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Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

Karin arrived in town in good time. Good enough, at the very least, but she couldn't help but wonder how long she had before everything blew up in her face. She couldn't take her mind off of Joseph, for one, but there was nothing she could do about that right now, really. She knew that Maria and her neighbor were there with him, and even if Maria did suspect something, she wouldn't dare say a thing to Joseph. She knew what would happen if she did - anyone who knew Karin knew one thing. If it could put Joseph at any sort of risk, it wasn't going to happen. Maria was a brave girl, but not brave enough to try and get between the sister and brother. She did sometimes wonder just what Karin was capable of if someone actually tried to do that. None of that was a pretty thought - what happened when Karin met a man, though? What happened when someone came into Joseph's life who could finally serve as a father figure? I suppose a lot of people had mixed emotions about a lot of that talk. Including Karin. She hadn't forgotten the possibility of someone else being part of Joseph's life - in fact, she wanted someone who could be a dad to him, but, things like that don't just happen overnight.


Her stroll through town was done with a head hung low. She didn't need to sell her body - Christ, Karin. Have some self-respect, was all she told herself. It wasn't out of the question - as said, she'd done it before in dire times, but much to her own displeasure. While many other women were doing it to try and get money to afford another hit, Karin was doing it to try and keep food on the table for a young diabetic boy. She just hoped that he never found out about it. She'd had all the STD tests and all that, and she was clean. She was fine. She couldn't take any more risks - she knew there were some awfully sick fucks out there on the streets, and with crime on the rise, the risk of being 'killed on the job' was higher than ever. No. Not worth the risk. She had to stick with what was true to her, keep with the one tiny talent she had left as a last resort.


Find a person, anyone, and find a way to take something valuable. Run it to the pawn shop, and if it's expensive, ask for a high price. It'd be enough money to cover any bills until the cafe reopened. She could spend some time with Joseph, and after seeing Thalia and getting a better scope on things, hopefully, she could forget all about it and move on. Go back to living the same life she was used to.


Or would something that occurred amidst all of this change her life forever? It was beginning to feel that way.


As she was walking away from her car, she started wandering aimlessly for... A lot longer than she expected. She was just walking around, looking about, seeing what there was to see. Joseph could be kept calm by the neighbor - the neighbor was a nice guy, real good with Joseph. In his forties and a divorcee, but, a true sweetheart. He had always been good to Karin and Joseph, ever since he moved in. He was good fun to spend some time with, too, so that just made things all a lot more relaxed. Karin smiled at the thought of it - Joseph actually smiling, having a good time, maybe even laughing, showing the neighbor one of his crazy video games. It wouldn't surprise her if that's what he was doing right now.


She stopped and got her head back in the game. Focus.


She was walking around the quieter part of the west side and noticed a man not too far from where she was. Time had already flown by, and this guy? She didn't recognize him, but he was dressed in a fancy coat, had a mean looking dog, and had golden rings on several fingers. And of course, to top it all off, he was smoking a Cuban cigar. Nice. Anyone smoking a cuban cigar in this part of town definitely had some money to throw up the wall. Karin thought that maybe there was the possibility, even the slight chance, of making this guy fall for her for a brief time. And at the best time, she'd take a ring or two without him noticing, then give him the slip. 


Sometimes things just aren't that simple, though.


Because what Karin didn't realize was this:


That man was Bradan Cabnan. 


--


"They definitely are different to what we saw in Philly." He shook his head, "But The Clovers are a tough, tough bunch to try and go against. We've seen gang violence in the past, and they can sniff out cops faster than any gang I've ever seen. Look at all the failed sting operations over the past few years. People have tried to get in - we know one thing, though, there's only been one or two incidents where a cop's been shot, and one where one's been killed. As disgusting as Cabnan is, I don't think he's a cop-killer. Failed sting operations got our guys a nasty beating, but none of them ever got a bullet for it. Which is surprising, to say the very least." He scratched the back of his head, "These guys. The Clovers. Even if they go down, they're going to be taking a lot of people with them - the thing about our guys, though, is we're dealing with the two biggest gangs within LA and Burbank, and surrounding cities. We need to get these guys at the root, otherwise they're just going to pop back up. Cobnan definitely has off-shore bank accounts, he has guys waiting for a hostile takeover elsewhere if needed. LA would be a big bite in the ass, but, unless we take down everything, they'll be back. Same case for Al-Asheera, I reckon." 


"Definitely. Definitely warn people, tell them to stay inside, lock their doors. Kids don't stay out too late, parents and all that get home from work and lock the doors up, bolt the windows, just in case something does happen." He said. "As for potential targets, I don't see why Al-Asheera would risk war with two gangs at once. They're big, but they're not invincible. If they went against the Russians or the Chinese, last thing I checked, Chinese were involved in the narcotics side of Cabnan's business, and the Russians... At one point they were buying weapon from him, but they went off the radar. As far as I know, though, they're all on good terms. Even an angry Irishman needs allies, which... Just makes me more worried, I won't lie. If he drags an allying gang into this, then it'll be an all out war." He pinched the bridge of his nose and thought for a moment. "They wouldn't want to risk it. No way. Not that close to Cabhan's territory, not the Chinese and Russians. It's too much manpower to take on, I..." He paused. "Shit, I don't know. We need to think like them, like you said, but Tony, what if none of this is about money?" He asked. "What if they just want to start a war? Throw everyone up in the air? We'd be so focused on dealing with them, that Al-Asheera could roam the streets while we're doing it and do whatever the fuck they please." 


He stopped talking as another man entered the room. The words he spoke as he came in were a shock, but for some reason, not much of a surprise. Even though Frank believed Al-Asheera to be killers at heart, a recruit was just a liability, as he'd said not too long ago. He'd done something outside his orders, and he got shot for it. Same ammo type, too. Fantastic. One step closer to where they needed to be. Once the guy was gone, he listened to Tony, and he slowly frowned and nodded slowly. After clearing his throat, he could only agree - Christ, Tony was a great first partner.


"You're right. Filling the bottom layer. Lapdops, sleeper agents, no one important. Go in, get the job done. You do it good, open arms - you do it wrong, one between the eyes." He said. "They can carry out their bidding without risking high-ranking members - Maybe that's why they came to LA in the first place? Just to fill the bottom layer, as you said?" He asked. "Look around. It's not hard to find recruits - How many kids want nice sneakers, right?" He asked. "It's how the street gangs survive. The 580's in South-central LA. Small-time punks that prefer to get in a gunfight rather than play it safe, but they're growing, too. They're a street gang and they're already making progress, all because they can fill the bottom layer of their organization. They're bastards, the lot of them, but they're not important right now. Patrol cops deal with them just fine. So far it's been kids of theirs, no older than sixteen, getting into gunfights, trying to find a claim for fame. Fucking... Animals, sending in the younger ones." He paused. "Off-topic, though. The 580's are not our concern right now." He said. 


"But yes, they're spreading fear. They're doing it well, too. Our mystery girl? If she's anyone important in the organization, we'll see more of her handiwork, get more witness reports of her." He said. "But we still need to find out the most likely place for them to hit again. I'm placing bets on the Irish." He said. "And then there's the worry of Cabnan. Where the hell will he hit when it comes to it? He's gonna' be looking to strike soon, send a message that he's not someone to be fucked with. It wouldn't surprise me if he tried to do it tonight, or, well, he'd probably send his people out to do it for him, but for all we know this is getting personal. It's been a long time since anyone's done anything this bold to his shit. The guy's a power-hungry son of a bitch. I know I said he ain't a cop killer, but look back on past cases - If there's people in the way of him and his target, it don't make a different to him. He'll roll over anyone who's in the wrong place, meaning lives are at risk here, innocent lives. We need to figure out the hit points for both organizations. Now, as much as I know about The Clover Boys, things went dark a long time ago now, so we don't know exactly what these guys have access to anymore. We don't know how military-grade their weapons are, but, it's very likely that that's the case." He sighed, heavily, and gulped down the last of his now cold coffee.


"We have a possible location for where Al-Asheera will hit, and we've got a plan down for that area, but what about Cabnan?" He asked, "You know the places Al-Asheera's got - What one do you reckon's most likely?" He asked.
 
Wherever the bus was going, Thalia was in for the ride. She wasn't necessarily going anywhere in particular. She was rather scoping out the area. Getting a feel for the roads from her window view. Analyzing the passersby. Trying get a glimpse of a place worth holding up. Something extra profitable to cover her debts. Yet nothing really stood out. Just small time convenience stores, gas stations, domestic homes, supermarkets, electronic stores... nothing that stands out at all that could net a significant score. A few banks came up, but there was no way she was holding up a bank solo. She needed backup if that was her endgame. Hell, any of these hits would be significantly better with a second pair of eyes. Someone to prevent her from getting shot or hurt. A friend...


And through the time on the bus, Thalia couldn't help but keep looking back at the cell phone. The text from Karin. Her extended arm was noticed and appreciated. It was half a joy, half worrisome. Worrisome because she feared her interaction with Karin might've placed her in hot water with the LAPD. But also joy... because Thalia simply wanted to see her again. Their confrontation outside the cafe really wasn't their last run-in. There was so much she wanted to say, talk about, even do if their friendship opened up to a more personal, leisurely depth. Unlike her past friendships, she wouldn't be connecting as Al-Jameela. She'd be doing it as Thalia. The text... it was so tempting to reply back, but what? She didn't want to come off as clingy or overly-excited. Sure, she wasn't the most socially acclimated of girls out there, and just the thought of having a friend made her unusually ecstatic. But, ignoring was just as bad. She met halfway in Karin's sense of code:


'I just can't stop thinking about what you told me in our last meeting. And there's so much more. Thank you for rescheduling.'


She bit her tongue in doubt. Bad idea, T. Cut contact with this bitch, now. Before she stabs you in the back. How do you know she didn't give the police your face? Your name? There was a way to find out: their meeting in the evening.


And the old lady by her side seemed to keep her company as well, taking notice of Thalia's giddy facial expression at her texts. "Oh, you girls and your boyfriends. You said you just got here, and you already found someone? My, oh my."


Giggling a bit at the woman's nosiness, Thalia decided to indulge in the conversation. "Well... you said it yourself. Not trying to be arrogant, but I do catch people's eyes. I mean, I'm only in town for summer break before my last year of college starts, but I never realized how nice California boys are."


"Is that so? Where are you from?"


"Philly." Not a lie, really. Though she wasn't going back.


"Nice... and what are you studying in college?"


Thalia froze. She was going to be caught in a lie, unless she improvised, and she had to do it well. "Um... acting. It's one of those art colleges. I've always wanted to be an actress." And with her skills in creating a cover story, why the hell didn't she?


"Well isn't that special? Well in that case, you might find yourself in LA more often in the future."


"Maybe." Boy was she selling the act, and enjoying it. With the phone in her lap, she toyed with her fingertips tapping against each other at her stomach level. She was hoping she could continue to keep this elderly woman convinced of her deception.


"What's your name, little lady? My son happens to be a rising director around here. Maybe when you graduate, you can contact him?"


The question should've made her nervous, but she kept her guard up, looking to the woman, smiling, actually enjoying the conversation, though based on a lie. "McBride. Thalia McBride." Her first name wasn't an issue. If she gave her last name away, she risked having it cross-referenced back to Philly as the Griffin family's long-lost daughter.


"Well, Miss McBride, it's a pleasure meeting you." The woman held out her right hand in an extension for a shake. Thalia shook hers with her gloved hand. "Helen Laurence. If you ever are looking for a time in the spotlight..." After a few firm shakes with the lady, she took her hand back and opened her big, expensive purse. For Thalia, it was like watching a parent wave a lollipop in a young child's face, saying they couldn't have it. Torture to any robber, a purse full of goodies that she could've swiped easily, but she chose not to. She removed what looked like a business card and placed it in the redhead's hands. "This is my son's card. Just give him a call, and I'll put in a good word for you."


"Gee.... thank you, Helen. I really appreciate that." None of this would be useful in the future. But still... this woman was talking to a thief as if she were a completely normal person. Maybe there was better hope for her.


"Oh, and maybe if your date doesn't work out, I can hook you up with my grandson. He's been single for a while, and he could use a pretty young lady like yourself in his life. Straighten himself out."


Finally something Thalia found genuinely funny, and old lady trying to hook her up with a kid she doesn't even know. She let out a giggle, tracing the outline of the business card in her hands. "That's really sweet of you."


--


The in-depth discussions of the Clovers and Al-Asheera were all too perfect, each detective knowing a great deal about one of them. Truly a powerhouse, and matched so quickly. Tony picked right when he had a good feeling about Frank. "So it seems like an undercover operation into the Clovers is a bad idea. If we send one of our own men, they'll find him and out him. But..." A dangerous idea, would Tony dare go for it? "...what if our spy wasn't a cop? This would go for Al-Asheera, too. If we can infiltrate either organization, that's a direct ticket to the head of each, and brings us closer to bringing them down. Yes, I know what you're thinking: 'there's no way the board will allow us to put just any innocent man in danger'. Well, that's not what we're going to do. Why take any innocent man, when we can make one of their own turn on them? Pay off someone who's already out there.... or..... We're going to need records of anyone within the Clovers and Al-Asheera who's incarcerated. If they're not in LA, I want them transferred here, ASAP. It's a risk, but it's one the board will accept."


Then came the idea of incoming gang war. Tony took a few steps away from his map, leaning his body against his desk, just looking at the paper consuming nearly the whole wall. "Hmmm, true. Al-Asheera are cocky, but they're in over their heads if they think they can't be outperformed. If they hit the cafe, they want the Irish first. As you said, they are the most powerful of any other LA gangs today. Domino effect. The first is going to be the hardest. The rest will be smooth sailing. That's what their head is thinking. Do I think Al-Asheera stands a chance? They're stubborn, sure, but when it comes to firepower? They're probably SOL next to the Clover Boys. Like you said, they probably have some heavy firepower in their arms. Al-Asheera doesn't. The most advanced shit I've ever seen them use are the guns they used today. Usually it's been throwables or knives, at most, maybe older pistols. But SMG's is quite a jump for them. Impressive, how with so little they've done so much. But it's also despicable what they do to people."


Motive was also a bit of an unknown at this point. "We need to consider all our options about why they're in LA. It could be to show their superiority. It could be for better paydays. It could be for the sheer sake of starting a war. But what we can be sure it's not? They're not here to retire or for some tea party. They WANT a disturbance. Even if they walk into a public place and start yelling in Arabic, if it makes people scream, they'll do it. Not to mention how their tactics are changing. This could be anything, Frank. But their motives don't concern us. They're crooks, and they have a history. Meaning, we need to catch them."


Locations of the next hits: that was next on the agenda. "Tonight, we're having extra patrol on the streets to the east of Al-Asheera's turf. As for their own base of operations that Cabnan could retaliate in? It's up in the area. It's safe to say the Clovers aren't interested in reclamation, so anything in the red-marked roads is a no-go." Tony stood up properly from his place and approached the map again. "But, anywhere outside these red markings, we have no idea where Al-Asheera is. There are a few options, though as to where they might be." He uncapped the red marker once again, prepared to show his findings to Frank. "First, that police shootout earlier in the week by that motel? That was our first hit, but the bastards got away, also shooting some cops with them on the way out. I don't think Al-Asheera's going back there." He extending his felt-tipped pen over the location of the motel and placed an X over it. "Next is the 7-Eleven that they hit up. Rumor has it that there are Al-Asheera members hiding out in the basement against the owner's will, but of course, that's not enough for a warrant to search and make arrests." He left a circle over that location. "We can certainly stake that place out. And there is one last location...." A final circle came over an apartment building not far from the red roads. "Skye Towers. This isn't anything official, but considering the locations of all of Al-Asheera's hits, and how they've vanished from our sights? The quickest way to disappear has been in this place. That's just my hunch. There's no other way they can just vanish--car, men, loot, and all--without it being there.... Again, we don't know a specific floor, but I think we have some potential targets."
 
He was definitely a valid target. She knew she'd been gone from home far too long now, but, she knew the neighbor would stall Joseph. Once again, he was just someone that clicked well with the boy, and she trusted Joseph's judgment far more than her own. He trusted him, and so Karin did too. She was worried about him, yes, but an instinct for survival kicked in. As soon as she saw that look in Maria's eyes, she knew that if she waited around, the police would be there before too long. It was in the air, because the air smelt bad. Much worse than it should have. She had to get out of there, and making some money was just a second choice. But it was going to be beneficial, she was sure. This guy looked like he had more money than he knew how to spend. He wasn't going to come after her for a watch, was he? He wasn't even going to know the watch was gone until later on, anyway, so she had nothing to worry about. At least she assumed that was the case. She took a deep breath, unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, pushed her hair back, then walked down the street towards this man and his dog.


As for Cabnan, he looked a little something like this.


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​


If she was honest, the dog looked a lot more terrifying than the guy. He was a big fucker, and worst of all he was on an extendable leash. Bad idea for a thing of that size. As she approached, it was hard to tell who had seen her first. They both turned and looked at the same time, and she could already see the man's disgusting misdemeanor behind his gross smile that slowly crept onto his face. He only smiled because she did, though - she wanted to come across as flirtatious more than anything, and it had worked. Hook, line, and sinker. She was relying on him to say something, and just to sweeten the deal, she winked as she walked by. For a moment, she thought there was no chance - it wasn't always a job you were successful on. But, a few steps away.


"Ey, 'scuse me?" He called out. He had a rough voice, a voice grinded by drinking and smoking, clearly. She turned in time to see him snap the end off of his Cuban cigar and drop it to the floor, followed by stamping it out with the ball of his foot. She arched an eyebrow in question. "Don't s'pose you got the time, do ya', lass?" 


She could see his watch up his sleeve - Hook.


"Well, any day..." She smiled, stepping right up to him. "What about you?" 


"I've always got the time, I do." He whispered back, exposing all of his teeth in a grin. She noticed his accent - faded Irish. He must have been in the country for quite a long time now. He reached out and cupped one of her hands with one of his own - his hand was rough, like sandpaper, and much bigger in comparison to hers. The man neared six foot tall. She slowly started to apply more and more pressure to the hand she was holding, but as she did that, she saw an opportunity. There was no way she'd be able to outrun both him and his dog - she needed to take them both out for a short period of time, and the extendable leash was the answer. As she made her way around him, slowly, the dog closely followed in suit, the leash slowly wrapping around his owner's legs. The man in question was too busy following Karin to worry about that, though. 


"Can't say I've seen you around this area of town all that much." She said.


"Been a long time since I've had a walk around here, it has." He said, "So, what's a lovely lady like yourself walking around these parts alone?"


"I assure you I can handle myself. I can put up a fight." She winked.


"Oh, I bet you can." He put his other hand on her hip, and it slowly reached around her back. Oh, Christ. She wasn't expecting anyone this forward, but, the money... She had the perfect opportunity; with his hand still tightly in her grip, her other one grabbed his wrist and pulled away it from her body. But she was sly, as she did that, she unclipped the watch. He didn't notice quite yet, and he wasn't going to. As much as she didn't want to do it, she had to distract the guy, and once she had the watch, she could pull a runner. A straight dash out of there. 


After gulping, she pulled him in and planted an emotionless kiss against his lips - He was being a little overenthusiastic, but he wasn't focused on anything else - Line.


The loose watch slipped off with ease, and she had it in her pocket. Time to get out of there. But she didn't get the chance to end things herself - he fucked it up himself when he started to get a little too touchy again. She ripped away and pushed his hand off.


"What are you doing?"


"Oh, come on, what's the point in bein' boring, duck?" He laughed, tightly grasping her wrist, then forcing her closer once more. He tried to go in for yet another gruesome kiss, but she quickly moved her head away. She had to go now. She had to. She said the first thing that came into her head.


"In your dreams, you fat ugly fuck!" She cried, giving him one firm push, followed by a quick smack right below the belt. He doubled over in pain, and at the sight of his owner getting attacked, the dog lunged forward.


Thus, taking the man right off his feet and onto his ass - and Sinker.


Neither of them could move from the floor, so Karen took off in one burst of speed. The car. She had to get to the car. She was running as fast as she could with tears running down her cheeks. One thing she didn't expect was anyone like him. He would have been able to do much more if it wasn't for his thick-headed hound. I suppose she owed the dog a favor at some point, but that man? She hoped never to run into her again.


Bradan unclipped the dog's leash. "Go on, sick 'er!" He yelled, but the dog was way ahead of him - it couldn't run as fast as most, but it was faster than Karin. She had her key in hand, and thank fuck it had a magnetic lock. She had the button on the key fob that she pressed ten meters away from her car. The car beeped, and she had never dove into the driver's seat quicker in her whole life. As she shut the door, as a matter of perfect timing, the dog launched itself at the window, teeth showing, barking, growling, snarling, slobbering its drool all down the surface of the glass. The animal's claws scraped against the window, but she had no time to worry now. If she waited any longer, the dog would break the glass and have at her, and following not far behind the dog was Bradan. She couldn't let him see the car's reg plates. She didn't need this coming back to her.


The engine started up, and she pulled away. In the rear mirror, the dog tried to give chase, but the man gave up, looking absolutely fucking furious. She was gone before he could get a read on anything, though, but Karin was a mess, she was in tears. She needed to get to a place she could hide out, somewhere safe.


There was one place she already planned to go. The bar. 


She went there, arriving after not too long, and parked her car between two others. After getting out she wiped the drool from the window, and then rushed inside the bar itself. She knew she'd be waiting a while for Thalia - if she planned to show up - but she didn't care. As long as she was safe, that was what mattered. First place to stop was the restroom to wipe the tears away, sort herself out a bit, and wash the dog's saliva off her forearm. Disgusting. While she was there, too, she looked at the watch.


There was no way it was cheap, and slowly she was becoming more and more worried about what she'd taken. Rolex, for one, but she didn't know what model. All she knew was that it had to be worth a lot. Christ, it was a hot watch. She had to get rid of it soon. But first, a strong drink, and maybe a bite to eat while she waited for Thalia. Speaking of which, she decided to check her phone.


She had a message. From her. She was coming. She smiled in relief, then quickly sent a message back.


'I'll be ready. Thanks for the quick response!' 


Keep it casual. Make it look normal. 


She went and took a seat in the corner booth.


--


"That might work." Frank quickly grinned and nodded a few times over, "I can tell you right now who the guy is that we can get for The Clover Boys is. Someone who's probably a bit pissed at dear Bradan." He chuckled, "As for Al-Asheera, I'm clueless." He said, "And I've got the odd suspicion that Al-Asheera don't know what they're up against. The Irish are very backdoor - we may know their names, but that's because the owners got his name posted on all the deeds of buildings all across Burbank and LA. As for what they do, it's like Fort Knox. No one but them and their allies know what weapons they use, so we don't know if they're going to rock up with slingshots or grenade launchers, it's simple as that. If Al-Asheera's firepower isn't that powerful, they need to hope they're playing it careful, otherwise there won't be an Al-Asheera at the end of a gang war. At least that's a possibility."


"These guys plagued Philly for two decades. You talk about fear, and that's all it is. Groups like this run on fear - the more scared people are, the more opportunity people see. They must have beat the police force into accepting their ways, but not here, Tony." He said. "Even if the whole fuckin' department gives in, me and you still have the scope on these sons of bitches, and we've already met key people. I'll be preparing some files for the case later tonight, documents on people we've spoken to, people of interest, things like that." He said. "But my point is, the moment everyone starts showing they're scared is the moment that these guys win. We can't let them think we're running away with our tails between our legs, and the public can't do that either. We need to face them." He said. "Maybe, if in the end, Karin Held turns out to be innocent in all of this, maybe that's why she's still alive. Maybe they're not used to people... You know, not being scared." He shrugged. "Stab in the dark, but who knows." 


He sat back and listened to what Tony said about tonight's potential situation, though, as well as places that Al-Asheera could be hiding out.


"The 7-11, we need to focus on that." He said, simply. "The office building isn't a temporary thing, it can't be. But the 7-11? If we don't do something with that, then we'll miss a chance." He said. "Regardless, we need a watch on the main area of stuff that Al-Asheera owns. Bradan will hit, and he'll hit hard. You've got a good idea of things so far - put the office down as long-term plans, I say. The 7-11, though, we need to do something about that." He said. "But the question is, how likely is it that Bradan knows about that?" He asked. "Do you think that any of his informants might have heard the rumors? If there's even a chance that he knows, then we know we'll be out for blood before the night's up." He said, then paused. "Before anything else, let me show you something, hold on." He said, quickly rushing out of the room. He only went to the filing room, where he dug through an old case and pulled out a single sheet of paper. He quickly returned to Tony.


"This..." He slapped the paper down on the desk. "This is Marcus McAllister. Irish-American man arrested four years ago, currently serving a sentence in a state prison. He refused to say a thing about Cabhan, but there's been talk that this guy was the fall guy. Someone who was volunteered to take the fall for Bradan." He said. "Now, if we can get this guy out of there like you said, we can send him right back through the doors of The Clover Boys, and that'll be it." He said. "He'll be inside, and he can tell us all the plans. Because when you think about it, that way, anything Bradan knows about Al-Asheera, we also know. We get a big overlook of everything." He said, simply. "What do you say, Tony? I think this could be our guy for The Clover Boys, but... Do you know of anyone Al-Asheera might have serving time? If not, we're going to have to wait someone comes up soon." He sighed.
 
Things became quiet between Thalia and Helen for the rest of the ride. Just some mild small talk that neither would remember the next day, stranger to stranger. It felt.... good. Venting to someone about different topics. About friendship. The future. Heart-seeking, even, though it wasn't an option for Thalia being betrothed. More importantly, Helen got her mind off of the thought of her potential death next week. Whenever she puts her mask on and raises a weapon, a certain rush goes through Thalia, as if she's immortal and can't die. Maybe she just got that good at her job. Maybe it was a bit of the spirit of Al-Asheera. But even if she felt invincible, she was still horrified of her own death. How would it go? Would anyone miss her? Would she even get a proper burial? Probably not under The Clan's ruling. Even if she was to marry the Head himself. The second she crosses the line to a degree beyond forgiveness, she knew that Ra's would kill her. He made his point clear in her bedroom when he manhandled her. But he's a maniac, saying and doing things he doesn't mean, then justifying himself with reasons beyond logical reasoning. Ra's can fuck himself. He doesn't love you. He just wants you for sex. Why else does he strangle you, then fuck you right after with a slew of empty apologies? Get over him. There's plenty of fish in the sea. Maybe someday...


An eye remained on the names of the streets as the bus cruised through town. All sorts of names being inscribed into her memory to be used later. Despite her education, Thalia had great memory, enough to memorize the streets of Philly, even to draw it out from scratch if she so had to. It was... fun, in a way. Yet another distraction. Maybe she could do this instead of smoking. Quitting smoking? She's tried, but to no avail. She always caves in. Yet another reason for her past life to be disappointed in her. Because the only commitment she could ever stay true to was The Clan. Her thoughts aside, the bus came up on a street she remembered: Victory Blvd. Her eyes widened as she noticed an upcoming bus stop and stood from her seat. But what about Helen? She wasn't good at farewells, or any decent human interactions. Like her sappy diary entries, she tried her best:


"Um... thank you, Helen. You were really nice to me the whole ride."


"Oh, it's no trouble, my friend. You take care of yourself, enjoy LA!"


A smile leaked off of Thalia's face once more to this old woman, who'd been so kind to her and kept her mind off her cruel fate. Then, a temptation that Al-Asheera would find unholy took over her as she reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a small stack of money. She placed it on the woman's lap as she crawled to the middle lane. A small amount, but nonetheless a donation "B-Bus fare. Consider your next few bus rides on me. Keep the change."


"Oh, darling, you really shouldn't have. I can pay for my own bus fare."


"Please..." Perhaps it came out more desperate than it should. "...look, I've done some... really bad things in my past, and I'm not proud of them. And if I can make up for that in other people, good people like yourself, then nobody's going to stop me." She refrained from mentioning that money was stolen, or bringing up her past as a thief. But Helen probably got a hint, her facial expression changing evidently. Shocked, maybe a bit appalled. That nice image of Thalia, ruined. But she didn't just shut up. Helen understood her.


"W-Whatever it is you did, Thalia, don't forget that you can always make it right. You know that and believe that. I just hope... maybe you've learned something from all of this?"


She nodded. "Right... right."


She couldn't keep the bus held up any longer. She shyly marched up to the front and paid up for her trip. Altruism felt.... strange. Tingly inside. Again, she rarely returns her stolen goods. She did it with Karin, now with Helen. It's not like she suddenly became a saint, but it made her feel better about herself.


The bar that she was told about. It was just a few buildings away from the bus stop. A public place, probably a ton of people walking around. Anxiety was killing Thalia, even though it wasn't all too crowded at the time. But every time someone brushed past her, she had a mini heart attack on the inside, freaking out at such close contact without trying to steal from or seduce the person. She was such a stranger to this, just going out and being happy. She crossed her arms over her stomach and looked around, so lost, so distant from the whole environment, and she made it obvious how awkward she felt. Karin might notice her if she's already there, otherwise, she'd just walk up to the counter and order a beer or something. She could use a drink.


--


So quick, Frank already had a potential candidate for their inside man to infiltrate the Irish gang. Going so smoothly so far, enough to make him grin in success, even so slightly. "Our inside man from Al-Asheera is going to have to wait until Philly PD sends us their records. They told me earlier this morning they were cross-referencing. In other words, seeing who's marked and who's not." As he mentioned markings, Tony lifted his right hand into a fist, showing the back of it, trying to imply markings as the tattoos. "Once we have a list, we see who was higher up, and we get them flown down here to LA. But it sure is a good thing we have someone from the Clovers within reach. And since it was your idea..." He extended his arm behind him at his desk's landline. "I'll let you make the call to bring McAllister in. Then we'll interview him, convince him to do us a service."


The question of the gangs' firepower was also a major concern. "For the Clover Boys, we need to prepare for the worst. Assume it's the worst, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they lug a nuke onto our turf. Who really knows. But Al-Asheera? Standard police issue weapons outperform theirs. But we can't underestimate them. Last time we confronted them, their inferior weapons--and their wit--outperformed us in a stand-off. Weapons are a big deal, Frank, but they aren't the entire deal. If I were to give even Cabhan advice, I'd say watch his back as well. But fear: THAT is Al-Asheera's greatest weapon. So long as people are cowering in fear, they feed off of it, and feel stronger. No wonder they have this immortality complex in their minds. They don't think they can be stopped because eventually, everyone bows. Not us, pal. Not us."


Staking out tonight seemed to be a part of the plans, too. "When you put it that way, the 7-11 seems seems temporary. Like, they only took it for now, and will move out once they have a chance to expand to brighter horizons. It's a longshot. The office does seem more long-term, and we certainly can't just walk right in. In that case, we can scope it out over time, see if anyone suspicious ever goes in, see if we ever catch one of the many disappearing vans ever again. But I think we know what LAPD's doing tonight. Scoping out the 7-11, and patrolling the streets to the east of Al-Asheera's territory."


Karin Held came back up as a topic of discussion, the most peculiar witness of them all. "I have half a mind to go over to Miss Held's home and check on her, see how she's coping. Maybe getting a look at her in her home will say a thing or two about how she feels about her workplace being robbed, and a few gunmen getting in front of her son. I still don't have a good feeling about her. Something's not right."


Their conversation was, once again, cut off by another inferior officer entering the room with a piece of paper. "Detective Walsh, the sketch of the girl you asked for, complied based on all our witness testimonies."


"Thanks, Officer," he nodded, pleased at the work done on the sketch. The third man left the room almost instantly, giving Frank and Tony their privacy again. Tony extended a hand back onto his jungle for a desk and dug his middle and index finger into a small bin of paper clips and thumb tacks. Taking a tack, he returned to his trusty map and pinned the picture to the paper on the far right side, away from the actual map itself. The sketch was well done from an artistic standpoint, but it only captured so much of Thalia. Her hairstyle while heisting and her dark, messy eye make-up were spot on. The sketch even included a bit of her neck tattoo. But, the rest of her face was covered by her bandanna. Only so much to go on, but motivation. "This bitch is still a problem. While you call up about McAllister, I'm going to contact Philly PD, get them to hurry up sending the Al-Asheera prisoner files and see if we can find our mystery girl. At least get a name. She seems very high up in the ranks. If we bust her, we bust this whole thing wide open."
 
The bar was quiet right up until the moment that Thalia walked in - quiet for Karin only, of course. On the contrary, the bar was buzzing with life. Families, friends, all sorts of people here. Karin didn't mind it, but when she looked up and saw Thalia, she knew that this wasn't the sort of place that she frequented very often. She knew that this was the perfect place for them to meet. No one would look here, not anyone, not unless they'd seen Karin or Thalia enter. The likely case was that no one was watching. Karin slowly got up and made her way across the bar, brushing past all the drunks and such that were in her way. She stopped when she got in front of Thalia, and she couldn't help but smile. It was weird, even though the situation they met in was far from normal, aside from her brother, Thalia felt like the most normal person she knew right now. 


"Hey, glad you made it." She said, quietly, then placed a hand on her shoulder and quickly glanced around. "Come on, I haven't been here in years. It's why I said we should meet here." She said, and with her hand on her shoulder, she guided her back over to the corner table that she was sat at previously. It was a booth, so they could sit across from each other on comfortable leather couches, and they had a relative level of privacy, too. All seemed quite well, and when they were both definitely sat down, she smiled at Thalia once more. She didn't even know where to start, but her eyes and smile were genuine. She hadn't set her up - not that it was obvious, but, she hadn't. She wouldn't dare cross anyone like that, at least not her. She'd had too much of a shaky day, honestly, and it was probably clear that Karin had been crying at some point due to the washed away makeup and everything.


"Things are... Getting slightly tense, Thalia." She gulped. "My friend from work, I think she-"


"Karin!" An unfamiliar voice called out from their side. A man in his twenties, late twenties, was right at their side. Muscles, tattoos, and bald. He had a shirt on, smart pants, shoes. It it was clear he worked here by that alone - the dead giveaway was his nametag of 'Andrew'. "My god, it's been years now. Last I saw you, you were about to leave for college. What was it? Law?" He asked. Karin bit her lip and nodded.


"Yep."


"So, am I looking at a lawyer yet?"


"Not quite, no." She laughed, "Maybe someday, who knows. Complications in the family." She said. "Andrew, this is..." She didn't even want to risk first names, just in case. "This is Taylor. A friend of mine, it's been a long time, so, if you wouldn't mind, how about you set me us up with two vodka-colas? We've got a lot of catching up to do. I'll talk to you later, if you don't mind. I'm sure you're busy all the same." She said.


"Of course, of course. Sorry to interrupt. It's great to see you." He said, "Taylor, nice to meet you as well. I'll get you those drinks." He chirped, and off he went.


Karin looked back to her, "Right. Sorry." She said, "Didn't think that guy would still be working here after all these years. Guess there's a surprise around every corner." She shrugged, "Anyway, look, I was saying... My friend from work, Maria, came round my place a while back today. We were talking, but suddenly something just sort of... Changed." She said. "She started to look at me funny, started acting all reserved, all cryptic and secretive. Insisted I got out the house to do my 'shopping' while Joseph was still asleep." She looked down at the table, shaking her head. "It's all fucked. If Maria calls the police, Thalia, I'm going to be in for some shit from those detectives. They'll end up dragging my brother into it, but..." She shrugged. "Fuck it, it might not happen." She forced a smile, then turned as the drinks she ordered were placed on the table.


"Drinks are on me tonight, Karin. Great to see you again." Andrew said, placing the two glasses in front of her.


"You too. Thank you." She winked, and once he'd left, she slid one of the two drinks over in front of Thalia. She looked her up and down once more, then she shook her head. "Who am I kidding?" She asked, rhetorically. "I don't know what else I can say, Thalia, but things are heating up. The only friend I had before I met you is probably going to fuck me over big-time, but we'll see." She said. Well, that was confirmation that Karin saw Thalia as a friend now. "Enough about me, though... I'm guessing you got back to wherever you needed to be okay?" She asked. "And I hate to go back to it, but, have you thought about what I said earlier on?" She asked, then took a big gulp of her drink.


--


"Get them flown in from Philly ASAP, yeah, it sounds like a good plan." He said. "In the meantime, for the gangs. You're right. Al-Asheera doesn't need weapons to be effective, that's the thing. No one does. It's a very David and Goliath situation - A war can be won with a fucking BB gun if you have the right tactic. And if you ask me, we need to start readying our guys up to deal with how these bastards do things. These guys have been fighting the police for twenty years, and The Clovers? I've never seen better police-detection in all my time here. They know how a cop looks, how a cop breathes. They have someone, or something, that does that for them, and..." He paused for a minute, but then started shaking his head. "Oh, fuck. Just had the same thought I did?" He asked. "I've been running circles around these guys for a long time now, but I never thought about it. The Clover Boys might have an inside guy with us. The failed sting operations, the ease they have with some of their shit? They might have a guy on their payrole working for us at the same time - that would certainly explain a few things." He said, running both his hands through his hair. "Shit." He said. "Forget that for now, though. We just need to make sure we find out if that's the case, based on how our upcoming plans go." 


"We're going to need to have SWAT on standby tonight, as well as a SWAT Sniper Unit, just in case things end up like they did this morning. Hostages. If we can have people on-call and ready to roll, then we'll save lives. More officers patrolling around what we'll call the Red Zones, and then there's us behind the scenes, the tactictians, if you will." He shrugged, "If you and I can plot this all out, figure out where they're going and what they're doing, as soon as we have that guy from Philly, and the guy from the State prison here, we can start putting everything together, and we might even nail two birds with one stone when all of this goes through to the end." He scratched his chin, then glanced around. How long had they been at this? He wasn't tired, nor bored, but he was starting to wonder where the time was going.


The topic of everything else, though. Karin, and the mystery girl. He thought about it more and more, and he still got nowhere. Even though there was the suspicion on Karin, there was no evidence of it. If they had evidence, they could ask questions. The fact was that they didn't. At least not yet.


"I'll call up about him, yeah. As for Held, it'd be worth me and you stopping in there together. We'd be more effective if it came to asking questions, especially as her brother will be there." She said. "Either way, the mystery girl? We're going to keep digging until we have someone who'll give us a name. As for McAllister..." He picked up the office phone, but just as he was about to dial, his own phone rang.


He pulled it out. Unsaved number. He put it to his ear after answering it.


"Detective Hale."


"Hi, Detective? This is Maria. From the cafe, the waitress?"


He immediately put it on speaker and put it on the desk.


"Good to hear from you again, Maria..." He said, looking up at Tony. "What can I do for you?"


"It's about my friend Karin, who I work with? You spoke to her today, and... I'm worried. I went over to her place earlier on to check on her, and... Well, she had her cell phone with her."


"Is that... not normal, Maria?"


"No, I saw that woman that robbed us take her phone and her money in the cafe."


"You're positive of that?"


"Dead positive. I was only lying a few feet away when I saw her pick it up, she put it in her pocket. And... I... She took off into town a little while ago. A long time ago, actually, she said she was going grocery shopping. She's been gone all afternoon and evening now." 


"Have you heard from her at all? What about Joseph, is he safe?"


"His neighbor's taking care of him until Karin gets back. I haven't heard a thing from Karin, and I'm getting concerned."


"Okay, we'll look into it. Anything else?"


"No, that's all. I thought I should let you know."


"Thank you, Maria."


She hung up.


Frank slowly looked up to Tony with a long sigh, "That's our confirmation, Tony." He said, "We need to find her."
 
The feeling of being lost in a place she knew she didn't belong was soon cut out when she was confronted by Karin. Face to face, in the midst of people getting up and walking about. Strangers, it tightened the knot in Thalia's stomach just being around these people. In her book, there were two kinds of people: the dominant and the dominated. She felt like she fell under the latter in this case. Maybe it was that binary thinking that made her so terrified of opening a conversation: she was afraid of going either which way without even thinking about it. When faced with Karin, she felt... different. Like her equal. Maybe a bit inferior, especially after all the guilt-tripping. She was a bit afraid of this girl, but she also desperately wanted to be her friend. Finally, someone who even slightly tried to see eye to eye with her. Who at least would try to understand why she did what she did in the past. It ran through her head, telling her story to Karin, from start to finish. Hell, she could now. The chances of someone finding her here and matching her to the girl who held up the diner were very slim.


"H-Hi, Karin," she greeted her friend on sight. Like before, the feeling of Karin's touch got to Thalia. She felt at ease with her. Comfortable. Though she did feel like a lost puppy being guided through a farm in the bar, she couldn't help herself. This was all so strange to her. She'd been out to clubs before, but to hold them up. She would've held a gun to the air and shot at will by now to get everyone on the floor crying for help. Dominating, as she believed. But that wasn't what she was doing now. She wasn't sure if that's what she wanted to be doing ever again. Karin's words still echoed in her head about changing herself. It made her confident that this woman wouldn't sell her out, lure her here to get arrested. Hell, she knew the police well enough to understand that public areas like clubs were a cop's worst nightmare. Too much of a chance for collateral damage. No cop would risk that. She took a seat on the comfortable couch. Fancy stuff, kind of like a room from back in Al-Asheera's headquarters in Philly. She.... liked it. It's where Ra's would invite her to dinners on occasions, treat her like a queen only to abuse her in the bedroom. Horrible memories. Disgusting. But she didn't want to think of those memories.


Now alone, she let herself smile again in their little corner of the world. She could take a guess, from Karin's eye make-up, that she'd been upset and crying not long ago, but she assumed it'd come up in conversation. But the glee in her eyes was obvious, being around this person again. She fondled with her hands on the table, her markings of her organization covered by the same gloves as she had in the afternoon. Karin would understand why: the tattoo. Then, right when Karin was about to begin, their solitude was cut off by this Andrew character that showed up, so friendly around Karin. It caught Thalia off guard, throwing herself back in her seat, but trying to maintain her neutrality as best as possible, and politeness around this bald man greeting them. Karin was smart, not giving away Thalia's real name. More reason to trust this girl. "Hey..." she waved gently to the stranger before folding her hands in front of her mouth. She felt so distant from this whole ordeal. But what she didn't expect: Karin was a lawyer to be. So strange. Yet now, she resorts to low methods such as stealing. An interesting complex, to Thalia.


Then came the shocker after Andrew left: people were starting to suspect Karin. Thalia couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. She knew WHY this happened, and had to tell her one way or another. She waited until the drinks came over, taking it between her covered hands, and processed her words. Karin needed someone to trust. Of all people, the thief. Apart from the code within Al-Asheera, what happened to 'no honor among thieves'? Beats her. "Um.... yeah, Karin. I thought about it. E-Everything. I don't see why you care so much about some low-life thief that scared the hell out of your brother, though. And I think I did even more by coming back for you. I never should've. I went against my leader's orders by coming back to the scene of the crime. Risked it. Big time. A cop could've seen me and recognized me... now you and Joseph are going to suffer because I felt horrible for hurting you. Horrible for most of my mature life..."


Guilt wouldn't stop haunting Thalia. Badly. She laid her elbows down on the table and dropped her face into her hands. Not to cry. Just to hide herself in shame. She hurt this girl and, and she might lose her brother, too. "God damn it, Karin. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just... wanted to make it up..." Maybe a story of her past would help her understand. "I... I ran away from home when I was 13. Not for Al-Asheera. They pulled me off the streets and made me who I am now..." She lifted her head to take a sip from the drink she'd been given. The name was strange to her, but so were most other names of alcohols. Another area of expertise of her Head. "My mother gave birth to a little boy after I did. I-I have a brother. He's somewhere around Joseph's age, and I've never seen him in my life. And I don't think I can ever face him just because of what I did to myself. He probably knows he has a big sister that ran away from home, but he doesn't know she's a criminal. Think about it like this: would you want Joseph to know what you're doing? Stealing people's watches to pay for his medicine? That's the same way I feel about Charlie.... It gets worse..." She sniffled, rubbing her eye quickly. The phone call she got into still had her shaken. "After I went to my home, I.. I tried calling my old home in Philly... I heard his voice. His innocent little voice. And he heard me, but doesn't know it's me. I only heard like, three words from him.. 'who is this?' Why do those words mean so much to me? It kills me to know I can't tell him who I am. And if my boss caught me, he'd have me killed!"


But that brought up the even worse news. "Well, that brought up something even worse... That guy we killed at the cafe? My boss is putting the blame on me. And now? I have to compensate for a stranger's death, or else..." She caught her breath, looking up for a brief moment to compose herself, then back to Karin. "Or else he'll kill me.... Yeah. Looks like we're both in a bit of a tough spot. Nothing gets easier, and you should've never been dragged down. Instead of making this right, I'm making everything worse! Because that's all I ever do! Why would you even want me to come have drinks with you anyway?" Without even knowing, Thalia was raising her voice at Karin, leaning over the table. When she realized she might be making a scene, she calmed down and sat back in her chair properly. "S-Sorry.... I'm just... mad, upset. Just a girl who can't handle herself without her puppet master. That's it." Miserable. Pathetic. Those were the words she wanted.


--


So much to plan for, these two detectives. Tony felt as if they were more of tacticians, planning some sort of skilled attack that would've been set so many years ago instead of in 2016. They'd definitely have to coordinate with a SWAT commander on this one. Shouldn't be too hard for one of LAPD's respected detectives and his partner. At this point, all Tony and Frank could do was make their phone calls... that was until Frank received one. He immediately put it on speakerphone, as if he read Tony's mind to tell him to do so. Smart. Overhearing the conversation, it came to light that their suspicions into Karin Held were well in place, according to the girl's best friend, Maria. Tony's eyes shot out in what could only be one revelation: she was conspiring with the mystery girl. His head darted back between Frank's phone and the sketch of Thalia on his wall. The little... he told himself in his mind. A traitor. Pretty low to use her brother as a cover-up as well. Just a poor, sick child. It unnerved the older detective to a degree that he saw this entire situation differently. Frank's layout of the possibilities for the robbery might be well in place with Karin as a co-conspirator. Maybe even an Al-Asheera cadet in training.


"That woman..... It disgusts me, you know? The people who use helpless kids as their escape to seem like such good people, when they have dirty, dirty secrets locked away. It's the part that sickens me about discovering something like this. That a kid, like Joseph, has this woman as a caretaker. I'm sure that things will change after, but we've got a lead into Al-Asheera now. So we have options: either go to Karin's house and wait for her to return, which she might not, we go stake out the 7-11 in hopes she'll go there, again, under the assumption she's really with Al-Asheera, or.... if she still has her cell phone, we can text that Maria woman back, get Karin's phone number, and try to get a bead on her from that. Tracing the call, or pinging it, whatever they call it in the IT department. But I don't know about you, but I'm considering Karin Held as our primary lead to the mystery girl..." His thumb launched over his shoulder to point to the sketch. "...Who is our primary lead to the head of the snake."
 
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"I don't blame you for what happened, for this." She shook her head, then sighed. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I came to you, not the other way around. I could have waited for the detectives to be done with me, but..." She shook her head again, "I didn't, Thalia, and that's the problem. It wasn't on you. The fact I took my phone back isn't on you, either. That's probably what's been my downfall here. That and skinny jeans." She smirked a little, then took a big gulp of her vodka and soda again. In her eyes she wasn't really doing anything wrong. What was so bad about wanting a different life for a woman that hardly had one? For a woman that knew nothing other than theft and... Well, whatever else it was she went through? She wanted to help her out, she wanted to get someone to help them both get out of the sticky situation. She knew that she couldn't run forever, though, because that was going to be impossible. The reason it'd be impossible was because of Joseph. She couldn't take him away from home - she was starting to run low on insulin, well, not low, but low enough to need to order more soon. How could she do that if she was to take Joseph out of there? She felt like putting him in the car and driving to the other end of the country, but that just wasn't possible.


Still, it seemed that Thalia had a lot to say, and at the end of it Karin remained silent for just a moment, but eventually nodded a few times. She had to have a quick but strong think about it all - she had to. She had to think everything wrong in as little as a few seconds, and that was as simple as it got. She knew that if this woman was in danger, then chances were that she was to, which meant Joseph was as well. She wasn't going to have that - she'd die on the chopping block before she let anything happen to that boy, and anyone that knew her well enough knew that, too. But one thing she knew was that if this did blow up in their face, there was no way she going to get out of it alone. Still, though, that was a concern for a later date, and not one that mattered at the immediate time.


"You know why I care?" She asked, "Because you're not a lowlife." She said. "A lowlife, they don't care about anything. They don't give a shit if they hurt people. They don't give a shit if they cause lifelong damage, if they traumatize a child, they don't care one bit. That's why I care about you, Thalia, because you?" She shook her head, "You ain't no lowlife, and trust me, I've met a few." She took a few deep breaths. "My mother and father, they... They died because... They died because my dad got behind the wheel while he was drunk, okay?" She said. "He'd had triple what the limit was, took himself and my mom off the hill they were driving up. It was a quick death for the two of them, but the point is, lowlives come in many shapes and forms. As good of a man that my dad was, he was a lowlife in the sense that he didn't think. Ever. He just did. He lived in the moment a little too much - my mom was a lowlife because she knew that it could have been stopped. The nights where my dad drove home from a night at the bar, drunk - She could have sat him down and told him to stop, but she never did. And I am a lowlife in some way. I guess we all are, but you're not as bad as you make yourself sound. You make yourself sound like a lowlife in every single form, which isn't true, not at all." She sipped her drink again.


"When I first started looking at Law in high school, I learned one thing: There's no such thing as a perfect person." She said, "If you think they exist, they don't, no matter how much they butter you up. I've done a lot of things just for the wellbeing of my brother, and I'm willing to do a lot more to make sure he's safe. I've... Done unspeakable things, and that's where I met the lowlives." She said, "There have been times in the past few years where I've had to sell myself to assholes on the streets just to be able to afford his bills, just to pay for food to give him - I'm no saint, but I've done a lot more than anyone would even think of doing. There's people out there that are afloat, loaded with money, but even they would take one look at Joseph and say 'fuck it, too much responsibility'. Now, having that role for the past five years, having to deal with it as people stopped and stared as he did a shot of insulin or one of his glucose tests? It gets to you. It changes you. Much like the life you live now has changed you - when you look in the mirror, Thalia, you may see a criminal, you may see someone who deserves no mercy, but you know what I see? I see someone with potential. Someone who got pulled into the wrong place because she had nowhere else to go. That's what I see." She explained, quietly. She was getting passionate about it, but every word she spoke was true, and the whole time she looked into Thalia's eyes. She wanted her to know she was genuine.


The word that she had a brother that she'd never met drew her only closer, and quite frankly, it broke her heart.


"Those words your brother used hurt you because you wanted him to say 'Hi, Thalia!' instead of 'who is it', didn't you?" She asked. "You want to know him, want to be a part of his life, but you don't feel you can because of how ashamed of yourself you are. And you know, I get that." She nodded, "The first time I ever sold sex for money, just to be able to afford groceries the next day, I went home later in the night, and it turned out Joseph had sat up secretly all night waiting for me. When he ran out and flew into my arms, giving me big smiles and everything? Christ, I couldn't take it. I felt like the worst person on earth. I felt disgraceful - and that night, I cried for hours, cried until the sun came up. It wasn't until I started to work harder that I felt better about it. I tried to make changes, and I steered away from that life. For you, I get it, it's not that simple." She said. 


"They're threatening you now, pinning a mistake on you because... I don't know. Because they have to blame someone. It's you, for whatever reason. Perhaps there's something that runs deeper than just the guy getting killed, maybe there's something behind the scenes that makes them want you gone, but, as dark as this is going to sound... Do you think they're going to put you through all this trouble of fixing your mistakes, and then just let you walk away?" She asked, and a few seconds later she shook her head. "Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but it doesn't make sense to me. They've got you fixing the mistakes, because, what I think, is that they don't want to risk going out there and doing it themselves. As soon as the problems are fixed, who's to say they won't just shoot you and get it over with?" She asked. "Prevent anymore mistakes? Fill your place with someone else?" 


"Look, I get that it means a lot to you, and this probably isn't what you want to hear from me right now. But I think that's the case. And I'm looking out for you, as a friend, and telling you that while they think you're off 'fixing your mistakes', that you should get out of there while you can. Just..." She closed her eyes. "Before I say anything else, Thalia, what is it they want from you? But first... I want you to tell me a few things. I want you to tell me who exactly you are to them - You seemed like you were pretty high up when I first saw you this morning, but I wouldn't know. Can I ask you to tell me about all that? You know it won't leave this table." She said.


--


"Tony, don't anger yourself with it." He slowly tucked his phone into his pocket. "As much as we need to ask her questions, this doesn't make much sense." She said. "Given Karin's situation with her brother, she could never afford to be a fugitive, and we saw that the two were very affectionate of each other." He scratched his head, then slipped on his suit jacket. "I don't understand why she'd risk losing everything, especially after she lost her parents. Her brother's medical condition, too. Just abandoning him wouldn't make any sense." He explained, then looked at Tony once more. "Her house is the safest bet. I've got a hunch that she wouldn't just abandon him - We go there, we can ask her brother some questions in the meantime. He might be able to tell us more." He said. "Providing she isn't dead, I reckon she'll be back. Even though there's evidence that the two may know each other..." He paused, "Shit, I don't know."


"Look, regardless, we should head to her house, talk to her neighbors, and when she gets back, we'll have a nice little chat. Possibly down at the station depending on how things go. On the way there I'll call the prison McAllister's at and request immediate transfer - If we have free time while we're at Karin's place, you can get on the line to the SWAT Commander, tell him what we know, and get him to make sure all members of the SWAT Division are on stand-by for tonight. We've got one chaotic shitshow of events unfolding here, but somehow, Tony, I just feel like the worst is yet to come." He opened up the office door. "Tracing her phone would be viable, but at the same time, I feel like we'd only get half of what we're paying for. If she's associated with Al-Asheera, then she's not going to be making all of her communications over a phone, no chance. You and me both know that they're all smarter than that." He said.


"Once tonight's up, Tony, I think I owe you a few drinks." He laughed, "Trust that, eh? First day on the Bureau for me and all of this shit's occurring, but, it's progress all the same, right?" He asked, he then winked and pushed the door fully open. There was so much going on, so much stress - It was making him sweat under the arms just from the thought of it all.
 
There was quite a good deal of trust built between Thalia and Karin in such a short time. Truth be told, they were both just as bad as each other. They've both made bad decisions for some sort of higher purpose, be it good or bad. The difference? Karin sold sex for money to take care of a child. Thalia became a thief because she didn't want to be around her parents anymore. She was 13 when she made that call, and only now when she turned 21 did she feel the weight of that life-changing decision. Why did it all mean so much? So overwhelming... But Karin didn't believe any of this was Thalia's fault. Did those words help? Slightly, but not enough. Thalia owed this girl a debt for putting her ass on the line. A place in Al-Asheera for money? No way. After today, her views on The Clan were radically changing. But she could protect Karin in any way she could. Before speaking again, she took another sip from her cup and answered her:


"It... it means a lot that you feel that way. That you don't see me the same way a cop would. All they'll see is a crook, out there on the streets hurting people for eight years.... I don't want to hurt people anymore, Karin. Believe me. I don't have many options. Stealing is all I know how to do. But that doesn't go without hurting people. Maybe it's that feeling of guilt that makes me human. Finally, a reason to believe that." She sniffled again and let her fingers run through her bangs. Talking felt refreshing, very much so. "I've never had a friend to talk about this with..." Friend. Was that a jump too far? She reached forward over the table, taking Karin's fingers into her hands and smiling to her, trying her hardest to relate. "I will do what I can to make it up to you and your brother. Just... just say it and I'll do it. Anything."


She retreated her hand to her side and took another sip before continuing about her brother, "Sometimes I wish I could walk up to my front door and tell my brother everything. Change myself to be worthy of him loving his sister.... It's so lame, I know. Maybe you get it because of Joseph, but anyone else would just laugh at me. What 21 year old girl worries about her 8 year old brother? Especially if she's never met him? That's why I don't hurt kids. That's what makes me different from Al-Asheera.... maybe because I have feelings. They don't. My leader says it's because I'm a woman, and I'm too emotional. Saying I should just stop feeling. I... I can't. I always thought all I'd be good for is robbing people. Maybe that is all I'm cut out for. But I don't want to deny having a heart.... I.... I can't.


It hurt to talk about her 'significance' in her organization. Because she knew the main reason she wasn't dead. But she felt so ashamed of it. Not because she wasn't skilled, because to Ra's, she certainly was. But that wasn't why he kept her. "I have to pay one million bucks to make up for the death of an innocent man, or my leader will kill me. It gets worse, though, the reason I'm so deep...." One of her darkest secrets... It scared her. "I'm...... I'm the leader's bride-to-be." It almost made her vomit in her mouth just thinking of it. Of all the sick things he did to torture her. "He's had this sort of attraction to me for my entire time in Al-Asheera. I knew that's what he thought of me, then..... then at 14, he started calling me to his quarters, offering me gifts, then asking to see me.... to see me undressed..." She dropped her head down into her palms, thinking of how perverted what she was saying. "Yeah, when I was a little girl, I slept with a guy old enough to be my dad, and I let it happen. I'm just that sick.... It gets worse that I actually liked it for a time. And I HATE that. Why did I like it? I'm really sick, Karin. It's HORRIBLE... Now that I'm 21, he wants my hand in marriage. And I can't say no to him or his abuse or else he'll kill me." It was a bit relieving to know that her skeleton was out of the closet, but it also made her wonder what sort of perverted idea Karin now viewed her with. She couldn't blame her, now. The thoughts of her actions made her want to grab a barf bag. She simply took her drink and took another sip. It tasted good. She needed something down her mouth that wouldn't make her feel so disgusted of herself.


"If you want to walk away, just do it. I'm a sick bitch, and I can't live with that part of me. I wouldn't blame you." Even though Thalia didn't want to lose this friend. Not now, not this way. She shared a horrible memory of her life, and there were still others. But this one was probably her worst. If Karin could accept that demon, it would put Thalia's mind at ease. It'd show her true intentions. But she could barely look up to Karin. She felt too dirty to even try.


--


Unrolling his fists and taking a breath, Tony realized he reacted impulsively, and not like a proper detective. Calming down really stabilized his thoughts. With that, he replied, "True. There's a lot that still doesn't make sense about this whole story. But one good thing came out of that call, for sure. We now have grounds to question Karin Held. It's not just a suspicion or a hunch. Her behavior speaks for itself. She knows something about the heist. Maybe if we approach her the right way, she'll open up to us. Maybe rat out the girl, tell us more about why Al-Asheera is in LA. Plenty of options now. We can brainstorm our questions and make whatever calls we need when we're on the road. Call tracing, SWAT commander, whatever we need. My treat. But this time, you can drive. We've cruised my car by day. Let me see your skills behind a wheel."


A friendly smile came over Tony's face with Frank's offer for drinks. These two had a long relationship to come, a friendship even. They thought very alike, and completed each other in their hours of planning and interrogating. The idea of a friendly outing was appealing in his mind. "You betcha, Frank." It came with a pat to his partner's shoulder as well, in the most friendly way possible. "We've got our work cut out for us these next few days. And now, too. It'll also look pretty good for your first week on the job. Nailing some of LA's most notorious gangs. Talk about an entrance. And you know what? You deserve it. No one really gives the new guys a chance to speak, when in reality, they're better than half the old dogs out there. Trust me. You've got good things ahead of you, Frank."
 
"You? A sick bitch? Pff, please." She waved her off dismissively. "The only part of that that I found disgusting is that son of a bitch that's been taking advantage of you since you were no older than a kid. At fourteen? Fuck me, you would have just gone into high school, basically." She shook her head and her face scrunched up, "Jesus Christ, that bastard." She said out of disgust. "I'm starting to understand more of why this is a tough situation for you to be in. The first thing I'm going to say, though, is this: That man is not..." She sighed, "That man is not, well, a man. That man is a monster, and nothing more than that. You've realized that already, you don't need to tell me that. Tell me another thing - How many beautiful women in the organization have their been that are closer to his age? Quite a few, I bet. But funnily enough, after all his, what, twenty, thirty years of running things? He waits for a vulnerable child to come along before he starts deciding he wants to settle down?" She asked, but there was that tone in her voice - she wasn't disgusted at Thalia, but she was most definitely disgusted by this man she was speaking of. "Let's speak about why you liked it at first, though..." She said. "There's been quite a few known studies on this sort of thing. All of the talk of all the... Well." She cleared her throat.


"Because you liked it all those years ago doesn't make you sick, or twisted, or in the wrong. You were manipulated by the one man you had in your life that could serve as a mature adult figure - A father figure, if you will. You may not see him as anything short of an animal now, but back then? You were a kid. A kid alone that fell into a bad group of people - There's this guy, mature, watchful, kept you under his wing? Of course you're going to buy into him a little bit at that age, even if you never planned to. When things like that started happening? Well... It made you feel... Wanted, I suppose. Made you feel more like a young woman rather than a child - you had freedom over your own choices for once, and that's why this guy took advantage of that. Aside from the fact that he must prefer younger girls, he saw that weakness in you, and quite simply, he made a move on it." She rubbed her forehead with one hand. "It's fucked up, I know, but Thalia... You need to understand that it happens to thousands, if not millions, of girls every day. You're not sick for being part of that quota, that's for sure. You're just another victim - not a criminal." She nodded a few times. 


"That's another point I need to make. To me, you don't look like someone who's only cut out to be a criminal. You remind me of... Me, in quite a few ways." She said, "Full of life, always wanting something more, taking initiative when you can. We're not all that much different - we're so similar it's quite scary." She said, "Now, the last thing you want to believe is that there's no place else for you. Take a look around this bar for me." She instructed, and she also took a glance around. "Half of the people in here? You'd look around and you'd think many of them are criminals, I suppose. But in reality, what are they? They're probably doctors, lawyers, psychiatrists, teachers." She shrugged, "You get the idea. Leading on from that, what they're asking from you is impossible. A million dollars? For the death of one man? You were holding up a business that takes in no more than $12,000 on a daily basis. I've worked there long enough to know that. A million dollars is just..." She paused. "Not possible. Exactly. That's what it is - For you, it'd be impossible to do that, and I think maybe, just maybe, that's what this fucker wants. Why the fuck would he want a million dollars? I've read enough about it all to know that this bastard's..." She rubbed her middle finger and index finger against the inside of her thumb. "Absolutely rolling in it, basically." She glanced around the bar - she needed to make sure no one undesirable walked in. "Maybe he knows it's impossible, though, and that's why he's sent you away to do it - You go away, you try, and you fail, either ending up dead or in prison. You don't end up in either of those two, he'll kill you anyway. I think, Thalia, as much as you may hate to hear this... I think maybe he might just..." She sighed. Even though this man was a piece of shit in her mind, and probably Thalia's too, it still felt bad to say it so bluntly.


"I think he's trying to get rid of you in an indirect way, basically." She shaved off her drink, then placed the empty glass down in the back center of the table. "Now, even if you did make this $1,000,000 somehow, somehow in hell - You go back to him, you marry him." She stopped right there, looked at her blankly, and shrugged. "You marry him, end of story. But then, if you do that, how much worse will things get? Correct me if I'm wrong, Thalia, but I get the impression this is not a guy you want to live with until your dying day. You deserve far better than that sort of life." She looked away and down at the floor for a moment.


"Look..." She squeezed her hand on the table, and her free hand ran through her white hair, which was now a bit all over the place. "It's not very often I open up to anyone, nor is it very often that I trust many people, either. "But. And this is conditional - You, from what I heard when I was speaking to the detectives, the only incriminating thing you have against your name is the robbery itself. Al-Asheera? They've been a problem for almost as long as you and I have been alive, practically, and how far has anyone gotten with it?" She asked. "The simple answer is nowhere, they haven't stopped them, and now here they are in LA. Yes, you were part of the robbery, but you didn't fire a bullet at anyone, and from what I know, there's nothing linked to you. No murders, nothing - Now, this is where you really need to hear me out, because this'll probably throw you back a bit." She took a long, deep breath, and held it in for a few moments before releasing it.


"Come back with me." She said, suddenly. "I have a spare room. I have a spare room in a residential area with hardly any retail businesses nearby. A small house, nothing flashy, not in the wealthy area. Come with me." She offered again, "For all that... Pedophile knows, you're off trying to make a million dollars. If you make him believe you're taking it seriously? He shouldn't be surprised if you vanish, if you don't come home for however long. You come back with me, and, if that... If Maria did indeed call the cops on me, then I'll talk to the detectives - You don't have to face shit if you don't want to, let that be my problem. And if you really want to go ahead with all of it, do you know what they'd do for you if you helped them out? If you gave information? You may be at risk on one side of the fence, but on the other? You'd be considered a witness. You'd be protected. They'd take your name off the files and you'd be... You'd just be normal. A citizen." She laughed once. "And maybe, if that all works out, maybe I can start helping you study to get a high school diploma, huh?" She asked, offering a tiny smile as she gripped Thalia's hand just a little bit tighter.


She knew it was a long shot - but she didn't know what else she could do. What else she could say. Karin didn't know how she could get a million dollars without getting caught - or killed. Karin knew offering her this was a risk, but, it was a risk that she was willing to take. A girl not much younger than her, and already so close to being knocked off by the man who was meant to love her? Not a fucking chance was she going to sit idly by while that happened.


"If you have any alternatives, just let me know." 


--


"We'll find out everything we need to know about Karin in due time. If her brother's in the house, then we know that she'll come back as soon as she has the chance. If she didn't care, she would have left a long time ago. She would have ran off to find these guys the second they moved into town, and she would have dove right into it. The girl's hard-headed, not the type who sits on the sidelines. You saw what she was like, heard what she was like from the witnesses at the cafe. Whatever's going on, Tony, we're going to get to the bottom of it. As for the approach, you're definitely right. We need to make things applicable to her - If we go in there and start throwing around threats and direct questions, we won't get anywhere." He said. "At least I doubt it - If we cross a line with her, we'll know. If she has the balls to stand up to Al-Asheera, I can guarantee she has the balls to stand up to us. The difference is, if she does that to us, we won't shoot her, and we'll walk away empty-handed." He shrugged.


"You sure you want me to put you to shame on your driving, Tony? I was one of the highest advanced drivers in the academy." He laughed, "But as you wish. You'll see what I've got." He winked. "As for me and you, I doubt we're going to be nailing anyone on the first week. Maybe the second." He joked, followed by a laugh. "Heh, but seriously, I know this'll look good if it doesn't go pear-shaped. This'll look good for you as well, no doubt." He smiled, but couldn't help feel that sadness when Tony talked about him having good things ahead of him. It was what he'd wanted to hear his whole life, and now that it finally hit him, he didn't know what to say.


"Yeah, I hope so, Tony. Thank you." He nodded. 


Anyway, out in the car, things were pretty average, I imagine. Frank was more than willing to show off his driving, even if he was going to be sticking to the speed limit. Nevertheless, after a couple of minutes it was clear that he was a very careful driver, very attentive. He wasn't much of a speed-freak, but, at a certain point once you've been driving for long enough, it just comes as a second nature to you. It had come as a second-nature to Frank, too, and he was quite aware of everything going on, scanning over other cars, over people walking by - He wasn't an F1 driver (Tony hadn't even seen him high speed yet), but, he was at least road-worthy. 


"Right, the questions..." He said as he was driving along. "If we get to ask Joseph questions before his sister gets home, we need to keep it subtle. We don't want to panic the little guy, I'm sure. Ask him basic questions, don't make it seem like Karin's in any trouble. If we do that, he'll get spooked and won't say shit. He'll panic, I reckon. He's had a traumatic day, and having us roll up at this time in the evening is going to shake him up enough. We just need to assure him that things are fine, try and fish the information out of him without giving away too much. As for Karin? We need to get her to talk without sounding like we're accusing her - We accuse her, and this whole thing could go to shit. For all we know, she is guilty as charged, but, we can't assume that until we know more." He explained. "At least that's my take on it. As for Maria? Well, if she's there when we get there, we should probably send her on her way. If Karin even suspects that Maria called up about her, I've got a feeling things might not be so calm and steady."


"Anything else to add there, Tony?" He asked. "Any particular approach you think we should take?"
 
Acceptance? Maybe some people were not the judgmental type after all. Karin wasn't, able to understand someone's abuse story, forgive their stupidity, and help them move past it. It'd been so long since Thalia met someone like that. Who was ready to hear her out. The uneasy feeling in her stomach eased, now knowing Karin wasn't going to get up from the table and leave her to fix her own problems. Her reasoning about how Ra's picked his wife also caught on to Thalia. Sure, there were many other women in Al-Asheera, older than her. He wanted someone younger, always has. And the little Christian runaway girl was the easiest target. Yet, Karin also understood why she probably liked it so long ago. He was all she had. That's why she loved him. He was like a father to her. A sort of Oedipus complex in the sickest way. What girl would actually love the horrible things this psycho did to her? Sure, he'd be such a gentleman at times, inviting her for drinks and sending her gifts. But in the bedroom, or anywhere alone, really? Not so much of a nice guy. And finally, Thalia began to see things like that, that she didn't want to marry this man. Just the thought of having him as her life partner felt like a nightmare. She gulped down a bit more of her drink. She grew to enjoy her friend's choice of drink, and wished she could return the favor.


"I keep thinking, if I never ran away, and just stayed with my parents, no matter how much I hated it, things would be different. Maybe... maybe I'd be that pinned-up girl Christian girl they pressured me to be, but I'd have a good home. Not some child molester craving me every second of the day, giving me weird looks and grabbing my ass at every opportunity he could get. I would've definitely went to high school, even college if I felt like it. Maybe met a nice guy along the way, my age, not some sick old man. I'd be near my brother, too. Things would be so much different. But... I can still change that, right? Maybe not go home, but start completely over here in LA."


Then came the discussion of paying her debts. Thalia nodded, now growing the courage to look Karin the eyes once again. She found comfort in this girl like no other. Maybe because she was right: they were very alike, moreso than she thought. "I know damn well it's impossible to get that much money in the time I'm given, not with the way I'm used to holding places up... unless I go really big really quick. Like, walk into the goddamn Bank of America and clean the place dry, which won't happen alone. It's a suicide mission..." It was all starting to make sense now. Ra's wasn't one to give an impossible task unless someone was scheduled to die regardless. Shit... he wants me dead?! It was unbelievable to imagine, the man wanted to off his bride-to-be, maybe because of her constant rejection. Maybe he found some other child to abuse and pervert like he'd done before. Hell, who knows how many other women were victims to this before Thalia? "If I go to prison, you can consider me a dead girl. Al-Asheera doesn't let anyone get locked up without having them dead in a week. A preventative measure to make sure nobody talks. Seven days behind bars, and he'll pay off a prisoner or a guard to mysteriously kill me. I CAN'T go to jail, and I don't want to go back to him, Karin.... as much of a thrill-seeker as I seem, I don't... I just..." Why was it so hard to admit such a simple fact? "I don't want to die. And I'm... actually scared now." It worried Thalia now, a girl who braved every storm in front of her, now afraid knowing her organization was probably tossing her to the curb. Holding back her tears of fear was becoming difficult, her eyes watering and her voice shaking.


All of this made Thalia want to give up, not even try to get the money. Fail to deliver? She'll be killed. Attempt to and get caught? She'll go to prison, where she'll be killed. Succeed? She spends the rest of her days with Ra's as her husband... and she didn't want that anymore. She knew for the past year or two that that's what she didn't want, but she had no escape. As unprofessional as it seemed, she lifted her legs from dangling below the seat and crossed them in the cushion beneath her. She liked sitting that way, even if it was weird. SHE felt out of place here entirely, seeing all the people dressed in fancy, nice clothing. Then there was Thalia. Much simpler. It was a relief she didn't put that dark make-up she had while heisting. She had the bandanna around her neck, though. Couldn't have been too suspicious, but regardless, she yanked it off of her neck. No need. She wasn't going to rob anyone tonight.


Karin took her hand again. The fuzzy feeling in her heart again. She's so nice to me. Maybe I should stop questioning it. She wants to help. She gripped back, listening to her words of advice, the possibilities of what's going to happen. They were both in a fair amount of trouble now. She offered her a place in her house? That wasn't something she expected. She sniffled a bit, but smiled nonetheless. "That's... so nice of you. But I really hate to put you on the spot. I already got you in trouble. If you keep me in your house, it's just going to make things worse, especially if there's police there." Then came the idea of turning herself in. "...God damn it, Karin. How can we be sure they won't trick me and put me in jail anyway? Sure, I could spill, but if they don't hold up their end to protect me, I'm not going to last." A day ago, Thalia would've said something along the lines of 'my loyalties are with Al-Asheera; I would never betray them'... but it seemed like they were ready to throw her under the bus. Though, this offer was one she couldn't turn down. "But... I can't thank you enough, Karin. For everything. You didn't have to do any of this, but you are anyway. Nobody's ever done this for me. Maybe I can stay... one night maybe?  Just somewhere to crash until I get a place for myself. I promise you, I won't be a bother. Will your brother mind? You think he'll recognize me?"


Such blind kindness felt so heart-warming to Thalia. It'd been too long since she had a trustworthy friend, and Karin proved that she can be trust. Fuck it, she'd go along with her even if there were a few detectives waiting at her doorstep. Maybe she could confess. Maybe she could be protected. At this point, the kid that was thriving in Thalia's heart wanted to get up and hug Karin, just as a sign of affection, a thank you. But this was a public place. She was afraid to, too nervous that she shouldn't do that around here. God damn her anti-social mindset. Always afraid of being friendly. Horrified. 


--;


Taking the passenger seat of Frank's car, Tony buckled up and enjoyed the break from driving. With his past partner, he was always the driver. This was different, standing by and watching. Giving Frank a chance to show off in some ways. Tony was a good driver, but he'd grown sick of it over time of always driving his partner around. Time for a change. But it wasn't all relaxation. They were en route to ask questions to a witness. And it could be one of three: a child, his sister with some dirty little secret, and her best friend. All were different possibilities.


"Hmmm," he scratched quickly under his chin, putting all three situations into perspective. "So, if it's Joseph, we take it slow. Make it seem like we're just checking up on him. Hell, we don't even have to ask him questions for all we know. He's had a tough day, god knows what's running through his mind right now. Another thing about kids, they open up in the strangest of ways. If he trusts us, he will point us in the right direction. Maybe say something about his sister that will bring us closer to getting to the bottom of this. As for the friend? I doubt she has anything more to tell us. It's all on a hunch anyway, and a rivalry between friends would be bad news for our suspect. Which brings us to Karin.... Maybe we could reiterate some of our questions from the diner, ask some more specifics without them sounding all that incriminating... but the cell phone thing Maria brought up? No, that HAS to be brought up somehow, someway. If not directly bringing up the discrepancy, we ease into it, again, with questions from the crime scene. But for now, let's see if Miss Held is even home yet."


Upon their arrival, Tony walked alongside his partner up the front steps of Karin's home, extending his arm to the doorbell and ringing once. Now all he could do was await a response. He didn't even call out that he was with the police. Didn't want to scare Joseph or whoever was inside. Easing into it. That's how he wanted to go about it.
 
"I know that it seems like a longshot - Heck, you might even think that I'm setting you up, but... You said they have anyone that goes to prison killed, right?" She asked. "You know, I think that's why they won't lock you up. They want information, they want leads - If you're just going to die if you get incarcerated, that won't help them at all. If anything will keep you out of prison, it'll be that." She smiled, "And let's face another thing, there's no way the cops will be able to help get them what they want from you without making it look obvious, so, inevitably, when they come looking for you, we're going to need to find someone else who can help us out. But that's something we have to worry about tomorrow morning, or something. Not something we need to think about now, alright?" She smiled again. Yeah, the thought crossed her mind - They could easily come looking for her, especially if she lost contact with them; they could easily make assumptions and put a bounty up on her head, or something like that. It was a terrifying thought, and the obvious fact was the police only had the right to do so much. They were bound by a code and rules, but what if they could find someone who wasn't?


"You might not be able to go back to Philly, no, that might be the end of it. But that doesn't mean once things are fixed up that you can't call them, maybe organize a visit one summer when your brother's out of school. Or Christmas, Christmas is always nice. I know it might not seem like a possibility, but, at the end of the day, family's family. You're still their daughter, even if you did make some bad decisions. At the same time, though, if you'd never ran away, where would you be in terms of bad things? You never know what sort of shape you'd be in. If my dad had never crashed that car five years ago, I'd have pretty much just left college I think a year or two ago. Me and my brother wouldn't be as close as we are now, and I'd just be... Where would I be?" She shrugged. "When we were kids, even though there was such a big age gap, my brother and I were the best of friends. I probably would have lost that if I went to college, if my mom and dad were still alive. Some sort of fucked up Butterfly Effect, y'know?" She shrugged. "You can start over here. Thousands of people start over here every day - this is LA, for god's sake. Hollywood, for one - Look at how many people restart there, try and make it big. We'll keep it simple for now, but maybe one day, maybe one day you'll be the face on a billboard, huh?" She chuckled.


"It's okay to be scared of this asshole. He's made you think that he can't be touched." She said, "I don't know how much you know about this organization, but, whatever you do know... Helping the police eventually, that'll put a big dent in them, and that makes finding you even harder. Like I said, all of this, we'll need to get help from people we can trust, people who can... I don't know. Help give you more of a voice but without exposing you. It's the only way things can be done, y'know?" She said. "Like I said, all of that we can worry about over breakfast tomorrow morning. Speaking of that, don't think you need to be out of the house by tomorrow morning. If you need a place to stay, stay for as long as you need. All I ask is that you help me keep the place in order - You'd be surprised how much of a mess can be made with just me and my brother around the house." 


"As for Joseph... It'll take some convincing, because he's probably going to recognize you, but if you just explain to him what's going on... Maybe make it sound like you've been secretly working with the cops all along... I don't know. You can say whatever you want to him - If it makes you feel better about what happened, the three of us can sit and have breakfast in the morning and that'll give you a chance just to put things on the table for him. Once he knows you mean no harm, he should be okay, maybe a little unsure, but okay. I think he won't struggle to see your kinder side, Thalia, that much I can assure you of." She stopped and thought for a moment, "I think we have quite the solid plan. For now. It's either going to get better or worse, as all plans do, but we don't need to panic. I... I want to help you here, Thalia, I really do. You see, I'm no genius. I was never the smartest kid in school, nowhere close, but... I learned enough while I was there. My grades were high, but I learned a lot about people, about life. I saw a lot of people who had potential but couldn't use it all because of the spot they were in at home, with their family, friends... It hurts to see people you care about falling into a spot like that. I won't let this bring a wave down on your head, alright?"


She looked up and had another glance around. She figured she should tell her about the watch, but for now, she wanted to keep that secret. It wasn't something entirely relevant at the minute, but, what Karin didn't realize was that she was in just as much trouble as Thalia, if not more, when it came to gangs now. Not only did she have the boss of The Clover Boys looking for her, but soon enough she was going to have The Clan on her back if she wasn't careful. It was a lot of danger to be putting herself in, but most the danger she was in right now was her fault - none of it was by Thalia's hand, it was just because Karin made a stupid choice, and was now carrying around a watch that was worth more than her yearly income. 


"I'd love to offer you another drink, but, if you're good to go, it might be a good idea to get home. Joseph's probably worried sick - I feel bad for leaving him with my neighbor, but I knew something wasn't right with Maria."


--


"Joseph's plan sounds good, but, I've been thinking while we drive - If Karin doesn't open up to us, maybe making her angry might be the only way to go. I know it sounds a little... Non-textbook, Tony, but if we can get under her skin, find a way to hit her where it hurts, then chances are she's going to crack and spill. A bit cruel, maybe, but it's necessary to get the truth. I don't need to be telling you this - you probably know that a lot more than me given your service time." He laughed a little, "At least I hope so, otherwise I just look like an asshole now." He shrugged and grinned. "So, our main priority it getting stuff from Karin. Joseph might have something for us, maybe her neighbors too, but we'll have to wait and see. Speaking to Karin is a 50/50 opportunity. We either get it from her when she's calm and collected, or we get it from her when she's ready to dive across the table at us. We'll see." He said.


The journey was fairly short, short and quiet once they were done talking. At the house, though, there was nothing that proved Karin could be home. There was no car out front, but, from their knowledge, they had no idea if she even had a car. Who was to say that she didn't use public transport? After all, there were bus stops all around where she lived, so it wouldn't have been impossible. Still, the house itself looked quiet from the outside. He just hoped they weren't going to be walking in on a murder scene. If it was Al-Asheera they were potentially dealing with, directly with Karin, then there was always that possibility, and as they approached the door, Frank felt the nerves rolling over in his stomach. He didn't know how grizzly it could get, but, honestly, he just didn't want to see a dead kid.


The doorbell was rang by his partner, and eventually, they heard footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Karin said nothing about being married or having a boyfriend, so the heavy footing was somewhat worrying. Frank's hands went up and rested on his belt, at least one of them, close to his gun. Just in case.


When the door opened, an older man opened the door. Forties, friendly-looking enough. He greeted both men with an anxious smile, and the first thing he noticed was the badge; I obviously can't speak for Tony, but I know for a fact that Frank had his badge clipped to his pocket. If both of them had their badges visible, then he, obviously, noticed both of them right away.


"Good evening." He mumbled. 


"Hello, sir. Detective Hale and Detective Walsh, LAPD." He nodded over to his partner as he said his name. "We were hoping to see Karin, maybe ask her a few more questions about the incident today?" He asked.


"I'm sure she'd have no problem with that." He nodded, "Just... I'm her neighbor, just watching out for Joseph. She went out quite some time ago and she's still not back - Joseph's obviously pretty worried about her, but, I'm doing what I can. Name's Graham." 


"Well, Graham, I'm sure Karin is just fine. Everything seems quite clear tonight, we wanted to come here and wait for her, maybe talk to Joseph, too." 


"Uhhh... Sure, yeah." He shrugged, opening the door up fully. He glanced around outside, too - Frank scoped the older man out quickly - no ring on his finger, no telltale signs of being a 'loving parent' or anything like that. He was just watching Joseph. He seemed genuine enough. He lead them inside, and the whole house was more or less open plan, other than the bedrooms and bathrooms. The rooms were obviously separate from each other, the other ones, but there were just no physical doors or anything like that. He took them through to the dining room after locking the front door, where Joseph was sat, finishing off what was left of what must have been a pan-cooked sirloin steak, potatoes, and fresh veggies. Not the bad dinner at all - all it did was make Frank hungry. He hadn't eaten anything other than coffee all day. Coffee was hardly nourishing.


Joseph noticed them instantly, and he turned to them with a smile. "Oh, hey." He said. There was the worry that went through him that something had happened to his sister.


"Hey, Joe." Frank winked at him, then turned to Tony. He had a quiet question for him. "Same plan as last time? Or should we switch? I'd like for one of us to have a word with the neighbor, so, your call. I think I'm good to talk to either of them." He whispered.
 
Every exchange between Thalia and Karin felt more and more like a sliver of hope given to the younger thief. It was like there was a chance for her to have a life beyond her organization. Beyond being the bride-to-be for a psychopath who essentially ruined her life. Generally, Thalia was trained not to trust the police for so many years. It was almost second nature to give them shit or lie to them. But now, it was all too tempting to, in case she were ever apprehended, spill the beans on Al-Asheera. Tell them everything she knows, even where their base of operations is. Was Karin right about them keeping her out of prison? Do the police honor their deals? In other words, if Thalia were to help the LAPD now, would they come back for her once Ra's and his successors were no longer a threat? She couldn't know. Hell, she was trusting a total stranger at this point, telling her the horrible tales of her past, bonding... Just showing her face and giving her real name was a risk in itself. But one thing was for sure: police or gang members, Thalia now had an obligation to protect Karin. She dragged her down, now she had to return the favor. It wasn't a million dollar compensation she was worried about anymore. More like a debt to a friend for helping her get her head straight.


"You know that's been on my mind for a good part of my bus ride here? Someday going home, even just to visit? I don't know if my parents would forgive me, but I have to at least ask. My father was a pastor, mom a grade school teacher. It was a really strict place to live. If they knew what I've been doing for the eight years... I don't know. Maybe they can put it past them, we can make up for lost time someday. I really hope so." Family never meant much for Thalia, except for the brother she never met. Now, it seemed like all she could think of. A core element of her father's religion was forgiveness, so maybe he'd be open to welcoming her home, rather than ranting about her being damned to hell. And her mom... she was no better, discipline and etiquette being sacred to her. When it was just her and her mother talking, she'd be forced to speak in her mother's native tongue simply so she could practice. Sure, she's still fluent in French. Not that she liked it, but her bilingual skills did come in handy at times. Then there was Charlie. They had no brother/sister connection at all, and coming home and saying they were related might shock the boy. But she wanted to build a bridge to connect their lives. Maybe when she had to leave again, she could call her brother more often, and she might feel more better about the lost time.


Los Angeles might be her new start. She might slip by from LAPD, but there were her crimes in Philadelphia that she wouldn't be easily forgiven for. She'd have to enter discreetly if she ever planned to return. But LA? Her new home. She could make a brand new start right here with Karin's help. Hell, Karin offered to help her get her high school diploma, even if she was way older than your average freshman. She at least needed that to build her new life. Then there was Joseph, probably becoming a friendly face with the boy. It's the last thing he'd expect from the woman who robbed his sister's workplace. But maybe he'd come to accept her someday. She saw a bit of her brother in that boy. As strange as it sounded. All this talk about optimism and good will Thalia get up from her seat, pull Karin from her own, and embrace her, a more permanent smile on the redhead's face. She'd never felt this at ease with anyone. Her arms around this more experienced girl's neck, she buried her face in her shoulder and muffled, "Thank you, Karin. Thank you so much." A bit awkward in public, but she couldn't help herself anymore. Showing gratitude was something she did so little in her life, that this was the only way she could think of. With her, she felt safe, not as afraid as before. Hopeful.


Second passed, and Thalia let go, still smiling to Karin, her right hand grazing her left arm, falling to her hand as if to hold it. "I'm ready to go when you are. Maybe we can do this again sometime? Going out? Maybe when we aren't so caught up in the problems with Al-Asheera, or when your brother's more at ease? Would you like that?"


--


The louder pounding footsteps on the other side of the door were a bit alarming for Tony as well. Like Frank, he was unaware of any sort of older, masculine figure in the house. No boyfriend, husband, older brother or cousin of sorts. Tony let his arms separate slightly from his body, exposing his concealed police badge attached to his waist over his belt under his overcoat. The sight of Graham was one that confirmed his suspicion of a male on the other side. The question was: who is this man? It eventually came to light that this was one of Miss Held's neighbors. Not quite a surprise that he'd be here in the case that Karin wasn't. She had a diabetic kid to take care of, and wherever she was and whatever loyalties she had, she apparently had enough heart to make sure this child was properly tended to. It made Tony feel a bit better about Karin. He had such a distasteful outlook of the girl from when that call came in that he almost doubted she would even care for Joseph's well being. And a child  going to foster care malnourished by his previous caretaker was something Tony wouldn't stand for, coming from a man who, himself, was almost an orphan.


Graham let the detectives in with no hesitation. A great start so far, and a neighbor they could openly interview. He seemed cooperative enough. The house was seemingly innocent enough. Simple, too. If Karin was a part of Al-Asheera, she'd have much more money, enough to get out of any kind of rut. Then again, this could be a cover-up. One's business is theirs alone, after all. Who was he to question what a woman does with her ill-gotten gains? Then there was Joseph, the young boy from before. Tony gave him the same smile as before, waving for him. He clearly remembers them from earlier. Then came the question from Frank: splitting up. One on the kid, one of the neighbor. "Let's switch it up," he replied. "I'll take the neighbor, you talk to Joseph. See if he knows about what happens when his goes out. Take it easy on the kid... we don't need to put the pressure on him. Karin? A different story."


Tony wasn't against being forceful towards Karin, especially with her cryptic behavior towards the entire ordeal. But he didn't want to show any sort of aggression or fury in front of Joseph. Hell, he didn't even want Joseph to see his sister in such a position, either. With plans in motion, Tony took to his subject: Graham. But as he did, he received a phone call, evident from the vibrations in his overcoat pocket. Slipping his phone out, he accept the call and spoke.


"This is Walsh."


"Detective Walsh, this is Detective Baker, Philly PD. You asked to speak to one of us about the paperwork for a few prisoners we had incarcerated? The ones related to Al-Asheera?"


"How's that coming along?"


"There's a slight hiccup. The three ex-Al-Asheera clan members we had in custody are all dead."


Tony's eyes shot out. "W-What? Since when? To my knowledge, they were still alive."


"Since their first week in custody, Detective. But their files were sealed. We only got into the details now. All three of them were killed within the first seven days of their sentence. All of them were stabbed to death while on their recess. Stuffed into a shower locker, too."


"So I take it this isn't just random foul play?"


"Probably not. Seeing they were all killed the same way, I'm thinking two things. Either someone in the penitentiary really hates Al-Asheera..."


"...Or they're silencing their own so nobody talks."


"Precisely, Walsh. I apologize for the inconvenience."


"It's not your fault, Baker. But thank you for the response."


"No problem. Have a good evening."


Tony hung up. This would serve as a huge dent in their plans for an Al-Asheera insider. They'd need to abduct one of their own in order to conduct this takedown. But how... Al-Asheera are loyal, especially on the outside. But that wasn't his concern. He returned his phone to his pocket and approached Graham. "Good evening, Graham. I hope everything is going alright for you and little Joe back there." His head nudged in the direction of the boy not far away. "I just figured... I wanted to see if you know anything about Karin. You're not in trouble, don't worry, and neither is she. We're just trying to be thorough in our investigation. We knew she was shaken up from the robbery, didn't look too good if you ask me. And now she's not at home when her brother needs her more than ever. Do you have any idea where she could be? What she normally does on her evenings? We just want to make sure she's okay." Seemingly innocent enough, right? It was a start.
 
The hug was nice. It had been quite a long time since she felt any affection or care from anyone other than her younger brother. It was only Maria that had hugged her recently, and that proved to be as fake as a three-dollar bill, anyway. Having Thalia hug her and thank her wasn't exactly what she was expecting - She honestly thought Thalia was going to get the wrong idea, assume that she was trying to set her up as some big plot for revenge. Initially, when she first met her outside the cafe, she considered it. She considered getting her trust and then selling her out, but the more she found out about her, the more she listened to her in that heated moment away from the detectives, the thought of double-crossing her quickly left her mind. Now they were here, meeting because she genuinely wanted to help out.


"Your parents might not be so easy to win over, but, the point is, kids have a very funny way of perceiving things. They think a lot different to how we do." He said. "I mean, what do kids have to worry about? I mean, in Joseph's case things are a little different. The responsibilities he has to keep himself healthy have matured him slightly more than a lot of kids his age, but not by much - Kids always have a funny way of thinking, and just remember, when it comes to kids as young as your brother? Nothing is as it seems, but that's not a bad thing." She chuckled, "As Joseph was growing up, he came out with some of the most absurd things, some of the most shocking, too, but raising Joseph by myself?" She rose from her seat and stretched her back. "It taught me things. Things I never knew before. Kids forgive and forget if you give them the right reasons to - I'm sure your brother would be thrilled to meet you." She smiled at her. 


"And Joseph will start seeing you as a friendly face, as long as you prove that that's what you are." She nodded, "You don't need to worry about Joey, I assure you. He'll come around once he's had things explained to him - He's a smart boy, smarter than I was when I was his age. He's not the most confident, though, so that's what lets him down. No one ever sees his intelligence or his capabilities, but, he comes through when he needs to. Just give him time." She nodded. At the offer of perhaps going out again sometime, after things blew over, after everything worked out okay, she sat back down at the table and took a deep breath, but the smile quickly came back to her face. She shrugged and nodded.


"Girl, you know it." She laughed, "We'll have to party once this shit's out the way. I promise, once this is done with we're going clubbing in LA." She said. Ah, clubbing in LA - It had been too long since she'd had a chance to do that. She wanted to do that again, and what better person than Thalia? Heck, if all worked out, she'd invite the detectives on a weekend or something like that. A bit of a longshot, but hey, that's what they could do if they wanted to. She imagined that even the Detectives knew how to have fun.


By the time this was all over, they'd probably want a drink or two.


"Just keep in mind... You don't need to thank me. This is all off my back." She shrugged, "I know it seems a little too good to be true, but..." She sighed, "Like I said, we have a lot in common. I'm on the straight and narrow, just about, and sure I ain't rich, but at least I can go to sleep at night without worrying if I'll wake up the next morning."


That will soon change.


"Come on, we should probably get moving. Time's gone way too quick and I don't want to leave Joseph much longer. He's going to be worried sick about me." She said, "And I can't exactly call home from my cell phone, can I?" She smirked. "Let's roll. Remember. As soon as this is all over, we Christen the glory of it all and we go out and get truly white-girl wasted, alright? I'm a born-and-raised Californian. I guarantee that you don't know anyone who can party as hard as I can." She gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, then nodded to the door. "Come on." She directed, softly. Thankfully her old friend was covering the drinks tonight, thus saving her a bit of money. Still, it was time to head home and face the gunshow. She wanted to see Joseph again, more than anything.


One thing Thalia may have noticed, even though it was starting to get dark, was that there were paw prints up against the window and car door. A bit odd, right?


Ah well. A car was a car.


--


"You got it, pal. Good luck. Don't worry about Joe. I'll be cool." Frank said, patting Tony on the shoulder before he parted to go and see Graham, who was stood just outside the dining room. He didn't want Joseph in earshot of any questions he got asked, honestly, just in case. He was already starting to assume the worst. Yeah, he was starting to think something bad had happened, but if that was the case, the Detectives would know about it by now, wouldn't they? Surely. He just hoped she got back soon, because he knew that it was starting to get to Joseph, and when Frank sat down across from the boy, he could see that it was on his mind, too. He was probably just doing a very good job to hide it - The best thing about kids, in his experience, was that they trusted a cop without question 9 times out of 10. Either way, the dining room:


ISy3dw3g9lrzcf1000000000.jpg


 
​


The blinds were down. the lights were on. It was nothing special, but nice enough. Frank took a glance over Joseph once more, then offered him a little smile.


"How are we tonight, Joe?" 


"I'm alright." He nodded, "Frank, are me and my sister in trouble?" He asked, immediately.


Frank held up a hand and shook his head, "No, no, not at all. We came here because her friend called up and said she was concerned, that's all. We wanted to ask you some questions, seeing as you're the man of the house and all." He chuckled, and managed to get a faint smile out of Joseph, too. "Before any of that, though, how are you after today? A little less shaken?"


"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I'm still kinda'... I don't know. Scared."


"Perfectly normal." He nodded, "As long as you're okay, that's what matters. Now, Joe... Can you tell me something? Does Karin go out during the evening like this very often?"


"No, not ever without calling when she's out or anything." He shrugged, "She doesn't ever go out in the evening. The only times she ever does that is if she has work, and she wouldn't have left without telling me."


"Alright." He said, "Is there anywhere she likes to hang out? You know, any places you two might usually go together?"


"We only really go to the diner together at night. If it's during the day sometimes she takes me to the movie theater, or to the park, or something."


"Alright, fair enough." He leaned onto the table, "Alright, well, does Karin have a boyfriend or anything?"


"Nope." He said, shaking his head, "She did have one, like, a long time ago, but she left him. I was only seven or maybe eight when that happened, though."


"Alright, Joe, alright." He nodded and leaned back again, thinking for a moment. "What about friends? She have many friends out there?"


"Only Maria, really, but Maria was gone not long after I woke up earlier. She didn't come back either. Like, I don't know, she said she was going outside for a minute, but when Graham looked, she was gone."


Must have been when she made the phone call to tell him about Karin. She didn't want to be there when Karin got back, evidently.


"How about we talk about something different about Karin? How about the two of you?" He smiled, "I don't know you guys all that well. You two seem pretty close. From my experience, the brother and sister always fight, but... I've got a feeling that's not the case here." He laughed.


"Oh, no, we never fight." He grinned, "We love each other as much as we can, I guess. We always spend time together, even if Karin's busy or doesn't really have any time or money." He said, "She still worries about me doing my own shots. She used to do them for me all the time, but I needed to learn for school and stuff. I do 'em just fine, but she always panics when I do. She thinks I don't notice, but it's easy." He shrugged and gave a half smile. 


"Well, you're a brave kid. I'm not sure I could inject myself every day like you do, and I'm more than double your age." He laughed, "So she helps out a lot?" 


"Yeah, all the time." He said, "She orders my prescriptions, picks them up on her way home from work most the time. I do all the injection stuff most the time, but she's the one who makes sure the insulin's kept in the fridge, and makes sure my school bag's packed with what I need." He laughed, "And, well, y'know , you can inject in a load of places - I can do it myself in my arm, belly, legs, but..." He cleared his throat, "You're meant to change areas, and, well, you can... You can inject on your butt as well, but, she has to help me do that." He laughed again, but there was a redness that quickly came to his face out of embarrassment. Frank immediately laughed, too, but nodded as well.


"Well, seems she makes a lot of sacrifices." He chuckled.


"Yeah." He grinned, but, his smile slowly faded away, and his eyes met with Frank's. "Frank?"


"Mhm?"


"Can I tell you something?"


"Anything." He leaned forward onto the table.


"And Karin won't get in trouble, right?"


He sighed. What else could he say? "No, she won't."


"Well..." He sighed, heavily, and crossed his arms, "Karin doesn't have much money." He said, "She tries to hide all that from me, but, I know. All the bills for all my medical stuff is still high even with insurance, and she can't really afford everything. My parents' money got given to her when they died, and I know that happened because back then she used to do a lot more stuff with me - I was part of a soccer team back then, and that costs money to be part of. I had to quit after a while because we couldn't afford it, but..." He closed his eyes, "I think Karin does... Other stuff. Other stuff to make money. I don't know what, but, y'know... Sometimes she comes home a little later. She only works part time, and, well, the money she earns at the cafe isn't enough to pay for my insurance and stuff, so..." He choked on his words, and Frank shuffled his chair around and put a hand on his shoulder.


"Hey..." He whispered. "You're doing great, Joe. Look, the last thing I want is for your sister to end up in any trouble. As soon as we know where she is, I'll make sure she gets home safe to you, okay?" He said, "The thing you just told me... You have no idea where she goes? If you know anything, it might point to where she is now, you never know."


"No idea." He quickly dabbed at his eyes, "A second job?" He asked. 


"Maybe." Frank sighed. "Come on, don't worry about it. You leave that to us, okay?"


...


Over on Graham's end, though, he was more than willing to answer any questions that needed answering. He was just as concerned for Karin as anyone else was - Heck, I guess in some ways he was a lot more worried than a lot of people. Graham just sat there and listened to Tony, though, and he nodded when he was done talking. Graham was prepared to talk, evidently, and had already thought about most of the stuff he needed to get out there. He didn't hesitate, and he just opened his mouth and the words poured out.


"The thing to know about Karin is that she's a bit of an introvert." He said, "She's got her brother, had Maria, and she's got me. That's about as far as it goes on her circle. She goes to work, she comes home, she cares for her brother, she goes to work. Rinse and repeat." He shrugged, "Karin's not someone to open up to anyone. Joseph said hello to me when I first moved in here, he was the first one to do it, and Karin didn't say a word to me for at least a week after that. Me, Joe, Karin, we've always gotten on well since we got to know each other. I look out for Joe whenever she has to work nights. Way back when, I even learned how to do those insulin shots he has to have. But I tell you, Karin called me every other hour I looked after him to make sure that he was okay." 


He placed his hands together in front of him and looked at the floor. 


"This is... Very out of character. If you knew Karin like I did, you'd be... I don't know. You'd be more panicked than worried." He said, "She's had debt collectors come round, she's had his diabetic nurses, she's had the whole bunch, but she never changed. Even with me she's been a little funny at points - Sometimes she can be quite aggressive if it ever comes to it. She's never gotten physically violent - there's not a streak of that in her, not naturally. I know this probably looks terrible, but you need to take into perspective just how much Joseph means to her. The fact that she just got up and left like that? She was so brief with me when she asked me to look after him - she just asked me and left. It's not normal for her. Far from it, and honestly, I'm worried about her wellbeing. Without her, Joseph would be put into protective custody and all of that, right? It's just..." He shook his head.


"On an evening like this she'd be at home making dinner, watching TV with Joe, making sure he didn't go to bed too late, you name it. Her life revolves around that kid in there. I mean, it's obvious she didn't just go grocery shopping. The fridge is full, and so are the cupboards. She has enough in for a good week or so. It's why I'm worried, especially after what she went through today. I don't know how... I never asked her, but I don't know how great her mental health is. The girl lost her parents when she was eighteen, had to drop college just to look after her bro. She never had time to grieve because she had to spend every minute with him - I think what people forget is she spent her adult life as an orphan, even if she was an 'adult'. She was gonna' be studying Law, at The Uni of Cali, San Diego. I'm just, as bad as it sounds, I'm hoping that what happened today didn't push her over the edge, you get me?" He asked.
 
Peace and comfort were becoming a closer and closer possibility for Thalia, thanks to Karin. Their relationship blossomed from a tense encounter behind the backs of LAPD to a hangout to get to know each other and vent about their pains. They both understood what it meant to be desperate, to keep their heads above water. Neither judged the other for their choices, because they understood that they were equally evil. But both had a chance for redemption. To be better than they are now. Thalia no longer feared being sold out. She didn't even consider checking to make sure the switchblade in her back pocket was still there. Something told her she wouldn't need it, maybe never again. All she'd known her entire life is how to fight, how to hurt people, ruin their lives, while she'd just go home and be miserable herself with an abusive master. One that probably didn't want her anymore. It was time to change that, to stop being a thief and start living like the girl she's always wanted. The reason she ran away from home: to find her own freedom, this time, the right way. A freedom and a life she wanted to make herself. Preferably with Karin. Maybe they could live together for a while. Thalia could get an honest job, share the payment for rent and expenses, maybe even pitch in for her brother's medical needs. Not necessarily to repay her. But to do right for this boy when she recently hurt him. Karin also seemed excited to go out with her again. Partying and getting wasted. Things she imagined when she was told that Al-Asheera were going to relocate in LA, but they were also very foreign ideas to Thalia. No mistake, she'd been drunk before, but it was a ploy for her master to abuse her again. She'd never had fun while drinking. It was only more misery. She wanted to have fun with Karin someday. Maybe another day when they were both settled down. If that day would come.


Karin also refused to accept any sort of repayment or thanks for any of their past actions. Like it was all water under the bridge. it started to pan out that way. Earlier that day, Thalia had a gun at this woman, threatening her life if she didn't cooperate. But, threats aside, she'd never pull that trigger. Not because of her affiliation. It was personal: she couldn't kill an innocent woman with her child clinging to her for dear life. Now, she was going to share a home with this very same woman in order to escape the horrors that would await her if she went back to her Head. Not that she planned on going back, even if most of her belongings were there. She might go back for them at some point, sneaking in like she did before on the gutter. It could work. She didn't want Ra's finding her diary or some of her other personal belongings. And he had no respect for her privacy. One day, she just wanted to rid herself of this man completely. Remove her tattoos no matter how painful it would be, stop representing Al-Asheera, and just be Thalia for once in her life. That's all she ever wanted to be. Just another girl out there. She certainly didn't have the look of a Cali girl, but hell, maybe with a few days under the sun, she'd get a tan, look the part a bit more. But most importantly, start a new life.


Some of the shyness from before quickly faded away after she and Karin hugged. She felt at equal with this girl, in a way she could open up to her. Finally, someone who would listen. With her arms crossed over her stomach and avoiding accidentally running into people, she followed her friend out of the bar and towards her personal vehicle. It brought up her own lack of accomplishments, which she felt tempted to bring up. "M-My leader didn't believe I should ever learn how to drive. He's really old fashioned, thought I was too 'delicate' to get behind a wheel. I've always wanted to, though. Now, I'm 21 and  I've never even sat behind a wheel once... Maybe one day, I'll learn. I'd hate to depend on you and keep taking the bus my whole life, right?" As she approached the door, she noticed the paw print from a dog. Though it should've been a red flag, Thalia didn't see it that way. She knew dogs had minds of their own. It could've been an accident, someone's dog just decided to climb up on the car. But the window? It was a bit strange. She figured she should warn her. "Um... looks like a dog tried to jump at your car? .... So you know, I mean."


As Karin drove, Thalia, unlike on the bus, wasn't looking at the roads to get a feel for their new territory. Instead, she looked to her left, at Karin focusing on the roads. Why are you staring at her? Why are you even agreeing to STAY with her? Like you want to get shanked, bitch. Jump out of this damn car while you can. She's setting you up. You seriously think all is forgiven after what you did to her brother? I bet you there's a few cops waiting at her house. TRUST ME. But no. She was lost in her own little trance, just gazing at the woman who wanted to save her from her own dark side. She had a deep appreciation for it. With her fingers, she twirled with the ends of her red hair running down her shoulders, trying to find something to do with her hands as her eyes shifted between the side of Karin's head and her own fingertips. For a moment, she felt that she looked like an idiot. Maybe she was, for so long. But like it mattered all that much. She felt at ease with this woman didn't want to let that feeling go. For one night, she could sleep in peace.


--


Tony couldn't hear much from the conversation between Frank and Joseph, but he figured they'd catch up on that later. He also had to tell his partner about what happened in Philly. That the three potential insiders were killed in lockup. But for now, his focus was Graham. This neighbor gave quite a bit of information regarding Karin. Introverted, drowns herself in her usual routine... then came other issues, such as the significant lack of loved ones and debts rising to her head. A common motive for a crook is desperation. Was she getting desperate? Always could be, striking a deal with the mystery redhead to get a quick buck. It wasn't out of the equation. Her current whereabouts were still up in the air, too. Plus she's been out for a while, longer than usual. Could it be a sign for the worst, as Tony originally anticipated back at the station? Ironic, a dropout law student tending toward being a criminal. Graham's point: did today push her over the edge? Being depressed or suicidal was also an option, and give her behavior, it also makes sense. Tony scratched the back of his slicked grey hair, trying to find the right words to give this man:


"I hope she's alright, Graham, really I do. Nobody deserves to see or endure what she had to today. And given her lifestyle? It's probably getting to her. Have you ever considered convincing her to get help? Like, seeing a psychologist? She has you, maybe even that friend Maria to talk about her problems. But maybe it would help further to let out what she has to say in front of someone who knows what they're doing. It'd be for her own sake, you know? I'd really hate to hear on the police radio that a woman... killed herself and left her little brother all alone. And knowing later that it's Karin? That'd break my heart, as a detective.


"I find it noble how she views her brother. He's all she really has, and she's really a fighter for keeping both of their heads above water. I'd imagine it's stressful too, and you? You're helping her out, and I bet she really appreciates that. You're helping her keep it all together. She needs that kind of help, that kind of company. I just hope she doesn't take any sort of wrong turn and ruin her life, and Joe's. That's what we're worried about. And seeing she's not home after all this time? It only worries us more." Now came a time to bring up the question about the mysterious cell phone. "Listen, Graham... has Karin called you from her cell phone today? Like... did she have it with her when she left the house? Maybe you could give her a call, see where exactly she is. It would put us all at ease, right?" An indirect poke at this entire ordeal, maybe one to make or break Karin's innocence, too.
 
"Ah, trust me, learning to drive will be the best thing you ever do." She said, "My dad always used to say that to me when I was younger, so as soon as I hit sixteen, he paid for my lessons, and I passed within a year. Sure, I'm driving a bit of a shit-kicker at the minute, but a car's a car. Worst part about driving is other people, and that's also the most dangerous part. Trying to anticipate idiocy is the biggest skill you'll develop. If you can anticipate when shit's going to happen, you avoid a lot of trouble." She said, "And you know, it's true. It's the greatest thing you'll ever do because it gives you freedom, independence, the power to just get behind the wheel and drive to wherever you want. It's brilliant." She chuckled, but when the paw-prints were pointed out, she took a deep breath and shook her head, pulling her seatbelt across her chest.


"Don't worry about that. It's a long story. Just some guy and his dog, got off its leash and decided to chase me. It was a big son of a bitch, too. Luckily I wasn't far from my car, gave it the slip." She said, "Like something out of that movie based off of Stephen King's book. You know, the one where the boy goes into a seizure when a dog traps 'em in a car?" She asked. "Hell, I don't know. Not many people watch Stephen King stuff, from what I know, or at least a lot of people don't seem to know all that much about him." She shrugged, "Never let any kids watch Stephen King movies. Clowns hidden in the sewer grates, cursed cars, rabid dogs, the devil in human form..." She shook her head and laughed, "The stuff of nightmares." She said, and before they knew it, they were on the road.


"If you've never been behind a wheel before, we can start now with some theory." She said, "Gearstick we've got here is manual." She patted her hand on it. "First gear's used to get away from an idle position, mainly, to get you moving. From then, you switch into second, and as you increase speed, you move up to third, fourth, and if you're on a highway or whatever, you can use fifth gear, because it saves fuel. Third and fourth are for higher speed, more consistent travel distance, basically." She said. "There's a lot more to it, but, it's quite simple. Worst part for me was road positioning. I was always worried I was going to clip a car, but, if you just use your mirrors and all that, you're fine." She smiled, "I want to teach Joseph to drive when he's sixteen, or at least teach him when he's not with his instructor. I'd love to do that."


The journey carried on. Things seemed fairly normal, too. Karin was nervous that she was going to get pulled over by the cops, or something, because Maria had said something to them - Even though she liked Maria, she wouldn't put it past her to make assumptions. At the same time, though... She'd befriended someone who carried an illegal firearm, robbed a place, and was indirectly involved with a man's murder. Was she really aiding and abetting a wanted criminal right now? It did make a lump form in her throat, but, she was sure once it was all explained, things would make sense. She was so positive of it, because no one had anything on Al-Asheera. Whether the detectives wanted to admit it or not, they needed Thalia, and if she was in prison she was as good as dead. If she was out on the street, she was as good as dead, and if she went back? There was a good chance she'd be as good as dead.


It was one hell of a wormhole to be stuck in, that was for sure.


Meanwhile...


Things at the house had settled on Joseph's and Frank's end, and honestly, Frank felt he'd already gotten enough from the boy as it was. He didn't want to pressure him, especially as he was getting upset by the thought of it all. He was really hoping Karin had a good reason for being gone off the radar for so long. He didn't want to separate the two of them, but if Karin turned out to be a criminal, if she was deep down involved in all of this...? She was going to have to go down for it. And that would kill him, especially as he'd said to Joseph that she'd get in no trouble. He didn't want to go back on his word - he knew that'd make Joseph feel so betrayed. He didn't want to play with the boy's trust like that, so, he had to try and find a way to work his way around it.


But he couldn't.


Why?


Because Joseph was telling him every single detail that he knew about all of the business with these white, grey, and black-hat hackers that he knew about. His mind had been filled with the wonders they could produce by his friends, and not only that, he spoke a lot of a game series called 'Watch Dogs'. Interesting enough, it seemed, about a guy that was a hacker but also an assassin of sorts, looking for vengeance - Yeah, right. When Frank thought hacker, he thought a guy with a bad hairline and metal-framed spectacles sat behind a desk, doing whatever he could to cause trouble. He didn't look beyond it, but... He had to give it to the guys revealing gang member names. That was pretty alright. 


He thought Joseph's passion for so many things was quite funny, and in a way adorable. He had a lot of life in him, even though his own life was so restricted by his condition. He was glad he was keeping the kid happy, though. 


For Graham, he could only agree.


"I hope she's alright, too. If anything happened to her, Joe would just... I don't know." He said. "He'd be in a bad spot for a long long time, one he might not come back from. He adores his sister, which is why this doesn't make any sense to me at all." He rubbed his head. "I've tried to talk her into it before, you know." She said, "I've tried to talk her into getting a counselor or something so she could vent all the stress she has, but she never took my advice. She could never afford it. Didn't want it. Didn't like going to them. A new reason every time I said it to her." He explained, "Before I was divorced, Detective, I was a school counselor. I was there for kids, not adults - I could have tried to help Karin, but I'm not a professional with working with adults. The way I was trained was for kids aged five-to-eleven, basically. It's just... You know. Things are very different. Things seemed okay with Joseph, but, the only thing I noticed with Karin was how she put on the happy face all the times she could, for his sake. The only question I ask myself now, is... How long can one person who has nothing keep up the act that they have everything? Before they just... You know... Lose it? As for her phone... I've tried it all afternoon and evening. It's off. I don't remember if she had a phone when she left - If she did, she didn't have it in her hands. As for her pockets, I don't know." 


They weren't going to be waiting for long before they found out the truth, it seemed.


Karin's car began to make its way down the street, and she hadn't noticed the detective's car parked just down the way. She didn't know what their car even looked like.


"There's my place, there." Karin smiled and pointed out the windscreen. "I know it's nothing fancy, but it's nice. Nice on the inside and out, but nice and tucked away, too." She said, "Let's get inside, you can meet Joseph, and then I'll make us both a coffee, okay?" She offered a smile, then gently patted her on the knee as she pulled the car into the driveway. Of course, Frank's ears pricked up like a curious puppy's, and he immediately looked out of the dining room and into the living room, hoping to meet the eyes of Tony. He certainly met Graham's, and he felt Joseph standing up beside him. He had to wait and see. He had to.


He watched Joseph walk out of the room and look at the front door.


Outside, Karin locked the car up just as soon as Thalia had stepped out, and with a warm smile she lead her to the front door. "Okay... Let's see what we've got. My neighbor's here taking care of Joseph, but don't worry." She said, inserting the key into the door. Frank's stomach began to roll over as his hand went to his holster, slowly, but he saw Joseph's smile as the door creaked open.


Karin's heart sunk. Detective Walsh was right there on the couch with Graham, meaning that his partner couldn't have been far. She saw Joseph step into view, and she just knew it was all going to be blown. He didn't get long to look at Thalia in the cafe, but, what he saw of her was etched well and truly into his head. When Frank saw Joseph's smile drop to a look of horror, and his face flush of color, it was all confirmed. Something wasn't right.


"K-Karin?" Joseph stuttered.


"Joey, wait... Wait, please, I can..." She watched him step back, slowly, and that was when Frank stepped into view and placed a hand on the boy's shoulders. He whispered something to him, and shakily, the boy went back into the dining room and dropped down into a seat. Frank stepped out, fully into view, and looked at Karin, then at the redhead girl. Son of a bitch. Karin was in on this the whole time? The anger was present in her eyes.


"Welcome home, Karin." Frank muttered, "Sorry, you probably weren't expecting a visit. We were just concerned." He said, taking a few steps forward. "Ran into a friend mid-shop?" He asked, scanning the woman down with narrowed eyes.


"This is--.. This is Taylor. I... An old high school friend." She gulped, shakily, and her wide eyes quickly met Thalia's - It was clear Karin wasn't predicting this. Cover = blown.


"Okay..." Frank stepped forward, then looked at Tony. "Karin, and... 'Taylor from high school'." He quoted, sarcastically. "I think we need to sit down somewhere and have a nice little chat, don't we?" 


"Please... I can explain everything." Karin whimpered. "It's not what it looks like, I swear to you!" She pleaded.


"We can go over all of this, Karin. Please stay calm." He said, then looked at Tony. There was still that look of worry in his eyes, though, because he was thinking of Joseph. He didn't want to just arrest them right there and then - It'd shake Joseph up too much, but... God, he didn't know. The only other option he saw was free up room on the couch. 


Karin closed her eyes and tried to suppress the tears, but it didn't work. This wasn't what was meant to happen, but now they were really in deep shit.
 
The side conversation in the car was certainly pleasing for Thalia, even if it was a lot to take in for her and she remained relatively quiet the entire ride. When she wasn't barking threats at people or begging for mercy from her cruel Head, she often didn't say a word and kept to herself. Karin spoke a bit about Stephen King books and movies. Thalia had been disconnected from pop-culture for so long, that it didn't make much sense to her, but she nonetheless tried to make it seem like she understood. She got the picture, at the very least. Then came the small driving lesson. She'd always wanted to drive, so this felt a bit more important to her, watching Karin's every movement and trying to guess how she thinks. When it came to anticipating idiots, she was number one at that. She knew how to spot a stupid hostage through years of heisting, and also knew how to deal with them appropriately. Without resorting to killing them, of course. Nonetheless, an enjoying ride. Just two girls cruising town. Like something from an old movie. It almost felt tempting to lift her feet up on the dashboard, ask Karin for a cigarette, and light it up in the car. But that seemed a bit less normal. So she kept her mouth shut, but still grinning. Genuinely for once, rather than faking. It felt good not to try and be happy when she actually was.


Her happiness would be short lived, though. The arrival wasn't bad at first. Karin had a very small looking house from the outside, but apparently, there was room for one more. Nice and cozy place; quiet area, too. Another dream of Thalia's. Except she envisioned this fantasy with Ra's back when she was an imaginative child before Al-Asheera wiped her hopes and dreams from her innocent head. Back when she enjoyed the madman's perverted sense of affection, she thought one day, they'd live together in some happily ever after kind of way. Lame, sure, but she was 14 and a street kid. She didn't have much else going for her. She walked side by side with Karin up to the front door of the house, almost a bit excited to see her brother. Would he recognize her from the heist? Maybe, but that would probably go away with time. Maybe they could become friends...


But that wasn't how things were going to go down. The two girls were greeted to the sight of a detective asking questions to Karin's neighbor on the couch. Both men were strangers to Thalia, but she knew how to sniff out a cop. And Tony? He had the typical appearance of one. I TOLD YOU, SHE WAS GOING TO SET YOU UP! Her heart sank in its place, her eyes looking to Karin in fear. Instinctively, her left hand shook a few of her locks over the ink on her neck, and she hid her gloved right hand behind her back. Her two marks that any detective would catch and immediately pin her to Al-Asheera. Shit, shit, shit! Run? That'd be too suspicious. But was this Karin's fault? She couldn't help but feel that way. Then came two other figures: the little boy Joseph and the detective's partner, also an obvious cop. Boy, did Tony and Frank not work well at being inconspicuous. Thalia caught their identities almost immediately, and her widened eyes were no help. Obvious guilt. Half of her desperately wanted to reach for her knife, choke-hold Karin, and use the person she considered a friend as leverage to make a clean escape. Maybe run back to collect her debts and return to Ra's. But she couldn't do that, not because of two cops in the room, but because of little Joe. He'd already seen her commit one heinous crime. Two in a day? She couldn't forgive herself for it, especially because he, indeed, recognized her. The way his face lost color at the scary woman who robbed his sister earlier today, it reminded Thalia of her guilt. And it stopped her from doing anything rash. Still, she felt... betrayed. Especially from someone who she emptied her heart to. It took a lot from her to tell her abuse story, only for this to happen? Maybe Karin was less honorable than her clansmen.


Then there was Tony. The sounds of a car weren't too distinctive. It could literally be anyone outside stopping by a neighbor. It only meant something when the sounds of a key entering the front door echoed the room. He, like any other person, got a glimpse of the door and saw the two girls enter the foyer. Karin, the girl from the diner, Joseph's older sister in question. How could he forget her? But then there was Thalia. The red hair reminded him of one person: the mystery girl from the diner. But there were thousands of redheads in LA. The mystery girl could be any one of them. Then there was the tattoo, which Tony noticed her swiftly covering by her vibrant curls. A bit suspicious, he thought. Also conveniently wearing gloves, so he couldn't tell if she had the tattoo. Coincidence? Probably not. Then there were those eyes. He couldn't forget the eyes on the sketch. Almost a perfect match to this girl. A quick look to Frank in approval told their story. They found their mystery girl, and she was with Karin. It all began to fall into place in the detective's head. Clear as day.


"Please, ladies, I'm sure you have a lot to explain," Tony followed up, standing from his place on the couch and waving his hand in a way for them to take a seat. Neither would dare attack in such a confined area, especially not with a child nearby. Well, the redhead might. She was another Clan member. She wouldn't care what happens around her or who she hurts, so Tony's other hand didn't stray too far from his holster. "Please, tell us everything. I think it's... long overdue."


Thalia's breaths became uneasy, unsure of what she could do in this case. These cops surely were armed, and she didn't want to risk a firefight in front of Joseph. His face when he saw her was enough to stab her now-fragile heart once again. But hearing Karin.... she realized this wasn't planned, unless she was really a skilled actress and was selling the act. But no, she chose to believe the girl. She looked back to the door, then back at the detectives. "Um... I'm just staying the night. I'm in town for a short while, and I'm crashing here. I'll let you talk in privacy, so..."


The playing-dumb act didn't work for a second with Tony, cutting her off. "Are you sure, 'Taylor from high school'? I mean, we just want to know where you ladies were, and why you took so long." He noticed Thalia's concealed right hand, crawling behind her back. The redhead slowly took steps closer to the older detective, but directed to the couch. "You know, you're inside... you don't need to wear gloves inside, you know. Unless it's some cool fashion statement." A polite way to indirectly call the woman out. He had no doubt in his mind that Thalia was the girl they were looking for. And they reeled her in so easily. Which brought up Tony's idea for an insider. Could they convince this girl to work for them? Only if she cooperates.


Panicking, Thalia stopped in her tracks. She wasn't too far away from Tony anymore, and she was frightened of what they would do if they apprehended her. What would happen to her in prison. Death. That's what would happen to her. Her hopes of a better life were instantly shattered. Once a crook, always a crook. She slowly drew her hand from behind her back, as if she were hesitantly going to take the glove off, her eyes watering from the fear within her. DON'T YOU FUCKING CRY! JUST STAB THIS GUY AND RUN! But she wouldn't just blatantly slice this man's flesh without reason. No undue bloodshed. It went beyond Al-Asheera; it was how she felt. But she had to make a move, even with a child nearby, otherwise she'd probably get locked up. With her left hand, she clenched it into a fist as quick as she could and lunged it at Tony's face, fatally missing, as the grey-haired man moved his head out of the way. With his keen reflexes, he clenched her wrist into his right hand, stopping any further advance. Thalia's eyebrows crossed, wrinkles showing on her clear, flawless face. By now, that sudden movement would've triggered Frank to pull his weapon out, but hopefully not shoot. Tony wanted her alive. With his grip, he twisted her arm to his left, launching her towards the couch with enough force to disorient her. Didn't even give Thalia a chance to use the switchblade in her hand. When she turned herself over, exposing the weapon, Tony reached for his left gun holster and revealed his pistol, pointed directly at Thalia.


"Don't even think about it, bitch."


Breathing heavily and clenching her fists, she answered, "You don't understand what you're up against. You CAN'T take me to jail. Nor Karin, she did NOTHING--"


"I don't care! Drop the knife, and hands in the air!"


No running away from this without taking a bullet, and Thalia didn't need that. She dropped the blade in her hand, shut her eyes at full force, and slowly raised her hands in the air, still leaning on the couch. "I-I'm sorry, Karin." As she kept her eyes shielded from the events around her, she felt herself hoisted by the neck onto her feet by a stronger, older man, grabbing her wrists one by one and chaining them by metal bracelets, only in front of her rather than behind. She was needed for something. She sniffled between breaths, ashamed of what she'd just done, as she was seated back into the couch she was thrown into. Her eyes peeked open, watery and guilty, just looking at Karin, who was probably disappointed. It was something she couldn't help. She found herself in trouble, and had to react. It's how she was raised. She wanted to explain. But there was something stopping her from talking about Al-Asheera to these cops: fear. Fear that they wouldn't help her. She took a look to Tony once again, who had his hands around her right one, taking the fingerless glove off to expose her tattoo. The evident marking of her affiliation. "This isn't what it looks like... I swear..."


"Shut up, I don't want to hear a damn word from you," Tony snapped at her, then rotating his head to Frank, raising her cuffed wrists to him in a way he could see her inked hand. "This is our mystery woman."
 
Things seemed quite okay until the moment they walked in, and Karin still felt like a traitor even though she wasn't. She felt terrible, to say the least, and with the officer slowly approaching she felt like turning back to the door and running, and never coming back - But she couldn't do that. She had Joseph to look after, whose quiet sobs were ever so slightly audible from the dining room. Frank had noticed the hand behind her back, too, so he was at the ready to lift his gun clean from its holster. He made sure he flicked the safety off discreetly, just in case things did come to that. He didn't want to shoot anyone, not in front of Joseph, but if he had to... He'd do it. Both he and Karin thought that there was no way that Thalia would even try anything stupid in this situation, but of course, she tried to throw a punch, but, that was a big mistake. She had cuffs over her before she could count to ten.


That didn't stop Frank from drawing his gun, though, and pointing it right at her. He couldn't beat Tony to the count, though, because he already had her, and the blade she had behind her was quickly confiscated. Frank didn't lower the gun, though - instead, he turned and pointed it at Karin, whose face just dropped. She looked mortified and started to tremble on the spot - Why was he aiming the gun at her?


"Graham, I want you to get Joseph and take him to his room. Stay with him." He said, quietly, and Graham didn't contest. He went and found the boy, and soon the real cries were busted out once more, the cries that tore Karin to pieces and made her break down on the spot. She knew Joseph had seen a few things now, knew that he had his suspicions and his worries. She couldn't help but worry about how betrayed he must have felt by her, though. He probably thought that she was in on the robbery where a man was killed, and that... God, that was a hard thing to live with, even for a brief moment.


"Please, let me see him." Karin begged, her voice hoarse.


"No." Frank replied, his voice stern. "Get your hands up." He said.


"Please..."


"Now."


She slowly lifted her hands, "Now, if you're a good girl I won't cuff you. Try anything stupid, though, and I won't hesitate to put you on the floor, you understand?" He said, the gun still lifted as he approached her.


"Fuck you." She whispered.


"Mhm." Frank murmured, seemingly unimpressed. "Keep your hands up." He said, lowering his gun and using one hand to gently pat her down. Her eyes suddenly went wide as she remembered one thing - She had that watch in her jacket pocket, and, after taking her phone and what else was there with it (the $130.00), he soon found the pocket that contained the watch. He reached inside, wrapped his hand around the object, and slowly pulled it out. He took once glance at it, and his brow furrowed in nothing short of pure shock, and a little bit of disgust and anger.


"Karin..."


She remained silent. 


"I certainly hope you can explain why you have a $25,000 Rolex in your jacket pocket."


"I can. I promise you, I can." 


"A gift from your friend from high school?"


"No!" She cried out, "No, no, it's nothing to do with her, nothing at all. It's all on me." She said, her head falling in shame. "It's not hers, it was never hers. I got that before I even met up with her. I took it from some guy."


Frank let out a long sigh and dropped the watch into his chest pocket on his jacket, "Some guy?"


"Some guy, I don't fucking know who it was, okay? Just some big Irish fucker walking his dog, he looked rich and I needed it. Happy?" She sobbed.


Big Irish guy. Walking his dog. Looked rich.


Frank looked at Tony. They'd seen the CCTV of Bradan. In Burbank. Walking his dog.


Oh. 


Shit.


Frank wasn't quite sure how to approach that one - He just hoped, for Karin's sake, that the watch was taken from someone that was just Irish but had no association to Bradan. They'd have to run DNA tests on anything they could get from the watch. Dead skin, hairs, whatever they could find. They had more than enough records of Bradan now, so his DNA was in high supply, basically. He closed his eyes for a moment, then gave her a gentle nudge in the back. "Go sit down, beside your friend, keep your hands right where we can see them." He said. Karin nodded, slowly, and went and sat beside Thalia, her hands placed down on the coffee table. She just wanted to see her brother, whose cries still echoed through the house. It was probably hurting everyone that was there, she imagined. She couldn't have been the only one who was being dragged down emotionally by the sound of a young boy's misery.


"Right, ladies..." Frank took a displeased sigh and sat down beside Tony. "I'm not quite sure what the fuck is going on, but this is how this is going to work." He said, putting the phone, money, and expensive watch down on the table in front of him. "First off, I want to say, Karin, that you are extremely fucking lucky that you don't have an APB on your head right now. We were this close." He shook his head, "You're lucky it's us dealing with this, and you're lucky that your brother braved through your silent hours, otherwise you'd be halfway to the station by now."


She closed her eyes and bowed her head again, failing to hold back the sobs and the tears.


"So." He looked at Tony, "We've got our mystery woman." He said, nodding over to Thalia. "Best search her, just make sure she hasn't got any surprises up her sleeve." He nodded, "Anyway... Back to where we were. I think myself and my partner need a few things clearing up - Karin, you had your phone stolen, yet why it's here now makes sense as you know..." He nodded to Thalia again, "Her." He finished. "So, let's go over this, nice and steady, one step at a time, and if things all turn out well we can find a way to work with you here, both of you, and we'll make things as minimal as possible, does that sound fair?" 


Karin sniffled, "You're so full of shit."


"Karin..." He growled, "I'm trying to help you here." He said. "We are trying to help you here. So, please..." He looked between the two, "I'm going to break the ice now that we've all been formally... Introduced... And..." He thought for a moment more, then looked at Thalia. "How exactly did you two meet? And how long have you known each other?" He asked.


"I-" Karin started.


"No, you shut up. I want to hear it from her." He nodded to Thalia. "First, start with your name. Your real one. And then answer my question - I need to get my head around this, and the longer we waste time, the longer this stays in the dark." He said. 
 
It was that series of events that made Thalia regret lashing out. She assumed she could take on an older cop judging by the older looks of Tony, but she was proven wrong. Tony proved a worthy fight, a juggernaut of sorts, and Thalia underestimated him, coming to bite her in the ass. She certainly could've stood up and tried to stab the man, then bolt before his younger partner had a chance to take a shot off at her. But there was the child in the room. And Karin. She'd be the most disappointed with her actions, and she didn't want to make this tragic situation worse. After all the talk of turning over a new leaf, Thalia blew it by trying to act tough. Now she sat on a couch, just watching her friend at gunpoint and forced into submission. Damn, you are getting soft. Pussy. Sure. She was getting soft, but was it necessarily a vice? She spared everyone, a little boy and an innocent neighbor, the sight of a man bleeding out on Karin's floors. And like Karin, Thalia was breaking down into tears. Assaulting a cop wasn't the best way to start a conversation to negotiate immunity. She watched in disgust as Karin's pockets were searched. Then came the watch, which shocked her in the moment. Just moments before they were talking about trying to be better people, she robbed a man of a watch, just like she said she'd spoken of before. Then again, Thalia had no right to judge her. She'd been at this for much longer than her companion. But this? Being under arrest? It was on her.


Tony couldn't help but feel worried when he saw the watch and its explanation. Stealing a watch? Maybe Al-Asheera was rubbing off on her and she was practicing. But then it came from an Irishman walking his dog. It's a bit of a longshot, but all Tony could think of was that Karin had a run-in with the Clovers. Probably unintentionally, seeing she was stealing from them, but of course, that could be a lie. It was all a blur for now. Lots of questions, and two shady women who knew what was going on. He hoped that the Clovers weren't trying to make a move THIS fast. Only made their lives more complicated.


The questions and threats were out there, an onslaught by this younger detective. Thalia tried to keep her cool, but her worrisome face wouldn't go away and her eyes remained unchanged. If she didn't drag this family down earlier by meeting with Karin, she did now. At this rate, Joseph would be taken into protective custody, never to see Karin again. She'd be deemed unfit to raise a child and probably never see him again. Or with supervised visits. If that were her and Charlie, she wouldn't live with herself. She bowed her head in shame, further disappointed in herself for trying to be tough. Things could've gone much differently. No doubt Thalia would be arrested regardless, but at least Karin might not be.


Under the impression that Thalia was ignoring Frank's questions, Tony reached forward, lifting the redhead's chin up to face in front of her, tears leaking down her eyes for once, but her breaths heavy and furious. "I believe my partner asked you a question. Who. Are. You? I bet you don't want us to find out by... other ways. It will make things worse for yourself."


There was only one way to make up for this entire mess. She collected her breaths and spoke her mind, despite the false strength in her voice. "Karin has NOTHING to do with the diner. I just met her there when she got up in my face. So you can't arrest her for aiding and abetting. I felt bad for her, okay? I found her, and gave her cell phone back, along with some money. So if you're looking for an arrest, focus on me. Because truth be told? Yeah. I held up that diner. Around 10:30 in the morning. I brought three beach bums along as muscle with me running point, and one of them broke his boundaries and shot a hostage. We weren't coming to kill anyone. Just listening to the boss's orders. If you want to take me down to the station, you might as well shoot me right now, because I guarantee you: I'll be dead in the first 24 hours. Because that's what Al-Asheera does. Nobody talks in the big house. Preventative measures." She tried her best to sound serious and powerful. But it was clear she wouldn't last longer with how horribly she dealt with her emotions. A brief pause in her words separate the silence from a charged spit in Tony's direction. Amidst her tears, it was clear Thalia was angry. "I won't tell you who I am. I would. But you're dragging Karin down with me. So no. Kiss my ass."


Squinting his eyes, Tony extended his free arm over his face to clean off, then, in a risky move, drove that same hand over the coffee table over Thalia's face. Physical coercion. Not exactly exemplary behavior to show a new recruit like Frank, but necessary. Understandably, both detectives were furious. Tony stood up from his place almost instantly like a king standing from his throne, and glared down at a defenseless Thalia, resulting to screaming at her, "You have NO right to undermine me, young lady! You can either tell us who you are, or we can find out on our own! We know how you look, and we will drag you to the station for fingerprints, and we WILL find out who you are! You're testing the beast, and believe me, for assaulting a police officer, you're just adding on to your sentence!"


That hit was no laughing matter. Tony hit her at full force, and Thalia's head was taken with it, and she even grunted at it. She really didn't expect this from him. Sighing, Thalia turned her neck upright and realized that she had no choice. She knew that the police had their own methods on a computer for identifying some useless crook. She arched her head upward and spilled the beans. "Thalia Griffin.... T-Thalia Griffin, that's my name. Look me up if you don't believe it, and you'll find out I ran away from home in Philly eight years ago. Happy? Secret's out. Bet my parents will be proud of me." She choked on the congestion in the back of her throat, then continued, "Now I'm here and going behind bars, and it looks like you two will make my life hell until some thug in prison offs me. So have fun while I'm still alive. But you don't ruin Karin's life. I beg you." There was still the option of opening up about everything. Everything she knew about Al-Asheera. Karin in a day meant miles more than The Clan did in eight years. She even went as far as to lie... "I told her to steal that watch. I taught her exactly how to swipe it off a guy's arm and she pulled it off. Don't punish her for something I did. I'll tell you anything you want. But she doesn't get dragged to hell with me. You give her a free pass, and I'll take the blame for everything she's done and confess to everything I've done for Al-Asheera for eight years. As well as my own knowledge of them, whatever you want." She looked to her left at her friend. She couldn't believe it'd come to self-sacrifice. Thalia knew damn well she'd die in the pen, especially if she rats out Ra's. She sure knew enough to do that. Her motions took over when she spoke again, this time, not to the detectives. "I'm sorry, Karin. You have to believe that. I shouldn't have come for you. At all. Now you're going to pay for it and it's my fault.... just... Try to forgive me." Her chained hands made an extension towards Karin's, gripping her as tight as she could and her head falling to her shoulder as she broke down, her sobs becoming louder.


On the other side of the table, quite literally, Tony glared at Frank. A tough girl, suddenly reduced to tears? Either she's a great actor, or there's more to this story. He couldn't help but feel slightly touched... But they have a name. Thalia Griffin. And a few details about her past, as well as her knowing about Al-Asheera. But she'd only do it for Karin's freedom. Seeing that Frank studied her for longer, he took a seat back on the opposite couch and asked his partner out loud, "Are you buying this bullshit act? All I see in front of me are two world-class actors trying to get some sympathy with a few loose tears."


A game of good cop/bad cop, maybe Tony's already shown his share of aggression and doubting. Would Frank try to sympathize and be the opposing end of the spectrum? But Thalia refused to answer to Tony's doubts. She didn't even want to look up anymore. She wouldn't get much time with Karin when she goes to the station, so she was trying to enjoy it while she could.
 
Neither of them were expecting Tony to hit her - Karin almost fell off her seat, and Frank was... Shocked, surprised. He always saw Tony as very calm and collected. That in itself was a lawsuit right there, but the thing was, it was something he was able to take advantage of. Tony could get away with it, because Al-Asheera was shit-all to cops. Chances were she'd be beaten to death by dead cops buddies before she ever got through to prison. In LA, anything could happen, and she could go missing without anyone wondering why. But at the same time, Frank saw he could take advantage of it, too - He was hitting her, shouting, giving her the cold treatment; he could turn it around, he could start acting nice to them, play the Good Cop. If he could get through to them and figure out what the best path was to go down. He didn't want to jail Karin, but, he couldn't help but try and think of a way that he could prevent her from being sentenced. He had a feeling that she'd be found dead in her cell if that was to happen. Even though she could have been putting all of this on, he had a feeling that at least one part of it was genuine, and that was her brother.


He didn't say anything about the hit, though, and on the upside, it got a name out of her. Thalia. He thought it was a pretty name, one that had character, one that suited a woman of her build and appearance. Nevertheless, there were only more revelations. The fact that she threw herself under the bus meant the world to Karin, and it only made her cry more. Whether or not the detectives believed it, though, was a different story. Frank wasn't sure what to think of it all, but after listening, and being addressed by his partner over whether he believed them, he said one thing to him.


"I'm not sure yet." 


So, he got up, and he walked over to Karin, perching himself on the side of the coffee table. 


"Alright, Karin, I want some more insight."


"Please, don't take my brother away from me." She spluttered, "I'm begging you, please don't do this. Don't do it to him. Don't do it to me, but please, I'm begging you with all my heart. He's the only thing I have left in life that holds any value to me - Take the watch, take my car, take my house and everything I own, but please, don't take him... Don't take him." She sobbed, falling into another fit of tears. Frank sighed.


"Karin..." He placed a hand on her arm.


"Don't fucking touch me." She coughed out, ripping her arm away.


"Alright, alright, sorry." He held up his hands, "Look, Karin, it may be hard to believe, but the last thing either of us want to do is split you and your brother up. We've spoken to him, and it's clear you two love each other more than we could possibly understand. I understand that much, and I'll respect that, but if you want our cooperation, it's a two-way game, okay?" He said. "If you both give us what we want, then for all you know, things might act in your favor. Crime doesn't pay, but honesty certainly does. Neither of you, as far as I know, have killed anyone, neither of you have bombed any buildings, and neither of you have done anything crazy like kidnap anyone - You get the picture." He shrugged. "So, all I'm asking now is for you to talk to us, all out in the open. No hiding things, just honesty. Can you do that for me?"


Karin sniffled, but nodded a few times. "Can I see Joseph?" She whimpered.


"Tell us what we need to know, and yes, neither of us will stop the two of you from seeing each other." He said, "So, let's go ahead and start things off, alright?" He said, "We'll take it from the top. I see why Thalia came back to you. She felt bad - She saw you and your helpless brother and she felt guilt. She wanted to give back to you. She wanted to be able to sleep at night from today onward. Sound about right?"


Karin nodded once, wiping her eyes.


"Alright, so, that makes sense. So, why did you go to see her yet again?"


"Because I felt bad, too." She sniffled, "And I felt something. I felt a connection, a similarity. There was just something between us, and that was it, okay? I needed to see her again, needed to ask her more about why she cared, why she felt so bad, why she risked her ass. Look, Detective, I need you to give her a chance." She sniffled, "Give her a chance, I know my word seems shitty right now, but you need to take a chance here. Don't make me beg you again."


Frank looked at Tony for a moment, "I'm listening..." He looked back to her.


"Thalia is not... She's not someone who belongs with those animals. She's not a killer, not someone emotionless, not a slave to a corrupted system. I assure you of that." She gulped, "There's some stuff I'll leave to Thalia to say, because it's more of a personal thing and I don't feel I have the right, but, you need to understand that she could be dead within a week. If she goes to prison, she told me they'll just have her killed - if she doesn't do what they want, she'll die. There's only one outcome where she doesn't get killed by these bastards, and that's if... That's if you give her a chance. If you just hear her out. Please. Take it from me." She said. "We discussed all of this, all the possibilities, and I know there might be complications with this whole thing and your department, and I get that even giving us a chance and not just processing us immediately might even be in breach of some rules. The fact we're not in an interrogation room right now is probably a breach of some of your terms or whatever, but, please." She begged. "Just let her tell you exactly what position she's in, and maybe both of you might understand things a little more." She sniffled.


Frank took a deep breath and tugged at the sides of his jacket quickly, then looked at Tony, then looked at Thalia.


"Okay, Thalia." He said, softly. "Whatever situation she's speaking of... Why don't you tell me about it?" He asked. "Let's consider anything you tell us here... Off the books, okay? Unofficial. Just people to people." He said. He looked at Tony, hoping that he'd understand that he was just trying to get through to her. She'd spent eight years hiding from the law - she was probably terrified that they were just going to lock her up and throw away the key if she said something wrong. At least Frank assumed so. Plus, Frank was sure that smack in the face was off the records, too.


Karin looked at Thalia, sniffled, and nodded.


"Go on, Thalia." She said, "Tell them what we were talking about. Remember what I said, yeah?" She sniffled. 


As Karin said, there was always a way out. She didn't want to go back on that word.
 
These two cops exhibited very different behaviors. Tony was aggressive, ruthless, demanding. Even had the courage to slap her in response to her own attitude. Then there was Frank, who seemed more sensible, controlled, sympathetic, even reasonable to listen to two obviously guilty women. Thalia knew what they were planning: a good cop/bad cop treatment. It was part of her ability to read cops: reading their behavior was a package deal. Her head rested on Karin's shoulder, almost like a stilt for a crippled man. She, herself, felt crippled by her own stupidity. She figured karma would be waiting for her at some point, but never thought it'd be this painful to bear. But she was ready to take every bit of the blame. Joseph meant everything to Karin. She wasn't about to let her mistakes compromise the siblings. Talking would be difficult with how much she'd broken down. She needed to take a breath and collect herself. Was this her chance to tell her story? Were these cops going to even take it into consideration? She needed to be sure. She looked toward the man who slapped her, bitterness taking over her voice.


"You'd better fucking promise me that she walks. Otherwise I'm not saying anything. Everything that's happening is because I screwed up. Not her. Karin doesn't go to jail, and you don't take her brother away from her. That's my only offer, and if you break it, I'll warn Al-Asheera that they've been compromised, and they'll be ready for you." Slowly but surely, her confidence returned, lifting her head from Karin's side and supporting herself again, her eyes red and her cheeks shining from the lines of her tears. Thank god she didn't put her usual heavy black eyeliner, otherwise she'd look like a horror movie figure. "Remember what happened last time we saw you coming?"


Tony was... distracted while Frank took control of the interrogation. Busy at his phone. Not messing around, but looking into Thalia's story about running away. Quickly, he found the many news articles online about a 13 year old girl running away from home. 'Daughter of pastor runs away', a headline read. He remembered Thalia's neck tattoo. A cross, the occupation of her father. That, accompanied by a matching last name, was enough of a greenlight to see truth in their story. Plus, despite his hostile attitude, he could believe their stories. He remembered how Thalia was described in the diner: emotionless, contained, controlling, dominant. That wasn't the girl he was looking at. This girl on the couch before him was shattered. No control over her emotions. Defeated, and admitting to it. Looked like his outburst paid off. He placed his phone aside and answered her. "Well Miss Griffin, your story checks out... I believe you. For now. So impress me again, and just maybe Miss Held won't see the inside of a prison cell."


Thalia didn't bother argue for her own freedom. It would go upon deaf ears, surely. Why would the LAPD spare a serial thief? Even with the information she could provide. She wiped her face with her sleeves and spoke again. "No. Maybe is not good enough. I want a straightforward yes or no. Will Karin get a pass if I expose Al-Asheera?"


You, young lady, are demanding, Tony thought. Definitely not some dumb girl they picked up off the roads. Her loyalties are on the fence, but I can see why she controlled the crowd so seamlessly. "Fine. She walks. Tell us what you know."


Game time. Wow, this is how low you've gone, T? Talking to cops. This is CERTAINLY not going to fly when Ra's finds out.. You're sooooo dead. Thalia, gripping Karin's hand in reassurance and comfort, began, "I've been a member of Al-Asheera for eight years. I ran away from home because I hated my parents, not to become a criminal. Their leader found me, and he took me under his wing. A helpless girl wandering the cold winter streets of Philly. How could a psycho like him resist? Crazy mother......."


From the way she spoke, it seemed like Thalia knew something about the leader. Something Philly PD could never pick up on. Things were already off to a great start in LA. Tony cut her off. "So you know their leader? Can you tell us anything?"


"I can tell you he's a perverted nutjob who ruined my life, if that helps..." But that sounded too emotionally charged. And Thalia didn't want to tell two strangers about her abuse story. But Tony realized her wording. She called him a pervert. Did this man try to sexually assault her? It was sort of confirmed when she continued. "His real name is Rami Younes. He's somewhere in his mid-40's, long beard, weird-ass greying hair. Kinda chunky, too. Tan, very Arab-looking. His English sucks. Everyone in Al-Asheera calls him Ra's. Translates to 'The Head'. He's the founding father of this whole thing. Without Ra's, there is no Al-Asheera. As far as I know, he has no known or appointed successors, either. So cut his head off, and Al-Asheera might just disband. Bad news? You'll have a bunch of freelance thieves looking for hire.... but I am closer to him than anyone else at the moment...." She took a breath, closing her eyes and rubbing her hands over her face. There was no easy way to say it. "I'm betrothed to him."


Tony's eyes shot out, leaning forward at this woman. Many things came to mind: Thalia looked so young, only her early 20's. This Ra's figure she spoke of was in his 40's. He understood what she meant by 'pervert' now. But so far, Thalia was helpful. So much information about the leader in such a short time. Yet, a dangerous idea came to his mind, a way to get close, if this woman was his bride-to-be. "I'm sorry......... what?"


Thalia nodded. "Yeah. I'm not proud of it, but I can't exactly tell the guy no. Defying Al-Ra's is punishable by whatever he sees fit. And I'm telling you, for most, it's death." She left out all the time he'd beaten and raped her as a form of punishment. No need for these two men to give her weird looks. She'd been descriptive enough. "He's dangerous, and he's got more men than you can imagine backing him. And to top it off... he might be coming for me next."


"After his own lady? Why is that?" A bit far-fetched, but Tony played along.


"Remember that body we dropped at the diner? Well, not me. The beach bum that tagged along. Ra's is blaming me for it. And now I have to pay up a large stack of cash by next week, or he's going to have me executed." Telling the story a second time was certainly easier, and her voice was now clearer. Almost mimicking her tone in the diner. She looked over to Karin, still holding the white-haired girl's hand the whole time. "I... I told Karin about it, and I tempted her to help me. She snagged the Rolex because I told her to. It isn't her fault. It's mine." A lie to protect her friend. Karin couldn't go to jail for any reason whatsoever. "I was just settling my debt because I didn't feel like dying."


"Mmm..." Things were lining up in a way for Tony. Punishments among Al-Asheera were brutal and inconsistent, and when an innocent is killed on a job, the guilty party has to pay up for it. Looks like it was Thalia, despite how she didn't pull the trigger. "You've given us a lot so far."


"You don't know the half of it, pal. I'm really deep in his inner circle. You wouldn't believe how many names I could give you with a paper and pen. I've seen things this guy's done. I've had to do his dirty work, here and in Philly. He's truly insane. I heard that he murdered his parents in cold blood, got sent to an asylum, got out, and did it again to his foster parents. Think this guy's a laughing matter?"


"Never thought so. Tell me, though, why is he in LA?"


"I think you know that, seeing how tight cops are. Someone ratted out all our hideouts in Philly to the police. He was in jail, they cut him a deal or something, but from what I know, he's dead now, killed by our men as punishment and to prevent further leakage, so don't even try to find him."


Lined up with the text that Tony got earlier. It really was Al-Asheera covering their asses. "We've tried it. We know he's dead, as well as two others."


Thalia smirked. This guy knew what he was looking at, and seemed to understand every word she said. "After the leak, we realized we couldn't keep our unchallenged grasp on Philly anymore, so we pulled out."


"Here, to LA."


Thalia nodded and turned to Karin, her chained hands rising to her face level, wiping the tears from her eyes and stroking her hair gently. "I didn't want to at first, you know? Now, I don't regret it. Now that I found someone who gave me hope that I could still change, and no matter where I go, I'm going to remember that."


Tony only watched the motion of affection that Thalia had shown. This day changed her so much. He looked over to Frank for a minute, almost a bit confused. This was a lot to take in. But... Thalia was cooperating. And it did a number for their case. "I believe you, Thalia. Everything you've said so far. We'll look into Rami Younes. See if he checks out. But I still have one question... why LA? I understand a big city, but there were closer options to Philly, easier ones, too."


She turned back to Tony one last time and answered, "Ra's wants competition. He's getting cocky, and wants to prove himself at his age. Philly was an easy takeover, and easy to keep for two decades. LA's a tough apple. And he wants to go down as the man who braved out the big guys and took control of the most cities in the States. Going after the big places. First was Philly. Now LA. Next, Seattle. Then Vegas. Phoenix. Houston. Miami. Boston. NYC. Chicago. Want more names he wants to claim?"


"Would you say he's intentionally trying to piss anyone off? Would you happen to know anything like that?"


A shake of her head showed she didn't know. "Cross my heart, I have no clue. He doesn't tell me WHY to hit a place. Just... do it. And I would never ask questions. Do my job, get paid." At this point, she channeled her focus towards Karin again. She lifted her legs up to the couch and crossed them like a child, still with her hands up to Karin's face level, maybe it would calm her down like she calmed herself down. She leaned a bit closer and whispered, "If they don't keep their end of the deal... I'll come find you. I promise."


Tony left the women for a moment. He asked the questions he needed to get across. He turned to Frank. That was a lot to take in. All of which Tony logged into his photographic memory. "What do you think? Buying anything Griffin told us? Because so far, it sounds solid, coming from a guy who's studied Al-Asheera. Your turn to see what they know."
 
It was all amazing - first day on the job and he and his partner already had links to Al-Asheera, an ex-member-turned-sellout, and, well, a big jump in the investigation overall. The first major progress on the Al-Asheera case in years, at least a form of major change, anyway. It was all a lot to take in, but honestly, it felt great. The way Tony acted with Thalia, though, particularly when he hit her, made him wonder. Did his business with Al-Asheera run beyond his job? Was there a personal aspect to his dedication to stop them? It wouldn't have surprised him, because Al-Asheera had a lot to answer for. If Tony had family, friends, or anyone that was caught in one of the acts, got hurt or killed, or anything like that... Well, it'd make sense for his impatience and initial lack of trust towards her, but he wasn't going to make assumptions until he had the chance to sit down with him and have a long talk with him about it all. He wanted to get to know Tony outside of him just being a partner. He wanted to befriend him at the very least. It was going to be hard not to after this.


The information they were given was something that brought a lot of shock to the young detective's mind, however, because it was all new to him, and it turned out that in the end he was right about one thing - They were getting cocky, wanting to expand for the purpose of proving capabilities and so on. It was a scary thought, but at the same time, the assurance that eventually they'd fuck something up in what they were doing and that would give them another big leap forward. It'd be nice if that was the case, but sometimes things just weren't that simple at all. There weren't going to be millions of chances for them to get these guys, and it all started here. Frank felt as if the two women had him by the balls a bit here, because if they turned away, even though they could threaten them with imprisonment, it wouldn't help them get any closer if they both stayed quiet.


What more could he do? He just had to go along with it all.


A lot of what Thalia said was shocking - bride-to-be, all that noise. A young woman like that being forced into marriage with a man god knows how old? It was sickening in quite a few ways, but there was so much that still didn't make sense. Why would he ask his own bride to bring him money? Why did that even matter? The guys were rich, after all. It was a worrying factor to face, really, but he let Tony do the talking until it was his turn to step in and see if he could dig anything else up. He simply nodded to Tony when he was asked about the validity of Thalia's word.


"I believe her." He said. "But we're not done talking, not a chance." He said, "The large sum of money... How much is large? And why next week? Why is it such a tight deadline?"


"Because that makes it impossible. We discussed that earlier." Karin said.


"Why is it impossible? How much is it?"


She sighed. "I don't know if-"


"Karin, for Christ's sakes, just say it. I'm not a school principal."


"A million dollars." She huffed, "It's a million dollars, which is impossible."


"Too fucking right it's impossible. Your only hopes of that are a high-end jewelry store or a bank. Impossible. But why?" He asked. "Any idea why? Other than the screw-up that occurred this morning?"


"We discussed that, too." Karin sighed, "I thought that maybe they want her to fail it so they can get rid of her. It's a dark possibility, but, is it really all that unrealistic?"


"No. It's not." Frank rubbed his forehead. "So. Things are most definitely difficult." He said.


"Detective, there's something else I wish to request." Karin cleared her throat.


"Go on..." He arched an eyebrow.


"If we discuss all of this, if Thalia helps you out, I'd like for it to stay unofficial."


"Excuse me?" 


"I know, I know, but listen. If she goes to prison, she dies. If there's even a whisper of detail that she spoke to you here, they'll hunt her down. They'll kill her, me, Graham, and Joseph. I wouldn't put it past them." She gulped, "I don't want that to happen. She's told you what she wants, but now there's something I want - That, and if she helps you, risks her life just for something that might not even work out fully, if she manages to walk away from this she deserves a second chance. That'd only be fair, given how much risk she's at here. She doesn't belong with them, Frank, and you have to get that. She deserves, and probably wants, a normal life. Otherwise, why didn't she just run as soon as she saw Tony on the couch? I know, I know, it got a little pear-shaped, but, if she wasn't serious about all this, why would she come back here in the first place?"


"So," Frank leaned forward, giving a surprised laugh. "So you want this off the books entirely? No chief of police, no captains, not even the Head of the Detective Bureau? You honestly want us to take that risk? And what makes you think we'd do something like that?"


"You're right. No one but you guys. I never said I thought you'd do it, but, what else is there?" She said. "Do you even know where else to start?" She asked, quietly, and Frank just sat there, and his eyes wandered over to Tony.


"We... We're not authorized to make that decision."


"Then think about it. For all anyone else knows, you were never even here." 


Frank was a little speechless - Karin had turned around and taken control of the interrogation. Now he felt like the one being interrogated. He just nodded, simply, but then cleared his throat and spoke again.


"Enough on that matter. All I'll say is that we'll discuss is, alright?" He coughed, a fake cough, but he didn't know what else to say. They couldn't let this go dark now. He had to carry on asking questions. "I want to know more. I need to know why this seems so straightforward. Why would they offer you something so ridiculous and just expect you to loyally do it? It'd take an absurd amount of willpower to bring yourself to do that." He was, obviously speaking to Thalia. "Karin thought they might just be setting you up to fail. But..." He closed his eyes and scratched the top of his head for a few seconds. This whole situation was so fucked. Unrealistically fucked.


"Have you checked your phone?" He suddenly looked up at Thalia. "Patted your clothes down? Checked for any abnormalities?" He asked. "How can you know that this isn't some test of loyalty? To see if you'd run and squeal?" He sat back down beside Tony. "If they're listening to us right now, and we've been speaking about this without even knowing... This whole thing is compromised. Everyone under this roof is in danger." He explained. "I know it's probably unlikely, but have you at least checked? Lining of your clothes for any wires? Your phone? Your pockets for any devices? Even a little discreet device stuck to your shoe?" He said. He knew it was just him being paranoid, but the fact that she'd seemed to have so easily walked away and came here without any issues, without them calling her (at least as far as he knew they hadn't), and without anyone stopping her on the street... It just felt too good to be true, far too convenient.


"On the back of that, Thalia, let's say by this time next week we haven't gotten anywhere - You're being protected wherever." He waved his hand around a little bit, just to indicate it was just a vague example. "You don't have money, you can't go back there to Al-Asheera. What happens after that? Do they hunt you down personally? Do they hire assassins and send them after you?" He said, and his final question, one that Karin didn't think about, was this: "You mentioned family you ran away from? Would they be in any danger in a week's time? If you think they would be, we need to get on the line to Philly as soon as possible."


Yeah, Karin felt stupid. After everything they discussed, even her family, she didn't consider that harm could go their way. She squeezed Thalia's hand that little bit tighter. People would assume that Thalia didn't care for her family, but Karin knew, even though she'd never met him, that she was concerned for her brother at the very least. Would Al-Asheera really kill a young kid, though? Would they really kill a traitor's family just to try and lure them out of hiding? 


Don't get me wrong - Karin was still in tears, she wasn't being confident and loud and demanding. She was spilling her heart on the matter and just hoping for the best. It felt like it was all starting to blow up in her face.
 
Despite the care she tried to show her friend, it seemed like it was going nowhere for Thalia, noticing Karin's sorrows not going away, and it broke her heart to see it, to sit next to her and hardly be able to comfort her. Once again, Karin stood up for her, placing her own freedom on the table as well and making sure everything stays off the books. Surely, if Tony and Frank's superiors were to get involved, word would get out to Al-Asheera, and she'd be marked. A bounty on her head. She could never go back. And now the police know her full name. That puts her family back home at risk, too. She wouldn't let it happen, no matter how much she hated her parents. Plenty of other concerns came from the older man's partner, all of which Thalia could answer, easily. At this rate, her entire statement was unofficial, and these two could throw her in a jail cell anyway. And if that happens, she's as good as dead. At this rate, the damage was done, and secrets kept hidden away for decades were now in the hands of two detectives. No matter what, this was a point of no return. She could almost smell death around the corner. Maybe even a clansman waiting outside to kill all four of them. She wouldn't put it past them. Then there was Karin, still shaken by the whole thing. Thalia's sorrows were hard to control, even creating an outburst like before, but she could collect herself easily. She clamped Karin's adjacent arm in her hands and let her lean her friend's shoulder for once. She'd wrap a shoulder around her if her hands weren't bound by handcuffs. But she wanted to be a source of comfort for this girl. Why was she so... attached? Is that why she snitched? If Ra's finds out about this girl you're being so friendly around, he'll kill her, you know... Guess it was up to her to make sure that doesn't happen.


There was still Tony, still playing the role of a bad cop, but showing some compassion as well. Indeed, some of his personal feelings were beginning to cloud his judgment. His blood boiled every time he looked Thalia in the eyes. She was a pretty young woman, sure, but also a thief. Odds are, she didn't fill his partner with lead. But it was people like her that did. And just looking at one of the guilty parties disgusted him. The slap was something he wanted to do for so long to an Al-Asheera member, and one he could argue was warranted, given he was just spit on. Her eyes... as much as they were guilty, he saw an evil entity in front of him. And their demands for freedom were too far-fetched to even consider. "Don't get your hopes up for keeping this off the books, kid. But protective custody is a maybe. Since you've proven to be helpful. But understand that we can't just not tell our commanding officers. That's against protocol and it makes us no better than you, thief."


"They'll still get to me wherever you lock me up," Thalia reiterated. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear the first time: If I go to jail, protected or not, Ra's will hire someone on the inside to eliminate me. A dirty cop with a price tag, a desperate crook looking for a new master, whoever it may be. I won't last. ESPECIALLY because it's me. I know too much to be let live. Doesn't Bride of the Head speak for itself? I can get very, VERY close to Ra's. And if there was even a chance that I could be broken.... kind of like now.... they wouldn't spare me, or my family either, so you make sure that there's no headline tomorrow saying Al-Asheera inducted runaway girl Thalia Griffin eight years ago on the east coast. Even if I am so sacred to the leader, he will still break me if I disobey him. And seeing that he's sending me on this suicide mission? He might not have any use for me anymore. Maybe he found some other pretty teenager to violate..." She eased up on the attitude to stop tending to her abuse story. It kept coming up, almost instinctively, but she didn't want it to be the focus of her confession. This was a gang bust, not a rape allegation. But Tony saw through it. This girl spoke so emotionally charged about this leader's sexual tendencies. Probably a sex offender, pedophile, and the likes. She said he was a psycho, so no surprise. "Never mind. A million in a week. Not possible because Ra's isn't giving me any sort of usable team or resources to get the job done. And in a week? Not happening. A big jeweler or a bank needs rigorous preplanning, which, again, he's not doing me any favors for. It's not as easy as walking into the place with a mask and a gun. We can do that with a diner easily. But not a bank. There's security guard to worry about, an alarm system, cameras to disable or loop, knowing how to break the safe? I bet you know this, even as cops. I can't pull anything like that alone. Sure, he gave me the two goons I dragged with me today, but, let's face it. You've studied the scene. They're useless bums. They're not robbing a bank anytime soon. Earlier today, I wanted to risk it. Walk into the bank and pull a Hail Mary. And if I died, which I most probably would've, it'd be for Al-Asheera. Better than taking me alive. But then it occurred to me: what if I didn't die? What would happen when I returned with the money? Sure, Ra's would probably marry me. But it hit me. I don't want that man to be my husband. Not even if he were the last man on earth."


Once more, Tony acted as a spectator to Thalia's story. Maybe she wasn't as loyal as he thought she was. Did Karin change her views this drastically? "So you want to leave this all behind?"


She nodded. "But I want to live my life. As weird as it sounds, I don't want to have Al-Asheera chasing me forever, just so they can kill me at some point. I don't think...." She froze for a moment, looking back to Karin, resting her hand on her thigh, as if to refer to her for some reason, but she quickly stopped herself.


"I get the fear of death, Miss Griffin. But you still haven't explained if you were potentially bugged. Stand up."


"You sound like you've studied us enough. You should know that we don't exactly have cutting-edge technology. Ra's barely knows how to turn on a computer. He's just that old-school. You think he's bugging my clothing or tracking me?"


Tony shook his head, admitting she had a point. "You make a point... You clearly have access deep in Al-Asheera. Enough to get very close to the leader... we could most definitely... use you."


"What? I just told you a shit ton. What do you want exactly?"


"You know what they say. Actions speak louder than words. Sure, you've SAID a lot, but you haven't DONE anything to convince me of your knowledge..." He slapped his hands upon his lap and stood from his place, towering over Thalia again. "You said you're the Bride of the Head? You're going to prove it."


A smirk of disbelief came from the redhead. "And how the hell should I do that?"


"You said Al-Asheera are out of touch with technology. Not the kind to bug you. What if WE bug you?"


"Out of touch, but not complete idiots. If Ra's sees something he doesn't like..."


"He won't. Because we're just that good." His older face leaned closer to Thalia's younger one. While Tony manifested some sort of vengeful rage inside him, Thalia's emotions were channeled towards her strength and bravery once again, as well as her argumentative side. Something wasn't right. "You're going to sleep with Rami Younes to prove that everything you've said is true. And we're going to catch it all on tape."


Unbelievable. Maybe Thalia should've never spoken. The accusation itself struck her and disgusted her. It was then that she realized they didn't see the story the same way she did, and didn't want to make it out that way. Tony, on the flip side, completely ignored all the hints Thalia was throwing that she was violated by this man and clearly doesn't want to get in bed with him again. She shook her head very slightly left and right, her jaw dropped at the mere thought of this plan. "I just said I don't want to be his wife! Now you ask me to sleep with the animal? Absolutely not!"


"I promise you, the second he does something that compromises your life, we will pull you out and risk an invasion to apprehend him on sexual abuse charges. You just need to tell us where he is so we can start staking out." Tony's revenge for his partner was taking over, even at the expense of a woman trying to repent for her sins. And Thalia could tell his drive was something personal. No self-respecting cop would send a girl out to have sex with an erratic madman who had the potential to kill her then and there.


"Bullshit. You don't know what you're up against. Besides, we have a bunch of hideaways. I know where Ra's is now. Tomorrow? I'm not so sure. But you want me to seduce this fucker and let him have at me? You're going to have to do better than that. How do I know this isn't for your sick pleasure?"


"I'm a detective, young lady. I wouldn't do that to a civilian. If that's what I was going for, I wouldn't bother myself. It's all professional, but it proves your loyalty to LAPD.... And it furthers your chances of keeping this off the books." Whatever would convince Thalia to move forward with this deal.


She bit her lower, lip, crossing her eyebrows. She didn't like the deal in the slightest. "No. There are other ways I can spy on him without fucking him."


"You said you're his bride-to-be. Prove it."


A gasp, bewildered by that accusation. "What kind of sick fuck says that?"


"The kind that's going to save your ass and keep you safe from this Ra's character if your intel is good. You want grounds for everything you've just told me? Then screw him for us, just once."


Was Thalia cornered? Did her freedom now depend on getting close to her worst nightmare once again? After the age of 15, she could never enjoy any sexual experience with Ra's. It was all the same unpleasant process for her. She found him savage, didn't care if she was having fun, only if he was. Thank god she didn't get up and show them the scars on her back. She didn't show anyone. She didn't WANT to show anyone. Especially not this grey-haired cop imposing this deal on her. But she realized she had no choice but to brave it. It might put the bastard one step closer to being behind bars. She kept staring at Tony as if she wanted to get up and strangle him, even in cuffs. She hated him without knowing his story about what Al-Asheera did to his partner. But she didn't care for his reasons. A lot of cops hated her organization. She leaned her own head to Karin's, still glaring at Tony, and gave her terms:


"Get me the million to shut him up, and pay for Joseph's medical expenses until the cafe re-opens. Then I'll do it." If the cops wanted to use her, then she'd use them the same way. And it would come to Thalia's and Karin's benefit. "Hope you enjoy it, you filthy pervert." Her hatred for Tony would only grow from there. At least it was mutual.
 
Things seemed to be going well, and even though there was no cutting edge technology in Al-Asheera, Frank couldn't help shaking the feeling that this was too easy. It felt too fake to even be able to make a move - he wasn't saying that Thalia's given information was fake by any means, but, the situation didn't feel real enough. It was most likely because he'd never dealt with anything quite like this in his career yet. This was definitely a one-of-a-kind case, but, things weren't as they seemed. He was certain that Tony had a personal vendetta, especially after everything he said, and he was sure that these were probably the two most difficult women he'd come across in his life. They were sweet-faced and beautiful at first sight, but, after talking to them both for long enough, he knew they were tough as shit. He knew they wouldn't do anything unless they got what they wanted. He knew Karin had studied Law, or at least planned on it - Didn't she realize how risky all of these demands were? Both Detectives could be imprisoned if they tried to fulfill even half of them. But in his eyes, they didn't have a choice.


It was either this, or let Al-Asheera take over LA, too, and plague that for god knows how long. He didn't want peoples' kids growing up in a city built on fear; he didn't want every person going into work everyday, wondering if it was going to be their turn to get robbed and held at gunpoint. No, he didn't want that for a city that had quickly become his home when he moved there nearly half a decade ago. It may have been different to what he was used to, but LA was where he lived and breathed, and he had a passion for protecting it that wouldn't die out just yet, no chance. He had to play Detective in more than a few ways, it seemed. Work with two wanted 'fugitives' of sorts to be able to get closer to Al-Asheera, and get to the bottom of Tony' sudden shift in behavior. 


He saw that look of disgust on Thalia's face, and even more so on Karin's - All he could worry about was how he was potentially putting the whole operation at risk. It'd be like a sting operation, but with the only difference being, instead of finding any drugs, or being sniffed out and pushed away, Thalia would be found dead before the night was up. Or they'd kill her and dump her body in the ocean, or something. Not good outcomes, and that lead to only more difficult requests - She'd do it, providing they gave her the million dollars, and paid for Joseph's medical bills. The second part was okay enough - if they really wanted to, they could afford that out of their own paychecks, given it was probably just health insurance they'd have to pay. Between them it would be pocket change, but, a million dollars? That's where it got complicated.


He was about to speak, but Karin was a mile ahead of him. She'd gone from being devastated to upset, upset to disgusted, and disgusted to angry.


"Jesus fucking Christ, she gives you all of this and you want her to go back in there?" She asked, her mouth hanging open. "You're really pushing her to go back to that sick fuck? Are you kidding me? Do you even have a pair of balls in those pants of yours?" She snapped, and Frank held up a hand.


"Karin, Karin, hold on." He said, "Now... As harsh as it may sound, what... What I think he's saying is, sadly, there's no other way of this intel being verified. I know, I know, a lot of what Thalia's said is probably true - I do believe that, I assure you - but with operations like this it's make or break. Your word is as good as mine, and my word is as good as yours." He sighed, "But there's one problem. Joseph's medical bills, okay, that's not so bad. Health insurance payments could easily be off the record, because between us? Heck, we could get funding for that with no problem and no one asking questions. Now... There's a few other problems we need to address." He said, pulling out his phone. "The watch that you stole..."


"Can we just forget about that?" Karin gulped.


"That all depends." He said, and, of course, he pulled up a picture of Bradan Cabhan on his phone, and turned the phone to her. "Is this who you stole the watch from?"


Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.


"Uh... Yeah, that's the guy. Why?" She asked. "Who is he?"


Frank closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, "If we go ahead with this, we can take the watch off your hands and bag it as evidence. Not against you. For all we know, Karin, you might have stolen an already-stolen watch."


"Frank, who the fuck is that guy?"


"Don't worry about him yet." He said. "Now, the second problem... A million dollars." He sighed, "I'm not trying to sound like a dick here, but the LAPD is not a charity. What you're asking for is too much here, I need you both to understand that. There's no way we can get a million dollars without making it official - even if we found a way to get the funding, there's no way they'd ever approve it for you. No chance. They'd assume you'd take the money and run - 500k a head, that's enough to move out of state, move out of country even. They'd never allow it. I don't know what you want me to say, honestly."


"Then don't get the money. Leave it to us." Karin said, a little unsure, but, she still had one idea.


"What?"


"Leave it to us. Let us find the million dollars - If we get the money together, then we go ahead with what we spoke about as long as Thalia's okay with it. If we don't, then you two have got a bullseye right on your asses, and you'll have to protect all of us for god knows how long into the future."


"How do you intend on getting the million dollars?"


"We're not robbing anywhere. We'll get help, but you need to trust me. Trust us." She said. "Look, if we weren't serious about helping you here, we would have just ran away in the first place. We would have forgotten everything and drove into the sunset. If I wasn't serious about Thalia, and about her deserving another shot at getting things right, then I wouldn't be trying to back her up. But, remember, we've given you terms for a deal here. it's not going to work any other way - off the record, no superiors, no files on the PD's system, no protective custody."


Frank sighed, then looked at Tony, then back to Karin and Thalia. 


"Let's say we do go ahead with that plan, how can we be certain the whole thing won't turn out to be a bust?"


"We can't." She admitted. "For all we know, this could all be shit hitting the fan, and all four of us, plus Joseph and Graham, could be dead by next Saturday - But if that doesn't happen, that gets you what you want, and us what we want." She explained, "It's quiet around here, the only thing I have left, seeing as you've given such..." She looked at Tony and frowned a little. "Strong demands..." She looked back to Frank, ".. Is that Thalia gets to stay here. With me. With Joseph. It's quiet here, and no one knows where she is other than you. If someone somehow finds out, we'd be right to assume that there's a chicken in the henhouse."


Frank's eyebrows shot up, "Are you accusing us of...?"


"I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but Al-Asheera have a lot of money. If we stick to our end of the deal and prove that we're loyal to you, you need to prove that you're loyal to us, as well."


"You must be joking."


"No jokes." Karin snapped, quickly. "I've seen the salary of a Police Detective, guys, and I'm not saying it's one of you, but if someone in your Bureau decided to sell out and give information, they wouldn't have to worry about putting their kids through college, nor saving for a retirement. I want a guarantee that this doesn't leave this room, because if there's even a chance that Al-Asheera hired a cop, this will all go to shit before it even starts. Half the reason it should remain an unofficial operation."


Frank laughed and stood up, applying his hands to the back of his head and slowly wandering around, the laughing continuing. It was a laugh of disbelief. He'd been backed into a corner by these girls - He knew one thing about Karin. She just didn't know when to give up - as far as she was concerned, she was clean, she was out of it. She'd walk. She could have thrown Thalia to the dogs, but instead, she jumped right into the pit with her. At least that proved Karin's loyalty, and he did believe Thalia, but it was his partner that didn't. He had to back his partner up, though, which is why he tried to calmly explain what his partner was saying, but in a less blunt manner. Ultimately, Tony was both in the right and in the wrong. He could have worded it much better than he did, but, verifying intel was important.


Eventually, he stopped wandering and pointed a finger between the two of them.


"You guys certainly fucking know how to bust my balls, you know that?" He asked.


"It's mutual." Karin smirked a little.


"Fuck me..." Frank sighed, shaking his head. "Okay, I'm going to pretend you two aren't here for a moment, okay?" He said, holding up a hand to them and turning to Tony. "Tony, I'm making this judgment as a profession, and someone who wants to get those bastards locked up so they can answer for all they've done. I don't see what other choice we have here - we either go with this, or we don't. The idea of protective custody? That ship has sailed, and if we don't choose a path soon, everyone's in danger, and we just give them more of a chance to expand. Karin said they can get the million alone - How in the ever-loving fuck ... She's going to do that... That's not for us to worry about. If that end of the operation goes to shit then it won't be pinned on us. But Tony, I hate to say it..." He sighed, "No matter how you look at this, all of us in this room are in a corner in one way or another. Us to them, and them to Al-Asheera. Two corners usually clash, as per the rules of boxing, wrestling, MMA, whatever. But, if you pull two corners together, you're going to end up with a straight line." He explained, "Now, as crazy as this is going to sound - these two corners need to pull together, or we're going to land right back at square one."


He paused.


"Thalia." He sighed, "If, somehow, you get the million dollars back to him... How likely is it that he'll kill you?" He asked. "Like Karin said a while ago, you two discussed he might just be trying to get rid of you. If you get a mllion dollars flawlessly, how likely is it that he'll have a change of heart?" He asked. "And finally, we need evidence of you being with him, solid evidence. We have some cunning equipment at the station - discreet wires. If it comes to it, we can contact the FBI and ask for their equipment. Some of their shit is more or less undetectable, even if it's something we put in the back of your phone, or something you rig up to a bedroom alarm clock, a lampshade, whatever you want. Something he won't notice." He gulped.


He was wondering one thing, though.


If he made a deal with the devil, was the devil going to swallow him whole?


He certainly hoped not. He'd pleaded his case, and if they could reach an agreement, that would work. He hoped Tony wouldn't be against the idea - if he was, he had some talking to do to him.
 
The more these two women spoke, the more they drove Tony into a corner. Going off the books was starting to sound safer than he originally thought. Though, if he and Frank were caught without results, they'd both lose their badges, bare minimum, if not get locked up in prison. But if Al-Asheera can kill their own men behind bars, they certainly have an informant on the inside. Maybe even in the LAPD by now. They are just that resourceful. If it was to keep their noses clean, Tony could accept going behind the backs of his superiors. When they reach a point where they take down the entire organization, it would surely pay off. He retreated to his seat to hear what Frank had to say to him. It was a game of tennis between him and Karin in that moment, discussing the terms of what Thalia brought up. The medical insurance was no problem. The million? A different story. Frank explained the situation until Karin agreed to acquire the cash on their own terms. He just hoped to God they weren't going to get it illegally. On that note, they were already in enough trouble for conspiring with two criminals. Best they not know about a potential mass robbery. What made his eyes shoot out was when Karin confirmed that the watch she stole was from Bradan. Shit... Al-Asheera might not be our only headache now. Boy are these girls a handful. They desperately needed protection, and the best way of doing it was staying off the radar, as painful as it was to admit. It wasn't like LAPD would approve of sending a 21-year-old girl into the belly of the beast where she could very well die the second she walks in. This was truly the most beneficial way. And they finally had their own inside man.


As much as she didn't want to face her husband-to-be again, Thalia felt it was the only way to get her and Karin out of this mess. Clearly, she wasn't going to take the full fall for this. Neither would her friend. They were a package deal. And if sleeping with Ra's would prove her honesty, she was prepared to get it over with and swallow her vomit. She was even welcomed into Karin's home indefinitely. Perfect. She'd love to stay, but didn't want to bother. But seeing she OFFERED, there certainly wasn't one. There was the money half of the agreement that the police didn't agree to, though. But, Karin said she could manage, without stealing it. Thalia originally wanted to risk it all charging into a bank or jewelry store. Even use Karin as her partner. She had experience. But what was this backup plan? She'd have to ask later. For now, Thalia leaned forward in her seat to speak again, responding to Frank's doubts: "I can't guess the probability of whether or not he'll kill me the second he sees me. He may still want me. He might not. But I think I know how to... convince him to keep me around." Her last words seemed more directed to Tony, the man imposing that she sleeps with her cruel master. God only knows what he'd do to her. What Karin would probably have to see if she's around to watch. She was scared. But that one terror would save them death in prison. It could also mean a quicker one. "I know what to do in there. You just watch and see that I wasn't kidding about being his betrothed. Set me up whenever you fucking want." Bold. Maybe too bold. Well you're going back to Ra's. Stab them all in the back and tell him you were approached by cops. Jackpot. You prove your loyalty to HIM, and you get to live. Or not. Her loyalties were elsewhere now. But not with LAPD. Like hell she trusted these two detectives, who might just rat on her the second they get a chance. No,they're just a means to a better end.


"If, for one second, I figure out you're fucking with us, Miss Griffin..." Tony butted in, actually considering his partner's words about joining forces with these women, but maintaining his skeptic outlook on the clanswoman.


"You shut it. You're the one sending me in bed with a psychopath. You should make the hell sure I don't die. You know, I'm showing good faith. You should, too. Protect me. At least help us with the money, maybe?"


Perhaps she was right, and he should put his feelings towards Al-Asheera aside. Despite her markings, she wasn't like the rest of them. She had a heart. "Oh, trust me. We'll do everything in our power to make sure that you DON'T die. Can't make any promises on that money; you know how it is. Money doesn't grow on trees, but you clansmen act like you shit gold. But you still haven't told us. Where are your men based at? Where are we staking out when you go in?" A question he pondered with Frank back at the station, but Thalia would be so much more helpful in that regard.


"As of now, we've claimed a few different bases of operations. One of which might be that cafe once the cops clear it out. Another's a 7-11 we held up recently as well. Basement level, being used as a brothel. The owner only answers to people with the tattoos. We've threatened him with his daughter, who's locked up in a cage down there....." It was then that her heart that extended to Joseph reached out for the girl in that location. She didn't deserve this. Neither did her father. Was it worth it? Not at all. They might be hurting her the same way she's been hurt, too. "Y-You could have your men invade on a kidnapping charge. The 7-11 isn't too big. Then there's that place we got into a firefight with your men. We also had a small chalet rented in Pasadena, but it was only for Ra's when he met up with some other gang boss. I've never been there. But they're focused in one place: there's a duplex in Skye Towers, fifth floor, I think. Ra's is there now as far as I know. We don't have any other major locations just yet. But those are what we have for now. I'm guessing you want me to fuck Ra's in the duplex, right? ... Or would you rather see me get fucked in somewhere less classy?" She kept poking at the fact that Tony and Frank would be witnessing the equivalent of a live brutal porno. She didn't appreciate it, but she was onboard. It didn't stop her from continuously mentioning it, maybe to make them feel guilty.


Tony froze at the idea of a hostage situation. An innocent man's daughter held up and used as leverage in the basement of his store. He glared at Frank in disgust at these men. And yet, Thalia was probably a part of that. But also distant enough from it to give the location up. What's worse was that calling it in would be risky. Just saying an 'anonymous tip' would be too vague to send a unit down there. And there might be clansmen down there. It was a shot in the dark. But there was a wide variety of options now, and his suspicions of the duplex were spot on. Al-Asheera was there. But since things were staying in the dark, he couldn't do much with it. "How's security at your hideaways?"


"Depends. The brothel's very minimal. Maybe one guy watching the hostage. The location of the shootout might be deserted now. Beats me; I was never there. Cafe? You guys still have that under control. Chalet's also probably not attended to. Too small to operate. But the duplex? Have fun charging in with your SWAT men. You may have fancy guns, but Al-Asheera have ruled over Philly for two decades with so much less. And if it weren't for the informant, we'd still be there."


So Thalia wasn't there at the shootout where his partner was injured. A relief to Tony, but didn't make him hate her any less. His fingers were still phasing in and out of fists, almost dying for an opportunity to hit this woman again. "You better not be bluffing."


"I'm negotiating my freedom and Karin's. I've got no reason to send you into a trap.... Now I'll pretend that YOU'RE not here." Sitting with both legs on the couch again, she leaned up to Karin's ear, covering her mouth as she whispered, "Where the hell are you going to get that million from? If I can't get that kind of money, you probably can't either." It was only a reasonable thought. Karin was certainly not the same kind of thief as Thalia, and surely wasn't doing it for as long. This was truly concerning. She didn't want Karin risking her life more than she already has. If there had to be a fall guy, it would be Thalia. She was prepared to take the blame for it all, even took it for the fancy watch she stole. Stop defending her like she's your sister or girlfriend or something, and get your act together! You can blame a lot of this on her! You care about the boy, right? He'll be sent away, so what? It wasn't 'so what'. Joseph needed his sister. Thalia wouldn't let them be separated. 


Then there was Tony and Frank. There was plenty to discuss between the two now with the information about their locations and a plan in motion. Tony threw himself into the couch and turned to his partner. "Never seen two women this hard to deal with in my ten years as a detective. Forcing me into a corner to break the law and risk my badge. I have a really bad feeling about these hideouts, though. I have a feeling we're going to go to that 7-11 and be welcomed by about 20 of Al-Asheera's men shooting at us. What do you think? And when should we sent Thalia to her leader? How do we bug her without getting permission from the higher-ups? Too many unknowns. Don't think we should call in backup for this?"
 
"No backups. The 7-11 is still a compromised factor for more than just the fact there may be half a dozen Al-Asheera members there. We need to keep in mind that there's a big risk associated with Bradan's people." He mumbled, scratching his chin. "If my suspicions we spoke about earlier are correct, and we do indeed have someone in the PD relaying information to Bradan, then all of this needs to stay off the books entirely. No one can know. I hate to be making calls like that on the first day, but that's the way it has to be. We need to understand there's a huge risk associated with the 7-11 right now." He sighed, "If Bradan knows that there's operations running out of that place, do you think he's going to be stopping in for tea and getting the guy's apparent daughter out of there? Fuck no, he'll charge in and shoot any motherfucker he sees. Al-Asheera is ruthless, Bradan is psychotic. They're like two brothers at this point, two very different but very similar brothers who are at each other's throats." He sighed, "As much as I'd love to talk about how I know just how psychotic he is..." He looked at Karin and Thalia. "I'm afraid there's sensitive ears in the room." 


Karin gave him a 'seriously?' look, and casually flashed him a slow and sarcastic middle finger. Frank had to laugh at that one. For once there was that little bit of humor among the four, or at least between two of them. It was nice to be able to laugh at something before shit well and truly hit the fan. There were a lot of things to worry about, and honestly, he didn't want to send Thalia into a bed with that guy again - she was a pretty girl, one that at least had some morals now, one that deserved far better than whatever the guy could do to her. He could tell that she hated him enough in the tone that she used to describe him, but, that was something they had to face now. They didn't have any other allies, and with Bradan possibly involved in all of this, particularly with Karin if he found out about the watch (or even saw her in the street, in fact), then things were going to get extremely difficult.


"We'll protect you. Thalia, you have my word that I and Tony will personally have your back right through this operation. The only issue is, if we're keeping this off the books, we may be the only backup you have." He scratched his chin. "Now, SWAT use small cameras to look around corners, under doors - undetectable, can give a live feed to either an attached LED handheld screen, or to an external source. If we could give you a camera, that could easily be hooked up anywhere that you found suitable. It'd easily fit under a rug, in a plant, between books on a bookcase - The barrel of a gun, even." He shrugged. "If you were comfortable with using a camera, then that would give us everything we need. I know it's a pretty gruesome idea, us watching all of that, but not only would that give us full audio, it'd give us a face to put to the name. It's a strong task, and if you go through with this, I promise you the benefits will be worthwhile. Not only that, I'll make sure that our end of the deal is maintained. If you're getting into bed with that man for us, I can at least give you my word." He nodded to her, "As for backup... Ideally, if you can spend time with him in the main base of operations, that would be great, at the same time? Anywhere would be fine if you can't achieve there. If you think there's too suspicious, too obvious, then make it any other location that's at least got some sort of tie to Al-Asheera. How you do it is down to you, but as long as we have that feed, be it visual or audio, that's what our main concern is. Once we've got that, Tony can start to pinpoint any key facts we can draw from it all." He said. He was doing his best to not make it sound too blunt, too disturbing, but there was no way around it all.


"Being able to bug her without permission will be the least of our worries, Tony - As I said to her, if we keep this unofficial, we'll be the only backup she has." 


"I suppose that depends, really." Karin said.


"No way. Not you."


"No, no, I know that." She waved a hand, "But, as you guys are starting to break rules, having an extra guy might not be out of the equation."


"Heh, sorry, Karin, but the chef from the diner ain't gonna' cut it."


"I have my ideas." She said, "But don't worry, whatever I do won't be anything illegal. I'm not hiring any mercenaries or anything - Who do you think I am? For a Detective you're very anxious."


"And for a Law student, you're quite the hypocrite." 


Karin shrugged and smiled at him.


"Karin, keep in mind that if you overextend with this, you will be arrested."


"I'm not going to overextend anything, relax!" 


"Good." He sighed. "Anyway... Back to the important part... You know how it works, Tony, if there's even a whisper of a possible hostage situation, SWAT take that seriously. They'd be all over that place in a couple of minutes regardless of whether or not there's any truth to it. Guys in SWAT hate Al-Asheera, they hate The Clover Boys, they hate everyone. Fuck me, they even hate the Detective Bureau for taking away their chances to shoot some shit. LAPD SWAT are a bunch of neaderthals long past their expiry date, but, it's what we have."


Seemed Frank had quite the strong feeling towards the city's finest in the SWAT Division. As bad as it was, they were slightly... Overzealous.


"As for sending Thalia to the leader, that's not just down to us." He looked up at Thalia, slowly. "Thalia, you know him better than anyone has managed to know him in the past 20 years. You're the one who should coordinate that end of the deal - It may sound risky to hand it over like that, Tony, but hear me out. Thalia - I assume you know how this guy works, how this guy thinks, how this guy acts, where he shits and where he eats. We don't know any of that - so when you go in is down to you, but we need to be told a good deal of time before you go in there, and I'm sure I don't have to tell you that it needs to be before next week." He smiled and winked. "As soon as you have a day you think's suitable, you go right ahead and let us know, and we'll have you sorted straight away. If you can get to the building before he can, maybe set up the little snakecam I told you about? That'd be everything we'd need. Location, when it happens, that's up to you. Keep in mind that it may only be us on the outside, though, if you wish to keep it unofficial. I can't stop expressing that. Take that into consideration when you make any arrangements." 


"Frank?" Karin said, suddenly.


"Hm?"


"Is that watch really worth $25,000?" 


"No idea. I just gave you a high number so you panicked and told me the truth."


"Oh, you son of a bitch." She whispered.


"That's what I'm good at. We're going to need to talk about that at some point soon, but, as we're going ahead with this..." He let out a long sigh - somewhat shaky. They were trapped, and it was too late to go back. He looked over at Tony. "We'll bag the watch as evidence." He said. "Now, Tony... If you have anything else you'd like to go over, we'd best do that now. If not, we have a call to the SWAT Team to make about a possible hostage at the 7-11. Thalia, Karin, if you've got anything else, say it now. If not, you need to contact us tomorrow, preferably in the morning." He said. Karin turned and looked at Thalia for a second, then squeezed her hand.


"I haven't got any questions." She said.


Frank nodded once, then looked at Thalia.


Ah, and the worst part was, the night was just beginning.
 
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