Heartless Love

Chapter Ten

Tired and hungry, Tamara's brain begins to shut down and she finds herself fighting to keep her heavy eyes from closing. Bryce on the other hand is wound up about the possible symbolism of the neck patches and refuses to take a break. "No tattoos, no known scars, nothing," Bryce states with confusion and frustration written all over his face, "I'm beginning to believe this gang is obsessed with Jigsaw or something." Tamara lets out a loud yawn, before replying, "A gang with a serial killer fetish. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised. We still haven't ruled out the possibility that these patches are the gang's signature. However, if your Jigsaw speculation is correct, then it could be more of a trophy for the gang itself." There is a small knock on the door as it slowly opens to reveal Alyce. "Excuse me, Miss Lewis. Detective Hayes called and wants you and Mr. Gates in his office ASAP," Alyce tells her. "Thank you, Alyce" Tamara says as she begins gathering up her credentials.

Once at Detective Hayes' office, Tamara knocks on the door and makes a point to only knock twice. "Come in," Detective Hayes says eagerly. As he sees Bryce and Tamara, his anxiousness settles and he offers them to sit down. "We have no new information Detective Hayes," Tamara informs him as she sinks down into her seat. Detective Hayes blurts out, "An anonymous tip came in today. The person said that we would find the gang responsible for the murders around nine tonight at the Blitz club downtown." Bryce and Tamara look at one another. Anticipation begins to rise as they return their focus back to Detective Hayes. "What's the game plan," Bryce asks. Detective Hayes twitches an eyebrow and replies, "That's why I wanted to see you two. As I told the both of you before, this is y'all case, which means it's up to you to decide how to go about this. However, in this situation, because of the gravity of the situation, I am ordering you to do an undercover stakeout." Bryce nods and says, "I'll get my equipment ready." Detective Hayes stops and informs him, "Actually, I want Tamara to do the undercover portion alone. You'll stay in the bus and listen in on the CB radios with James and Tom." Tamara's eyes widen slightly as she looks over at Bryce. He looks offended and asks, "Why? That club is dangerous and no place for a woman to be going alone." "I agree, but Tamara isn't just any woman. She's an officer of the law and is specially trained for situations like these," Detective Hayes states, "Besides, the gang will feel less threatened if it's a new woman in the place than a man." "That's what makes me worried Detective Hayes," Bryce declares. "In the end, it's up to Tamara," Detective Hayes asserts as he looks at Tamara, "Do you want to take on this mission," Tamara looks over at Bryce once again. He shakes his head slightly, but she ignores him. "Yes Sir, I do," she answers directly. Detective Hayes nods his head and says, "Ok then. Bryce, get her set up."

The minute the door to Detective Hayes' office closes, Bryce asks angrily, "What the hell was that?" Tamara looks at him confused and asks, "What do you mean? I was given an assignment and I accepted it." "You're putting yourself in danger Lewis," he states. "I'll be just fine. Thank you," Tamara retorts. She begins to walk faster and reaches the elevator before Bryce. However, before she can close the doors, he slips in between them. He hits the close door button on the elevator and corners Tamara. "I wasn't done talking," he says in a low and harsh tone. "Weren't you," Tamara asks rhetorically. There is a ding before the elevator doors open and a crowd of people walk in. Since Bryce and Tamara are in the corner where the elevator buttons are, everyone starts telling them their floor numbers. "You idiot. Now we missed out floor," Tamara says under her breath, just loud enough for Bryce to hear. Everyone is talking with someone on the phone, so no one hears or even notices when Bryce leans down and whispers in Tamara's ear, "You better thank your lucky stars you're not my girlfriend anymore." Tamara looks at him with a confused, yet pissed expression. "What exactly do you mean by that,", she whisper-yells. Before she gets her answer, the doors open to the thirteenth floor.

Later that evening, James, Tom, Bryce, Tamara, and Alyce sit in the van waiting for the gang to arrive at the club. "Here's the earpiece and camera pin," James says as he hands the items over to Bryce. Taking them into his hands, Bryce turns around and faces Tamara. She puts out her hand for him to give her the earpiece and pin, but he doesn't. Instead, he gestures for her to comes closer. "I can put them on myself," she states. He signs in frustration, before grabbing her arm and pulling her to him. Everyone else is to preoccupied and it is to dark for any of them to see his action. As he goes to put the earpiece in, he stops. As he leans into her ear, the stubble of his beard tickles her. He feels the goosebumps rise on her arm. "Are you sure you want to do this," he whispers breathlessly, his voice deep and grizzly. Tamara pulls away from him, her eyes cold. "Never been surer in my life...Detective Gates," she replies in a chilling tone. On the other side of the van, James and Tom are working on making sure all of the equipment is working properly. Alyce asks them, "So what made y'all want to join the NYPD?" "I found it interesting and fairly easy," James replies. Alyce nods her head. "What about you?" she asks to Tom. He huffs before simply saying, "Because I wanted to." James rolls his eyes at Alyce and mouths, "He's boring." "They've arrived," Tom says, which catches everyone's attention. Tamara stands up and begins walking out of the van with Bryce following close behind. When they step out of the van, Bryce pulls her to him again. "If anything happens, I'm coming right in," he says. Tamara nods her head and releases herself from his hold.

As she arrives at the entrance, the bouncer asks her for her ID. After showing him, he unclips the red, velvet stanchion. She gives him a nod, then enters into the entrance hallway. It is very modern with mirror walls that reflect the white lights on the ceiling. At the end of the hallway is the main clubbing area. Strobe lights move in sync with the DJ's music remix, as everyone dances chaotically. The smell of alcohol causes Tamara's nose to sting. Once she adjusts to the surrounding, she catches a glimpse of a group of men entering a separate room. Quickly, she enters the group of dazed and intoxicated individuals. Just as she is about to make her way out of the crowd, she is pulled back in. She turns around and sees that one of the drunks have pulled in for a dance. "Hello beautiful," the man slurs. Tamara looks at him with disgust and replies, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to dance." The guy pulls her closer and repeats, "Hello beautiful." Tamara tries to pull away again, but despite his drunken state, the man's grip stays strong. Just as she is about to kick the guy where it hurts, Tamara hears a voice yell over the music, "Clearly the lady doesn't want to dance with you Mr." The man immediately let's go of Tamara's arm and rushes away into the crowd. Slowly, Tamara turns around. "Devin," she asks with uncertainty. He offers her his hand and says, "Let's get you out of this crowd." What Tamara really wants to do is get into the room where the group of men went into, but she can't blow her cover. So, she follows as Devin leads them into a room in the VIP section. "Wine or Scotch," Devin asks as he goes to the table and makes them some drinks. "Don't you dare drink anything he gives you," Bryce commands through the earpiece. Tamara rolls her eyes at Bryce's comment. "I'm not stupid," she retorts. Devin quirks an eyebrow at her comment. She realizes he heard and quickly replies, "Wine." Once the drinks are made, he walks back over and hands her a glass of wine. She fakes a sip, while Devin takes a long sip of his Scotch. "What are you doing here," Tamara asks suddenly, as if the anticipation of knowing the answer was becoming too much. Devin replies simply with, "Business." Tamara cocks her head to the side and raises her eyebrows. Devin laughs slightly at the action and follows it up with, "What are you doing here detective?" "Business," Tamara replies with a victorious grin on her face. "Touché," Devin states with a nod. "See if you can get any information from him," James says. Clearing her throat, Tamara observes, "You must be well-off if you can get access to one of the VIP rooms." Devin looks about the room and nods. "Let's just say we aren't exactly worried about when our next meal is," he informs. "We have trouble headed in," Tom notifies Tamara, "Weapons involved." "I have to go now," Tamara states. As she turns to leave, Devin asks, "Would your leaving have anything to do with that message you just received through your earpiece?" Tamara stops short. Why was her heart pounding through her ers? She wasn't one to get scared easily. "I'm coming in," Bryce says. "You'll blow the whole thing over," James answers. There is a pause, then Bryce replies, "It's not worth her life." Tamara turns and faces Devin; however, before she can answer his question, the door flies open, which causes her to be knocked to the floor. A group of men dressing in motorcycle gear walk in. "I see are enjoying yourself Evin," the tallest and roughest looking man says, as he pulls out a gun and points it towards Devin. "Tsk tsk tsk, I suggest you stop pointing that gun at me," Devin advises to the man. The man laughs sarcastically, "Your right Evin. I always forget that you don't crack under pressure...but what about your lovely friend here?" Despite her life being in danger, Tamara focuses on looking for any significant tattoos on the left side of his neck. Again, the door bursts open to reveal what seems to Tamara as the entire NYPD swat unit. Shots fire, people scream, and havoc reaps the room. Someone grabs Tamara's arm pulls her out of the room and the club through a back door. They round the corner and hide in the shadows of the ally. Once the coast is clear, Tamara looks at Devin quizzically. However, before she can ask or say anything, he states, "Now my debt is paid Detective. We are even now. I advise you to not attempt to seek me out again." With that, he vanishes into the shadows of the dark alley.