This City Is On Fire

"Jesse, I need your help." Her voice is hoarse and shaky but she doesn't even blink as she looks at me, determination shining in those green eyes. I look at her in confusion and she steps a little closer to me, her breath hitting my cheek.

"I need your help taking down Gomez

A few seconds pass and all I can do is stare at her. I know she's serious by the way she's looking at me and the tone of her voice. She hates that she's asking for my help but she wouldn't come to me unless I was her last hope. Finally I'm able to pull myself back together and step back so she can come inside. At first she looks around suspiciously before she finally does.

"Just sit down, I'll be right back," I tell her, pointing at the couch before disappearing into the kitchen. Maddie is waiting for me, arms folded across her chest.

"That's her?" she asks, nodding towards her living room.

"Yeah, she uh.. She needs my help." Maddie rolls her eyes but manages a smile.

"That man that was killed last night was a friend of hers," I say. Instantly her expression changes and she glances at the disheveled woman sitting on her couch, nervously biting a fingernail.

"Well then.. Why don't you call Michael and I'll keep Emma company." She pats my arm and shuffles towards the couch. Emma looks up and smiles as Maddie joins her and the two begin a conversation I can't hear.

I find my phone where I left it and I dial Michael's number, sucking in a breath. It rings two times, just like always, before his gruff voice greets me.

"Yeah Jess, got anything?"

"Ah, no," I admit. I can already hear his patience running out. "I need some help over here at your mom's though."

"My ma's? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, she's fine. But I think you need to head over here before I tell you what's going on."

"Give me ten minutes, I'll be there."

Hanging up the phone I step into the living room and see Emma asleep on the couch and Maddie hovering protectively nearby in a chair, watching her with that motherly look in her eyes. I walk past both of them and head outside to wait for Michael; I want him to hear the news from me before he sees it for himself.

…

Exactly ten minutes later Michael's charger rolls up and he steps out, Fi trailing behind him. I offer her a smile and Michael a nod, meeting them on the porch and stopping them before they walk inside. Michael looks a little suspicious while Fi just looks concerned.

"Your mom's fine I promise. But someone did stop by.." I point towards the window and let the two peer inside, their eyes widening when they see Emma asleep. Michael turns to me, looking a little agitated but not mad. That's a good first step.

"Jesse I thought we agreed you were done with her, after last night we have absolutely no business with her." I sigh, wishing Michael had the ability to listen as well as he speaks.

"I didn't call her Mike she showed up herself. She was completely out of it, David died this morning." There's a small gasp from Fi and a growl from Michael and his hand reaches out and smacks the side of the house.

"Dammit! Gomez and his men are getting to brave, this needs to stop. Now." Nodding in agreement I point at Emma and purse my lips slightly.

"That's what she came for. She wants our help taking him down." Michael seems to think I'm joking and he laughs and looks at Fiona. The look on her face seems to change his mind and I can tell she believes me.

"I couldn't tell her no Mike, she was crying and she still had his blood on her hands.." I stop talking before I get myself too worked up. Fi decides to leave the two of us alone and heads inside to speak to Maddie, no doubt wanting to find out more about Emma. As soon as she's gone Michael looks at me and I can't read his expression.

"Alright Jess we'll do it." His words are surprising; I honestly didn't think he would agree to this. Not only are we now taking on Gomez with just five people, but now we're going against Miami PD as well.

"I guess we should get started," he says, walking into the house and leaving me outside to fully digest our new mission. Shaking off the uneasy feeling I have I walk back inside and see Emma awake and watching Michael and Fiona cautiously. When she sees me she offers a small smile and I sit down in the chair across from her, not ready to push the boundaries.

Maddie flanks one side of her and Fi the other, if I didn't know any better I would think they were protecting her from me. Michael is standing a few feet away, watching the women and me before he steps forward and kneels down so he's face to face with Emma. The look in her eyes tells me he's a little too close for her comfort but she doesn't voice this, she looks too tired to do much right now anyways.

"So Emma, how long has PD been after Gomez?" he asks causally, moving to sit beside Fi. Emma fidgets in her seat, I know she's uncomfortable divulging information she swore to protect. Maddie lays a reassuring hand on her arm and she clears her throat.

"He first showed up on our radar about seven months ago when a shootout at a marina occurred. At first we thought it was just a territory dispute between gangs but when CSI took apart one of the boats they found a stash of heroin. One of the survivors ratted out Gomez in exchange for a lesser sentence." Mike and Fi rolled their eyes, although the revelation wasn't surprising. A gangbanger was nothing after they heard the word prison.

"Anyways, after that Gomez dropped off the map for about two weeks and we put together a story and placed one of our guys on the inside. He lasted for almost two months before Gomez got suspicious and had him killed.." she shook her head in disgust just as Fiona spoke up.

"So David wasn't the first one killed by Gomez and his men." Emma looked up with sorrow in her eyes and shook her head.

"No. And that's why this has to stop. I'm done sitting around while all our people are dying." Her voice has a sharp edge and her hands are curled into fists. I admire her courage so much, but there's no way I can tell her that right now. Michael and I lock eyes and he nods his head, encouraging me to ask the question we're both dreading.

"So, there's no way David was playing for the other side right? Just to be sure?" It happens so fast I barely have time to register it, Emma's hand makes contact with my skin, the slap audible in the almost silent living room. I can hear her screaming at me while Fiona does her best to calm her down and Michael holds her tightly around her midsection.

"Screw you Jesse! How could even begin to think that?" she screeches, fighting Michael's tight grasp. He walks her to the opposite end of the room and places her on the ground, keeping a tight hold on her arm. Maddie comes over and inspects my cheek, deciding I'm alright before going back to her seat on the couch. She looks worriedly at Emma and Michael who are having a hushed conversation. Finally they come back to the couch and Michael puts himself between us.

Emma looks at me with angry eyes as she mutters, "sorry." I nod and accept the apology, listening to Michael dive right back into the story.

"So what led you guys to the raid last night? Did someone tip you off?" Emma runs her fingers through her straight hair and nods slowly.

"We had an informant that knows all the dealers in Miami. He had overheard a few of the guys in the crew talking about the raid and we decided enough was enough. We just didn't count on them taking shots at us." Her voice fades away and there's a hint of regret mixed in with it. I can tell she blames herself for not protecting her partner, but as my eyes drift to the bandage on her arm I can't seem to agree with her.

"Were you hit?" I ask, pointing at the injury, there's a bloodstain on the white cloth, it needs to be changed.

"It's just a scratch," she says stiffly, looking down at it with distaste. Maddie stands up and moves to the kitchen, coming back with a first aid kit and handing it to Fiona.

"You know how to take care of this stuff better than I do," she tells her. Fiona nods and smiles at Emma, offering her hand.

"Why don't we go to the bathroom and take care of this?" she offers kindly. Emma follows without complaint, her movement slow and jerky. I can see how tired she is as she disappears into the bathroom with Fi, after a few minutes Maddie gets up and joins them, leaving Michael and I alone on the couch.

"I'm sorry I made you ask her that Jess. It should've been me, she already didn't trust me."

"No it's alright. I'm sure it was better that she heard it from me than from a stranger." I say, although I'm not sure I believe it, either way I wasn't gonna let Michael take the blame. He's already doing so much for me.

"Well as soon as Fi is done in there we're gonna head out and meet Sam, we need to bring him up to speed before we go any further with this." He stands up and grabs his keys off the table.

"And both you and Emma need sleep." He tells me sternly, as if I'm a child. I roll my eyes but nod my affirmation, walking out to the garage to make up the bed for Emma.

I'm almost done when she walks slowly inside, watching me work form the doorway. She stays silent and at first I'm not even aware she's watching me. When I see her I smile and grab a pillow off the bed and a blanket Maddie had given me a while ago. When she sees what I'm doing she immediately starts protesting and snatches the pillow and blanket from my hand.

"I'm not taking your bed," she says, tossing the pillow on the couch. I reach out to catch her by the arm but I think better of it, we don't need a repeat of earlier.

"Come on Em, just take the bed." She freezes when she hears the nickname I gave her but she doesn't budge, keeping her feet firmly planted in front of the couch. Groaning in frustration I walk to the bed and turn the lights off before crawling in, waiting until I hear Emma settle before I get comfortable. After a few minutes of lying in the dark I hear her voice tear through the silence.

"Jess?" she calls quietly. I sit up a bit and see her staring up at the ceiling.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you.. For helping me. It means a lot." I smile to myself and feel my heart swell a bit; it's been too long since she's spoken to me like that.

"You're welcome Em. Now go to bed, you need some sleep." I hear her scoff and I can picture her shaking her head at me. The next few days are going to be long ones.