by Parker, Kara
“No! Stop it!” It was the sound of a woman screaming. Before Lance could blink, Olivia had grabbed the handset.
“Dispatch, this is Sierra Five. We are at Twelfth and Marigold. Can hear a fight in the area, going to investigate. No need for backup. Go ahead.”
“Copy Sierra Five, there are two other cruisers in the area if backup is needed. Go ahead.”
“Copy, dispatch.”
Olivia didn’t even bother to look at Lance. She checked her gear and then jumped out the car, putting her sunglasses on to block the bright sun that was almost exactly overhead.
“Leave him alone! He didn’t do anything! I said leave him alone!” The voice was a mix of anger and fear—with maybe just a bit more anger. Olivia could hear Lance getting out of the car behind her, hurrying to catch up. The fight was happening down a small alleyway, and Olivia pressed her back against a wall and peered around the corner.
There were two motorcycles resting on their kickstands. They were black and shone brightly in the sunlight. Past the motorcycles were four people. One was the shouting woman who was standing in a doorway that lead to a kitchen. A man stood in front of her; he wasn’t exactly cowering before the bikers, but he didn’t look particularly brave either. She wore an apron, and her hair was piled up on top of her head. The man was also wearing an apron, his covered in grease stains. The two bikers were each tall and muscular, and they were wearing matching vests with the God’s Reaper's image on the back. Olivia had to admit, she had been fascinated with the Reaper’s insignia since the first time she had seen it. It was a stark white skull with the image of a bleeding rose burned into the skull's forehead and a snake slithering out the open mouth.
She was staring with fascination at the insignia and was taken by surprise when Lance grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards the squad car.
“No. No, Olivia. I’ve let you have your fun. But I am not fucking with God’s Reapers, that’s how cops get killed. No.”
“Have my fun?” Olivia said, wrenching her arm free from Lance’s grasp. “Is that what you think? That I’m doing this because it’s fun? Like I’m some pathetic thrill seeker? I’m doing this because it’s my job, a job I eagerly signed up for because I wanted to do it. Protect and serve, that’s what we are supposed to do. And I’m sick of your attitude, your laziness and apathy. You don’t get paid to avoid confrontation. Your job is to break up fights and deal with stuff like this; it’s literally the reason we’re out here. And for someone so terrified of dying, you think you would eat a little bit healthier. At the rate you’re going, you’re gonna die of a heart attack at forty-five.” With that Olivia whirled away from him and marched back down the alley towards the fight.
“Police!” she shouted. “How about everyone calms down?” She didn’t draw her gun, but her hand was resting next to it, ready to pull it out if any real trouble started.
The four people all blanched at Olivia’s approach. The woman’s face paled, and she drew back into her kitchen while the man gave her a thankful nod. The bikers, however, both turned to face her, their arms crossed. They looked at Olivia and then back at each other, sharing a knowing smirk. They were both well tanned, but one had darker hair and was stockier; he seemed to be in charge.
“Is there some trouble, officer?” one of them asked, his voice dripping with disdain.
“We could hear the sounds of a fight. Thought we’d come over and make sure everyone was ok,” Olivia said.
“We?” the stocky biker asked. “I only see you.”
“My partner’s in the car notifying dispatch,” Olivia said quickly and confidently, not bothering to turn around to confirm what she said. “So why doesn’t someone tell me what’s going on here?”
“It’s nothing officer. We were just talking with our friend, Sal, here,” the biker said, gesturing for him to come closer. The nervous-looking cook took a few steps until he was close enough for the biker to throw his arm over the Sal’s shoulder in a gross approximation of friendship. “Right, Sal? Why don’t you tell the cop that everything’s great, huh?”
“Yes, thank you for coming officer, but it was just a simple misunderstanding,” Sal stuttered. Olivia stared at the man, waiting for some signal or sign. But he just stood there, weighed down by the heavy arm of the biker.
“Well then,” Olivia said after a moment. “Let’s consider the misunderstanding over, and everyone can be on their way.”
The stocky biker dropped his arm from Sal’s shoulder and slowly began to walk to Olivia; the other biker followed. “You know, your partner’s been making that call to dispatch for a while now,” the biker said. He was close now, right in front of Olivia. She could smell cigarette smoke and gasoline on him; she could see a rip in his vest and small scar over his left eye.
“What’s your name, sir?” Olivia asked.
“Everybody calls me Tony, Officer Waters,” the man said taking a long moment to look at her nametag. “You new in town?” he asked.
“I am new. But I like it here. Don’t intend to go anywhere,” Olivia answered, staring at the man, her face remaining blank and expressionless.
“Well, welcome to Marina’s Crest, officer. Word of advice: don’t poke the bear. Don’t go looking for trouble in this town; you won’t like what you find. Terrible things can happen to pretty girls in Marina’s Crest. You’re a cop; check the records.” He walked away from her towards his bike. He straddled it and said, “I’m being friendly here, Waters. I’m doing you a favor and giving you this warning. You should take it; God’s Reapers don’t give too many.” Their bikes revved loudly to life as the two men took off, leaving Olivia standing alone in a back alley.
CHAPTER SIX
David had been at the clubhouse for a few hours that morning. He was gathering the team that would help keep the cops away. It was mostly young kids and new members, but that was whom he preferred. He hated laziness; he wanted guys who were ready and eager to be on the street and get their hands dirty. Transportation was going to start at the warehouse in a few days, and David still wasn’t sure how he was going to get to Olivia Waters.
“Yo, David. Had a run in with that chick cop,” Tony said, dropping his helmet down on the table and sitting backwards in a chair next to David.
“Shit, what happened?” David asked.
“There’s this kid, boy name Billy, he’s been buying crystal from us, borrowed some money a few months back. Now he’s disappeared and Mike wants his money back. We went to the parents to get them to pay the kid’s debt. We had just gotten started when this chick shows up and starts talking about how she heard us from the street and we should be on our way.”
“What was she like?” David asked, his curiosity over Olivia Waters had only grown since he’d seen her earlier in the day. She was all contradictions—a beautiful woman who had decided to become a cop, and a tough one at that. She was a puzzle to him, one he was desperate to figure out. What if she proved to be too tough to bargain with? What if she refused to look the other way?
“Tough enough, I guess. But all alone. Her partner waited in the car the whole time.”
“What?” David asked.
“Yup, she kept saying ‘we’—but she was alone, said the guy was calling dispatch, but when we rode out we saw him sitting in the car doing nothing.”
“So a lone female cop just walked up to you and told you to stop?” David demanded. That wasn’t what he was used to with cops. They never did anything alone; they always had their partner with them and backup on the way. Who was this girl who walked into back alleys alone, who got involved when it would have been much easier to just walk away?
“I thought you were on cop duty. Aren’t you supposed to keep them off our backs?” Tony demanded.
“I’m in charge of making sure the warehouse on Marigold stays under the radar. It’s not my job to keep the cops off the back of every biker we have. That’s on you. Why were you roughing up the guy in an alley anyway? You should of done it somewhere quieter
and out of way.”
“There wasn’t anywhere better to do it. Besides, we were so far north, I never would have thought I’d see a cop up that way.”
“Well, we should get used to it. And we need to have a quieter presence up here; we don’t need to give the cops a reason to come looking for us, to go poking around.” David stood up; he needed a plan to deal with Olivia Waters, a real plan. But he didn’t have enough information; he didn’t know anything about her. He needed something he could use.
Olivia lived in a small apartment in the nicer residential section of the city. Her building was six stories tall and filled with working professionals. From his car, David watched her enter the building and a few minutes later he saw the lights go on in her apartment on the fourth floor. David got out of his car and walked over the office building next door. He hovered by the smoking section and waited for a few minutes until someone came out. He grabbed the closing door and snuck up the stairwell until he was on the fourth floor, and there he stopped.
From here he had a perfect view into Olivia’s apartment. He pulled out his binoculars and stared across the street into Olivia’s home. It was simple, but stylish, not too much clutter or stuff; it was the same way with David. There was a blue couch facing a TV, a few pictures on the wall, a dark-colored dining room table with a spray of some purple flowers, and then Olivia herself. She was still in uniform, but her top was unbuttoned, revealing the tight white tank top she wore underneath. David watched her from across the way; he watched as she opened a beer and sat down on her couch, turning on the TV and going through her mail.
After a few minutes, she stood and unbuckled her belt, letting her trousers slide down. She removed her jacket and stood in nothing but a pair of black panties and a white tank top. Olivia Waters had no idea she was being watched. She had no idea that at that moment a strange man was staring at her long, lean legs, her almost bare ass, and her breasts underneath her shirt.
David watched her as darkness fell. He watched her make and eat a simple dinner, and then finally, she looked up at the darkness outside and his last glimpse was of her standing before the window and pulling the curtains closed. What he would have done for her to keep them open. Still in the stairwell of the office building, David took a moment to clear his throat and his head. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the barely dressed Olivia, and then his imagination took over and he saw her wearing nothing at all.
“Enough,” he said aloud, shaking his head. His quiet voice echoed through the stairwell, as David walked back to his car. What had he learned watching her? Nothing at all. He had confirmed that she was hot, which was a thought he should not have been having about the cop he needed to sort out. As he opened the stairwell door, the heat hit him hard, the warm air still lingering into the night. His trip unsuccessful, David decided he should turn in, until of course he saw Olivia, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt come out of her building and head towards the center of town.
He followed her. He had no plan, no real idea of what he was doing. His feet simply followed her, like there was a line connecting the two of them and she was towing him behind her. She walked quickly, and David watched her slim legs move. He stared at the back of her neck and the gentle swoop of her shoulders. He stayed far enough behind her to avoid suspicion, but eventually she was going to arrive at wherever she was going and then what was he going to do?
He watched as she entered The Gray Lamp, and after a minute, he followed her inside. It was Thirsty Thursday, and The Gray Lamp was packed with people seeking refuge from the heat with cold beers and air conditioning. It took him a moment to find Olivia in the crowd—after a moment of panic, thinking he had lost her. Then, he saw the back of her head that he was now quite familiar with. She was sitting at the bar and watching the baseball game on TV with all of her attention. There was a beer in front of her and several guys around her looked like they were building up the nerve to talk to her.
David picked a seat on the other side of the bar where he could watch her while pretending to watch TV. She was totally focused on the game, or at least focusing on ignoring the crowd of men who had gathered around her. David watched as one after the other tried to strike up a conversation with her. She brushed them off with a nod or a simple answer, her eyes transfixed on the TV. She cheered when her team scored and grimaced when the other did; she seemed to really care about the outcome of the game more than the socializing. Much to David’s chagrin he realized that he liked this girl more and more with every passing moment. She was tough, but beautiful. She liked sports and didn’t seem to put up with much bullshit. Such a shame that she had to be a cop.
He watched her through the game. He watched gentleman after gentleman get the gentle brush off. He followed her home and then got into his car and drove home himself. He wished she were corrupt, or cheap, or had a shopping habit, something that he could use against her. But even more, he needed to find some fault with her, other than being a cop. She was the enemy, and he needed to see her that way. He would need to convince an honest, hard-working cop to look the other way. And if she didn’t, terrible things would have to happen. David was a God’s Reaper member through and through, that came before everything else, but that didn’t make what he would have to do any easier.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Olivia slammed her locker shut and the sound echoed around the mostly empty women’s changing room of the police headquarters. Lance, her partner, had abandoned her yesterday, left her alone to deal with some biker thugs. When she had returned to the car, Lance had been waiting there, literally twiddling his thumbs and avoiding eye contact. She had called in the all clear to dispatch, and they spent the rest of their shift in uncomfortable silence.
How was she supposed to function with a partner who refused to take any calls or do anything? How was she supposed to work with a partner who didn’t have her back? And, on top of everything else, it felt like someone was following her. It was an odd feeling in the back of her mind, one she could neither identify nor ignore. But she hadn’t actually seen anyone yet; or rather she’d seen several people who might have been following her, but she had no real proof.
Olivia walked out of the locker room and into the precinct headquarters. Even at this early hour it was all hustle and bustle. Officers and detectives walked and talked, moving witnesses and suspects from desks to holding cells or interrogation rooms. There was the sound of typing and phones ringing. It sounded like action and adventure, and Olivia wanted to be a part of it.
“Waters, Captain wants to see you in his office,” the department secretary said, as she hurried past with an armful of paperwork. Olivia took a deep breath; she had only spoken with the captain a handful of times. Olivia was fresh out of the academy and didn’t think the captain knew she existed.
Captain Diaz was one of those people whom everyone respected, even criminals respected her. She was tough and no nonsense, but she led by example. There was no corruption in her precinct, no favors either. She only cared about the law and justice.
“Come in.” Olivia had knocked three times and then opened the door to the captain’s sparse office. Captain Diaz sat behind her desk, rifling through a pile of papers. She glanced up at Olivia and then went right back to her work.
“I’m Olivia Waters. I was told you wanted to see me, Captain?” Olivia said, standing at attention.
“Yes, Officers Waters. Please have a seat,” the captain said, closing a folder over the papers she had just been reading. “I’ve been going over stats for the department, and I just wanted to let you know that I’m very impressed with your call response. You’re almost always the first to call in no matter the call. I wanted you to know that your hard work has not gone unnoticed.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Olivia said breathlessly. This meeting was a dream come true. She had always hoped that someone would notice her hard work but praise from the captain, herself, was rare indeed. “I just wish I was doing more...”
“I was hoping yo
u would say that. You’ve heard of God’s Reapers, correct? I heard you had a run in with them yesterday.”
“Yes, ma’am. I caught them intimidating a couple in a back alley, but they left when I showed up.” And Olivia hoped that the captain heard her say I and not we.
“We have reason to believe that they’re increasing their drug trade. Specifically, it looks like they’ll be transporting large amounts of marijuana through the city. We don’t know where, but there has been an increase amount of activity in the northern neighborhoods, especially where you and officer Townsend patrol. Now, I am not officially asking you to investigate. I’m asking you keep your eyes open and keep doing what you're doing. Follow up on calls, look for links to God’s Reapers, see where the members go, and where they hang out. I’ll be assigning Detectives Farraday and Evans to the God’s Reapers task force later today. Be sure to keep them in the loop with what you see, and I’ll leave it to you to tell Officer Townsend about this conversation.”