Linda Kay Silva - Delta Stevens 3 - Weathering the Storm (6 page)

The motif of the bar was what attracted so many cops to it in the first place. It was the gangster style of the twenties and thirties. On the far wall were black and white photos of Dillinger, Ma Barker, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby-face Nelson, and assorted notorious criminals who had made their marks on history. There were original newspaper clippings detailing their exploits on one wall, and replicas of some of the weapons they carried on the wall above the bar. Harry had some incredible antiques from the period scattered about the bar, as well as some signs and advertisements he had won in a poker game. Harry used to laugh when he told the story about how he won the bar in a poker game, and to this day, Delta still didn’t know if she should believe him. What she did know was that she loved the warm atmosphere of the bar, in spite of the smoke and noise.

“I’ve been thinking—” Connie started as soon as she sat down.

“Uh oh.”

“I’ve been thinking that the captain is laying this on you so you have a chance to prove yourself to him. He wants you to be a team player; he’s obviously heard rumors to the contrary. Look at it this way— you have the unique opportunity to start fresh with a captain who seems willing to give you a clean slate.”

“Sounds to me like he’s already made up his mind.”

Connie shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think he’s caught in the politics between the chief, the mayor, Internal Affairs, and anyone else who thinks we let Elson fall. He doesn’t want to lose you, but he can’t come in looking like a patsy, either.”

Easing back into her chair, Delta watched a fairly handsome young man bending over in his too-tight jeans as he eyed the cue ball. His opponent, a heavy-set biker with a long, ZZ Top beard leaned on his pool stick and scratched under his armpit. The biker was obviously oblivious to the fact that many of the people in the bar were cops.

“You could be right, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. Being tested, as it were, doesn’t build a very strong bond between the tester and the testee.”

“Maybe not, but I, for one, would like to see you focus more energy on your relationship than on your job. I’m worried about you. Megan’s worried about you. You’ve been so quiet lately.”

“I’ve been on suspension, Con. What’s there to be excited about?”

“Exactly. Since the suspension, you’ve been moping around, piddling your time away. This was your chance to have some fun, lighten up, and enjoy yourself, but instead, you just sat around.”

Delta shrugged. “Life’s just not as much fun without my work.”

Connie nodded. “And that, my friend, is precisely why we’re worried.”

“You don’t think I can do it, do you?”

“I think you can do anything you put your mind to. But I do know

you’ve never put your mind to making your relationship your first priority. You’re going to lose her if you don’t. And if putting you on TP helps save your relationship, then I am all for it. I’m sorry Del, if that’s not what you want to hear, but that’s how I feel. I love Megan, too, and I’m not real keen on the thought of you losing her.”

Delta flinched. She couldn’t stand the thought of losing Megan, either.

“Del, ever since Miles died, you’ve gone full blast. You tucked your head and ran like the dickens, plowing over everything that stood in your way.You’ve taken so many risks, it’s as if you’re trying to make up for his death.”

Watching the curly-headed young man grin foolishly as he swiped money off the pool table, Delta shook her head. Laughing in a man’s face when you take his money was a surefire way of having your own face rearranged. When the young kid asked the biker and his buddies if they wanted a chance at double or nothing, Delta turned away. He was really asking for trouble.

“Slowing down won’t make you lose your edge, Del, if that’s what you’re worried about.” As the four ball spun into the corner pocket, Delta barely managed a shrug.

“If anything, you need a fresher perspective. Everyone needs to take a step back every once in awhile. It’s not a sign of weakness to take a look at the big picture.”

In her mind, Delta knew that Connie was right. It was her heart she was having a hard time convincing. “It still feels like I’m giving up patrol to be a meter maid.” Hearing another ball slam into a pocket, Delta turned to see the young player smiling arrogantly at the biker and his buddies.

“Will you at least give it a chance? Open your mind up a bit and see this as a way of killing two birds with one stone.”

Watching the handsome player sink the eight ball and grab the remainder of the money from the table, Delta heaved a sigh. “Well...I’ve discovered silver linings in stranger places. I suppose I can give it a try.”

Smiling widely, Connie clapped her hands together. “Great. Now, can you be a bit more enthusiastic about it?”

“Enthusiastic? Hell, Connie, it’s all I can do to choke it down. Now you want me to do it with a smile on my face?”

Connie nodded. “Yes.”

“Forget it. I’ll give it my best, but I won’t do it with a smile. I’ll try my hardest and hope like hell everything turns out okay.”

“Just okay?”

Delta nodded. “Hey, anything could happen out there on TP.”

Connie’s eyes grew larger. “Anything?”

“Sure.” With a mischievous grin, Delta ordered another round.

“Now you’ve really got me worried,” Connie said, grinning back at Delta. “Suddenly, you have that look in your eyes.”

“What look?”

“The look that spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble could I possibly get into on Training Patrol?”

Rolling her eyes, Connie sighed. “That, my friend, is the $64,000 question.”

When they finished their drinks and conversation, Delta slowly stood and stretched. “I’d better shove off. I don’t want Gina to think that I keep you out too late at night.”

Connie laughed. “Sit down. There’s one more thing we need to talk about.”

“Uh oh. I didn’t do it, I swear.”

Moving closer to Delta, Connie’s laughter melted down into a warm smile. “Relax, Kimo, you’re not in trouble.”

“Whew. So, what is it?”

Connie inhaled slowly and ran her finger around the rim of her glass. “Gina and I are going to have a baby.”

“Excuse me? Did you say baby? As in infant? As in tiny human being?”

Nodding, Connie’s grin spread from ear to ear.

“Really? A baby? You’re having a baby?”

“Yep.”

“Well break out the cigars!” Reaching out to hug Connie, Delta squeezed her tightly.

“Not yet. We’ve been checking out donors versus sperm banks.”

“I’m so excited! This is great news! I’m going to be an aunt! You’re going to be a mom! We’re going to be parents!”

Connie threw her head back and laughed. “Easy, Tiger. It’s too early for a pregnancy test, but it’s getting close.”

“You’ll let us know as soon as the deed is done, right?” The excitement in Delta’s voice rose above the crack of the pool balls.

“Yes, of course we will. And when we do, the Dom is on me.”

“A pregnancy party? Ohhh, I like the sound of that.” Waving the waitress over, Delta ordered two glasses of champagne.

When the champagne arrived, Delta toasted to the health of the not yet conceived child. “To my niece and her moms. May our family always be close and loving and share good times.”

Tinking the glasses together, Connie sipped her champagne and nodded. “Hear, hear.”

“Have you decided on a donor?”

Connie shook her head. “Gina’s done all of the research and we decided it’s best if we go to the sperm bank.”

“Why is that?”

“We don’t want the donor to come back ten years from now because he’s decided he wants to play daddy. Too many women have trusted their donor to stay out of the picture, and then, boom, here he is, taking two lesbians to court for custody of the child. No thanks.”

Delta nodded thoughtfully. “I see your point.”

“Gina’s going to have her and I am going to adopt. That way, if anything happens to Gina, God forbid, there’s no problem with me keeping the baby.”

“I never thought of it like that.”

Connie gulped down the rest of her champagne and wiped her mouth with the napkin. “There’s lots to consider. We just want to make sure no one can take the baby away from either of us.”

Delta watched as the pool hustler swaggered out the door. “Sounds like you’ve done your homework.”

Connie reached out and laid her hand on top of Delta’s. “Maybe now the big picture for our families is a little clearer to you. I want you to experience this with me and Gina. That won’t happen if you keep pushing the edge. Sometime in our lives, Del, we all have to slow down a little. I want you there when this child enters our lives.”

Delta sipped her champagne and nodded before turning her hand up and squeezing Connie’s hand. “10-4, Chief. I think the tuner on my TV just received your signal.”

“Good. You’re my best friend, Del. Hell, you’re more than my best friend. You’re my family. I want you there. It’s that simple.”

Delta finished her champagne as well. “Megan is going to just die when she hears this.”

Glancing at her watch, Connie jerked her head toward the door. “Well, you just might die if we stay out any later. Let’s keep our beautiful women happy by getting home at a decent hour. God only knows, once you’re off suspension, early nights become a fantasy.”

Tossing two dollars on the table, Delta stood and waved to Harry, who was pouring a drink.

“Be careful out there, ladies,” he said, waving with his free hand.

“Count on it, Harry. Have a good week.” Stepping out into the warm night air, Delta waited for Connie to close the door. “That man has built himself a very profitable business.”

“He sure has. The guys love all those weapons, don’t they? I’m sure it’s some phallic thing. You know...the bigger the gun, the greater the fun. Something like that.”

Delta made a face. “God, where do you come up with those lines?”

“Where else? Mercenary Magazine. Gotta keep up on the latest weapons and spy paraphernalia.”

“You’re sick.”

“Actually, come to think of it, I think I heard it on Donahue. Or was it Oprah?”

“That’s even worse,” Delta chuckled putting her arm around Connie’s shoulders. “Next thing you know, you’ll start seeing a psychic.”

“Well, there is this Madame Lat—”

“Don’t even.”

As they strolled through the parking lot, Delta heard scuffling noises coming from the furthest, darkest corner of the lot. Immediately, her senses came to life and she stopped to get a better bearing on where the noise was coming from.

“Con, do you hear that?”

Connie stopped and listened. As she did, she turned and cocked her head at Delta. “Del—”

Delta held a finger to her lips. “Shh. It’s coming from over there.”

Connie listened more intently. “Yes, it is. But we aren’t. Come on, Del, let it be. You’re not on duty. Just walk away and let the big guys in blue take care of it.”

But Delta wasn’t listening to her. Her head was pointed in the direction of the darkened corner, ears straining at the muffled thumps. Squinting in the half-lit lot, she could make out three, maybe four figures in the shadows, moving like strands of a wind chime, sometimes barely touching, sometimes banging into each other and exploding with sound.

“Con, someone is getting their bell rung over there. We should do something.”

“We should?”

Delta nodded.

“Del, there’s no chance in me talking you out of this, is there?”

“Nope.”

Connie just shook her head. “I didn’t think so. Damn. All that counseling dough gone to waste. Come on. Let’s get this over with.”

Already four strides ahead of Connie, Delta knelt behind a huge dumpster. Now that she was closer, she could see four men involved in what appeared to be a major brawl. The all-too-familiar sounds of fists against stomach and jaw bones mutely echoed through the air, as Delta surveyed the surrounding area.

“Well, Storm?” Connie whispered from over Delta’s shoulder. “Do we go in there or are you waiting for your white charger?”

Delta nodded. “You ready?”

Connie held out the hands that made her a master at karate. “I’m always ready. Ready is my middle name. What about you?”

Instinctively, Delta reached to her ankle for her nine millimeter, and winced when she remembered she left it back on the seat of her truck. “Damn.”

“Oh, swell,” Connie said, shaking her head. “You’ll never make heroine status now. I’ll bet Robocop never forgets his off-duty weapon in the car.”

“Very funny.”

“But you’re undaunted, aren’t you?”

“If you’re asking whether I still want to go in, yes, I do.”

“Great. I don’t have my badge. Do you?”

Delta bowed her head in mock defeat.

“Oh, very good. Very, very good. No badge?”