Ellington nodded.

“Anybody call Cleaver yet?”

“Dickie’s doing it now.”

Ratzinger shook his head. “I don’t trust that guy. I know he’s your ex-partner, but it’s something about him…”

Ellington nodded. “He is one to be watched closely.”

“I want this one controlled. No coming back on us.”

Ellington nodded.

“I want you to handle it. Handle everything, you understand?” Ratzinger asked, wondering if Ellington had gotten his point.

“I’ll put a hole in the little cunt’s forehead myself.”

Ratzinger nodded. “Good.” She got my point, he thought.

Ellington rose and hurried out of the room.

Ratzinger sipped from his cup of warm coffee, then rubbed his tired eyes. He couldn’t believe that things were finally coming together. He shifted through the papers on his desk until he found his boating magazine. He turned to the classified pages in the back and stared at the boat he had been dreaming about since the current issue came out. He could see himself retired, sailing off the shores of Cape Cod in the four-hundred-thousand-dollar beauty. He was one or two days away from having the money to leave this shit behind, one or two days away from having the money for his dream boat. He couldn’t wait.

Ellington stormed out of the police station and climbed into her car. Davis was right on her heels. As soon as he hopped inside, they were on their way. Neither paid any attention to the gray van parked in the corner of the police station parking lot.

“I can’t believe you!” Agent Phil Covington shouted, tossing his headset onto the console. “We’re dead! We are so dead! Galvani is going to fire us, and then kill us!”

“He’s not going to fire us,” Agent Josh Harbinger replied. “Lavon, tell him.”

“He’s not going to fire you,” Agent Lavon Stokes said flatly, without peering up from her computer.

“Yeah, right! He’s going to fire us all, and then he’s going to shoot us, and then he’s going to throw us in jail!”

“He’s not going to throw us in jail,” Josh told him with a smile.

“He didn’t authorize this! There’s no way you can get me to believe that Galvani authorized this!” Phil said hysterically.

“Authorized what?” Josh smiled.

“Josh! You bugged a police station! Jesus! You bugged a lieutenant’s office! A lieutenant who just happens to be in charge of the vice squad!”

“A dirty lieutenant, I remind you.” Josh retorted.

“We wouldn’t have known that unless we bugged him!” Phil threw himself back in his chair. “Josh, we are in so much trouble. We have broken so many statutes that it isn’t funny! And you brought me along! How could you have done this to me!”

Josh patted Phil on the shoulder. “Relax, Phil. You’re going to be a hero. Tell him, Lavon.”

“You’re going to be a hero,” Lavon said flatly, without peering up from her computer.

“See, Lavon sees the big picture,” Josh told him. “We’ve got them on conspiracy to commit extortion, murder, robbery, and about a half dozen other criminal statutes.”

“Oh, God, what am I going to tell my mother when I get fired?” Phil lamented.

“You’re not getting fired,” Josh told him, then he added, “Lavon.”

“You’re not getting fired,” she said just as flatly as she had before, still focused on the screen of her computer.

“Do you think they get care packages in Terre Haute federal prison?” Phil asked.

“Yes, but you’re not going to Terre Haute,” Josh told him. “We’re sending those assholes to federal prison. We need backup. Lavon, you got that license plate number?”

“Sure did.”

“Call Rich and tell him to tail her. No, change that. Tell him to tail them. We want to catch them when they’re making their move. If they see a tail on her, they may back off. Let him know that it’s cops he’s tailing, so hang back and be on his Ps and Qs.”

“I can’t believe you bugged the police department,” Phil whined.

“Phil, we’re going to save this girl and put away a bunch of crooked cops. See, I told you that bastard Cleaver was dirty!”

Lavon nodded. “You did say that.”

“Did you at least get a judge to sign off on the wiretaps?” Phil asked.

Josh smiled deviously, looking like Brad Pitt’s twin. “I did.”

Phil shook his head. “No, no you didn’t. Josh, please tell me you didn’t.”

Josh nodded. “I did.”

“You got my father to sign off on the warrant?” Phil asked incredulously.

Josh nodded and smiled. “I did. Your father is a federal magistrate.”

“This whole thing is bordering on illegal. Christ, I’m going to spend the rest of my life in a federal penitentiary,” Phil whined.

“Improper, not illegal,” Josh corrected. “Lavon, we need to get this tape in front of a grand jury pronto. Who’s the best deputy United States district attorney to get this to?”

“Watts, I’d say, seeing as how this thing was so fast and loose.”

“Can you get this over to Watts for me?”

Lavon exhaled. “Why did I know you were going to say that?”

Josh kissed her on her cheek. “I got to go and smooth things out with Galvani. Get him on board.”

Phil shook his head. “Galvani’s going to kill you.”

“We’re heroes, Phil. Relax.”

“What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

“Check with the guys in the van over at Philly PD’s headquarters.”

“Another van? You got another van? You brought more guys in on this thing? Who’d you bug over there, the chief of police?”

Josh smiled. “Cleaver’s office.”

“You bugged Internal Affairs?” Phil exhaled. “We’re dead.”

“We’re FBI agents, and we’re going to put those crooked sons-a-bitches away for good!” Josh reassured him. He fixed his collar and climbed out of the surveillance van. “Phil.”

“What?”

“Smile.”

Hold Me Down

Hello?”

“Hey, Gena, this is Rik. What’s up?”

“Hey, Rik! How ya doing?”

“Trying to make it, but it’s hard, lil’ mamma.”

“Shit, you telling me. My whole life has been turned upside down this last month. Really, since Qua…”

“I know. I miss that nigga too. You know, Qua was my boy.”

Silence fell for several moments as Gena thought of yesteryears and Rik thought of what to say next.

“Hey, Gena. I need to talk to you about something.”

“What’s up?”

“When I was locked up, you offered to hook your boy up with a little something-something.”

“Yeah…”

“When I got knocked, they found everything. And everything wasn’t mine. I owed some people. And the people I owed aren’t a very understanding bunch. They came to see me, and they let me know what was going to happen if they didn’t get they bread.”

“Damn. I’m sorry to hear that. Rik, you know I’m here for you.”

“I was hoping that you would say that. I need to get these guys off of my back, and then come up. You know me, Gena, it won’t take long for me to get back on my feet.”

“I know you a hustler, boy.”

“Can you do me something?”

“What you talking?”

“A half a ticket, no more. I can get it all back to you in a couple months. Say four months at the latest.”

“That’s a lot of bread, Rik. Besides, I wasn’t planning on being around here four months from now.”

Damn, bitch, a month ago you had two mil to get me out of jail, now a half is a problem? Rik couldn’t help his greed, but he didn’t want it to show. “Gena, this is your boy. I’m good for it. And even if you ain’t around here, planes fly. I’ll take it to wherever you at.”

“Damn, why now?” How the hell am I going to get the money and get it to him, and do everything else I need to do before I fly the chicken coop?

“Gena, you’re the only person I can turn to. They gonna kill me, and my whole family, if I don’t pay them.”

“All right. I’ll get it to you. But you gonna have to meet me today.”

“No, problem; just tell me when and where.”

“Um, let me think.” Gena thought of all she had to do and the places she had to go. “Okay, I’ll call you when I’m ready.”