Officer Mako x Reader

Chapter 3: Pawn Against King

[16th Precinct | Downtown, Republic City]

"32nd. Southwest Central. North Tower. 32nd. Southwest Central. North Tower" Mako repeated quietly to himself as he hastened down the busy hallway. There was never a slow day at the station. With the added noise from the renovations, he could confidently say almost every officer was up to their eyeballs in paperwork and running on nothing but sheer will, bad coffee, and paint fumes, all while juggling the onslaught of nutjobs they hauled in each and every day, "Jay, wake up," Mako ordered when he barged into a cramped yet cluttered office,
"Shit! Damn it, Mako," Jay seethed before downing the rest of his mug and straightening his tie, "You have to stop doing that,"
"And you have to stop falling asleep at your desk," Mako teased as he came in the shut the door,
"Old habits die hard and you of all people should know that," Jay huffed, "What do you need this time?" he questioned,
"I need you to find a girl for me,"
"Mako, how many times have I told you? If I had a girl for you, I-I would've kept her for myself-
"Not like that, Jay. A girl I met today. Her brother got pinned this morning. Real loose cannon,"
"Uri? Shah Uri?" Jay questioned,
"You know him?" Mako asked while he waited for Jay to sift through his files,
"Yeah, I-I just forgot he had a sister. Or any family for that matter. As many times as we've canned him, no one's come to visit,"
"No one? Not even her?"
"If she did. She must've used a fake name and I don't blame her. Shah isn't exactly a stranger to a six-by-eight cell," Jay chuckled,
"Any addresses that come up under his name?" Mako asked curiously,
"Quite a few. A handful down by the docks. One on the outskirts of town-
"What about 32nd and Southwest Central?"
"Uhhh. Yeah, that checks out. North Tower, Apt 1123. Signed the lease in March of last-
"Got it!" Mako shouted as he raced out the door, sending half the papers in the room flying onto the floor,
"Year," Jay finished in annoyance,
"1123," Mako smirked when he stepped outside into the sweltering heat and slid back into his car, "Not exactly two thousand doors, but close to it,"

[Your apartment]

Any other time you would've given into Viper to not feel so unnerved. To avoid having yet another target painted on your back. You knew deep down that this was a special little game he loved to play: how much fear could he force-feed someone until they bent to his will? Until you surrendered to his every command. Pawn against King. A game he played all too well and won all too often. Making him angry was one thing, but saying no to him was...detrimental,

[Parking lot]

"You want us to follow her, boss?" Shin asked when Viper plopped back down in the backseat of his town car without you,
"Not yet," Viper smirked after he pulled another cigar from his breast pocket and lit it slowly,
"What if she makes a break for it?" Shin questioned once he pulled out into the busy street,
"She won't get far," Viper chuckled, "Not with Shah in timeout anyways,"
"Speaking of. He called again when you were inside. Says you owe him,"
"Hmph. Perhaps, but a rule's a rule. You make a lot of noise, I let you rot," Viper sighed in between puffs, "And he has a terrible habit of making a fuck ton of noise,"

[Republic City Prison]

"Damn it!" Shah barked after he slammed his fist against the wall, the dial tone on the phone still blaring loudly in his ear, "That's how you wanna play this huh!?-
"Nice to see you again Shah," a man grinned evilly,
"Not now, Mudo! I've got one more call to make,"
"You seem to have missed the part where I asked," Mudo chuckled, "Cut his line," he ordered the two large men standing next to him,
"I broke a cop's arm last week," Shah hissed quietly when one of the men caught his shoulder, "but I can break two more if you'd like!"
"Sssss ah!-
"L-Let him go, Shah!"
"You seem to have missed the part where I've ever taken an order from you!" Shah smirked angrily, pinning the man's arm further behind his back the more he struggled,
"Shit!-
"Now as I said before. I have one more call to make,"

[your apartment]

You know what happens when Viper starts looking for me. He always finds you first.

You wanted to doubt your brother the second those words left his lips, but you knew he was right. Even the slightest hiccup in Viper's operations always led to some sort of an undisclosed visit. Spreading fear amongst the Triple Threats was one thing, but reiterating business was another. Twisted in most ways, but necessary if Viper wanted to maintain order, but all that started to crack when he could no longer control you. It never mattered how many times he said he had loved you, you knew he loved money more. Money was power and both he and your brother craved it without question and often without reason,

"I know where you're headed, Mako," Jay said calmly through his walkie, "There's a lot of drama if you continue down that road. Think this through," he warned,
"This is a private line, y'know? Detectives only," Mako teased back once he pulled up to the flower shop and put his car in park,
"Yes, and as of today, you are speaking to one," Jay huffed,
"Finally got that promotion, huh? And what does our fine city have to gain from an officer who naps at his desk all day?"
"I'll have you know that the only reason I've been so exhausted lately, is because I had to study, and you know damn well that they don't make the department coffee strong enough," Jay snapped in annoyance,
"You got me there," Mako chuckled as he slipped out of his car. The air from the flower shop always smelled sweeter than any part of the city, sometimes he'd buy a few just to bring even a pinch of that scent back to his apartment, "So what is it exactly that I should be thinking through?"
"Barking up the wrong tree. There are a million women in this city. What do you want with her?" Jay questioned,
"I-I don't know," Mako smirked, "I-I haven't quite figured that out yet. I haven't quite figured her out yet,"
"Well listen to me, and save yourself the trouble. S-Shah broke-
"I'm not afraid of her brother-
"Mako, listen-
"Goodbye Jay," Mako sighed before turning his walkie all the way down, "Excuse me, miss," he called to the cashier quietly filling up vases, "Half a dozen roses please. Oh, and some of that lavender right over there too," he smiled,
"Certainly,"