Building Empires (MidKnight Blue Book 1)

by Sherryl Hancock

  Later that night, Rick called Midnight wanting to check on her. She asked him to come over and he did. They spent the evening much as they had the night before; Rick held her and they talked a little bit. They avoided the topic of Joe altogether, both sensing that the other didn’t want to talk about it. They talked about the cases they were working on, and they even talked about Tim.

  “He’s a nice kid,” Midnight said, her head resting on Rick’s chest. They were on her couch listening to the stereo.

  “Yeah, he is, and he’s got a major crush on you,” Rick said, smiling down at her.

  Midnight laughed. “I kind of thought so,” she said, with no conceit.

  “Kind of?” Rick said, incredulously. “That kid is so far gone I think if you touched him he’d fall over dead from happiness.”

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” Midnight said, smiling.

  “Well, I would,” Rick replied. “Smart kid, though, knows a beautiful woman when he sees one.” He tightened his arms around her for a moment.

  “I see,” Midnight said, looking up at him. “Well I’ve always known men were blind.”

  Rick looked at her for a long moment, and he shook his head disbelieving. “You have no idea how beautiful you are.” His voice was soft and low. Midnight looked away from him, embarrassed. He touched her face, bringing it back to face him. “I didn’t think anything could embarrass you.”

  She wouldn’t look at him, her eyes staring over his shoulder instead.

  “Midnight, look at me,” Rick said, smiling.

  When she looked at him, he smiled even wider; it was obvious that his complement had really embarrassed her. She laughed and he did too. The rest of the evening was comfortable and in a way healing for both of them. They didn’t make love; Rick didn’t even try and Midnight liked him even more for that. Joe was the only man that she had ever spent the night with without sex.

  She was glad that they had become good enough friends now that he could sense that she wouldn’t want that kind of closeness right then. She was still emotionally wounded from the incident with Joe and the last thing she wanted was to have sex with anyone. Rick seemed to sense that, and while he held her close to him as they slept that night, his hands never wandered. The kisses he placed softly on her lips weren’t tainted with passion, they were tender. Midnight felt very comfortable in his arms, and this time it didn’t bother her that he was like Joe in that respect.

  The next day, the office was a little less sedate, although Joe’s absence was very noticeable.

  Tim was in the office and again he tended to want to work with Midnight, and as usual, she indulged him. Rick watched her talk to him, and smiled to himself remembering their conversation of the night before. Midnight looked up and saw him smiling and she smiled too. She was having Tim clarify some of the information he had written down a couple of days before. She had been very surprised to find that he did indeed seem to know a lot about the Scorpions’ operations. He didn’t know the leader’s name, but he had seen him a few times and he described him to Midnight.

  “He’s tall, kind of like Joe,” Tim said, then grimaced at having brought up what he knew was a sore spot. Midnight shook her head smiling at him, motioning for him to go on. “And he’s got like a crew cut, brown hair, and I think his eyes are brown too, but it’s real hard to know ’cause he wears shades a lot. Probably ’cause he’s got scars and stuff on his face. Oh and speaking of scars, he’s got this one scar that runs like from his ear, down his chest, all the way to his waist.” Tim ran his index finger from his left ear down his chest to the right side of his waist.

  Midnight widened her eyes; she could imagine what kind of fighter would get a cut like that. “Anything else? Tattoos? Anything?”

  Tim nodded. “Yeah, a bunch of them.”

  “Like what?” Midnight said, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice. She knew she was getting close to something, but she didn’t want to push too hard.

  “Well he has a cross on his back, and a lion on one of his arms—”

  “Upper or lower?” Midnight asked.

  “Upper. He has a bunch of them though. I try not to look at him much when he’s around, ’cause he might call me out or something. He fights dirty. I saw him knife a guy in the back when the guy wouldn’t fight him. He killed him. He’s real mean.”

  Midnight nodded, knowing she had yet another reason to arrest the guy.

  “Oh, yeah!” Tim said. “He does have one tattoo I can remember, he has a red scorpion on the front of his left shoulder. It’s really a cool tattoo, lot of detail and stuff …” Tim’s voice trailed off, as Midnight looked at him sharply. She didn’t want Tim to think anything about this guy was “cool.” It reminded her of Thomas, with his “cool” long hair. Tim looked down then, knowing he had said something wrong, to make her mad.

  Midnight shook her head. “Hey, Tim.” She looked at him, waiting until he raised his eyes to her again, then she smiled at him. “You’ve been a great help, we’ll get this guy, don’t you worry.” Tim smiled at her, glad that she wasn’t mad at him.

  Tim left the office a few hours later, telling her he had to go see his brother, and do “some stuff.” Midnight had nodded absently, her attention on a report she had just gotten from the Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Intelligence Section. Tim stood in her doorway watching her for a few minutes. Midnight realized that he hadn’t left, and looked up and saw him watching her. She smiled at him warmly, and his heart soared. He left the office with a spring in his step.

  Midnight went back to the report, shaking her head and smiling to herself. She remembered a time when Thomas had been trying for her approval.

  ****

  Midnight sat in one of the booths of the restaurant. One jean clad leg rested on the seat of the booth, her back to the wall, as usual, keeping tabs on everything and everyone. Many of the members looked in her direction, but didn’t bother to try and talk to her. They knew she wasn’t the social type. She grimaced as she noted Thomas walking toward her with Sandy in tow.

  “Shit,” Midnight said under her breath, as her gold-green eyes tracked their progress toward her. She didn’t notice the young man come up beside her, until his voice made her jump ever so slightly.

  “Hola, chica …” he said, his voice full of innuendo.

  Midnight controlled her immediate reaction, which was to grab him by the throat for sneaking up on her. Instead, she narrowed her eyes as she turned her head. “You do that again, and you’re gonna be breathin’ outta new hole,” she said, her voice pure ice.

  “Hey, juerita, lighten up!” the young man, Manuel, said, giving her a suave grin, but moving pointedly out of her range. He attempted to sit next to her, but she stared back at him, refusing to move her foot.

  “So when are you and me gonna get together?” he asked, wisely choosing to sit across from her.

  “We’re not,” Midnight said, her tone matter of fact.

  “Not what?” Thomas asked, smiling at his sister, as he walked up. The girl he was with all but hid behind him.

  “Never mind,” Midnight said, giving Manuel a cool look. “What is it you’ve got there, little brother?” she said then, her tone not warming in the slightest.

  “Midnight, this is Sandy,” Thomas said, pulling the girl forward to face Midnight. The girl looked terrified. “Sandy, this is my sister, Midnight.”

  Midnight’s eyes flicked from Thomas to the girl, and then back to her brother, when “Sandy” said nothing. Finally, Midnight shrugged and said, “Okay.” After that, she turned back to Manuel, dismissing Thomas and Sandy. Thomas walked away eventually, feeling very put out by his sister’s attitude.

  As they walked home that night, Thomas complained about Midnight’s behavior.

  “You were a total bitch, Midnight,” he said, not for the first time in the argument.

  “I told you, I don’t converse with members. That makes ’em think I’m their friend and I’m not,” Midnight said, not looking
at her brother.

  “But Sandy’s different, she might end up being my girlfriend or something. Doesn’t that count for anything?” Thomas asked, his tone imploring.

  “Thomas,” Midnight said, stopping in her tracks, and staring up at him. “I’m not their friend okay, I’m their leader. If I start being miss congeniality then no one’s gonna respect me. This is my gang, I run it. You wanted to join, now you’re in, but don’t expect me to change my ways for you. I got a reputation to uphold here, this ain’t fun and games ya know. If one person thinks I’m soft, if one chick decides she wants to make a play for my spot, and I lose, I’m dead, and where will that leave you?”

  Thomas lowered his head, his lower lip stuck out in an over exaggerated pout, his green eyes looking at his sister through a veil of brown hair. “Jesus, Midnight, I didn’t realize that my finding a girlfriend was going to get you killed …”

  Midnight stood in the middle of the darkened street and stared up at him dumbfounded for a long moment. Then she started to laugh. “Just shut the hell up, will ya!” she said, reaching out to shove him. He fell back, laughing too. He started to chase her, and she ran, her boot heels striking the pavement and her copper-blond hair flying wildly around her. It was one of the rare times when they were brother and sister, not leader and member.

  Midnight was so distracted by their game that she didn’t see the police car drive up until he was right next to them.

  “Good evening, Miss Chevalier,” Tom Ryan said from his squad car.

  Midnight turned to look at him, a guarded look dropping over her face like a mask. “What do you want, Ryan?” she asked, her tone mildly defiant. She actually liked the guy, he was pretty cool in her book, but she had no intention of letting him know that.

  “Hey there Thomas,” he said, smiling at the young man, ignoring Midnight’s question. It was rhetorical anyway.

  “Ryan,” Thomas said, his face serious as he took his cue from his sister.

  “So, what’s on the agenda for this evening, Midnight?” Ryan asked keeping his tone of voice conversational.

  “As a matter of fact,” Midnight said, smiling a false sweet smile at him, “we’re on our way home, Officer Ryan.” Her tone was that of an obedient schoolgirl.

  “Uh-huh … and where’ve you been tonight?” Ryan asked.

  “At Barney’s over on Bay View,” Midnight answered her look openly defiant now.

  She knew she was guiltless this time.

  “Okay … I heard you had a run in with Talma Hooks, that true?” Ryan asked, his tone taking on a more intent tone. Midnight knew he was fishing.

  “Couple days ago. Why?” Midnight asked, her gold-green eyes narrowing at Ryan.

  “Word on the street is she wants to take you down,” Tom said, sounding concerned.

  “Yeah,” Midnight said confidently, “she’d like to try, so what.”

  “Midnight,” Ryan began his tone almost fatherly, “Talma Hooks is playing for keeps... I think you should take her threat seriously.” He watched her face, seeing that she was listening, even if she was acting like she wasn’t. “Maybe,” he said cautiously, “now would be a good time to get out. There’s a program with the department—”

  “Don’t bother, Ryan,” Midnight said, shaking her head, “I’m no charity case. I don’t need to be rescued, thank you very much.” Her tone indicated anything but gratitude. “I can handle Talma.”

  She started to walk away then, and Ryan felt the need to get out of his car and intercept her. He was surprised once again by how small she really was, dwarfed by his six-foot frame.

  “Midnight,” he said, standing in her way, “be reasonable,” he told her, holding up his hands to block her from moving away from him. “What kind of life is this for Thomas?” he asked, knowing that was a chief concern for Midnight.

  “I can take care of myself and Thomas,” Midnight said, staring defiantly up at him.

  Thomas stood by, watching the exchange. He was fiercely loyal to his sister and would believe anything she said. Ryan knew he was fighting a losing battle.

  “Okay, okay, so you won’t quit the gang, but at least promise me you’ll be careful around Talma Hooks.”

  “Yeah, yeah, okay?” Midnight said, giving him an irritated look now.

  Ryan knew it was time to back off. He stepped back, allowing her to pass, and watched as she and Thomas continued down the street.

  Ryan had been keeping an eye on her for over two years now. He had seen in the young woman a great deal of potential. He knew that she was very smart, and that, given the right opportunities, she could do a lot with her life. It bothered Ryan to see her running the streets. He’d ascertained that her parents were drug addicts and that they basically paid no attention to their children. The first time Tom Ryan had met Midnight Chevalier, he had been responding to a call about a gang fight. He had driven up to find that the fight had broken up, but there were still people milling about. He had approached a young woman leaning against a wall.

  “Did you see what happened here, miss?” Ryan had asked her politely.

  Midnight had looked up at him, her look wry as she grinned.

  “Yep,” she had responded, her tone indolent.

  Her eyes had stared right back into his, surprising him.

  “Would you like to tell me what happened then?” he had asked her, smiling in spite of himself.

  “Nope,” she had replied, her eyes never leaving his.

  “Would you like me to haul you down to the station for questioning?” Ryan had asked authoritatively.

  Midnight’s grin had grown wider at that point. “For what? Hanging out on the side of building?”

  Ryan had known then that she was far from the average gang member. She hadn’t resorted to cussing and being difficult, she’d used her quick mind to diffuse his attempt to squeeze her for information. That was the day that he decided to watch this particular young woman. He had found out her name and that of her gang, and knew that their territory fell within his patrol area. He’d been stopping and talking to her since that time. She always acted like she didn’t want to be bothered by him, but she had also always talked to him. Ryan thought she probably liked him more than she’d ever let on.

  He was worried about her, however. She seemed so fragile, and he had seen Talma Hooks, the woman was twice Midnight’s size. She was also eager to make a name for herself. It was a bad combination.

  ****

  Midnight got a phone call around five thirty. It was Tim, he told her he’d found out more about the leader of the Scorpions, and asked her if she would meet him at his apartment. She agreed, writing down the address. She picked up her gun and her jacket then left the office. She really hoped that all the information Tim had provided so far would help but she sincerely hoped that he knew the guy’s name now. As she drove over to his apartment, she dialed Mike Harlow’s office number. It had occurred to her while Tim was giving her the leader’s description that she hadn’t gotten a description of the guy that had followed her a week or so ago. Mike wasn’t in his office so she left a message for him.

  As she got closer to the address, she noticed that the neighborhood wasn’t the greatest. When she found the address, she parked in front and as she got out, slipped her gun into its usual place and clipping her radio to her belt. Then she walked up to the front door of the apartment building. She went up two flights of stairs, noticing the graffiti and garbage in the stairwell. When she got to the correct apartment number, she knocked. She heard a sound from inside. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it made her nerves jump. She pulled the radio off her belt.

  “This is Lincoln-10,” she said into the radio.

  “Lincoln-10, go,” replied the dispatcher.

  “I need a black and white at 3124 Home Avenue, apartment 24.”

  “10-4 Lincoln-10,” the dispatcher answered.

  Midnight put the radio back on her belt and reached back to pull out her gun. She reached out and tried the doorknob;
it was unlocked. She opened it cautiously and stood back out of the doorway for a moment, then swung into the apartment, her gun at the ready.

  “Tim,” she called. No answer.

  She moved into the room, her arms extended in front of her holding her gun. Her steps were cautious and her eyes darted around, trying to secure the area. She wondered if Tim had just had to leave, and would be back. But her instinct told her that something was wrong. She made her way through the room and stepped into the living room. That’s when she saw Tim. He was lying on the floor. Then she saw the blood. She screamed as she ran to his side, skidding to a stop and dropping to her knees.

  “Tim!” she yelled, tears already in her eyes.

  There was blood coming from his chest; he’d been shot a few times. He was breathing and she checked for a pulse. He had one, it was weak, but he had one. Still holding her gun, she pulled the radio off her belt.

  “This is Lincoln-10, I need an ambulance at 3124 Home Avenue, apartment 24, now!” Her heart was beating so fast, she could barely breathe.

  Still on her knees she lifted Tim’s head to rest on her lap, her tears dropping on his face.

  “Come on, Tim, don’t do this to me. Come on!”

  He opened his eyes, and his hand came up to touch her hand. She took his hand and held it tightly. “You’re going to be okay,” she said softly.

  She could see he was having a hard time breathing, and she could see fear in his eyes. “Oh God, Tim, you’re going to be okay, you’ve got to be.”

  He looked at her, and she could see pain and sorry in his eyes. She leaned down and kissed him; his lips were cold, and he squeezed her hand. When she pulled back, he smiled just slightly at her. His hand went limp then and she knew that she had just lost him too. Her screams pierced the silence.

  “No Tim! Goddamn it! No!”

  The police found her a few minutes later, with Tim’s head still in her lap. Her head was down, and she was crying and rocking back and forth. Her gun was still in her left hand. The police approached her cautiously with their weapons drawn, not knowing who she was.