by LK Shaw
Pablo dipped down and palmed my head, tipping it gently so I was looking up at him. His thumbs brushed the lingering tears from my cheeks. "Did you mean the other thing you said though?"
"What's that?"
"About falling in love with me?"
My lashes fluttered and my eyes shifted to glance away before I slowly raised them again to meet his gaze. Heat flushed across my chest and cheeks. I swallowed. "Yes. I meant it."
"Good," he said, his expression serious. "Because I'm falling in love with you too. Hell, I'm pretty sure I already fell."
A watery smile crossed my face. Pablo bent his head and brought his mouth to mine. This kiss was different than all the others we'd shared. It was full of apologies, promises, and love. It was his hopes and my dreams all mixed together in a giant rainbow of colors. It was my heart touching his and becoming one. My fingers danced along his muscled back, while his strong hands still cradled my head, holding me tightly to him as though he never wanted to let me go.
A cry from behind Pablo broke us apart. I rushed over to Maisie who began howling again. I lifted her in my arms.
"Shit, is she okay?"
Her eyes landed on him, and she started wrestling and fighting and reaching for him, yelling his name. His panicked eyes met mine while I tried desperately to keep her from falling. I transferred her over to him, and she clung to him like a second skin, sobbing huge tears against his shoulder. Her legs were wrapped around his waist, ankles locked. The same with her arms around his neck. She sobbed for what felt like hours, but was, in reality, only a few minutes, until finally they subsided into quiet hiccups.
Pablo paced back and forth between the kitchen and the living room, the two of them still holding each other tight. I'd long ago collapsed into an exhausted heap on the couch. My feelings stung that he'd been able to comfort Maisie when I hadn't been able to, but then I felt guilty because it was obvious he was who she'd needed. I was going to have to learn to share. I'd never been in love before. Not like this. It scared the shit out of me.
Weight settled next to me, and I looked over. Pablo had taken a seat at the other end and Maisie sat sideways in his lap, her head resting on his chest and her middle two fingers in her mouth. She hadn't sucked her fingers in months.
"Don't worry, mama, everything's all better now, isn't that right, munchkin?" he kissed the top of her nodding head. "We had a nice talk and Maisie knows it's okay to be scared, but that no one is going to hurt her. Even if I'm not always here."
I smiled gently at the two of them. “I'm glad you're feeling better, baby. I love you."
"Love you, Mama." Her words were garbled around her fingers.
“I love you both," Pablo added, reaching out with a free hand and laying it on top of mine.
My eyes leaped up to meet his. I blinked back tears. “I love you too.”
I scooted right up to his side, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders tucking me in tight. I held onto Maisie's hand and the three of us sat there, connected together, like our own little family.
Chapter 25
I sat at my desk looking at old cases, when Oliver came running in out of breath. "Holy shit, have you talked to the Captain?"
"Not lately. What's going on?"
"An anonymous tip came in providing evidence that Ricardo Morales not only murdered Emilio Salazar, but said that if we wanted to arrest him, he would be at a house over on south Spaulding Avenue this afternoon. It's allegedly one of the places where he stores his drug supply. Cap wants all of us saddled up and ready to go."
"Are you for real? How do we know this isn't a setup or some wild goose chase?"
“I don't know what the evidence was or the exact nature of the tip, but whatever it was, it's enough to convince the judge to give us a warrant to move on this thing."
Christ. I hadn't been out in the field on a bust since I'd been shot. My palms began to sweat and my stomach churned.
"Hey, don't look like that," Oliver said. "It's going to be fine. I got your back."
I shook off the uneasy feeling and nodded. I could do this.
We headed into the weapons and equipment room and donned our Kevlar vests and additional ammunition as well as a second sidearm. Several of our colleagues joined us, including Peterman, who sent me a sideways glance. I tried not to let it annoy me. Instead, I took a few deep breaths and went back to my ritual.
I did a mental checklist of all my equipment: vest, weapons, ammunition, communication device. I kept my breathing even as I sat on the bench with my elbows on my knees and my head bent. Once I felt ready, I rose to my feet and approached Peterman.
“I know you've been...concerned about my return to duty, but I want you to know you don't have anything to worry about. I don't plan on taking any unnecessary risks. Not for myself or anyone on the team. I have no desire to play hero. I want everyone to come out this safe. I didn't want you to have any worries on that account." I reached out to shake his hand.
He jerked back a bit in surprise. He put his hand in mine. “I appreciate that, Rodriguez. It's good to know we all have each other's back."
I nodded and turned to close my locker, ignoring Oliver's stare. The Captain entered the room and gave us a rundown on how the raid would play out.
"We're heading to a house on south Spaulding Avenue. Defense formation spread out on each side. You four”—he pointed at me and the three guys at my side—“I want you guys in the front. You other four take the back. We'll enter from both sides of the house. Sweep the first and second floors and do what you can to peaceably take down any suspects. There is rumored to be approximately four million dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics and tens of millions of dollars in cash stored there. We have reason to believe that not only will Ricardo Morales be inside, but also all of his top enforcers. Be safe in there."
Once we arrived, we all hustled into position. For a moment, deja vu hit. Oliver at my front and Sharp at my back. That rush of adrenaline. The thrill of the chase. It all came pouring in.
On its heels though were visions of Michele and Maisie, and it settled my emotions to a much more even-keel. It was no longer just me. I had people who needed me to come home more than I needed that surge of power. I breathed in calm just as the signal came.
The team leader banged on the door. "Chicago PD. Open up."
Like a well-oiled machine, we kicked in the door and burst through, scattering like someone dumped marbles on the floor. The second team raced upstairs. Oliver and I swept the rooms on the right while Peterman and Sharp swept the ones on the left.
Rapid gunfire came from a backroom. "Down! Get down on the ground," someone screamed. Cautiously, we finished panning the rooms, until we met the other two in the large, completely gutted, kitchen. All the cupboards and cabinets had been removed, as well as appliances, and instead replaced with open shelves stacked with wrapped bundles of pills. A large table covered in stacks of bills and guns stood off to one side of the room.
On the floor, in the middle of everything was Ricardo Morales and two of his men. Seeing them cuffed and secured on the floor, I nudged Oliver.
"Let’s do another sweep."
We carefully made our way upstairs and were greeted by the rest of our team.
"No one's up here," Banks said.
"Are you sure?" Oliver asked.
"Yeah. We swept every room. They were all clear. Why?"
"Because if the intel we got from the anonymous source is fully accurate and Morales was here with his top enforcers, then we're one man short," he said.
"Shit. We're missing something then." I turned and headed back downstairs, the men following behind me. We went room to room again, but there was no one hiding in any closets or under any beds. We passed a door in the hallway, and I paused, directing attention with the muzzle of my gun.
"Does this house have a basement?" I lowered my voice.
"Son of a bitch," Oliver hissed. “I don't know."
We plastered against the wall, and s
lowly I reached to turn the door handle. The hinges creaked as I pushed it open. Darkness greeted us. Staying behind the cover of the wall, I reached around in search of a light switch, found it, and flipped it up. I shared a look with Oliver.
"Chicago PD. If anyone is down there, you have nowhere to go. Come out now with your hands up." I repeated my words in Spanish just in case. Shuffling sounds came from below. I inhaled and nodded before quickly poking my head around the door frame to get a look downstairs. My head jerked back at the sight of the gun, and then a bullet whizzed by. In unison, Oliver and I pivoted and opened fire down the basement stairs. A bark of pain followed, and we took the opportunity to make our move.
Weapons pointed, we stormed the basement, the naked suspect on the ground and bleeding, his gun lying next to him. I approached, kicked the pistol away from him, and flipped him on his stomach, handcuffing his hands to his back.
"Sweet mother of God."
I glanced over to see horror written on Oliver's face as he stared from the doorway into some type of walled-off room. My eyes took in the entire basement. There were at least five more doors which looked to lead into additional walled off rooms. What the hell was down here? Sharp appeared at the top of the stairs, took in the scene, and made his way down.
"You okay, Rodriguez?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said, distracted, my eyes still on Oliver. I glanced down at the cuffed man. "Watch him, will you?"
Leaving him to keep an eye on our suspect, I moved over to stand next to Oliver and looked at what still had his rapt, horrified attention. I sucked in a breath. Jesus. An obviously dead woman, possibly in her late teens or early twenties, was propped naked against a wall, a collar around her neck attached to the wall by a chain. A needle lay on the floor next to her, and rubber tubing was strapped tightly around her arm inches above her track-mark dotted elbow.
A moan from the adjoining room caught our attention. Weapons at the ready, we made our way down the narrowed pathway, pausing in front of the neighboring door. Fuck. We moved to the next one and the next.
"Sharp," I yelled over my shoulder. "We need more medics. Now. Get some of the guys down here. Bring blankets, and see if you can find some water."
Oliver hadn't said another word until he reached the last open door. A whimpering cry came from inside. Pounding footsteps rushed down the stairs, but I ignored them. The men would see what we'd already found soon enough. Instead, I focused on Oliver who stepped inside the room. I quickly checked the remaining two rooms and found the same of what I'd seen in the previous two.
I stopped in the doorway my friend had entered. He was removing the collar from the naked woman sitting in the bed. The second he had it off, she threw herself into arms, barely able to breathe through her bawling. I didn't see any track marks on her, but based on the cuts and bruises on her body she had not been gently treated. Fresh blood dotted the bed, and I averted my gaze. I glanced at the suspect lying out in the middle of the floor, Sharp still standing over him, and I wanted to murder him.
Sirens grew louder until they were right outside the house. Footsteps above me, and then the paramedics were rushing down the stairs.
"We have one dead woman and several others who seem to be under the influence of narcotics, most likely heroin. Chained and potential victims of sexual assault. Officer Garrison is in the last room on the right with one of the women. Also suspected victim of recent assault."
Being down here was getting to me. I avoided looking inside the rooms as I headed over to the open space.
“I'll take him," I said of the suspect. I reached down and hauled him to his feet before dragging him upstairs. He got tossed into the back of a patrol car none too gently before I returned to the house. A couple members of the forensics team had arrived and were processing and bagging the evidence. All I wanted to do was go home and squeeze my girls tight.
Peterman appeared at my side.
"Hey," he said. "Good job today."
"Thanks," I replied.
I moved around the scene until everything was tagged and loaded up for the evidence room. Oliver finally made his way upstairs, the girl still attached to him, but now covered in a blanket. He helped her outside and into the back of an ambulance. He tried leaving her with the female paramedic, but she wouldn't let him go. He sent me a pleading look for some help.
"Go," I told him. “I'll let the Captain know what's going on and where you are."
He nodded and the door closed, shutting them inside before the ambulance took off. Our two teams jumped back into the back of the department vans and headed to the precinct. I hurried to unload all my stuff. Then I was gone and on my way to Michele's, hoping she didn't mind me dropping by unannounced. Because after tonight, I needed to see her.
Chapter 26
I hadn’t expected the knock. Dropping my book on the couch, I made my way over to the door and peeked out the peephole. I quickly unlocked it and let Pablo in. Before I could blink he pulled me into his chest, breathing deeply against my hair. I wrapped my arms around him, and we just stood there. The expression that had been on his face had me worried. It was obvious something was wrong. There had been pure misery written across it. I hugged him that much tighter and he responded in kind.
After several minutes, he loosened his hold. "You have no idea how much I needed that."
I brushed his hair back off his face and raised up on tiptoe to press my lips to his. "Then I'm glad I could give it to you. Come on, let's go have a seat, and if you want to talk about anything you can. You don't have to though. We can just sit. Whatever you need."
He moved into the living room, tugging off his gun belt and laying it to the side while I closed and locked the door and then joined him on the couch, pushing my books out of the way. I tucked myself against his side, just being here if he needed me, but not pushing. It was at least five minutes before he finally spoke.
"We went on a bust tonight. My first since being shot. I was scared shitless going in, but thoughts of you and Maisie calmed me. Things went smooth. We took down the suspects with relative ease. None of us were hurt. For a short time, I felt good. Back to my old self." Pablo paused, but I kept my silence. "Then we discovered something that made me want to vomit. Drugged-up women chained to walls in the basement like animals. They were all stoned out of their minds. Well, except the one who had overdosed."
I shuddered at the image and my eyes burned with unshed tears for women I didn't know. God, how awful for them. It was something I would never wish on another human being. It didn't surprise me that Pablo had been horrified. I was too, and I could only imagine.
"How do you do it?" I asked. "Seeing that kind of thing, I mean? How do you do it day in and day out? I couldn't handle it."
"We don't typically see that kind of thing in narcotics. I mean, we might run across someone in a drug house that has overdosed, and certainly ones high as a kite, but as horrible as it sounds you almost become numb to it. What I saw tonight wasn't anything I'd ever encountered before. I never want to again." Pablo's gaze was unfocused, his voice soft.
I cuddled closer, wrapping myself around him trying to comfort him in any way I could. Words could only do so much. Pablo didn't say anything further, so I held him tight to at least let him know I was here if he wanted to keep talking. We sat in the quiet, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the stove and our breathing. Soon, a soft snore came from Pablo. I glanced up and his eyes were closed, his expression much more relaxed than when he'd arrived. I must have dozed as well, because my body jerked, and my eyes flew open. Nothing had changed, except Pablo was awake again as well.
“I'm sorry I fell asleep on you," he said. “I know you're trying to study for your test tomorrow."
"Don't worry about it. You needed the rest, and I needed the break. I've been studying all night."
He shifted a bit and pulled me onto his lap. His hand rested on my hip and my arms went around his shoulders, my fingers playing with the hair curled around his coll
ar.
"Thank you for listening," he said.
"Of course. I may not know what to say, but I will always listen." I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
This kiss began as a way for me to offer a small amount of comfort. It was obvious he'd been deeply affected by what happened tonight. I wanted to take his thoughts away from what he'd seen, even if it was only for a brief time. I flicked my tongue out, tracing the seam, teasing him, encouraging him to let me in. He opened for me, but I kept this kiss gentle. I lightly caressed the inside of his mouth, pulling back when he moved to deepen the connection.
I pressed tiny kisses along the corner of his lips, dotted his cheeks, his nose, both his eyelids before tracking the same path I'd just taken. Pablo's fingers speared my hair, while the grip of his hand on my hip tightened, and he tried to control our movements.
"Let me," I whispered against his mouth.
His touch eased, and I shifted so that I straddled him. It seemed like this was going to be a common theme when we were here. Never before had I wanted my own bed in my own room more than I did now. I continued ghosting sweet kisses over his face, before taking his lips again. My hands cradled his cheeks. Our hips rocked together, but I could already tell I wasn't going to be satisfied with a repeat of the last time we'd been in this position. What had started out as comfort had quickly morphed into something more. Something needier.
"Condom?" I asked against his mouth.
He pulled his head and stared questioningly at me. “I didn't come over here for this. You know that, right?"
With a finger, I brushed the stray curl off his forehead and traced his skin. "Of course I know that. I love you, and you love me. You're also hurting, and I want to ease that hurt. I also need you. I don't want you to think about anything else for a little while except how much I love you."
