A Bullet For Two

By Z

Rick Hunter set the binoculars on the dash of his car and rubbed his eyes. The sun was just beginning its daily ascent over the horizon – the third time this week that it dared to do so before he’d laid his head on a pillow. He placed a strategic elbow in the ribs of his dozing partner, Dee Dee McCall. "Time to get up, Dee Dee. You’ll be late for school," he whispered.
"Huh?" McCall bolted upright, momentarily startled until the realization of where she really was, sank in. She placed her hand over her mouth in an unsuccessful attempt to stifle a yawn and glanced down the street to the apartment they’d had under surveillance. She turned her attention to her baggy-eyed partner. "Why’d you let me fall asleep, Hunter? I told you not to."
"Because you look so cute when you’re sleeping, Sgt." he teased, grinning at her.
"I suppose you said the same thing to Harrison when you guys were on the Connors case last year," McCall retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Hmm...I don’t know. He’s pretty cute, but I still think you’ve got him beat." Before she could respond, he added, "let’s call it a night. I mean a morning. I promise I won’t let you fall asleep tomorrow."
"Yeah, that’s what you said LAST night," she said, playfully shoving him on the shoulder. A loud rumbling sound caught her attention. "Good God Hunter, what was THAT?"
"What was WHAT?" he asked, scanning the scene with wary eyes.
"That SOUND that just came from your stomach."
"Oh, THAT. What can I say, McCall? I’m starving. A man’s gotta eat, you know. I feel like a donut. How ‘bout you? "
"That’s funny, you don’t look like a donut," she teased, drawing a blank look from her lanky cohort.
"Ha HA, McCall! Do you or do you NOT want a donut? If I don’t get something to eat pretty soon there’s no telling what I might resort to," he said, chomping his teeth at her.
"Nah, I’m not really hungry. We can stop if you want, though." McCall let out a yawn and laid her head back on the headrest. "Man, I can’t wait until this assignment is over. These hours are killing me." She closed her eyes as Hunter turned the key and started the car. He glanced over at her and smiled. She looked so sweet and vulnerable when she was sleeping – so different from the persona she wore as Detective Sgt. Dee Dee McCall. He thought back to the day they first became partners. He knew her only by reputation – a good cop and as tough as they come -- beautiful to boot. They called her the Brass Cupcake back then and the name seemed to really fit, even if it didn’t last. At first he thought she overcompensated for her good looks by being harder than she needed to be, but after seeing first hand the way some of her fellow cops reacted to her, he realized that she had to. It was tough for any woman to be taken seriously in the LAPD during those years, let alone one "handicapped" by beauty. McCall was slow in letting Hunter know the real Dee Dee but he understood the reasons why. As he pulled into the parking lot of the donut shop, he glanced at her again. Sometimes he just couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have her in his life, especially lately. "I’ll be right back. You sure you don’t want anything?" She shook her head without opening her eyes and he got out of the car and headed into Pop’s Donuts.
Hunter pushed the door open, the bell hanging on the handle ringing in his arrival. The clerk nodded at him but his stiff posture and wide-eyed look gave Hunter a feeling of dread. He reached under his jacket for his .44, silently pulling it out of the holster he wore on his belt. He glanced up at the fish eye mirror mounted on the wall above the clerk’s head and understood the reason for his discomfort. A gunman was crouching on the floor directly behind the clerk, his gun pointed at the terrified man’s head. Hunter took a quick glance back at his car. McCall still had her eyes closed. Why hadn’t she been hungry? This would be so much easier to handle if she were here. He nodded toward the clerk and greeted him. "Morning. Give me a couple of glazed." The second the clerk took one step to his left, Hunter leaned over the counter, gun drawn and shouted, "Police! Put it down, NOW!" The visage of a skinny young boy pointing a .357 Magnum at him wasn’t what he expected. The kid couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen. "Put it down, son. Don’t make this worse than it already is."
The boy’s face was hard but his hands were trembling, as much from the weight of the gun as the fear of what the gun could do. Hunter stared hard into the boy’s eyes trying to read his intentions. The sound of footsteps in the back room and the opening of a door interrupted his concentration. His eyes veered toward the sounds, but were instantly pulled back as the young man in front of him suddenly squeezed the trigger. The recoil from the powerful gun pushed the slender kid backwards and the hail of bullets sailed over Hunter’s head. He fired three rounds of his own dropping the assailment to the floor. He peered over the counter knowing full well what he would find; yet the sight of the mortally wounded boy still shook him to the core. He placed his hand on the counter and vaulted over it, kicking the gun away from boy’s limp hand, then checked out the back room. The door to the alley was cracked open. Hunter pushed it fully open with his foot and peeked around the corner, finding only a deserted alley. He breathed a small sigh of relief and returned to front of the shop.
The sound of automatic weapon fire broke McCall out of her semi-slumber. She sat up with a start, then crouched low, looking through the bottom of the car door’s window. "This is L-56. Shots fired at 13211 Osborne. Officer needs assistance." She exited the car, moving warily toward the shop.
"Hunter! You OK?" McCall yelled from her position around the outside of the doorframe. She peered around the corner, her weapon drawn and moved into the shop. "Freeze!" she ordered as the clerk moved toward Hunter and the fallen assailant. "He works here, McCall. This is our guy," Hunter pointed to the young man lying on the floor. "I think another one took off down the alley." McCall leaned over the counter studying the sight before her. Hunter had fired three rounds and all had found their target in the boy’s chest. Blood soaked his formerly white T-shirt a dark crimson color until it couldn’t hold any more liquid then ran down his side in a sticky stream of red that ran slightly downhill edging toward the drain in the floor. McCall turned her attention to the gunman’s face. "Oh my God! He’s just a baby!"
"Don’t you think I know that, McCall? He didn’t give me any choice." McCall put her hand on her partner’s shoulder and studied the bullet holes in the wall behind her. "I know, Rick. I’m sorry." She ran her hand reassuringly down his arm. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah, other than shooting kids for breakfast, I’m just great!" The sarcasm in his voice didn’t nearly cover up the pain that was etched on his face. "I’ll go call for the coroner," McCall offered. She took one last look at the bloodied body slumped behind the counter and shook her head. What the hell was her job coming to, anyway, she wondered. The face of an armed robber was not supposed to be covered with peach fuzz.
"Shit! Why’d he make me do it?" Hunter asked no one in particular. He slammed his fist hard on the counter. "Dammit!"

**********

Seven hours later – Foothill Division Precinct house – office of Captain John Orozco
"That about wraps it up for us. You got anything more, Captain Devane?" asked Orozco. Devane shook his head. "Go home, Hunter. Get some sleep."
"Yeah, sure, Charlie," he said, wearily. He got up and headed for the door where his partner met him immediately. "What are you still doing here, McCall?"
"Waiting for you. You holding up OK?" She wrapped one hand around his arm and rubbed gentle circles on his back with the other. "What do YOU think? I killed a kid today," replied her sullen partner.
"He didn’t give you a choice, Rick and you know it. Please don’t beat yourself up about this. If you hadn’t shot him, there’d be two people dead – you and the clerk. You saved Mr. Hong’s life. I know he’s grateful to be going home to his family. And I’M pretty ecstatic that you’re still here, too." Hunter just looked at her blankly. "Come on, Rick, let’s get out of here." She gave him a gentle push in his back scooting him toward the door.
"Hey Hunter! Hold on a sec," yelled Captain Devane. A younger, Hispanic man who Hunter recognized as Lt. Juan Diaz, head of the Valley Gang Task Force, accompanied him. "Oh great. Now what?" Hunter mumbled under his breath.
"That kid you shot has an older brother named Ramon Gonzalez," said Diaz.
"Yeah, so?"
"You’ve heard of the Pacoima Boyz? This guy’s IS The Pacoima Boyz. He and his gang are probably responsible for half the crime we get up here in Foothill. Word is he’s got the peewees gunning for you as some sort of initiation into the gang. I think you should get out of town for a while until this blows over. This guy means business."
Hunter rolled his eyes. "This day just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it? I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let Ramon Gonzalez or any other gang asshole run me out of town."
Devane shot Hunter a stern look. "I agree with Lt. Diaz. I want you safe, Hunter. Go fishing or something until we figure this out." Devane’s tone wasn’t one of a suggestion, but of an order.
"No thanks, Captain. I can take care of myself. They’re just a bunch of kids, anyway."
McCall scrunched up her face. "Yeah, like the one this morning?" Hunter glared at his partner. "You’re not helping, McCall."
"Come on, Hunter, you know we’re right," said Devane. They may be young, but their guns fire real bullets. Remember? I‘d rather not make this an order."

"Then DON’T! I’ll just stay out of the Valley. You know these Valley gangs don’t stray too far from home. Besides, at the age they join the gang, they can’t even drive yet." Diaz shook an exasperated finger at Hunter. "I think you’re making a big mistake. This is serious. You’ve basically got a bounty on your head. Every wannabe in Pacoima is gonna be out gunning for you."
Hunter folded his arms tightly over his chest and stood silently, forcing Devane to throw up his hands. "You’re about the hardest-headed man I’ve ever met, Hunter. I think you’re making a very bad decision. At least you’re on mandatory desk duty until the shooting review team finishes its investigation. You are too, McCall. It’s Friday night. Go home and enjoy your weekend but be careful, OK?"
McCall looked at Devane, puzzled. "Me? Why am I on desk duty?"
"Because you were there and I said so." He turned and walked back into Captain Orozco’s office, closing the door behind him and in effect, closing the conversation.
"Oh, great! I HATE desk duty," moaned McCall, as she and Hunter walked to his car.
Hunter flashed her a look that made her feel like an idiot for complaining. "Yeah, I know. You’re right, Hunter. I’m sorry. Hey, how about we go to your house and I make you dinner? We never DID get anything to eat and now I’m REALLY starving."
"I have a better idea, McCall. How about I drive you home, then I go home by myself? I like that plan better."
"Hmm... let me think about that for a second. OK, I thought it over and my plan is obviously vastly superior to yours." She leaned back in her seat, signaling her intent to remain put until Hunter pulled up in his own driveway. He glared at her but knew that when she’d made up her mind, it was futile to argue with her. She grinned as he steered onto the onramp of the 118 Freeway, knowing she’d already won the battle.

**********

Hunter was quiet all through dinner, McCall’s attempts to cheer him up working occasionally, but not lasting long. They retired to the living room couch and rifled through the TV Guide for something to watch, settling on a rerun of Cheers. McCall glanced over at her stone-faced partner and hit the mute button. "Come ON, Hunter. You know there was nothing else you could have done. That kid held all the power, not you. You have to understand that and let it go."
Hunter let out a deep sigh. "I know you’re right. It’s just hard. Remember when you first got out of the Academy? I really believed in ‘to protect and to serve’, didn’t you? But it’s getting so hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, lately. I mean, my God, that kid was only twelve years old and he’s holding up a donut shop at 5:30 in the morning? He should have been in bed waiting for his Mom to wake him up to get ready for school. He was in sixth grade for godsakes! Sometimes this job just sucks!"
"Yeah, I know". She scooted over next to him and began rubbing his neck. He dropped his head and moaned his approval. She worked her fingers into the muscles on his shoulders and upper back and could feel the tension releasing as she worked her way lower.
"Mmm... that feels nice, Dee Dee."
"Yeah? Well, I think I know something that’ll make you feel even better."
"Oh, really? And just what might THAT be?" he asked, his mood brightening.
"I guess I’ll just have to show you," she purred, as she plopped herself on his lap. Her fingers moved to the buttons on his shirt and she methodically unfastened them one by one. She opened his shirt and ran her hands over his muscular chest, stopping over his wildly beating heart.
"Are you trying to seduce me, Sgt. McCall?"
"Hmm... if you have to ask me that, I guess I’m not doing it right," she whispered in his ear before taking a nip at it. "Maybe you could give me some seduction lessons, Sgt. Hunter."
Hunter stared her straight in the eye. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Dee Dee?" She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "Mmm mm. Maybe you’d better show me, Rick." He wasted not one second before scooping her up in his arms and depositing her gently on his bed.

**********

**********

Part 2

10420 Hubbard St., Pacoima - Ramon Gonzalez’s house...
"What are you doing here, Johnny? Do you know what time it is? You better not have woke up my Mom," warned Ramon as he opened the door, a gun in his right hand.
Johnny just stood there grinning until he finally opened his mouth. "I got something for you." He took a shiny piece of metal out of his pocket and tossed it at Ramon who caught it in midair. A wicked smile crept across the twenty-year-old gang leader’s face as he examined LAPD badge number 89. "Shit! You did it? He’s dead?"
Johnny nodded and Ramon wrapped his arms around the fifteen-year-old in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground. "Rest in peace, little brother," he said looking skyward. He set Johnny down and put out his hand. "I knew I could depend on you." Johnny slapped Ramon’s hand, feeling immensely pleased with himself. "Arturo and me got another surprise for you, Ramon."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"Ya gotta come see for yourself. It’s at that boarded up house down the street from Arturo’s." The smile on Johnny’s face intrigued Ramon. The gang leader and his new protégé took off in the dark for the rundown house at 11309 Paxton Street. They hopped the fence into the backyard, being careful not to be spotted. Arturo met them at the back door, a flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. His smile matched the one on Johnny’s face. Ramon gave him a pat on the back. "You guys did great. Now what’s this other surprise you got for me?"
McCall’s heart pounded as she heard the footsteps outside the door growing nearer. ‘Don’t come in here,’ she silently prayed. ‘PLEASE don’t come in here.’ She struggled against the rough rope that bound her hands behind her back and ankles together. ‘God, please let this just be a nightmare. I’m still asleep and Hunter is lying beside me. He CAN’T be dead. This can’t be happening.’ The tears staining her face bore tragic evidence of the truth. She held her breath as the door creaked open and a flashlight illuminated her face. She blinked her eyes as they attempted to adjust to the light.
"You brought me a woman? What the hell for?" The disapproving tone in Ramon’s voice made the boys anxious. "That’s the cop’s girlfriend or wife or something," answered Johnny. We just thought you might like her. She’s real pretty."
Intrigued, Ramon moved toward her, his flashlight checking her out from head to toe. She was lying on her side in an oversized T-shirt, panties and the ropes that bound her. McCall pushed herself away from him until she couldn’t move any further, her back flush against the wall. Her eyes telegraphed the thoughts that the tape over her mouth prevented her from shouting. ‘GET AWAY FROM ME!’ they screamed.
"How come you shot her?" asked Ramon, as his flashlight stopped on the hole and red stain on the left shoulder of her T-shirt. "I didn’t tell you to shoot no girlfriend." The captors shrugged their shoulders. They hadn’t even realized she’d been shot, thinking it was Hunter’s blood that formed the small dark circle on her shirt. Ramon bent over McCall and ripped the duct tape from her mouth making her wince in pain. His soulless eyes locked onto hers. "I hear my boys killed your old man. How do you feel about that?" McCall blinked back tears but didn’t answer, sending him into a rage. "I asked you how you feel about that, bitch!" he screamed, his face just an inch from hers sending a spray of saliva that mixed in with her tears.
"I hate you for it," she answered. Her voice was just above a whisper, but the angry and defiant tone was unmistakable.
"Yeah? Then I guess you know how I feel, don’t you?" Ramon countered, bitterly. McCall stiffened as he ran his hand up inside her shirt and caressed her breasts. She closed her eyes and prayed. "Please don’t!" she begged.
"Don’t tell me what to do, bitch! Nobody tells me what to do." She prepared for his onslaught, but instead he stood up and spat on her. "You’re nothing! Just a dead cop’s whore."
"What do you want us to do with her, Ramon?" asked Johnny.
"Kill her." Ramon turned to walk out as Arturo shot Johnny a look. "Right now?" asked a shaken Arturo. He was all of thirteen and even though he’d agreed to go on this expedition with Johnny, the whole thing was starting to turn his stomach. He’d ached for the respect and acceptance of the older boys but the thought of killing this woman suddenly seemed a very high price to pay for it. Hunter was one thing -- he’d killed Ramon’s brother after all, but what had this dark haired woman done to deserve being killed? "I don’t care. Do what you want," replied Ramon. "I’m going back to bed."

**********

Captain Devane’s bedroom
"Hello? Yeah, this is Captain Devane." Devane’s stomach was already in knots when he picked up the phone. The news in the middle of the night was never anything he wanted to hear.
"Sorry to wake you, Captain. This is Lt. Klasky from the Santa Monica Police Department. We’ve had a shooting involving one of your officers – a Sgt. Richard Hunter."
Devane closed his eyes and took in a breath, steeling himself for the bad news. "Is anyone hurt?"
"Sgt. Hunter’s in pretty bad shape. The paramedics just took him to Santa Monica General. He’s unconscious."
"Shit! Why didn’t he listen?!"
"Listen to what?" asked a confused Klasky. Devane gave him the details of previous morning’s shooting and the threats against Hunter’s life. "That should give you guys a place to start. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thanks for the information, Lieutenant." He hung up the phone, and laced his fingers behind his head gathering himself, then dialed his second in command.
"Ambrose? I need you to go to Santa Monica."
Lt. Finn rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Is it Hunter?" he asked, knowing full well that it had to be. Word traveled fast of the bounty on Hunter’s head and Finn knew he lived in Santa Monica, having hung out there on several occasions for summer barbecues. Devane filled him in with the sparse information he had. "I’ll meet you there in about an hour. I have a couple more calls to make."

**********

Hunter’s house 4:56 AM
Devane made a right hand turn onto Hunter’s street, and mentally prepared himself for the scene he expected to find. There would be a myriad of officers from both Santa Monica and the LAPD, news crews, neighbors to interview and curious onlookers even though it wasn’t yet light outside. It was always that way when a police officer was shot. The scene was exactly as he imagined as he maneuvered his car though the maze of police cruisers, their lights painting the neighborhood red. He ducked under the yellow police tape separating the crime scene from the crowd and was met by Lt. Finn.
"What’s it look like, Ambrose?"
"They got in through this window. Looks like they used a glasscutter to pop out a pane. The neighbors didn’t see anything but they all heard five shots." Finn led Devane into the bedroom and pointed to two bullet holes in the wall opposite the bed. These two look like they came from Hunter’s gun." Finn then gestured to a bloody spot on the floor by the nightstand. "Hunter was found here. There’s a bullet in the wall behind the nightstand that I figure went through Hunter’s back and one that’s still in his hip. That’s five shots but only four bullets."
"You think Hunter pegged one of them?"
"Probably, but there’s no blood on that side of the room or outside that we can see. Maybe the neighbors were mistaken about the number of shots. I don’t know. All seven of them said the same thing -- five shots. It’s a puzzle all right." Finn said, scratching his head.
"How’d McCall take the news, Charlie? I thought she’d be here by now."
"She wasn’t home. I left a message for her to call me. Devane cracked the curtains and stared at the throng of news vans on the street. I just hope she calls back before she sees this on TV. I’m heading to hospital. Call me if you come up with anything, OK?"
"Sure thing. I’ve got some guys heading over to Ramon Gonzalez’s house right now. I’ll let you know what happens."

**********

11309 Paxton Street
As the door slammed behind Ramon, Arturo looked to his older companion. "What are we supposed to do, Johnny?"
"You heard him, kill her. I did the cop, you do her," he said gesturing with his head toward McCall. "I gotta go. I gotta be home before my gramma wakes up or I’ll be in for it."
"Hey! What am I supposed to do?" asked a nervous Arturo. I gotta get home, too."
"Then you better kill her now, huh?" Johnny said, as he turned his back and walked out the door.
McCall couldn’t believe the conversation she’d just heard. She’d never feared for her life more than she did at this very moment, but the absurdity of the situation almost made her laugh. "You don’t have to do this, Arturo. You haven’t done anything yet that can’t be undone. It’s not too late." She squeezed her eyes shut as he raised the gun and aimed it at her head.

Part 3

Santa Monica General Hospital 12:30 PM
Devane found himself alternating between nervously pacing the halls and calling Finn for progress reports every half hour, as the wait for Hunter to regain consciousness dragged on for hours.
"Captain Devane?" A tall, blonde nurse finally tapped him on the shoulder. "Sgt. Hunter’s awake now. You can talk to him for a few minutes."
"Great. Thanks." He followed her past the uniformed police officer standing guard outside of Hunter’s room. "Hey Hunter, how ya doing?" Hunter opened his eyes and looked at Devane, a somewhat confused expression on his face.
"Do you remember what happened? Did you see who did this?" Hunter shook his head and answered groggily, "I didn’t see their faces but I think there were two of them."
"Do you remember how many shots they get off? And how many you did?" Hunter closed his eyes and replayed the scene in his head. He blinked involuntarily at each memory of a shot. "Yeah, they got off three. I fired twice." He suddenly bolted upright and gasped. "McCall! How’s McCall, Charlie?"
"What? I don’t know. I’ve been trying to call her all..." Devane stopped in midsentence as the pieces suddenly fell into place. "She was with you?" he asked, knowing what the answer was before Hunter nodded his head. "Shit! The fifth bullet."
The beeping sound of the monitor on Hunter’s wall sped up as the frightening scenario became clear. "Where is she, Charlie?" Devane shook his head. "I don’t know. She wasn’t there when they found you. Where was she when you were shot?"
Hunter averted his eyes and answered hesitantly. "In my bed."
Devane gave Hunter a look of disapproval. "And just what was she doing in your bed, Hunter? When were you pIanning to let me in on that little secret, anyway? I know I don’t have to tell you that’s not gonna look good on the report."
Hunter grew angry. "That’s just great, Charlie! McCall is missing and all you can focus on is that we were sleeping together? We should be out looking for her right now instead of talking about this!"
Charlie’s face reddened as the true reason for his own anger grew. "Dammit, Hunter! Wasn’t it enough that you put yourself in danger? You had to bring McCall to your house knowing those punks were after you? If you’d just gotten out of town like we told you, she wouldn’t be missing right now!"
"You think I don’t KNOW that, Charlie?" Hunter responded, the guilt devouring him. He pulled the IV out of the back of his hand, paying no attention to the thin fountain of blood that squirted in the air.
"Where do you think you’re going, Hunter?"
"To find McCall," he said flatly as he unsteadily scoured the room for his clothes.
"No you’re not. You’re in no shape to do that." Hunter glared at Devane. "You said it yourself, Charlie. It’s my fault. I’ll be damned if I’m just gonna lie here while she’s out there."
"And I’LL be damned if I’m gonna have two officers in danger instead of one. You can’t even stand up without falling over. Look, Hunter, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you. You just took me by surprise." Hunter sat back down on the bed before the dizziness forced him to. He groaned in pain when his butt hit the mattress. "What were you talking about when you said the fifth bullet, Charlie?" he asked, beginning to calm down.
Devane wished that Hunter hadn’t asked. He thought about the best way to tell him, and then just settled on the simple truth. "There were five shots, but we only found four bullets," he answered. "The one that went through your back must have hit McCall."
The news slammed Hunter hard. Not only was she missing, but she was injured, too. "What? Why would they take her, Charlie? Their beef was with me."
"I don’t know but I need to call Finn. This investigation just changed direction. Take care of yourself, Hunter. I’ll call you later."
Hunter let his body fall back on the bed. He tried fighting the thoughts that the woman he loved was already dead but they kept invading his brain. If this were any other case, that’s exactly what he would think. He could see in Charlie’s eyes that he thought it, too. He gave Devane a five-minute head start, then got dressed and peeked his head out the door. As he suspected, a young officer was posted outside his room. Hunter glanced at the name on his uniform. "Are you officer Gibbons? I just heard that they got the guy who shot me. Lt. Finn wants you back at the station."
Gibbons looked at Hunter suspiciously. "You won’t mind if I check that out will you, sir?"
"Of course not. You can use the phone in my room." Hunter followed the officer in, then turned abruptly, picked up a chair and slammed the door shut, jamming the top of the chair under the doorknob. He beat a hasty exit and grabbed a cab back to his house, praying that there wouldn’t be any cops he knew still there. Surprised to find the area empty of police officers, he quickly scooped up the keys to his car and his spare gun and took off.

**********

"You look like hell, Sgt. Hunter," remarked Sporty James as Hunter hobbled toward him. "Look Sporty, I don’t have time for this. I really need your help."
"Yeah, I heard," he said, sympathetically. "The cops all over the city are looking for Sgt. McCall. I just heard they were looking for you, too. I’m already on it, Hunter. I just got the name of some kid who was bragging he bagged a cop last night. His name’s Johnny Sanchez. You want the address?" Hunter waited anxiously for him to finish writing the address then leaned down and kissed the unsuspecting Sporty on the mouth. "I owe you BIG, Sporty," Hunter shouted as he limped toward his car. "You do that again and I’ll COLLECT big, Hunter!" he yelled back, wiping his mouth.

**********

11309 Paxton Street
McCall took in a deep breath as she heard the boy release the safety on the gun. "Please just get this over with," she silently thought to herself. Arturo’s hands were shaking. He had seen the older boys shoot before, but wasn’t sure that he wanted to make this woman his first kill. "I can’t do this," he sighed, letting his hand drop to his side. McCall’s eyes widened. "You don’t HAVE to do this," she gently told him. Not realizing that his inner dialogue had been spoken, Arturo became angry with himself for having such a hard time killing her. He held the gun up with force and hardened his attitude. "Yeah, what do YOU know about what I have to do?" he demanded.
"I’ll tell you what I know. I know that you’re too young to throw your life away like this. There’s a future for you out there Arturo, and this isn’t it. Right now you’re just an accessory. What’s important is that you don’t involve yourself any further." McCall thought she might be getting through to him. "I can help you," she continued.
"Shut up!" Arturo cut her off. "You don’t know me!"
"You’re right, I DON’T know you but you don’t know me, either." Arturo slumped down on the hardwood floor, his back against the wall. He was quiet for a minute then asked, "was that cop we killed your husband?" McCall could hear the remorse in his voice.
"No, he was..." Her eyes began to fill with tears. Thinking about Hunter being dead made her want to give up but she realized this was a short window of opportunity and she couldn’t afford to miss it. "If I tell you something, you gotta promise that it stays between you and me," she whispered.
Arturo nodded his head in agreement, intrigued at what this woman had to say.
"That man was my partner. Do you understand what I’m saying?" she asked, her voice quivering. Arturo shook his head no.
"I’m a police officer. That man your friend killed was my partner." She began to feel herself losing it but struggled to regain her composure. "He was more than my partner, he was my best friend." She waited for a reaction but the boy remained stone faced. "If you help me get out of here, I can keep you safe from Ramon." By mentioning Ramon’s name, McCall inadvertently reminded Arturo of what his intentions were. He stood up and slowly raised the gun.
"I can tell the department that you helped me. Please think about what you’re doing, Arturo. This affects so many people. You have family don’t you?" McCall blindly continued.
Arturo glared at her. He knew what he was supposed to do but this woman wasn’t making it easy for him. "Just my mother and little brother," he answered, nearly inaudibly.
"I’m saying that I can protect ALL of you. I can help you find a better life, Arturo, if you’ll let me."

**********

"I told you, man, I NEVER seen you before and I never saw your bitch either!" Johnny Sanchez yelled, while batting Hunter’s picture of McCall to the ground.
"Yeah, and I told YOU that I think you’re a liar," Hunter snapped back, pinning the boy between himself and Johnny’s bedroom wall. "Not only do I think you’re a liar, but so does he," Hunter continued while patting his gun. "And you should be a lot more worried about HE than ME." Hunter knew that he didn’t have time to waste on this punk. More than that, he knew that this boy had the information he needed, and he was going to do whatever it took to get it.
"Listen kid, I’m giving you a chance here. If I were you, I’d take it."
"Yeah, okay cop." Johnny unwillingly agreed. As Hunter loosened his grip on Johnny’s shirt, the teenager stepped around him and punched him hard in the back reopening the bullet wound and sending a stream of blood down his back. He fell hard against the wall, groaning in pain. On a better day he would have had Johnny in a chokehold before the punch landed, but this just wasn’t a better day. His struggle to overcome the pain and weakness ended when he spotted the wrinkled picture of McCall at his feet. He picked it up, and ran after the boy.
Johnny Sanchez couldn’t have been more than 5’5". He’d made it as far as the front door, when Hunter’s lengthy frame overtook him. Hunter took a giant leap towards the door, tackling Johnny and knocking the wind out of him.
"You’re crazy!" Johnny muttered.
"You’re dead!" Hunter threatened.
"It doesn’t matter if I tell you where she is. Don’t you get it? That bitch is DEAD! When I left there this morning, Ramón told us to off her."
Hunter flipped the boy over and put him in a chokehold. "Left where?" he snarled as he tightened his grip.
"11309 Paxton Street," Johnny gasped. Hunter got out the handcuffs from his back pocket and snapped them around Johnny’s wrists. "You’re coming with me," he commanded.
"Yeah, this is L-56, patch me through to Captain Devane," Hunter said as he turned on the police siren. "Charlie, I think I know where McCall is! Meet me at 11309 Paxton Street."

**********

Through tears, Arturo squeezed the trigger. McCall closed her eyes tightly and silently prayed. The sound of the blast seemed to linger for hours. When she opened her eyes, she saw Arturo kneeling before her. She gave herself the once over, surprised that she didn’t find a fresh bullet wound. "I’m untying you," he informed her. "Just get out of here and I’ll tell Ramon that I got rid of your body."
"Come WITH me, Arturo," McCall pleaded. "If Ramon finds out I’m alive, you know what’ll happen. Please, come with me."
"I can’t. This is my life here. This is all I know." Arturo explained.
"That’s not true, you know ME." McCall offered.
"I don’t really know you. I don’t even know your name," he said as he finished untying her.
"It’s Dee Dee McCall," she whispered. He helped her up and pointed to the door indicating that she should leave and leave now.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" McCall asked. "To repay you," she continued. Arturo shook his head no, and squeezed her hand.
"Please let me help you. I think it’s a mistake leaving you here," McCall pleaded.
"The only mistake was that we brought you into this Dee Dee. Just leave before Ramon gets back."
"I’m afraid you’re too late." McCall and Arturo turned toward the voice. Ramon was standing in the doorway, the palms of his hands seemingly pushing the doorframe apart.
"What are you doing here?" Arturo nervously asked.
"Apparently, I’m making sure you do what you’re told. I’m disappointed in you Arturo, I really am. You’re letting this woman play with your mind."
Arturo took two cowardly steps back as Ramon angrily moved toward him. "I guess, you’re just a little boy after all, aren’t you?" Ramon goaded, poking his finger into the boy’s chest.
"You REALLY think this whore cares more about you than I do?" Ramon asked, unaware that McCall was slowly edging toward the front door.
Arturo shook his head no. "Of course not Ramon, it’s just that she wasn’t even supposed to be there."
"You have to learn, Arturo." Ramon picked up Arturo’s gun from the floor and handed it to him, indicating that he should do now what he should have done hours ago. "Well, DO IT! For your brother!" he commanded.
"He wasn’t MY brother, he was YOURS!" Arturo shouted. He dropped the gun to the floor. McCall was torn between trying for the gun and making a run for it, but she was certain that Ramon stood a much greater chance of reaching it first. She knew that her only real chance of saving Arturo was to save herself first. She opened the door, jumped off the porch and frantically ran towards the street but didn’t get far before she heard a ringing gunshot. Fearing for Arturo, she spun around to find Ramon on the porch with the gun aimed straight at her. Arturo was frozen in his tracks but unhurt, halfway between them. ‘We’re both sitting ducks,’ she thought.
McCall cringed as Ramon moved the gun away from her and pointed it directly at Arturo’s head. "Hmm... I just can’t decide. Who do I kill first? This little traitor, or YOU?" Ramon taunted sadistically as he alternated pointing the gun at McCall and Arturo. The pleasure he took in torturing them sickened her.
"Run!" she screamed urgently to Arturo as she heard the clicking sound of the trigger cocking and watched the barrel of the gun turn back to her as Ramon made the final decision of who was going to be the first victim.

**********

Hunter fought the feeling that he was going to pass out as he sped toward Paxton Street. "I don’t know what the big hurry is. I told you she’s dead," Johnny chided from the back seat of the car. Hunter reached behind him and blindly grabbed for Johnny’s shirt, pulling him abruptly to the back of the front passenger’s seat. "SHUT UP! I promise you, if she’s dead, so are you," he responded in a tone so serious that Johnny took him at his word. He pushed him hard back into his seat.
As Paxton Street approached, Hunter turned off the siren. His heart was pounding from the adrenaline coursing through his veins, giving him the extra strength he needed, but also succeeding in pumping blood he couldn’t afford to lose out the wound in his back. He turned the corner and spotted the house.

**********

"NOOOOOO!" Arturo screamed as he ran towards McCall placing himself directly in the line of fire. A shot rang out and Arturo fell limply to the ground just steps in front of McCall, a gaping wound in his chest. "Why, Arturo?" she asked. Why did you do it? You should have run." He looked up at her weakly and smiled. "I couldn’t," he whispered and closed his eyes.
"Look what you made me do!" Ramon screamed at McCall "I wasn’t really going to shoot him."

**********

"Oh my God!" Hunter yelled as the scene before him began to take shape. He didn’t have time to think, just react, but reflecting back later, he never did decide which emotion he was feeling foremost – relief that McCall was still alive or fear that she had a gun pointed at her and might be killed, anyway. He flipped on the siren, distracting the gunman and screeched the car to a stop. He flung the door open and used it as cover. "Freeze! Police!" he shouted. Ramon looked shocked at the realization that Hunter wasn’t dead. He didn’t move, but kept the gun trained on McCall. "You shoot me, and I shoot her," he warned.
Hunter narrowed his eyes, weighing his options. He knew he didn’t really have any. He had to shoot first and he had to shoot to kill. Anything less than a lethal shot and McCall was as good as dead. He steadied his hand on the bottom of the open car window and took aim. He glanced at McCall who gave him an almost undetectable nod. At the exact moment she dropped to the ground, Hunter squeezed the trigger six times in rapid succession. Ramon managed to get off one shot before the hail of bullets spun him around and dropped him to the ground.
"Dee Dee! Are you OK?" Hunter yelled, frantically. She dusted herself off and got to her knees. "Yeah, I’m OK." She knelt over Arturo and attempted to find a pulse. "Get an ambulance!" she screamed as she began CPR on the boy. "Dammit! Fight, Arturo!" she commanded, pounding on his chest. She glanced up at her partner as he limped over to help. "He saved my life, Rick. We can’t let him die."
"We won’t, Dee Dee. No one’s going to die today." He glanced over at Ramon’s bullet riddled body. "Except for him, anyway." He turned his attention back to McCall. "You’re sure a sight for sore eyes," he said as tears began to well up. "I know what you mean, Rick," she answered as she moved up to allow her partner to do the chest compressions while she did the mouth to mouth. They continued wordlessly until the paramedics arrived and restored Arturo’s heartbeat with a defibrillator, then both collapsed on the grass.

**********

An ambulance heading to Olive View Hospital trauma Center...
"I thought you were dead, Rick. They told me they killed you," McCall whispered as she softy began to cry.
Hunter reached around the paramedic who was standing between them. "You should know I’m not that easy to kill." He thought back to the horrible feeling he had when Charlie told him that she was missing. "I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Dee Dee," he confessed. "It’s my fault that you’re hurt. I’m so sorry. I never should have let you come with me back to my house."
"LET me? It was MY choice to be with you, Rick. I wanted to be there. You tried to stop me from coming over in the first place. Remember? Yeah, right. You let me," she repeated indignantly then let out a sly smile. She gave his hand a squeeze. "The only thing you ever let me do is love you."
Hunter grinned. "Yeah, and that took six years."
"Six LONG years."
"And you know something?"
"What?"
"I love you, too, Dee Dee."

The end