Indulgence

by Liz Crowe

  Gina was running out of good guys to reference. “I promise, your secret is safe with me.”

  “My mother’s priest molested me when I was thirteen. Confirmation classes and all. My mother has blinders on, just like horses at the races. Wanted me to spend all kinds of time with the creep, and thought I was just being selfish when I didn’t want to go anymore. I knew it was wrong to sit on his lap with no panties on.”

  They continued into the intersection.

  “God, that’s awful, Mia.”

  “Found out he’d been doing it for years. The church knew too. Did not one damned thing about it.”

  “Did you tell your mother?”

  “Tried to. She’s a brick wall when it comes to the church. She refused to listen.”

  “How long did this go on?”

  “Nearly a year. I got issues about it, you know. I play around and such, but I don’t like sex very much. It feels dirty.”

  “No wonder. You know there are places that can help you with that.”

  “Oh yeah. I got that too. The priest sent me to a shrink. That man was also a pervert. I think the two of them was comparin’ notes. He got arrested last year…you remember that big scandal with the doctor and the young girls?”

  “I do. I remember when they—” she was going to say when they brought him in, but that would have been incredibly dumb, “they had it all over the news. So you were one of those girls?”

  “Police did nothing. I was Carlos’s bitch at the time and he was going away. I was pregnant by a gang member. They didn’t want me anywhere near that courtroom. Can you blame them?”

  So the system had let Mia down. Her mother had brought them here for a better life, and Mia had fallen into the clutches of a couple of pedophiles.

  “You know, Mia, it isn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong.”

  “Tell that to my mom.”

  “I think she loves you. Armando does too. I think if you stayed close to them, the life you want for you and the baby, well, you could have that life.”

  “Says the woman who’s going to run money and drugs for Carlos. You should take your own medicine, Gina.”

  You’re so damned right, Mia. Wish I could tell you how it’s going to play out.

  “I’m just doing it for the money,” she decided to say. It was her job, and she did need the money to live on.

  “That’s prostitution, Gina. You doing those things for money is no different than sucking on a guy’s junk for cash. Only a matter of time.”

  If Mia only knew what she and Armando had done. Her face flushed. A smile crept up to her lips as she remembered he’d be home in two days. She couldn’t wait.

  “You could!” Mia said. “Shut the fuck up. You could totally do it, couldn’t you? You get off on that kind of stuff, Gina?”

  “No. I wasn’t thinking about that.”

  “Girl, you are fucked up—”

  “No, Mia. You got me wrong.” Gina watched the trees and front porches of Mia’s now-familiar neighborhood. What would it be like some day to have a little place like this, if she could afford it, with a white picket fence and a garden? A couple of kids running in the yard. Taking the dog to the park. Coming home to a man she loved instead of a sterile apartment pre-staged to look like someone really did live there. It was all a stage. She was walking through the life of a person who didn’t exist. Maybe it was time she revealed something about her feelings for Armando. Maybe it would help speed up the process.

  “I’m a one-guy lady. I don’t do multiple boyfriends or serial dating. I’m pretty much of a loner.”

  “I know who you like, although you won’t let yourself feel it.”

  Gina looked at Mia’s profile as she pulled into the driveway of the Spanish bungalow she called home. The home Armando had bought for her.

  “Who?”

  “Sam. I see it in your eyes. You do have a thing for him. Don’t deny it.”

  “Not so. Sam and I are over. Never really began. Was just sex, Mia.”

  “Whoa! We have a winner! Is he that good?”

  “No. Definitely not. Not my type.”

  They got out of the car. Mia unstrapped sleeping Ricardo from the baby carrier. After putting him down to bed she came back to the kitchen.

  “So what is his type?” Mia asked.

  “You don’t want to go there. Honest. You’re my friend. He’s bad news.”

  “As in he wears black leathers and rides a Harley. I mean, what does he do for work?”

  “Construction.” They’d never talked about what Sam’s story was going to be. Gina made a mental note to let him know.

  “So he works with his tools, then?” Mia’s eyes were sparkling. She handed Gina a glass of ice water. “That doesn’t sound too bad. I like a guy with calluses on his palms. Rough and scratchy.”

  “He’s into bondage. I don’t go there.” Gina was surprised she’d finally said it. She watched Mia’s expression go from hopeful to concerned.

  “How far?”

  “I never let him show me. I broke it off before we got there. Something wrong with him, Mia. You should stay away.”

  “I’m going to quote a really good friend of mine.” Mia’s stern face didn’t reveal an ounce of inner conflict. Without smiling, she said, “I can handle myself.”

  Mia took it to the next level when she called Gina up later on and asked her to babysit Ricardo so she could go out on a date the next night. It was an encouraging sign, Gina thought, that it wasn’t any of Carlos’s crowd.

  But her hopes were dashed when she found out it was a date with Sam.

  Gina had promised to get the audio download in to her sergeant, so she went in early without her usual slutty disguise.

  Several of the detectives were friendly and talkative. It didn’t take her long to realize Sam had been telling some tall tales.

  “You’re a lucky little lady,” one of the few female detectives said to her face. “You got a good case, and you get to work with a great cop who knows the ropes.” The woman was attractive and athletic and would have been just Sam’s type.

  “I think the operation is going well. I think I’ve got enough here to bring in a bunch of the Scorpions’ upper leadership.” She held up her mini recorder encased in a baggie.

  “You and Sam. He just told me the same thing.”

  Gina looked up and saw Sam seated in front of Kozinski’s desk. The sergeant motioned for her to join them.

  “Nice work, you two,” he said as he closed the glass door behind her. The scene was so totally civil and calm, so far removed from the one a week ago, that Gina was shocked.

  “Thanks.” She darted a glance at Sam, who had crossed his legs and was leaning back on his chair with a cat-that-ate-the-canary look.

  Something was up.

  “Sam was just telling me he found Carlos’s bookkeeper and the lady has started spilling everything to him.”

  I’ll bet.

  “Got a whole notebook full of details,” Sam said in a husky voice. The double meaning hit Gina in the gut. Her blood ran cold. His eyes were smiling but he still looked mean and dangerous. Something was unraveling.

  “Well, that’s good, Sam. I imagine that will help out a lot.”

  “Enough to put him away for a while, I think,” Sam countered.

  She turned to Kozinski, clearing her voice, “I’ve brought in the audio I told you about, Sergeant.”

  She fished a sealed plastic bag from her purse, containing a mini audio recorder. “In here he talks about his couriers, and he even told me where he keeps some of the drugs.”

  “Good work.” Kozinski grabbed the bag, placing his initials and date on the white square at the top for the chain of custody.

  “Hold on a second,” Sam spoke up. “I’d like to make a copy of this. By the time they analyze this over at the lab and get a transcription, days could go by. If we’re gonna jump on this gang, we gotta act quickly.”

  Kozinski was still gripping the plastic betwe
en his fingers. Gina had a bad feeling in her stomach.

  “I can order a copy made and you’ll get it tomorrow,” Kozinski said.

  “Yup, but I can have one in an hour, and then I’ll return it to you. Gina and I have worked pretty hard on this case, sir. Let’s not put the brakes on now.”

  Kozinski handed the plastic over to Sam, who tucked it in his parka front pocket. He patted his stomach and gave Gina a smug smile like he was hatching a baby.

  More like hatching an evil plan.

  “Sam, you make sure and wear gloves. Take precautions.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Just for the record, sir, I’m uncomfortable with this arrangement,” Gina said.

  “Noted. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready for a briefing.” Kozinski was all business. He picked up his briefcase and motioned to the door, exiting his office behind Gina and Sam. He quickly passed them and sped on his way to the elevator.

  Sam caught up to the sergeant and whispered something in his ear. They both laughed. Gina knew her boss was too trusting, and Sam had just told that joke to make Kozinski laugh unwittingly. It was the appearance Sam was after, and Kozinski didn’t have a clue what was really going on. But Sam knew exactly what he was doing.

  He wanted to be sure Gina knew she was on the outside. Not part of the A-Team. Just in case she thought she could do a better job.

  It was intended to put her in her place. She knew the download would never see the light of day.

  Good thing I made my own copy first.

  When Gina showed up at the house the next evening, Mia looked like the bad girl she truly was. She wore her four-inch stilettos, a scooped neck, form-fitting dress that was sure to get Sam all hot and bothered. She should have just worn a sign, Fuck Me Now, on her back.

  As if she was Mia’s mother and not her girlfriend, Gina greeted Sam at the door while Mia was putting the baby down. Sam’s grey-blue eyes were clear and penetrating. He had been a handsome man in his youth, and women would naturally be attracted to the older detective because of his huge frame and arms from heavy workouts. Though he was nearly forty, he’d still be attractive to the twenty-somethings, especially if they liked sex on the kinky side.

  She didn’t feel an ounce of attraction for him. She knew that face could change, turn dark and menacing in a heartbeat. She didn’t trust his motive for taking Mia out. She knew it had something to do with her, as had the conversation in Kozinski’s office earlier today.

  “Hello, Gina. Nice of you to give Mia and I a little alone time together.” He flashed his winning smile, but Gina didn’t take the bait.

  “All part of the job. Yours, and mine,” she whispered.

  “With wonderful benefits,” he winked and walked past her, lightly grazing fingers against her thigh.

  Mia made her entrance. “What benefits?”

  Sam stepped back, bringing his palms out to the side. “Holy fuckin’ cow, Mia. You’re one gorgeous babe.”

  Mia blushed and returned a smug smile to Gina.

  “I was just telling her how beautiful you were, that you had, well, a lot of benefits a guy could get lost in, right Gina?”

  Right.

  “Enjoy the movie. I’ll sleep on the couch if it gets too late.” Gina couldn’t wait for them to leave the room.

  Sam had already fondled Mia’s ass by the time they made it out the door. Gina hoped his weaknesses were not as strong as his charge to protect and serve. She still wanted to believe in him. She knew good was stronger than evil.

  Eventually.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Gina woke up on the couch. Early morning sunlight shone through the miniblinds in Mia’s living room. She checked the street and didn’t see a car she recognized. She worried that Mia had never made it home and internally cursed herself for not staying awake.

  She tiptoed to the closed door of Mia’s bedroom and opened it a crack. Mia was there, tangled in sheets and naked. Next to her was Sam, on his back, sheet draping his naked body low, exposing his enormous chest and shoulders. One of his socks was still on.

  Gina sighed and began to close the door, but not before she saw Sam’s eyes open, underlined by a wide grin.

  So let Sam change the baby when he wakes up. Sam could make her breakfast. What was she anyhow, a maid?

  Gina slipped on her canvas shoes and picked up the purse that she’d tucked under the pillows on the couch. She checked her gun and made sure her badge was stowed down low enough not to be easily visible.

  She double-checked the room to make sure she wasn’t leaving anything. The door opened and Sam stepped out in his shorts.

  “You taking off so soon?” he whispered. “It’s early.” His hair stuck out in multiple directions.

  “I’ve got paperwork to get caught up on.”

  Sam leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms on themselves.

  “Kozinski said the audio was blank.”

  “What?”

  “I guess you’d never make it in the recording industry. It was blank, even Kozinski tried it. Nothing there.”

  “Like hell. You erased it.”

  “Now, why would I erase evidence?”

  “You can tell it to the jury when your time comes. Sam, I’ve had about all of this I can stand.”

  “You upset about me banging the little nympho?”

  Gina knew Mia was anything but that based on their conversation the evening before.

  He continued, “If you can do it, I guess I can. She might not be as much fun as that SEAL brother of hers, but I think if we made it a threesome it could get real hot, just like you like it, and you’d forget all about him.”

  “Not interested.” She reached for the door and then stopped herself. “Sam, what about our conversation a few days ago don’t you understand? I told you there was to be no ‘us’ anymore. What’s Kozinski going to think when I tell him you screwed Mia to get even with me?”

  Sam shrugged. “Don’t flatter yourself. Besides, he’ll never believe you. And you’re wrong, babe. I screwed her because she wanted to be taught how to do it right.”

  That actually sounded like the first truthful thing Sam had said all morning.

  “She wants to try it all. And I’m not kidding about the threesome. I think she’d be open to it.” He began to walk slowly toward her. “That way you don’t have to feel left out.”

  Gina was furious. “Never going to happen. You are wasting your time, and mine.”

  She left through the front door and ran down the red walkway bisecting two green patches of lawn. Everything on the street looked like the Cleavers lived there. The yards were nice; most the places were freshly painted. For some reason, the normal scene brought tears to her eyes.

  Get a grip.

  She knew she wasn’t jealous. What was going on?

  Gina went home and showered, changing into some jeans and a large yellow sweatshirt. She put her canvas slip-ons back on and took off for the office. Kozinski was bent over something at his desk when she knocked on the glass door separating them.

  “Come in,” he said without looking up.

  “Sir. I spoke to Sam about an hour ago, and I understand there was a problem with my audio recording?”

  “As in it was completely blank.”

  “I saved a copy to disc. You can have this one.”

  “How do I know—”

  “Just listen to it first, sir, and then you decide what you want to do with it. I told you I wasn’t comfortable with Sam getting access to it. If that recording was blank, then I’m telling you Sam erased it.”

  “Gina, you understand what you’re implying?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “You’re accusing one of our own of obstructing justice, tampering with evidence. That really what you’re saying? All because the guy wouldn’t go out with you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Sam said you wanted to rekindle your relationship and he thought it best not to do so
and jeopardize the operation. And now you’re angry with him. He warned me you’d be on the warpath when we discovered the blank audio.”

  “This is ridiculous. It’s the other way around. Sam’s—”

  “Gina, I think you’re over your head. You need him. It isn’t helpful to put your personal feelings ahead of the operation. You’re jeopardizing the very thing we’re trying to protect.”

  “That’s just not true.”

  “I’ve known Sam for over fifteen years. I’ve only known you two years. First thing when you get here, you’re hot and heavy with one of the guys on the force, someone you’re supposed to learn from, breaking up his marriage and putting his job at risk.”

  Gina knew the truth of what Kozinski was saying. It had been a horrible lack of judgment. She regretted it every day now.

  “I’m so sorry about how my time here at the Department started. You are right. It was totally inappropriate and showed my inexperience. But Sam, he knew better. And, sir, he came after me, not the other way around.”

  “That may have been true before.”

  “It’s the same now. He shows up everywhere Mia and I are.”

  “He’s your backup. These are dangerous guys you’re dealing with. He’s doing his job. You’re taking this all too personally. I told you to bury the hatchet. I don’t want to have to tell you again, Gina.”

  Gina couldn’t believe how Sam had worked his magic on the sergeant. He was much better at the office politics than she was. She would have to be very careful.

  “So you won’t consider pulling him off the case?”

  “Not in a million. But I could pull you.”

  So that was it. Her job was at risk, not Sam’s. Good to know. This changed how she was going to go about things.

  “Sir. Just listen to this CD, and then you tell me who you believe. I’ve got evidence here you can use. Not hearsay from a bookkeeper. Real evidence of crimes being admitted to.”

  “Fair enough.” He took the CD from Gina’s fingers. “I’ll listen to it tonight on the ride back home.”

  “I’d keep it in a safe place, and I wouldn’t tell Sam about it, either. Sir, I could be wrong, but I don’t trust him.”

  “Your objection is noted. I think you’re wrong, of course, but it’s noted. I’ll get back to you tomorrow. That agreeable? We’ll work on it first thing next week. You go have a good weekend. Then we’ll talk.”