need their support.
Erica squatted down to look at LeAnn’s face. “You should go to the hospital. You have a gash above your eye that may need stitches.”
“I’ll be fine.” LeAnn's voice warbled as she tried to stem the flow of tears. “You shouldn’t have done that, you know.”
“Why?” Erica took a tissue from her backpack and handed it to LeAnn.
“He ain’t jokin’ ‘bout payback.”
“Ricky doesn’t scare me,” she lied.
“He should.”
“LeAnn, love shouldn’t be a scary thing. If he loved you, he wouldn’t want to hurt you this way. He would protect you.” There were things she wanted to tell the girl, advice she wanted to give so that LeAnn would not go back to Ricky or end up in another abusive relationship one day.
But LeAnn shook her head. “I shouldn’t have flirted with Huff,” she sobbed.
“Maybe not, but that does not give Ricky the right to hit you,” Erica insisted. “Love doesn't make you fear for your life. He treats you this way because you let him.”
Erica straightened from her squatted position. She had to back away from the situation before she grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shook her until the truth rang clear. “Please think about going to the hospital.” She turned and began walking away.
“Erica,” LeAnn called. Erica looked back. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, LeAnn.”
****
Vulnerable was not an emotion Erica cared to acknowledge. There wasn't a thing she would or could have done differently. To stand by and do nothing had not been an option. But she was smart enough to know she’d knocked the hornets nest clear out of the tree and the sting of retaliation was imminent.
She had a short-lived reprieve from her worries when her supervisor showed up. Steve paced the small confines of her apartment, his sports coat tossed over a chair and his tie loose around his neck.
"We’re going to pull you out of the school. We have enough to put Ricky and a few of his runners out of business. The West Side Hell Boys are a dangerous group and they’ll put a target on your back if they haven’t already."
"Do you think she'll go back to him?"
Steve stopped, hands on his hips and stared at her as if she were loony. "What do you think?"
"I know. She probably went back to him within an hour." Erica sighed, rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. "You can't pull me from the case. Not yet."
"The hell I can’t. You aren't going to get any deeper into the Hell Boys now. We've got all we're going to get on this one. You did good, Cordero. We will at least get them out of the school."
"Please, give me a few more days. Maybe, we'll get lucky and LeAnn will do the smart thing. Maybe, she'll talk and give us what we need."
He hesitated. "Fine. A few more days, then we’re going in. If we’re lucky, we’ll catch the bastards carrying." Steve picked up his jacket. "Get some sleep," he ordered as he left.
Erica turned off the kitchen light and moved through the dark into the living room. She sat on the couch and tucked her feet up underneath her. Monday, she would talk to LeAnn and see if she could or would give them something that would give the police a reason to go after the leader of the Hell Boys. If not, Erica would have to settle for shutting down Ricky and his runners. Her testimony and the evidence would send him to jail for a short stint and then he would be back on the streets selling drugs.
Her assignment at Fairmont would be complete, yet she felt as if she hadn’t accomplished a thing. Stopping Ricky was a temporary solution. Drugs would find their way back into the school with or without him. There were other gang members.
But it was a step in the right direction, she reminded herself. A small step, but many small steps eventually led to miles. She would go back to her everyday life and back to her old apartment on the east side of town. She would return to the department as a beat cop and continue to request additional assignments
Erica squatted down to look at LeAnn’s face. “You should go to the hospital. You have a gash above your eye that may need stitches.”
“I’ll be fine.” LeAnn's voice warbled as she tried to stem the flow of tears. “You shouldn’t have done that, you know.”
“Why?” Erica took a tissue from her backpack and handed it to LeAnn.
“He ain’t jokin’ ‘bout payback.”
“Ricky doesn’t scare me,” she lied.
“He should.”
“LeAnn, love shouldn’t be a scary thing. If he loved you, he wouldn’t want to hurt you this way. He would protect you.” There were things she wanted to tell the girl, advice she wanted to give so that LeAnn would not go back to Ricky or end up in another abusive relationship one day.
But LeAnn shook her head. “I shouldn’t have flirted with Huff,” she sobbed.
“Maybe not, but that does not give Ricky the right to hit you,” Erica insisted. “Love doesn't make you fear for your life. He treats you this way because you let him.”
Erica straightened from her squatted position. She had to back away from the situation before she grabbed the girl by the shoulders and shook her until the truth rang clear. “Please think about going to the hospital.” She turned and began walking away.
“Erica,” LeAnn called. Erica looked back. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, LeAnn.”
****
Vulnerable was not an emotion Erica cared to acknowledge. There wasn't a thing she would or could have done differently. To stand by and do nothing had not been an option. But she was smart enough to know she’d knocked the hornets nest clear out of the tree and the sting of retaliation was imminent.
She had a short-lived reprieve from her worries when her supervisor showed up. Steve paced the small confines of her apartment, his sports coat tossed over a chair and his tie loose around his neck.
"We’re going to pull you out of the school. We have enough to put Ricky and a few of his runners out of business. The West Side Hell Boys are a dangerous group and they’ll put a target on your back if they haven’t already."
"Do you think she'll go back to him?"
Steve stopped, hands on his hips and stared at her as if she were loony. "What do you think?"
"I know. She probably went back to him within an hour." Erica sighed, rubbed a hand over her tired eyes. "You can't pull me from the case. Not yet."
"The hell I can’t. You aren't going to get any deeper into the Hell Boys now. We've got all we're going to get on this one. You did good, Cordero. We will at least get them out of the school."
"Please, give me a few more days. Maybe, we'll get lucky and LeAnn will do the smart thing. Maybe, she'll talk and give us what we need."
He hesitated. "Fine. A few more days, then we’re going in. If we’re lucky, we’ll catch the bastards carrying." Steve picked up his jacket. "Get some sleep," he ordered as he left.
Erica turned off the kitchen light and moved through the dark into the living room. She sat on the couch and tucked her feet up underneath her. Monday, she would talk to LeAnn and see if she could or would give them something that would give the police a reason to go after the leader of the Hell Boys. If not, Erica would have to settle for shutting down Ricky and his runners. Her testimony and the evidence would send him to jail for a short stint and then he would be back on the streets selling drugs.
Her assignment at Fairmont would be complete, yet she felt as if she hadn’t accomplished a thing. Stopping Ricky was a temporary solution. Drugs would find their way back into the school with or without him. There were other gang members.
But it was a step in the right direction, she reminded herself. A small step, but many small steps eventually led to miles. She would go back to her everyday life and back to her old apartment on the east side of town. She would return to the department as a beat cop and continue to request additional assignments
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