"Yes...."
"Someone here to see you. Can they come back here?" he asked Canon.
"Put them Conference A." He unlocked Rivera.
"Is it a lawyer?" the young man asked. He hadn't asked for one, so he was puzzled.
They wouldn't tell him, but before he went into the conference room, Canon took off his cuffs. Bailey opened the door. Two women and a girl stood there. When they saw him, they ran over.
"Mom? Esmeralda? Gigi?" He burst into tears. "When? How? They said they had you!"
"You mom can still fight," Gigi said proudly. "She and Esmeralda knocked them out and ran to my house. We were too scared to come out, especially after the house blew up. But the police did a door to door, looking for them."
Rivera hugged his family, weeping. "They said they would find you. Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you."
"Can we take him home?" Mrs. Rivera asked.
"I don't think the danger is past," Canon replied. "I want to put all of you in a safe house until we can get more of these men off the street. Your son is a very brave man, Mrs. Rivera. He's been incredibly helpful. We'll speak to the DA on his behalf."
"Thank you!" She hugged Canon, kissing his cheek.
"Corporal, let's get some food in."
"You got it, Lieutenant. Pizza good?" Bailey said.
"Pizza is great," Rivera said. "Perfect."
Food arrived, and they all sat down to eat. Luckily, there were no calls, and they were able to get their paperwork under control.
Newton and Bailey were assigned to protection detail. Before leaving for the safe house, Newton took Eilene aside.
"Sorry our plans got canceled."
"Rearranged," she said quietly. "The good thing about dating a cop—I get it. We'll have other chances. This family needs you."
They kissed a few minutes. Bailey came to get Newton.
"Ready to roll."
"Thanks," Newton said. "Be right there. You'll be okay?" He touched her cheek fondly.
"Yes. Don't worry about me."
They exchanged another short kiss and he left. Eilene went back to her paperwork. She and the other officers were still interviewing prisoners, when the next shift came on duty.
"Day will take over," Canon said. "Emergency calls are getting rerouted to the 61st. They're close and can handle our overflow easily. Go home, people. Sleep."
"Yes, sir." they chorused.
Of course, once Eilene got home, she couldn't sleep. She did a few laps in her pool, ran on her treadmill, had a shower and finally felt tired. Her last thoughts were of Newton. With a happy sigh, she let sleep take her.
Anton was excited. He was being allowed to go home. CV would join him in a few days, and by then, he planned to have the house fixed up. The Roeder Sisters, true to their word, had put all his groceries away and filled his freezer with goodies. As soon as he pulled into the driveway, they bustled over, bringing cookies, scones and a thermos of tea. They sat down to talk and snack. Once they were assured of his well being, they went home. Anton intended to wash the sheets in the master bedroom, but the sisters had done that as well. In fact, the house was perfect.
His face ached, so he smoked some weed from CV's trailer. He'd brought it over on his way home. His would stay at the park for the time being. He settled down with a beer and relaxed in his recliner until finally drifting to sleep.
A few hours later, someone knocked on the front door, waking him. Thinking it was the Roeder Sisters, he flung the door open. Instead, it was Maddox and her intern friends. They all carried food and non-alcoholic beverages. He was about to shut the door when Dr. Lister and Dr. Smithers arrived together.
"Bennett wanted to come, but he caught an emergency. We're on call, too, hence no booze," Dr. Smithers said.
"This is a welcome surprise. Between you and my neighbors, I'm set for food. The ladies across the street are great."
"We met when the ramp was being built. We invited them over."
The back door opened and the Roeders came in with a couple of the interns. Smiling and laughing, they made the rounds.
"The house is awesome!" Maddox said, dancing in the broad foyer.
"Dude, where's the sound system?" one of the male interns, a guy named Oliver, asked.
"Living room." He pointed. "Better be something good!" he called after.
The opening notes of Lazy by Deep Purple began.
"You can stay," Anton said with a grin.
"Cool! Ice?"
"Freezer, dumb ass."
©2021 Dellani Oakes
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