Tough Love

Chapter Eighteen

“Yes sir. What would you like me to do today?”

“Could you monitor the drug house please? There's also a stack of files on your desk.”

“Yes sir.”

I get stuck into my work and don't even notice the time fly by. Eli and Ash appear at my desk some time later. Ash asks, “You going home any time soon, Dani?”

“Home?”

“Yeah. It's 7pm.”

“It is?”

They both chuckle and Eli says, “Working hard? Did you even eat today?”

I feel my cheeks heat up.

“It's a good job I brought something for you then, isn't it? Ash and I went to Subway, so I picked something up for you too.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I tried to make an effort at conversation, “You guys nervous about tonight?”

Ash shrugs it off, saying, “Nah, quite looking forward to it actually.”

Eli shoots me a reassuring smile and says, “I'll be glad when everyone is back safely. Team leader is a big responsibility.”

“I hope you're all back safely too.”

“Are you going home, then?”

“I guess so, if the Captain has nothing else for me to do.”

“I'll call you when we get back here if you've gone.”

“Thank you, sir.”

They go to the briefing room and I'm left wondering whether or not I should go home. I want to make sure the guys get back safely, but there's nothing I can really do for them. It's not like they need surveillance or anything. It's a standard raid, not really something that requires my line of expertise. I don't know how the guys aren't scared. I mean, they're bursting into a known drug house, where there will be automatic weapons and people who would rather die than be caught.

I sigh and think, 'Dani, you can't think about this. It's going to drive you crazy. Just go home and make dinner. Get your mind off this.'

I go to the Captain's office and tell him I'm going home. I hesitate at the door on the way out and then I say, “Sir, if you need me to do anything for the team, just ask.”

“Thanks Dani, I'll call you if I need to. Good night.”

“Night sir.”

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(Eli's POV)

Dani looks troubled about something. I can't ask her about it because Ash is hanging around. I'll call her later to discuss it. Maybe I'll head round to her house after the raid. Hopefully everything will run smoothly and we won't be back too late.

I run through the strategy for the raid with the guys. Pointing out all the entrances and exits. I warn them that these guys are known for heavy duty weapons and some of them are wanted in murder cases. I tell them all to be extra careful and to keep a close eye out for the rest of their team. As I'm finishing up, I decide I have to mention something about Cain.

“You guys will notice Cain isn't here. He's been informally suspended until further notice. He's got some issues he has to work through right now, so he won't be back until he's cleared for duty by myself, the Cap and the department shrink. I'll pull in someone from Bravo team if I think we need an extra member. We'll see how it goes. Alright, go suit up. We leave in 25 minutes.”