Alex and Chelsea stared at each other in confusion. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breaths. Neither of them moved. They didn't know what to do.
As they lay there on the table, the door suddenly opened, and two policemen rushed into the room. They must have heard that something was going on inside. When they came into the room, they froze, evidently stunned at what they saw.
Chelsea pushed Alex aside and stood up. He staggered backwards and nearly fell.
The two policemen looked quizzingly at her, but neither dared to ask what was going on.
"Take him to a cell," Chelsea ordered. Then she glanced over at Alex. When she saw that he was looking at her, she turned pale and hurried out of the room.
"You're barking up the wrong tree there, kid," one of the policemen said. "That one's as cold as ice. You're not gonna get off any easier by trying to get with her. Now, let's go." They grabbed Alex by the arms and led him over to the detention cells.
Chelsea rushed off to her desk and sat down. She looked around for anything to distract herself with, but her mind was still in the interrogation room with Alex.
She had never had time for boys. School and work had always come first for her. She had never been in a relationship, never even been kissed, and now she realized that Alex had stolen her first kiss.
It's shameful, she thought. It's not the way I was raised. I'm not that kind of woman. She was flustered and felt her temperature rising.
"Chelsea," a police officer shouted as he walked quickly toward her. "They've collected the evidence from Julian's villa. They're checking fingerprints and comparing blood samples now."
Chelsea's attention immediately returned to the case. She looked at the police officer, and her eyes burned with reignited focus. "Thanks. I'll go and have a look."
She got up and walked over to the forensics lab.
**
Meanwhile, Captain Finn Murphy, the Captain of the Central District precinct, was returning to the station. He had been at home resting when he had received the call about the incident at Julian's house. He had immediately gotten dressed and hurried back to the station. A shooting involving members of both the Duvant and the Steadman families was bound to cause a stir.
When he came into the station, the staff immediately stood up as a show of respect. Finn wasn't in the mood for formalities, and he looked around for someone who might know of any recent developments.
"Larry," he said to one of them, who was standing over by the wall to the right. It almost looked as if he had been hiding. "In my office, right now. I need to know what's happened."
"Yes," Larry said cautiously.
Finn had just grasped the handle on the door to his office when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and was taken aback. He stood frozen for a second and then turned to Larry. "Wait outside first. I'll call for you later."
Larry walked away. Finn went into his office, sat down in his chair, took a deep breath, and answered the phone. "Hello, Chris."
In the Baltimore underworld, the Steadmans were the only family that could match the Cliftons. In some ways, they were in an even more advantageous position. Art Steadman, the head of the family and Chris' father, was an influential politician with significant clout in the mayor's office. And beyond.
If Chris was calling him, then Finn knew he had to tread carefully.
"Hello, Captain Murphy," Chris said. "I believe you've been informed about my cousin's case?"
"I know the broad strokes," Finn replied. "One of my officers was just about to fill me in."
"There's no need," Chris said abruptly. "I'll tell you. My cousin was shot by two guys called Alex and Saul. They tried to kill him, but they failed. Now, I've been informed that you have Alex in you jail already. I hope I can count on you to make sure that he's kept there, and that he's punished."
Finn immediately understood that something fishy was going on. If we keep this Alex kid locked up, it will be easy for Chris to get to him, he thought. That must be what he's after. But why is he going to all this trouble?
"Is there a problem?" Chris asked coldly.
"Oh, no. No problem at all," Finn answered hurriedly. He was frightened, and his voice and his body trembled.
"Good. I expect to hear that charges are being filed very soon. Do you have any leads on Saul? I personally suspect that he's already dead. When you find him, please don't make a fuss. And no need for the usual song and dance. Just cremate him and be done with it."
"Yes, all right," Finn said. He grew more and more unsettled. He wondered if he had read Chris' implication correctly.
"Okay then, Captain. I won't disturb you any longer. You have work to do. Goodbye." Chris hung up.
Finn put his phone away and called Larry into his office. Then he sat and listened as all the facts of the case were explained to him.
**
Chris put his phone away. He was at the hospital where Julian had been taken, and Julian was being brought out of the emergency room. He was being rolled out in a wheelchair. His parents were there waiting for him, and they anxiously approached the doctor.
"Doctor, how is his leg?" asked Patrick Duvant, Julian's father, and grasped the doctor's white coat sleeve.
The doctor shook his head slowly. "We removed the bullet, but the injury has damaged his muscle tissue. He's not in any danger, but his leg will probably never fully recover."
Patrick stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds, and then he suddenly erupted in anger.
"You hacks! You couldn't even fix a simple bullet wound?" He looked as if he was about the attack the doctor. "If my son ends up lame, I promise you'll never work again."
Julian was staring into the floor and looked as if he was going to cry. "I don't want to live if I'm not going to be able to walk," he said.
His mother bent down and hugged him. "It'll be all right, Julian. We'll find a better hospital. They should never have brought you here. I'll make sure to find the best doctor in the country. We'll fix this, I promise."
After Julian and his father calmed down, they went to the VIP wing of the hospital. Julian had been given a spacious room with a comfortable bed, and his father, his mother, and Chris gathered around him as he got into it.
"They crippled me," he said as he lay down. Hatred shone in his eyes. "I want them to pay."
He turned to Chris. "Chris, you must find them for me. I won't be able to breathe as long as they're still out there."
"Chris, I heard you call that police captain earlier," Julian's mother observed. "Do you have a plan?"
Patrick also looked to Chris. He knew that his nephew could be trusted to handle things. He's already on top of it, he thought hopefully. He'll make this right.
"Don't worry," Chris told them. "The police have already caught Alex. I just called the captain of the precinct where he's being held, and I made it clear that he shouldn't go easy on him. And as long as Alex is locked up, it'll be easy to get to him."
Julian's face lit up. "That's great," he exclaimed. "If he's put in prison, he'll be an easy target. If we can, we should make sure that he's put in the worst possible place. He won't survive the first week. If he does, I'll take care of him myself."
Julian stopped himself. He seemed to have remembered something. "But what about Saul? We can't let him get away. I mean, he's the one who actually shot me."
"Don't worry," Chris answered confidently. "Saul's one of mine. I can deal with him easily."
The Duvants were all somewhat surprised at his confidence. Saul wasn't just anyone. He was a veteran of their dirty work, and a champion of underground boxing. But they trusted Chris entirely. And besides, he had the resources of his family. If he told them he would take care of it, then that is what he would do.
Chris smiled at them and looked at his watch. It was as if he knew what they were thinking. "I don't think Saul has much time left. It's now one o'clock. I doubt he'll make it to two."
Chris had thought the whole thing through. Saul was rash. His first thought would be to run away. As powerful as Chris' family was, he was skilled enough to have a fifty-fifty change of getting out of the country.
But Chris knew Saul's weakness. It was a woman. And not just any woman, but someone Chris had introduced Saul to himself. Chris did something similar with every employee who didn't already have a family that could be exploited.
And Saul is particularly smitten with this one, Chris thought. There's no way he'll run without her. And when he comes for her, my men will be waiting for him.
**
Meanwhile, Saul was driving up to the apartment of his girlfriend Danielle. If he was going to have to leave town, he wanted to take her with him.
When he got to her building, he got out of the car and went inside. He went up the stairs and knocked on her door.
"Danielle," he shouted. "Open the door."
The door crept open, and a short-haired beauty appeared in the crack. Her face looked strained, but Saul didn't have time to notice.
"Danielle, let's go," he said. "I'll take you out of Baltimore." He grabbed Danielle by the arm and tried to lead her downstairs.
"Hello, Saul," a voice cried out. Saul had been in such a hurry that he hadn't noticed the man standing behind Danielle. It was Cyrus, one of Chris' men. He held a gun in his hand and pointed it at Danielle.
Saul was stunned. Chris had anticipated his every step.
"Come inside, and no one gets hurt," Cyrus said. Danielle was shaking with fear.
"All right," Saul answered and raised his hands. "There's no need to do anything drastic. I'll do as you say." He stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind him.