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004 that's my girl
"Hey, got your message." Chin greeted Steve as he, Kono and Maleea walked up to the crime scene. "Good. Lets start processing." He responded, lifting the police tape and ducking underneath. "Governor's task force. We'll take it from here." Steve showed his credentials to the HPD officer. Chin, Kono, stay on the SUV. Maleea, you're with Danny and I on the van." Steve started calling out orders for the group to figure out what exactly had occurred that morning. The group all separated, Maleea making her way over to the van as she walked through the dirt she noticed something shining - something out of place. Using a stray pencil she had, so she wouldn't contaminate the evidence, she lifted the bullet from the ground. "SS-190 armour piercing rounds." She muttered, Steve crouching down next to her and Danny not far behind.
"Good find, Leea. These guys were definitely well-backed." He muttered, gently taking the pencil from her grasp. "Definitely not a local job." Danny continued hopping in the van, whilst the pair raised from their previous position. "What do you got?" The brunette woman queried, wondering why the blonde would assume this about the crime. "This van was reported stolen two days ago. Two dead guys in the SUV, hired muscle from Bruddah's private security firm." Danny informed the pair. "That's interesting." Steve cast his gaze down to Maleea, stealing secret glances at her when she wasn't looking. "Why's it interesting?" The blonde asked as Steve crouched down by the SUV, Maleea furrowing her brows.
"This is density - layer ballistic glass, laminated onto a shield of resilient polycarbonate." He informed the pair. "Bulletproof is the word you're looking for here, Stevie." She teased, Danny laughing. "Seriously, why can't you just say 'bulletproof'? I mean how hard is that." The blonde queried, earning a giggle out of the brunette woman this time. Steve ignored the pair, moving back over to them. "Get Chin to call the security company, find out where they were going." Steve ordered, Kono walking over to the small group, a phone in her hand. "Guys, Roland's last call was at 6:15 a.m." Kono spoke, urgency in her tone. "Same time he was abducted." Danny noted. "Who did he call?" Maleea asked, intrigued.
"His son, Evan."
"So, he would've heard everything?" Maleea questions, her heart breaking for the young boy, Steve seeing her upset manner threw his hand out quickly and rubbed comforting circles on the woman's back, her leaning into him. "We got a witness." Steve spoke carefully, watching as Maleea winced at the new information. His hand didn't move whilst he spoke the next words. "Okay, I'll send HPD to get the kid, everyone meet back at the Palace." Everyone nodded walking away, as Maleea went to leave with Chin and Kono, she felt Steve gently grab her arm, holding her in place for a moment. "Are you okay?" He queried, raising his hand to softly graze her jawline, she nodded, melting into his touch. "Mm, yeah. I'm not letting this kid lose his dad, Steve." She spoke, her expression pained. "I know, and we won't." He gently tan his fingers over her forehead, forcing her to smooth out the stressful creases she had created by frowning.
"But that's not what I asked you." He lowered his voice, the moment feeling very intimate between them, they knew their colleagues would have something to say. "I'm fine, Steve." She muttered. "Good. You tell me immediately if you're not. Understood?" Steve asked the woman in front of him who nodded in response. "That's my girl. Now, come on. Danny and I will see you guys back at the Palace." Maleea smiled at the man, turning and leaving the crime scene from the same direction she had entered that morning.
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"Evan, do you know where your dad was going this morning?" Steve asked the young blonde child sitting on a chair in the task force offices. "No, I mean - he probably told me, but I was only half listening. It was some big meeting." The young boy sighed. "Do you know what it was about?" Danny asked, the pair sitting across from the young boy, whilst Maleea stood in the corner, back against the wall, passively participating in the conversation. "Look, we don't really talk about his work." Evan finished, whilst they weren't really getting any new information, they continued asking, hoping he would point them in the right direction. "Did your dad ever have any disagreements with anyone? Is there anybody you could think of that'd want to hurt your dad?" Steve asked. Evan instantly shaking his head.
"No, I'm telling you, he was the most boring person you'll ever meet." Evan responded, not understanding who would want to target his dad. "What about your mom? Where's she?" Danny questioned, trying to piece together this situation. "She died when I was seven." Evan finished, Maleea's heart broke for the young boy in front of them, already having to lose his mom, he didn't need to lose his dad also, and she would do everything she physically could to prevent that. "All right, buddy. Look. There was two other men with your dad this morning. They were bodyguards. You have any idea why he would hire bodyguards?" Steve asked, Evan looked shocked at the new information.
"Seriously?" Evan questioned the brunette man. "Yeah." He nodded. "Bodyguards?" He asked again, confirming what he heard. "No. . . no, I have no clue." Evan stuttered in shock. "I can't believe it. That could've been the last time I ever talk to my dad. And I called him a dictator." He continued, emotion starting to show more. "It won't be." Maleea muttered, pushing herself off the wall. Evan stared at the brunette woman, a confused look on his face. "We'll find him, Evan. It won't be the last time you talk to him." She promised, something she knows she shouldn't do, however, she knows what it feels like to lose both your parents young, Evan being an only child, was similar to the fact that Maleea was the oldest. Although she lost the second of her two parents at an older age, it meant she took on the responsibility of raising her younger brother, which was constantly proving to be a difficulty in itself.
Moments later the door to the task force's offices opened to show a blonde woman. "Evan." She spoke shakily, a look of relief taking over the young boy's features as he jogged into her arms. "You alright?" She checked running over, arms outstretched. "I'm so sorry." She whispered pulling him into an embrace. "You okay? God, you must've been so scared, I can't even imagine it. You know you're gonna come and stay with me until they find him, yeah?" She poses the question to the boy. Maleea couldn't put her finger on it but something felt off about the woman, instinctively she took a step closer to their direction, silently studying the blonde intruder.
Kono nodded the group to the hallway, to inform them of the situation. "Who's that?" Steve asked. "Name's Natalie Reed, she's Roland's girlfriend." Kono made the group aware. Maleea looked back into the room through the glass doors, not being able to shake the feeling that something was off with this woman. Her actions did not go unnoticed by Steve, who was watching the brunette closely. "She have any guess who'd want to grab her boyfriend?" Steve clarified with Kono. "No idea." She shook her head. "I'd like to stay with them, if possible, Steve." Maleea spoke up. "As long as this isn't getting too personal for you." He spoke, the brunette woman instantly picking up on what he was implying, scoffed in distaste.
"Fuck you, Steven. I just want to make sure he's safe."
"Okay."
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new chapter for all you lovely people. let me know your thoughts 🤍
