feels like something else to you right here, but to us it’s a warzone. A war that never ends. And if my boys don’t have the comfort of knowing I’ll go all the way to the line for them, then what the hell else do they have?’
Jennifer studied him closely. It was an honorable sentiment – she couldn’t fault him on it, even if it did go against most of her leanings. The guy was all man, there was no doubt about that.
‘And what?’ she asked, ‘so I should just let James De Cali rot in that cell, while his family struggles to make bail? While at the same time you and I and everybody else is this damn city knows that Liam Ryan only picked him up so he could get back to drinking beers and cruising for whores like he does every other night he’s supposed to be on duty?’
‘Girl,’ the captain warned, ‘you watch your mouth.’
Something in his voice got to her. She felt a little shiver run down her spine and reproached herself for responding to it. She decided to try a different approach.
‘He’s a good kid Mick,’ she said, ‘God knows there’s not many of them left these days. Don’t ruin another one.’
A strange look came over the captain’s face. For a moment she almost saw him as he once must have been, back when he was a fresh-faced young recruit, back before the harsh realities of the city had wiped away the idealism. She was right about this one and no matter how his gut told him to respond, she could tell that he knew it too.
‘And what if he’s not?’ he asked, ‘what if the kid’s guilty? You know what that’ll do to me, if I pull him out now?’
‘He’s innocent,’ Jennifer said, ‘trust me Mick.’
The Captain sighed. He looked at her sideways, a slight smile touching his lip. ‘God damn it,’ he said, ‘how the hell do you do it, kid? How do you stay so pure and moral out there amongst all that sin?’
Jennifer smiled. ‘Well first I made a promise to myself,’ she said, ‘but that wasn’t really it. Because after that I made a promise to the people and that’s what brings me back in here every single night.’
Mick Leahy stood up and leaned forward towards her with his knuckles resting on the desk. He towered above her – even in his autumn years he was still built like an ox and toned like an Olympic swimmer. ‘You’re a good kid,’ he said, ‘don’t you have a boyfriend worrying about you out here?’
Jennifer shook her head and smiled. ‘Don’t have time for a boyfriend,’ she said.
The Captain nodded to himself. ‘Well so say I do this for you now? I’m really sticking my neck out on the line here. I’m gonna need a little insurance. You’ll have to show some leeway.’
He was smiling and there was a mischievous, playful look in his eye. Jennifer sensed that he was going to let James De Cali go that night, but what else exactly was going on here? It was uncharted waters, whatever it was.
‘What are you saying?’ she asked, swallowing more noticeably than she’d intended.
‘Well if I let one prisoner go,’ the Captain smiled, ‘what does that say to my boys? What does that do for morale?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’ll need someone else in his place. Hell, those guys out there won’t accept anything else.’
Jennifer felt a jolt in her belly as he spoke. She knew what he was talking about now, but she didn’t believe it. In her line of work, not only did she not have the time for a boyfriend but she didn’t have time to find any casual partners either. A vibe and a saucy novella was about the best it got for her and she tried not to think about it too much besides that. She pictured Joey Gonzales’ cute face as he waited on reception outside, how he’d obviously thought he’d been clever in checking her out without her noticing. She thought about what he’d said earlier, about the gazillion cops out there. The captain nodded slightly and narrowed his eyes as he read all this on her face.
Well this may have
Jennifer studied him closely. It was an honorable sentiment – she couldn’t fault him on it, even if it did go against most of her leanings. The guy was all man, there was no doubt about that.
‘And what?’ she asked, ‘so I should just let James De Cali rot in that cell, while his family struggles to make bail? While at the same time you and I and everybody else is this damn city knows that Liam Ryan only picked him up so he could get back to drinking beers and cruising for whores like he does every other night he’s supposed to be on duty?’
‘Girl,’ the captain warned, ‘you watch your mouth.’
Something in his voice got to her. She felt a little shiver run down her spine and reproached herself for responding to it. She decided to try a different approach.
‘He’s a good kid Mick,’ she said, ‘God knows there’s not many of them left these days. Don’t ruin another one.’
A strange look came over the captain’s face. For a moment she almost saw him as he once must have been, back when he was a fresh-faced young recruit, back before the harsh realities of the city had wiped away the idealism. She was right about this one and no matter how his gut told him to respond, she could tell that he knew it too.
‘And what if he’s not?’ he asked, ‘what if the kid’s guilty? You know what that’ll do to me, if I pull him out now?’
‘He’s innocent,’ Jennifer said, ‘trust me Mick.’
The Captain sighed. He looked at her sideways, a slight smile touching his lip. ‘God damn it,’ he said, ‘how the hell do you do it, kid? How do you stay so pure and moral out there amongst all that sin?’
Jennifer smiled. ‘Well first I made a promise to myself,’ she said, ‘but that wasn’t really it. Because after that I made a promise to the people and that’s what brings me back in here every single night.’
Mick Leahy stood up and leaned forward towards her with his knuckles resting on the desk. He towered above her – even in his autumn years he was still built like an ox and toned like an Olympic swimmer. ‘You’re a good kid,’ he said, ‘don’t you have a boyfriend worrying about you out here?’
Jennifer shook her head and smiled. ‘Don’t have time for a boyfriend,’ she said.
The Captain nodded to himself. ‘Well so say I do this for you now? I’m really sticking my neck out on the line here. I’m gonna need a little insurance. You’ll have to show some leeway.’
He was smiling and there was a mischievous, playful look in his eye. Jennifer sensed that he was going to let James De Cali go that night, but what else exactly was going on here? It was uncharted waters, whatever it was.
‘What are you saying?’ she asked, swallowing more noticeably than she’d intended.
‘Well if I let one prisoner go,’ the Captain smiled, ‘what does that say to my boys? What does that do for morale?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I’ll need someone else in his place. Hell, those guys out there won’t accept anything else.’
Jennifer felt a jolt in her belly as he spoke. She knew what he was talking about now, but she didn’t believe it. In her line of work, not only did she not have the time for a boyfriend but she didn’t have time to find any casual partners either. A vibe and a saucy novella was about the best it got for her and she tried not to think about it too much besides that. She pictured Joey Gonzales’ cute face as he waited on reception outside, how he’d obviously thought he’d been clever in checking her out without her noticing. She thought about what he’d said earlier, about the gazillion cops out there. The captain nodded slightly and narrowed his eyes as he read all this on her face.
Well this may have
Similar Books
