We were in the briefing room and I was thinking about the offer that Grey made with me and I decided that I would tell Andersen about it and that I want to become a detective again after training officer West, but then I hear Andersen call out to everyone from the platform.
"Can I have your attention?" Andersen asks
"Let's go, Boots." Tim tells them
All officers present come to stand in a group below the landing.
"Everyone, gather up. All right, guys, listen up. Internal Affairs will be conducting random integrity tests this week." Andersen says
"Reversals." West says
"That's right, Officer West." Andersen tells him
"What's a reversal?" John asks
"Where cops go undercover to rat out other cops." Tim says
"IA officers will be spending the week pretending to be criminals so they can analyze how we treat them." Andersen says
"So, what Tim said." I tell the others
"Do you think this is a joke, Officer Lopez? Officer Bradford?" Andersen asks us
"No, ma'am." TIm and I both say at the same time
"Good. 'Cause I take it very seriously. If you have to change your behavior because of these reversals, we have a problem. My officers do things the right way every day. Is that understood?" Andersen asks everyone
"Yes, ma'am." All the officers say
"Dismissed." Andersen walking away from us and I head after her
"Captain?" I say
"Yes, Officer Lopez?" She asks me
"Well, Grey asked me if after training officer West if it would be possible for me to be a detective again?" I ask her
"Well, you will have to do the testing again but you can do it when your ready if you want." She tells me
"Really?" I ask
"Yup now get to work." She tells me and I nod my head at her
"Oh, and Lopez." She says and I turn around waiting for her to continue talking "I'm sorry about James and I know everyone in the department is sorry for your loss, but I am glad you are becoming a detective again." She finished with a smile and I smile at her to and nod leaving
****
West and I head out through the bullpen.
"I don't see what the fuss is about. A cop should be held to the highest standards." West says
"Of course you side with IA. Your dad's in charge." I tell him
"Okay, it's not about my dad. The integrity of a co-" West starts but I catch sight of Wesley and stop to talk to him
"Hey." I tell him
"Morning." He says
"Here to see a client?" I ask
"Yeah." Wesley answers
"I won't keep you." I tell him and walk away with West in tow and load up our gear into our shop
"Did you guys break up?" West asks
"No. We had a few dates. Then we stopped." I tell him
"Sounds like a breakup to me. What happened?" West asks
"Nothing. It's fine. Let's go." I tell him
"Okay." West says and we leave
****
"Yo, that's messed up. You went through Wesley's phone?" West asks after I told him what I did
"I thought he was cheating on me." I tell him
"Cheating? You guys only went on a few dates." West says
"I knew you wouldn't understand." I tell him
"Oh, I understand, I just don't approve. And I understand that's not the tone to take with a T.O., so I take it back." He says
"Good." I tell him
"Except the "that's messed up" part. That, I stand by." He says
We spot a car driving erratically, weaving all over the road.
"Whoa." West says
"How much you wanna bet it's a reversal? That's pretty convincing drunk-driving." I tell him
"$20 it's legit." West says and I grin taking the bet
"Driver, pull over now." I say on the loudspeaker
We approach the car to find a child behind the wheel. He's barely tall enough to see over the steering column.
"Unless IA's recruiting out of grade school, I just made 20 bucks." West says
"Are you okay? Good. Get out." I ask the kid
"I can't. I have to get her to the hospital. She's dying." The kid says
West sees someone lying across the back seat, apparently unconscious.
"Lopez." West says to me
"My sister OD'd. Please help her!" Jake, the little boy says
I get in the back seat to assess the woman's condition.
"She's barely breathing." I tell West
"Control, start RA to our location. Female, 20s, overdose." West says on the radio then turns to Jake and asks "Do you know what she took?"
"No. I'm sorry." Jake tells him
"Pupils are pin points." I tell West
"It's okay." West says to Jake
"It's probably heroin. Get the Narcan. Come on, stay with us." I tell West and he went and got it and came back and gave it to me
"Here you go. All right, step back. She's gonna be okay. This stuff will wake her right up, all right? It'll wake her right up." West says to Jake
I administer the Narcan via a nasal spray.
"Come on. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Come on. Come on." I repeat
The young woman finally draws a deep breath and Jake throws his arms around West, who reassures him.
"You got her help. You saved her." West tells Jake
"It's all right, just breathe." I tell Cassie
****
West comes in and puts a comic book on the table in front of Jake while I am getting coffee.
"Comics?" Jake asks him
"Yeah. Uh, I found it in the lost and found. And by lost and found, I mean my locker." West says and I laugh just a bit
"Thanks." Jake says and starts reading the comics
"Yeah." West tells him
"So, what happens now?" Jake asks
"Your sister, she's she's stable. Uh, no reason that she can't make a full recovery. Then it's up to her. But ODs have a way of, um, putting things into perspective." West tells him
"My mom OD'd three times before she died. Each time, she swore she was gonna get clean. Cassie and I found her when we went down for breakfast. She was blue." Jake says
"Yeah. You can't lose hope." West says
"Yeah. That's what everyone says." Jake says dully
"'Cause it's true, Jake. Social Services is on their way to get you placed somewhere safe while your sister gets the help she needs. Okay?" I ask him
"Sure." Jake says
I exchange a look with West, then I spot Wesley walking down the hall.
"I'll be right back." I tell West and I catch up with Wesley in the entry area
"Hey. Hold up. Can we talk?" I ask him
"Okay." He says
"I need to explain something. My dad left when I was a kid. And my mom never really got past it. There was no one stable growing up in my life, so I guess what I'm trying to say is, I think that's the reason why I-I I went through your phone." I tell him
"You sound like my clients." Wesley said which makes me confused
"What?" I ask
"Everybody's dad bailed. No one's mom was perfect. Doesn't change what you did." He tells me
"No, I know, but -" I start but he cuts me off
"You're a grown woman, so having a bad childhood isn't a valid excuse anymore. Look, I wish I could trust you again, but I don't see how I can. I'm sorry." Wesley says and was about to leave but I spoke up
"Remember how you asked me about the photo of me and the guy on my nightstand and I told you it was complicated?" I ask him
"Yeah." Wesley says with a nod
"He was my husband. He died a cop who was trying to take down a drug trafficking group knowing the possibility that he would die. That photo was our first date ever and just a couple days ago I got rid of everything that was in my room, including my phone." I tell him
"Really?" He asks
"Yeah. That is why I was a little questionable in the beginning but I am sorry that I looked through your phone." I tell him and walk away leaving him to stare at me
****
"How's a rookie get greenlit before me? I gotta step up my game." Tim says
"It's not a badge of honor." Talia tells him
"Violent white supremacist gang wants you dead, you're doing something right." I tell him hearing him after walking up to everyone
"I-I'm sorry, white supremacy gang and greenlit? W-Wh- What the hell is going on?" John asks
"Normally, gangs don't target cops; more trouble than it's worth. Unless a cop disrespects a gang member, then all bets are off." Grey tells him
"You arrested a woman today. Astrid Heisserer." Andersen says
"Her dress broke. I-I embarrassed her. I thought she was IA." John said
"She's not. She's the baby mama of the leader of Southern Front, one of the most violent criminal enterprises in the country." Andersen said
"And because of how you treated her, he authorized everyone in the gang to kill you." Grey tells John
"What about Talia?" Tim asks
"Yeah, what about me?" Talia then asks
"Nolan is the one who put hands on her. He's the one they're after." Andersen says
"How many Southern Front members are there?" Lucy asks
"In the greater Los Angeles area? Several thousand." Andersen says
"And protecting you will be our number-one priority." Grey tells John
"Step one is to get you off the streets. Come with me, Nolan. I'm gonna escort you home." Andersen tells John and they leave
****
"All right. Everyone, settle down. Captain." Grey says signaling to Andersen
"Thank you for coming in, most of you on your day off. Till this is resolved, all overtime limits have been lifted." Andersen says
"As you may know, Southern Front originated as a white supremacist prison gang about 15 years ago. Since then, they have branched out in a big way." Grey says
"Drugs, prostitution, extortion. But what sets them apart is their access to military weapons." Andersen tells us
"Their leader, the so-called "King Midas," is currently serving three consecutive life sentences. His son, Cole, he controls the day-to-day operations on the street. But make no mistake, his father is pulling the strings." Grey says
"Lifting the greenlight would be a huge loss of face for Cole, so he's not gonna do it willingly." Andersen says
"So, we gotta make this a business decision. We put a big enough hurt on their operation, they'll lift the greenlight." Grey says and Andersen glances up and sees Nolan entering the room in uniform
"Sorry I'm late." John says
He walks to his seat; on the way, Tim stands and gives him a nod of approval, and the other cops applaud. Talia does so, but reluctantly.
"Yesterday, Southern Front tried to kill one of our own. Today, we hit back." Andersen says
****
We are lined up behind our shops, ready to intercept Cole.
"All units, get ready. Airship has a visual. Two minutes out." Grey says
"You were right. I was selfish. I got her killed." John says
"No. Don't do that. Don't make this about you. She didn't die because of your choice. She died doing her job the only way she knew how. Look at it any other way, you diminish her." Talia tells John
"Look, you need to know that no matter what happens next, whether we arrest this guy or we kill him, it won't make things better." Tim tells him
"I know that." Lucy says
"No. You only think you do." Tim says
"Please don't tell me to "use it" - the grief or the anger - to make myself a better cop. I can't handle that right now." Lucy tells Tim
"I wasn't going to. Okay? Grief is grief. It's-It's a hole that can't be filled, but over time, it'll shrink enough so that you won't fall in every time you take a step. But trust me, if there's one thing you can use to make yourself a better cop, it'll be her life, not her death." Tim says
"One minute." Grey says
"Think this guy'll go down without a fight?" West asks
"I hope not." I say and then my phone buzzes and I answer it "Hello?"
"Hey. I heard what happened. I'm so sorry." Wesley says
"Thanks. I-I really can't talk right now." I tell him
"I said a bunch of things earlier. They don't really matter right now. I want to be here for you." He tells me
"I want that, too." I tell him
"20 seconds out. Get ready." Grey tells us
"Okay, I gotta go, maybe shoot a guy. Call you later." I tell Wesley
"What - ?" Wesley was about to ask but I hung up on him
Cole's car rolls to a stop several yards from the police line. Grey speaks through a megaphone.
"Cole Midas, you are surrounded by the LAPD. Step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air." Grey tells him
"I've got a clean shot, Sarge!" I yell to Grey
"Get out of the damn car now!" Grey yells to Cole
"Okay! I'm getting out! Don't shoot!" Cole says and he gets out and puts his hands in the air
"Nolan, go arrest that man." Grey tells Nolan
"It shouldn't be him." Talia tells Grey
"No, it needs to be." Grey tells Talia while John walks up tp Cole with fury in his eyes
"Hands on your head. Interlace your fingers. Eyes front. Don't move. Other hand." John says and the handcuffs click telling him that they are locked "Over here."
"Ugh!" Cole says
"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." John says reading him his miranda rights
"Come on! We both know I won't live to stand trial." Cole says
"Yes, you will. Because the woman you killed taught us it's not our job to punish you. Just to see to it that you are." John tells him and walks him over to the shop and puts him in the back
****
I made it back home and when I walk in I get the surprise to see Wesley and Angela, laughing together about something.
"What is going on?" I ask and they both look up smiling
"I was just telling Wesley here some things about our childhood." Angela says with a smile on her face
"Like what?" I ask
"Well that is something between me and Wesley now but I may have mentioned your imaginary friend and your stuffed animal you would hold onto every night to fall asleep since you were scared of the dark." She says with a laugh
"Haha very funny, don't think I won't tell your future boyfriend things about you." I tell her and she drops her smile
"I will just go to my room so you two can talk." She says and leaves
"Well, that happened." Wesley mutters and I laugh
"Can you come with me to my room?" I ask him and he nods
We got to my room and when we walked in Wesley had a surprised and confused look on his face.
"You changed your room. Why?" He asks
"I needed to change it so I won't be remind of James if we are still together." I say and look up at him
"Wow. So everything of him is gone?" He asks and walks around
"Yup including the photo I had of him on my nightstand." I tell him
"Well, what photo is this then?" He asks picking the photo up and smiling
"You remember that?" I ask him
"Yup. We wanted a normal photo under the moonlight but I decided to kiss you and the lady took our photo like this. It was the most amazing date I ever had." He tells me sets the photo down with a smile and comes over to me
"Me too." I tell him and we kiss and it gets more heated and well, you can assume what happens next.