREET HERE!" yelled Street as response, mocking the vendor
The officer went towards the van as the man parked it and came down towards the back.
"Leonardo's Delivery Service. I got" he paused as he read from a clipboard with a bunch of papers strapped on it as he opened the back by unlocking it from the bottom and pulling the door up, "two packages and two packs of water from a Chris guy?"
"Not a guy!" frustrated Street said to no avail because the man showed not interest in chit chat. He went in, picked up a medium sized box and came out. He stood at the edge and let it fall unto Street's arms.
"One more" he called as he turned around
Deacon and Buck came in and Deacon took the box. He read "Cutlery, napkins, condiments, juice packs, plates. Nice job Chris!"
"I'll take that! I'll the tell the kids to come help out with the water bottles!" Buck said taking on the box
He made his way to the back, where Luca had set up the barbecue station and heard when Rubio began calling for Street.
"Mera, (Hey) pops! You gonna help? Coz you talking a lot!" he said with a smirk, as Rex and the other boys shook their heads and giggled.
"Hey Rubio?" Buck called from behind him. The boys all turned to the old man, who had crossed his arms on his chest.
"What's up, grandpa?" he answered cheerfully turning to him
"You got the stitches taking out of your arm today?"
"Yes, sir! Pops take me to the doctor. No more cast!"
"Good, but if you keep talkin to Jim like that I'ma make sure you return to get stitches on your mouth, boy. You understand me?"
"oouuuu!" followed the chorus as Rubio pinched his lips. He took both hands and covered his mouth, then he turned towards the drive way and yelled, "I'm sorry, pops!"
The boys giggled, as Jim appeared through the driveway. The van took off immediately, as Deacon and another boy came in carrying two packs of 42 water bottles. Street on the other hand was carrying a big box with a big sign that read FOR RUBIO AND FRIENDS.
"You're sorry for what?" he asked, as he dumped the box on the floor. "What did you do?" he complained, as he placed both hands on his hips.
"Nothin', pops. I'ma angel."
"What's that?" one of the kids asked as suddenly Street found himself surround by a mob of curious kids and teenagers
"I don't know. It says it's for you Rubio. I guess your mom sent you something." Jim said
"Really? I don't ask ma for nothing." Rubio asked puzzled
"Well, I don't know. You want me to open it?"
"Ok." he said as he moved towards Street, standing shoulder to shoulder.
Street took out a pocket knife and stabbed the tape that kept the lids closed together. When he opened them he found water guns and packs of water balloons.
"Water balloons?" Jim asked puzzled
"Super Soaker?" Rubio asked lost
"WATER FIGHT!" yelled Luca from behind them, both arms raised to the sky
After an intense fight, more donations delivered, a thousand bags of popcorn, a million candy served on paper sticks, more splashing in the pool and a gazillion burgers, hot dogs and wings , it was finally to sing Moncho happy birthday. It took a lot to gather all the kids in the backyard, as they had multiplied over the hours, but they were able to pull everyone together and make a melodious symphony, which made the young man cry. Rubio later revealed that the birthday boy had never celebrated his birthday because his parents were killed as a baby and none of his relatives had money for a birthday cake. The DJ ended up given them a extra half hour free of charge, as the kids even took turns signing karaoke.
"I'm tired, pops!" Rubio said as he sat down next to Jim in the top step of the back porch of Miss Rita's house
"Would you look at that! Wow!" he said sarcastically, "It's almost 10pm, Rubio! It's about time you got tired!"
Rubio giggled, as Jim continued "C'mere!" he said placing his arm around the kids shoulder. "Listen," he took a deep breath, "your mom, she, um..."
"Not coming home?" he interrupted
Street exhaled as he nodded. "Things are heated downtown and major officials are coming on Monday. Big meeting. It could impact the program, but...it's ok. We're gonna be ok."
"I miss her, pops."
"Me too, buddy. But...we have to be strong and support her, okay? We'll be ok!" he said trying to sound confident.
CHAPTER 23: Sisters
His mouth was so dry, his body suddenly felt the need to cough. Cough! Cough! He swallowed hard as he began to open his eyes slowly.
Yesterday had been a very intense day, so much so that he got home and literally landed face down on the couch. His body didn't even make it to the bathroom to take a shower.
As he opened his eyes, he noticed he must've not moved the entire night, because he was still face down, feet hanging on the arm rest of the couch. His back was numb, mouth was dry, his body begged for a shower, the couch pleaded for a break!
He slowly woke up and sat up on the couch. He still had the same clothing as the day before and judging by the mess in the apartment, he hadn't made any attempts at cleaning after himself. Chris is gonna kill me! Darn it! he thought as he leaned his head backwards.
It took him some seconds to admit his bladder was about to burst. If he didn't want to have to throw the couch to the dumpster with men's urine, he better make it to the bathroom quickly! So, he did. After relieving himself, he hopped on the shower and treated himself to a nice quiet cleansing.
The apartment was quiet as Rubio had spent the night over at Buck's, who told him he would be bringing the kid back later in the night. He was taking them to the cinema and the arcade. There were no arguments from Street. Now however, he felt weird in the silence of the place. He truly missed him!
RIIIIIING
RIIIIING
Street went towards the living room and after knocking a table, a lamp, his shield, his shoes and many other things, he finally would his ringing cellphone.
"Hello!" he answered quickly catching his breath
"Hey Street! It's Deacon. Morning!"
"Hey Deac!" he said calming down
"Everything ok? You sound agitated?"
"Yeah, I couldn't find my cellphone and I kinda freaked out for a moment."
"Well, if your locker is any indication of your organization at home, then, yeah, I can see that happening." Deacon said with a smirk
"C'mon, Deacon, it's too early!"
"I'm kidding. Listen, I'm just calling to tell you my boss got us the gig. We start Friday at 6pm until Monday 2am. You sure you're up to it?"
"Deacon, I need the money. I'm serious!"
"Alright, listen up..." Deacon began as he explained in detail the instructions received about their security gig the following weekend
Meanwhile, at the Harrelson's, breakfast was being served. Hondo was ready for the day, as he had already planned everything out. It was a special day because a day like today some years ago he crashed Nichelle's van... and their story began. Even though they hit some bumps along the way, he knew he made the right decision to settle down with Nichelle.
"Baby, you ready for breakfast?" he called
KNOCK
KNOCK
"So early? On a Saturday? Must be pops!" he said to himself as he finished plating and wiped his hands on the kitchen towel that rested on his shoulder. His free shoulder! At last the doctor declared him a free man, removing the immobilizer and allowing him more and more movement. All he needed was to finish a couple more hours of physical therapy and he would be ready to face physicals and get back to the field with his squad. If he worked hard, he could be cleared as early as next Friday!
"Wow! What's the occasion? asked Nichelle, stopping in front of the dinning room table with a bright smile in her face
Hondo smiled as he approached her and took her by the waist. He swung her around as if a slow ballad was heard in the background and then pulled her close. She twirled her dress and let herself fall into his arms!
Both giggled and the sound of the doorbell interrupted the moment. He laid a soft kiss as he pulled away slowly, approaching the door.
"I made your favorite baby. Sit down, I'll be right there." he said looking at her while walking up to the door. He looked at the peephole and was in awe. His expression changed immediately, as a frown adorned his face. "Wut?"
He opened the door and found his sister Winnie standing at his doorway, with a bright smile in her face.
"What is wrong witchu?" he demanded loudly
Hondo titled his head sideways. "And good morning to you too."
"Who in the hell told you you could have a baby and not tell you older sista!?" she said as she let out a scream of happiness, throwing herself unto him. Both hugged for several seconds, as she hopped around, making him laugh and giggle in the process.
"Ahhhhh" was heard as his other sister Briana came in from the front stairs. They both now held on to Hondo's neck as he could only smile and laugh, feeling the love and warmth from both his sisters.
As joy filled the suburban household, not far away, a young SWAT officer began feeling despair as he found himself surrounded by empty rooms and quiet walls. He didn't enjoy the silence. He didn't enjoy being far away from his family. Because she and the kid were both his family.
As Buck's words resonated in his mind, he kept looking at it. So small but so powerful. A promise that could mean a lifetime. All the hopes it held, the future of a small family. His family. That little black box that he has been hiding for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment that may never happen. Buck said it himself, if he waited too long, time will take its toll. He could lose her forever.
As he held on to the box, he took a look around and realize nothing was his anymore. Nothing was hers anymore. It all had become theirs. The dirty plates in the different parts of the kitchen, the sock hanging from the lamp, the kid's flip flops under the couch, the remote control somewhere in the dining room table, underneath the thousand things...everything was theirs. He had to make a move. It was either now or never!
He changed clothing, put on his jacket and grabbed the keys to the bike. He placed the black box inside of his backpack, along with a small container of white grade juice and two wine glasses. He didn't want to ruin her sobriety, but he still wanted to toast for the moment. He was nervous, as nervous as he could ever be, but...he was ready. He grabbed his helmet and head out the door.
RIIIING
RIIIING
He was startled as he felt his pocket vibrating. He had been deep into his thoughts and forgot all about his cellphone. Once he took it out he was surprise with the number on the screen.
"Hey Charlie. What's up?" he answered surprised his buddy from LBPD would be calling so early on a Saturday morning
"Hey, buddy! How are ya?"
"Doing good, about to make a run."
"Ok, ok. I need to ask for a big favor, you think you can give me some minutes? Promise I wont take too much of your time."
Jim wasn't sure how to turn it down, so he just agreed with it. His destination would still be the same even after some minutes of delay.
"Alright. Listen, my brother got me invested into this new business of Mobile AirBnb. It's a variant of the trendy thing of renting your place to strangers, only that it involves going on a road trip. You provide everything in a camper and the guests take it on a traced route. But...we have less than a month to rent it out or else we get our license revoked. You need the license to cover insurance and all the legal stuff. So if something happens, they cover the expenses and you only pay a difference. Anyway, my wife just got diagnosed with thyroid cancer-
"Oh my God! Charlie I'm so sorry. Is Mary ok?" Street interrupted concerned
"Oh, yeah. Thanks man. Well, thankfully we got to it just in time. A couple of sessions and she can be cleared. I know my wife is strong!"
"She is."
"So, anyway...I can't test it out until she finishes her treatment, my brother's are out of state, my son is somewhere traveling with his new found girlfriend and well, I need to test run it so I don't lose the license. I remembered you like to do dangerous and adventurous stuff like that, so..how about you test it? The camper is fully equipped with everything you need, including gas. It has solar panels for electricity, shower, small fridge, queen sized bed, projector with screen and small TV with satellite programming. You name it Jim! Buddy, I'll only charge you if you break anything, the rest is on me!"
"Are you serious?" Street asked enthusiastically
"Yeah. You can take it on a weekend and maybe use it to detox from all the SWAT action...or take your roommate Luca with you and go on a road trip to Colorado or Arizona. I can let you use it up to 14 days, returning the 15th day. I just need to rent it asap... but to someone I can trust."
Even though he wasn't bunking with Luca anymore, he could definitely take this opportunity and do that family trip he wanted to take. Since the guys were pretty clear that Chris hated cruises, this was the next best thing for sure.
"Um...Charlie? I might just take you up on that offer!"
An hour later, the motorcycle came to a screeching halt in front of Police Plaza. Temperature had increased and the hot sunrays greeted Street as he unloaded from the vehicle. He took out the red rose from the compartment and placed it with the glasses and the juice in his backpack. The black box was carefully placed in the front zipper.
He took one last deep breath and made his way inside of the building. The front desk clerk notified him that work had not begun yet and that everyone was still in their loft. He had to be very clever with the lady as he used his kid as an excuse to ask were the residents and high officers staid while working on special cases. She was hesitant to provide that information, but with some persuasion, Jim got what he wanted. He hopped on his bike and headed towards the address provided.
Now the nerves were turned into energy as Jim was much more excited now than before. His felt butterflies in his stomach and a knot in his throat, but he was ready. After 10 minutes he arrived at the two story building.
He noticed that it had a Marshall standing in the front door and two patrol officers int he front desk. He parked his bike to the side and approached.
"Halt. Identify yourself!" demanded the Marshall when he pretended to go through the front door.
"LAPD SWAT, Metro Division."
"What is SWAT doing here?" the man dressed in full gear, wearing a large weapon asked confused. He turned to his earpiece, placed one finger on his ear, and then said, "I got SWAT at the door. Do we have a situation inside?"
The man waited patiently, as Street stared him down.
The door of the building swung open and a young black officer came out. "Officer James Street?"
CHAPTER 24: Loud
"Uh...yes. Do I know you?" Street answered puzzled
"No, but I know you." the young officer said. He turned to the Marshall and said, "I'll take it from here." He then turned to Street, "Come with me, officer."
The Marshall took a step back and the young man directed Street through the huge pair of tinted security doors. Inside he found another Marshall by the elevator. He noticed that the lobby was pretty bare, holding just two decorative big leafy on huge porcelain vases and a plaque in the wall to the far end. In the middle stood a small counter with a computer monitor and a desk lamp. The rest of the area was white and grayish walls.
The officer guided Street through the reception area towards the side. They entered what looked to be a dining area with tables and chairs. He stopped and turned to Street.
"You met my father, Lieutenant Sanders, in the hospital. He went by to thank you and Sergeant Alonso for saving my life in the mission in the woods. Do you remember?"
"Yes, of course. Are you..?"
"Yes, officer. I'm his son, Carl Sanders." he said extending his hand to shake
"Oh, nice to meet you." he said. The officers shook hands. Then Carl looked everywhere, making sure no one could hear them.
"Is everything alright with the boy? My father told me you two have a son." he whispered
"Yeah, he's fine. I just...had some time and well...I need to talk to her." Street whispered desperately
"I'm sorry, but the rules here are very strict. They wont even allow officers to have family pictures in their rooms!" Carl whispered sternly
"Oh, ok." Street said as he hung his head low and began turning around
"Hey!" he called, as Street froze. "Um...this could cost me my career, but... she saved my life. So, I guess I owe her big. Give me a second." Street turned to face him, grinning. "I'll get you a couple of minutes with her."
"Thanks, man!" he said exchanging fist pumps
"Wait here. Behind the wall. If somebody asks, just say family emergency, consulting superiors." he instructed as he left quickly.
From behind the corner wall, Street could see the man heading towards the front counter. He saw him dial some numbers in the line phone, speak something, then quickly hang up. He turned to his partner in the desk and whispered something. The other officer took a look at the direction his partner had taken Street and then nodded. Some minutes later...
TIIIIIN
The elevator doors swung open and a sleepy Chris came out, rubbing her eyes and reading a manual. She held the booklet in one hand up to her face, while eating an apple with the other. Street smiled as he always remembered how she used to eat a lot while in SWAT. He used to wonder how someone so skinny could always be so hungry all the time!
Without lowering the book or the apple, she approached the counter and reported herself to the gentlemen. Officer Sanders leaned in to her and whispered something. She lowered the manual and stopped the bite midway as she looked at him in awe. He jaw dropped, as she looked towards the side. Street, on the other hand, immediately opened his backpack and with one hand took out the rose, while the other zipped opened the front of the bag, dug into it and removed the black box, placing it discretely in his back pocket .
She swerved around the counter, then moved quickly to the dinning area. She pretty much forgot about the book and the apple as she widened her eyes when she saw him. A big smile of surprise spread from ear to ear and she threw herself into his body. He began to giggle, as he saw her emotion. Manual and apple fell to the floor as the couple entangled in a full on kissing session. She wrapped her arms around his neck, while he held her tight to his body. They kissed as if they hadn't seen each other...for years!
Meanwhile, back at the Harrelson's, the three ladies had kicked Hondo out of the conversation as talks of a huge Baby Shower took over the conversation.
"Well, I guess I'll get the beverages since I aint respected in my own house!" complained Hondo as the ladies ignored his remark and continued to chose between baby elephant or little bees, as Winnie kept calling most of Bri's ideas corny.
"C'mon, that sounds like fun." Nichelle said trying to compromise
"Now, Nichelle! You just being condescending!" Winnie snapped as Bri placed a hand up, gesturing stop.
Hondo shook his head and went for some sodas and lemonade. He figured his opinion wasn't worth sharing since they had pretty much ignored him for the past 8 minutes or so! He prepared a batch of lemonade, served up some charcuterie and headed towards the laughing ladies in the living room.
RIIIIING
RIIIING
"Hey! What's up homie?" he answered.
He held his cellphone to his ear with his shoulder, as he plated the refreshments. Nichelle was the only one who actually noticed, since the other two ladies were still buzzing about decorations and such.
"Aight. Sounds good. I'll be there!" he said as he walked away and headed towards his room to change and grab his gym bag.
"Where do you think you're going?" Nichelle asked standing at the door
Hondo jumped out of his skin, startled by the female voice. "Baby, you scared me. Damn!" he said as he changed shirt. He placed a lose breathable tank top, one that slightly showed his pectorals but was tight enough around the shoulders. Then, he grabbed a similar one and placed it inside of the bag. "One of the guys hit me up for some bball, down at 43rd."
"Bball? I don't think so." Nichelle said shaking her head, crossing her arms on her chest
"Baby, why not? You don't need me here!" he complained
"You're not leaving me here with your sisters, Hondo. They're not BFFs, you know?"
Hondo giggled, as he replied, "C'mon, baby! There's too much estrogen here! My sistas be playing, that's all. You'll be aight!" he said zipping the bag and swinging it over his shoulder.
KNOCK
KNOCK
They both turned their attention to the door, as even the sisters sat frozen in the living room. Nichelle took a deep breath, but before she could move a muscle, Brianna's voice was heard as she announced "I'll get that!"
She got up and excitingly ran to the door. She looked through the peephole and shrugged, not recognizing the person behind the door. Winnie had followed her and was now standing at the hallway.
"Should I?" Bri asked, looking at Winnie, who shrugged and turned towards the couple who had moved to the door of the room. Hondo nodded as Nichelle gestured with her hand to go ahead.
Brianna opened the door to reveal an elegant older lady standing next to a bright younger gal wearing a beautiful yellow dress. Nichelle immediately recognize her mother and younger sister, Kayla.
GASP
Nichelle immediately ran to the door. "Momma!" she called excited
"Hi baby! Or should I say momma too?" her mother greeted excitedly
"Hi!" Kayla greeted loudly
"OHHHH MY GOOOOOD! AAHHH" yelled all three as they hugged together
Nichelle was so excited, she literally forgot about Hondo, as Brianna and Winnie smiled. The three hugging ladies them turned excitingly towards the sisters and quickly introduced themselves. Hondo just smiled and giggled at their emotion. He was hoping all of them would get along, especially now that they will become family.
CHAPTER 25: More waiting
"Yo, Hondo!"
Hondo turned around as he heard some of his homies call from the sideline. He was on fire, unstoppable to say the least! Ever since he got there and was picked he hadn't sat down for a minute! Hitting buckets, playing good defense and of course, with the best trash talk and jokes in the court! He had to admit today was a good day, but it was starting to get late. He had considered at one point calling Nichelle, just to check if his sisters had kept it civil, but homies kept insisting, so... he just hoped everything was fine with the ladies.
"Sup, Jay?" he called to the guys
"Phone's been ringing off the hook, boss!" one of them said pointing to his book bag
"Aight!" he said. He turned to the guys playing and said "Yo! I'ma bounce, aight?"
"You killed it, bro!"
"You know how I do!" he said as he shook everybody's hand and waved good bye to the other guys
He approached his bag and upon taking out his cellphone he froze. There were no missed calls from Nichelle, instead he had 3 from Raymont.
"Yo Hondo! Man, you're tougher to get a find than the president. Damn!"
"Hey, young. I gotcha calls! Sorry, I was at 43rd."
"Still got game, Hondo?"
"You know how I do!" he said as he heard the kid giggle, "So, what's up?"
"Man, I just wanna let you know we got the deal! Your dude really came through. Thank you so much! I don't know what he did, but it worked."
"You know what he did? He got two officers from SWAT as his crew leaders, one former and one active."
"For real?"
"Yeah. I told him he needed to sell the idea of something legit and strong."
"Well, it worked. I got a huge meeting next week with their representatives and contractors and the whole deal to set everything straight. This is gonna set me up big time, Hondo!"
"I wanna tell you something though."
"What's up?"
"The man that sealed the deal and closed it out is a man that cares for you, Ray."
"No way! The cop that shot me?" he asked skeptically
"Yeah, he's gonna be the Beta team leader, while my youngest dude is the Alpha leader. Kid is working on some stuff and I think having Buck by his side will help him a lot."
"Hondo man, nothing better mess this up for me!"
"Aint nobody gonna mess nothing. You gotta let that go, Ray. He's a good man that made a mistake and did his penance." Hondo said annoyed as he loaded the car and hopped in
"I didn't mean that. I'm straight, Hondo."
"Good."
"Hey! And uh...word around is that you expecting? Just wanted to say congrats on becoming a baby daddy, man."
Hondo smiled and shook his head. "Thanks, Ray!"
"You're gonna be a great father, Hondo! I know so!"
"Appreciate it. By the way, you...um...help a brother out?" he asked turning on the engine
"What's up? What do you need?"
"I ain't the only one starting a family. Listen kid, the officer I told you about, the one from my team... my guy is struggling a bit. He just got the girl he be fighting for years and I think they're it he process of adopting a kid that they're trying to keep out of jail. Expenses are high as hell, but he's a good guy. Had it tough his whole life. I need you to do what you do best and get the fatest contract ever! Like real dough, you know what I'm saying?"
"Yes, sir."
"Kid is struggling and needs a big payday, Ray."
"Just give me the name and I'll make sure he gets paid!"
Meanwhile, the kissing session had only stopped so the participants could catch their breath. Because they were in no place to engage in coitus, they took a second to regain their composure and headed towards partnering chairs at the end of one of the tables by the window side. Street made sure to empty his back pocket, hiding its stern content in his jacket.
"You kiss so hot!" Street said between breaths
"You're not bad yourself. What are you doing here?"
"I needed to see you and talk. Do you have a full schedule today?"
"Boy, do I ever!" she paused as she crossed her legs on the chair and placed her elbows on the table, "They moved the final examinations for this weekend. So," she said as she paused, looking everywhere, "um..."
"Your book's over there!" he said pointing to the manual, laying flat against the entrance of the room, where she had dropped it. Street got up and retrieved the book for her, placing it next to the rose he gave her.
"Yeah, that!" she said as she pointed to it. "Thanks, babe."
"What is it?"
"Final examinations for captain rank are this weekend. I face the board, then written composition, then psych evals, then Johnson and his crew for final interviews and processes."
"Woah! Long day, huh?"
"You have no idea!" she complained as she grabbed her face
"You'll do great babe."
"It's just...so much!"
"I know, but...you'll be ok. Hey!" he said leaning forward grabbing her hands from her face, "yesterday was great. Kids had a blast!" he said smiling. He knew he had to perk her up, even if it was just a little.
"Really? How'd the birthday go?"
"Amazing! We were able to finish the park renovations, we had the water fight, which I got bombarded. Hondo's team won. You should've seen Luca, steaming coz Deacon wouldn't get one of the girls from Tan's team!"
She giggled as he continued to tell her about the day's events.
"Where's Rubio now?"
"With his grandpa." Street said, full dimple action
"Are you serious? Is he really calling Buck grandpa?" she asked between giggles, "Oh my God!"
"Yeah...it's hilarious!"
"Did he know about..?" she didn't finish the questions, didn't need to because Street immediately nodded his head.
The sat quietly for some seconds, just staring at each other.
"You look beautiful, babe." Street said tenderly, as he kissed the back of her hand
"I miss you...and Rubio a lot!" she said with sad eyes, "I some times don't know how I get through the day."
"Hey! It's ok. A very wise old man once told me that they will try their best to break you, throw every obstacle at you, but you know what? You're strong, Chris! You can do this! We can do this."
"You're so sweet, but...I don't know. Some times I just wanna grab my things and send everybody and everything to hell! I have so much to do..."
Street listened attentively as he swiftly and discreetly moved his hand into his jacket and grabbed the box.
"I just...I can't deal with anything else." she said shaking her head, "Like, I feel like I'm just gonna explode if I have to deal with any other type of commitment right now."
Street stopped frozen, as he felt his heart break into pieces.
"I have so much, babe. I mean, I'm happy but-"
His mouth went dry.
"and I am proud of everything I'm attempting to do here-"
He felt his lower lip tremble a bit, as his eyes got watery.
"I just...you know? I can't handle any more."
He lowered his gaze as he let go of his pocket and bowed his head.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked frowning at him
He tried swallowing, but the huge knot in his throat was blocking the way. "I think I have allergies." he said as fast as he could, rubbing his eyes to conceal any attempt of tears falling off.
"You sure?" she asked surprised
"Yeah, um..." he said as his thoughts stuttered, "you'll be fine, babe."
"Ok, thanks?" she said skeptically, "Anyway, a guy I met while doing security with Deacon is heading the security services at Dodgers Stadium. Told him if he could help me get my kid into the camp and he agreed. Called me yesterday and told me he spoke with some people and got him a good spot for tryouts this week. Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, great!" Street said motionless
"Are you ok?" she asked still concerned
His breathing had accelerated in the last seconds and he felt like a balloon about to burst, but...he had to be patient. Yes, Buck said to make a move and yes he had done everything by the book, but she had too much. If he made his move now, it would be to no avail. He had to be patient. He fought to control his breathing and his legs from going down on one knee because...he had to.
"Chris, we have to talk."
"Oh no!" she said bowing her head and taking a deep breath. She raised her head again and continued "What happened, Jim?"
"How long did they extend the program this time?" he asked as she could see the sadness in his eyes
"I'm sorry, babe. Why are you-"
"Just tell me, Chris."
"Um..." she said as she looked a way and bit her lower lip, "I gotta tell you something."
"Yeah?" he asked still calming down
"Part of my punishment was a few sessions of anger management, a report, community service with recruits in the South East LA Division and...the condition that if I don't pass the captain's exam, I'm out of the program. So-" she paused looking at him intently
"So?" he asked as his breathing was normalizing
"This weekend is the ultimate test! I have examinations today and finish interviews and evaluations tomorrow. By Monday I need to be ranked or they will announce the task force with the visit of Congress and the mayor."
"The race will be over?" he asked disappointed
"Yeah." he said nodding slowly
"You'll get it. I know so." he cheered
"No pressure, right?"
"There will always be pressure, Chris...coz only the greats can take it!" he said with a grin
"I hope I'm one of them." she paused. "I'll tell you one thing I'm sure of."
"What's that?"
"I can't wait to be home!" she said with a grin
"Me neither...I know Rubio will be excited!"
"I still can't believe it, though." she said slowly shaking her head, looking away
"What?"
"I never really thought it'd be possible for me to actually have a family of my own."
"Now you do. And...you better keep your word."
"What?" she asked with a frown, puzzled
Street grabbed her chair and moved it closer to him, making her grab it with both hands. "What are you doing?" she demanded between smiles
"You know what you promised before you left the last time? Before disappearing like a ghost? You coward!" he said as he grabbed her by the waist and flung her body on top of his, making her face be inches away from his
"I remember." she said as they exchanged soft kisses and giggles
"You owe me so much sex... it's gonna be a while!" he said as he slid his kisses down to her neck. She copied him, rolling the tip of her tongue next to his Adam's apple...
"Is that a threat or a promise?" she whispered as she took a playful bite
CHAPTERS 26: When the family grew
He could still smell her...even after hours! It still stung a lot not being able to have her with him, semi officially, but she was his dream girl and nobody could deny that. He had it bad...real bad!
As night fall came, Street finally made it home. He got some groceries from the market and began cooking dinner. He called Buck in the afternoon and got word that the kids were heading to Great Servants Park in Long Beach for a couple of hours of skating.
As he was getting the pot of water ready on the stove, he began reminiscing about this morning. He could still feel her lips on his neck, her nails digging into the skin of his abdomen as she slipped her hands inside of his shirt. He swore he wanted to just take her home and ravish her all day! But...she pulled away! Duty called! Damn duty always got in their way!
RIIIING
RIIING
Street dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. Even though there was a slim hope in his heart that it would be Chris' name on the screen, he was also aware of how much of a long shot that would be. Especially after the complicated schedule she had for the day!
"Hey!" he greeted
"Bendición, pa!" (Blessings, pops!) answered Rubio excited
"Um...wait! I know this!", he said stopping his movements. Chris had taught him before about the blessings greetings and what he was supposed to answer as the adult. "Um, Dee-os tee bend? Something like that!" he said puzzled
"HAHAHA" the kid giggled, "Pops, you sound so gringo! Dios te bendiga, you suppose to say. Ma told you!" he complained
"Hey, c'mon buddy. I'm trying here!" he snapped, "How was it with Buck?"
"Super cool. Granpa is grumpy, pops." he said before resuming his giggles
"Hey! I heard that!" Street giggled as he heard Buck's voice from afar
"I going home, pops. I got a surprise." he said sounding extra excited
Street frowned looking at the phone, "Buddy, please don't get me in trouble with Chris!"
"Nah! I'ma angel, pops...remember!"
"Right! I'll...uh...start packing...hopefully we can crash at Luca's for a few days"
"Pops, relax! We no in trouble. ¡Confía!" (Trust me!)
"The fact that you're using Spanish to try to convince me, knowing fully well I wont understand, is even more concerning, kid!" he said, now legitimately freaking out
Rubio continued to giggle quietly as some seconds went by.
"We're here!" he heard Rex yell in the background
"Tell your old man to get his butt down here and help you with the boxes." he heard Buck call in the background
"Old man? Excuse me!" Street complained as he heard Rubio giggle some more, "What boxes? You only took a half empty backpack yesterday, Rubio! Please do NOT get me in trouble!"
"Pa, relax! I gotchu!" he said as Street was already anticipating Chris' screams.
Street grabbed the keys, turned off the stove and headed out the door. As he got off the elevator, he noticed Buck's truck at the entrance of the apartment building with the two kids on the outside each carrying boxes and bags.
"What is all this?" Street asked coming out of the building signaling the packages.
"I GOT A DOG!" Rubio yelled as a small sandy brown dog stuck his head out from the carton box he was holding. Rex just giggled as Buck stood just outside of the driver's door.
"What!?" Street said as he stumbled the rest of the sentence, jaw dropping to the ground in total disbelief. He turned to Buck, "Buck, what the hell?"
"Pops, language!" Rubio snapped
"Buddy" he began as he took a deep breath, trying to calm down, "you and I are already crashing in this place, and now you wanna bring in a dog? What?" Street asked loosing his mind, as he grabbed his head with both hands. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!"
"Pops, you said her place is ours too, and I gonna take care of him. His name is Topo!"
"Oh my God!" he repeated as he watched the kid take the dog out of the box and cradle it in his arms.
"You say ma loves dogs, plus there's a picture in the apartment of her with a dog. So...I find him and grandpa say I can learn responsibility. He help get everything forTopito, and he gonna take classes of obediencia (obedience) in the Pet Shop too."
"Buddy, that was her K9 dog. Her job, Rubio!" Street complained as his eyes keep growing and growing, his jaw dropping lower and lower. "Buck?" he said turning to the driver, "Chris is gonna kill me!"
"If she hasn't already, you'll be fine." he said nonchalantly
"Yeeeeaah!" said the excited teenager, "Pops, help me with the crate and the food." he said. Then he turned to Buck, "Thanks grandpa. Class is Wednesday, right?"
"Yup, that's right" he said with a grin staring at Street who was just frozen, eyes still popping out, jaw almost completely detached from his body.
"Bendición. Bye!" the boy said as he hurriedly waved goodbye and ran past Street.
"Bye Rubio. Bye Topo!" Rex said getting in the car and closing the passenger door
Street swallowed hard as he watched the car sped off. He knew he was in deep, deep trouble now!
"Hey! You are in so much trouble...it's not even funny!" Street said as he closed the door behind him
"Why?" the kid asked puzzled
"You know what? I want no part of this." he said as he placed the bags and the crate's box down. He dug into his pocket and immediately dialed her number. "You are gonna tell ma right now! I don't want any surprises!"
"Ok!" said the kid excited
It took her two rings to answer. When she did, the camera reflected her in an office, "Hey, Jim!" she answered with a tired voice.
"Hey, babe...you tired?" he asked surprised
"More like annoyed." she said staring in front of her, "Why the video call?"
"C'mere!" he called to Rubio gesturing with his fingers to approach. The teen was still holding on the the pup. "Because Rubio here wants to tell you something!"
Rubio placed the pup in the box next to Jim and stood next to the officer, waving at the camera.
"¡Bendición, ma!" (Blessings, mom!)
"Dios te bendice, amor. ¿Está todo bien? (May God bless you, dear. Is everything ok?)" she paused, "In English, so Jim can understand, ok?" she said sternly, not turning completely to the camera
"Ok." he said as he went to get the pup
"For the record, I had nothing to do with this, Chris. I swear!"
"Oh my God! What happened? You're scaring me!"
"I had no idea about this...I didn't approve of this. I'm just happy with half of the bed, half of the rent and the food in the fridge!"
"Jesus!" Chris said frowning
"Pops, relax, she gonna love it!" the kid said as he was struggling to get the pet steady on his arms
"I'm gonna love what?"
"Remember that you love him and me, Chris and that murder is a capital offense!" Street warned
"Jim?!" she asked shaking her head, now frowning scared
"Ma, it's a surprise!"she could hear Rubio's voice but he was nowhere in the picture.
The kid was fixing a bow onto the pup's collar.
"Ma, surprise!" he suddenly appeared on screen, holding the small pup high, "This is Topo!"
"JIIIIMM!"
CHAPTERS 27: Mystery freedom
"Tío Cosa! Tío Terry!" called Rubio from the car as he cradled the small pup in his left arm.
Street had just parked by the front of the house, hoping that Luca could enlighten him with comforting words after spending 5 minutes listening to Chris yell at him. Both brothers made it out to the porch but froze when they saw the dog in the kids arm.
"Oh, you are so dead, Jim!" said Terry said giggling and shaking his head
"Dude, he is so cute!"Luca said going for the dog
"His name is Topo! Topito!" Rubio said excited, as he handed the dog to Luca
The pup absolutely loved Luca, for it began barking and licking him instantly.
"He likes you!" Rubio said happily
"I love dogs! Where did you get him?"
"My cousin and I find him in the park in Long Beach."
"That's cool. What did Chris say?" Terry asked curious petting the pup in Luca's arms
"She yelled at pops...but she say to me it's ok. So...relax!" he said with a smirk, as Luca and Terry shook their heads
"That's not funny, at all!" Street complained exiting the vehicle slowly, hands on his hips
"Alright, c'mon, let's get 'im some water" Luca said gesturing for him to come in, "Bro, can you help the kid out?"
"Sure." Terry said as he opened the door and stood at the frame as Luca handed the pup back to Rubio. The boy made it in and Terry followed, closing the door behind him.
"Luca, I need a beer! No, you know what? Make that a pack!" Street said frustrated, approaching Luca. Both men went inside and Street immediately grabbed a cold one from the fridge. He took the cap off and began downing it as if it was water.
"Dude, you definitely gotta clean the apartment now." Luca said giggling
He took a break from drinking, shook his head, put the bottle down and said, "I'm in so much trouble, Luca...like, deep! She sees that dog put a leg up on the couch or anywhere in the apartment and I'm pretty much dead. Please tell me I can crash here in case she kicks my ass out!"
"Yeah, bro. You don't even have to ask. But uh...you gotta house train that dog, asap!"
"Yeah, kid set up classes this week." he paused as they went to the living room. Luca sat on the couch, as Street stood resting his backs on the side wall, "I went to see Chris today."
"Where?"
"Downtown"
"Woah! Really?"he said excited, then changed his expression to a worried frown, "Everything ok? You wouldn't make that trip for nothing. I know you!"
"I wanted to talk to her." he answered slowly, with a sad expression on his face
"About the black box?"
Street nodded slowly, quietly.
"Judging by your sad eyes, it didn't go so well,huh?"
He took a deep breath. "She pretty much shut me down before I even asked."
"What?" Luca asked confused
"Said-" he began
BZZZZT
BZZZZT
He was interrupted by the vibration in his pants pocket.
"Um...hey Luca?" Street called as he read the text
"Yeah?" Luca answered staring at him
"Can you watch him and the dog for me? I gotta do something real quick."
"Sure. Everything good?"
"I hope so." he said as he took a final sip of his beer and ran out.
If there was one thing Annie hated the most were group projects! She just preferred to work at her own pace, her own time, her space. It was easier for her to work in her small office at home, while making sure the kids were well fed and supervised. She loved her husband to death, but...he was a man! He sometimes would forget to pick someone up or the correct dose or the dietary restrictions. Going out meant she had to write it all down, recite it a few times and text reminders.
Tonight was a killer because Victoria needed help packing for her ballet camp for the next two weeks, Lila had a medication she needed to take, Matthew and Sammy had been complaining of restrictions to their video gaming time and David got home late from his security gig. To make matters worse her parents had made reservations in some fancy restaurant with some of her dad's closest friends, so...no alternative babysitters. Once David came in, she rushed out the door like a crazy mad woman because she was late!
By the time she made it to Rio's Café at Brown Stone Boulevard, the other four members of her group were already downing their drinks.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized as she squeezed into the empty chair
"Oh, relax! We're just getting started." Alex said. He was the only male in the group, a young man with Asian roots.
"This presentation is half of the final grade so we better get to it!" urged Mercedes, the other older student in her class. She was of Costa Rican descent and had a lovely family with her husband and two sons.
"Ok, so Mercy you're the D.A., Annie and I will be ADA's in the case and Alex and Cindy our star witnesses. We're clear on that?" Nelly asked, receiving a chorus of yes as response.
Everyone began taking out their notepads, notebooks, laptops, book and materials, as Annie ordered a glass of tea. This promised to be a very long night!
Right across the road, two businesses down, Street found an empty space by the sidewalk. He parked Chris' truck and entered the restaurant. Dimaggio's Italian Ristorante was a cute place mostly frequented by the growing European community in that side of LA. Many Italians, Greeks and a growing group of Germans made up almost 80% of the customers, with the other being occasional tourist or office clerks from the area.
As Street made his way to the small reception area, he noticed the decorations were mostly just colorful wall paintings, while the upholstery was predominantly black and gray. The back wall of the reception and the elegant rope to its side blocked the access to the inside of the restaurant, so he had to wait to go in and be seated.
Just as he was being attended to and guided to the separate side room, Annie took a glance out the window and recognize the car. She thought it was a nice coincidence to run into Chris for a change, plus Victoria had been asking for her as of late, wanting to spend time with her. She figured when her group meeting adjourned she would swing by over tot he restaurant and talk with her.
Street made it to the small room where five executives were enjoying a nice dinner. He did not recognize the lady in the table, but she wore a very elegant boarder hat with a big pink feather to the side. To each side she was accompanied by two men dressed in black suits. Jim was puzzled by this meeting because he was aware that he wasn't suppose to meet with the anyone to discuss the case without his attorney, but the message was so urgent, he just couldn't ignore it. He didn't know who was texting him, but since it was regarding Rubio's case, he wasn't going to wait. He did however text Alex on the way, with no response.
"Good evening everyone." he greeted
"Well hello, there!" said the lady at the center of the semi circled seating booth. She gestured for him to join them, by pointing at the chair the waiter was bring over. He sat across from them, pulling the chair closer to the table.
In front of her was a plate of pasta, to the side a bread bowl with soup and a glass of red wine. In the middle of the table laid a selection of appetizers as well as breads. Street observed as one of the men had a plate of pan crusted chicken with mashed potatoes, similar to Schnitzel; the next man enjoyed chicken Parmesan dish accompanied by salad; the next lasagna and the last man to his far left a gnocchi dish. He had to admit, all the plates looked delicious, especially for someone who just ate pasta that was still hard with bottled sauce and bland chicken. Not one of his best efforts in the kitchen at all!
"Officer Street, we don't have much time for chit chat, so we'll go straight to the point-" the man to his far right began to explain
"First, who are you and how do you know my kid?" Street demanded interrupting him
"This is Madame Duke, García, Rounders, Brown and Stevens. We're here to present to you this." Garcia presented the men counterclockwise. When he finished, he handed him a letter size brown envelop.
Street grabbed it, noticed the kid's name in the label on the outside, but didn't open it. "What's this?" he said annoyed. Now he was really not liking the mystery.
"It's a guarantee that your child will never set foot on a juvenile detention center." said Stevens, from the other side of the table
Street's face expression suddenly changed as now he was frowning suspiciously. "How?"
"Open it up, officer" García said gesturing to the envelope. "In that envelope you will have his freedom and your happiness. Go ahead!"
CHAPTER 28: Death rap
"Hey honey! How are things going?"
"Good. Sammy and Matthew finally settled down, working on some Lego figure in the living room table, Tory finished her bag for the camp and is now watching a movie with Lila in her bedroom. And don't worry, Lila took her meds as scheduled."
"And you did the laundry like I told you?"
"Yes, ma'am! Even got the kids to help out folding and storing."
"Wow! I'm impressed."
"I don't know why because we run a tight ship, you and me!"
"That's why I love you."
"I love you too! How is the group work going?"
"You know? You were right. I just had to give it a try."
"See?"
"Yeah, I mean, they are very meticulous and responsible. Like, right now, we're taking a break but like with a specific time and everything. I feel confident about this after all." she said nodding her head slowly
"Good. Some times it's good to work on your own, but at times you also need others' input and interactions, honey." Deacon said
"Yeah." she paused as she took a look outside, noticing Chris' car hadn't moved. "Didn't you tell me Chris was working on a huge thing downtown for a special task force?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Wonder what she's doing in Brown Stone, at the Italian restaurant."
"Italian restaurant?" he asked puzzled, then said "That's probably Street picking up food."
Annie thought for a moment. "Um...is he picking up for a whole army? He's been there for over 20 minutes now."
"That's strange. Give me a sec and I'll make a call."
"Ok, check on the boys, make sure they're not messing around in the living room."
"Will do. Have fun!"
As Annie hung up, she decided to take a look at the restaurant. She wanted to check if she could spot either Chris or Street. She crossed the busy road and took a glance through the glass windows. At the far end of the restaurant she spotted Street sitting on a chair in front of a booth, with an envelop in his hand. Because of the glare in the window and the corner wall, plus the reception's back wall, she couldn't make who was in front of him. She was only able to identify a feather, maybe on someone's hat. She saw as a man who seemed like a waiter stood next to the table and noticed her presence in the window. She immediately turned and quickly headed back to the cafe.
Once on the other side, she hurriedly turned back and noticed a white van coming around from the alley behind the building of the restaurant. The same waiter came out and handed a bag to the driver. She thought it was curious that the van wasn't identified with neither the restaurant's name or a food delivery service. Plus, the bag was too small to hold containers or pizza boxes. She took a step back and using the store's outdoor seating as disguise she hurriedly took a picture of the van as it turned the corner of the cafe. She immediately sent a message to her husband.
You were right. Street is inside with an envelope. Someone with a feather. A man attending Street gave the driver of a van a mystery bag. I'll sen you a pic with the plate.
RIIIIING
RIIIIING
"Yo, D! I'm in the gym, can't this wait?" answered Hondo in between breaths
He was in the middle of an intense boxing workout, as sweat raced down his bare chest and abdominal muscles. Both obliques moved in rhythm as his lungs needed to keep up with the intense motions.
"Street might be in trouble, Hondo"
"What?" he said as he froze, feeling his biceps cringe and his knuckles heat up.
His back shined under the bright light as sweat created a smooth glow highlighting his tattoos and tendons. He frowned as he feared the worst for his teammate.
"Annie just sent me a picture of a van. She thinks there's some shady business going on in an Italian restaurant down at Brown Stone. She sent me a text saying she thinks she recognized someone with a feather in the hat inside of the place. She saw Street handling an envelope. Do you have any idea what's going on, Hondo?" Hondo listened attentively, as his frown turned into concern.
"Deac?" he paused, now placing both hands on his sweated hips, "I got no clue whatchu talking bout." he shook his head slowly
"Where's Rubio?"
"I don't know. I haven't talked with the kid since yesterday." he said with a shrug
Both leaders made silence as they could sense something was wrong. They thought for a moment.
"Deacon, hold on, don't hang up." Hondo said, as he took his phone and dialed Luca's number. Then he merged the two calls together. "Deac? You there?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, hold on, calling Luca. Maybe he knows something." he explained as they could hear the line ringing
"Yo, Hondo! What's up, boss?" answered a cheery Luca
"Luca, listen to me. Have you talked with Street or Rubio recently?"
"Yeah, sure. Rubio's here with me and Terry. We're making popcorn to watch a movie. Why?" Luca's voice tone changed dramatically as he was now worried
"Luca, Street may be in trouble. Do you know anything of where he is or who he is with?" Deacon asked
"Uh...no. He was here when he got a message and suddenly had to go. Told me to look over the kiddo. What's going on?" Luca asked concerned
"Luca, do me a favor, get an earbud, go out and get your mail." Hondo ordered
"Ok?" he said skeptically
Luca and Hondo listened attentively as they heard noises from Luca's end, until they heard him opening and closing a door.
"You guys can hear me?"
"Yeah." both answered in sync
"Do you see a white van anywhere near there?" Deacon asked
"Van at 3 o'clock!" he paused, then truly began to freak out, "Oh my God! What's going on guys?"
"Don't panic. Go inside like you normally would. Get your weapon, just in case. I'll call it in, have a patrol go by. Keep the kid away from any windows or doors. I'll explain later, ok? Now we gotta get Street outta that place!" Hondo spoke fast, as he moved towards the locker area of the gym to get his belongings.
"Roger that!" they heard the line go dead.
"Deac, I'll call Alex. I gotta feeling this about his trial."
"Hondo I got the kids, Annie's out doing college work...but I'll check in with Tan, see if he can meet you there."
"Copy!"
"Ok, let-" Hondo started
"Annie just texted. She's on her way home." Deacon interrupted hurriedly
"Alright, good. Listen, call Tan and have 'im meet us in front of the restaurant. I'll check in with Alex." Hondo said
"Ok!"
Hondo hung up and moved quickly. He put on a shirt and untapped his knuckles, washed his hands and face and tried Alex. He had to try a second time.
"Hondo, how are u, man?" A tired voice answered
"Alex, I need to ask you something. About Street." Hondo said skipping greetings altogether
"Yeah, I got a text from him but I'm just getting home from the hospital."
"Everything alright?"
"Yeah for now. Me and the wife had to take both the kids to the hospital with a bad virus. I was staying with one while my wife was inside with the other. I haven't had time for anything. Not even a cup of coffee!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Listen, Alex, Street may be in trouble. I'm hoping you could enlighten us."
"What happened?"
"Do you know anything about the Dimaggio Restaurant in Brown Stone Boulevard?"
"No, why?" he answered puzzled
"How about a man or a woman with a feather in a cap?"
"Feather in a hat? Well, that sounds like Madam Duke. What does that have to do with Stree- Oh no! Please tell me she has nothing to do with him!"
"Why? Do you know her?"
"She directs a law firm that usually deals with high end cases of murder, gang affiliations and other felonies, with very, very wealthy clients. Her firm has one of the highest ratings in the state, but is also known for not playing by the book all the time. Why?"
"Street might be in trouble, Alex. They're even tailoring the kid."
"Oh my God! You've got to get him away from her and make sure whatever he does he doesn't sign any papers. She and her associates are known for their brown envelopes, known in the licensing world as 'death traps'."
"Why?" Hondo asked confused
"Yeah, they sell you something and then turns out to be another. She's also been known to work with shady law enforcement and dirty cops."
"Alex, I don't understand. She works criminal court, usually those are cases against the state DAs and some involving the Feds. Why is she going after Street?"
"Oh my God! She must be working with the Petersons. You've got to get him out of her grasps or he wont ever see the kid again!"
"Can your wife take care of the kids? I'll send you the location!" he said desperately
CHAPTER 29: Oblivious to danger
"This food is delicious. Thank you so much for this!" said Street delighted with their invitation. At first he doubted them but after easing off the papers thing, they treated him to a great dinner and a nice chit chat.
"Of course, officer. I know the head chef myself!" said Madame Duke, who was the one who eased the mood.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may I have a word with the guest?" said the host shyly, as she stood next to Street staring directly at the women with the feather in the hat.
"Well, of course! Hurry up now, officer. You wont want to miss dessert. A delicate crème brûlée." Madam Duke said
"Yes, ma'am." he said as he stood up and went with the young lady. She guided him to the front reception area, where she silently gestured to the outside of the restaurant. Street frowned, as he was confused. Was he being thrown out of the place? He couldn't comprehend, but did as he was told. He went outside, but no one was around. Then...
PSSSSSST
He heard from the corner alley. He turned and saw Hondo, Tan and Deacon, hiding behind the big dumpster on the other side of the entry way to the alley.
"Stop there. Act normal. Camera at your 4!" whispered Hondo
"What's going on?" he asked frozen in the spot, confused
Meanwhile, back in the restaurant, the group members were licking their chops celebrating that their plan was working to perfection, until they saw a man sit in the chair in front of them...a different man.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Alex Sanchez, attorney at law. I believe you have been meeting with my client without my consent, which is against all rules of ethics and procedure." he said sternly, as he sat confidently int he chair, to the audience's disgust
"What are you doing here?" asked Madame Duke asked, physically agitated
"I'm ending your little game, right her and right now! I wont let you mess with my client, Madame Duke! I know what you're trying to do with this death trap and it wont work. My client has nothing to offer and we're not interested in any deal. Your clients are going to jail for a long time and my client's son will go free, end of story. If you try to contact my client again, I'll make sure you don't make any more business in this town ever again. Capiche?"
...and that was that! The entire board of the firm was left stunned, as the attorney stood up, shot a hard glance at each member and made his triumphant exit out the door.
The guys heard the door of the restaurant open and saw Alex approaching. He met with Street who was still standing in the corner, placed one arm on his shoulder and they continued down the block, past the guys behind the dumpster. They guys caught up and they loaded up the cars. Hondo went around the block, making sure to avoid the cameras around the vicinity of the restaurant while Alex took Street back to his car. The small convoy made it back to Luca's place.
"Hey! Everything ok?" Luca asked as soon as the cars parked in front of his house
"Where's Rubio? He's ok?" Street asked desperately
"Yeah, he's inside with Terry. You ok, bro?" Luca said as he greeted the rest of the gentlemen
"Yeah, almost signed my death sentence!" Street said shaking his head
"Is anybody gonna explain to me what happened?" Luca asked with arms wide opened, expecting an answer this time
"Ok, Luca." said Deacon, "It started when Annie called to check up on me and the kids. Then she asked me about Chris because her car was parked in front of Dimaggio's at Brown Stone Boulevard. I sensed something was off, but then she went into detective slash lawyer mode and checked out inside where she noticed Street with an envelop joined by someone with a feather in their hat. Then she sent me a pic of the van. I sensed something was off, that's when I called Hondo"
"I was at the gym, but when Deac called, I rushed out. That's when we called you and you told us the van made it here. We had Tan check the plates after we hung up and he told us the van wasn't even registered. That's when we started to panic. Just before that, I called Alex and when I noticed he freaked out, I knew it was time to get Street's ass outta the restaurant."
"How did you know he was in trouble in the restaurant?" Luca asked
"Alex, you wanna take this one?" Hondo asked as everyone turned to Alex
"My pleasure" he said nodding his head once, "When Hondo said the feather in the hat, that was the queue. Madame Duke and her associates run one of the most effective law firms in the state, but it's known for doing shady business, working with dirty cops and above all death traps. They entangle witnesses or even defendants into their game, handing them Get out of Jail Cards and promises of happiness. When Hondo told me about the envelope, I knew it was a death trap and I knew exactly why.
After you handed me the tape with Rubio's confession during the psychotic episode, two detectives from the FBI came forward to study the contents. It was strange, but later I found out one of them had worked closely with retired Detective Wells, who I learned is the mother of Hondo's grandson. The boy had gotten his mother convinced of helping out his friend Rubio, so she reached out to some of her known peers from the Special Victims and Child Crimes units. Anyway, these they were able to uncover a farm, registered under Mr. Petersons' great aunt, who passed away more than 20 years ago. Since the kid spoke about a farm, and they found traces of blood in the vicinity, they were able to get a warrant to search the premises. They found a barn with cages and several shovels and digging materials on site. When they went into the house, they found a room with a wall filled with thousands of pictures of boys. His trophy wall they called it. One of the detectives found that part of the ground had been disturbed and they called CSI, patrols, K9s and other units. Sadly, they found four bodies buried in the ground, and based on preliminary reports, they were males between 13 and 15 years of age. Rubio told the truth. One of the boys had ligature marks on his throat, another one cuts all over the body and the other two were too decomposed to tell."
"My God!" Deacon whispered shaking his head
"CSI did preliminary tests and found blood residuals in the cages, but couldn't tell if it was all human. They hadn't been cleaned and were filled with dirt, urine, feces, debris and scum. This afternoon the reports came in confirming the bodies and some of the blood samples from the digging materials and the cages were from human DNA and the Petersons were put under arrest. The FBI agents called me just before my kids had to be taken to the hospital, so I didn't have enough time to call Street to explain this to him."
"So, what does this mean for Rubio?" Tan asked
"Well," he began, then took a deep breath, "if the FBI confirms the presence of even a cell, an itty bitty smidge of Rubio's blood or sweat in any of the materials found in the site to evidence child abuse, we can definitely prove self defense of imminent danger."
"So..." Street asked trying to anticipate good news
"We'll know by sentencing, but... my gut tells me your boy will be free by noon on Monday after the Petersons get arraigned!"
"Yes!" Street celebrated with both fists in the air and a huge smile, full dimple action!
"And...I will fight to get the record expunged and clean. He deserves that!" he said as he smiled at the group sharing fist pumps, smiles and high five.
CHAPTER 30: Mistakes & Compromises
"Morning!" Luca greeted coming in the house, immediately placing his surfboard by the entrance.
"Hey Dom! How are you?" greeted April, as she enjoyed a cup of coffee by the living room sofa.
"I'm good, you?" Luca greeted. He and April had made amends some weeks ago, so their encounters weren't awkward anymore.
"I'm doing ok. Just waiting on Terry." She said nodding, taking a sip of her coffee
"Where are you heading?" he asked approaching the kitchen.
"He said he had a big job, some restaurant is having its grand opening today for lunch. He said he needed to set up real early." she said as Luca took a water bottle from the fridge, uncapped it and began drinking.
He took two big gulps, nodding his head to her. In that moment Terry exited the bathroom wearing a polo over dark jeans.
"Hey bro! Remember I got the opening today. You told me to remind you of something with Rubio." he said as he went into his office
"Hey! Yeah, I gotta call Jim." Luca said pondering deep into his thoughts
"Everything ok with him?" April asked concerned
"Yeah. He told me he wanted to work for a couple of hours in the food truck. So, I told him he could work during lunch rush down at Bayside." Luca said. Then, finished the bottle.
"Oh, ok." she said nodding
"Alright, we're out." Terry called closing his office door. "Hey! and...uh...tomorrow I probably wont be here, so I'll swing by Tuesday or Wednesday. If you need anything, you know my number. See you later, bro!" he said hurriedly as he and April closed the door behind them.
"Bye!" Luca said as he thought for a moment.
He grabbed his cellphone and dialed Street's number.
RIIIING
RIIIING
"Hey, Luca!" Street answer somewhat annoyed
"It's not fair, pops! He don't do nothing." Luca heard Rubio complaining in the back
"Shhh...I'm on the phone!" Street scolded
"Hey! Hey! What's going on, bro?" Luca asked sensing the discomfort in Jim's voice
"Not in a good mood, really." Street said, "It's the dog!"
"C'mon, dude! Don't be Mr. Grumpy! That pup is small and quiet, doesn't even bark! He only cries a little when left alone, but not like a loud shriek or anything!" Luca said with a smirk
"Luca!" Street complained
"Street, c'mon man! Why are you complaining? He's a sweet dog!" Luca snapped
"I don't want him in my bed, Luca! I don't appreciate waking up with his butt in my face!" Street complained as the Luca giggled
"What are you talking about man?" he asked
"Ma! Pops don't want Topo!" he heard Rubio say in the back
"Uh oh! He called his mom on you, bro?" Luca said
"I can't believe you called Chris, Rubio!" he heard Street said
"Topo didn't do nothing." Rubio said
"Wait! Wait!" Luca could hear Chris say as both males made silence. "Street what happened with Topo?"
"He got in the bed. Woke up to his butt in my face. I mean, you can imagine it's not a pretty sight to open up your eyes to a butt hole! You know?" he heard Street say as he giggled and shook his head. He could hear the kid laughing in the background and maybe even Chris shucking.
"Luca, give me a sec" Street said to him
"Put me on speaker. I wanna say hi to Chris." Luca said hurriedly
"Ok." Jim said as he clicked on the screen
"Chris?" Luca called
"Luca? Are you there?" He heard Chris ask
"I'm on Jim's phone. Kinda crazy, huh? Glad to hear ya voice, sis. I just called to check on things and see if Rubio is still coming with me to work on the truck by the beach."
"Yeah, yeah!" he heard the kid say
"Ok. For the record I don't have a problem with the puppy, as long as it's not in the bedroom." Street complained
"Street, a dog is not an it, Topo is a he. Second of all, I let you be in the bedroom and look at how that's going!" Chris snapped angrily
"Chris...that's hurts!" Street snapped back, annoyed
Luca giggled, as he could hear the kid nearby laughing.
"Rubio, just don't let Topo near The Grinch here while he sleeps, ok?" Chris said
"Ma, he don't do anything. It was pops, because he move to where Topito was sleeping, relax, not being annoying no one. Then pops start screaming at him. When I come in to give pops the breakfast he kick Topito out" Rubio explained
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Wait a minute!" she paused. Luca didn't like that tone at all, something bad was about to happen, he knew her too well. "What do you mean giving him breakfast? You've been serving him breakfast in bed? JIM?" Chris finished loudly
"It's not like that!" Street snapped
"Aw, bro!" Luca said shaking his head
"If he gets cereal he serves two bowls, Chris. Relax. He's not a butler or anything." Street answered nonchalantly
"Ok, Rubio?" she paused, "Listen to me. The only two days in the year you could, not have to, could, serve him breakfast in bed is Father's Day and his birthday...if you want! You don't have to clean for him-"
"Chris" Street tried to clarified
"you don't have to serve him food-"
"Wait!" he knew he was in trouble, her voice keep increasing decibels dangerously
"Are you serious, bro?" Luca asked disappointed. He knew Chris was aware of how delicate Rubio was in terms of his mind state. Kid was still rehabbing after a psychotic episode!
"...and you do not have to do anything for him. Jim what the hell?" Chris asked angrily
"Language, Chris!" Street scolded
"Really?" she asked almost screaming
"Cut the crap, Jim. Stop making the kid do stuff, man!" Luca said
"He wanted to!" Street said immediately
"Oh my God! Get your lazy ass off the freaking couch and do your freaking job, Jim! You wanted a kid, right? You wanted to move into my place, right? Well, assume the freaking responsibilities! I don't care if you're eating the same cereal, using the same clothes... do your own laundry and God dammit Jim, serve your own food! Rubio is not your servant!"
"Ok, ok. It wasn't like that. I never made him do anything." Street tried defending himself, but Luca knew things were about to get out of control with Chris' temper.
"Did it ever cross your mind that that was his life as an abused child? He's repeating the behavior that helped him stay alive... because that is what a child does according to his abusers! You are not putting your hands on him and neither am I, so he doesn't have to do chores to be safe, get food when he's hungry or have a roof over his head. My kid is not catering to your needs because that's not his damn job, Jim! Got it?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't think of it that way." Street said slowly. Luca felt the hurt in his voice, but with the rage in Chris' tone, it was going to be hard for her to understand.
"That's the problem with you. You never think! I can't believe you, Street! He just had a psychotic episode and you're taking advantage of him?"
"No!"
"Ok, Chris?" Luca said, hoping to install peace now. He knew the kid was near and could hear the arguing couple. " Listen, relax. He said he's sorry, he didn't mean it that way. Just being careless. Ok?" he paused, "Jim, do it right, man. The kid's not a servant. Do your stuff and let him play and be a kid."
"I'm sorry, Chris." he paused, "Hey! C'mere." he paused again, "I'm sorry, ok? Go play with the dog." he heard Street said as he could hear movement.
"Chris?" Luca called
"Luca, don't defend him!"
"Chris, c'mon. I said I'm sorry. We hugged it out, it's ok."
"It's not. You think you can always fix everything with sorry!"
"Hey! Hey! Listen you two, it's called mistakes and compromise. Ok? Chris, he said he's sorry because he made a mistake that he will make up to the kid, right Jim?"
"Yeah?"
"And mistakes are meant to be learned from, not to be repeated, right, bro?"
"Yeah, of course."
"See Chris? He got it. Now comes the compromise. He made a mistake, he apologized, he's gonna fix it and you're holding him accountable for it. Not against him. The past is not to be carried around forever. Ok? You two still got a lot to talk about in terms of you together, but it starts with the little things. Arguments like these can break you apart without the need to. The kid is watching everything you two do. He already has trust issues, if he sees any doubt within you two, it's gonna affect him. Show him that people talk things out, kids."
"I just don't want him to hurt himself again. I know what it's like to want to do it. Him serving royal highness here could trigger another episode!" Chris said slowly, now under control
"I don't want to see him hurt himself either, Chris. That was a horrible moment in my life too!" Street added
"Ok, so...let's avoid that. For the kid's sake. He's still working out his issues, but he needs both of you to be on the same page. It wont happen if we can't talk things out and move on." Luca said with the most tender voice he could muster. He too needed patience!
"Fine, fine. But the dog stays!" Chris said annoyed
"Ok, ok...just, not near me when I'm sleeping!" Street snapped
"He likes you, pop!" Rubio said
"Alright, just buddy, keep Topo away from the snoring machine here, ok?" Luca said with a smirk
"Hey!" Street complained
"Ok." Rubio said giggling
"I resent that!" Street added, annoyed. Luca heard some noises
"Topo, fuera del cuarto. Estamos?" Rubio said to the dog
There was a moment of silence. Then...
"Can we compromise on something else?" Street asked shyly
"You see, Luca? This is unbelievable!" Chris complained super annoyed this time
"What? I just need the dog to understand English, ok?" Street snapped
"Bro, c'mon!" Luca said disappointed, shaking his head
"No! Ma, yo no le voy a hablar inglés a Topo. No!" Rubio snapped
"Chris!" Street called
"I swear I'm gonna hang up now!" Chris said annoyed
A couple of hours later, Rubio was already in the front of the building. Luca went by on his truck, waved at Street as the kid jumped in. He sped off to the beach where he hoped his crew had already started prepping and getting the truck ready for service.
RIIING
RIIIIING
"Hey, Alex!" greeted Street exiting the elevator, on his way to the apartment.
"Hey Jim! I hope you're not busy because Judge Rodgers is calling an emergency meeting in his chambers tomorrow. I need to meet with you asap. Can you get a babysitter?"
CHAPTER 31: Ring
As Street met with his attorney in a nearby cafe, Hondo was trying to solve a dilemma of his own. House was packed, coffee maker was still warm, stove and sink a mess, but...it sure smelled like family!
"Hey! Hey!" he called to order
His mother, Nichelle's mother, Winnie, Kayla, Brianna and Nichelle had gathered in the back porch over lemonade and cookies to discuss the upcoming celebration. However, the disagreements between several of the parties was getting heated as old rivalries came to play, especially with Winnie and Charice teaming up against Briana while Nichelle's family stood their ground as well.
"Ladies, can we compromise on something?" Hondo said standing at the side of the table.
Wrong question. All the ladies started talking at the same time, beginning yet another feisty rebuttal round. Hondo tried to follow each one, as he turned his head to face them, but it was impossible to comprehend. At one point, his father whistled from behind the back door.
"Son, what are you doing?" his father asked with a coffee mug in one hand and the newspaper on the other.
"I'm trying to bring peace, pops! Them ladies are going at each other's throats like...no mercy!"
"You must be out of your damn mind! You don't get into the lioness den, man! Let em sort it out. The shower ain't for you anyway, fool!" the old man said as he sat down in the living room couch.
RIIIING
RIIIING
"You're right, pops!" he said as he dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone
"Uh huh! That's right!" he heard his father say as he looked puzzled at the screen, not recognizing the number.
"Hello?" he answered
"Good morning. May I speak with Sergeant Daniel Harrelson. Jr please?" answered a woman with a very proper tone. Hondo frowned, as his father continued to enjoy the paper, oblivious to his son's demeanor.
"Yes, ma'am. This is he." He answered sternly. In that Mr. Harrelson looked up and gestured with his hand asking him who it was, but Hondo just shrugged.
"Sergeant, my name is Agent Lyons, from LASD. I'm calling on behalf of the board of evaluation from the Chief's office and mayors' appointees. We need to ask you some questions. Are you a sergeant in LAPD?"
"Yes, ma'am. LAPD SWAT, Metro Division"
"Which is your direct role in SWAT?"
"I am the leader of 20 David Squad, ma'am." he said as he leaned backwards on the kitchen counter, crossing his right arm across his chest.
"Do you recognize the name: Christina Alonso?"
"Yes, I do." Hondo closed his eyes momentarily, taking a deep breath. Oh no! What happened now?
"Well, sergeant, we will ask you to attend a meeting at our office today, in an hour. We will be asking you several questions about her, James Street, Ezequiel J. Baez and anything concerning her performance. Your thoughts could be taken into serious considerations in the process of rank advancement of Sergeant Christina Alonso."
RIIIING
RIIIING
"Daddy! Your phone's ringing!" called Victoria, as she grabbed it from the pocket of Deacon's folded jeans
"What, honey?" he yelled, still battling Lila in a heavy ping pong battle
The arcade was buzzing with tons of energy, as the Kay family was just a small fraction of the immense crowd that packed the place. Pinballs, basketball, bowling, race cars and many others were featured in the two story building just 5 miles from the coast. They also offered a number of aquatic activities, birthday combos, packages for the whole family and many other options for a full day of fun indoors or outdoors. It was a very popular spot, especially frequented by the Kays themselves.
They decided to treat the kids to some fun right after church. After all, it had been a long time since the family had a chance to spend time together, especially with Deacon doing so many security gigs. He figured he'd take this day off, since next weekend he had that huge gig with Street and Buck.
"Daddy!" yelled Victoria, as she went over and tucked on her father's shorts. He had changed to match the outfits of both of his boys, who bought new swim trunks for a promised day at the beach, after hitting the arcade.
"Hey! Stop!" he said between breaths to Lila, who seemed to be loving it. "What happened, Tory?"
"Your phone is ringing, daddy!" she said as she handed him the ringing mobile
"Ok." he said placing the small racket on the table. He waved at Sammy, who had just finished his shooting match against his mother, "Sammy, pick me up here. Ok?" he turned to his daughter, who complained about the switch, "I gotta take a call, ok? I'll be back"
Even with all the noise he was able to hear the ringing phone. He grabbed his earbuds and took a look at the screen. He frowned as he didn't recognize the number.
"Hon, I'll take this outside!" he yelled at his wife as he moved towards the exit of the building.
When he finally made it out, "Hello?"
"Hello! Is this Sergeant David Kay?" he heard a deep male voice answer
"Yes, this is he." he said covering his other ear to help him focus on the call
"This is Lieutenant Green, from Internal Affairs Bureau. I'm calling on behalf of the board of evaluation from the Chief's office and mayors' appointees. I need to ask you some questions. Are you a sergeant in LAPD?"
Bayside beach was thriving! It was packed to the maximum, which meant sales could go though the roof today. Luca had sent his driver to a wide space for food trucks just 5 minutes walking from the beach. There were already north of 10 trucks already parked and prepping in the area, which promised lots of heave competition.
"Alright, we're here, buddy!" Luca announced
"Yeah. We're gonna sell a lot!" Rubio said excited
"I sure hope so!" he said as he finished parking.
The got out of the car and headed towards the truck. The guys there began setting up, as Luca and Rubio helped out. The crowds were still a long way from forming because it was just 9:30am. They knew they had about an hour and a half to two to get everything ready and open up for lunch rush.
Between menu, prepping, cooking, running for ingredients, board design and overall mop duties, the crew of four plus the head chef were able to get everything ready by noon.
"Ok, Rubio, you and me, we're workin the front. We gotta get people to come by our truck. We take their order and report it back. The guys here will take care of money, cooking and dishing out. Ok?"
"Ok." the kid said with a nod
"Hey! and if you hear some Spanish chatter, use your charm, kid!"
"Seguro!" (Of course!)
...and that he did! As hungry customers began flooding the area, Rubio and Luca went out of their way to attract as many people as possible. After just 10 minutes, the line was packed with orders. Rubio worked his way with Spanish speakers, as Luca handled the Anglo crowd.
"¡Dímelo, Javier!" Rubio called as he recognized a group of young people in between the crowd
Luca was attending a couple who were ordering their food, but he kept a close eye on the kid. He noticed a group of five young people had made their way to him, as one of the guys exchanged a half a hug with Rubio.
Rubio knew Javier from school. He was a year older than him and usually hung out with his cousin Rivero and his neighbor Leonardo. The other two girls he assumed were his and his cousin's new girlfriends. He stopped asking after noticing those guys changed girls more than he changed his underwear!
"¿Y tu qué haces aquí, Rubio?" (What are you doing here, Rubio?) Javier asked
"Pues, ya tu sabe'...trabajando aquí con mi tío. Pa hacel unos chavitos, tu sa'e como eh." (Well, you know...here working with my uncle. To make some money, you know how it is) he answered gesturing to the food truck behind him.
"Orale, que bien, cuate. ¿y Leyla? ¿Aún estan juntos ustedes?" (Hey, that's good, man. And Leyla? Are you two still together?) he asked curiously
"Nah, está con un bobolón ahí. Me metí en un lío, se enchismó y ya tu sa'e como son las nenas. Pa eso me busqué este trabajito, a ver si consigo chavos pa la taquillas del concert de Ed Sheeran, pa llevarla." (Nah, she's with a dork. I got into trouble, she got mad at me and you know how girls get. That's why I got this job, so I could get money to buy tickets to Ed Sheeran's concert, to take her.) he said annoyed
"¡Orále, hombre! Para esas taquillas está requete difícil." (Man! To get those tickets it's super tough!) Leonardo said frustrated
"¿Tu crees?" (You think so?) Rubio said thinking
"Si, hombre!" (Yes, man!) Leonardo answered
"Pues, tengo q intentarlo porque ni modo." (Well, I still gotta try, because whatever) Rubio said shrugging
"Nosotros vamos a buscar otra manera. ¿Sabes que el viene ahorita para acá?" (We're gonna find another way. Do you know he's coming here?) Javier said
"¿Quién? ¿Sheeran? No sabía." (Who? Sheeran? I didn't know.) Rubio said lost
"Si, y tenemos un plan. Verás, hasta nos enteramos del vuelo en el que viene, mijo. Un primo de Oscar nos dijo que viene el con otra celebridad a darle promoción al evento y al parecer grabará acá. Estará con una compañía en una reunión de esas y nos dijeron que traerá taquillas exclusivas. Además, si logramos autógrafos y fotografías, la venderemos requete carísimas, cuate. Ya verás que va a funcionar. ¡Haremos much lana!" (Yes, and we have a plan. Listen, we even got news on the flight he's coming in, boy. One of Oscar's cousins told us he is coming with another celebrity to promote the event and it looks like he'll be shooting here. He's gonna be with a company in a big meeting and we heard he's bringing in exclusive tickets. Plus, if we get autographs and pictures, we'll resell those at a high price, man. You'll see, it's gonna work. We'll make a lot of money!) Javier said confidently
"Oye, y si quieres te reservamos. Por ser tu ¡te las bajamos, bori!" (Hey and if you want we can reserve some for you. Because it's you, we'll lower the price, Puerto Rican!)
"¡Dale! ¡Me avisan!" (Awesome! Let me know!) Rubio answered enthusiastically
CHAPTER 32: Don't lie
Sales were racking up, faster than usual. Rubio definitely brought in lots of customers, especially because a vast majority of the crowd that Sunday was of Latin descent. As Luca's food truck thrived, Street waited patiently for Alex in a cafe about 30 minutes away. He knew the lawyer was running late, because he texted after his call about meeting before facing the judge on Tuesday.
Street was a bit nervous, even though he figured the case would either be stopped once the charges were dropped or that if they actually went to trial, they had enough evidence on their favor. Alex had said said the judge was going to suggest the trail went back to civil instead of criminal, which eliminates the need for an ankle monitor and most of the punishment.
Street was enjoying a nice cold beverage when he noticed a car stopping in front of the cafe. He saw as Alex got out in a hurry and opened the door to the place.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" said Alex rushing in
"Don't worry. It's all good. How are you?" he said extending his hand
After hand shaking, Alex took a seat next to him. "That's a trivial question." he said rolling his eyes.
"What happened?" Street asked
"Car broke down this morning, had to drive the wife to work and the kids with their grandmother. After my oldest one finally recovered from her meltdown, I was able to leave. Once around the corner, boom! Car gets hit by a flying bicycle, cops come, the car wont start. Took it to the shop and the mechanic said I'll be on my own for at least two days until they can get the part and set it up. Just not my week, really!" he lamented
"Aw, man! I'm sorry." Street said shaking his head
"Yeah, but listen, we gotta talk about what happened yesterday and your kid's trial. We have to be ready to face the judge on Tuesday!"
"I'm all ears!" Street said placing the soda down and leaning forward
"Sergeant Kay, Sergeant Harrelson Jr and Commander Hicks?" called a young woman dressed in a black suit, stepping into the reception area, as the three men stood to the side, chit chatting quietly.
"Yes!" Hicks responded. as all three turned to face the woman
The three officials broke the huddle and went towards the young lady. After receiving a name tag, they were each handed a clipboard with a series of documents which included a liability release as they were each to be subjected to a polygraph examination to gather as many facts as possible of Chris' performance. The members of the board were well aware that over time one constructs loyalty, but they needed to be as objective as possible with the background information of each candidate.
"Sergeant Harrelson Jr? Please follow Agent White to room 3001." she directed as she gestured to her left.
Hondo was intrigued. He wanted to know exactly what they were gong to ask since he himself had written some disciplinary reports on Chris when she was in SWAT, mostly because of Street.
"Sergeant, please follow me." said an older black gentlemen who stood by the door. When he looked inside there were two more officials sitting behind a table with a small polygraph machine, cables, a laptop and two notepads.
After greetings, introduction and the usual identification verification questions, the agent dug deep into the dynamics and the past experiences of Chris in SWAT. He kept insisting in getting Hondo's personal opinion,
"Facts are written down, we want to hear what is not" he repeated various times
At some point Hondo became annoyed and uncomfortable with the insinuations projected. What is this guy implying? He's asking as if we just write a bunch of stuff in a paper like we some kind of super hero comic book author! he thought clearly irritated.
"Are you agitated, sergeant?" asked one of the men assisting the process
"Not so much agitated, more like annoyed. What is it with all the questions as if we filled up the paper with make belief stories?"
"We just need to get an insider look into the events."
"Yes, sir." he said clearly getting frustrated
"I think we have enough for now." said the man as the other two disassembled the machine and removed the cables from Hondo's body. The man closed the notepad, and rolled his eyes, "Do not worry, sergeant, we are complying with the same rules of etiquette and protocols as you... for the contestant already reported being ready to return to her original position by tomorrow morning."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Hondo asked. His face changed into a puzzled frown
"Not sure" the man said with a shrug, "She was did look pretty serious."
Hondo was quickly dismissed, but the thought of Chris quitting wasn't escaping his mind. When he exited the room towards the waiting area, a man dressed in full military uniform walked past him being led by another man with a clipboard. When the man approached Hondo he could identify the branch and rank from his days back in Somalia. When he turned his head following the officer, he noticed he was guided into the same room he just exited.
Hondo figured they were now going to question the supervisors of the other candidate. He expected the room to be full by now. However, he was shocked when he returned to the waiting room, it was completely vacated.
"Oh, sergeant?" said the lady in the reception area, "You don't have to wait. You can go now! Thank you!" she finished with a nod
"Just a quick question, is that the only witness or person testifying about General Sims?" he asked approaching the counter
"Yes, sir." she answered, eyes glued tot he computer
Wait a minute! They haul my ass out of my house, plus Deacon and Hicks...yet the guy gets only one dude to talk on behalf of him? Are you serious? Hondo thought now more annoyed than ever. This doesn't make any sense. Why so much persecution towards her?
In that moment another clerk came in with some envelopes.
"Hey! These are for storage under CD19, first order, green envelop. There's some relays too. When you can, call up service!" the clerk said, dumping the stack on the counter and leaving hurriedly.
Hondo recognized some of the lingo used because he knew exactly how it felt to do boring office work. He's been on it since the car crash! Since he was standing just a feet or two from the counter, motionless after he'd asked about the guest being questioned, he did notice something peculiar at the top of the pile.
Sergeant Christina Alonso, Return service requested he read in his mind. The address was written below but it was hidden beneath a sticky note left with the storing directions. If I talk with Chris, maybe I can make her stay and finish the program, not give up as the agent said she was planning on doing. I need to see that address! he thought
"Um..could you check if Patrol Adam 16-2 is near Decor Street and 48th? It's one of my guys that's doing patrol duty." he said as the leaned forward on the counter.
"Sure, sergeant!" the lady said cheerfully as she typed away.
With her back to Hondo, she couldn't notice that he was leaning more and more, pretending to get a better look at the screen. In a swift motion, he knocked down part of pile of papers that the clerk had delivered.
"Oh my God! I'm so sorry. Let me help you!" he immediately said embarrassed
He took advantage of the distraction and immediately located the envelop with Chris' address. He bent over, lifted the note slightly and in a matter of seconds took a mental picture of the address.
"I'm so sorry." he said lifting most of the fallen stack
"It's okay." she said receiving the papers and placing them closer to her on the table
"Hondo!" he heard Deacon call
Both stepped outside as they waited for Hicks. Once outside and joined by the commanding officer all three shared the same feeling: that was a waste of time! These people were not giving her a chance at all!
Hondo and Deacon said good bye to Hicks, who ran out in a hurry saying he had a dinner date with his daughter. The remaining officers gathered just outside of their cars.
Hondo knew he had to speak with Chris, to keep her from quitting. As much as he missed her in SWAT, he couldn't let her walk away. The problem was figuring out how to get to her. He couldn't just walk in and say hi. No, those residential areas probably had security. He needed a proper disguise.
"Hey D! Can I borrow that tie?" Hondo asked pointing at a red tie in the floor of the back seat. He was suddenly struck with an idea.
CHAPTER 33: If
"Sure. It's Matthew's." he said as he opened up the back door and located it. He took it out and handed it to Hondo, " He wore it for an activity. He wanted to impress a girl, that we know he likes, but since he wont say anything we don't press the issue."
"Wonder why."
"He's super shy, besides the girl is Muslim. He probably thinks we wont accept her or something."
As soon as the two departed, Hondo headed to a nearby parking lot to change. He didn't want to get Deacon involved, so he didn't even mention his plan. He lifted his shirt through both arms, then his head, and put on the black polo shirt he had in a bag in the trunk of his car. He always kept a bag with clothes and essentials, just in case! He then put on the tie and found an envelop, n which he wrote his initials HH. Then, he followed the GPS to the residential area and pretended to be a delivery person to the front Marshall. He wasn't allowed in the building, so he waited by his car.
I'm so tired...exhausted. But I'm going home! Finally! I can't wait to kick off my shoes and rest. I don't care how messy it is, I just want my guy, my boy and my dog. Forget about this prison cell. I can't wait to get outta here! Even if I don't make it to captain and tomorrow they announce Sims as the general commander of the MST task force, I'm going to be okay. I gave it my all. Chris thought as she organized her things, placing hem neatly in her two duffel bags.
RIIIIIING
RIIING
Ringing? Now? It definitely caught her off guard. She had finished every shore for the day and examinations were over, so...who could it be?
I hope it's him. I want to throw myself on him and never stop kissing him. Stroke his dimples down to his massive neck and shoulders. Feel his heart beat through his muscular pectorals... she thought digging deep into her fantasies, until...
RIIIING
RIIING
"Hello" she answered somewhat annoyed to have her thoughts interrupted
"Sergeant, did you order a delivery?" Sanders asked
"What?" she answered puzzled
"There's a delivery man from HH Delivery. Says you ordered a Cruiselane Package, specialty of the house. "
Wait! Cruiselane? HH? That sounds familiar. she thought
"I did, but I need the supplements, according to my nutritionist."
"Weird, I just saw him carrying an envelope...but ok. He requested you meet him up front."
"Yes, sir. Thank you." she said just before hanging up
Shewent down the elevator holding an apple in one hand and her wallet on the other, just to play along. She waved at Sanders and made her way up front. That defiant pose, the frown and that particular male fragrance that could be sensed for miles could only be of her former leader.
"I knew the 2H stood for something. Hondo Harrelson!" she said with a smile.
"Just play along, Chris. How you've been?" he said with a wide smile underneath the mask, the eyeglasses and the hoodie.
He handed her the envelope, which of course was empty. She dumped her half eaten apple, then began opening her wallet, as if she were to pay.
"We don't have much time...and I don't wanna get you in trouble."
"Something happened? Rubio? Street?" she panicked
"No, they're fine." he paused to allow her to regain her breath. "Talked with Luca and you're boy made him a fortune today in the truck." she giggled and shook her head, "Your guy Street was meeting with Alex. Make sure you give him a call."
"Yeah, trial's on Tuesday."
"No trial. He said they'll be meeting with the judge."
"Yeah, I'm nervous. I really want it to be over." she lamented
"Chris" he paused, approaching her, "We all chipping in, making sure to keep an eye on both of em. Right now, Luca took care of the little man all day and now he spending some time with his gramps, who for some reason likes him more than Street when he was young."
Chris let out a laugh as Hondo giggled.
"They're alright. We making sure of that. Me, D, Luca...and even Tan, we all chipping in Chris."
"I appreciate it." she said with a shy smile. She didn't think it was fair for them to have to take on her responsibility.
"We doing this to support you, coz we know what you're capable of!" he said glancing over the front door making sure not to spike any suspicions.
She lowered her head, as she now felt guilty of want to throw everything out the window.
"So, what is this I hear you coming to HQ tomorrow?" Hondo asked with a frown
"Yeah." she mumbled, head down low
"Why?" Hondo demanded
"Coz I'm done here." she said frustrated, shaking her head and moving away. She stepped to the side of the entrance, about 10 feet from Hondo. He immediately went after her. She leaned her back against the wall, taking a deep breath, staring at the passing cars.
"Chris, do you remember when you went to my house coz you wanted Street back in the team? You remember talking about male pride?" Hondo asked, placing both hands inside of his pockets
"Yeah! I couldn't comprehend why he wouldn't just admit he was wrong and worked things out with you." she said, now turning to face him
"Well, some attitudes are contagious." Hondo said taking a deep breath
"What are you saying?" Chris asked puzzled
"You prefer packing your bags over setting these people straight! Through your intelligence, Chris, not your fist. You got the brains and the skill to get that position. Only you is standing in the way!" he said pointing at her.
"Hondo, it's not the same anymore. I got a home now. There's no reason for me to go through all of this!" she snapped frustrated
"Yes, there is"
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yeah! Coz you worked your ass off to be in this place to begin with! Them boys and that dog of yours, they cheering for you, Chris. They're aware of the sacrifice that you are doing and everything you've accomplished. I understand loneliness, but... doubt? No way! There is no way that same badass lady that saved those kids from getting shot is doubting herself. The same one that busted her ass to win TLI some years ago!"
"But Hondo-"
"No buts, Chris! If I'm gonna lose such a precious gem, it aint gonna be for anything less than prestige. You were born to break records, stereotypes and any kind of limitations, Chris! I wont let fear get in the way of what you've worked so hard to get."
"I don't wanna lose them, Hondo. You don't understand!" she said taking a deep breath, shaking her head in frustration. She couldn't talk anymore, the lump in her throat was unbearable as tears crowded her eyes.
"You're scared! I get it, Chris!" Hondo said approaching her. He put his arm around her shoulder, as he noticed she squatted a tear away, still physically frustrated. "Hey!" he called, as she turned to him, "Street ain't going nowhere."
"I'm scared of losing myself and the two people I'm scared of losing!"
"They aint going nowhere! I 'ont care if I gotta strap Street's ass to a chair! He ain't going anywhere, Chris! None of us are. We just want you to succeed. Do what we know you can do. But...it wont matter unless you believe it!"
"They're doing everything they can to make it 10 times harder on me, Hondo! They called you, Deacon and Hicks here, plus my K9 TO and sergeant. The other guy only needed two references!" she complained
"Coz they tryn' break you, Chris! You a monster! They need to come up with thousands of excuses." he paused pulling away from her, "You see what the Petersons' try to pull off?"
"I haven't spoken with Street today. No."
"They tried to fool him into signing off the adoption papers for the boy without you!"
"What!? They can't do that. I have to authorize anything that has to do with Rubio!" she said standing up, physically upset
"Not if they get one guardian to sign. Adoption is open to any suitable adult."
"Oh my God! Did he sign?" she began, as she pace the sidewalk, "He didn't call me!"
"Chris!"
"Didn't say anything. I'm gonna kill him! I-"
"CHRIS!?" Hondo said grabbing on to both of her arms, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Relax. The lawyers tried to trick him but we got him just in time."
"Trick him?" she said as he pulled away slowly
"Yeah. It was either he signed and the boy would go free or go to trial and risk an indictment for assault charges making you the biggest loser in the equation. They figured if they got him away from you, they could break him."
"But I thought-"
"It was a bluff! Relax. Alex set em straight. Today he talked with Street to get everything set for Tuesday. Girl, we gotchu!"
"See what I mean Hondo? Ugh!" she grunted frustrated, "I need to be there! Not stuck here doing paperwork and interviews!" she said gesturing to the building
"Girl, relax. Alex isn't gonna let anything happen to blonde. He's good at what he does! Trust me!" Hondo said placing his hands on his pockets
"Well...what if it's not enough, Hondo?" she said standing face to face with him
"Coz you say so?" he said crossing his arms over his chest
"No...I mean, if it happens. If everything goes wrong... then, what?"
"Exactly. If." he said with a nod
CHAPTER 34: Everybody knows
The clouds came together to give a farewell to the sun as night came rushing in. The breeze went from dry and humid to chilly and heavy. The scene around the apartment complex had quieted down, as Street finished fixing dinner. The aroma coming from the kitchen was a mix between Caribbean and Latin spices and Anglo friendly soft smells.
After the meeting with Alex in the afternoon, he ran some errands, picked up Rubio and returned home. He was ready to sit down with the boy and have a serious conversation when Buck called inviting them to an afternoon of cinema and then dinner. It was his daughter's weekend with Noah so he was a very excited. The happy grandfather was ecstatic to spend time with his youngest grandson for the first time this weekend and wanted to close it out with a bang. Before Street could even answer, Rubio ran to his room to change. Street on the other hand, turned down the offer, excusing himself to finish more errands.
Twenty minutes later, Rubio was gone. Street finished paying some bills, went to the store and found himself alone in the kitchen making dinner. He ate and then stored the leftovers in containers, placing them in the fridge. He saved the food mostly for his lunch, but at times Rubio asked to take some to where he was staying too. It helped that Chris had established a meal plan and usually left him a prepared grocery list for the week. At times she even scheduled the delivery of the ingredients!
Street's eyelids became heavier and heavier, as he began feeling tired and sleepy. With the thick silence of the place, the chilly breeze coming from the opened living room window and all the overtime and hard work from the week, Street had no chance. He quickly finished in the kitchen and went straight to the shower.
As he was undressing he heard shrieks coming from Rubio's room. Aw, man! Topo go to sleep! he thought regretting the dog now more than ever.
He stuck his head out and noticed the small pup was staring at his door, tail wagging.
"Why are you crying?" he asked. As if the dog could answer, stupid me! He thought, shaking his head
RIIIIING
RIIIING
Are you serious? I can't even take a shower. Jesus! Unless it's Chris for phone sex, I'm not answering! He decided, as he felt a cool breeze grace his bear back. He tip toed to the living room, moving cushions and items, desperately looking for the ringing mobile. He felt chills all over his pectorals and obliques, as his muscles tightened under the sudden change of temperature. He rubbed his biceps as he continued to look for the phone. Finally, he spotted it just under Topo's crate box, which was still in the same place as when he first brought it up.
Uh oh! I better answer! He thought, as he wasn't a call from this individual
"Hello?" he answered
"I was about to hang up, Street!" Hondo answered, annoyed
"Sorry, I couldn't find it."
"Listen, Street. You gotta talk with Chris." Hondo said desperately
"Why? What happened?" he asked panicking.
BING
BAM
Street was so worried about the conversation he didn't even bother to check the sudden noises coming from the boy's bedroom.
"Long story short. Hicks, D and myself, we got called downtown for a polygraph about Chris' performance in SWAT. I didn't like the tone or the insinuations of the guy so... I kinda, sorta, did my thing to find the address of where they're stashing her. Caught her packing, Street. I can't believe this. She's in the final stretch, how can she quit now? You can't let her do it!"
"Woah! Wait, Hondo. What do you mean packing? Program isn't going to be over in maybe another week. I heard the mayor added more certifications and stuff. Tomorrow there will be a conference announcement!"
"I don't know, kid. She seemed very desperate and scared. She's afraid of losing you and the kid."
BING
BAM
Again, the same noises from before. Street turned his torso but didn't move his feet. He glanced to that side of the apartment, but turned quickly. He figured it was the breeze from his kid's room, knocking down some of the stuff on his dresser.
"I'll give her a call. I think she might be homesick." he said taking a deep breath
"It's more than that. Street, if you care about her you wont let her quit. She fought for you to be in SWAT, now you gotta return the favor. You know she's stubborn! You need to comfort her, make her believe everything's ok." he paused, "I mean, everything is ok, right?"
"Yeah...I think so."
"Kid alright?"
"Yeah." he answered nodding
"Luca got him home okay?"
"Yeah. He took off again with Buck." he paused, "Hondo, everything's fine."
"Something must've spooked her, Street. She be saying she gonna report tomorrow at HQ. I mean, as much as I miss her and would love to have her back, kid, we can't let that happen. She gotta keep at it. She's the best candidate they got!"
"I'll talk to her."
"Aight, and you sure everything's ok? Don't lie to me, boy!"
"I'm serious, Hondo. Everything's fine." he said with a smirk
"Aight. Listen, I was also calling to ask you if there's any problem with Calvin heading out with your boy this weekend."
"He's staying over at Connor's place for a video game tournament."
"Yeah, Rubio called him and now he all up on his mom, but Kat got somewhere to be and I got training down at the South East division. You think you can take him for me?"
"Yeah. Have her drop him off here in the morning. Deacon and I will take the day to start that weekend gig we have."
"I heard. Man! I'm thankful for y'all. Raymont is one excited cat right now!"
"Glad we could help."
"You'll earn big bucks, kid. Be smart with the money!"
"Excuse me, boss. But you are talking to a new and improved version of Street."
"Right." Hondo said skeptically
"Just have faith in me!"
"Aight, I gotta go, but don't forget to talk to Chris. Maybe straighten things out and finally unbox that thing, man!"
"What?" Street gasped, "Hondo!"
"I aint saying anything. Just talk to her. If you need anything , holla at cha boy! I'm out!" Hondo said with a slight giggle. He hung up so fast, Street didn't even have a chance to respond.
He stood there, in the same place, motionless. Shocked. He pulled the phone away from his ear slowly and just stared at it. He felt a shiver all the way down in his underwear, as the thought of Chris quitting invaded his brain. This was just too much! Either he thought of himself, looking like a scared cat to his team or of her, feeling intimidated by an entire system. Yeah, of her was better.
I just need a warm shower to focus better. Yeah. That's it! he thought confidently as he bent down to remove his underwear. He turned towards the bathroom and headed to the shower. The warm water was the perfect remedy for tensed muscles and a puzzled brain. He enjoyed the soothing sensation, as he tried to untangle the million thoughts racing around in his head.
BLOOP BLOOP
The sound of the drops on the cold floor was the only one heard throughout the apartment. He grabbed the last clean towel and dried himself as he walked to his room. Now, the cool breeze felt great as it brazed every nook of his body. Just as he opened the overflowing drawer to retrieve clean underpants he glanced at the bed, under the undone bedding.
"TOPO!" he yelled scaring the creature out of its skin, "What? Get out! Out! Shoo!" he said loudly flailing his arms, trying to scare the dog out.
RIIIING
RIIING
"Are you serious!? I'm still naked!" Street complained turning to the living room. He then turned to the dog on the bed, "You better be off by the time I return! I swear, Topo!" he continued to complain under his breath, as he quickly grabbed some underwear and put in on, moving quickly towards the living room. The sound of the ringing phone continued to sound repetitively.
"Hello?" he answered after the fourth ring
"I'm here!" called Rubio, "Can you help me with something, pops?"
"Alright, give me a sec. I'll come down." he said before hanging up.
After putting on pants, a shirt and some flip flops, Street headed downstairs. As he made his way outside, he noticed Rubio had tons of bags at his feet.
"More bags?" Street asked surprised
"Yeah. Me and ma got Topo a surprise!" Rubio said excitingly, as Buck looked on from the driver's side. He was the only passenger in the car, so it was clear he had taken his family back home.
"Well, you know what? He's grounded!" Street said annoyed
GASP!
"What? Pero...what happened? Pops, you don't hit him, do you?" the kid asked, panicking
Street stood firmly as he noticed Buck opened his door and rushed around the car.
"I told you I don't want the dog on my bed, Rubio!" he said sternly
"But pops..." he began to complain, as both males began a heated discussion
"Hey! Hey!" Buck interrupted. Both males stopped and stared at him as stood between them. "Shhhh! he said, "Go. Let me talk to your dad." he ordered staring at the boy.
Rubio nodded and silently went into the building, leaving two bags behind. He shot a frown at Street, similar to the one he had outside of the center on JR Swat Day, back when he didn't know the officer. Street rebutted with an angry frown of his own!
When the kid was gone, "Pick those up, Jim!" Buck ordered, angrily.
Street moved quietly, bending over and grabbing the bags.
"What's your problem with the dog?"
"I don't want him in my bed, in my things! I have so much dog hair in my clothes it's ridiculous. Why did you get him a dog, Buck?" Street said annoyed
Buck lowered his head and took a deep breath. "It wasn't me." he said shaking his head slowly
He raised his gaze to meet a confused frown from Street. "Why didn't you hold him off at least until he asked me?"
"It wasn't his idea either" Buck said slowly
"What?" Street was now physically puzzled, as he placed both bags on the floor and took steps towards him. The older gentleman turned his back to him, placing both hands inside of his pockets and taking a few steps away from Street, all while staring at the ground and taking deep breaths.
CHAPTER 35: Bed or couch
"Buck?" Street called
"Look!" he snapped, turning around to face him, "Just...don't hit the dog!"
"Talk to me, man!" Street demanded
"Alright. You didn't hear it from me, you understand?"
Street nodded quietly, as Buck gestured towards the car. Both men stood next to it as the younger officer leaned his back against the passenger door, arms crossed over his chest.
"The other night, Chris called. She wanted to know how our meeting went and we talked some. I sensed something was off and called her out: she wanted to quit the program. She admitted it so, saying she loved having a home more than anything the job could offer. Said being away from you and the boy was getting to her and she'd had enough...plus they were making it 10 times harder on her. I spoke to her, reminded her about her beginnings at SWAT, but she kept saying things are different now." he paused
Street was beginning to understand there was a trend happening. First Hondo, now Buck. Why didn't she tell him?
"Said something about shrinks getting to her...so I asked her what helped her through SWAT rookie days. She said the guys and...thinking about the good memories with her K9. She'd even swing by and see him, from time to time. Now that he wasn't here, she didn't have anything to hold on to."
Street listened attentively, as now Buck was pacing the floor.
"So, she called the day we were at the park and at some point the dog crossed the street. There was a commotion and Rubio went after it. Saved the pup's life! Chris was in the phone when it happened. She told him to take the dog home. Said it was a spare of the moment. She knew he would help her cove with the anxiety of the program, plus the kid's shrink said having a routine with discipline and responsibility could help him with his learning condition. She told him her k9 saved her when she was about to quit SWAT, maybe this little guy can save her now. So, they made a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yeah. Boy had to stay and take care of the dog while she took care of him and you downtown. Said if he ran away a car could impact him or the dog. By the way, she told me about him running in the middle of the night and about the psychotic episode. " he paused, "So, from that moment on, he had to send her a picture of the dog three times a day: when he wakes up here, during the day and one just before going to bed. That way she makes sure the kid is always home."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
"She said she would. I guess...you two haven't talked yet, huh?"
Street shook his head, quietly.
"Listen, that dog is not just a dog. It's the therapy that both she and the kid need. If you put a hand on it, you will lose them both!"
"I won't!"
"He's probably really upset, which may prompt him to run" Buck said gesturing to the building
"I'll talk to him."
"You do that... and tell him the truth! He's a teenager, he understands stuff, Jim. Be straight with him."
"Like you were with me?"
"Yeah" he said nodding his head once
Buck placed a hand on his shoulder, nodded and turned to the car. He went around the car. "Just...try to keep the peace. Want my advice? If it bothers you so much, just sleep in the couch!" he said slamming the door.
"Hey buddy!" Street said shyly, from behind the teenager's closed bedroom door, "Can we talk?"
Silence.
"Ok. Look, I'm sorry I yelled at Topo. I swear I didn't put a hand on him. I would never hurt him!" he said leaning on the door frame.
Silence.
"Are you upset?"
Silence.
"Why don't we talk about it?"
Silence. He waited a full minute. Nothing.
"Well, ok. I'll just talk with Topo, then." he paused, "Hey little buddy! Listen, I don't have a problem with you chewing on my socks or following me when I eat or staring at me when I'm in the toilette, but...can we talk bout you in the bed, please? I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I really don't like your hiney in my face. I can give you the whole bed if you want, ok? When you grow older, maybe you'll find a girl dog that likes your butt, but me? I already got a girl, buddy!" he finished with a smirk
He heard some sounds and then watched as the doorknob twisted open. The door opened slowly, as the boy return to sit at the edge of the bed. Street saw the backpack and the boy dressed down to his running shoes. A plastic bag laid on the bed, as the pillow showed damp spots, where Street assumed his tears had fallen.
"Please, don't be afraid." he said almost in a whisper
The boy just sat, face looking down, quiet. Street approached him and squatted down in front of him.
"I'm sorry, ok? I lost my cool and I yelled at Topo." he said slowly
With his finger, Rubio pointed at the dog, which was comfortably lying on the small bed inside of the closed gate. Street turned to it, opened up the gate and brought the pup out by carrying him slowly towards him. He cradled the dog with in his hand, placing him against his chest, while smiling.
"I'm sorry, buddy!" he said as the small dog began licking his face enthusiastically "Ok, ok..." Street said pulling away slowly, "Your breath stinks, Topo! Smells like dog food!"
"He was hungry!" Rubio complained
Street began giggling as the dog became hyperactive in his arms. Licking his face, munching on his fingers, scratching his chest and arms, hopping on his arms...the dog became possessed! It had been a long time since Street had been tickled and actually giggled, but it felt really good. The bond between human and canine was finally starting to flourish, as even the teenager joined the giggles.
Topo cuddled with his favorite toy next to Street, as the man enjoyed a night cap of cold brew. He heard Rubio open the bathroom door and rush to his room to finish getting ready for bed.
"Hey!" Street called from the couch
"Pops, where is Topo?" he asked. Then he called "Topito!"
"He's here!" Street said pointing at the sleeping fellow
Rubio came out of the room and joined him in the couch. "See? He really likes you, pops."
Jim took a sip of coffee and nodded his head while rolling his eyes. The boy just smirked.
"Listen." he said placing the cup on the side table. Topo didn't even move as he slept peacefully. "Alright, so..." he said turning to Rubio." I met with Alex today."
"What did he say?" he responded, while the smiles faded
"It's official, judge denied bail to the Petersons. So, they're in jail."
"They have money." he lamented
"But they can't get out. Denied bail means they have to stay in jail until their trial. So...they can't hurt you!"
"Really?"
"Yeah" Street said nodding, placing a tender hand on his shoulder
"But...what about me?"
Street took a deep breath. "Well, he and I talked about the facts, the evidence and the strategies that will be used in your defense...but, I'll tell you one thing. It doesn't look good for them!"
"What possibility I have, pops? Tell me the truth, please."
"We will meet with Judge Rodgers on Tuesday and if everything goes according to plan, they will probably want to bargain. A deal could mean charges are dropped and Alex will go for complete expunge of your record. Meaning, eliminating the entire accusation and leaving your record clean."
"So, I can go for SWAT after graduation?"
Street smirked. "It starts with police academy, buddy. And yeah, you can definitely go that route."
"Pops," the kids paused thinking, "do I have to go?"
"No, you study whatever you want. We will support your decision either way."
"I talked with Tío Cosa because I want to be SWAT but I want to cook too. I can cook for my team and in my free time cook in the truck. That make sense?"
"Yeah. I know Hondo cooks really good food."
"Hondo cooks?"
"Yeah, mostly southern, you know? Creole and soul food."
"And he's the leader."
"Yeah, he's cooked for us." he paused as the dog shuffled his head and went back to sleep. When the dog was comfortable, he resumed, "I remembered my first stake out. I was with your mom and he brought us food. We didn't get to taste it until much later in the day, but I remember it was tasty. I think it was some type of stew or something."
"So, I can be like ma -captain- and cook too?"
"You can be whatever you wanna be!" he said as he put his arm around the kids neck and tugged at it, remembering Chris. He really needed to sit down and this time, talk things through!
FINAL STRAW
Their talk was postponed...yet again! Chris texted late complaining of a headache and sleepiness, so Street told her to take some pills and go to sleep. He hoped for a better chance tomorrow.
Monday at HQ meant a heavy buzz as everyone reported back to work. People chatted, coffee grinder sounded, keyboards sounds had echos, sneakers pounded the floors and lockers were opened and closed.
Deacon and Hondo were enjoying some coffee in the kitchen, as Luca chatted with the rookies near the training area and Tan checked his phone in the locker room. The temperatures were above the one hundred degrees, so no one really wanted to get calls today. Except Hicks, who didn't have a choice. The older gentleman hadn't been able to make it to HQ because he was summoned to an urgent meeting with the major's staff at City Hall.
"Guys, Hicks on!" Deacon called standing in the hallway.
"I'll get Street!" Luca said as the ladies headed to kitchen
Meanwhile, Street was down at the range training room working on drills drawn out by Hondo. With Chris gone, Hondo had assigned Street and Tan for main sniper duties. They each had to work hard to earn the top spot for sniper of the team, as they had huge shoes to fill. So, he took advantage of all available time to work on his aim, maneuvers and others. Even though he had won Master Gunner during the TLI competition, he wanted the sniper duties all to himself and set his goal to be even better than his girl.
POW
POW
POW
"More or less" he said to himself removing the protective eye and ear gears. He shrugged as he knew he could do better. Truth is Deacon worked with him last week and said he was doing great, but Street was skeptical. The older officer warned that sometimes we could be our worst enemies, especially when striving for perfection.
"Hey, Street!" he turned to the door, as Luca stuck his head in
"Sup bro?" he greeted by nodding once
"Take a break. Huge conference in City Hall now...they'll talk about sis' task force! Hurry up!" he said and quickly left.
Without any hesitation, Street placed everything away hurriedly and made his way to the main floor. He saw Luca who waved at him from the kitchen.
The kitchen was crowded, as everyone gathered around the screen in the far wall. Some sat on the stools, most gathered around the tables. There was a huge buzz as the top officials of the LAPD were announced and presented besides the mayor and the Chief of Police in the front. The camera got a glimpse of the special invites, as Commander Hicks made a cameo appearance. Other officials, agents and personnel were presented.
"Luca, can you turn it up a bit?" Deacon asked
Luca went for the controller and turned the volume on as the newscaster was beginning the report.
"Good morning to everyone and thank you for joining us as we interrupt our regular programming to bring you a special conference from City Hall. Members of congress, along with the mayor's office, the governor and many other top officials have gathered to present what they promise will be the first major step in fighting mass gun violence in our city. Chief Vargas will be addressing the audience about a new task force that will be part of a pilot program to commence here in our city. According to government sources, the ultimate goal is to have several units of this task force across the US. An official interviewed said, It will be a major step into improving the security and safety of our people and if successful here in LA it will mean an immense prestige..."
As the reporter continued, the officers became restless. Everybody was cheering for their own, as they looked for their teammate in the crowd. She was nowhere to be seen.
"Street, where is she?" Luca asked turning to Street
"I don't know!" Street said
"Boy, how do you not know?" asked Hondo disappointed, shaking his head. This caused some to giggled as everyone stared at Jim, who just shrugged.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We thank everyone for joining us here..." said the chief, as he began greeting and welcoming everyone present.
"Hey Street!" called Powell from the far side, "Did she make captain?"
"I don't know" he answered, with another shrug
"Boy, what do you know?" asked Hondo, again disappointed. The time he dumped his head and held his forehead with his hand. The rest giggled as the stares returned to Jim, who just smiled. He knew Hondo was just messing with him!
"Being said that, we would like to announce that very very soon the city of Los Angele will become the first ever to count with a new elite team. A task force composed of highly trained personnel on areas of mental health, tactics and law enforcement to offer the protection and knowledge to deal with massive attacks and trauma. This force was the result of many many drafts, consultations and revisions, with congresswoman Johannesburg and her team, Mayor Thomas and his staff and yours truly with a board of commissioners. We will all witness what happens when the leaders of our nation and our city come together to provide the best of the best in time of need. Our great country is suffering an unfortunate time of chaos in public places and it is time something is done. Out thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and families, but it's not enough. We will provide this city with the best trained personnel in several areas of human health, behavioral analysis and tactics, so as to ensure the least amount of casualties and better procedures during these types of events."
There was a deep silence in the kitchen as everyone listened attentively. You could drop a pin and it would've made a thunderous echo!
"We have been working very hard with this project, now coming into our 8th week of work. From thousands of possible candidates we rounded up sixteen officers to be part of the team and three potential candidates for Grand Commander. We have met with congresswoman, our mayor and other officials and we will be announcing today the official members of the team."
Chief Vargas gestured to the audience, as eight officers from the front row stood up in unison and turned to face the audience. Everyone was wearing long black shirts over polyester pants.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Mass Shooting and Trauma Task Force, MST for short." he paused as a round of applause was heard from the audience
"Weren't there two squads?" Tan asked
All the officers frowned as everyone clearly remembered the 16 men that helped in the operation down at Cooper Heights.
"They literally cut an entire squad! Wow!" Deacon said shrugging
"But as we all know every team needs a prominent leader. Our board wants to ensure that the person in charge of this elite force represents the skills and knowledge to deal with delicate situations that require complex decision making and critical thinking skills. Out of thousands of possible candidate and after many many hours of selection, we had limited the possibilities to three candidates. Well, after 8 weeks in the program my office has confidently lowered that amount to two candidates."
The chief suddenly turned sideways, as the camera caught the two candidates coming from the door of the room.
"Wait a minute!" Luca said taking a step closer to the screen
"Her uniform!" Deacon said surprised
"She's wearing SWAT uniform!" Powell said as everyone was surprised
"Yay! Let's go sis!" Luca cheered
"Woot woot!" Street joined in
"Ladies and gentlemen, I give to you the two candidates that will undergo one final week of evaluations to determine who will occupy the most prestigious position our city has ever had the pleasure to host. Lieutenant General Sims, from the..." the older official took a step forward and nodded his head to the audience, as he stood straight with a frown on his face.
"Can I boo?" Street asked shyly, provoking others to shake their heads and giggle
"Be a good sport, Street!" Deacon scolded
"Booooo!" said Luca with two thumbs down. Street immediately joined the chorus of boos
"Thank you Lieutenant. Our second candidate from LAPD SWAT, Metro Division, Captain Christina Alonso..."
Gasp!
Everyone held their breath for a second, as the room went quiet, the officers were motionless.
"SHE MADE CAPTAIN! WOOO HOOO" Luca yelled as a burst of energy and laughter was felt throughout the building!
Thank you for reading! Votes and comments are always welcomed :D
Remember to look for the other stories within the Unexpected series: Trojan Horse, JR Swat, Alonso Gone, Digital Purge, The Perfect Daughter, Street's #1 Fan and Franken Doc.
Next up...Crime Set and Lightning & Rush.
