"Internal affairs?" I asked Judy, "Dennis Booker is from Internal Affairs?"
"He was here to investigate Jump Street," Judy said to me as we sat at our desks. She was gossiping to me about a cop who came undercover to Jump Street just the other week. I had yet to meet him, but Tom had called me while I was on vacation just to complain about him.
"What are we doing wrong?" I asked as I popped a popcorn piece in my mouth. I had my feet kicked up on my desk and I leaned back in my chair.
"They think we are entrapping kids," Judy said with an eye roll.
"Wow... I take a two week vacation and everything has gone to pot!" I chuckled and flicked another piece in the air and caught it with my tongue.
"Speaking of, Penhall moved to work in intelligence," she revealed.
"You're joking," I said with big eyes.
"Scouts honor," Judy said, "Hanson and Booker had a pretty big case last week too."
"Wish I coulda met him," I said with a slight pout. I wanted to meet the guy that Tom loathed so much. He can't be that bad.
"Look alive, Gregg," Fuller said as he strutted to his office with a purpose and a white mug of hot coffee in his hand. "My office."
I kicked my feet off my desk and put my popcorn bowl up and followed him into his office while tightening my ponytail. I closed the door behind me, and he told me to sit down.
"What's up, coach?" I asked him as I sat in the chair.
"How was your vacation?" He asked genuinely.
"Good," I said. I took two weeks off shortly after my birthday because I really needed a break, both physically and mentally. It was more like a stay-cation since I didn't go anywhere. "I'm well rested and ready to get back to work."
"Glad to hear it," he said and reorganized some papers on his desk.
The office door opened and a guy I've never seen before entered. He was tall with messy dark hair, and a smolder carved into his handsome face. He had multiple earrings, and his brown eyes lingered on me for a little too long. He wore a tight black tank top, and a cigarette dangled out of his mouth that he lit. If this is the guy from Internal Affairs, I would be shocked.
"Officer Gregg, this is Detective Dennis Booker," Fuller introduced us.
"Booker," I greeted as I stood up and shook his hand firmly. "Pleasure."
"I've heard a lot about you, Gregg," Booker said with a cocky smile that almost made me swoon. I'm not one to judge someone quickly, but he did not seem like he was a cop at all.
Fuller frowned at him and said, "there's no smoking in the chapel, Booker."
Booker's downturned eyes moved swiftly from Fuller to me. He stepped up to the desk, leaning near me and he shoved the lit cigarette down against the ashtray. I didn't even realize that Fuller had an ashtray on his desk until now. The smoke came out of Booker's nose and he said by me, "won't happen again, sir."
"Booker here has been lent to Jump Street by Internal Affairs," Fuller told me.
"I guess it's 'cause I got a young face," Booker said, finally taking a step back.
"Probably." I turned to Fuller while I sat back down and crossed my legs and I asked, "are you putting us on a case together?"
"Not exactly," Fuller answered and took a sip of his coffee. "Gregg, you and Judy are going to work for Vice this assignment."
"Vice?" I asked with a cock of my eyebrow and a snarl of my lip. He knows that we both hate working for Vice. Vice is a division where we stop public-order crimes such as gambling, prostitution, and narcotics. It's not exactly fun.
"Vice," he confirmed.
"You know, I don't think you're supposed to pimp out your officers," I joked.
"Look, there's a guy who has been picking up prostitutes over at the corner of Lincoln and First. He's been killing these women, and it will be your job to protect them. We got eleven bodies. We are pulling you and Judy from Jump Street until you solve this case," Fuller said.
"Sounds good," I said and grabbed my file from his hand. I know it's my job, but sometimes I feel a little bit offended when I'm assigned to be undercover as a prostitute. Do I look like a prostitute? I flipped through the file and I asked why Booker was in there with us.
"This guy is very meticulous about who he picks up. We are having Booker and Hanson come by at night and pretend to pick you ladies up so our guy is under the impression that you are legit," Fuller explained.
"Makes sense." I nodded along, but not pleased about having to pose as being a prostitute. It's cold outside, and I've never seen a prostitute wear pants... or a jacket. Do they ever get cold?
"I've already talked to Hanson and Judy about this," Fuller said.
"What do we do until nightfall?" I asked.
"Catch up on paperwork and fill out reports," Fuller said, "tonight, Booker will pick you up and tomorrow it's Hanson. Night after that should be our guy. Capeesh?"
"Capeesh." I nodded.
"You two are dismissed," he said.
Booker and I stood up to leave his office, but Fuller asked me to stay back.
"What's up?" I asked as Booker kept walking out the door.
"Have you given the offer from N.Y.P.D. any more thought?" He asked in a low voice.
The New York Police Department offered me a position on their team but I really don't want to leave Metro. They don't have a Jump Street program, and my life is here in Metro. I have no reason to leave. I blew some air out from my lips and I said, "I have and I'm going to turn them down."
"It's a great opportunity and they asked for you personally."
"I should reiterate. I already turned them down."
Fuller's lips tilted up in a small smile but he looked like he was trying not to. "It's a shame for them. We appreciate you staying with Metro."
"Thank you, sir," I said and left.
I immediately walked to my desk to avoid talking to Booker. Something about him weirded me out, maybe because of the stories I've heard about him. He did not follow me, though. He went about his business, and I went about mine.
That night my outfit consisted of stockings, a tight leather skirt, and a black lace top. This particular corner is called Hooker Heaven. I stood next to Judy, and we were memorizing the faces of the girls on the corner with us. Many of them were very young, probably high school aged. I wished we could have had this assignment two months ago, because the temperatures were beginning to drop below freezing in the December weather. Especially when it was so late at night.
I was thankful that Judy was with me. Ever since the shooting, I feel like I'm hyper-vigilant and constantly feeling fearful and distressed. I had never been so nervous before, but I've been going to therapy and working through it. It has also been helping me cope with my home being broken into and almost getting murdered two other times. I have been feeling better, especially being back on the field, but it's always in the back of my mind that something like that will happen again. And I am petrified.
A dark car pulled up and I could see Booker hiding behind his sunglasses. I sucked my cheek in and bit down gently, I don't know why but I feel a little nervous about tonight. Booker didn't really leave a great first impression. I made sure that Judy was comfortable to wait for Tom alone before I went up to his window.
"Haven't seen you around these parts," Booker said and took a drag from his nearly burnt out cigarette. "How much?"
"$50 for the night," I replied. We had to stay undercover for any chance that our killer could hear us. We spared no reason for him not to trust us.
"Hop in, sweetheart," Booker said.
"I'm Kitty," I said and climbed into his car and shut the door behind me. I wasn't quite sure why Fuller gave me Kitty as a fake name, but I owned it.
"Baby, you'll have the ride of your life," Booker said while the window was still rolled down and we sped off. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Tom pull up to welcome Judy into his car.
I wiped my sickening smile off my face and Booker handed me a towel he had in the back of his car. I didn't even care if it was clean or not, I laid it over my freezing legs and cracked my stiff knuckles.
"It's freezing." My teeth were practically chattering.
"Shoulda brought a jacket," he said with a click of his tongue. I couldn't tell if he was being serious, or if it was a joke. Regardless, I glared at him in annoyance.
"Do you want to stand out there?" I asked sarcastically and jabbed my thumb behind me. "We can ask Fuller to reverse the roles. Maybe our murderer would rather kill an officer from Internal Affairs."
He chuckled, "being from Internal Affairs does not make you popular, huh?"
"I think it's mostly the shock of being investigated," I defended, "how long are you planning on staying?"
"As long as Jump Street will have me," he said as he continued driving down the road. He said, "look, I know that I'm the newbie and I ain't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a damn good cop."
I paused before I said, "I'm sorry if we've been cold to you. It's not intentional."
"It's part of the job description, you know? It's fine. I know what I'm doing, so all I ask is that you trust me," he said. He sounded sincere. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy.
It seemed like a reasonable request. I promised that I would, and he seemed content with that.
As we drove, my eyes widened when I noticed that he blew through a red light. I looked over at him, then darted my eyes back to the road, then back to him again. He didn't act like he did anything wrong, he had one hand on the wheel and the other ran through his dark hair.
"That light was red," I pointed out.
"That light was yellow a minute ago, I swear."
"Oh, I'm sure it was," I replied sarcastically. I might die tonight in a fiery car wreck.
"How do you like working vice?" He asked, completely changing the subject.
"Not the best thing I've been assigned. What about you?"
He shrugged. "Eh. It's something. Better than being a fucking meter maid."
"I guess," I said half-heartedly.
"Ever had to get real down and dirty for vice? I'm talking shaking snakes?"
I gagged then said, "gross, why would you ask me that?"
"Easy, it was just a question." It was silent between us for a few moments then he said, "you didn't say no."
"Shut the fuck up," I snapped.
"You're wasting your best assets in Jump Street, you know."
"Excuse me?" I asked. I crossed my arms over my chest and stared daggers at him.
"You're young, attractive, female, smart, nice knockers—"
"Booker, your point?" I stopped him.
"You're a golden goose on the corner."
"Are you saying I should quit my job and be a prostitute?" I asked with my eyebrows raised.
"No. No, no, no, no, no, no," he said quickly. "I'm saying you should transfer to internal affairs."
"Now why would I want to do that?"
"Geez, if you'd let me explain. Last I heard from my division was that they were gonna start investigating men on the force throughout the country that dabble with the prostitution ring on a more... personal approach."
"Okay?" I tried to follow along with what he was proposing.
"What I'm saying is that with your experience on Jump Street and already not even looking like a cop, you could do pretty well on them corners. Those in law enforcement usually go for the girls that look clean. You'd just have to wash off those fake track marks."
"I don't fraternize with internal affairs." I started rubbing my thumb around my elbow to rub off the makeup I put on my skin to look like track marks.
He chuckled softly and said, "worth a shot. If you change your mind, you know how to get in touch with me."
"I just gotta say your name in the mirror five times."
"Just three times, I'm not that narcissistic," he joked.
I let out a small laugh, and watched as the buildings flew by. We were driving further and further away from the city, and I couldn't figure out where we were headed. When I asked where we were going, he joked about going to a seedy motel. Well, I thought he was joking until he actually pulled up to one.
"You're not serious," I said and pulled up the towel to my chest. "This looks like a meth-lab."
"Oh, come on," he said, "I've already got a deck of cards for us in there, and enough booze to last us through the night. Just you and me so you can scream my name as much as you want, sugar. I don't mind."
"Booker," I grunted.
"Just like that, but louder," he joked. "Maybe you should tie your hair back again in that tight way that I like."
I cocked my eyebrow at him suspiciously. "You sure you're a cop?"
"This badge says so." He flashed his badge at me. He winked and waved me out of the car and shut the door behind him.
I wrapped the towel around myself to cover as much as I could and followed Booker inside the motel room. It was cleaner than I was expecting, but I would never want to sleep here. I kept thinking I was seeing cockroaches out the corner of my eye. I stationed myself at the edge of the bed that sat in the middle of the room, and Booker sat beside me. We talked some more and I got to know him a little better. We played cards and watched television together for a few hours before he drove me home.
The next morning was the same as the day before. Lots of paperwork, and no action. Shifts like this remind me of why I hate desk jobs.
Night fell, and this time Booker pulled up to pick up Judy. I only had to wait a couple minutes alone before Tom's iconic Mustang came up to the curb.
"What's your game, baby?" I leaned against the car as Tom fumbled to unroll the window. I tried to make my voice deeper and more alluring.
Tonight I was wearing a tight black satin slip that I kept constantly having to pull down to make sure it was covering my ass. The high heels I wore made me four inches taller than I actually am, and my black stockings were held up by a black garter belt. I felt incredibly exposed, but I was owning it. Go big or go home.
"I've got $200," Tom said, it even got the attention of a few of the other girls around.
I smiled at him seductively and opened the door. "You're in for a wild time, baby."
"I'm Tom," Tom said to me as I swung into the car and shut the door.
I said, "I'm Kitty," and I grabbed his tie and pulled him close. I even messed with his hair a little. I really didn't know what I was doing, but I had to be flirty in case anyone was looking at us through the windows.
Tom blushed but hid it by making a purring sound in the back of his throat and he put the car in gear and started driving off. Once we were out of sight, I relaxed into my seat and Tom managed to take his jacket off and he handed it to me.
"Sorry it's not bigger," he apologized.
"It's fine," I said in my normal voice while I took his jacket and I scooted up the seat so I had room to put it on. I slipped my arms through and relaxed back against the seat. The warmth from his body heat warmed up the jacket nicely. I could even smell a hint of his cologne on it. "Thanks for the jacket."
Tom glanced over at me and said, "it suits you. You should always wear my clothes."
I immediately blushed and I tried to hide it by looking down and fiddling with the zipper. I don't think Tom meant it in a flirty way, I guess my mind is still stuck in the gutter.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I took Judy to the James Motel last night and we only saw three rats in total..." his voice trailed off as he stopped at a red light.
"Let's try to make it four," I said.
"Yeah?" He asked and smiled over at me.
"Yeah."
Tom drove us to a motel on the other side of the town and we hung out there for a while before he drove me home. Our night consisted of childish staring contests, pizza eating contests, and watching game shows on television. Tom was sitting on the bed leaning against the backboard and I was so tired, I rested my head in his lap and let my eyes flutter closed. I felt him lightly scratch at my arm, drawing little designs with his finger that I found relaxing. I just wished I had thrown a change of clothes in Tom's car earlier. Otherwise, it was actually a pretty fun night.
I can honestly admit that Tom is the best friend I have ever had. He is the sunshine that brightens the dark and dreary Metropolis, and he makes me feel alive. I really love the things that he does, and whatever this world can give to me, he is all that I can see. I always come back to him, because he has always stood by me through rain or shine. I really love him.
On the third night, I was shivering next to Judy as we were wearing our skimpy outfits of see-through blouses and black stockings while standing on the corner. Hopefully, it was the last night.
"I have noticed that Candy isn't here tonight," I said to her quietly. Candy was one of the prostitutes that we had been talking to as we waited for Tom and Booker the last few nights.
"Yeah, me too." Judy walked over to a girl we recognized who was smoking a cigarette and asked, "hey, where's Candy tonight?"
"You didn't hear?" The girl asked, "they found her body in a dumpster over on Cruise Avenue."
"Oh, wow. That's terrible." Judy put her head down at the sad news.
The girl almost started to cry. "She was my friend, y'know?"
"How old was she?" I asked.
The girl bit her lips as she hesitated to tell us, "sixteen. She was sixteen."
Judy and I walked away and back to the side of the road. "We really need to catch this guy," Judy said.
"I want to rip him limb from limb," I growled.
"Is that him?" Judy asked, nodding toward a dark blue car that was slowly approaching.
I nodded. I lowered my voice as if he could hear me, "it's his car."
Judy and I knew we were going to have a bust tonight, so Tom and Booker were staking out down the street together, watching us to ensure our safety.
The dark car pulled up and he unrolled the window. He was a middle aged man, someone who looked like he could be a grade school teacher. It's always the people you least suspect. Judy and I walked up to him and I asked in my most sultry voice, "looking for a good time?"
The man nodded and held up a thick wad of cash, "how's $500 sound?"
"Only if my friend comes too," I said. I could understand why prostitutes were going with this man every time, because $500 sounds almost too good to be true. I'd lick a car clean for $500.
He looked at Judy and was hesitant before he agreed. I slipped into the front seat, and Judy crawled into the back before he took off down the road. I flirtatiously traced my finger along his face, which he seemed to enjoy.
He said to us, "I don't recognize youse."
"We are new to the corner," I said softly, improvising, "I was over on Green Way and my friend here was at Maple Drive."
He drove us to a motel and led us inside one of the rooms. He was holding a dark bag, and Judy and I gave each other a look. We walked into the room, which had two full sized beds with red comforters covering the mattresses and the paper thin pillows. The television was turned on to the news where they were giving the story about Candy and how her body had been found. Once the door closed, Judy and I were quick to turn around. We pulled out our badges and arrested him.
"You got nothing on me," he spat.
"We can get you for soliciting a prostitute. Quick look in your bag there and we can connect to you twelve murders," I stated firmly.
We were still clothed in the skimpy outfits as we pushed him against the wall and handcuffed him. We had no other choice, and I prayed that he wasn't getting off on it. It was either this or risk him grabbing one of his many weapons. The blue and red siren lights flashed through the window as Tom and Booker pulled up. I gripped his shoulder and the chain of his handcuffs and walked him outside and into the angry hands of Booker.
Booker's face was fixed to a snarl as he held our murderer so tightly, he made him groan. The man looked over his shoulder at me and he winked as he asked, "how are ya?"
"Keep it moving," Booker barked and pushed him toward the cop cars.
Tom was wearing his dark police uniform, with his thick jacket of leather with the station name printed on it. He walked up to me, giving the man a dirty look as he passed.
"Clean bust?" He asked.
I nodded. "Judy is still in the room."
"I'm glad you two are okay," Tom said. He took his leather jacket off and placed it over my shoulders to cover me up some. I really appreciated it, and I thanked him. It even smelled like him. It could lull me to sleep if I let it.
Judy came out holding a bag that the man had and said, "I found a couple coils of rope, duct tape, a knife, and a small hatchet. He was not expecting us to make it out of that room alive."
"That's probably evidence," Tom said, "I can take that for you."
Judy handed Tom the bag and he said goodnight to us before heading to the cruiser where Doug was waiting for him.
Booker took Tom's place and he asked, "going back to get a jump start on that paperwork?"
"I think we are," I said and tried to look toward Judy, but she was securing the motel room.
"Well, sweetheart, I'll help if you get us some coffee. We can do the work and you can just sit there and look pretty," Booker wrongfully suggested. His smolder was plastered on his face and his eyes focused in on mine. He was trying to be flirty, but I think he was just trying to look into my eyes to see his own reflection. "And I've been meaning to ask, are those real?"
How is someone so misogynistic and come outright with such an off-handed comment? The rage I felt when I heard him say that was making my heart race and I bit my tongue to keep myself from blowing up on him. I reached up and closed Tom's jacket around my chest. My eyes drastically widened at his audacity. "Are you kidding?"
Booker chuckled slightly and said, "okay, bad joke. Coffee's on me. My bad."
It took me a moment to find the words. I couldn't believe that he thought that was something okay to say out loud. I was embarrassed for him. Finally, I said, "I will get to work early tomorrow, and you will too. You will get me coffee every morning for... 'till summer."
"For 'till summer?!"
"For 'till summer."
"Fine. I deserved that," Booker said.
"A new coffee shop opened across the street," I pointed out.
"It'll be piping hot and ready for you every morning," he flashed me a fake smile.
"Wait, make it a chai. With ice."
"Got it."
"Good."
"Stay foxy," he said as he walked away.
"Die lonely."
Booker went to his own cruiser to drive with the murderer to the station while Judy and I walked to a payphone, and we called a taxi to take us back to the corner where her car was. Working Vice isn't all that bad I guess, but I would much rather do it with a partner.
Once we were back to the car, Judy drove me home. I wished her a good night, and walked up to my apartment. I took the clothes off and replaced them with my comfortable pajamas. I put Tom's jacket on the back of my couch, hoping that I would not forget it so I could take it to work in the morning.
I hope you enjoyed! I thought it would be fun to switch it up a little with giving them a Vice assignment! And also introducing Dennis Booker to Jump Street!
Please vote and comment! Thank you! 🥰🥰