• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Of Kings and Pawns (IC)

Frank was hoping that this little meetup could remain at least reasonably civil. He did agree that what they walked in on was a slight bit suspicious, but honestly, he wanted to approach this as calmly as they could manage, just so they could get some words out of the girls without starting a war with them - but, when Tony went in for a slap again, he had to just close his eyes. He didn't want to see the outcome of this. Just ten minutes ago they'd discussed how strong Thalia actually was, and honestly, with all of their garden tools they had out, Frank didn't want to see the result of them getting physical for the second time in two days. But he had his hand on his gun, just in case things did go down south. If he had to shoot Thalia when she came at his partner with a hatchet or something, then he most definitely would, even if he didn't necessarily want to. 


What surprised him most was how Thalia didn't actually fight back; she just parried the slap away and put Tony back into neutral. It was something that Frank was glad to see, and the breath he was holding in slowly got released. In some ways, he was annoyed - From what he remembered, he'd specifically said to try and keep it cool, to not make assumptions, yet here they were, almost having a double homicide on their hands. He looked at Karin amidst the chaos, and she wasn't jumping forward to get into a fight. She looked innocent enough, as did Thalia in most cases. The only non-innocent thing here was the laptop, which Frank did want explained at some point. That would come in due time, though, he was sure. 


He just stood and watched while Tony spoke to Thalia, though, and Thalia seemed to be pretty straight-up and honest about things. They were here last night, they didn't send any calls, didn't send any texts, didn't send the notes. Frank believed it without the need to question it - as soon as he saw the note, the concept of Thalia and Karin sending it was possible, but it made no sense. He took their word for it, but, proof still would have been nice. Karin was called forward as a witness to Thalia's innocence, and she spoke before Frank could even ask her if that was the case.


"What she's saying is true. She stayed here last night, after you guys left we talked for a while, Thalia got a tour of the house from Joseph, and we had hot chocolate and watched TV for a while before we all went to bed. Believe me. No one under this roof called or texted anyone. Joseph is another witness to that, if the need's there." She gulped - she didn't want to bring Joseph into it once more, but, if it meant proving their innocence, it may have been necessary. Still, Frank nodded to her, then looked back to Thalia as she pulled out a cell phone. He found her mannerisms rather sweet in quite a few senses - sometimes it was cocky, but then again, that was sometimes the good kind of cocky. There he was getting whisked away in thought about how a potential prime suspect in their case acted, but, he quickly pulled himself out of that frame of mind when she wandered over to him and dropped the phone into his hand.


He did as she said and went to the call history and open conversations, too. There was nothing there, as she'd said, so he looked at Tony and shook his head.


"She's telling us the truth. No calls, no texts. Her alibi checks out." He said, simply. "Karin, mind if I check your phone, too?"


"Sure, go for it." She said, handing him her phone after unlocking it. Frank gave Thalia's back to her, obviously, then worked his way through the relevant information. "Nope, nothing here either. No outgoing or incoming calls. Only text that's recent is one that came through the day before yesterday. Reminder about the diabetic clinic for her brother." He explained. Yes, Karin had cleared the texts that she'd sent to Thalia yesterday. Even though all of that had already been explained, she didn't want it on her phone, just in case it did bite her on the ass in one way or another. Things were fine now, and she got her phone back without question. Frank looked at Thalia and nodded.


"Yeah, I'd say we're good." He said, "Now comes the main drama of the day, though, and that's of the potential informant in the department. Sorry, the confirmed one." He sighed, "This isn't good, and it'd certainly explain how the messages got sent to us directly. All someone has to do is check employee records, and they have everything about us. Phone numbers, names, addresses, next of kin - This does put a hole in our plan, definitely, but if we keep things off the books, things should be just fine. We need to get this mole sooner rather than later, though, because if we don't?" He shook his head, "There's a lot at stake. Thankfully, guys, neither of you have your names on any official documents, so you're fine for now, providing you don't get caught. As for us, it's a different story. We need to be 110% careful now."


Another question he was asking himself - Why did Thalia trust him more than Tony?


Jesus Christ, Frank. Focus!


"Look..." Karin held up a hand, "How about we go inside, have a cup of coffee? All of us?" She said. "Just a chat. I boiled up come coffee not too long ago, and I think we could all use another one right now." She said, "We can explain the laptop, too, so don't get any bad thoughts about that. Hopefully it'll all make sense soon enough, because-"


A stranger's voice sounded from behind the detectives, at the side of the house that had access to the back yard.


"Excuse me, but I do believe I'm booked in for a ten o'clock session." The man said. Yes, the man. "Dead on the hour, remember?" He asked, quietly, taking a few steps forward. He was certainly an interesting looking character - Karin was expecting a woman initially, but after the webcam hack, she was skeptical. This was the infamous Fritzy? Once again, another Californian-looking man, but currently, due to his sunglasses, he looked like 2 million other men across the State. He was 6ft high, dark hair, a little bit of facial hair, and, interestingly enough, he was dressed in a black suit and tie, and to make things better, black leather gloves, too. "Good to finally meet you, Karin. Now, you." He pointed a finger at Thalia. "I don't know your name yet, but, I intend to find out while I'm here today." He said, then looked at Tony and Frank, frowning as he scanned them both up and down - Bottom line, he looked at them like they were pieces of shit, basically.


"Who are the spooks?" He asked.


"Who are you?" Frank snapped.


"James. We're running on a need-to-know basis, here. I'm here for one reason, and one reason only." He tucked his hands behind his back and linked them there. He shot a look towards Karin and Thalia. "You never mentioned another two people. I'm five seconds away from walking." He said, sternly. "Tell me who these men are, and I'll decide on whether or not I stick around." He said. He was a well-spoken American man, had a lot of sharpness to his words. Karin couldn't get over him - she didn't expect an online hacker-for-hire to look anything like this, and honestly, the fact that he was wearing leather gloves in the middle of the summer made him very threatening, to say the least.
 
The entire conversation seemed normal... well, up until this James character showed up, and as normal as it could be around two cops. Tony was in disbelief, obviously, but after Thalia showed Frank the evidence and Karin backed up her claims, it all seemed more and more believable. Plus, she confirmed the existence of a mole in the department working for and relaying info to Al-Asheera. It was a relief that neither cop pulled a gun on the girls yet, especially after seeing potentially lethal gardening tools spread around the backyard. Had they come out with threats off the bad, maybe Thalia would've thrown her hatchet at one of them. And something deep down in Tony's gut told him she wouldn't miss. Especially after their face-off yesterday. In experience, people aren't so soft or reasonable with the man who put them in cuffs. Thalia was originally worried when Karin presented her phone. Their conversation was there.... but Frank said it checked out. Thankfully.


Down to business. The clanswoman admitted to an informant, and she was prepared to give details. This inside man put all four of them in jeopardy, especially because he is fully aware that Frank and Tony are working the case. Thalia knew for sure that if they show any clue they are still pursuing Al-Asheera, they will be killed. As much as she hated Tony, she didn't want that. No more bloodshed. And Frank? He did nothing to her. So why would she wish ill will upon him? But, just before the crew could go back into the house, the sound of a fifth man could be heard behind the detectives. Impressions? Different. Thalia found him a try-hard. The kind of guy who would do anything, especially look good, to get laid every day. Was it 10 AM already? This must be Fritzy, and he recognized the girls, calling Karin by her name and saying he'd figure out who Thalia was eventually. Damn, he still doesn't know who I am? Pathetic. Vanessa could've out-hacked this douche in seconds... if out-hack is a word. She didn't give him any sort of bad looks, though. She and Karin needed this guy. He was their ticket to the compensation money.


Tony, on the other hand, saw nothing more than some suspicious man. Suit, leather gloves? Tall guy? Still not as tall as him, but still. This could be anyone: potential boyfriend for one of these girls, a neighbor, a salesman, a crook... he was leaning towards the last one, simply by a gut feeling. The best thing he could do? Reveal himself. Reaching for his inner overcoat pocket, and struggling to find what he was looking for, he tried to utter his usual introduction:


"De---"


SHIT, SHIT AND FUCKING SHIT, Thalia freaked out in her mind. She just realized; there are two cops in front of a hacker with god-knows-what criminal record. Frank might stay quiet around this shady figure, but Tony certainly won't. He's going to reveal himself as a cop, and it'd be game over for this guy. Fortunately, Thalia had him taken care of from earlier. It was a HUGE relief that Fritzy wasn't a hit squad to eliminate her and Karin. But even better, an actual person showed up to their doorstep. A truly lucky break. They couldn't lose him, not to a pair of detectives trying to show their authority. Thalia had to think fast before Tony says something he shouldn't. But the first idea that came to her mind? The officers of the law might not be too fond of later. And Karin might become super jealous of. But it was a great escape plan. One this guy might just buy.


"De-Derek," she blurted, covering up for Tony almost saying 'detective'. "And Liam..." 'Liam' was clearly referring to Frank. But the redhead's next actions would baffle the other four. She stepped next to Frank, to his left, and to his surprise.... she wrapped her arms around his waist and embraced him. A bold move, but a convincing cover-up. As much as Thalia could be seductive, she could also be affectionate and cute. But there was more to her touch than just that. "Liam here is my boyfriend, and he just felt like bringing his cousin down here to meet my roommate, who you know as Karin, before they got to work at their shipping firm."


What a story. So Thalia and Frank... or 'Liam', were boyfriend/girlfriend, Frank and Tony were cousins who apparently work together, and Karin was her roommate. At least one part of the story was true, but there really was no faking it after what he saw. Thalia had no clue what cover-up Karin had in mind, but this is the first thing she could think of. And like hell she was going to use Tony as her fake boyfriend. They already have a rocky relationship, and he might just put her in cuffs the second she attempts to touch him again. Frank? He seemed to have more of a heart and easier to sway. Plus, if she apologized for being a bit too... touchy later, he might just forgive her. But there was something else to it all: Tony and Frank probably have badges and guns. HUGE red flag for a criminal if they're detected. The second he finds out that they are cops, it's game over. At best, he walks. At worst, he pulls out a weapon and kills them all. Either way, it's a loss for the girls. With the slow and intimate movements of Thalia's smooth hands over Frank's body with her head leaning over his shoulder, it served as a distraction as she swiped Frank's shield from his jacket pocket and snuck it to her own back pocket ever so discreetly. She'd go for his gun, but she didn't take this man for the overzealous type like Tony was. But how would Frank know his badge is missing when a 'pretty' girl like Thalia, as people tend to think, was running her hands across his chest and by his waist, like a college girl drooling over her jock boyfriend? True, it was satisfying for Thalia herself, too, getting a feel for his body, which she would definitely not say no to given her thoughts of him being attractive. But she had control. As usual.


"Um..." Tony uttered, a bit confused as he watched his prime suspect get close enough to hug his partner. He wanted to either show his badge from his pocket or wield his pistol. But... both weren't there. What the bloody fuck... did I forget them in my other suit?! Did.......... Thalia. That little.... It then occurred to Tony: Thalia stole his badge and gun when she touched his lips. She was close enough to get a grab, and she robbed him. What was wrong with that girl? He couldn't come forward as a cop or try to arrest this James guy. He would't believe it. He was put in a corner by Thalia's cover-up, and her scandalous move.


"Oh, it's alright, Derek," she let one hand flip towards Tony, almost as if to shoo him away. "You and Liam can go. I just wanted you to meet my best friend. That's all. I won't hold you guys up any more." Thalia had to be careful; if she turns her back to James, it'll reveal Tony's gun tucked in the back of her jeans and the two badges symmetrically placed in her back pockets. If that shows, they're blown. But this girl sure could pull off a convincing act. She fooled the old lady on the bus the other day, as well as many other men and women before. She lifted her head up to Frank's head, her hand grazing his stubbled face and laying him a quick peck of her lips on his cheek. "I'll see you at 7, Lee, hm? How about I walk you guys to the car?" She couldn't risk the detectives saying anything to give themselves up. And Frank was probably BEYOND confused, getting all of this special treatment and even a kiss from Thalia... though secretly, Thalia liked it and was screaming on the inside. But she couldn't indulge in it for too long. Push the envelope too far, and it'll burst. She couldn't risk that. Locking her arm with Frank's elbow to elbow, she walked over to Tony, tapping his shoulder, and softly ordered him, "Let's go" accompanied by a faint wink to come along as she dragged Tony by her side, keeping her back away from James. The older detective, now furious at Thalia's actions, only grew to hate her even more, but played along for now. He'd confront her about it later.


"Excuse me while I... let my cousin drop me off at work," Tony muttered, following the fake couple over to the cruiser outside.


Thalia stopped at the passenger's seat of the vehicle, a safe distance away, and waited for Frank's partner to follow. Now they were alone, and they could discuss the act. And Tony could bring up his missing gear. From the look on his face, Thalia saw the reprimands coming. Taking her hands off Frank, she tried to defend herself: "Before you say anything, just let me explain..." She felt free to speak whatever needed to be said, but Tony wouldn't let her.


"Give me my badge and gun back, you pathetic, lying, two-faced, low-life bitch--" He was raising his voice again, almost about to slap her again, until he felt her left hand grip his throat. A bite back after all the abuse attempts, stopping his rant. But the grip only lasted two seconds, and her release launched him a safe distance away. Despite the height difference between Thalia and Tony, she could clearly best him in combat. And after her motion of self defense, she reached for her back pockets and held out the swiped pistol and badge.


"I'm sorry. I couldn't let him see you two were cops. And with your track record, I'm sure you would've blurted it out."


The detective took his gear back, now speaking in a lowered voice, "Who is that man?"


"If things work out, he's going to help us get the one million. But until then, you two need to leave. He won't deal if there's cops here."


"Then I can only assume this is something illegal."


"So is harboring us, taking me out of cuffs, and going off the books for so much in so little time." This came out with a bit too much sass for her own good. A solid threat, blackmail.


Tony should've listened to himself when he mentioned in the car that Thalia wasn't a pushover. He outsmarted her yesterday when she was fragile. But today when she was in her right mind? Different story. The more they'd get in these girls' faces, the farther they'd be pushed into a corner, and Tony's hatred to Thalia wasn't helping. But... with her reasons, he understood why she acted as she did. Without giving her a second look, he marched back to the driver's seat. "Come on, Frank. We'll stay a safe distance away as lookout."


Thalia didn't mind that too much, so long as they didn't do anything rash. Before Frank returned to the car, Thalia shyly reached for her back pocket again and retrieved his shield as well, nervously looking into his eyes after the stunt she just pulled... it was just too weird now. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't take a risk.... and... sorry for kissing you." In hindsight, she found her actions slightly embarrassing, uncalled for, maybe unforgivable. She didn't even know if he liked it or not. "We'll call you guys when he leaves, and I promise, we'll explain everything, okay?" Her tone drastically changed from the shrill, argumentative, threatening one to Tony, into a softer, understanding, negotiable one around Frank. The good cop/bad cop treatment really said a number for how they were treated. She liked Frank. He seemed more relatable, like he wanted to understand where she was coming from and get to the bottom of this. And that's why Thalia treated him so differently. It also helped his case that she was developing a mild crush on him. But that couldn't be the focus of her attitude. It sure helped her sell the act though. But was it sold?
 
One question everyone asked, aside from James, who stood there straight-faced, was the question of 'what the fuck is going on?' - Karin had to suppress a grin when she saw Thalia plant a kiss on Frank's cheek. Okay then. This was definitely going to spark some conversation later on - all she hoped was that James believed the lie, at least for now, until they could reveal exactly what the situation was with the two Detectives. It was probably best for now that he didn't know they were with the law; they had to talk to him and get onto common ground, otherwise things were going to be disastrous. She looked him up and down, and honestly, she just had that gut feeling that he was armed. He looked like the type, and for someone whose face had never been seen before, there was no way he was coming out here, taking a risk, without taking something as protection, right? She didn't like to imagine that this guy would shoot them both if they got on his nerves, so, things were going okay for now. 


James watched the two leave, and 'Derek' following behind them. 


"Nice meeting you... Derek." James said, softly, once again with a blank expression. He gave the man a nod, and watched until they were completely out of view. He turned back to Karin, then took a deep breath. "I see you disposed of the laptop." He said.


"Mhm. What did you do to it?"


"Gave it a crippling worm virus that attacks the battery. Most antivirus software doesn't check the battery for anything, because that's not usually a place a virus targets. The worm cranked up the power consumption and disabled the GPU and CPU fans. If you'd given it another five minutes, the system would have been completely fried." He shrugged once, "After you almost got caught by the FBI, I think my action was justified, wouldn't you say so?" He asked.


"I suppose."


"So, your friend." He moved his hands out from behind his back, then slowly slipped the gloves off and put them down in his pocket. No rings, no tattoos, just a fancy-looking watch. Not Rolex, but, something nice all the same. "Who is she?" He asked.


"Don't you already know?"


"The facial recognition system I have access to is police-standard, but it was going to take a long time to get a hit." He said, "You were almost instant, even though I knew your name long before I checked. I didn't have time to run it all before I had to make my way here. Thus, I don't have her name - From my experience, Al-Asheera are not easy people to find. The intel I have on them remains private until I deem it appropriate to share, but, your friend. No more ambiguity. Who is she? Name. Full name."


"Uhm... Thalia Griffin, from Philadelphia."


"Okay, excellent." He said, "That allows me to run background checks when I'm given the chance. Thank you for your cooperation, Karin." He nodded once, and Karin nodded back. This guy was certainly... Quirky, to say the least. He wasn't being unreasonable, though, she wouldn't have said so. He was just being quite blunt in her eyes. "So, how long have Thalia and Liam been together?"


Oh, fuck.


"Uhm... I'm not really sure, honestly. I've got a lot to keep track of - It'd be best to ask Thalia herself."


"Mhm." He mumbled.


Meanwhile, out at the Detectives' car, Frank was still slightly in shock, and to be truthful, he'd gone a little bit red in the cheeks. I mean, how couldn't he? He'd been able to suppress any emotion around the others, but now they were in the clear, the way he felt about it was all out in the open. The kiss was weird, yet, it was the good kind of weird. He tried not to think about it too much - tried to think of it as just one elaborate cover-up, but honestly, he couldn't get it off of his mind. Thalia was already a figure in his life that was certainly someone more than a suspect, someone he actually... Got on okay with - She trusted him, apparently, which meant a fair bit. Now? Now things were getting interesting, but he just nodded to what she said. There was more conflict between her and Tony, though, And of course, Tony tried to hit her again - Frank almost wanted to step in and stop it, but, he didn't need to. Thalia knew how to handle herself.


God, this is so fucking hot.


Whoa, Frank. His mind wandered a bit too much there - What can I say? I guess Frank likes capable women. He had to agree with Tony about this stranger, though, he couldn't have been anything short of illegal. But, when Thalia said what she did, Frank just sighed.


"Touché." He nodded. "Although, Thalia, if this man's going to be working with you, there's two things I'm going to ask of you - One, be careful. He has that look about him. He doesn't look like someone who feeds people empty words, so, chances are, he doesn't enjoy listening to empty words either. Watch yourself." He said, "And secondly, if you are working with him, keep in mind that the four of us are a team as it is. Eventually, we're going to need to come clean once a deal's been organized, so, if you get the chance, do us a favor and explain the situation to him, providing he wants to play ball." He said, and of course, climbed into the passenger seat of the car. Serving as a lookout certainly sounded like a good plan, honestly, just in case shit did go down. They'd know if anything bad happened, hopefully. A safe distance away, nothing too obvious.


"Don't worry about the kiss, Thalia." Frank smiled at her and gave a weak shrug of the shoulders. "It was definitely better than having the Captain chewing my ass." He joked, followed by a laugh. "But yeah, once this guy clears off, we'll come back and you can let us know the situation, and if the guy will make a deal." He said, "I don't know what sort of fella' he is, but, just remember what I said. Tread lightly." He winked at her, and once again, offered another smile. If there was one thing no one could deny, it was that there was definitely some chemistry between Frank and Thalia, even if it was only a touch of it.


"You better get going, before that James character gets suspicious." He said, simply, and after a wave goodbye, he rolled up the window and turned back to Tony. He took a deep breath, then scratched his chin. "Well, that was certainly interesting..." He said, then glanced away and out the window again. "What happened in there, pal?" He asked. "I thought we agreed getting physical with her wasn't a good idea?" He asked. Three times, he counted, which wasn't a good number to have. Tony was breaking records right now.


James and Karin were still in the back yard, but stood in silence. It was slightly awkward, but hey, that's what you get when you meet with someone from The Deep Web.
 
Tony didn't entirely 'leave' the scene. Rather, he drove two blocks away, the front of the house still in his line of vision. This 'James'... if he couldn't trust Thalia after what she pulled there, how the hell could he trust a friend? Especially after literally pulling a cover story out of her ass faster than most sting operation managers could. She was good at what she does. Good enough to literally steal from cops right under their noses. And THAT pissed him off. If they were in private, Tony would have her in cuffs and halfway to the station. But not when she could burn them with her. We're trapped because of this bitch. And worse? There's someone in Al-Asheera in the department. A troublesome dilemma, indeed. And one getting the better of the veteran. Frank even pointed that out. Three times in the past day did he blow up on this same girl. His partner knew of his personal rivalry with her organization, but did he go too far? Not in his mind. She was crossing the line time and time again, and they had to let her go no matter how much they didn't want to. And embracing, kissing, and stealing from his partner? That wouldn't fly.


"For the record," he began, "I wasn't going to hit her in front of the car. I was going to yell at her for that stunt she just pulled." Well, he probably would get physical again, because judging by their past experiences, Thalia would've said something he wouldn't approve of, or try to badmouth or sass him, and he'd lash out in response. He knew how things worked between the two. But her grip stopped him in his tracks. She was strong, geez. "Don't tell me you don't notice how she's been acting. First, she swiped not just my shield, but YOURS too. Even my gun, for fuck's sake. How she did it? Maybe when she shushed me. I know thieves have a way with their touch. And that girl? She's a pro. What would you have done if she didn't return your badge? If you saw my gun in hidden away with her? Hm? It's theft, and that's all she is. A thief. And she just proved it when she went all gaga on you, and you got careless. I don't care what she was covering up. She's scandalous. A liar. Which brings me to my next problem. You saw how quickly she fabricated a lie. Isn't that a bit... odd? That quickly, she started touching you and catches us all off-guard. What's it going to be, Liam? We can't trust her, but we're forced in bed with her. And if she can do that so easily, she can do so much more. And it bothers the hell out of me. What if we let her off easy and she snitched? What if she makes up a story that turns this around on YOU? She could make up a fake rape charge, for all I know, and fake a few tears on the stand just to get you locked up and discredited." Okay, that was a stretch, and Tony knew it. "Bottom line: I don't trust liars. Thalia's a liar. Meaning, I don't trust her. She's capable of so much more than she says, and that's a problem for us."


Along with the fact she's with Al-Asheera. But that's a whole other conflict. Though Thalia meant no ill intentions there, just a distraction. an innocent impromptu lie. Yet, it still got to the older detective and pestered at his investigative mind. But Tony couldn't help but realize that Frank was a bit... out of it, after what she did. Dazed, put in some sort of lust-induced daydream. Sure, this girl's attractive and clearly knew how to make a guy smile, but she used it against them in a form of seduction. Wait... was Frank taking this seriously? Did he like it? In all honesty, Tony would've too, even with a girlfriend waiting at home. He had to distract his friend as they watched over the house. Seemed like they'd be a while. "I might've mentioned Melissa yesterday at the bar. Do you have anyone special? Or had?"


Friendly conversation to get over his anger. Maybe hearing someone else's love story would do the trick.


--


Thalia knew she crossed the line there with both detectives, not just by faking the story with Frank, but also when she defended herself from Tony. But she knew if she didn't, James/Fritzy would walk. Or kill them. Plus, she had enough of getting tossed around by Tony. He wasn't the boss of her, and she didn't want to be treated like some sort of minion. She found her actions in both cases necessary to keep the lid on their affairs, and she intended to apologize to both detectives again later. But they were gone now, leaving her and Karin to discuss their financial plans alone. She kept watching until the cruiser was far enough away to consider them 'gone', then turned back to the house. What. The. Fuck. Was. That. EEEEEP, BUT IT WAS FUN, C'MON.... but very inappropriate. His body.... god damn, he's in shape. Usual detective body. Not the first I've touched, but still. He's HOT. NO, T. WORK FIRST, FUN LATER. But did Frank have fun? She didn't know, and was too shy to ask. Sure, she came off so confident out there, hugging him and kissing him like she really was his girlfriend, but that was to sell an act. When it came to looking the man in the eyes and saying that she liked it? That's a different story. He also had a fun sense of humor, too, couldn't deny that. Maybe this could all be water under the bridge. You're getting more and more naive by the day. Watch yourself. Frank could trick you.


No more thinking too much. Thalia returned to the backyard, giving James a warning of her arrival. "Hey. I'm back... Sorry, my boyfriend just kind of... surprised me. Boy, is he full of them. His cousin's a stick in the mud, but eh. Liam's cute. Can't resist him." It felt weird calling Frank Liam. Maybe he looked like a Liam to her, and that's what spurred the name? "But anyway... You asked who I am? I would've guess you couldn't find someone from Philly who vanished from public record eight years ago. The most recent official picture of me is when I was 13, and it's a missing person's report... Thalia Griffin. Look through Philly PD's files. You'll find what I said and confirm it. I joined Al-Asheera shortly after I ran away from home and disappeared. Just... so we're being truthful, and you can save yourself some time."


She'd never given her real name out this much in a while. Whenever she'd be asked to ID herself, it'd always be her first name alone, or the name within Al-Asheera. She hardly identified as a member of the Griffin family after nearly a decade of separation. But something in her wanted that to change. Admitting she was a member of an honest family was a start. James would soon find out her words were accurate, and even dig into details about her parents... But that would bring up another thing: he could get her a picture of her brother. Oh, how she wanted to at least see how he looks so she could put a face to the voice. But later, she'd ask.


"Laptop's wasted. Think this conversation would suit better inside, don't you agree?" As much as she wanted to pulverize it further, there were more important issues at hand. "I mean, you know our story. What we need. Why we need it. And since you bothered yourself to come here, it seems like you want to discuss the terms of it." She could've delved into the personal reasons Thalia wanted to bite back at Ra's, but only if it came up. She hated admitting she'd been raped as a child. She didn't even use that wording with Karin when she confessed. It just... unnerved her to think so lowly.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"I know she took that stuff from us. Badge and gun, not cool." He said, "She says it was to convince that James. She gave us the stuff back, at the very least." He shrugged, "If she planned on stealing them, she wouldn't have gave them back, let's just straighten that fact out. I know this whole situation's a little fucked up - believe me, I didn't expect her to suddenly throw her arms around me and kiss me, that was for sure. There's no way she wanted to kiss me, no way in hell." He said. That was slightly irrelevant to the point - The secret was, Frank wanted her to want to kiss him in that moment; he liked to imagine that was the case, and soon he found himself getting whisked away in thought. He quickly brought himself back, though, and shook his head. "She's an excellent liar, without a single doubt." He said. "Yes, that's something for us to worry about in some ways, how she can just hash them together so quickly. Yeah, it's a risk, but we need to do our best to trust her, even if we don't want to." He explained.


"If you're worried about her snitching, there are ways to counter that. We give her terms that make it impossible, and boom, Bob's your uncle." He said, "By the end of all of this, she couldn't rat on us anyway. Sure, we're breaking rules, but if we manage to take these bastards down? All we have to say was it was all part of a big elaborate scheme in order to achieve the best result of the operation. Not only would we have a reason, but we'd have results, too. Reason-plus-results in court goes in high favor for anyone. What can she say?" He asked. "I only robbed a store to try and get the cops to come and help me." He shook his head, "Yeah, right." He let out a single chuckle. "Trust me on this one, Tony, as much as you don't trust Thalia, believe me when I say she's in no position to rat on us. If she did, the pot would truly be calling the kettle black. In my opinion, the only person we'd have to worry about would be Karin." He said. "If anything, she'd be the one who would be able to rat on us, and that's a scary thought, but one we'll have to think about."


"All of that's the main reason why I'm trying to stay friendly with these girls. To answer your question, yes, you did mention Melissa last night - Think, you know women just as well as any man. The difference in the way men and women think and react to certain things is terrifying, but very real. There's been psychology studies on it all, but my point is, to us, this might seem like a highly critical investigation. To them, this might be something as basic as wiping shit off their shoes, okay? Thalia wants out of the organization, and Karin? Karin wants to help a friend, for whatever reason." He said, "If we stay friendly, keep in mind what their end objective is, we can play that and keep us all in the little circle without risk. But we've already clarified, if we piss them off, things are put at risk" He explained.


DID she want to kiss me?


For fuck's sake, Frank.


"My love life, though, now that we're moving onto that..." He sighed, "Long story, really. I wouldn't say I've really struggled to hook up with women, but, it's more finding someone who works with me that's the difficult part. First 'girlfriend' I ever had was in 7th Grade." He laughed. "I was a quiet kid back then, always very focused, and let's face it... We were like, eleven, maybe twelve. It was never going to be anything serious, and it never did become anything serious, either. She moved school, never saw her again. Didn't bother me one bit." He said, "Then there were the odd couple as I was growing up, in my teenage years, but, I was still quite a quirky guy, always..." He tapped the side of his head, "Looked very deeply into things. I guess a lot of the girls didn't like that." He explained, "Then things went quiet for a while, quiet until I came to LA. When I first moved in, I drove down to Santa Monica to see the local color, basically, met a nice girl there in some hipster-paradise coffee shop. She was exactly what you'd expect for a Californian girl. Bright blonde hair down to her ass, cherry lips, thick-framed glasses, and one of those tiny stomach tattoos, rocking the bikini and the towel with the stars and stripes, all that good stuff." He chuckled, "Things went really well with her, I settled in with her, she settled in with me. We went solid for two years, and surprisingly, it wasn't me that fucked that one up." He grinned, "While I was busy busting my ass, she was busting hers, but, sadly, she was experimenting with how many times she had to fuck her boss to get a promotion, basically. She worked in some studio in LA, helped with cameras and shit. So I guess the way she thought about things was a lot similar to how I did. But..." He shrugged, "It went away, just like that. Probably a good thing I found out about it when I did, because I was planning to propose on New Year's Eve." He laughed and slapped his hand down on the dashboard.


"Good riddance, I say. I've got my dog, my apartment, and a double bed to myself. I'm happy enough as it is for now, but... A girl would be nice." He said, and once again, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering back to Thalia. "Anyway, enough about my tragic lovelife. How about you, Tone?" He asked. Tone? A new nickname, it seemed. "How did you and Melissa meet? You gonna' tie the knot any time soon?" He asked.


--


"Indeed, Thalia, finding you was not an easy job. Maybe I'll get home and find that facial recognition got a hit, but, I'm sure you look a lot different compared to how you were in your teenage years." He said, "I wouldn't be surprised if I was given the next closest match, and, I'm almost certain that would be an actress of some sort. No idea why, you just look familiar in one way or another." He said, simply. "I'll do some digging into your background another time. That's not the call of business right now." He said. "But, without further ado, yes, let's head inside and discuss business." He said, clearly, and Karin just nodded and lead the way in through the side door. James was very observant as he walked in, and he had eyes on every corner, every nook and cranny. He wasn't taking chances, it seemed, and the guy was on edge. 


This guy would get on like a house on fire with Tony, Karin thought.


"Is anyone else in the house?" He asked, quietly, as he was lead through to the living room.


"Only my younger brother."


"You never mentioned him."


"Bro, he's ten years old, he's not going to be any bother."


"Hm." He said, lowering himself into a seat as far away from Thalia and Karin as he could get. "Parents?"


"Dead."


"Apologies." He replied, but there was not an ounce of sympathy to his voice. He looked over them both for a moment, and finally, he slipped the glasses off of his face and hung them from his jacket pocket. Now they truly had a face to put to Fritzy.


fritzy1.png​


 
​


"So, let's get to discussing what I came here to discuss. I took a big risk coming out here to meet you, but I've got some bad news for you. You've already broken all of my unwritten rules."


"What?" Karin looked more... Confused than anything else.


"The details of the meeting were incorrect, you had other people here when I arrived, and the worst part of all is that you never clarified who I was. For all you know, I might not even be the guy that you spoke to online. Luckily for you, i'm not quite that much of a bastard, and I can promise you that you are looking at me in the flesh." He said. "After all, rules are made to be broken, some would say, so we're going to ignore the sloppy beginning we had to all of this, and instead, we're going to focus more on one important factor. But first, a rule of mine - In person, you address me as nothing else as James. You don't reveal my alias to anyone." He said, "Secondly, keep in mind that when it comes to any form of operation, my word is final. If I say we don't break a firewall, we don't break a firewall. If I say we run into the ocean naked, we run into the ocean naked. I didn't come here to argue, and my clients usually understand that just fine. And finally, even though I have few doubts, don't think of throwing me to the wolves."


".. We won't." Karin whispered, "Out of curiosity, what would happen if we did?"


"Very bad things, Karin." He said, his tone flat. "And that is not a threat. That is a promise." 


"Noted." She let out a nervous laugh, then looked at Thalia.


"As your friend Thalia was very honest with me, my next question is directed to her." He said. "You know, there's one question in any man or woman's head that drives all success. The more a man or woman invests in that question, the more successul and powerful they will become. Do you know what that question is, Thalia?" He asked, then after a moment, he spoke again. "What's in it for me?" He finally said. "That's my question to you. The question of all questions. You've laid down your demands, but I must ask - What's in it for me?" He asked again, his eyes locked with hers.


The guy didn't seem to smile very much. Karin found his general mannerisms rather unnerving, but, at least he was here, and at least they weren't dead.


At least not yet, anyway.
 
Tony needed to get his mind off the spark of hatred in his mind, and stop blowing up on Thalia every time he sees her. It wasn't worth getting so worked up, not for some pathetic thief. It still ate his insides alive that she was capable of pulling something like that. Who knows if she'll swipe their wallets one day and play dumb? Steal their identities, rat them out, maybe even worse. Surely, Tony wouldn't buy it if she denies it; neither should Frank. But he seemed a bit faithful in these girls. Should he? At least he was an opposing side to his negative outlook. Next time, he'll restrain himself. But enough. Thalia and Karin had some sort of meeting with that mystery man. They had a ton of questions for later, especially about the money they'd need to get close to Ra's. For now, a leisurely conversation about women. Finally, something enjoyable for the partners to engage in. He completely understood Frank's love disaster with that woman he was close to marrying. "I get you... some women just can't help but play the part of the whore." His thoughts immediately flashed back to the redheaded girl he'd grown to despise. Whore? Maybe a bit of a strong word to use about Thalia, but one he believed fit. "Love is either your greatest disaster or your greatest triumph... as for me? It's a bit different. More... longterm."


"Aside a few troublesome, dumb high school flares that lasted like a week each, the only other girl I've really felt something for was Mel... And of all places, we met when I was getting my physical done for the academy. She was a volunteer there with a pretty smile that just stopped me right in my tracks.... My god, talk about one thing leading to another. I'd always meet up with her after my rounds, then drive her home. It just... moved on from there to dinners and picnics, meeting the parents and such.... We got serious. It's been tough keeping it together when I made detective rank, but she gets me. And I get her and her busy schedule at the hospital. Now? It's been well over a decade, we live in a humble place in Santa Monica, and believe it or not? I still haven't tied the knot." A bit embarrassing. Most men would've proposed long ago and lived happily ever. But Tony was no pro with the ladies, especially not in regards to a proposal. Whatever he had that women could see, Melissa saw it. "Frank, I'm 35, been living with Mel for five years, and we never even talked about getting married. I just think it'd make things way too complicated. She knows I lead a dangerous life and has come to accept that one of these days, I may not come back. We're committed to each other, sure, but being that serious to put a ring on it? It's never really crossed my mind until recently. I mean, knowing any day could be my last makes me want to call her mine forever. Till death do us part, you know? I don't think now's the time to even consider that. Besides, those rings are fucking expensive. I can't really cheap out with that." A chuckle came from the older detective at the thought of a less than satisfactory ring for his beloved. Melissa wasn't a needy woman, but he still wanted to impress. "Once this Al-Asheera madness ends, I'm taking her on vacation, wherever the hell she wants. Maybe I'll pop the question there, you know?"


Dare he bring up Thalia again, about Frank's behavior after the kiss? It changed drastically, and he seemed a bit distanced. Was he daydreaming about her? She's a gem, sure, but this much? He didn't see it, maybe because he's much older and happily taken. Frank was younger, not too much of an age gap, and single. But the two of them hooking up? Talk about sleeping with the enemy. A detective and a thief in bed.... It sickened him a bit to even consider that possibility. He trusted Frank not to engage in something that treacherous. Something that could compromise his career. Imagine the next police event, bringing his girlfriend. Bringing in the former Bride of the Head of Al-Asheera? That's going to raise a ton of red flags. He's wouldn't try something THAT risky, right? "Give it time, Frankie. Just hope you're not as old as me with one girl and wait as long as I did. It's... painful, to know you might die without meeting the one for you. I'd hate that to happen to you."


The house looked quiet. Nothing too suspicious part from the girls and the mystery man going inside at one point. Must be some intense conversation....


--


Lookalikes exist, sure, even to someone who stands out as Thalia. but an actress to match her face? That's a new one. One she could understand. Maybe it was his indirect way to compliment her. She couldn't complain. After all, there's a very slim chance he'll match her current face to her 13-year-old self that easily. Maybe. She didn't know the details of facial recognition all too well. Could it take into consideration aging? Even from 13 to 21? She had no clue, especially because of how different she was as a grown woman. It didn't matter. She came clean herself about her past. And she gave a full name, too. He'd find her easily, or whatever there was to find. Not like Thalia Griffin had a record. Only Al-Jameela. And what was there going to be to find about some kid who ran away from home, never seen again? Until now. He didn't seem like the type who would rat her secret out. He had just as much to hide. She even put her ass on the line to get rid of two cops in front of his face.


The three returned inside, where James asked a series of more questions about Karin and the house. That Joseph was a part of it. Was the kid still asleep after all of this? What a heavy sleeper. Whether or not James was his real name didn't matter to Thalia. He had his reasons to use an alias, much like she did. Then came his words of them breaking his unspoken rules. Damn, was he seriously going to just walk about the door after they've seen his face, even removing his shades to get a good look at his eyes? No way. He wouldn't put himself in jeopardy like that unless he was for sure going to offer his services. Thalia understood the criminal mind that well. He came for work and wanted to discuss details. He laid out his ground rules right off the bat. He's the boss. Yet another hard-ass prick to bow down to. Hopefully he wasn't as much of a dick as Tony. More or less, Thalia was on board, nodding in approval. She didn't need to ask the question if they didn't obey his rules; she's seen the worst of punishments for those who don't show their undivided loyalty. But then, the questions hit her. Her plan, her negotiations: what was there for James?


"Plenty," Thalia began. "There's plenty in it for you. For starters, money. It's always about the money, isn't it? Now, we need exactly a million to appease my leader, who you can just call Ra's. The Head. But we can certainly take a bit extra for your fee. This is a dangerous job, and also extremely risky, I know, but it's also important to us, and you can happily go nuts with what you embezzle. We just need a million, and you can keep the rest. Hell, we don't eve need to steal it from innocent people. There's plenty of dirty firms out there that do shit way worse than Al-Asheera, who you can happily drain of their wealth or harass. I bet you would get a kick out of that, right?"


But there was more. "Another reason you might want to take this job? Vanity. We're not just trying to get close to Ra's; we want to bring him down. End Al-Asheera permanently. Now, I could understand why you probably haven't discovered all too much about them apart from the aftermath of their doings. They don't use much technology, very old-school. That's what you get when you have an old dog like Ra's running the show. But I'm sure if you had a chance to take credit for their takedown, or at least have a part in it under whatever name you want? You'd take it. I take it you've looked into them a bit? Al-Asheera, the unmatched and unrivaled street gang that had control over all of Philly for a good two decades? They think they're untouchable. And for a while? They weren't. Up until someone deep in Ra's' inner circle betrayed him and gave away names and hideaways. Not the real name of Ra's, though. Only a few know that, including myself. I'd give it to you, but it's useless. It'll trace back to a kid, like myself, who disappeared 30 years ago. A psycho, too. Al-Asheera relocated to LA in order to reestablish grounds and prove superiority. They want to take over as many of the big guys in the states as they can. You could take credit for the downfall of one of the most ruthless gangs in the States. It will immortalize your legacy. How could you turn that down?"


All superficial. But there was another incentive. Thalia sat on the edge of one off the couches, crossing her legs, and leaning forward to James with her final reason. "And then there's your conscience. Al-Asheera's inducting recruits like no tomorrow, expanding. These guys are ruining lives, kind of like they ruined mine. I bet that if you don't care about your name living forever, you will care about people, just like myself, who were crushed by these monsters. By Ra's. I didn't run away JUST to join him. I ran away to find out who I wanted to be in life. And Ra's took me in like a sick animal and made me something horrible. Disgusting. And he's doing that to so many other people who were as young as me when I joined. It gets worse when I say... Ra's is abusive. Insane. Volatile. Cruel. Heartless. He'll knock down whatever's in his path just to achieve some sort of righteousness. He claims to follow some moral code of honor, some bullshit like that. Not true. He just wants to be powerful. And... he... well..." She had to keep herself brief as her eye contact drifted away and her focus lost. "He's done some awful things to me. I can't forgive him for that, and I want him to pay. I don't care what things you've done with your life. Because I did, too. Very bad things. I've seen things no one should have to, brutal executions, children scared for their lives... it's not pretty. But I want a chance to make it all up, leave the horrible person I was behind and start anew. I'm not asking you to, as well. I'm asking you to help do the right thing... Can you do that for us?"
 
"Ah, fuck it." Frank waved a hand and frowned, shaking his head. "Fuck it, man, just fuck it." He said, "Yeah, you haven't tied the knot yet, but living in fear's no way to do it." He said. "The way I look at things is that fate has a funny way of working. You might step out of your apartment tomorrow and get hit by a bus. We might get into a collision on the way back to the station and we'll both be dead without either of us knowing a thing about it. At the same time, next week, you or I could win $150m on the lottery." He shrugged, "Life has a weird way of working things out for us, Tony, and you know what I think? Being afraid just puts us in a spot where life takes control of us, instead of us taking control of life." He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "My parents were quite... Unorthodox in the way they got married. They didn't have any big ceremony, no party - My dad was a laborer, so he never really had all that much money at all. He bought a ring that wasn't worth much, just a plain silver ring. He did something quite... Cute, I suppose. He had his and my mother's fingerprints etched into the surface of them." He said, "It didn't cost him much, and I tell you, I was eleven when they finally tied the knot. I've never forgotten the look on my mom's face when he whacked out this not-so-brilliant ring. She'd never looked happier, I tell you." He chuckled.


"Plus, you said it yourself. You're thirty-five. None of us are getting any younger, so, I say go for it when you get the chance. If you two have lived with each other for this long and not once thought about rushing into marriage, then there's no better two people to get married, if you ask me." He smiled. "Love is... True love's not such a materialistic thing. Sure, high school dates are all about what car you drive and what gifts you can buy a lot of the time, but, when there's something special between two people, it doesn't matter how much money you have or how many places in the world you travel to. Christ, Tony, I'm sure you could propose to her with a fuckin' Haribo ring and she'd still say yes." He grinned, "And you talk about marriage like it's some sort of huge change in your love life. It ain't anything like that. You still sleep in the same bed, eat at the same table, live under the same roof, have the same kids - You just have a ring on your finger. I mean, with the time you've been going with her, you're basically married already."


"I'm not worried about finding someone." He shrugged, "Like I said, it'd be nice, but I'm not really in any rush. I'd like kids one day, obviously, but... Honestly, I've always been told that you need to make changes in your life if you have to rely on someone else to make you happy. It's all about you being the person that makes you happy, and all that, not being too dependent on other people or on having a relationship. I guess that's me. Some people said it took them years to get over breakups, but me?" He shook his head. "Believe it or not, I felt sour over it for a week or two, but after that? Heck, I realized she was gone. I realized there was nothing I could do to stop it, and sitting around crying about it wasn't going to help. An old friend said to me that if things don't work out with a woman, then say 'fuck it, onto the next'." He laughed again. "He's never been more right."


"On that note - the less of a fuck you give about things, the happier you become. Of course you give a fuck about the important things, but, I mean, don't let things get to you as much. You enjoy life a lot more, at least from my experience. God knows where I'd be after everything that's happened if I hadn't taken that advice."


Thalia was still on his mind - Tony may have been thinking - hoping - that Frank wouldn't ever hook up with her, but, if Frank ever got the chance... Tony was in for one nasty surprise.


--


At the talk of the payment, he simply laughed and slowly shook his head.


"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that." He said. "If people want my services, they pay me in person - The thing is, even if I get this million dollars for you, if I wanted to take extra? That puts a whole dent in things because it means recalculation and different forms of application. If I wanted to, I could forget this meeting ever happened, and be five-hundred grand richer by tomorrow morning, with or without you. I don't take the whole 'you can steal extra for payment', because that's not valid, and only increases my chances of getting caught. It's a win for you, but a potential loss for me." He explained. "And I'm dangerously close to wondering if I'm sat in a room with two girls whose knowledge of what I do goes beyond nothing more than an episode of CSI: Miami." 


"You don't know anything about me." Karin said, defensively. She knew a little bit about all of this, but only because of Joseph talking of it so much.


"You were born to Johnathan and Erin Held, the first born of the family. The schools you attended growing up were the Brete Harte Elementary School, The Luther Burbank Middle School, and Providence High School. Upon graduation, your final grades were all A's aside from Physics, in which you scored a B. After graduation you filled out an application form to study Law in The University of California in San Diego. You were given an unconditional placement from the University and also got granted a room in the Ecoflats, Building 2, Flat 4, Room B. Close to your entry date, you withdrew from the candidate process and returned home following an incident in which both your parents were killed. You strayed away from University and took on the role of a registered full-time carer of Joseph Held, the second-born child of the family. You remained unemployed for several months, presumably living off of savings, before you started work at the Coral Cafe. All of Joseph's medical bills are currently placed under your name, and he attends a Pediatric Diabetic Clinic every three months for a checkup. So far, his average blood glucose levels have been well-controlled. He attends the Brete Harte Elementary School just like you did, and will be moved into 5th Grade after this summer."


Karin gulped - Well, shit, he sort of had her there.


"Don't interrupt me again, please, Karin." He said, simply, and then cleared his throat. "Anyway, as I was saying... The money situation isn't necessarily what's bothering me. Right now, I have more money than I know how to spend, but..." He sighed. "I understand this will be a dangerous job, but believe me when I say danger is not something I'm afraid of. I've been in the face of danger more times than I can count - believe it or not, I'm not the type who sits behind a computer for most of the day. My skillset varies, and you're the first people to know that there are other things I do beside mash a keyboard. Not only can I provide the money but I can provide a lot of support in other fields of this whole... Task, if you will." He shrugged, "More on that when it becomes relevant, though."


"If there's one thing I should say before any of this, it's that I'm no saint at all." He said. "I'm not some justice warrior; in fact, I've caused a lot of trouble for people. In some senses, I've ruined lives, but many times that was unintentional. I've pulled things out of my pocket, a lot of them bad, that have had a negative impact on a lot of people. Now, on the back of this, this links to the exposure of street gangs. Yes, I'm one of the few people who's been leaking information on gang members. So, in some ways, I'm a vigilante, but at the same time, all I'm known as is a man for hire. That's all there is to it. If people have the money, then I have the time. But that doesn't mean I'm unreliable." He explained, "If I say I'm going to do something, then I'll do it. You won't catch me going back on my word, so, as intolerable as I've been told that I am, you can be assured that if I say I'll get something done, it'll get done, even if it means putting my neck on the line. Say what you want about me, ladies, but I understand capitalism. You buy a product, and you get what you pay for." 


"If there's anything that grinds my gears more than anything, however, it's liars and monstrosities of people. I don't appreciate liars, so, there's another rule to throw onto the list. Don't lie to me. If there's something I should know, let me know it. Now, regardless of that, back to my initial point, Al-Asheera have become more and more of a tumor on this city over the short time they've been here. If their leader is exactly who you say he is - A sick fuck, then, you can count me in for the sole reason of taking more scum off the street and putting him where he belongs, either six feet into the dirt, or behind thick steel bars. It all really does depend on how things unfold - Any intel you can give me will be appreciated." He said. "If I'm in on this, then this will be my... Pledge to the allegiance, I suppose." He shrugged once. "If you're straight with me, I'll be straight with you. I'll be honest. I'll let you follow every trace of anything I do concerning this if you want to, but in return I expect the same. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil - If there's something that comes up, then I know it. Same works in reverse." He said. "If this man you talk of is the sort that will happily ruin lives without a second thought, then just this once in my... Unofficial career, I'll do what I can to help you out." He nodded to her, then nodded to Karin as well, who simply nodded back.


"Now." He said, "One question from me - Can either of you explain why Derek looked so severely out of place in the yard not too long ago?" He asked. "In fact, both of the gentlemen seemed rather... Statue-like, for a brief moment, and the line of 'Excuse me while I let my cousin drop me at work' isn't exactly going to win any Oscars." He gave a half smirk. 
 
Life really is short. And Tony is getting up in that age. What the hell was this fear in his head of marriage? Was it the fear of losing Melissa like his father lost his mother? Sure, it was an isolated situation, but still one that took a toll on his psyche. Tony lived in fear of literally anything that would come back to hurt him. That's why the note scared him so much this morning. But if he didn't take this chance now, how many will he still get? Melissa is his, probably forever. No ring or materialistic object would change that. Like what Frank's parents did for their rings, it was the thought that counted. "You know what, Frankie? Fuck it. Once this case is closed, I'm proposing. Nothing will stop me. My fear this whole time... it's been kind of dumb. I was just worried that one day she'd just leave me...." Might be because their relationship was based on her forging his paperwork and removing his colorblindness from the equation. "...I love her, pal. And odds are she loves me if she stayed with my sorry ass this long. We'll still be what we are. Except it'll be... set in stone, no matter what happens.... Thanks. Like, really, Frank. I mean.... It feels empowering to hear it from someone like you, you know?"


What a moment the two were having... "Don't worry. One of these days, you'll find someone. Someone you can call your own, your soulmate, and she can call you hers. For now... I mean, you've got your dog, right? Your place also looks pretty awesome, so you really are living in a cool place. Maybe one day you'll bring someone special home... I mean really, who knows? Like you said, the less of a fuck you give, the happier you are. And maybe you'll find a girl with the same philosophy.


Staking out was boring, especially since nothing was happening outside the Held household. It was the worst part of the job for Tony. Especially when he had to go to the bathroom. The old bottle in the backseat. Not a pretty sight. So he glanced to his side. Tony could usually tell when someone's mind was elsewhere. He could tell when Richard was thinking of his kids back in the day. Frank was in a sort of elsewhere place now. Was he still thinking of Thalia? Hope to god not. "Hey, you alright? Got something on your mind?"


--


James had a way with words that made Thalia think he'd get out of his seat and simply walk out the door. But he was right: she and Karin had no idea how he works his magic. Not in any detail, at least. Why would he serve a few girls who don't know any more than your average crime TV series? He claimed that the money wasn't important and that he wanted to be paid personally rather than steal extra. It seemed like this wasn't going to work out and it would be game over on the spot. Still, he knew so much about Karin in such a short time, and memorized it all, too. Nothing about Thalia, but in all fairness, there wasn't much to tell. Then he said the money wasn't that big of an issue. A relief, of sorts, plus, he had other uses besides behind a computer screen. Surprising. Either way, Thalia was expecting some nerd to show up of all people, or some overweight schmuck who jerks off behind a keyboard to his own sick pleasure. But that wasn't the case. This guy was actually good-looking, and was useful beyond his hacking skills. Maybe he could help out later, if he feels motivated enough.


His appearance, words, and stage presence online told nothing less than some nefarious criminal, one who probably has done horrible things. Worse than Al-Asheera? It was beyond her. But surely, if betrayed, he could ruin their lives. Tread lightly, Frank told her. Was it too late? Maybe not; he went on from there in a more positive route, emphasizing his reliability if he accepts the job. Perfect, so they weren't dealing with some fraud, but they really were taking his word for it. Not like they had a choice. He proceeded to mention his distaste for Al-Asheera and his promise to help them out for the sole purpose of bringing them down. Seems like even in the criminal underworld, Ra's is not a very popular person. No surprise. The psycho doesn't do partnerships, no alliances, no teamwork, and no peace. He makes rules only to break them later, and gives no shits for other people's rules. Anyone would want to see him in the dirt. Not for the same reasons as Thalia, though. She knew a whole other side to the man. A twisted, perverted side that no one should ever have to tolerate.


Then.... a bombshell. He asked about 'Derek' .... Tony. He didn't exactly sell the act very well, and now could prove as a thorn in their side for his reluctant behavior. Thalia could tell by a slight glimpse at Tony in the moment that he was reaching for his gun or shield in the moment, and when he realized they were gone, he made it clear he was pissed. Damn it... Something she didn't think through. She covered Frank and got their detective companions out of the way... but there were other more important things to worry about. And James caught on. He's not an idiot, clearly. And doesn't like to be lied to. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to find out that Derek and Liam were cops.


"Like I mentioned before, Derek's a real stick in the mud. He... doesn't like me very much, and he isn't very subtle about it. He also doesn't really like strangers, so when you showed up, he was kind of... frozen in place. Didn't know what to do, how to react. He freaked out. But Liam? Statue like? Liam's the most active guy I know. And I know, we've only been dating for a short while, but he came with me from Philly to live and and work with his cousin, as well as be around me more. He's... he's really a keeper. I'm glad he's mine."


Thalia sure knew how to talk her way out of a situation. Her smile and mesmerized voice also helped sell the act, but it really wasn't all artificial. Her words were based on her own crush on Frank. One day, and she's already kissed him? The inner girl banging on her heart was just begging to come out. And she found her mind drifting away and getting off-task, further making her argument convincing, but also bad that she was fantasizing a relationship WITH A GODDAMN COP. That was blasphemy for any thief. How would Frank ever accept her knowing her crimes? Knowing every detail of every horrible thing she'd done. She didn't want to lie to him, but she was also afraid. Not just of the truth, but of simply finding love again. The last significant other she had was killed for it. She couldn't let it happen again. Maybe she'd have to accept that until Ra's is gone, she's stuck with him. Even if... it didn't stop her from thinking about Frank. WHY IS HE SO FUCKING HOT... STOOOP.... Ah, fuck it.


Once in her right mind again, she spoke, "You don't have to worry about Derek and Liam. They're busy with their jobs most of the day. I can assure you they won't be knocking on the door anytime soon. And even if, I can keep them in the dark... Just, we trust you. Can you trust us? You want to take Ra's down. So do we. And I have plenty to share about how."


It'd have to be... less than truthful. It wasn't exactly lying, but more like leaving out the distant future. "So, Ra's put a condition on me after a heist gone wrong: I pay compensation for the shedding of innocent blood, or I die, even if it wasn't my fault. The dick's framing me for it. So pay up a million dollars, or lose my head. And I'm not rooting for that second option. And robbing a million on hand is not happening, not without a team, which Ra's is also depriving me of. Sure, I have Karin... a new recruit..." She would continue to use that cover-up, even if James saw through it. "...but she's not enough. We need to think bigger. So we thought we should go the digital route. But neither of us know exactly how, so we need your help. We get the million so that I can actually get close to Ra's without killing me, and while I'm there..... I'll do the job. I'll either record him saying something incriminating and lead the police to his location, or I'll slit his throat... whichever happens first. It's a bit messy, I know. But we need to worry about the money first. I'll see. Because if he tries to kill me, he'll be forcing my hand.... I don't want to, but things come down to it...."


She didn't want to have to. She'd leave that to the cops.
 
"Heh, I hope so. I mean, us detectives... You're on more than me per year because of how long you've served. Obviously, it's only a couple of hundred dollars extra a month or something, but, me and you? We get decent pay. The only sad thing is, LA's not a cheap place to live in, at least it isn't if you want to live somewhere nice. I live in a nice place, yeah, but in any other city, I could get a place of the same quality with extra bedrooms for probably a couple of hundred cheaper. I've had people say, save up, move into a house, get a mortgage running, but... I'm saving a little more before I do that. Aside from dog food, my spending isn't too bad at all. I've got a fair bit banked up." He said, "I want to move out somewhere soon, but, finding the right place is the main thing. Burbank's nice, and let's face it, on our salary, it's not like we can afford a beachfront home, but, we'll have to wait and see I suppose." He chuckled, "The only bad thing is I'm shelling out money on rent. I don't know about you, but I don't own any property right now." He shrugged. "Ah, and another thing on the bills... Cigarettes and booze. Yeah, I know, shun me. I need to cut that shit. It costs so much nowadays." 


Was there something on his mind? Yes there was. Tony seemed to have an eye for that. There was more than just Thalia, too - Taking a trip down memory lane had definitely sparked a few old demons to wake back up. He figured there was no time like the present to tell Tony the truth, to tell him why he was even sat here in this car, to tell him why he was the way he was. It would definitely explain a few things, as he'd said to him in the car yesterday evening. If he told him the backstory, his quirkiness and active mind would become a lot more understandable.


"Yeah, there's something on my mind." He said, "I think it's about time I told you a few things." He said, "The whole reason I ever wanted to be a cop in the first place goes way back, Tone, right back to my early childhood. I was no older than six when I decided I wanted to be a Detective one day. Now that I'm here, it's almost bittersweet. The end of a dream, but the dream came true. As I was growing up, dreaming about the guts and glory of it gave me comfort. I'm not going down the route of the usual 'my parents abused me' kind of shit, there's... A little more to it than that, and in a way, I brought the problems on myself. Me and my parents always got on well, but, I'm not an only child. At least I wasn't when I was younger, I mean, I..." He forced a laugh and leaned back in his seat, then stared out the windscreen.


"It's half the reason I believe in fate, and believe that some things happen for a reason." He said, "I had a sister, she was two years younger than me. We were always close - I adored her from the moment she was born, basically. I was the big brother, the protector, all of that shit your parents feed you about siblings. There was this one time me and my mom and my sister were out together, and we were at this underground train station of some sort. We'd been out for the day, and we were just about to go home. My mom stopped, needed the bathroom - I did, too, but me being the stubborn boy I was, there was no way I was going in the Girls' bathroom. My words exactly on that day. No way am I going in there." He said. "So, my mom offered me a proposal - wait with your sister, then go when I get back. Once again, I was stubborn, but, I said yes." He rubbed his forehead. "As soon as she was gone, though, I sat my sister down on a bench, told her not to move. I don't know what was going through my head, but, I guess when a six-year-old tells you he needs the bathroom, he's not lying. I went, thinking all would be fine. In all honesty, I was expecting my mom to get back long before I did - I didn't care about getting yelled at or anything. Either way, I was only in the restroom for a little over two minutes." He shrugged, "I came back out, went to where I sat my sister, and boom, she was gone."


"My first assumption was that my mom was playing some sort of trick on me as a punishment for leaving her when she said not to - naturally, as a lot of kids would, I sat down on the bench and started crying. Sister and mother nowhere in sight, hundreds of people wandering around... You know how it is in a subway." He said. "Eventually my mom did come back from the bathroom, and... Christ." He shook his head, "She freaked out, to say the very least. The two of us ran through the whole station searching for her - we were praying she'd just wandered off. But, I realized as I got older what my mom was truly worried about. Subways, public transport in general, are full of sick fucks with a lot of dirty little secret. Some bastard obviously saw an opportunity, and he took it." He explained. "A couple of days went by, they saw the CCTV - They weren't angry, though, because they knew I was having just as much trouble with the situation as they were. The CCTV showed me getting up, but, in a swarm of people, anything involving my sister... It couldn't see shit. CCTV at the station's exit showed her leaving with a guy, couldn't have been much older than 19 or 20. She seemed to be going willingly, though, so whatever he said convinced her pretty quick. Natalie, her name was." He gulped.


"A few more days went by, police didn't find anything. By the time the end of the week hit, though, they found her. Well, they found her body, but that was it." He said. "She was four years old. Four years old and some sick bastard took her and killed her. My parents didn't tell me much, and I didn't want to know much, either. I still don't. I can only imagine that the unimaginable happened to her, but, all I ever got told was that she died. It put a big split in my childhood, for sure, and that was it." He said. "After that I thought deeply about everything, started considering how one action might impact another thing. If I drank an extra carton of milk at recess, would I manage to hold out, or would I piss my pants mid-lesson? That sort of thing when I was a kid, and as I got older, my mind just got overflowed with every single detail of every single thing."


"A part of me always blamed my mom in some way - She could have taken my sister with her, just to be safe, but at the same time, would that put me at risk?" He asked. "If I listened to my mom and stayed there, would that son of a bitch have taken me, too? It's all questions I ask myself more or less every day when I wake up. Heck, it's half the reason I tend to steer away from dealing with kids, Tony. It's still a small phobia of mine in some ways, but, yeah. I ran away from my home state at the first chance I got, really, which is why I'm here in LA busting my ass. It's different to where I'm from, but, I wouldn't ever go back. I don't like crowds, and I don't like criminals. I couldn't have chose a worse place to live, could I?" He laughed again, but then shook his head. "But yeah, hopefully that explains a few things about my... Mannerisms, and such." He said. "Sorry, I shouldn't have just dropped that on you, but... I think it's about time I said something to someone. It's been a long time since I've talked about it."


--


"A stick in the mud indeed." He smirked, "Looked very out of place. Looked like he had some paperwork to be sifting through rather than attending a social, if you ask me." He shrugged, "Your boyfriend... Liam. Seems like a nice enough guy. Not that he said much, but, he seems quite the confident one. Like a peacock. On display, and such." He waved a hand around for a moment, then glanced around the living room. "Philly's a long way to move, that's one thing I won't deny." He said, "This... Liam, if he really moved here for you, and to work, then he's definitely an honest man. Can't criticize you, either, because you're clearly doing something right if he wanted to run away to LA with you. it's funny how love throws things around the way it does, but, I guess that's just human nature." He said. 


The talk of Ra's sparked his interest, though, and he readjusted his position so he could lean forward a little and listen closer.


"He's not the sort of man to be trusted, then." He said, simply. "Don't worry about taking the digital route. I'm glad you found me instead of some of those other bastards on The Deep Web. They like to use their talents to... Do that stupid shit where they send SWAT Teams to peoples homes, and all of that. Whereas I, someone with initiative, actually use it to do things. Mainly make money, but, through that I've made a lot of friends all over the world." He said. "I can't speak seven languages, but my tongue's been twisted by several over the years. So, communication issues shouldn't be a problem, if it ever comes to foreign negotiations, though I do doubt that." He said. "As for how we'll deal with the money, it's quite simple. The algorithm I've written, once I'm past the security, will check each user account - Depending on the balance, it'll either take more or less. If someone's making, say, 30,000 in one month, then more money will be taken from their account because they won't notice. If someone's only on $500.00 a month, it'll take as little as one cent, basically. Any outpayments from their accounts are masked with other direct debit payments. If someone's signed up to Netflix and it's on their history, then anything I take will be covered up by that to avoid arousing any suspicion." 


"So, how are you going to do it without getting caught? You can't take a million from one bank, right?" Karin asked.


"Correct. Your friend was right in one thing - multiple transactions, offshore accounts, etcetera. I've come prepared for all of that." He said. "Now, in America, there are roughly 6,800 licensed banks. Breaking into all of them would be nearly impossible, based on the amount of time we have, but, breaking into the mainframe of one organization and working my way through their line of branches? That is a possibility. Targetting bigger banks in bigger cities only lowers the risk of detection, too. Thousands of accounts, lots of money. Banks in richer areas are also good targets, because chances are that there'll be a higher percentage of people that make over, say, a hundred thousand in one year. If I was to break every single bank, we'd need approximately $148.00 from each one. Once again, low risk, but impossible in the given time frame. If I narrowed it down to thirty banks, do the math for me, how much would it take to meet our mark?"


Karin thought for a few moments, then grinned. "Thirty-three-thousand, three-hundred and thirty-three dollars, and thirty-three cents." 


He nodded and gave a big shit-eating grin. "There's that A in math paying off. But yes, Karin is right. Just over thirty thousand from all thirty banks, and providing they're large banks in large cities, that will practically go unnoticed, especially if they're all linked to one chain. I may divide it between two companies, though, just to be safe."


"So how would the money get to us?" 


"That's simple." James said, "In fact, that's the most simple part. I have offshore accounts in Germany, Japan, Singapore, and Switzerland. The perfect amount for this operation. Two-fifty grand goes to each account, and, they're then sent in physical form to one location. From there, they're sent through high speed mail from San Francisco once it arrives Stateside, and you'll have your $1,000,000 delivered right here, all in unmarked bills, in wads of $10,000 a pop. It'll all fit in once box, it'll be labelled to ensure the amount's right, and bang." He held his hands out at his side. "We make this... 'Ra's' a happy guy." He explained. Karin was... Baffled, really. She didn't know that any of this sort of thing was possible. "Don't worry about the money getting here, because I have trusted people in all of these locations. They won't steal from me - I might throw in a little extra that they can take, just to keep them happy." 


"Does that sound good to you, ladies? Any questions?" He asked.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"You make a point. Would I ever get lost and leave town for new pastures? Maybe. I mean, my place is definitely nice, a beachside condo, Mel and I split the payment, and her salary really pays the bulk of it. But we don't mind. We are both doing fine, happy and such.... boy, I can't wait till I see the look on her face when I pop the question. She'll be the happiest girl on the planet. Best of luck finding the one, pal. Having someone who will make you happy. And vice versa." But what if 'the one' turned out to be Thalia? Deep down, there was a tiny sliver of speculation that he would. The chemistry between them? It was noticeable from her cover story all the way through. He would hate to drop by Frank's place and see Thalia chilling there in a bedsheet waiting for him to answer the door, shoo the guests away, and continue with their business. What a sight, his partner sleeping with their prime suspect.... What the fuck, get that image out of your head, Tony! Fuuuuuck. Gross. A man can hope, and hope not. Surely Frank is smart enough not to go down this path.


Frank's story was certainly sudden. No doubt. But it's understandable why it would bother someone over the majority of their life. A sister, killed because of one life-changing decision. It was really thought-provoking. What would've happened had he chose differently? If he stayed, would he follow the route of his sister? Would they back off? Would he had defended his sister? Such a dilemma... Though Tony has no such story to tell, apart from his mother's death which didn't really impact his life as a detective all that much and his former partner's injuries which was already no secret, it felt good to hear this man's story. A burden of his life now known to the other party. Truly, the best way to make your cross easier to bear is to share it. Which Frank was doing. A sign of things to come, and a symbol of their partnership, to foster their closeness. Trust: it's the most important thing between partners. And Frank trusted Tony.


"I... can't even begin to imagine the pain, Frank. I mean, I was an only child raised by a single father. I wouldn't know the pain of a sibling. That responsibility is something very unique, one I wished I could've had. But you.... Geez. Poor Natalie... Did the local PD ever catch the son of a bitch that did that? It's monsters like that that don't deserve to walk the streets. Savages. Kids? That's low. That's one of the reasons that made me so bitter towards Thalia in the beginning, entering at full force into the diner with a kid like Joseph in the room, guns at hand. What nutjob does that to a kid, four years old? I get why kids are a bit of a touchy ballpark for you. It means something to you. But at the same time, it keeps you going. It's an experience, not a pleasant one, but.... God, it's tragic. I'm sorry. But one thing I've seen about you? It keeps you going. Keeps your head in the game, even. If you ever need to... well, vent? In case it's ever getting to you, the feeling of guilt, you know? You know where to find me. That's what partners are for, am I right?"


He patted Frank on the shoulder in the most friendly of ways. But his eyes were still glued to the house up ahead. Still nothing. They were taking a while... But when he went in, he would try his best not to assault Thalia. Frank didn't seem to like the outbursts, and he had to control his rage if it were to be channeled properly.


--


Sounded like a plan, Thalia could only guess in her head. She tried her best to envision the course of their venture in her head. It all seemed complicated to her, mainly because she liked imagining herself doing such projects, which she was clueless about the details of, but she nodded her head in approval, trying her best to follow James' words. Bank accounts, splitting the amounts among each, and having a method to deliver the cash... it was all so complicated for a girl who didn't even go to high school. She was way too old-school for this: get your pistol and hold up the bank kind of old school. This was all out of her league by far. Nonetheless, she had no complaints. This man would handle the first part. Thalia had the second: face Ra's with the money. "Okay.... Seems like you know what you're doing. I don't have any questions. Why does it all seem so... simple to you? There's nothing more to it? You make it seem so straightforward." Her heists were never this... well-designed. Hardly involved a computer or anything like that. It was all so simple. But then again, bringing down the scum of the street gangs in America was definitely not going to be a walk in the park. Had there not been a price on her life, it would be: get Ra's into her quarters, sleep with him, slit his throat. But the money part made things ten times more difficult on so many levels. She can't even get close without settling her debts.


And even when Thalia gets close... she's never killed before. Robbed, yes. But she's never ended someone's life. Ever. Would her hatred for this man spark some sort of killer instinct that would force her hand? It wasn't even who she wanted to be. Yet... it might take a one-time kill to get her freedom... So stressful. And she was getting a mild headache on top of this whole thing. Her index and middle fingers rose to the sides of her head and rubbed the painful parts in a massaging manner, her eyes clenching shut. "Ugh... S-Sorry. Just... trying to process everything, you know? I've dealt with darker operations, but nothing like this. I'm just a bit worried that this could backfire. How successful do you think this will be, James? Like, none of us are going to get caught, right? And... how are we going to pay you?"


Nothing was certain, and she knew this well. But she needed to hear it from this man in person. She let herself fall from the arm of the sofa and into the cushion itself. More comfortable for her. Think positive things, T... You can't just cripple like that. You just showed this guy you're weak by showing that side of you. Maybe it was her own manifestation of being human. For so long, she inherited the feeling of being untouchable that came with Al-Asheera. Now, she felt like things could come back to bite her in the ass at some point. This past day showed that she could be hurt. That she could feel for people. That she could love. That she's not like the other monsters in her gang. Positive things to get over the headache... first thing that came to mind? Frank. NO. NOT THAT. As tempting as it was to think about him, she couldn't. Not while he and Tony were pursuing her and using her on a tight leash. But boy did she want to... In that case, the second happy thought that came to mind? Charlie.... and it gave her an idea for James. Something to make her feel a bit more at peace with her brother.


"And one tiny favor..... when you look into my family, I'm sure you'll discover my phone number, too. Could you just.... send me a picture of my little brother? I just.." A touchy topic, one she hesitated with clearing her throat and letting her hair run over her face in embarrassment of such a stupid request. "I've never met him. Whatever you can find, please? Just send it to me." It would keep her going through all of this: hope she'd meet her brother. Hope that one day, he'd accept her as his sister, and the next time she calls him, they can actually have a conversation without her breaking down on the other side of the line. Her right hand swept over her eyes, simply ashamed of such a dumb request. If she wanted to see her brother, she should go herself, not ask a hacker to get a picture. He probably wouldn't understand her internal dilemma, how she felt she couldn't face him until she changes her ways, but maybe he'd do the favor for her. It's nothing big, even, for a hacker as experienced as James. But to Thalia, it'd mean the world.
 
"They never caught him, no." He shook his head, "ID'ed the guy, but he went AWOL. Couldn't find him in his house, couldn't find him at work, couldn't find him anywhere. He's, with a bit of luck, dead at the bottom of the river. If not, it means the bastard's still out there, still doing what he does whenever he has the chance. It's been twenty years since it happened, Tony. If they haven't caught the guy now, chances are they never will." He said, simply. "Maybe one day I'll fly back to Maryland and trace the fucker down, plot my great and almighty revenge. I don't know." He shook his head and let out a bitter laugh. "My sister was found on November 6th, but, if all of this case works out and we aren't dead by then, forgive me if I'm slightly miserable in the first week of November. As you can imagine, it's never been a particularly brilliant time for me." He explained. "But yep, that's why I became a police officer, because of people like him. I didn't want those sons of bitches to do things like that and walk away from it without punishment. I suppose in some ways I was always a bit of a detective, even before I got the promotion. I was limited on what I could do, but when I helped out, it sometimes made a difference. A lot of people say I was born for it, but..." He shook his head, "I don't think that's true. I wasn't born for it, but I was definitely made for it."


"i appreciate your support, Tony. You're a good friend. One of the better ones I've had in a long time." He said. "You're right in saying that it keeps me going, but no matter how much I go on there's still that empty space that I can't seem to fill. I never spoke to my parents about it as I was growing up. That'd be a good start if I ever faced it again - We tended to forget that it ever happened. We moved on, we tried not to think about it until November came around. The whole thing nearly ripped the family apart, and there was talk of my mom leaving my dad, my dad leaving my mom... All the usual shit. In the long run, it brought the two of them closer together in a weird way. Obviously, if we could have avoided that altogether, I would have, but..." He shook his head. "What can you do, eh?"


"As for it keeping me going, back on that topic, I don't really feel pain about what happened anymore - I was a kid, and kids make mistakes all the time. The only thing I think about now is more to do with what she would have went through, and if she was still here, what sort of person would she be?" He said. "She was a pretty girl, I remember that much. Would have grown up to have some great looks - I wonder, if she was still alive, would I be Uncle Frank to a couple of kids by now? Would she have gone to college and gotten some big fancy degree? Maybe she would have wrote the next best-seller, or got into the film industry." He shrugged, "That's what I think about now, Tony. All these years down the line and that still troubles me." He said, "And you know something? I read something online once." He cleared his throat. "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these - It might have been." He said, quietly. "And that's just life, really. Sometimes all life turns out to be is one long string of 'it might have been'." 


"But I keep going, because... That's just what I do. Just what we do. I can't change the past, but, me and you? You can be damn sure what we're doing here might help to change the future. We can make it so any children that we end up having have a safe city to grow up in."


--


"Ah, Thalia, I suppose it's only simple to a reasonable extent." He said. "To me, it's more than simple. To me, it's the same as walking to the local cafe and ordering breakfast. It takes very little effort, and my only main concerns nowadays are my fingers getting tired." He chuckled, "Yes, there's risk, but not for you. There's a risk in everything we do, that much you surely understand, especially as someone who's ran with Al-Asheera. No offence intended." He said, "With every situation comes risk, but with risk often comes reward. Thirty banks, two different banking branches, one million US dollars. It'll all arrive here without question, hopefully within the next few days." He said. "I make it sound straightfoward, yes, but that's because to someone like me, that's exactly what it is. Fritzy isn't a public enemy for no reason - some of the things they can do are considered dangerous. You may not know it, but nowadays, everything can be broken into." He said. "Cars' steering systems, their electronic chips, electronic billboards, traffic lights systems, phones, laptops, tablets, computers, MP3 players, ATMs, the national grid - Everything can be broken. Even the pacemaker that keeps your heart pumping can be hacked now - If you wear a certain model of insulin pump, there's a vulnerability in it that allows it to respond to... I think it was military radio signals. Something like that, anyway."


"We now live in a world where murder, robbery, assassination, vandalism, espionage, and whistle-blowing is all able to be done behind the screen of a computer, a phone, a laptop. Nowadays, the average person is less valuable than the data they produce. You're monitored online, your shopping habits are sent back to suppliers like Amazon and eBay. The news articles you read online now affect what other content you'll be shown, some of which may even influence your decisions in major topics, such as poll voting. The simple fact is, on the internet of things, people aren't worth shit anymore. If you exist on the system, then, in theory, there's no way of getting out. The FBI, the CIA, they could have your name and your last six generations of your family in 15 seconds if they wanted to. They could question you for crimes you didn't even commit, based on the grounds that you're a likely suspect. If you have grandparents or great-grandparents who are from the middle east, then you're already on someone's watchlist."


"Even the NSA. The bastards that say they're keeping us safe. They spy on us, listen to our phone calls, track every aspect of our digital life. If that doesn't put things into context of how simple it is, then I don't know what will. It's only going to get more powerful as time goes on. It's what a lot of us fight for - the freedom, the anonymity of living. If we spy on people, it's a crime. If they do it, it's necessary. But, if you ever want to be lectured on all of that, I'll bring it up some other time." He said, "My payment, however..." He shook his head. "The reason why I won't ask for payment will become more evident, in time." He said. "You just worry about getting this thing done, and remember, as soon as we have that money, the next part of this takedown starts getting planned. I can already tell it's not going to be easy, but, believe me, I have my ways of being helpful, as I said. I won't give you a way of contacting me, but, do remember that I'll be in touch." He said. 


Then, he was asked a favor. He arched an eyebrow, but then nodded once.


"Consider it done. I'll do some digging, find you the best photo I can find." He said, "Maybe I'll throw in a few bonuses, too, just so you can get a better idea of how things are on his side of the pond. School reports, medical records, even the sort of clubs and sports he plays if there's anything scratching around." He said, finally cracking a genuine smile. "Now that I have yours and his name, finding him alone won't be easy. Finding everything else shouldn't be much of a challenge, too, maybe just a little time-consuming. Next time we meet, I'll have something in hand to give you, I assure you." He said. A kind gesture - that one made Karin smile, too. It was nice of him to do that - she thought that maybe this guy wasn't as cold and heartless as she first thought.


Speaking of younger brothers, though, a sleepy looking Joseph stepped into the room right at the end of the conversation. He rubbed his eyes, then looked over everyone.


"Hey..." He said.


"Good morning." Karin laughed, "You slept well, I see."


"Yeah." He stretched his back and yawned. "I didn't know you invited someone over." He said.


"Ah, right." Karin said, then looked at James. She needed something that'd at least pass as believable, especially if this guy was going to be hanging around frequently. "Joseph, this is James... He's my..." She looked at James for a moment with a 'please don't shoot me' look, and finished what she was saying. ".. new boyfriend."


James' eyes quickly wandered over to meet with Karin's, but he remained silent, played it cool, and looked back to Joseph.


"So, you must be the Joseph I've heard so much about." He said. Joseph, however, looked absolutely thrilled. The idea of Karin finally having a boyfriend was exciting news to him.


"Uh, yeah, I am!" He laughed, and when James stuck out a hand, Joseph quickly took it and shook it. "Nice to meet you."


"And you."


Karin cleared her throat, "You know, James works with computers. I was thinking you two would get on well."


"Oh, finally! Karin doesn't know anything, so she never understands what I'm talking about." He laughed.


"Shame. I was just about to offer her a job."


Joseph's face dropped, "Oh, I-I mean, she doesn't know much, but she's a fast learner, real fast." 


"Heh, I'm pulling your string, kid. All's well." He said.


"So, what do you do?" He asked.


"Penetration testing."


"Oh, you mean ethical hacking? That's awesome. Can you teach me some tricks?"


"Hm, maybe next time I'm here I'll teach you how to crack a Microsoft Word document password. But, until then, I sadly have some work to do." He said, then rose to his feet. "It's been a pleasure, ladies, and Joseph. Very nice to meet you." He went to shake his hand once again, but, when Joseph reached out, he quickly dropped his hand and gave Joseph a gentle slap on the chest with the back of his hand. It didn't hurt, obviously, in fact, it made Joseph laugh. 


"See ya', man." Joseph said. "Karin, I'm gonna' go shower and stuff."


"Sure. I'll make you some breakfast when you get back." She said, and Joseph nodded; after waving bye, off he went once again. James walked to the front door, and, after opening it, he looked back into the house and looked at the two of them. 


"I'll be seeing you." He winked, and after closing the door behind him, he slipped his sunglasses and his gloves back on. He walked out to his car, which happened to be a black Range Rover with fully tinted windows. If there wasn't anything that made him suspicious yet, it was definitely going to be the car that sold the deal. Who the fuck drives a car like that and isn't shady? 


...


In the detectives' car...


"Shit, heads up. He's leaving." He said. "Get ready to put your head down if he comes this way. If he sees us, this whole thing is fucking toast." He said. "Looks like a shady son of a bitch if you ask me. Black suit, leather gloves, sunglasses, tinted windows... A black Range Rover? Come on, nothing screams 'I'm a high end drug dealer' more than all of that." He said. "He's certainly an interesting guy." Frank chuckled once. "Well, once he's clear, we should head back inside so that all of this can be explained. With a bit of luck, they'd have explained that we're in on all of this, too, but..." He shrugged. "I guess we have to wait and see." He said.
 
Perhaps what James was saying came off as... a bit scary. Anything could be hacked and tampered with. It's the kind of 'live in paranoia and you can't enjoy life' philosophy. Thalia teetered somewhere in the middle of audacity and paranoia. Fortunately, she could keep the scales moderated for the most part. She subdued any obvious signs of fear as this shady figure spoke to her about his line of business. Surely, her past 8 years weren't this intricate. Not as involved in every aspect of life, apart from spreading fear. But fear did a good deal to people. James, arguably, was doing the same thing. No payment? That was a bit strange. After that whole lecture, he wouldn't take a dime? Thalia didn't believe that for one second. Any sneaky, cunning SOB wants something in return these days. No such thing as an honest favor. Would James prove her wrong? Maybe. It'd make their lives easier. Less money to fork over to some control-freak hacker who they literally just met and is already setting them on his course. Perhaps it was safer that way, though. It put a smile on Thalia's face when he said he'd pull up information of Charlie. Anything he could find. She wanted to get to know her brother, even from the distance, and this man was a perfect pathway to it. And he happily accepted, too. Shocker. She may not know much about hacking, but pulling up information on an 8 year old boy shouldn't be too hard. It's not like he's a fugitive or anything. He was literally at home with his parents, judging by her short-lived call yesterday. Just the idea of getting to know the brother she always wanted to meet excited her. Made her pumped for the next time James would drop by. Clearing her hair from her face and looking up to the man, she showed her appreciation through the happiness in her face and told him, "Thank you. It sounds dumb. But it really isn't. If you... had any siblings, I'd guess you'd know. Especially if you've been separate all your lives."


Thalia was the only one to blame for the gap between her and Charlie. But she wanted to bridge it. This was the first step.


On the topic of siblings, Karin's finally woke up. Man, he's been asleep through a lot. Through Tony screaming in the backyard, through her and Karin's laughter destroying the laptop, he must really be a heavy sleeper. Or he was up all night. Beats her. Thalia waved to him from her curled up ball on the couch, greeting him, "Hey, sleepyhead. Join the party." And what a party it would be. The second Karin told her brother that James was her boyfriend, Thalia couldn't hold back a shocked gasp mixed with laughter, that she covered up with a single hand. Daaaaaaamn, Karin. Looks like I'm not the only one heart-seeking. Sure, this could all be an excuse to make Joseph find this believable, then say they broke up once James leaves and never comes back. But she shouldn't condemn her friend for this. Thalia JUST lied to a powerful hacker who could literally ruin her life, hiding two cops right under his nose, stealing their badges, and FUCKING KISSING ONE. Hey, girls will be girls. Maybe this could go further than just a cover story? Karin and James had a certain... dialogue between each other, back and forth. Plus, Joseph loves tech. All the more relatable, evident in their conversation about computers and hacking. This kid was going places, no doubt. But soon after their little chat, James gave his farewells. Spooky, how he'd find them, but it didn't seem like either of the girls questioned it. He most certainly would find them. He knew their full names now.


Alone at last. Finally, the three could take some leisure time. Thalia found this a time to stand up from the couch and approach Karin, at her right side, leaning over to her ear, and initiated the gossip: "Boyfriend? Either you're stealing my idea, or you've got the hots for James. Or both... Come on, Karin. All I know? We've both got some chit-chat to do. Looks like we're drooling over men sooner than we thought, hm?" It came out with an uncontrollable load of laughter and a playful poke to Karin's shoulder. She found this amusing. Sure, her friend didn't really go to the extent that Thalia pulled off, stealing her fake boyfriend's badge and landing a kiss on his cheek, but it was all the same. Fake boyfriends. What a life they lead. "You like him, don't you? ... Karin, I told you about Frank. Your turn. Please?" All so teasingly and fun. This was the enjoyable thought process that made her forget about her head pain for the moment.


--


'What might have been', a dreadful question regarding the regrets of the past. Tony had those of his own. What if his mother survived his birth and she was there for him? What if his colorblindness was discovered without Melissa to cover it up for him? What if he got through a degree in forensics? And a more recent one: what if they never caved in to the demands of Thalia and Karin last night? It's like Frank said. The past can't be altered. But the future had a thousand different outcomes. It is too late for Frank's sister. Her killer may or may not be still out there. Tony would have to look into the story later. Just out of his own curiosity. But in the moment, the focus of these two detectives was the gangs. Cutting off the heads of the snakes.


"Glad you feel comfortable opening up to me, Frank," Tony smiled to his friend, followed by a wink. "Always, my friend." It also felt good to know Frank's general background. Why he became a detective. Why he made some of his choices. Why he is who he is. Why he thinks the way he does. Which is great. Tony's reasoning was... difficult, and one that could get him fired. He'd explain, but.....


Then came the looks of that shady figure leaving the house. As he entered his car blocks away, Tony rolled his window up and turned the keys in the ignition. He kept his head low just in case the bastard was looking. Didn't want him to be seen again. Whatever plan the girls had, it hinged on their cover stories as cousins working for a shipping company or something. As the suspicious range rover drove off and out of sight, Tony, unfortunately, couldn't get any plate numbers off of it. God... shit. Either way, not like we could use them. Once the car was out of sight, Tony drove his car closer to the Held residence again, parking right in front of the house, and instantly turning the car off again and dismounting. "Let's go, Frankie. We're not wasting any time with these girls."


Without even waiting for his partner, Tony left a few anxious pounds on the red door in front of him. Moments later answered the redhead he grew to hate so much, not getting any time to gossip with her friend, unfortunately. As tempting as it was to get revenge for gripping his neck like that, the detective ignored her and marched inside, clearly uneasy about the whole thing.


"Well... I think what you meant to say was 'Hi, Thalia, hope you guys didn't fucking die!'" She sarcastically muttered.


"Who the hell was that?" Tony asked hastily, directing the question to Karin rather than Thalia, who he completely ignored and didn't give any attention to. He didn't want another encounter with her, and thus didn't direct this question to her. But Thalia's eyes were elsewhere: at Frank outside, seeing Tony just raced inside without waiting for his partner. A nervous and shy smile came over her face upon seeing him, but she avoided saying anything. You are such a dork. Stop this, you're not 16. You're a grown-ass woman. Start acting like one. Like she knew how to do that. Instead, she just gestured with her hand for Frank in a waving manner, and told him,


"Come in."
 
Everything James had been saying came across as quite scary to Karin, too, because honestly, she knew nothing about any of this, so hearing it all now was quite the shocker. Was all of that really at risk? If Joseph ever got an insulin pump, could someone behind a computer hack it and send it into overdrive? Cause him to overdose? It was all pretty scary, and Joseph had told her stories of what hackers had done, told her about viruses that cost the country up to billions in damages, but she never thought all that much of it. Until very recently, Karin had always been one of those 'It'll never happen to me' types. She thought she was someone who was able to dodge all of this bad news, but now one of the sources of it all was sat here in her living room, and honestly, Thalia ended up being quite right in what she said - Yeah, James may have been a bit control-freakish, and a little quirkier than most guys, but... He was passionate, good-looking, and to top it all off, he was nice to Joseph. There was nothing else that could seal the deal with Karin, honestly. The little thing like that that showed he had some compassion, some kindness, and it sort of put him into a new light in Karin's eyes.


So yes, Thalia made a good observation. She could have easily passed James off as an old friend - New boyfriend was actually a lie that was less believable than 'old friend', so, it was quite obvious that Karin thought something of the guy. Why? She didn't know. He was a bit of a dick to her, but, in some ways, that was more of a reason to think different of him. Was there more to James than he let on? Maybe there was. Whatever there was about him, for some reason, she wanted to find out more. She wanted to delve deeper into this mysterious man's life and find out what there was to know, and believe me, she didn't hesitate on being open about it.


"Oh, come on." She waved a hand at her. "You're telling me you didn't find him even the slightest bit... I don't know. Dreamy?" She laughed, "I hate to be that girl, but, I think James is..." She paused for a moment. "Nice." She smiled, "Hell, once again, just like we said about Frank - I'd marry him." She laughed, "He's a bit of an odd guy, and a bit mysterious, but I kinda' like that. He's secretive, reserved, not sharing everything about him as soon as he met us. It sounds crazy, but, I'd like to get to know him better, if he ever shows his face again." She laughed, "Then again, some guys don't like 'edgy' girls. By that, I mean, some guys don't like girls who dye their hair, so." She shrugged. "We'll have to wait and see." She said.


"Now, you've got some explaining to do." She poked her on the chest and grinned, "You and Frank. Or 'Liam'. Hah!" She laughed, a fake laugh, a mocking one, but, that was what she intended. "Now, you're telling me that you didn't enjoy that? You did it for the sake of a lie? Please!" She teased, "I bet you loved that, deep down, and I reckon Frank did, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he came back holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of expensive chocolates." She said, then grinned at her and nudged her again. "I'm just waiting for the moment that you say to me that you guys have hit it off, and you'll be down on the beach sharing an ice cream before we know it." She said. "And another thing about James - I get the impression he knows how to be a real sweetheart if you look past all of his... Seriousness. Like with you - He jumped straight on the idea of helping you get pictures of your brother and stuff. In my eyes, that was just adorable." 


Outside, while Frank was waiting patiently for the shady guy to leave, he couldn't help but wonder what they'd be walking in on. Could this guy have killed everyone in the house and just left without saying anything? How did they even know this guy was genuine? Where did they even meet him? Where did they contact him? He was worrying himself immensely - He didn't want into the house on two dead women and a potentially dead kid, too. Yeah, that was one sight he wouldn't be able to cope with, not after what they'd spoken about in the car. If Tony was to actually look into that murder case from 20 years ago, he'd probably find some interesting stuff that the police missed all those years ago. It wouldn't be hard to do. The whole reason Frank hadn't done it yet was because he didn't want to face it all, didn't want to relive the worst moment in his life. When it was time to make a move to the house, though, he didn't waste time getting out of the car. His head still hurt, and he needed some fresh air and hopefully a pleasant chat before the day continued.


It was safe to say that seeing Thalia come to the door was a relief, and honestly, he couldn't help but crack an ever so faint smile when he saw her. Tony blanked her, as could be expected, but Frank was glad to see the two girls were alive and well.


"Good to see you're alright." He said to her. When he was invited in, obviously, he stepped inside and made sure the door was shut behind him. He looked at Karin - she seemed... Happy? They certainly didn't look like the guy had laid into them, but, that didn't mean Frank trusted him at all. Karin did have Tony's question to answer, though.


"Don't worry. I know you may be skeptical, but James seems very reliable." She said, "Very honest, straight up with us, said he's more than willing to help us get what we need. Unbelievably, he doesn't want payment for it, but we'll wait and see if that's true. He's... Not a bank robber, at least not your traditional type. In fact, he's quite the contrary - Says he can get a lot of intel on just about anything if he has names and such. He's one of those guys behind the gang member exposures." She said, shrugging.


"So he's one of those grey-hat hackers, is that what you're saying?" Frank asked.


"I... Guess so." She shrugged.


"How did you even meet the guy?" He asked.


Karin looked at Thalia, then at Frank and Tony. "Okay, this is probably where you'll get annoyed, but please, keep your voice down. Joseph's awake and I don't want him overhearing anything." She said. "We met James..." She sighed and closed her eyes, "We got in contact with James on a forum on The Deep Web. I know, stupid idea, but it's paid off." She said. 


She just didn't want either of them to explode at them for that - yes, it was a big risk to take, but it was proving to be worthwhile so far.
 
"Hey, I didn't say he wasn't," Thalia shook her head, grinning at Karin at their little conversation about guys. Almost like a dream come true for her; having a friend to talk about this sort of thing to. "Next time he shows up here and Joseph walks in, you better kiss the fuck out of him, girl. Give him a sign. Get the guy thinking about it. Every night in his dreams." Oddly enough, when she did that, it's all that kept coming up in her head. Frank. And he still was. But she would freak out and get nervous every time he gets close. God damn her shyness around cute guys... "Hey, who are you calling..... well, you kinda got me there with 'edgy', says the girl who you first met with the edgy dark make-up thing. Stillllllll... you think Frank likes that out of his girls?"


Well, Thalia really couldn't beat around the bush with her little stunt. She was still screaming on the inside about the kiss. Laughing alongside her friend, she added, "Oh my god, I loved every second of that, and if I had to the act longer, I so would, even if he arrested me later. So my lie was LITTLE bit too real to be a lie. Big whoop. But flowers? Chocolate? Oh, god, he's dreamy, but I doubt he'd do that after one kiss. Sure, I saw his face. He looked like he liked it, but eh. I can't be sure until he tells me." Who would've known that an extreme circumstance brought these two women a chance for romance? A bit... unlikely, though. Thief with detective, hacker with seemingly innocent. Even under the circumstances, Thalia was rooting for Karin, and it seemed like the other way around. Just the thought of going on a date made her blush further and hide her face in her hands from the embarrassment. Once she got over it, she grabbed her friend's wrists and shook them, leaning in a bit in her continued tease, "That's going to be the most awkward double date ever, if we ever pull that off, you know?"


The conversation was cut off when the pounds on the door echoed the house. As promised, Thalia answered it, only for Tony to storm in without giving her a glance. Thank god, though. She didn't feel like hearing his scolding words at this hour. Here comes the killjoy... Unfortunately, it was back to business. Still... Frank was there, and her nervousness returned. He smiled to her, ever so faintly, and it caused an internal freak out for the girl. HE SMILED AT ME, EEEEP... Ugh, what is wrong with me, one kiss with this guy to sell an act and you're still acting like he's going to melt in your arms. Idiot. Was he though? Once this was all over, she had to get him in private and ask. He shut the door behind him, and Thalia followed their little wolf pack into the living room together, taking a seat beside Karin again, listening to her explain.


Sure, it was relieving for Tony to know he didn't just walk in on a murder show. This could've been some bloodbath made out of these two girls, something straight out of horror movies. But no, he left them alive and unharmed. On the contrary, they both looked like they were having a good time. Women. Strange creatures. Melissa was the only one Tony could really see through. Karin's more than meets the eye. Thalia? A world-class liar. Still, thankfully, they weren't killed by this James figure. He heard Karin's explanation, further believing that this person was some sort of criminal. If only he could arrest the guy on the spot. Then came the part where Karin said they met him on the Deep Web. That caused Tony's entire facial expression to change. Impressed they actually had the balls to try something like this, but also infuriated they were engaging in further criminal activity. There's only so much he was going to let go from these two.


"So... that's why you were destroying that thing outside, the laptop. And this James? I don't wanna hear bullshit. He's a criminal, isn't he?" He wasn't raising his voice just yet. But he was getting there.


"Call him what you will," Thalia butted in, her sassy tone returning, "He's helping us. You know I can't get anywhere near that monster without his money. So it's necessary."


"There are other ways, thief." Thief. It was all-too true, and Thalia knew it. But to be given the name directly was different. She smirked and shook her head, her elbow leaning on the couch, palm on the side of her head, fingers running between her locks of hair.


"So that's all I am to you. A thief."


"Yes. After what you pulled on us with our badges? That IS all you are."


Thalia rolled her eyes to Karin quickly to explain the badges. "I stole their badges so James wouldn't get suspicious that these two are cops. But I gave them right back. Thieves don't give their snags back."


"That's a load of shit. Plus, I can have you arrested right now for sexually assaulting my partner."


Her jaw dropped. Shit... She didn't think that through. But from her own experience, it's not 'sexual assault' or 'rape' if Frank liked it. "I don't think you have the right to file that sort of report, Grandpa." Finally, a chance to insult Tony's older-than-he-really-is looks. Unappreciative of it, he ever so desperately wanted to smack her again, but this time, after just a look to his partner, he halted himself. But Thalia stood up from her place and got up in Tony's face once again. "Maybe you should ask your partner if he considered that I was... well, raping him." She glanced passed Tony and over to Frank. "So..... um... was I?"


An indirect way of getting Frank to say whether he liked it or not. Like hell he'd say he enjoyed every second of it, but if he were on Thalia's side, he'd probably defend her case. But still... fangirl moment, one where she'd find out if Frank would be open to getting to know her better.


"Whether he liked it or not, I can still arrest you for stealing my gun and badge. That is a felony, no doubt about it. So you'd better watch your attitude and behavior."


"Can we at least get on topic?" Thalia was becoming fed up with the personal attacks and off-topic discussions. "James agreed to help us and he'll contact us further when he knows more. So take it easy... What exactly is it you wanted to discuss this morning before I shooed you both away? Besides the death threats."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
"No, girl, you're not the edgy one out of the two of us." Karin shook her head, "I mean me. I have hair that would be described as an 'edgy' color." She laughed, "But, if James is one of those guys that sits around on the internet a lot, chances are he's seen much worse than me." She grinned. "Plus, Frank's kinda' mysterious, too. He's a pretty serious guy, but I bet he can be a shit load of fun if you gave him the chance. He seems like the kinda' guy that'd be up for a party, I'm telling you. I don't think he's Californian, though. You can just tell with some people." He shrugged, "I don't think James is Californian, either, but I bet he's closer to California than Frank is. Frank looks like someone who's walked out of a New York office, just without the extra weight from the daily bagel, and no New Yorker accent." She said, followed by a laugh. "No, but, I think you and him have quite a lot in common, I bet. If you ever get the chance you should try and find out more about him, see what you can get from it all. The more you know, the further you'll get, I guarantee."


Of course, though, their whole conversation was cut short. Karin smiled when she saw Frank, too, because she wanted to see exactly how all of this panned out. The talk of sexual assault, rape, all of that came up, and for a moment Karin was worried. Then Thalia said they should ask Frank - Oh, dear. This was going to be either really good, or really bad. Karin watched Frank closely, What was he going to say? He looked like a deer in the headlights as soon as it was suggested they asked him. That more or less confirmed what he was going to say, too, so she leaned forward on her seat and listened, as if she was about to be told the secret of the world.


Frank cleared his throat, "I wouldn't... I wouldn't consider it... 'Rape'." He said, all the while sounding like he was choking on his words. "Karin, I'm sorry to be a pain, but do you have any painkillers? My head's killing me."


She had to bite her bottom lip to suppress a grin, but... "Sure, Frank." She smiled, sweetly, and wandered off into the kitchen. She got out a glass and some painkillers, and after filling the glass with water, she took it over to Frank and handed him all the items. He was quick to take the painkillers and take a nervous drink of the water, his eyes darting all over the room. He felt really 'on the spot' right now. Still, as Karin was walking back to her seat, she discreetly winked at Thalia. That was the confirmation that the little kiss he got was something well-taken. Always good news, I suppose. Karin wasn't going to say anything, just so she didn't piss off Tony. She'd seen he had a bit of a bad temper. There were more questions to answer about James, too.


"Well, I wouldn't necessarily call him a 'criminal'." She shrugged slowly and sat down. "He's more of a... Vigilante. Sure, he's done some illegal shit, I'm sure, but let's face it, Tony, unless the four of us go and rob a bank, there's no way we're getting a million. We need that to make this Ra's fucker cool his head a bit, otherwise Thalia's dead, we know that." She said, "And if she dies, that puts your career at risk, and it puts mine and Joseph's life as risk, too. But the main fact is she dies, and I don't want that. Thalia doesn't deserve death - This bastard's only done as much as ruin her life, and it's time we got back at him. There's no way this ends without him being either behind bars, or six feet under." She said, "But, then again... If you don't like the guy we've got for the million dollars, I mean, you could always take a chance at seducing the rich guy." 


Frank immediately choked on the water he was drinking - that was certainly a funny thing to imagine. 


Karin just winked at Tony, and of course, grinned at him, too. "James may be a suspicious man, but whether you like it or not, he's the only safe way we have of making that one million before next week. The guy knows what he's doing, and he seems very reasonable. He's based out somewhere in LA, too." She said, "He'll be in contact with us, but basically, before next week, the whole million dollars is going to arrive by express mail from San Francisco, all in stacks of one hundred dollar bills in wads of $10,000. They'll be unmarked, clean, and ready to take to Ra's. All we'll have to do is shove it in a bag and hand it to Thalia - Basically, Tony, Frank - the trouble the money might cause won't link back to us in any way. Which is probably exactly what you want." She said.


"Now, you can both treat us like the scum of the earth if you want to - You can call me whatever you want, you can call me a thief, a liar, a fraud, a... Manipulative bitch, for all I care." She shrugged, "But, I think before you do that, you guys need to take a look in the mirror. You guys are in the same boat as us, and if you don't start realizing that, this ship will sink instead of sail, okay?" She said. "James will help, and there's not anything else we can do but accept that. There is no other way." She said.


"Right." Frank cleared his throat, "The other thing I think we wanted to discuss was the 7/11 business, but we had that cleared up earlier. There's also the talk of the rat in the LAPD." He said, "Thalia, do you know anything more than the fact he has a neck tattoo? From what I remember, visible tattoos aren't allowed in the PD, so, if this guy's in there, chances are Al-Asheera paid off one of the higher-ups to let him in, or he paid them, or she, whatever." He shrugged. "But one of our main priorities is getting that guy out of there." He said. "And thirdly, we need to discuss this plan for when we take the money to Ra's. Like I said before, there won't be much backup, but if he's in a high rise building, we might be able to figure some stuff out. We still need to get you the camera that you can place somewhere discreet, and that'll be easy to get, too." He said. "Tony, is there anything else we need to talk about?" He asked.
 
Frank's answer to the question was a relief. Rape? That's a strong word to use for an intimate hug and a kiss on the cheek. Not like Thalia was trying to have sex with him. Well, yet. It was all just a ploy for Tony to find an excuse to throw her under the bus. Even if it's overkill. She watched over the man, eagerly waiting for what he had to say. It would also be the judge of whether or not he enjoyed the hands-on moment with her. What guy wouldn't? Thankfully, he sort of stood on Thalia's side, saying that her motions wouldn't be considered rape in his book. Maybe that was a good thing; he might've liked it. But he might have another word that was just as bad, so Thalia kept her mouth shut and didn't ask anything further about the subject. Is there a chance, then? Did he LIKE it? Fuck me, I'm losing focus. But poor guy... headaches suck.... STOP. HE'S NOT YOURS. 


After hearing so much about this James character, Tony had given up on trying to argue about it. Their noses were dirty enough as is. One more guy in the mix wouldn't make much of a difference. Still, it bothered him about the cover story Thalia gave him, how she claimed that Frank is her boyfriend. What if this guy's some sicko who wants proof? He could take a guess that Thalia would enjoy crawling all over his partner. Frank? He HOPED he wouldn't enjoy it. Hell, he so desperately wanted him to pull a sexual assault charge on this girl. If they can't charge her as a thief, they can charge her as a female rapist. Once they were done using her, he wouldn't let her walk. But for now, she was of use, and had something to spit out about the LAPD rat:


"No visible tattoos. That's why they had to burn off the hand ink. This guy should literally stick out like a sore thumb. You're looking for someone with burn marks on his hand in the shape of my tattoo..." Thalia raised her right hand, palm facing herself so that the two detectives could examine her designs. Tony already memorized the dragon tattoo, so this was mainly for Frank. It made the girl think: when this is over, would she get it removed? Sure, it looked cool, but it was still a red flag to anyone who knows the underground. Thoughts for later and her hand descended into her folded arms at her chest. "From what I know, his neck tattoo is still there. If I remember correctly, it's that of a pig. Remember when I said the left side of the neck embodies your father's occupation? His father was a butcher, so you know. Unfortunately, I don't know his birth name or the name he's using in the department, but I do know his clan name: Al-Rsas, The Bullet. He used to be an executioner back in Philly, but after our previous inside man turned on us there, Al-Rsas got a nifty promotion. Like myself, he's very tight with Ra's, a new part of the inner circle, which he called Al-Ashra, The Ten, and therefore both knows a lot and can relay a lot that happens in the pen. Odds are, he found out you were at the 7/11, reported it to Ra's, and he had your personal info pulled. You two are marked just for being there. Odds are, anyone else who survived the explosion also received the same welcoming card."


Tony cut her off and turned over to Frank, realizing something from that, "We need to call Redgrave. Maybe he's been marked, too, depending on how much this informant was able to dig up."


"Trust me. He can dig up more than you can begin to imagine. Anyone still alive from yesterday is in trouble. And let me just say, Ra's is a sadist. He will get off to every second of your misery until you have nothing left to love, and then he will wait for you to beg to be mercy-killed.... fortunately for me, he knows I have nothing that he knows about, so he'd just off me on the spot. That's why we're bringing cash. So he doesn't do that."


Ra's never found out about Charlie. He just wasn't that thorough, and he knew she didn't care about her parents. However, when he found out about Vanessa, the girl she was cheating on him with, he had her killed immediately just to see Thalia in a wreck. One woman's misery over the other's, as well as a warning shot. Likewise, Ra's doesn't know about Karin, and she planned to keep it that way. It might be too late for Frank, though... She felt bad for him, being dragged into this whole mess. She could tell just by the look in his eyes that he's new to cruising with Tony. And the first case was one that put his life at risk. Reading people; Thalia's specialty.


But Tony had other concerns. Melissa. If this informant dug into the files in HR, he'd find out that Tony is living with his long-term girlfriend. That would reach Ra's, and like Thalia just mentioned: he'd go after the thing he treasures. He wasn't wrong to consider sending Mel out of town for a short while. Just until this is over. Frank, fortunately, didn't have anyone in LA, making it a relief. He wouldn't have to worry about his partner losing anyone. That was the pain of the job as a cop: protecting the people you love. You get involved in a lot, and you make a fair share of enemies. And they were now butting heads with Al-Asheera, and there were no masks or barriers in between.


"Couple of other things, for the sake of transparency," Thalia continued, stepping in between the two detectives, her gaze darting between them, but at times, lingering onto Frank for a few seconds extra. "Ra's is a greedy son of a bitch. Sure he has a lot of financial assets, but it's mostly liquid assets. Cash, gold, that kind of stuff. He's got an entire room stacked up in his money. Boy, was that a pain to haul over here to LA. He hates spending his money unless it's payment for his underlings or for promoting some personal lavish lifestyle, and by that, I mean some old cloak and a bunch of rings, maybe even a crown someday, so he'd look like some sort of king from centuries ago. Top that off with a regal bed, some expensive alcohol, and a team of servants, and that's all he needs. That's why Al-Asheera is so low-tech, because Ra's refuses to upgrade. Old school, as I've said. A way to piss him off is to force his hand to fork up money due to his operations going to shit, kind of like what happened with the 7/11. It won't just be a financial loss for him, but it will really get to him in his head. Then again, that's exactly how you'll force his hand to retaliate, too, so watch yourselves. I've also mentioned he has an inner circle, The Ten? It's what the name says, ten people who are the top of the Al-Asheera hierarchy. Cutting out Ra's still makes the entire clan fall apart, but if there's any successor, its within The Ten. Apart from the bitch himself, myself, and The Bullet, there are seven others. Some of them, I know their real names, others no. I can write out what I know so you can cross-reference, so your heart desires, but I doubt it'll be necessary if this money thing works out."


"Mmm..." Tony muttered, thinking over these details. "In that case, how do we know you aren't trying to use us to rise in the ranks?"


"Really? I thought you were smart, besides getting your badge and gun swiped with just a touch of your lips. But enough of that. Why the hell would I start a coup with two cops as my backup, bozo?" A good point. It would just put herself in danger. She spun around on her heels to face Tony. "Keep in mind that Ra's' mindset is old-fashioned Arab. He's the kind that objectifies women and uses them for sex and eye candy. Why would he make one, even his Bride, to inherit his throne? Look, It's clear you have it out for me. But think of it this way: I want to see Al-Asheera burn to the ground just as much as you do. And clearly from how much you hate me, you do. You hate them, and you show that hatred by acting like a whiny bitch around me. So get over it. We're on the same side, and want the same outcome. And I promise, once this is over, you will never see me again."


"And if I do?"


Shrugging and slapping her hands to her sides, she answered, "Then put a bullet in my head. I would fucking deserve it, right?" Did she really? A bit controversial, but that seemed like enough to shut Tony up. The older detective had very little to say to her. She turned around to Frank, marching in his direction to continue talking. Boy, did she like getting his attention. "You asked about when we go in, right? Well, he is in a pretty high-rise place. Fifth floor. My room's got a balcony. So I'll just leave the curtains open, and you can set up a sniper to keep watch in case it's needed... or if you can actually use the resource. Inside? If you see things turning sour, or you have enough to incriminate the man, go for it. I can handle hand-to-hand combat with him." Truth be told? She couldn't. He was much larger and stronger than her. It'd be a fight for her life. "I'm the girl on the inside, so let me handle it all."


Tony figured he could open up to Karin more than Thalia. He wouldn't blow up on her so easily. "So, Miss Held. I understand most of what this James persona is up to. I have a fair understanding of the process. Any specific timeline yet? Has he confirmed to do the job? I mean, I get you trust him and all. But who's to say he's not some fake federal agent trying to bait you out. The Deep Web is a dangerous place. That could've been a honeypot that will ruin your life forever. And you don't strike me as entirely... tech-savvy. Are you sure there isn't another way to get the money? Because the four of us are not becoming some new heist crew."


Once again, reading people was Thalia's specialty. Just looking to Frank's eyes told a story. He didn't sleep very comfortably, and he clearly was in pain. Her serious face then turned into one more sympathetic. "Um... Frank, was it? Are you okay?" Clearly he was in pain from something. Seeing the brothel incident on the news last night... Damn it, don't tell me you were there when it went up in smoke, Frank. PLEASE don't tell me you got hurt and you're staying quiet about it... Why are you suddenly caring for him so much? You're not his doctor or therapist. You'll never learn, won't you?  Perhaps not. The brothel, whoever blew it up, was on her. The reason Frank was there and marked? It was because of her. She sighed, tapping her fingers together in front of her body. "I... should've never told you about the 7/11, shouldn't I? That's why you're in pain, right?" She kept her voice down so Tony and Karin wouldn't listen too closely to their conversation. They seemed distracted.
 
"Alright, so, finding the informant should be easy enough. We're looking for a guy with burn scars on his hand, and a pig on his neck. Pretty attractive tattoo, of course." He said, sarcastically. "And fuck me. The Bullet?" He shook his head, "If he was the executioner back in Philly, then I don't want to tango with this son of a bitch. As soon as we find him, we arrest him, and we be done with it. We don't fight with this guy, because for some reason, I have a feeling that this guy knows a thing or two about hand-to-hand." He said, "As far as that goes for me is basic combat training and a bit of karate I did when I was a kid. Nothing more than that." Frank forced out a laugh. "And I don't think a nine-year-old's karate skills are going to go up against a man who's killed enough people to last him a lifetime." He quickly added on, then took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair.


"So, we need to go after The Ten, as well as Ra's. Otherwise, this organization's going to pop right back up as soon as Ra's is taken out."


Karin shrugged, "In theory, with the executioner, it'd be easier just to kill him."


Frank shot her a look, "You can't be serious."


"Well, am I wrong?" She asked. "If you arrest him, they'll know it was you that did it. Who else is it gonna' be?" He asked. "Especially if he's the inside guy - all they have to do is ask him who locked him up. He's seen your faces, knows your names, your families, your phone numbers, and your addresses... All they'd have to do is ask, and that would be the end of it."


Frank sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, in some ways, Karin was right. He didn't say anything - he just shook his head. "Let's worry about that as the ball rolls, okay?" He said. When Tony spoke of Redgrave, though, Frank nodded hastily in agreement. "We do need to get on the line to him ASAP. Then again, with the 7/11, surely Ra's would know that the cops aren't gonna' be the ones who nuked it. We had an outside guy - Some fucker with a voice changer and access to a military prototype weapon, and stacks of C4. That sounds too high, even for Bradan's people. Bradan is the most likely suspect, though, so surely, Ra's would have more luck trying to hunt whoever the guy on the phone was, right?" He asked. "I don't know, but, the bottom line with Redgrave is this: He's pissed off quite a few people over the past few years, so much that the FBI have been talking to him more than usual - They're talking about protection, all of that bullshit. Why? Because under his leadership, SWAT's seized millions of dollars' worth of narcotics and firearms from just about everyone. Russians, Chinese, and worst of all, Bradan's guys. Bradan almost definitely has an inside guy in the department. If anyone knows about what Redgrave's done to Bradan, it'll be the rat. Redgrave did an operation on Bradan very recently, caught a truck full of cocaine, locked up four of his guys. That sort of talk doesn't go back to Bradan's office without consequences." He sighed to himself and shut his eyes.


"I don't know Redgrave all that well, but I know enough. He's got a wife, a daughter, and a little boy. His daughter's gotta' be fourteen or fifteen now, and his boy? Eh... No older than five or six." He said. "He's the one in the most danger right now - You can almost be certain that Bradan will rush in for revenge if he knows that Redgrave was behind the takedown on his shipment. Bradan would have lost millions to that operation alone, and like I said, that won't go on without consequences, and like Ra's and 'The Ten', we've clarified that Bradan is one psychotic, ruthless, evil son of a bitch. He's the sort of guy that'll strap Redgrave to a chair and then shoot his family right in front of him. He's done shit like that before - not to anyone in the PD, but to people that crossed him." He said. "There was a case a while back when I still worked the beat, it was rumored to be Bradan, but the guy got off like he usually does. We walk in to this rundown apartment, I think it was a member of the 580's, actually, one of the higher ups. Drug deal with Bradan went bust, he tried to scam him out of one fair bit of money. We walk in, and..." He shook his head. "The guy, three kids, wife, brother - All of them are there with a bullet right between the eyes. It sounds like something out of a fucking crime-thriller novel, I know, but, that's the sort of people we're dealing with here." He said.


The offer of having real names handed to them was one that was tempting - if they could get that, they could dig deeper, and judging by the sound of this James character, they could use him to get what they needed - if he was going to help them, that was. It made Frank think - did the girls tell him the truth like he asked? He hoped so, because if he was in on this, then he was going to find out eventually, and honestly, Frank didn't want bad shit to come his way, not from a guy in a Gucci suit and black leather gloves. It was all too suspicious.


"Rome wasn't built in a day, but it was certainly destroyed in one." Frank said, "We can take out Ra's, some of the organization will fall. At the same time, if Ra's isn't the type of fella' to trust everyone, then, if we worked our way through his ten most trusted - We've already scratched you off the list, essentially, but, you get the idea. If we worked through them first, then put Ra's on the chopping block right after, wouldn't that be the last nail in the coffin for Al-Asheera? Al-Asheera would fall to nothing but petty thieves if you got rid of the main men, and we know that petty thieves get caught eventually. They get greedy, try and do something bold like hold up a jewelry store, or something. Then that's the end of the line for them." He said. "At least that's my take on it." 


"A sniper on a rooftop sounds like a good plan. Hard to put into action, but possible." He said. "We can manage that easily, and that way, if things do go pear-shaped, any trained marksman should be able to take out Ra's non-lethally. Or at least immobilize him - We could always send you in with something else. It sounds crazy, but I know there's some cloroform in an evidence locker somewhere. Worst case scenario, you knock the fucker out, and we find a way to bag and tag him. If we end up getting Redgrave on our side, we'll have the SWAT Chopper at our disposal." He said. "This is all starting to sound like a Mission Impossible movie, that's the only issue. We need to take this as it comes - There won't be any need to do anything if he doesn't get hostile with Thalia. Patience is a virtue and all, but, having the backup there is always nice." 


Over on Karin's side, though, she had Tony talking to her.


"Please, just call me Karin." She said, simply. "I know that this James guy doesn't seem like the most reliable of sorts. He's confirmed he'll do it, and he said he'll be in touch. He said the money's going to be here before next week, so I imagine within the next few days. It wouldn't surprise me if he was in the process of getting that money together as we speak - chances are, he'll have it all by the end of tonight, and the next few days will be for shipping. I'm not tech savvy, no, but..." He shook his head. "Look, we have reasons to believe why he's not a federal agent, alright? He's sort of... I can't reveal too much, those are his terms, but he's a slight bit of a public enemy. That's why I don't think he's a fed." She explained. "Look around, Tony." She said. "I'm a twenty-three-year-old woman with nothing more than a high school education who can hardly afford her brother's medical bills. Do you really think there's any other way to get a million dollars? I know for a fact I haven't got a million under my mattress or anything." She said. "You said it yourself, the four of us aren't becoming a heist crew. We'd all get caught, we'd all go down - James may turn out to be a complete sham, and if he is, we'll deal with that, but... Let's trust the guy. For now."


When Frank was approached by Thalia, he offered her a gentle smile. He tried to smile through the pain, but, the painkillers hadn't quite kicked in yet.


"Look..." He sighed, "Yes, I was there, I was there when it went up in flames. Me getting hurt isn't on you, though. I tried to be a hero and nearly got killed for it." He said. "SWAT was right outside, the commander got off the phone to some mystery guest, and I ran out there to try and get SWAT to pull back - The bombs went off right as I got close. I was maybe another couple of feet away from being killed in that blast. It knocked me back, I smacked my head, perforated an eardrum." He sighed, "I didn't sleep all that much last night, but don't worry about me. Medics said there aren't any signs of major damage, but I need to go to a doctor about the ear, just to be safe." He explained. "I'm fearful for a few people. Tony, Redgrave. Mainly them." He said. "Unlike me, they have people they care about - I have my parents all the way back in Maryland, but that's it." He said. "Tony and Redgrave have a lot more to lose than I do, that's for sure." He gently rubbed the back of his head. "Does that James character know the truth about me and Tony yet? We didn't exactly sell our acts to Broadway very well." He said.
 
A takedown on all of the members of The Ten sounded like a great idea to ensure that Al-Asheera doesn't get revived by a loyal second-in-command. It's been reduced to nine now, considering Thalia has already double-crossed them. Fortunately, the Bride of the Head had a lot of information to offer about The Ten, which she'd happily share with them when the time comes, or when one of the detectives asks. What a way to approach it, too. Thalia wouldn't expect a successor, but she couldn't risk that one of his most trusted would take the reigns in a worst-case scenario. Ra's is in his mid-40's, how much longer will he be able to rule Al-Asheera the way he does? He already doesn't put himself in harms way as a protective measure. His scope of abilities will only become smaller and smaller with time. The question is, would Ra's ever pass down the torch? Even Thalia couldn't know. If it were anyone in The Ten, it most certainly won't be her. Misogynistic prick. He'd die before making his bride-to-be the new Head. The other nine? They were all men. She couldn't rule any of them out, and they were all as power hungry as the next. It'd be anyone's game. Besides, who's to stop any of the others from promoting Tony's idea of starting a coup? Again, she wouldn't put it past them. Lots of conflict inside the inner circle. She wanted nothing to do with apart from tearing it apart.


"Karin might be right about The Bullet," Thalia interrupted. "He's dangerous, you don't want to face this guy. It'd be much quicker and cleaner to just kill him. He doesn't know anything too deep. He's still fresh to The Ten, so he hasn't seen anything too sensitive or revealing. And even if he has, he won't break, especially because we have nothing to offer him. And we're sure as hell not letting him walk."


"That's equal reason not to let you walk," Tony cut her off. He knew it would piss Thalia off, but he didn't care.


"The difference is The Bullet isn't cooperating with two dirty cops to bring the whole show down."


Tony shut up after being called corrupt. There was no denying it though. He and Frank were now bent by this whole ordeal. That hat was clear over the fence now. Hell, executing and executioner wouldn't do too much to them anymore. Either way, comparing this informant to Thalia. The executioner/inside man, or the leader's beloved? It was clear who should walk and who shouldn't. No words were left for the older detective to say.


The name Redgrave was one she didn't recognize, but Bradan? It was different. She might've heard Ra's mention the name once before. But his name, as well as the Clover Boys, were meaningless. She had no clue they were an opposing gang that Ra's was butting heads with. If there was, Thalia would find out when she goes in. But The Ten were a priority for now. Scraping out the informant was a first. A task the detectives could do whenever they return to the station. Not a job for Thalia or Karin. Their job was to deal with James. Thalia had a bit extra: help coordinate the sting when they got the money. Really, it was sounding like a Mission Impossible movie. But that was for a distant future. She didn't give it too much thought. As for Tony? Now more than ever did he feel like he had an obligation to protect this crowd, as well as Redgrave. Everyone and their loved ones were in danger, be it from either gang. It all came crashing down in such a short time. Once they left, he was going to call Mel and tell her to leave town.


Just a single day, and Tony now had a collection of partnerships he didn't ask for. Now, with a guy that he didn't even get a chance to know or admit that he's a detective. But he had no choice but keep his mouth shut. He was much calmer and more sympathetic towards Karin in their private conversation. Not hostile. "Karin... fine. That works. We're putting a lot of trust in you two, Karin. Or, three, I should say. I'll trust your judgment that he's not a fed for now. It unnerves me to work for criminals. I've been ten years as a straight and narrow detective, so I guess you can understand how uncomfortable I am with this whole deal. Thalia's a criminal. The way you speak of this James, he also falls under that category, under the bounds of the law. He might be our only hope. And I will pretend I don't know a thing, and we can hopefully walk away from this whole thing. But he's probably going to find out that Frank and I aren't cousins, we don't work for a shipping firm, and that we're detectives with the LAPD..." A glance over his shoulder showed Thalia and Frank talking on their own. A knot grew in his stomach as the sickening thought of coming to his partner's home and finding his prime suspect there in his bed haunted him once again. "And that Frank and Thalia aren't dating. So we should all come clean. Maybe all four of us can meet this man next time he calls?"


Apart from being genuinely concerned for this man, Thalia didn't want to lie to Frank, not about James or anything like that. She didn't want to make enemies with him over an exaggerated truth. She'd already pushed things with her little cover-up earlier. "Honestly? No. James still thinks you two are cousins, and that you're my boyfriend..... AND that your name is Liam, but again... I'm sorry for that," She shook her head a bit to let a few bundles of her hair cover her face. It still felt a bit messy from waking up. She hadn't washed up yet today. But it served to her advantage, still embarrassed about kissing him. "W-We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but it's just to sell the act. We can't tell him you two are cops yet. That's why I took your badges. I couldn't let one of you ruin our best shot at getting this money. I promise you, when we gain his trust, I'll let him know who exactly you are. Personally. Just... about you... I'm worried." THAT needed explaining, for sure. First she kisses him, then this? She was probably scaring him, giving him all sorts of mixed messages. All she wanted to do was comfort him. Not let someone else get hurt. She suddenly... cared, so much. Was it the fuzzy feeling inside her of falling for this man, a cop of all people? Sure, she didn't feel this way about Tony, but she wouldn't want him to get hurt either. She clearly cared about Karin, and the two felt like friends for years, even if it's been a day. Frank? He seemed different. Mysterious. Thalia was offering a hand for friendship. Peace with at least one of these cops. If she were lucky, give him something to care about.


"You may not be worried about yourself, but I am," she admitted. "You said Tony has people that he cares about. Karin has her brother. You don't, and I hardly do either. That means Ra's won't hesitate to kill you. Or worse... he'll want to see you suffer, and since you don't have any loved ones, he might... well, resort to torturing you. That's what I know, at least...." She reached forward for Frank's chest and slowly backed him further away into the kitchen to say something a bit more private. Something to make him know someone was worried about him, to get his trust. "I was seeing someone in Al-Asheera other than Ra's. It started a few years back. You know, not many women choose to be a part of a gang of thieves. I, myself, and a rare breed. Young, vigorous, maybe a bit feisty with an attitude. That must be what Ra's sees in me. But there was another girl that just.... clicked with me, you know? Her name was Vanessa. Her clan name was Al-Maajiza. "The Miracle," named because she had a near-death experience before Ra's took her in. All we could say about her? Miraculous. Hence her name, but I liked her real name more. She spent two years as a sort of IT girl for Al-Asheera for whatever electronic needs we had, which were very few. But she and I? We connected. A lot..." The memory wasn't an easy one, considering the aftermath. She lifted her head over to a counter, grabbed the edges, and hopped on, looking to Frank as she spoke. "I loved her, Frank. But at the same time, I was still Ra's' property. Said I couldn't be for someone else's eyes. But one day, he found out about how I felt about her....." A deep exhale. "Oh, god, they tortured her right in front of me, kept echoing in her head that I did this to her, blaming it all on me. It eventually got the better of her. They brainwashed her to hate me. The things she said when I finally got a chance to talk to her... They hurt. They took the girl who meant so much to me, and they took her away. Made her someone else.... only to execute her the next morning for everyone in Al-Asheera to see." With a shake of her head, she cleared her voice and avoided breaking down before continuing, "Ra's took away the one thing I cared so dearly about in there, and he made it so painful every step of the way just so I could feel double the pain she felt. He's a monster, and he's had it out for me ever since I cheated on him. It might be why he wants me dead, it might be a bit more. Sure, you may not have anyone like that." She looked back over to Tony, discussing his side of things with Karin. "You have your partner if anything. But after him? Ra's might just use you to make people suffer.... And if you don't think anyone will suffer with you gone, think again... I will." Shit, you are so fucking stupid, take that back! But she knew how to recover. "Frank, I got you all into this mess the second I returned to the diner to see Karin. If anything happens to you, her, or Tony, it's on me. I'd hate to hear that one day, you got hurt because of all of this... I'm sorry, this may come off as sudden, but it's true. If you are in pain, walk away from this while you still can. Just because you were marked doesn't mean it's permanent. Get away from all of this, and Ra's will leave you alone. You could've died yesterday at the explosion, and I can see in your eyes that you're hurting, so you better promise me..." Her hand reached over for Frank's bicep. Nice and firm, and her grip matched how Tony reacted when she fought back earlier today. Tough. Her eyes met his for a moment, the worry evident in her gaze, as she finalized what she was going after this whole time: a shot in the dark for his trust, "Promise me that if this is too much or you can't take it, you will walk away. If something horrible happens to you, or to Karin, or anyone here, I don't think I could live with that."
 
It was all of a bit of a messed up situation from the get-go - Frank knew well that Tony would gladly put Karin and Thalia behind bars when all of this was over, if he had the chance to. It wasn't rocket science, because most people would do the same in order to tie off loose ends and all of that, but Frank was thinking about it more and more with each passing day. Putting them away once they helped clear up Al-Asheera would only land himself and Tony in even deeper shit. When he thought about it, he knew that he had a high chance of getting off lightly, but Tony? Tony had done enough to have several court cases open against him. He was more 'out to get them' in terms of how he was with people, and with Al-Asheera. Frank tried to take things as lightly as he could, tried to take things in his stride, but, he knew there was going to be a time where he'd have to step forward and make sure that the right thing was done. The end result of all of this, for now, was walking away alive. When it came down to it, he'd make sure that Karin and Thalia didn't end up behind bars. 


The worst point in this bump in their career was that they were nothing more than dirty cops right now, dirty cops with a cause. Was there even such a thing? After all, you can roll a turd in glitter all you want, but it doesn't make it any different. Was there really all that much difference between them and the cops that extorted business owners for money? After all, they were now in on a plan where somehow, $1,000,000 was coming their way from an unknown (and yet to be proven trustworthy) source. It was a bit of a terrifying thought. Frank knew one thing, though, one thing that common sense had taught him... If a man knew how to get a million dollars in literally a day or two, then don't fuck with him. It'd be bad news if this guy turned out to be something more than just a source of money, and if they ended up pissing him off that would bring on a whole world of problems. 


Karin nodded, "We may be criminals, and I understand that you've been on the straight and narrow for ten years, but, look, I have, too, for the very most part. I've never been part of something like this. I have a child that depends on me, too, so me being part of this leaves me on the edge of my seat, but it's something I can't walk away from now. In the eyes of the law, we're all criminals, all equals. Yeah, we may have different titles in society, but, believe me, if we get caught, our cells will be the same sizes." She said. Frank stopped and thought about that one - that was actually a decent way to put things into perspective. Still, not the main focus of why they were here. "You heard what Thalia said - as soon as we've got his trust, seen more of him, he'll know the truth. He'll know the truth before the whole operation takes place, so, don't worry too much. Just as soon as we've scoped him out that little bit more, things will be fine." She said. "We can all meet. All five of us, we can go out for drinks, we can all pile into a tiny room and dance in circles - whatever you want, honestly. Just trust my intuition on this guy - he seems genuine, and Joseph now thinks he's my boyfriend, so he's in a bit of a tight spot." She said, finally cracking a laugh.


Great, more complications, right?


What was all of this Thalia was saying, though? About caring, and all that? Why was she worried? It made Frank question everything that had happened, but in quite the good way. He was still thinking certain things about everything that was going on, and, honestly, he hoped that Thalia thought well of him. He knew for a fact that he thought well of her. When he was taken into the kitchen by her, yet more questions filled his head. Things were certainly beginning to get interesting now, and she told him the bitter truth of things. If Ra's didn't find his family, then he'd maybe torture him instead. Frank couldn't say he particularly fancied that, but hey-ho. The story went on, though, and he was told of the horrors of what this Ra's man could pull off, how he tortured someone close to Thalia in the organization and turned her against her. It was a rather tragic story, one that left him wondering how much damage Ra's could do to this little circle of people they had here. One of the first people he thought of was Joseph - that was easily one of his top priorities, making sure that Karin and her brother didn't get found out.


Wait.


Thalia would suffer if Frank was gone?


She had a quick recovery from it, but in Frank's simple-yet-complex mind, he still asked questions about that statement alone. It was nice to know that there was another person out there that gave a shit - he knew Frank cared for him to a good extent, but other than Frank, there was no one else that really cared all that much anymore. Thalia was one of the first people, and honestly, just the mere thought of that gave him a little more of an attachment to her. She didn't want him to get hurt. She wanted him to walk away if the going got too tough, and the thought of that was almost alien to Frank, but when she put it the way she put it, it started to occur to him that he wasn't invincible. The close shave he had at the 7/11 last night should have been proof of that enough, but, for some reason, he kept on going. He didn't want to give up, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to make promises. If he got hurt, surely, the most suitable thing to do would be pull out of it. At least for a while. As much as Frank didn't value life like some did, he still valued it in the slightest. Anything would be better than dying.


She grabbed his arm, and his eyes met with hers. She seemed genuinely worried.


"All of this isn't on you." He said, "Me being part of this wasn't your choice. That was mine. I could have walked well away from this at the get-go, but I didn't." He shrugged, "But..." A hand of his own went up and rested on her shoulder. "I promise you, if things get too dangerous, I'll pull back." He said, giving a single nod along with his statement. "And another thing I'm going to promise you while I have the chance... If we make it out of this, I give you my word that I'll do everything I can to let you and Karin walk. Both of you are putting everything on the line, and it'd only be fair if you were pardoned of all wrong-doings at the end of it all. Whatever happens, keep it in mind that I've got your back, alright?" He said, simply. 


Maybe he suddenly felt something for her - maybe he'd felt something for her for a little while now. Maybe there was a little spark that suddenly lit a fire inside him. It was hard to say, but either way, whatever was happening now was simply happening.


Things seemed okay, if not a little bleak.


The detectives had a bit of a day ahead of them, too - Not only were they going rat-hunting, but, McAllister had been transferred to the off-the-books location, too. Everything seemed to be happening at once, and they were playing both sides of the scale. They were doing things both legally, and illegally.  
 
Reluctantly, Tony found himself backed into the corner once again. But with Karin, she made out to seem a bit more reasonable. It didn't seem so extreme when it came from this caretaker. He found a vast difference between her and Thalia. Karin was desperate, putting her brother above all else, and sacrificing it all so that he could live comfortably. Thalia was brainwashed to believe in a lost cause and act as a criminal, and, to him at least, she couldn't recover from it entirely; it'll always be a part of her. But for now, Tony would follow along this white-haired girl's pleas to go with the flow. "I'm not so sure about the 'having drinks' part, but I guess the five of us together could have a conversation together. We all need to be on the same page, after all. I'll trust him. For now. Guess we're waiting for the money, right? You and Thalia just need to keep your heads on straight, act normal, and let my partner and I take care of the heavy-lifting. Going after the rats in the department. Until then, make sure your thief for a friend writes out a list of The Ten, so we can discuss it some other time. God, it feels like we're assembling a hit list, but unfortunately, it is what it is, right?" Seeing Thalia take Frank into the kitchen in private was a red flag in itself. That fear biting at his insides only continued, and worsened. "Karin... when Thalia pretended to be Frank's girlfriend, did she say anything about wanting to fuck a cop? Or at least do something bad to him, and using sex to get to him?" Why on earth would Karin answer that? HOW would she answer that? Those questions only occurred to Tony in hindsight. "Never mind. Those were bad questions. That cover story Thalia pulled. Devious, clever... still, I'm not a fan of it. And now she's pulling him away in private, isn't that a bit... shady to you?" Time passed, probably to hear out Karin, but whatever she said didn't matter to Tony. It went upon deaf ears. That does it, he stood up to go check on them. "Come, Karin. Let's bust those two."


Frank made a promise to Thalia that would reassure her freedom, her desire to start a new life. To put her entire life with Al-Asheera behind her for good. Tony didn't seem like the type that would let her off easy. The second he had an opportunity, he'd be sure to throw her and Karin to the wolves, without a single regard for Joseph. His partner felt like a different story. He WANTED her to walk away from this. It was that feeling inside of her when someone believed her that made her face blow with happiness. She felt the same thing at the bar with Karin. But, was Frank just saying this to calm a witness, or was he speaking from the heart? Then came the touch. A few silent breaths hid away the half of her that wanted to try to kiss him again and see how he reacts. No, that'd be way to sudden. And when Tony was in the next room? He didn't even like it when it was a cover story. If he saw it in private, that changed everything. Instead, she tilted her head to the shoulder being touched, her head feeling the warmth of his hand. As awkward as it was, she liked this, and she kept smiling to Frank in the most mature way she could figure out. She truly didn't want him to get caught up in this mess. He didn't deserve it. But boy, did she also want to be with him outside of the whole conspiracy.


"That's all I've ever wanted, Frank," she finally found the words to tell this man. Was he just pitying her, or was this warm, friendly feeling mutual? She pulled him a bit closer to her with the hand holding his arm, and continued. "It may be hard to believe, but all last night, I kept thinking, if I could redo these past eight years, I would've done so much differently. I didn't pick this life, with Ra's or anything like that. I got forced into it, and it ruined my life. And the fact you want me to see this through? Start over? Not go to jail? You really don't know how much it means. Thank you, Frank."


In that moment, it was tempting to hug this man. She really wanted to, in the most innocent of ways. She felt comfortable with him, much better than Tony smacking her around like he did before. It went beyond a primal desire for intimacy. Trust. If either of these cops were going to fight for her freedom, it was Frank. And she didn't know how to repay him. Of course, there was also that young girl inside of her that was only melting further in his hands. Sitting on the counter, her eyes were at level with his, and she didn't want them to deviate. They'd always say that a girl has stars in her eyes. That was Thalia in that moment. Boy, did she want to hug this man, tell him her regrets as if he were some priest and start over, maybe with him if things worked out... until his partner walked in on the two in close proximity, eye to eye, and with hand contact on each other.


"Um... am I interrupting something something?" Tony called, completely aware that he cut their brief romance off.


His voice startled the girl, causing her to let go of Frank and move back, giving some distance. Told you were were an idiot. You just got busted. "We were... um... just talking about what happened in the yard with James, just telling him that--"


"Shut it. I don't want to hear a word from you." His head focused more on Frank. "We need to get going. Probably to the station to find this Bullet character that Little Miss Bank Robber over here mentioned."


"Wow. Real mature," Thalia rolled her eyes, looking away from Tony after that sarcastic comment about her.


Ignoring that, Tony shook his head. "I'll be outside. I need some air. Meet me when you're ready, Frank." With that, Tony not only exited the kitchen, but also the house. Boy, were things going to get complicated. He didn't show Frank any sort of bitterness. Not yet. At least this visit, Tony wasn't an entire douchebag.


Never did Thalia feel this embarrassed, her head fell into her palms, ashamed of even thinking such thoughts about Frank. "I-I'm sorry. That was VERY inappropriate. I shouldn't have even pulled you aside like that... it's just..." She lifted her head for a moment. "I wanted you to know you're not alone, Frank. That's all. You looked off today, and I just wanted you to know that if you felt like something's wrong, you can talk to me. Because beyond the tattoos and commitments, I'm not the monster Tony keeps saying I am. I'm... I'm not. Really I'm not."


It came out with a shred of doubtfulness. Was she? She didn't even know anymore.
 
"Yep, we're waiting on the money, nothing else." She nodded in agreement, "And Tony, stop worrying so much. You act like if you leave us unsupervised we're going to go out and become America's Most Wanted Women overnight. Trust me when I say we're not going to be doing anything out of the ordinary. We'll be right here. The most I'll ever be doing is taking Joseph out of the house to do whatever. Dropping him at a friend's place, or something, depends on if he wants to do anything over the next few days. Bottom line is, someone will be here to receive the cash delivery, and all will be well. It's gonna' come in a FedEx box, for god's sake, so there's no need to worry about anyone clicking on. For all anyone else is going to know, it could be diabetic care equipment. God knows I get enough deliveries for that sort of thing." She explained. "It fits together quite nicely, really. I get a lot of packages come in, so, this box arriving is literally going to look like your average week for me. Only difference being, on my average week, I wouldn't have $1,000,000 arriving in cash on my doorstep." She said. Man, how she wished that was the case, though. Even a tenth of a million would sort out all of her problems. She wanted to get money together to put Joseph through college when he gets older, but how the fuck was she meant to do that?


When Tony asked the questions about Thalia and Frank, though, I can tell you that he got one hell of a dirty 'what the fuck, Tony?' kind of look from Karin. "Yes. Those were bad questions. Very bad ones." She said in agreement, feeling almost offended by the fact that she was actually asked them. She didn't get much of a chance to reply to much else of what Tony said before she was summoned by him to 'bust' the two of them - She thought it was wrong to intrude on what was clearly a private conversation. From what she could see, the most they were doing was touching shoulders and arms. If anything, one of them was comforting the other over something, and she didn't see why there'd be any issue with that, but she knew Tony didn't like Thalia in the slightest. Karin wanted to be able to get on better with Tony, honestly, but as long as he was like this with Thalia, it simply wasn't going to happen.


"I believe you, Thalia. I have an eye for honest people - when you talk of your past, wanting to do different... I don't see anything other than the truth, and you best believe that." He said, simply, then smiled. She may have been tempted to kiss Frank again, yes, but at this point, Frank was tempted to kiss her, too. He knew it would have been inappropriate and particularly stupid to do it in front of Tony, but the urge was quite the strong one. He didn't know what it was about Thalia - maybe it was, although not in a bad way, the vulnerability she had deep down. Situation-wise, of course. The fact that she was trapped in such a bad place... It linked quite closely to Frank's past, and because of that, it sort of made her a better fit for him - he hoped it worked the same in reverse, too, because it seemed both of them had hit very rough patches in their life at one point or another.


Tony came in and ruined the moment, though.


Fuck, Frank thought. He had a feeling that he was going to be in the doghouse, but, all he was going to tell himself was this: Experience =/= Superiority. They were partners, and that was it. Frank obviously wasn't going to get ahead of himself, but, just because Tony had more years on the book didn't mean Frank would allow himself to be pushed around. He wasn't that sort of guy. So far, he was getting on well with Tony, and Tony hadn't given him any trouble, but he had a feeling that with the way things were going, with him and Tony having completely different opinions of the women, different views on the whole situation... He was worried it wouldn't be long before they clashed. He didn't want that to happen, but if it did? Shit, it was going to have to be cleared up quick, because the two of them worked extremely well together. As a team, they were better than 80% of the LAPD. 


"Yeah, I'll see you in a minute." Frank nodded to him; when he was gone, he listened to Thalia's apology but was quick to shake his head. "No, no, don't apologize. What you did was fine. I appreciate you taking the time and the risk to tell me everything you said. I know you're not a monster - With Tony, I know it's hard to get past, but he's got a vendetta on all of Al-Asheera, and convincing him that you're trustworthy hasn't been easy, and it's clear it still hasn't worked yet. I've been trying, though, alright?" He said. "You're far away from anything that Al-Asheera are. I promise you that. The main thing that gives it all away lies in something quite simple - Joseph." He said. "I know it sounds insane, but, in the times I spoke to that kid, I realized one thing: There was absolutely no way in hell that he came from a background where he was surrounded by crime. I've seen kids who have gangsters as dads, escorts as mothers... They're different to your average kids, a lot different. Not Joseph. It's the first thing that made me trust Karin, and knowing Karin, if there was anything bad about you, I think she would have been the first person to have you put behind bars, let alone the person who trusted you out of all of us, alright?" He said, and for a brief moment, he squeezed her shoulder, just as a form of comfort, I suppose.


"I trust you in what you say." He said. "I trust you, and I'm on your side as much as anyone else is. I've thought long and hard about all of this, and I'm not going to let you end up being a lamb to the slaughter, alright? Everything you've told us so far checks out - you've done more for us than the LAPD have, that's for sure." He said. "On that note... I better not keep Tony waiting too long, so, if you could do me a favor and write down those names of the people remaining in The Ten, I'd appreciate that. It'll help speed this whole operation up." He said.


"Just remember what I said, okay, Thalia? I'm not lying to you." 
 
Duty called for this detective. He was obviously going to have a long day ahead of him, one that Thalia couldn't hold up any longer. She got out what she wanted to say and clearly won this man's trust. It's all she could ask for. She wanted to comfort Frank, who seemed to understand her pain much better than Tony did, or tried to do. He was on her side, sincerely. And moments before she couldn't resist anymore and hold him close, they were rudely interrupted by the man's partner. Couldn't get any worse, or more embarrassing. But Frank didn't blame her for this. He didn't see her the same way she saw herself. And Thalia really hated who she became with Al-Asheera. Hate enough to commit suicide? Maybe not. It's crossed her mind, but it was slowly going away with this newfound sense of hope. Especially because both Karin and Frank believed that she wasn't anything like the rest of her clansmen. He found her helpful, truthful, a good person, just like Karin though. It made her feel even closer to this man. She almost didn't want him to leave, but that wasn't going to happen. Maybe she'd go look for him some other time. Find a way to figure out his address. Stop by and spend some personal time. Just.... talk. Frank seemed like he had a lot to discuss, too, and Thalia didn't want this to be one-sided. Get out of your little daydream already. He gets the point. You have a fucking crush on him. If he hasn't picked this up yet, he's blind. Oh well. She was quite literally stalling to the best of her abilities just to be with him a few extra seconds. "Right... you want the list of names of The Ten? I can do that." To her right side, she saw a notepad and a pen. She took them in her hands and clicked the back of the pen, ready to write. "Forgive my handwriting. I... I only finished middle school, so I don't really have a star student's handwriting, you know?"


Jokes were a way of getting his attention, getting him to smile. And every time he did, her heart skipped a beat. But that aside, Thalia began writing the names down, one at a time. First their real names, if she knew them, then their clan name, then their neck tattoo, then their position in society. All ways to know who they are. As she wrote, she spoke, swinging her crossed legs dangling off the counter to entertain herself and to salvage whatever chance she had left to look cute, "When you give this to Tony, tell him I said he can shove the list up his ass." A devious smile came over her face. Trash talking. It was only fair, because Tony did a lot of that to her, not to mention how many times he's tried to hit her. But it helped to understand that his grudge with Al-Asheera is personal. But whoever it was that they did wrong to, Thalia had no part of it, otherwise she'd know, and she'd apologize. No, this wasn't necessarily personal. Tony was just holding her identity against her, and having a ball with it. Despicable, but bearable. Frank trusted her and was going to defend her. That was enough to be reassured that she could walk and start over.


Once she finished with the nine names, she tore the sheet of paper from the notepad, put the spiraled booklet and pen aside, and folded the paper in half before moving her eyes up to Frank again, showing how happy and comfortable she was alone with him. She let herself drop from the counter and to her feet, now standing at her significantly lower height from Frank and had to look up to meet his eyes again. She extended her hands to the outer pocket of his suit jacket and slipped it inside, rather than put it in his hand. Creativity, and an excuse to get close. Lifting her head up again, she realized she couldn't resist what she'd been trying to avoid this whole time. Her hands flew around his neck, as far up as she could reach, and she embraced the man as a farewell before he had to go. And she hung on for a good ten seconds, regardless of whether Karin's eyes were on them or not. She didn't care if her new best friend saw this; they'd been talking about it for a while now, and she made her move, in the weirdest of circumstances. Her heart was racing, and at the same time, she felt this heated feeling all over her body. Some happy feeling she hadn't felt in a while. She was really falling for this man, and she wanted to get to know him more. There was so much she wanted to know. "Thank you, Frank," she told him as she stepped away. "I, um, I promise I didn't steal anything this time." She jokingly raised her hands up as if she were to surrender, but also giggled alongside it. A reminder of her little trick, taking his badge when he least expected it. But this time, she genuinely didn't take anything. "Maybe we can..... talk some other time? Or not. It's your choice. But... I MEAN. I can show you to the door if you want." How much more lame can you get?


Thalia knew that once Frank was long gone, she and Karin had even more gossip to have a laugh about. And this was only the beginning. It was enough how red Thalia's face had become from all of this borderline intimacy. Karin would notice, too.


Tony, on the other hand, was waiting in his cruiser, ever so patiently, but planning out his every word for when Frank returned. What he saw spoke for itself. Thankfully, he wasn't there for the rest of their encounter. If he saw them doing a little bit more than comforting each other, odds are, he'd strangle Thalia then and there. Quite literally sleeping with the enemy. If that ever got out, Frank would lose his badge with no hope of getting it back, that is if he doesn't go to jail for the mere association with a high ranking member of Al-Asheera. But he couldn't deny, this girl gave them a lot of information. Useful information, more than they could gather in a while. As he sat alone in his vehicle, he ticked away at his phone as well to his long term girlfriend. The fear of Al-Asheera catching up to her was getting to him. He left her a message.


'What do you say you take a week or two off? Go see your cousins. Take your vacation days now and I'll meet you in Chicago. I know you're on duty, but please answer ASAP so I can schedule my offtime.'


He couldn't tell her there was a criminal organization that knew where they lived. She'd freak out. And he swore he wouldn't let his job interfere with his relationship.


Then Frank returned, getting in the passenger seat. Rather than blow up on his partner, Tony sighed and found a place to start. "Please tell me she initiated that, and you weren't complacent. Tell me you were ready to back her off when I came in."


But those weren't the words he was going to hear.
 
"Don't worry about your handwriting. Mine's never been particularly great - A computer's good for masking that, believe me." He laughed a little, and waited for her to write down the names, Al-Asheera names, and even tattoo details. He wasn't sure if she realized just how useful this list was going to be, but... God, it was going to make things so much easier. At least somewhat. Actually, it was going to be more difficult when it came down to getting hold of the people on the list. The first one, the one in the PD, would be easy enough to find. How hard would it be to find a cop with a burn scar and a pig tattoo on his neck? Hopefully not too difficult at all. If they couldn't find that, Frank was going to be doubting their detective abilities. Either way, he was quite... I suppose happy, when she put it in his pocket the way she did. She could have just handed it to him, but nope, she was getting in close and everything. Yes, he'd noticed her actions, and he was clicking onto all of it. Frank was no idiot, and, it's already been clarified that he's had more than enough experience with women in his time.


The comment she made about Tony made him laugh, though, "Well, I'll make sure he gets the message." He chuckled, "Or maybe not. Probably not a good idea to rustle him anymore. I want him to trust you, not resent you even further." He smirked. He found Thalia to be quite good company, a good laugh, a bit of a joker. She definitely had the potential to make a new life, to fall into society as just a regular person. Frank liked to believe that most people had that chance - he wanted Tony to believe it, too, because... Whatever happened, as far as he knew, Thalia had nothing to do with it, and here she was putting her ass on the line to try and help them out and take the gang down. She needed at least some support in all of that - Karin was wondering where Joseph had gotten to at this point. Earlier on she'd heard a toilet flush, but she never heard the shower running. Maybe he was taking a bath instead. He did that, sometimes. Regardless, she was watching the little interaction between the two of them, and she was smiling. She thought it was quite adorable in some ways, but it made her sad to think that if this ended badly, the two may never see each other again.


She also thought about how, if Thalia was never in Al-Asheera, her and Frank could have already gone far if something was to kick off. She saw the chemistry between the two of them, saw how they bonded, saw all of it. She thought it was nice, something that would help Thalia improve her confidence in just about everything. If Frank could show her that she was still worth something in the eyes of the law, then that would be a whole new world opening up to her. Karin knew she could only do so much to convince Thalia. Out of the two detectives, it was easy to say that both the girls preferred Frank, but... Karin got on okay with Tony, even if she did find him a little insufferable at points. 


A crazy thought went through Karin's head - Was it jealousy?


Unbelievably, Frank had wondered the same thing. What if Tony's abusive behavior towards Thalia was more a thing of a deep attraction that he just couldn't bring himself to face? It was like the whole school yard bully rule - They only pick on you because they like you. The thought of it made Frank... I don't know. Almost laugh, but at the same time, worry in a few ways. He was worried about how Tony would be with Thalia regardless of what his deep down feelings were - just how much would things get pushed before Tony completely snapped on her?


Before he could think any further, though, he was pulled into an embrace. It made him smile, honestly, and for a while he didn't move either. He just held her there, his own side of the embrace being wholehearted, too. It was nice. Before he pulled away, he rubbed her back up and down a couple of times, just gently. 


Maybe we can talk some other time?


"I'd like that." Frank replied, softly. "In fact..." He pulled the notepad back over and opened it up, the scribbled something down that looked like a phone number. "Tony would shoot me for this, I'm sure, but..." He ripped the page off and folded it, then slid it over to her. "Why don't you drop me a message sometime? Once things quieten down... Perhaps we can get a drink?" He asked, offering a smile. "Until then, duty calls. Seeing me to the door is always nice, though." He chuckled, and with that, off he went. He did wave goodbye to Karin, too, and at the doorway, he smiled at them both. "Well, I'll be seeing you soon. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but, we'll see how things unfold." He said. "Have a nice day, ladies." He said, then after giving a discreet wink to Thalia, he spun on one heel and wandered back to the car.


He was questioned as soon as he sat down, of course, and he wasn't going to be completely honest here, but he was going to be somewhat truthful.


"Honestly, she was just thanking me more than anything. I guess she didn't want to say it in front of you and Karin." He said. "She... Seems to trust me more. Don't ask why, I don't know, but... You know, she was just a little concerned, too, because of the pain I was in, said I didn't look all that well. She said she doesn't want anything to happen to anyone involved in any of this, not even you." He said, simply, then ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Don't worry about it, Tone. All's well. She's just grateful that I'm willing to trust her in all of this." He said, "Speaking of which..." He pulled the piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to him. "Al-Asheera names. Any real names she knew were on there, same for their tattoo details." He said. "Now, how about we go to the station and find this son of a bitch rat in the employee files?" He asked. "How we deal with him... We'll decide once we know who it is, I suppose." He said.


Back inside Karin's house, though, Karin was sat there staring at Thalia, jaw-dropped, and the first word she managed to get out was straight-up and simple, but carried the power of a thousand words.


"No." She laughed. "No fucking way." She shook her head, "Thalia, that was fucking... That was just... I don't even know what to say." She said, "And here we were thinking we wouldn't mix business with pleasure, right?" She laughed again and leaned right back, a hand on her forehead. "Tell me that wasn't a phone number he slipped you up there. It was, wasn't it? Tell me, am I trapped in a dream right now, or what?" She asked.
 
Nothing could ruin the day so far for Thalia. Sure, it started off shitty because of the whole Deep Web mishap. It was scary with James showing up and throwing all the threats around, plus knowing the cops that were on their side now had targets on their backs. But so far, things were going back on track. But more than back on track. Thalia was in another world, from the hug to receiving Frank's phone number. Every word he said felt godsent to her, resounding in her head over and over. She didn't even notice herself blushing and forgot to try and cover for it. She simply stopped caring. For a moment, she felt as if she and Frank were the only two people on the planet. That kind of childish flare that teenage girls get when they talk to the popular boy at school and suddenly feel starstruck. That was Thalia, as dumb as it sounded. A child at heart, really, that's what she was. Or it was her lack of experience in the romance field. Or the result of an abusive lover like Ra's. It's beyond her, really. But every step of the way to the door by this man's side just made her heart pound faster and faster, craving the proximity to this man. He even gave her his phone number. Oh my god... he feels the same. Yes. He likes me, fuck. What do I do if he asks me on a date? I don't have anything nice to wear. Never really fixed myself up. Most I've done is the creepy makeup thing, and that's not date material---STOP. He's still a cop, and you're still a crook. Do you REALLY think he did this because he likes you? It's probably a pity act. If it were a pity act, it'd show more. But it didn't. She felt his hug to be genuine.


Once he was out the door, Thalia leaned up against the wall near it, looking to the ceiling, grinning like a maniac, and still red-faced. Her hands had the piece of paper with the phone number on it between her fingers and her palms crossed over her heart. Her head was in the clouds until her little daydream was broken by Karin calling for her. She saw that, probably. Boy, was Thalia bad at hiding how she felt. But there were no secrets between her and Karin. Thalia was in love and wasn't afraid to admit it. She looked back to her friend, stood from the wall, and gleefully skipped to the couch, throwing herself next to her friend. She unfolded the piece of paper with the number and showed the digits to her friend.


"Yes fucking way! His number, in all its glory! Did you see that, what just happened in there?! Oh, god, I must've been so embarrassing, wasn't I? I reaaaaaally don't know what to do around guys, Karin. I just got so nervous, but I couldn't help it. He's so cute, and sweet, and he believes me when I tell him I'm not a horrible person. Man, I thought he'd be just like that Tony guy, but no. He's so different. How the hell did you get off on bad terms with him?" A tiny squeal of happiness came from Thalia as she shook Karin's arm in excitement. She'd been practically asked on a date at this point, and she didn't know what to think.


"Oh, god, if he asks me out, what do I do? I plan to get some of my things from Ra's' place, but I don't have anything I could wear to a date. I've never gotten my hair done, or make-up; I don't think I even own a dress, Karin." This was a lot she was throwing at this friend of hers. But isn't that was girls do? Tell each other all their feelings and secrets. "I mean, I don't want him to think I'm some sort of slob or anything, like, the first date's a lasting impression, right? We really kicked things off here, like, I could feel all those sappy, lame feelings in me when he touched me, when I hugged him, when he gave me his number... but what if he hates me after we go out?" You're talking too much, dummy. "Uh.... sorry. I think I'm getting carried away. I shouldn't be focusing on a date when I have to worry about something bigger. And if Tony finds out, oh boy, he's going to kick Frank's ass as well as mine. It's like a mortal sin for a thief to date a cop, but why am I falling in love with one? He's just... I can't, Karin, I seriously can't. He's hot, and so nice."


In that moment, Thalia remembered something she spoke of about this guy to Karin. She curled herself onto the couch, her feet under her rear as she continued blabbing about her boy troubles, "You know... if you're still up for sharing, and James isn't available...." Thalia's hands dropped onto Karin's lap and shook her around briefly, still laughing with each pause she took. To say she was happy would be a major understatement. "Oh, god, I'm more excited than I should be, am I?"


--


As much as he wanted to believe his partner, Tony didn't. He found most of what he was saying complete bullshit, and knew there was more to it than just a sign of appreciation. Frank was falling for this girl. And he wasn't having that. How was he going to talk Frank out of this? Threats would do very little. But he had to go about this the right way so he doesn't drive a wall between them. Their minds together made them a powerhouse. They didn't need to antagonize each other. "Do you even know what crimes this girl's committed for Al-Asheera? Do you know if she's executed anyone in her time? How many people she's hurt or scarred for life? How can I be sure she wasn't the one who shot Richard, or at least gave the order? Hm? You don't even know this girl, Frank. Keep your head in the game. For all I know, she could be some serial rapist/killer, and we would never know. World-class liar, like I've said before. What guy falls for a girl he barely knows?" A brief pause, before going on. "I've looked into some of the crimes that Thalia's done when we didn't know her name, just the redheaded mystery girl with the cross tattoo on her neck. She's done so much here in LA, and a ton more in Philly.... trust me. You don't want to know what I saw. But simply to protect you, I'm going to leave the details out. Keep your head in the game. I say that because I care about you, pal. I don't want you to get hurt by this girl. There are plenty of cleaner fish in the sea. Trust me."


Is he going to buy the bluff? Shit... a dirty move, but it's necessary. Some of what Tony said was true. But the rest was to get Frank's mind off of dating her.


But that conversation was quickly covered up and forgotten about when he received the list of names. Most of them had their real names attached, except the mysterious Bullet that was in the department, who they knew enough about at this point to find without his name. Excellent, Thalia upheld her end of the deal and to a great extent of detail. Going after The Ten would be a piece of cake. Finally, Tony recognized her use. With a grin, he nodded as his eyes scrolled down the list. "This is really good, Frank. This makes our lives so much easier. It kind of feels like we're bounty hunters, but it's all...." He suddenly stopped at the last name on the list before Ra's himself. A familiar name. What the...... His eyes shot out in disbelief. Thank god he wasn't driving yet, or he'd probably swerve at the sight of that name. The change of facial expression showed itself to Frank, then back to the paper. It can't be.


Pointing out the name on the list, Tony handed it back to his partner. "Samuel Walsh..... The Banker, the one responsible for their finances and movement of their liquid assets.... Frankie, that's my cousin's name on the list. Is that bitch fucking with me? Putting a name she knows NOTHING about on a list of brutes?! Just slapping my last name there with a name, without taking into regard the significance? She thinks this is funny, doesn't she? How the hell is my cousin..." Suddenly, it occurred to Tony. This cousin of his spent a good while in Philadelphia... No. No. I refuse to believe that. Go to hell, Thalia Griffin. Like seriously, this is NOT funny! "How is my cousin a part of The Ten when he was born here?" Born here. But still spent a while in Philly, but he didn't disclose that detail to Frank to prove his case and make himself seem more like the victim. It still seemed far-fetched on its own. If Thalia did this to get in Tony's head, how does she know his cousin's name and occupation? Fuck..... he probably is in The Ten. I can't tell Frank. Nope. Not happening.
 
"Well, for someone who doesn't know what to do around guys, I'd say you did pretty good." She laughed, "That was pretty smooth if you ask me, so don't worry about it. Frank seemed to be quite into you. Well, he wouldn't have given you his number if he wasn't." She laughed, "Good going, girl. You got in there straight away - I bet he's sitting out there getting his ass chewed by Tony right now, but fuck him, I say." She said, shaking her head. She was happy for Thalia - She could see that this whole scene was new to her, a teenagehood that she was deprived of, but, that didn't matter. You're as young as you feel, after all, and if she wanted to feel that young again, Karin wasn't going to be the one who stopped her. She was thinking a lot about Frank and Tony, though - She didn't know enough about Frank to know how he'd handle himself under a lot of pressure, but with Tony being the older and more experienced detective, she was worried that if he clicked onto things, Frank would give into the pressure if he started harassing him.


I swear to god, I'd rip his balls off if he pulled any snakey shit to fuck this up and--  Calm down, Karin. Nothing bad had happened thus far, so, with a bit of luck, things would stay undercover. Things would be fine. Seeing Thalia's excitement as she showed off the phone number was... Warming, to say the very least, and as a friend, she didn't want anyone or anything to stand in the way of all of that. She deserved some happiness - anyone without a biased view of Thalia would know she was no killer, no murderer. She may have done some bad things, but, all she could do was hope that the detectives would stick to their end of the deal. She wasn't second-guessing Frank, but Tony had left the impression that he'd shoot her in the back as soon as all of this was out of the way. Yeah, to Karin, Tony was the sort of guy that would take you around the world and then abandon you at the airport.


"If he asks you out, don't worry." She said, putting a hand down on top of hers. "If that happens, then I'll make sure you go there looking great, alright? I have enough makeup to spare, and if you can't get your hands on any nice clothes, I've got some stuff packed away you can borrow for a night." She said, "And after a date, it takes a lot for a guy to suddenly hate you after it." She laughed, "Honestly, if that's ever going to be the case, you literally need to try to make him hate you. Seriously, he seems to like you enough as it is, and I think that'll only improve if you guys go on a date." She grinned.  "Most of all, you're not overthinking it. The amount you're thinking about it is... Nice." She smiled, "Keep thinking about it, I'm sure you guys could work out. Frank's the reasonable one out of those two, so hopefully he keeps being that guy.


"Obviously for now, trying to keep things a little more quiet than you'd usually have to is important. Not just for your safety, but for his, too. And of course, you don't want Tony to know too much, either, because that'll just make him hate you even more, which is something we could really do without right now." She said, "But, seriously, congratulations, Thalia. Before you know it, I'll be attending the wedding ceremony." She laughed, and, just because it felt apppropriate, she pulled her into a hug and kept her there for a moment. "If he does ask you out, you better let me know. I'll help you prepare for it, tell you all the little tips and tricks and all the little hacks." She winked.


--


Now, if Tony had been less hateful towards Thalia, then Frank would have believed him from the get-go, taken his words seriously, and considered pulling away. But the fact was, Tony had been quite abusive towards her, quite over the line, a completely different person when dealing with her, and in a few ways, quite childish. If he hadn't been like that, then Frank wouldn't have struggled so much to believe him. But, just like Tony didn't believe Frank, Frank didn't believe Tony, not one word of it. There was only one major flaw in what he was saying - Sure, she may have killed people, but at the same time, she might not have. He was doing the worst thing possible and jumping to conclusions, making assumptions, saying things that in some ways made Frank feel like he was being treated like an idiot, like a liability - Yeah, he didn't need any of that in his life. He knew the danger of this case. If he didn't know the danger, then by now he would have already dropped the case and ran away with his tail between his legs.


He was trying not to drive a wall between them, but, he came dangerously close to doing so, even if it wasn't his intention. Frank wanted this investigation over as much as anyone - getting it done with meant as much to him as it did to Tony, and he too wanted justice for all the officers that had lost their lives or had their lives torn apart in the midst of all the chaos - I suppose in some ways it felt like his efforts were being undermined, felt like he was being treated as if he didn't care about the investigation side of things all of a sudden.


"I'll be sure to look into her file later on, then." He said, simply, glancing out the window with a sigh. Yeah, he'd look into that file - and if there were no murders? Well, that would explain a few things. "Tony, I'll tell you this, and I mean no disrespect when I say this, but the issue here is that too many assumptions are being made when we have no reasonable ground to do so." He said, "The only thing we have on Thalia is that she is a member of Al-Asheera, and she did that one robbery. She may have killed people, but at the same time, she may not have. That's what's not being taken into consideration here." He said. "I know... I know you want justice for Richard. Revenge, even, but taking that out on a girl we don't know anything about isn't going to do that - If we start doing that, we're in deep shit. We already are in deep shit. Things like that could get the same bastards who threatened us to come out here and kill us. Thalia may have done some bad shit, and if she has, we'll eventually find out about it, but believe me..." He took a deep breath and fastened his seatbelt.


"I want justice for all the people who have been hurt by this, too." He said, "And if we're going to get that, I'm going to continue to play the grey hat of this investigation. I'm going to stay friendly with both Karin and Thalia. If we keep going in there, and we keep shitting on their dinner plate, then eventually they're going to get tired of us." He said. "You're looking out for me, which I appreciate, but now it's time I look out for you as well - If you go in there, keep raising your hand, keep calling her names, keep shutting her down every time she opens her mouth...? She's going to get real fucking tired of it, and Karin will to. You know that they both will." He said. "And when that happens, we lose everything . We lose our jobs, our freedom, and you have a lot more to lose than me, too. But that's the bottom line - You might not trust either of them, that's your choice, but when the day closes, Tony, at least one of us has to trust what they say, otherwise we're going to be letting these pricks on this list here..." He reached over and poked the list harshly a few times. "We're going to be letting them run circles around us, and we won't be any the wiser." 


He looked back out the window. "Like I said, I'll look into the reports on the mystery redhead and I'll see what she's done for myself. Thanks for the pointer." He said. Maybe he got a little too defensive, but, he knew how to take care of himself. He was going to stand his ground, and like he said, if neither of them trusted the girls, they weren't getting anywhere.


The talk of the list came up, though, and... Fucking hell. His cousin?


Because Frank was ever so slightly pissed off, he almost wanted to laugh. Almost. It would have been fair game at that point - a little bit of a kick in the teeth to him for being so unreasonable over the past couple of days. He was trying to empathize with him, but he was finding it harder and harder to do. "Bounty hunters indeed." He said. "As for your cousin's name..." He sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. Until we can find out more on it, though, you know we have to consider him a suspect. That's just the way it's got to be if he's on that list. I can't water that fact down - But we'll worry about that when it comes to it. If he's only the banker, he's no real threat to us. He's not a hardcore criminal, so, ignore his name for now. It doesn't make him clean, but we know he won't come out and kill us, won't go and murder any people. Hopefully not, anyway." He shrugged, "For now, let's focus on finding this... Executioner." He said. The thought of that guy made him shiver a little, honestly.


"We need to talk about how we're going to deal with him, Tony." He whispered. "We find him, we track him down, but then what? We can't arrest him. Karin gave good reasoning for that." He put a hand to his face and rubbed it up and down a few times. "Tony, this is going to sound fucking heavy, but..." He shook his head. "I think we're going to have to kill him. Unofficially. Especially if he's a rat inside the LAPD - There's no other way we could get off with it, because it'd be obvious that we'd have been the ones that called the orders for arrest, and then it would also be obvious that Thalia gave them out." He said.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 3 (members: 0, guests: 3)

Similar threads

Jasonanderson
Fantasy King and prisoner of war
2 king and pow
Replies
29
Views
264
Jasonanderson
Jasonanderson
Jasonanderson
Fantasy King and prisoner of war (me/PumpkinKat)
10 11 12 13 14 king and pow
Replies
338
Views
1K
PumpkinKats
PumpkinKats
Butter_Friend666
Fantasy Wyvern and Syd’s oc
Replies
22
Views
98
Butter_Friend666
Butter_Friend666
Mask
Fantasy Mask And Laughing Jack
Replies
0
Views
30
Mask
Mask
mother of sorrows
Fantasy THE CURSE OF 𝘼𝙇𝙏𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘿𝙏
Replies
0
Views
59
mother of sorrows
mother of sorrows
Back
Top