"Anastasia, your mother has been trying to call you for the past weeks. Where have you been?"
My dad instantly got on my case before I could even make it to the facility entrance.
"Working."
"Is that more important than your mother?" I shrugged.
"Why does it matter? I heard she was doing better."
The chemo that she miraculously decided to change her mind about was working so they moved her to a facility instead of the hospital.
"Yeah, a lot better. The chemo has really made a difference."
"Yeah."
"She wants to see you."
"Sure she does." I respond sarcastically.
"What is it that caused this drift between you two?"
"We had a disagreement, I figured we needed some time apart."
"Oh, Anastasia, sweetie. I have missed you." She said once we entered the room.
"You have? Funny, I haven't received a call from you. You've had Hank delivering your messages."
"I'm sorry." She apologized.
"What have the doctors been saying?"
"She's getting better. She had a decrease yesterday but it was minor. They're keeping an eye on her." My radio beeped.
"I have to go, I'll talk to you guys later."
"Baby, wait. Don't be mad at me anymore, please."
"I gotta go."
I went to the district, going to the back entrance. Adam was about to go undercover so I had to get caught up with the case.
"How much you make an hour?" Al questioned Ruzek as they went over his cover story.
"$12.50."
"How long you been with the company?"
"Six months."
"What do you hate about the job?"
"I love everything about it. I really do." Adam smiled.
"We'll be right behind you eyes and ears the whole time. You got two distress signals. For visual, just run both hands through your hair. For verbal, just say "popcorn." Toni said.
"Popcorn?"
"Either one of those or both, and we're moving in."
"All right, I got it." He nodded.
"Hey." Hank called.
"We all go home tonight."
Everyone nodded, getting geared up and ready to go. We followed behind the van that Adam was in, at a distance.
"Hey, what are we thinking for lunch? What, Mexican, Chinese, burgers?" Adam chatted with the guys.
"I'm good with anything but Sushi, all right? Had a bad experience once, so we'll leave it at that." He continued.
"What happened? Did you get sick eating it or something?" The other guy asked.
"Eh, you know what? Any time somebody says they had a bad experience with Sushi, it's safe to assume they got sick from it. All-in sick, you know what I'm saying?'
"Maybe you choked on it."
"Up here. What's this?" Toni asked, seeing an SUV speeding up.
"Look out!" One of the guys shouted as the SUV sped past them, cutting them off.
A truck suddenly rammed into Voight's car. A gunshot sounded before Adam jumped out of the van.
"Popcorn! Popcorn! Popcorn!" Adam yelled.
I got out of the car, taking cover. Two more vehicles pulled up; the men got out shooting. We exchanged fire until their voices were heard.
"That's it, go!" One of the men shouted, jumping into the car as it sped off.
"Hey! You guys all right?" I asked.
"Yeah, we're fine! Go!" Hank said.
"All right! Lincoln 5021 emergency, we have shots fired by the police. Roll an ambo to 1400 West Roosevelt. We have multiple wounded offenders." I radioed.
-
"All right. We have the driver, Lee Pritchett. Worked there three months. Had a wife and two-year-old kid at home. Dead crew member, apparently we've got a lead on that." I pointed to Lee's picture.
"Yeah, Jeff, I knew him from my last-" Kim's new partner started.
"Not yet." I cut him off.
"And we've got the shooter in the armored van. I. D. and social came back bogus from the company. He started work three days ago. We have calls into the company to find out who hired him and who put him in that van today. Now." I gestured toward the cop.
"D.O.A.'s Jeff Gamble. He's got a sheet five feet long. Possession, domestic battery, burglary, two prior armed robberies. His cousin, Chris Gamble, is basically his partner in crime. Chris wasn't involved himself, but I'll guarantee he'll at least know what Jeff was up to." He said.
"Well, you and Burgess go find this cousin." Voight directed.
"All right."
Everyone busied themselves; I reviewed the information we had so far, looking at the papers before a paper ball hit my head.
I rolled my eyes, instantly glaring at Halstead. He smirked, gesturing towards the locker room. I nodded; he came in a few minutes after me, pulling me behind some lockers.
"What's up?" I asked Jay.
"Jin sent this to me." He held up a flash drive and a note.
"What's on the drive?"
"I haven't checked it yet." I nodded.
"Show it to Voight."
"Not until I know what's on it." He shook his head, walking away.
I went back to my desk, watching as Alvin wore a sad look before he walked to the board and put a picture up.
"Oskar Bembenek and his younger brother Jacob. Oskar's run a crime outfit for the last 25 years. Prostitution, extortion, drugs, you name it. Now, Oskar never gets his hands dirty. He always subcontracts when it comes to taking people out. That's how he's lasted so long." Al said, pointing to the board.
"This murder charge, what's that about?" Adam asked.
"He just had a mistress. She wanted to break up with him. So he stabs her. 25 times. His shirt? It's got her blood on it. Now, I knew this girl." Al closed his eyes, sighing.
"I knew this girl. Josie Martin. I was trying to turn her out as an informant against him."
"Intelligence, Atwater." Kevin answered the phone.
"I'll be back." Toni grabbed his jacket, leaving.
"Thanks. The supervisor from the armored van company I've been trying to get a hold of just went home sick."
"You and Halstead, let's go." Voight gestured to Erin.
"Hey. Text me the address." Jay said.
"Gotcha."
-
"Hello, Oskar." Al said.
"Detective Olinsky." Oskar slightly smirked.
"Yeah. You mind stepping out for a second and letting me have a quick word with your boss?" The guy didn't move. Al snatched him up by his collar, throwing him to the floor.
"Whoa!" The rest of his guards stood up, on alert.
"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." Oskar said. Al smirked, sitting down.
"You know, I know you were behind the heist this morning."
"Heist?" Oskar questioned. He stared at me.
"Oh, yeah."
"I don't think so." He shook his head.
"No? You remember the old days? You ran from the police, you were guaranteed a beating, but you shoot at the police It was guaranteed death. Now I am considered one of the last of the old-timers, Oskar. And I am coming for you."
"May I ask who you have with you today, Alvin?" Oskar smirked, looking me up and down.
"Don't worry about her. Focus on what you're gonna do when you're behind bars."
"Gentlemen, why don't you this detective and this pretty lady out?" He winked at me. I felt a shiver go through my body.
"Come on." Al said.
We went back to the district. Al kept glancing at me, trying not to make it noticeable.
"Yes, Alvin?"
"Me? I didn't say anything."
"Your eyes did."
"I can see that he got under your skin a little. Don't feed into that."
"I won't." He nodded.
Going up to the bullpen, we went our separate ways. I found Halstead in the break room, staring at his cup of coffee.
"So what's on the drive?" I asked.
"Jin was working with IA." He whispered.
"What? What'd it say?"
"He was being blackmailed by some Edwin Stillwell guy. Maybe that's the guy that killed him."
"Woah, slow down. We don't know that for sure. Where's the drive?"
"I gave it to Voight. Asked him when Stillwell's gonna get popped, he basically dismissed it. He wouldn't give me the drive back."
"I don't know about you but something's going on."
"Yeah, and I wanna know what it is."
I went to my desk, grabbing the file from Nolan. He looked back and forth between Halstead and I. I shook my head, making a disgusted face. Hank came up and stood near the stairs, getting everyone's attention.
"I don't know what you heard, but let me set things straight. In order to get my job back, I made a deal with I. A. The deal was I put myself out there as dirty so I can take down some high-level criminals. I never agreed nor did I ever report on another cop. You can like it or not, that was the deal." I shook my head.
"Intelligence." Nadia picked up the phone.
"We should gear up for our meet." Erin said.
"Yeah."
"Sergeant? That was Commander Perry. You're wanted back down at the Ivory Tower immediately." Nadia said.
"All right, call back down there. You tell 'em I want Tim O'Leary at that meeting. Tim O'Leary."
"Okay."
"Hey, uh, you got this?" Hank asked Antonio.
"I do."
-
"Sit down!" Toni yelled at Gamble's cousin, Chris.
"Now whether this evidence bag was open or not, or if it broke chain of custody, I don't really give a damn. That's for the state's attorney's office to worry about. Main thing is to get Oskar Bembenek showing up with 200k, and heads will roll from there. Wait for the money to be handed over first, then move in."
"Then we move in quick. Okay? As you can tell, Bembenek and his brother have no problem getting violent. All right?" Al said.
"All right, Gamble, let's get you wired."
Once Gamble was wired, we drove to the meet spot, waiting for Oskar. My phone vibrated with a message. I smirked as I read it, throwing a look his way.
"What was that about?" Scott asked.
"Nothing." He grabbed my phone, going to the message.
"He is very unprofessional. He's supposed to be leading this team and he's texting you how sexy you look right now."
"Shut it, Scott."
A black car pulled up. Oskar, Jacob and two other guys got out. Oskar approached one of the other guys, standing in his face.
"You kill a cop?" Oskar asked.
"When you say it like that I sound like a real dick."
"Yeah."
"Show me." He looked in the bag, seeing the money.
"Let's go."
"Happy?" He gave Oskar the shirt.
"Do it." Oskar's guys held Gamble and his crew at gunpoint.
"Oh, come on. Whoa, whoa."
"Move in, move in!" Toni shouted.
"Put your guns down! Put your guns down!"
"On the ground, now! On your knees!" Adam and Kevin arrested the other guys, while we surrounded Jacob and oskar's car.
"Let me see your hands!"
"Put 'em up!"
"It's all good." Jacob yelled, getting out of the car.
"Stay in the car. What are you doing?"
"Jacob!" Oskar yelled.
"It's all good! It's all-" Jacob pulled a gun from behind his back firing our way. Halstead fired 2 rounds into Jacob's chest.
"No! No! No! Jacob!" Oskar got out of the car, holding his hands up.
"Up where I can see 'em! Put your hands up where I can see 'em, now!"
"No! Jacob!"
"Don't move!" Al handcuffed Oskar. Antonio flipped Jacob on his back, handcuffing him.
"You shot my brother."
"It hurts, tough guy? What's that, tough guy? Huh? Come on."
"Lincoln 5021 emergency. We have shots fired by the police. Roll and ambo to 35th and Hamilton." I radioed, putting a hand on Jay's shoulder.
"Copy that, Lincoln 5021."
Shift was over, I was ready to go home and take some time to myself. My mind however had other plans as I found myself standing in front of Hank's desk. We played a staring game until I spoke up.
"Why the hell were you working with IA?"
"I said this earlier, no need to discuss it again."
"You said they were dirty. They were cops who go after other cops, isn't that what you did by helping them?"
"Look, I explained it best way I could. Let's leave it at that."
"Hey." A knock sounded on the door.
"Dad?"
"Hey, babygirl."
"What are you doing here?"
"Well, Ashton wanted to thank me for getting your mother to change her mind about chemo. He knows people that can help whenever, I thought he'd be a real asset to the team."
"And you agreed to this?" I asked him.
"Yeah, this is a great way for me to repay Hank. He's looked out for you all these years without me having to ask him to, I don't know what more I could do."
"He starts Monday. Why don't you come with me, Ashton? I'll show you your desk." Hank smirked, walking out.