Internal Affairs

13: Raining Pt.1

Friday, October Sixteenth

Aaliyah stared at Desmond, eyes wide as he reached out and grabbed her hand. "You gotta leave this side of California, it isn't safe anymore." He said. Aaliyah dug her heels into the tattered carpet, pulling back from Desmond as he headed towards the front door with Aaliyah in toe.

She pulled away from him.

Desmond turned to her, and quirked up his right eyebrow. Aaliyah glared at the man before her, rubbing her wrist in silence. Sounds of police sirens echoed in the distance, and the darkness around them held the duo close. "The hell is your problem?" she said.

"You have to leave tonight," Desmond's voice felt soft to her ears. Aaliyah's eyes softened at the sound of his voice, but she continued to hold her guard up. Aaliyah was not going to let Desmond or Damien drive her out of town, especially when she had a job to do. So far, she knew that the brothers were not directly involved in the disappearances of the women. Or maybe that was just a ploy to get her off their trail. But, she had a feeling they knew more than what they were letting up. "Legend has went too far with this gang shit, and Damien plans on doing something about it."

"Like what?" Aaliyah snapped. Desmond narrowed his eyes at the woman as she continued to fight against you. He approached Aaliyah, at which she stepped back to avoid his chest pressing up against hers. "I'm not some damsel that you and your brother feel like they need to save."

Desmond scoffed. "I never said that we were going to save you."

"But you want me to leave town so that I am safe." Aaliyah retorted. Desmond pursed his lips but said nothing in return. "Don't treat me like some helpless woman! I saved your life remember? I don't need you or that devil you call a brother!"

She glared at Dez, who did the same. The sounds of the cars in the distance radiated between the two of them. Silence stood still in awe until Desmond took a minor step towards Aaliyah. "You have a lot of nerve, Sha'Mear." He growled out, stepping forward at which she abruptly stepped back.

She smiled. "What's the matter?" Aaliyah inquired, watching the temple throb against the side of Desmond's forehead. "I only told the tru-"

"-You need us more than you think. If Damien wanted to, he could have every Red member after you!" Desmond said.

Aaliyah gawked at the man, glancing over at front window, at the sound of gunshots in the distance.

Could Damien seriously be lying about something this trivial?

"Sha'Mear..." The woman averted her gaze towards Dez who continuously glared, making her feel less of a person. "...you have two hours to get out of Red Territory, and I mean it." Desmond snarled out. "There is going to be a war in the streets of California for the next couple of weeks- hell, maybe years, and you need to be gone."

Aaliyah's fists clenched in outrage. The still air inside her makeshift apartment seemed to bring a suffocating silence that engulfed the two of them. "Get out." she said. Desmond shrugged his shoulders and stepped outside the house without a fight. A part of her wanted to run after the man, but she didn't care if he didn't want to stay. Chief was relying on her to get this job done, and it was best if she did not get attached by any of the brothers for her own safety. She pushed the door closed and lid down to the floor. Her bottom connected with the surface of the floor, and her head pushed back against the folds of the door.

What were these guys trying to do in two hours? And what did it matter? It wasn't like the Reds and Blues were going to go to war that soon, right?

If she wanted to stand her ground, then she knew what she needed to do and she wasn't going to let the Reds (or anyone for that matter) stop her from completing her mission. Aaliyah had given up her life back home in the purple district to help save the missing women of Cali. They needed her and she wasn't going to let those women down.