Illusive | Tim Bradford

seven •

There was nothing but silence filling the car. We both had things on our minds. But I was pretty sure we both had a similar topic in mind.

"They want Isabel to wear a wire." Bradford tells me, I look to him. A wire? That's so incredibly dangerous. The drug dealer would probably find it so easily.

"Is Anderson really letting that happen?" I asked. Anderson was the captain, but she was far from emotionless. She wanted what was best for the people, and that included her officers to a degree.

"Anderson thinks because she was a narcotics detective and she took part in dozens of drug busts that it means she'll be fine with this." Bradford rambled.

"Do you think there's a chance she's the same Isabel? Minus the drugs." I asked him.

He shook his head, "they've read her fine and assumed just because they knew her, it means they know her now." He spoke as he drove, voice reflecting how stressed he was about this whole situation.

I thought about a response, "I'm sorry Tim, this must be so difficult." I told him, because I couldn't think of anything else to say to him.

"I got Anderson to put us on rescue detail. So if something goes south with the deal, we're the first in the door." He told me.

Partially unexpected, but I was glad that Bradford felt as though he had some sort of purpose in this situation. So he didn't go insane worrying about Isabell... Well not entirely insane.

Later that night, I climbed into the passenger door of Tim's car. "I brought fries." I announced, passing him the bag.

"Sorry I dragged you into this." Bradford apologised.

"If the situations were reversed, you'd be right here." I told him.

"You know, you'd actually have to be in a relationship for the situations to be reversed." He commented, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Bite me Bradford." I scoffed.

Suddenly, we both turned our attention to the screen; Isabel was approaching the motel door. After the money had been counted and the deal had been completed, we were all watching anxiously.

"It's done." Bradford muttered.

"Just take the brick and go." I muttered as well.

I watched as Isabel informed Vance that they could move more than the amount agreed.

"What the hell is she doing?" Bradford asked. I listened, thinking about it for a second. I realised she was trying to end this.

"If he sends for another kilo, we can follow his guys to the source. She wants to end this." I pointed out. "Smart but..."

"No it's desperate. She's going to make him suspicious." Bradford pointed out.

I continued to watch in silence, feeling more on edge than I had for this entire mission. Suddenly, Vance asked if he knew her from somewhere. Watching this conversation go back and fourth, my stomach dropped.

"He's on to her. He knows she was a cop." Bradford said.

Suddenly the image shakes and cuts out, as does the audio feed.

"We lost signal." I muttered, "we need to go in." I spoke softly.

Bradford picked up the radio, "he's on to her. I'm going in!" He spoke into the radio.

Both Bradford and I climbed out of the car, followed by everyone else on the team as we bust into the room where Vance and Isabel were moments ago.

"Police!" Lopez yells out.

We clear each room, and I watch as Bradford finds the wire that was once on Isabel, as well as blood on the floor. My heart drops.

"Clear! They must've gone out the back." Lopez informs, as the window is open.

Bradford turns to Wolfe, his expression carrying the anger everyone expected him to feel. "You did this!" He yelled at Wolfe.

"Hey, hey!" I intervene, standing beside them as I could practically see the steam coming out of Bradford's ears.

"You did this!" Bradford repeats in Wolfe's face, his understandable anger getting the best of his professional nature.

"Calm down." I speak softly to Bradford as Lopez walks away with Wolfe.

Bradford and I climb into the patrol car. He's let me drive this time, I knew that meant he was truly and utterly a complete mess. Which was understandable.

"I knew it was a mistake." He admitted. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was blaming himself for everything. He was also expecting the worst.

"There was nothing you could've done to stop it." I told him truthfully.

"I could've blown the operation early before she went in." He reasoned, trying to find any way he could of stopped the operation.

"And then you would of been fired." I told him, "Tim, torturing yourself isn't going to help us find her." I told him softly.

Bradford shook his head, he couldn't believe there was any outcome other than deceased for Isabel. "She's dead, Maddy. Vance killed her the second they got free of our surveillance." Bradford spoke.

"You don't know that." I told him.

"Yes I do. Just like I always knew I'd end up looking for her body." He told me.

Suddenly, I hear Bishop in the radio. "We found her. Alley on Crenshaw near the 10. Get here now."

Immediately, I drive the car in that direction. The shop fills with a silence once again, both of us contemplating. As we pulled up to the alley, we see a body being lifted carefully out of a dumpster.

My heart shatters. Please don't let Tim be right. Don't let his wife be dead.

Bishop approaches us, "she's alive. But it's not good. They shot her in the head." Bishop informs.

Without a word, Bradford rushes in the direction of his wife. Reassuring her unconscious body as they prep her for transport.

Tomorrow was bound to be insane.