[WARNING: This chapter may refer to some sensitive topics, such as rape and abuse which may be upsetting to some readers.]
"Wh-what do you mean?" I stuttered breathlessly.
My eldest brother's words still swirled around in my mind. The story he told me was very similar to the case I just handled with Lieutenant Parker. Considering both Will's and my own experience, it seemed Lieutenant Parker hid crucial information from the police, and made conclusions based on his opinion, and not on cold hard evidence.
Why? And how was a man like him in such a high standing within the police department?
William slumped, his shoulders hanging low with the burden of his guilt. "A few years after the case was closed, and some members of The Inferno was convicted, a major fight broke out between the gangs. The Riot saught revenge for the death of Jasmine, who was a daughter of their leader. They took years to prepare themselves and find The Inferno's base. The long time that went by probably made The Inferno believe that The Riot wasn't going to do anything. Then, when they least expected it, The Riot stormed into The Inferno's base and slaughtered many of their members. There were even innocent civilians that got caught up between them. Women... Children... I..." William's voice cracked. He teared up, and my heart broke to see him in that much pain.
"How did you know about The Riot's motives?" I asked, awkwardly patting his arm in attempt to comfort him.
William looked at me for a long moment, and then said, "I can't tell you any more than I just told you. It will put you in danger."
I was about to ask him why, when he silenced me. "All I will tell you is that you need to stay away from Lieutenant Parker. Do not work on any of his cases. Do not involve yourself with him. He is not what people say he is."
"Do you think he was involved in--" I started to say, before William interjected.
"No. Do not overthink it. Just stay away from him, Venus."
I blinked. I knew it. I knew something was off about Lieutenant Parker. I had to tell Will about it, maybe we could work together to get him convicted.
"Promise me," William exclaimed, authority clear in his voice.
"Okay, I promise. I won't work for him anymore," I responded.
Okay, so William isn't planning on doing anything about this guy, I thought to myself. I wondered why he didn't just do something. They had the same ranking, and William had Father on his side, so I really didn't get what he was so afraid of.
"I saw something suspicious on the bodies of those boys, Will. And I know that their deaths weren't an accident," I told William.
Maybe if he saw that I went through something similar to him, he might change his mind, and gain the courage to expose Lieutenant Parker.
"Ignore it." William demanded. His jaw was set.
"But, Will, we can't just--"
"Venus, I am begging you. Ignore what you saw and stay out of it. For your own good." William picked up his bag, signaling that our conversation was coming to an end.
I couldn't let it go. Young boys died. Many innocent lives were lost because of this. And Lieutenant Parker definitely had something to do with it. I was going to find out how, and why.
I could not live with the guilt that my brother carried around every day of his life. I had to do something, and it seems that I had to do it alone.
"Fine, I'll drop it," I told my brother, hoping he didn't see through my lie.
William nodded and told me to get some rest before he left me alone in the lounge.
Hours later, I was on the road again, driving the same car as yesterday, to the same location with the same person sitting in the passenger seat.
"You look like you didn't sleep at all last night," Lieutenant Parker noted.
I nodded, paying attention to the road ahead. "I had a little trouble sleeping, Sir. But tonight I will try again."
"It doesn't get much easier, child," Lieutenant Parker stated, taking up some kind of fatherly role. "You should invest in a good psychiatrist, or a therapist, at least. It does wonders for your mental health and sleep."
"I will consider it, thank you, Sir."
The sky was turning dark, and I wondered why this man really insisted on me taking him here this time of night, because I didn't buy his excuse that he was busy the whole day and could only come now. While I was running up and down handling small cases here and there, I saw him chit-chatting and joking around with some of the other lieutenants and sergeants of the department.
I still agreed to go with, because my instincts told me that something suspicious was going on, and I had hoped that I could get some evidence. Whether it was against Lieutenant Parker or The Riot.
When we arrived, Lieutenant Parker ordered me to park on the opposite side of the road.
"You stay here, I'll be back in a jiffy. I'm only going to take a few pictures," Lieutenant Parker said.
"Sir, you can stay in the car and let me take the pictures. Someone of your rank should not be doing such menial tasks," I suggested. This man was being so openly suspicious that it wasn't even funny.
He waved me of. "No, no. It's no trouble at all. You can stay out here and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. Call me of you see anything." He got out and glanced around. "But whatever you do, don't get out of this car."
"Yes, Sir."
Lieutenant Parker left me and disappeared into the building.
I obeyed his order, and remained in the car.
A few minutes passed, and I nearly fell asleep in the soothing silence. My fatigue started to catch up to me.
But a noise made me look in the direction of the abandoned factory.
A few heavily tattooed men dressed in dark clothing went into the building.
My blood ran cold. There was no way that they went there to have their photos taken.
Lieutenant Parker was in danger.
I loaded my gun and silently followed the men into the building, making sure that I stayed out if sight.
The light was turned on, so I could see clearly. Very clearly.
Lieutenant Parker was standing opposite a tall, bulky man with neatly cropped black hair. A pair of sunglasses hid the rest of the scar that peaked out over his right eye, stretching over his eyebrow. His black shirt hugged him tightly, and exposed most of his chest.
I sneaked a bit closer, taking care to stay hidden behind fallen bricks and planks.
There were many men scattered around the space, and I suddenly wanted to kick myself for putting myself in this situation. My heart pounded so hard, I was scared one of them would hear me and then spot me. And I have a feeling they won't invite me to take selfies with them.
"You really need to let me know ahead of time when you plan on pulling a stunt like this," Lieutenant Parker told the man.
I couldn't believe what just heard. I pulled out my cell phone to film the scene, because I had the feeling that whatever I was about to capture was going to be valuable evidence.
"Well, you should know by now that we do things my way, however spontaneous it might be," the man responded with a sneer. He pulled out a pack of bills and handed it to Lieutenant Park.
I stared in horror as Lieutenant Park took the cash, a greedy smile stretched across his face. "As expected, the boss of The Riot always pays in cash. Much appreciated."
My hands shook so badly, it was a miracle that I didn't drop my phone yet.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The boss of The Riot was bribing Lieutenant Parker, and he was all too happy to accept it.
"No, thank you. For keeping things running smoothly and keeping the police's noses where they belong."
I stopped filming there. Everything was there. It was clear what Lieutenant Parker was doing all these years. He took bribes to keep The Riot's names clean. He was despicable.
The Riot had killed those boys. And if I were to connect it to William's story, they did it for revenge, because those boys were from The Inferno.
I had to get out of there. I got what I needed, for both Danté and to bring justice to those boys.
"Oh, look. A little mousie," a gruff voice whispered from behind me.
Shit. I was dead. This was my last second on earth.
"Hey, Boss! I found a mousie dressed in blue," the giant behind me yelled.
I swung around, pointing my gun at him.
My gun quivered.
"Officer Bellingham?! I told you to stay in the car!" I heard Lieutenant Parker exclaim. I heard them drawing near.
"I thought you were in danger, Sir," I replied. "But it seems that you were perfectly fine, taking pictures, with hands stained in years of blood."
The Riot's boss, who I've read is called Vlad Belikov, laughed heartily.
They were all in front of me now.
"Is she the spawn of that 'hero' f*cker that everyone is going on about?" Vlad asked Lieutenant Parker. His chiseled face was peppered with a light stubble.
"Yes. But she's f*ckin' useless. Can't even shoot properly," Lieutenant Parker said. "She's been a rookie for a while now, but no one wants to take her on for bigger cases, because she can barely walk without tripping."
That bastard. He dared to talk about me like that after everything he made me do?
Vlad's lacky, who I was pointing my gun at, smiled a vile, filthy smile that made my skin crawl. "Hey, she sure is a pretty mousie, though."
I wanted to throw up.
The other members of The Riot closed in on me, each wearing a cruel, evil smirk.
I was terrified. These men weren't going to just kill me. They will tear me apart, after they had their way with me.
For the first time I wished Damian had been watching from the shadows, and that he would come and protect me like Nick said he would.
But he had been missing since this morning, so I was on my own.
"Stay back, or I'll shoot!" I warned them.
They laughed like I told them the funniest joke they have ever heard.
"I'm sorry that it had to end this way for you, child. If only you listened like your brother, William, did," Lieutenant Parker said, not looking apologetic at all.
William was right. I had to stay away from Lieutenant Parker. I should not have let my curiosity and sense of justice win.
But...
I glanced over at the spot where the boys had been found the previous night. A large pool of dried up blood remained.
"Your father won't even notice or care that you're gone," Lieutenant Parker said and laughed.
I screamed in anger and pointed my gun at him. "Don't you dare speak of my father, you filthy lying bastard!"
The men laughed, and Vlad said, "Ooh, it looks like you made the mouse angry, Bobby."
"What? Does it hurt to hear the truth?" Lieutenant Parker asked, looking smug. "If only you knew what your dear daddy is capable of. What he has done."
Tears streamed down my face and I cried out, pulling the trigger. The bullet was supposed to fly into his chest, but it landed in his left knee.
"Aaaaaarrgggh!" Lieutenant Parker screamed in agony.
The Riot laughed it off. "Get him out of here, before he goes and dies. The frail son of a b*tch," Vlad told one of his lackeys.
"No!" I shouted, reaching out to him as they carried him out. I couldn't let that criminal get away that easily.
The giant man grabbed me, and I struggled against his grip. "Let me go, you bastard!"
"Boss, can I have the mousie," he asked Vlad.
Vlad looked at me with eyes filled with evil intentions as he responded to him. "Sure, take care of her. But please, keep her alive. The others want a chance too."
I raised my gun to shoot the giant, but he flicked it away, sending it flying across the room.
He threw me to the ground, and pinned me beneath him.
"Get off of me you filthy monster!" I screamed at him. Desperate tears streaming down my face.
No. Not this. Please, you could kill me in the most brutal way imaginable. But please don't do this to me.
I can't go through it again.
"Let's have some fun, little mousie," the giant man sang as the others laughed.