The Equalizer Ch. 9

It was Sunday night and they just finished dinner. Dee just left for ice cream with her father. Marcus helped Aunt Vi put away the dishes and put up the leftover food. Robyn made herself a cup of Rooibos tea. She took the China cup and put it to her lips, she blew on the tea. After she took a sip, she felt movement in her belly and put her hand over her belly button.

Marcus came from behind her and put his hands on either side of her belly. Next, he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I love you Robyn. You're what I want out of life," he said while still holding her.

Robyn couldn't believe he actually used the L word. She answered back, "I love you too Marcus and this family is what I want," she kissed him back.

"Robyn I don't want you at the sting operation at the Block Party tomorrow."

"What?"

"It can be dangerous for you and the babies. I don't want either of you getting hurt."

"Hmm you're right. It's not just me any more my body is housing two little humans. Hmm I never thought I would be doing that again after Delilah turned twelve."

"I didn't think I'd be fathering anymore children either now that my boys are teenagers, but I'm glad that I have this second chance at parenting and I'm doing it with you."

"Me too. And about the sting operation I can just watch from Harry's lab and help with behind the scenes."

"I promise to be careful while I'm there. We are going to be searching the premises for any bombs," Marcus. At the word bombs Robyn noticed that Marcus shuffled is feet as is he felt uneasy.

"I wish you didn't have to be there. We need you alive and unharmed.

Marcus' eye twitched " Yeah I would like to be alive too."

"This your first time with a serious bomb threat?"

"Yeah, it is," Marcus didn't make eye contact.

"I wish you didn't have to go. It would be great if you could stay the night," Robyn spoke close to his lips.

"Yeah, and that's how we got the babies," Marcus said smiling before kissing her.

The day of the block party seemed to be a perfect day except for the fact that there were neo nazis blending in with actors portraying people from the neighborhood. The sun illuminated a crystal blue sky and the temperature was in the seventies. Celebratory music played over the speakers and the smell of grilled meat and multi ethnic foods filled the air.

There were no children running about but that was because the police didn't want to endanger child actors, There weren't even any teenaged actors who were under eighteen years old. Older teenagers danced among themselves while others milled about the block to sample food. The local restaurants had vending booths.

Meanwhile Robyn and Harry watched from his lab. They observed the actors and those who weren't.

"Wait a minute what's up with this guy who isn't interacting with anybody?" Robyn said.

The man appeared to be in his early thirties and wore a Yankees baseball cap with a blue crew neck shirt and khakis.

"Dante keep your eyes on this guy in a Yankees cap and blue crew cut he seems suspicious," Robyn said through his ear piece.

Marcus looked in the left mirror of his disguised police car and saw that there was a man on the roof of the public library which was adjacent to a bakery.

"There's a suspicious person on the roof, I think he's a shooter," Marcus said through his ear piece.

"I'm on it! Mel said racing toward the library.

Just then the Chinese restaurant the Golden Palace erupted and became engulfed in flames.

Dante got out of his police car with his gun in hand and the swat team followed suit.

Meanwhile Mel tackled the sniper on the library roof. She managed wrestle him down to the ground and cuff him.

Back on the ground Dante was looking for the man in a Yankees cap. People were running in all different directions while the fire fighters pressed their way to the Golden Palace.

In an alley between a soul food joint and a multi-cultural boutique the man in the Yankees cap was making a Molotov cocktail.

"Hey put your hands up!" Dante said.

The man ran with the Molotov Cocktail in hand.

Dante pursued him.

The man threw the cocktail into the window of the boutique setting the drapes ablaze.

Dante gained on the man and then kneed him in the back before bringing him down to the ground.

"You're too late the purging has already begun. This is just one neighborhood but soon we will be cleaning many others until this country is the place its meant to be for me and my brothers."

"Yeah, yeah. Save it for the manifesto," Dante said as he led the man to a cop car.

Mel turned over the man on the roof to the police and after a number of minutes the fire fighters were able to put out the fire in the Golden Palace and the boutique.

"I can't believe this hatred has still survived all these movements for change that's gone on through the decades," Mel said as she watched the owners of the Golden Palace and the boutique look at the remains of their dreams with devastated looks on their faces.

"It takes going after these hate groups and re-educating people," Dante said with a shake of his head.

Later when Dante got back to Harry's lab Robyn embraced him and kissed him.

"Wait your lips taste like cognac. Have you been drinking Marcus?"

"Un yeah," he rubbed his head and avoided eye contact.

"You don't normally drink Marcus. What's going on? Are you hiding something from me?"

He avoided eye contact.

"Marcus I'm talking to you. What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything from you."

"Now you're lying to me too?! You taste like cognac something's up because you're not a drinker, Marcus Damon Dante!"

" What happened today something about White guys trying to take out people of color rattled me. I mean when I looked into the eyes of the guy I arrested I saw burning crosses and lynched bodies. You know I've dealt with serial killers but this case this one made me scared to bring anymore children into this world. I realize this makes me seem weak stomached."
"No. It doesn't. I guess the serial killers didn't alarm you because they are rarities but White supremacists are more common so you can't tell yourself that it's just one person who's hateful but there are hate groups that are still active."

"I guess that's why the work we do is so important. To make a brighter tomorrow for our children. That's why we must stay the course," Dante said candidly.

Robyn pulled him into and embrace, "I'm glad you opened up to me. Why didn't you just talk to me?"

"I didn't want to seem like I couldn't protect you."

"Oh Marcus, I'm your girlfriend you're supposed to be able to share these things with me."

"I wanted to, but I didn't want to give you anymore to worry about, just focus on your work and growing the babies."

"It's a balancing act for sure but you need a safe place for catharsis and I'd like to be that place.

"It's just that I've been a cop for years now and I didn't think anything could rattle me at this point in my career."

"You know you were triggered in fact I'm surprised that you didn't mention the incident that happened when you were abducted, Marcus," Robyn held his face.

"About that, I feel like I'm making progress with my trauma. I no longer have nightmares about being left for dead in a warehouse and panic attacks have become more of a rare occurrence."

"I'm glad to hear that baby. That was scary I didn't know if we'd get to you fast enough."

"I thought the same about your abduction," he said holding her waist.

"We've both been through a lot nothing to do but to keep trucking," Robyn said with grit in her voice.

Unexpectedly Robyn received a notification on her phone.

She took her phone out of her pocket and looked at it pensively.

"What is it?" Marcus asked.

"It's the results to the paternity test I took with Miles."

"Ohhh."

"Of course it's negative. I wonder if he's looking at this now. He should be getting the notification too."

"I bet he's taking it well," Marcus said facetiously.

"I don't know what to tell him at this point."

"You don't owe him anything else."

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