Building Empires
Sherryl D. Hancock
Copyright © Sherryl D. Hancock 2017
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Published by Vulpine Press in the United Kingdom in 2017
ISBN 978-1-910780-75-6
Cover by Claire Wood
www.vulpine-press.com
To my mom, Pat B., she always got to read everything I wrote first and she’s always loved everything I wrote. Thank you, Mom, for always being my biggest fan!
To Jill (Kila) Krueger. This started with our habit of avoiding home/class work in high school … and look at it now!
Last but by no means least, thank you to all law enforcement personnel, the blue line between us and the bad guys. Thank you for all that you do for all of us!
Chapter 1
San Diego, California, 1980
“We’re gonna take ’em,” Thomas Chevalier bragged to his girlfriend Sandy. “No one fucks with Midnight and walks away clean,” he went on, nodding at his sister who stood a few feet away.
As if sensing he was talking about her, Midnight walked over to where her brother stood.
“The Piranhas are gonna be hurtin’ tonight, huh, Mid?” Thomas asked, grinning down at his sister.
Midnight nodded, her look steely. “They’ll pay for messing with me and mine, yeah.”
“See,” Thomas told Sandy cockily as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the butterfly knife he’d been practicing with all week.
With a flourish and a flick of his wrist, he whipped the blade into place. Midnight watched the action with a sense of dread. Every day Thomas was becoming more the gang member and less the younger brother he was to her. It scared her.
“Look,” Midnight said, looking up at him, “I want you to be careful tonight. And don’t give me that look, Thomas. I know you think you’re getting real good with that blade, but this gang ain’t playing around, okay?”
She could see she wasn’t getting through to him. He nodded and looked over her head down the street. Midnight grabbed him by the front of his jacket and shook him.
“Thomas! Are you listening to me?” she snapped impatiently.
She hated that his hormones had kicked in. At sixteen, he was becoming someone she didn’t know anymore. He was becoming a man. If they’d had a father that was worth anything, he could have sat Thomas down and told him the facts of life, about sex and all that. There was no way Midnight could do it; hell, she was still a virgin herself. She never let anyone get close to her; she always wanted to be able to see their hands, literally and figuratively. Sure there were health classes in school, but they didn’t tell kids the real down and dirty stuff that teenage boys should know about. Again, she cursed her parents for all their shortcomings.
“Yeah, Mid, I’m listening,” Thomas said, smiling down at her.
Midnight smiled in return, she couldn’t resist his smile. He looked like a little boy when he smiled. The thought stabbed at her again. She knew that he shouldn’t be in the gang, but what else could she do? Give up and turn him over to Social Services? No way, not while she was there to take care of him.
Midnight had just graduated from high school the day before, not that anyone had cared. She hadn’t even gone to the graduation ceremony. She told her parents that she’d graduated with a 4.0 grade point average, but they just nodded and stared at her blankly. It was as if they were strangers that lived in the house with her and her brother, they were not interested in anything their children did. She hated herself for bothering to tell them, and felt irritated that she had tried for their approval at all.
As Midnight looked up at her brother, she realized that she was tired of having to worry all the time, and wondered what she would do with her life. She’d been accepted to a local college, but how could she go? There was no money, and who would take care of Thomas when she was gone? Still, she didn’t regret all she was going to give up for him. He was her brother and she loved him more than anything. He was the only person she trusted. Though, that didn’t always make it easier to sleep at night.
“I love you, creep,” she told him, uncharacteristically impulsive for a moment, “and don’t call me Mid, I hate that!” She scowled and shoved him away from her.
“Hey!” he exclaimed, laughing as he stumbled backward.
“Cool it,” she muttered to Thomas as she saw that the Piranhas were coming down the street, “and get back behind me. I don’t want you on the frontline tonight.”
“But Midnight,” he began to protest.
“Tom!” she whispered harshly. “Just do what I tell ya.”
Talma Hooks, the leader of the Piranhas walked up and stood toe-to-toe with Midnight. The rival leader was almost a full foot taller, and outweighed Midnight by at least thirty pounds. The Piranhas’ leader thought that gave her the edge, but that was how Midnight won every time. Midnight’s motto was, “Never underestimate your opponent, it’ll get you killed.”
“Ready for me to put you down, little Midnight?” Talma asked arrogantly.
Midnight gazed back at Talma, her look supremely confident. Her eyes flicked past the bigger woman to the gang spread out behind her.
“That your whole crew?” Midnight mocked. “You shoulda brought your mama too.”
“Even my mama could cap your ass, bitch!”
Midnight grinned, enjoying that she’d gotten to the bigger woman. “Better run home and get her then,” Midnight said as her grin faded and her eyes narrowed, “’cause you’ll need ’er.”
“Bitch!” Talma screamed as she threw a punch at Midnight.
She missed, because Midnight had jumped out of the way. ‘Damn the bitch is fast!’ Talma thought. Just then Midnight’s fist connected with her jaw. The fight was on then; the two gangs started throwing punches.
Midnight fought fiercely, it was her way of life, what she had to do to protect her and Thomas. Somehow, in the midst of all the yelling and movement, Midnight heard Thomas cry out. Her head snapped around as she tried to locate him in the crowd. Talma landed a hard right cross to Midnight’s face, stunning her momentarily. Midnight shook it off, twisted around, and kicked the other woman in the stomach. Then she ran toward Thomas. He was lying on the ground, while people still fought around him.
“No!” Midnight screamed when she saw him. She dropped to her knees next to him and frantically located the wound. His stomach was bleeding badly; there was already a scarlet pool of blood soaking the concrete beneath him.
“Oh God, no! Thomas, no!” she cried out.
She pulled him up and cradled his upper body against hers. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged him to be okay.
But, he was already dead. Her only reason for living gone, just like that.
She sat there, holding his body against hers, and rocked back and forth. That’s how Tom Ryan found her.
Ryan, a cop with the local police department, was on duty that night. He’d run into Midnight and Thomas often on his patrol, and had frequently attempted to get them both to quit the gang life. When he heard the radio call about a gang fight, he knew it was on Midnight’s territory. Then he’d heard the call for an ambulance and that there’d been a stabbing.
&nbs
p; When he arrived, he noticed a few hangers-on standing off to one side, members of the Vettes, Midnight’s gang. They were watching their leader fall apart.
Ryan heard the ambulance coming and he moved to Midnight’s side. Her shirt had a large bloody stain on it and her jeans were covered with Thomas’s blood. She didn’t notice Tom Ryan come up beside her; she was completely focused on Thomas.
Ryan had time to check for a pulse before the ambulance arrived. He didn’t feel one.
Midnight cried out when the paramedics took Thomas’s body out of her arms, but Ryan was there and he took her in his arms and rocked her as she cried.
“I killed him,” she whispered, totally devastated, “it’s my fault.”
****
It had been three months since Thomas had been killed. In that time, Midnight had come to look on Tom Ryan as the father figure that she had never had. He took care of her, when no one else cared and she would be eternally grateful to him for that. Now they were headed down the freeway toward the University of California, at San Diego.
She was starting her first day at UCSD. With Tom’s help, she had gotten a grant and he had helped her register for classes. After much thought and many late night discussions with Tom, she had decided that she wanted to study law. She also planned to apply for the San Diego Police Department when she was twenty and a half. Tom had been surprised by the second half of her plan when she’d told him a little while ago.
“Why do you want to become a cop?” he had asked, puzzled.
“What d’ya mean, why?” she had said, looking at him as if he was crazy. “I want to bust punks like Talma.” Then she had looked thoughtful. “Maybe someday I can work on a way to get rid of all the gangs.” Tom hadn’t replied, he had just looked at her, unsure of what to say. She had been looking out his kitchen window with sad eyes, her mind far away. He knew she had been thinking of Thomas.
Now she was on her way to the college, starting a new life. She was going to be staying on campus and no one would know she had been a gang member, although she had taken her Vettes jacket at the last minute. “Security blanket,” she had explained to Tom unnecessarily. To the people at the University of California, San Diego, she would be just another beautiful new freshman. Tom was hoping that she would find herself some normal friends and be able to lead some semblance of a normal life. At that point he was just happy that she was going forward in her life to a new level; for now that was enough.
He looked over at her, struck again by how beautiful she was. He knew she was going to be the heartbreak of the whole campus. Strangely, he felt very proud of her, she wasn’t afraid of this new phase in her life, even if it was something totally foreign to her. She was taking it head on, like everything else. UCSD had better watch out, Tom Ryan thought as he pulled into the parking lot.
San Diego, California, 1983
The sun was shining brightly on the graduates. Midnight sat with the rest of her class as the graduation ceremony progressed. She reflected on how far she had come. She’d received her bachelor’s degree in psychology a full year early and received the distinction of being awarded Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. She had also already started applying for law schools. Now, here, she was graduating top of her class, with honors in hand-to-hand combat and use of baton, from the San Diego Police Academy. She was happy, for the most part, but part of her still burned with the need to avenge her brother’s death somehow. Although it was now a positive vengeance she sought.
Tom Ryan sat proudly in the audience watching Midnight. Over the last three years, she had become the daughter he had never had. She had sought his advice and counsel constantly while in the academy. Now she was number one in her class, which even in these modern times was still a major accomplishment for a woman. Ryan had helped Midnight financially as much as he could the first year, although in the end she had more than qualified for financial aid. She had received numerous grants from the police department and other law enforcement agencies. She had even received a grant from the California Peace Officers Association after Ryan had written them a letter telling them of her past and her future plans. The association had responded almost immediately, asking for Midnight and Ryan to attend their annual conference in Sacramento, where they presented Midnight with a large grant check and a certificate of recognition for her perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.
Midnight Chevalier had become a regular celebrity in the law enforcement community, with her past plight and current accomplishments. Having already taken and passed the LSAT test for law school with an astounding score of 175 out of a possible 180, it was no wonder that her application for the San Diego Police Department was given the seal of approval almost immediately. And now here she was graduating. Midnight was sworn in on stage with all her classmates, and as she repeated the Oath of Allegiance tears came to her eyes. She knew she was moving toward what she wanted and it made her sad and happy all at the same time. The allegiance over, and the swearing in complete, all the new officers threw their hats up into the air and hugged each other. Midnight walked off the stage and went to find Tom Ryan. When she found him, he grabbed her up in a bear hug, kissing her cheek.
“You looked great up there, Midnight,” he said, his voice proud.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling up at him. But a shadow of sadness crossed her face.
“Hey,” Ryan said, touching her under the chin, “don’t be sad …” he said, seeing the look on her face. “Thomas would have been proud of you today.” Her eyes filled with tears at the mention of her brother’s name.
“I just wish …” she said, shaking her head, then burying it against Tom’s shoulder.
“I know,” he said and hugged her to him. The chief of police came up to them, and Ryan stepped back from Midnight, although his hand remained on her waist.
“Well, young lady,” the chief said, looking down at Midnight, “you certainly made your mark here.” He extended his hand to her and she took it. As they shook hands, he watched her intently; she was such a beautiful girl with such an intense look about her. The chief had the feeling he’d be hearing from this one again and again.
“Congratulations,” he told her, squeezing her hand. Then he moved on to congratulate other graduates and meet their families, but his eyes kept straying back to where Midnight Chevalier and Tom Ryan stood talking. Yes, he was sure he’d be hearing from her in the future.
San Diego, California, 1986
Three years after becoming a police officer, Midnight received her law degree. It had been a grueling three years. She’d gone to school all day, starting at eight in the morning until one in the afternoon. After school she would go home and study for three hours and then sleep for five. She’d get up and go to work, starting at ten p.m. as a patrol officer, and she’d be on until six in the morning. Then she’d study until she had to be at school again. On her days off from school and work, which fortunately coincided, she would sleep for half a day and study for the other half. She continued this schedule for the full three years that she was in law school. When she graduated from law school, Tom Ryan was again there for her.
She took the sergeant’s exam that same year, and two weeks later, she was called into the chief’s office. The chief of police himself informed her that she was being promoted to the rank of sergeant. He also informed her that since she had placed first on the test that she could have her choice of assignments. Tom Ryan was there too; he had been invited to witness the announcement, considering that he was basically the motivation for her achievements.
Midnight gave the chief a measured look, wondering if she should bring up the idea she’d been mulling over in her head for a couple of years.
“So, what unit would you like to work for Ms. Chevalier?” the chief asked, pronouncing her last name wrong as usual, but of course she ignored that.
“Well, sir …” she said, looking at him, still debating with herself.
“Go on, Midnight,” Ryan said, knowing what she’d b
een thinking, since she’d discussed the idea with him endlessly.
“Well, I did have this idea … it’s for helping with the gang problem …” She looked at the chief to see if he was even receptive to the idea; he seemed to be so she continued. “Well the way I see it, gang members respond best to someone they relate to … and well who better than an ex-gang leader.” She gestured to herself. “Anyway, I had the idea that if I could get together a group of ex-gang members, and ex-leaders, we could get into the gang from the inside and basically break them up from the inside.”
The chief was listening looking very interested. “And what would this entail for the department?”
“Well, all we’d need is some office space and some staff …”
“And how would we deal with ex-gang members?”
“What do you mean?” Midnight asked sharply, thinking that he was saying that ex-gang members were uncontrollable.
“In terms of status, pay, and all that,” the chief said gently, knowing what she had been thinking.
“Oh,” Midnight replied, looking chagrined, “well I was thinking that I could start them out as informants for me, we could pay them by the case, like we do our regular informants. Then from there, if they proved reliable, after a background check and, lacking a serious criminal background, we could put some of them through the level one reserve academy, and make them non-designated level ones. That way they’d only have peace officer powers on the job. Maybe eventually we could put the level ones through the full academy, if they made the cut.”
“Have you got anything written up on your idea?” the chief asked, looking impressed. She’d obviously thought this out thoroughly.
“As a matter of fact …” Midnight said as she pulled a document from the leather-bound folder she had on her lap. She had hoped to have an opportunity to talk to him about it. She hadn’t realized she was getting a promotion and her choice of assignments.
Building Empires (MidKnight Blue Book 1) Page 1