Playing the Game

by Graysen Morgen

  “I don’t know, actually.”

  “Me,” Olivia said, tossing her gloves on the bench before removing her wrist tape. “You sneak one by me every now and then, but I stop most of them,” she added, smirking in Randi’s direction. “And, I still get pissed every time, but that was a sweet ball.”

  Randi laughed.

  “Let’s go, ladies. MJ’s waiting. We all know how much he loves game film,” Olivia said, referring to their coach.

  21

  It had been ten days since Berkley put in her request to join SWAT. She knew they were looking to replace a person who had stepped down when he’d decided to join VICE as a detective recently. Still, she figured she’d know something by now.

  “Ride or die,” Garrett said, fist-bumping her as they left the roll call room to head out on their shifts.

  “Ride or die,” she replied.

  “Ward, stop in my office before you hit the street,” the captain said, catching her in the hallway.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, adjusting the utility belt around her waist before walking in behind him. Garrett had already left.

  “I see you want to join SWAT,” he stated, folding his hands into a triangle with his elbows on the desk. She stared at him for a second. He’d always reminded her of Richard Gere with the thick grey hair, dimpled smile, and wireframe glasses. He was laidback as far as captains went, but that was because he’d been around a long time and had a very strong support staff under him.

  “Correct,” she answered.

  “We’ve never had a woman on SWAT.”

  “First time for everything…sir.”

  “I said the same thing when I spoke to Lieutenant Sullivan earlier today,” he said. “You’ll have to take the exam and go through a psych evaluation, and a PT evaluation. If you pass all of those, you’ll come out of the field for a week-long course at the state academy.”

  “Uh…” Berkley cleared her throat. “Great. When do I take the exam?”

  “You have to study first. It’s a pretty intense exam.”

  “Actually, I’ve been studying for over a year. This is something I’ve wanted for a while.”

  “I see.” He typed a few keys on the computer. “The next exam session is Wednesday. How does that sound?”

  “I’ll be off for three after tomorrow, so that works out fine.”

  “Alright. You’re on the schedule. Be at the testing center at nine in the morning. You’ll have two hours to complete the hundred questions, plus the written portion.” He stood and held his hand out. “Good luck.”

  “Thank you, sir,” she replied, shaking his hand.

  *

  Stepping outside of the building, Berkley pulled dark sunglasses down over her eyes. She was still in shock. SWAT was her goal from the beginning. They were the bad boys, and she wanted to be one of them. It was part of the reason she was built like a brick house. She’d mentally and physically trained herself to the point there was nothing left to do, except put in for the promotion. She was ready, and she knew it.

  “Well?” Garrett said, answering his phone when he saw her name.

  “I’m in.”

  “Hell yeah!” he yelled.

  “I take the exam on Wednesday and go from there.”

  “Sweet. You’re ready for this.”

  “Thanks.”

  *

  Richey’s biggest rival, Houston, was on the field for warm-ups first, but they quickly followed. Each player went through the monotonous dynamic warm-up, stretching their muscles, before getting their feet on a ball. At the same time, the goalkeepers went through a completely different warm-up. Then, the goalkeeping staff shot balls on them over and over, working top to bottom and side to side in front of the goal.

  “I hope we stomp them,” Carrie said as they made their way across the field to go into the locker room and get ready for the game.

  “Me too,” Randi replied.

  “What are we discussing?” Jorja asked.

  “Kicking Houston’s ass,” they said in unison as they neared the tunnel.

  Randi immediately noticed Berkley standing off to the side in her uniform. She couldn’t help the tingle that ran down her spine. Why does she have to be so good-looking? “Hey, you,” she said with a smile.

  “Hey,” Berkley replied with a grin.

  “Do you ever take those off?” Sasha asked, pointing to her sunglasses. “I want to see your eyes.”

  Berkley laughed and pulled them down, revealing her gorgeous blue eyes in a move that seemed way more seductive than it really was. She grinned and slid them back up as Randi shook her head.

  “That uniform, the tattoos down her arms, the deep blue eyes…she’s one sexy beast,” Sasha muttered as she entered the locker room.

  “Uh-huh,” Randi mumbled as she started changing her shirt.

  “Hey, I saw your cop outside. You should invite her to the island tomorrow,” Olivia said, passing by her. “It looked like she was into Sasha.”

  Carrie watched Randi bite her lower lip. “Sure. She probably has to work or something, but yeah, I’ll ask her after the game,” she said as Olivia continued past them to her end of the locker room.

  “Are you sure you want to do that?” Carrie whispered.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  Carrie shrugged.

  *

  Richey took the field for the start of the game. Randi started play by passing the ball back to Carrie who dribbled over the midfield line but lost it to a Houston player. Jorja was there to win it back. She quickly sent it over to Sasha to switch the field.

  “Let’s go! Press up!” Olivia shouted.

  Randi saw Sasha on a breakaway run and quickly separated from the defender who was marking her. Sasha passed the ball up to another player who sent it right through the middle of the field. Randi trapped the pass and dribbled towards the box. The defender whom she’d gotten away from came back, tackling her hard. Randi flew through the air and landed on her back.

  The referee blew her whistle and held a yellow card up to the Houston player, before signaling a penalty kick. The foul had happened just inside of the box.

  “How’s your head?” Jason, the team’s athletic trainer asked as he looked over her ankle.

  “I’m fine,” she growled, standing up.

  “That bitch has it coming to her!” Carrie snapped. “Let’s go! You’ve got this!” She clapped her hands and ran over to the rest of the team on the line while Randi readied herself to take the kick.

  Go left…go left…go left, she thought over and over. As soon as the ref blew the whistle, she wasted no time. It took three short steps before she launched the ball into the air. The keeper had gone left, as had the ball, but she’d dove for a low ball. It sailed way above her head and into the top corner of the net.

  “Yes!” the team cheered and rushed over, hugging Randi.

  *

  Berkley had to force herself not to watch the game. She was there to keep everyone safe, which meant her eyes needed to be trained on the fans, filling the seats in the stands. Still, she watched long enough to see the penalty kick, which she was glad she’d seen since the rest of the game had been a defensive battle, causing it to end with the one to zero score.

  After cooling down and signing autographs, the Richey players began making their way towards the locker room tunnel. Randi, Carrie and Olivia were always the last ones to leave the field.

  “Great game,” Berkley said.

  “Thanks,” Carrie replied.

  “Hey, we’re going over to Lake Travis tomorrow. It’s our day off,” Randi said. “Do you want to join us?”

  “You should come. It’ll be fun. I’m sure Sasha will be there,” Olivia said with a smile as she walked by.

  “I’m on shift tomorrow night. Maybe I could go after the end of this shift, before I go to bed. What time are you going?”

  “Probably like nine to maybe noon or one.”


  Berkley had planned to study as much as she could before her exam, but she’d been studying that material for several months. If she didn’t know it by now, she shouldn’t be taking the exam. “I can go for a little bit,” she said, feeling like getting away might help clear her mind. “But I have to be back here by noon to go to bed,” she added.

  “Okay, sounds good. I’ll text you in the morning to tell you where we are.”

  “Cool.”

  “Have a good night,” Randi said. “Be safe,” she added, looking into the eyes staring back at her.

  “Always.” Berkley smiled.

  22

  The night had been fairly quiet…until a white car sped through a stoplight, nearly colliding with Berkley. She quickly spun around and chased after it with her lights and sirens wailing.

  “327—in pursuit of a 505; possible 502. Newer model, white, Toyota Camry. Texas: Kilo, Lima, Six, Two, Victor, Oscar,” she radioed.

  Suddenly, the car careened to the side, crashing over a curb and through a light pole before flipping on its side, where it finally came to a stop with the driver’s side down.

  “Holy shit!” she exclaimed, grabbing the mic.

  “327—11-83. Start EMS to Longmire Plaza!” Berkley radioed as she jumped out of the car with her gun drawn. Thinking it was either someone hopped up on drugs, or really drunk, she took precaution as she moved towards the vehicle. A loud popping and fizzing sound was heard from the engine as smoke began to pour out. She quickly holstered her gun and rushed around, trying to see inside of the car, but it was dark and the windows were tinted.

  “Damn it!” She ran back to her car and got her break stick, which was a long, skinny, metal baton used to bust windows. Finding it in the doorjamb where she kept it, she rushed back over, and began busting the back window out. “327—ETA on EMS…the vehicle is on fire.”

  “Three minutes out—327,” dispatch radioed back.

  “414—on scene,” Garrett radioed as he jumped out of his car and raced over to help.

  Berkley had already crawled into the car after smashing through the back glass window. The driver was still in his seatbelt and slumped against the door. She reached around, checking his pulse. It was weak and from what she could tell, and he was barely breathing. It was a kid, maybe eighteen or nineteen at most.

  “Ward!” Garrett yelled, sticking his head through the open window.

  “GT! Do you have an extinguisher?”

  “No. EMS is two minutes out.”

  “I have to get him out! I think he’s OD’d.”

  “The front of the engine compartment is on fire! You have to get out of there!” he yelled.

  “Damn it, just hold on!” She pulled with everything she had, trying to get the seat to fold back. Finally, it broke and fell into her lap. She coughed a couple of times as smoke filled the car, but was able to get his seatbelt off.

  When Garrett saw her dragging the man against her as she neared the smashed window, he tossed his flashlight to the side and quickly grabbed the young man, helping her slide out with him. Together, they carried him far enough away to be safe. Berkley glanced back at the wreckage. The interior of the car was completely filled with smoke and orange flames lit up the night from the engine compartment.

  Garrett held his flashlight on the lifeless teen while she looked him over. His pupils were dilated and completely unfazed by the light and his pulse was so weak, she wasn’t sure she felt it at all. Garrett watched her run to the back of her car and rush back with a small plunger of medication. She quickly shoved it against the young guy’s arm and pushed the single dose of Narcan to reverse the effect of the overdose.

  Sirens were heard in the distance as Berkley rubbed his chest and talked softly to him, telling him everything was going to be okay. Garrett watched the ambulance roll to a stop just as the man’s eyes bugged out of his head and he inhaled a deep breath, almost like someone coming back from the dead. He began flailing around and Berkley held him down as best she could. Garrett rushed around to the other side to help keep him still.

  “Calm down! You’re okay.”

  “Let me go!” he yelled.

  “Look!” she screamed, grabbing his face and turning him to see the fully engulfed car. “I just pulled your ass out of there. You’re lucky you’re alive! Now, calm the fuck down!”

  “What do we have?” Dena said, rushing up to them.

  “Overdose that led to that,” Berkley said.

  “She pulled him out just before it went completely up in flames,” Garrett added.

  “Oh, my God. How’s your breathing? Did you get a lot of smoke?”

  “I’m fine, D. Just look him over.”

  “What did you take?”

  “Nothing,” he mumbled.

  “Alright, let’s start with how old are you?”

  “Nineteen.”

  “Great,” Dena said, taking his blood pressure and checking his pulse. “Do you hurt anywhere?” she asked as the fire truck arrived and began putting out the fire.

  “No.”

  “Officer Ward administered Narcan, and it brought you back to the living and breathing. Do you know what Narcan is?”

  “Nope.”

  “It works against an opioid overdose. Therefore, you took something. Was it meth, heroin, what?”

  “Dispatch said the car was reported stolen earlier this evening from North One District,” Garrett said. “Did he say what he took?”

  “No,” Berkley sighed and shook her head. “What the hell is going on with this generation of kids?”

  “No idea. Man, when I was nineteen, I was chasing tail, not my next high. I don’t get it.” Garrett shrugged.

  “Me either.”

  “He admitted to doing an Eight Ball,” Dena said, stepping over to them. “We’re going to transport him to Richey General.”

  “I’ll have a unit meet you there. He’s under arrest for several charges as soon as he’s cleared,” Berkley said.

  “Got it. You guys be safe out here,” she said.

  Berkley checked her watch. “I have just enough time for me to write up this report, then I’m out of here.”

  “You have a hot date?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do,” she replied with a grin. “The soccer team invited me to Lake Travis to hang out. I’ll only be there a couple of hours, but I could use the time to clear my head.”

  “Uh-huh, that’s a good excuse to hang out with a bunch of hotties in bikini’s…one in particular.”

  “She’s in a relationship.”

  “Keep telling yourself that. How’s it working for you so far?”

  “You’re an ass,” Berkley chided as she waved at Dena, who was climbing into the back of the rig with her patient. “327—10-16 at Richey General. EMS is en route with him now. Charges will be: 503; 505; and DUID.”

  “Copy—327. Transport en route.”

  “My night was boring as hell until this,” Berkley said to Garrett as they walked to their cars. Two other officers who had arrived on scene behind the fire truck were staying to make sure everything was cleaned up. She checked her watch again as the sun began to peek through the night sky in the distance. Her shift was over in fifteen minutes, but it would take her at least thirty to write the report.

  *

  “I can’t believe you invited Berkley,” Sasha giggled like a schoolgirl with a crush as she sprayed suntan lotion onto her skin. They were in a secluded, more private section of the lake with a small white sand beach. About half of the team had come along for the few hours of relaxation.

  “We should’ve left her at home,” Randi mumbled, causing Carrie to laugh out loud.

  “What?” Anna asked.

  “Sasha is obsessed with Berkley and won’t shut up about her,” Carrie replied to her girlfriend. She was still surprised that she’d been able to join them. After all, it was her idea to begin with, but she’d been too busy to do muc
h of anything lately.

  “This is exactly what I needed,” Olivia blurted as she stretched out and stuck her heels into the warm sand.

  “I second that,” Jorja added.

  “Hey, Jorj, you want some of this?” Sasha called from the other end of the line of chairs. “You burnt everything but your ass the last time we were out here.”

  “Nope. I got it covered!” Jorja replied, holding up her own bottle of sunscreen.

  *

  Berkley swore she could still smell the smoke in her hair as she parked her truck in the lot, but she’d washed it three times. “Maybe it’s just burned into my senses,” she mumbled, getting out and grabbing her chair and small cooler from the back. It was a short walk down the path to the private area, and she quickly spotted the group of soccer players milling about a row of chairs and coolers.

  “Look who made it,” Randi said, noticing Berkley walking through the sand wearing a dark blue tank top, black board shorts that stopped above the knee, and flip flops. Her ever-present dark sunglasses covered her eyes. Randi had only seen her in t-shirts and her uniform top, so she was unaware that the half-sleeve tattoos that started at her elbows actually went up over her shoulders and across the top of her back, connecting as one whole piece of artwork. It was all done in grayscale and had various pieces that all joined together.

  “I was busy saving a teen who stole a car, OD’d, and wrecked that car at high speed, causing it to flip over and catch fire,” she said, nonchalantly. “But, hey, I made it!”

  “Wow,” Randi muttered.

  “That’s badass,” Sasha said, happy that Berkley had placed her chair next to hers since she was on the end.

  “We were just about to play football. You interested?” Olivia asked, tossing the pigskin into the air and catching it.

  “Sure,” Berkley said, kicking off her flip flops and removing her tank top, revealing the full tattoo, along with her muscled upper body. A black, sports bra style bathing suit top covered her breasts.