Fearless Leader (Juxtapose City)

by Tricia Owens

  He knew he'd surprised Dickerson. Black had never defied him before.

  "You forget who holds the cards here," the captain responded angrily. "You don't tell me what to do, lieutenant. You're lucky to be standing where you are."

  But Black wasn't afraid. Black was determined. "I haven't forgotten. I'm well aware of the situation, captain. That's why I'm willing to make a bargain with you."

  Dickerson's eyes narrowed. "What is this bargain?"

  Black's voice cut through the silence like a surgeon's knife, slow and precise. "I want you to leave Starr alone. I don't want you to touch him and I don't want you to talk to him. That goes for the rest of my team as well. You don't go near them unless it's for official business."

  Dickerson smirked. "And in return?"

  The coffee-brown eyes muddied. "I'll give you what I haven't before. I'll give you everything."

  Dickerson shook his head. "I'll get that from you eventually anyway, lieutenant. Unlike you I know how far your resistance will stretch before it breaks. It's only a matter of time."

  Before the other man could guess his intentions, Black whipped out his gun and placed it against the captain's temple. Dark eyes smoldered with rage as they glared back at Black.

  "How dare you--"

  "It's not a big drop for me, captain. You know I could do it."

  Dickerson's lips curled. "You don't scare me, boy."

  In an abrupt flip, Black pulled the gun on himself, pressing the muzzle beneath his chin. "Then what if I threaten something else of yours? How much do you want me? You know I don't care. A bullet in the brain or continuing on the way it is isn't much different to me."

  The seconds stretched, their eyes locked. Black wasn't bluffing. Dickerson had to see that. After a long taut moment the captain held up his hands. "Put the gun away, Black."

  Black kept the gun where it was. "We have a deal?"

  Dickerson nodded and held out his hand. "I stay away from your team. You submit to what I want."

  It was a deal with the Devil. The Devil's hand was hot and dry as it engulfed Black's. "This may have worked out for both of us," Dickerson purred, the tip of his middle finger stroking the inside of Black's wrist.

  Black let him, holding back a shudder until the captain released him. He quickly backed to the door and opened it. Looking back, he said, "JC2 will be fully functional by the end of next week. We'll be ready for anything you require of us."

  "That's good to hear, lieutenant. I'm sure I'll have need of your services in due time."

  Black shut the door, banishing the image of Dickerson smirking behind his steepled fingers. Black told himself that he'd done the right thing. It was the only thing. If he was going to lead this team he had to keep it safe.

  He felt the glances following him out of the station. He heard the whispers. He knew what they said about him. At long last he didn't care. What they thought of him was true in many ways. He had finally come to accept who he was. He was Dickerson's boy. He was the department's slave. He was also JC2's leader and he was proud of it.

  JC2 would soon be a force to be reckoned with in the JCPD. Black would stake his career and his life on it.

  Thanks in part to Calyx Starr, he just had.

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