Dan hurried to the men's room, trying his best to look inconspicuous. He felt extremely stupid actively trying not to look up-to-something on his way to the bathroom, but the weight of what he was about to do overwhelmed him to a state of near-panic.
He told himself over and over, as he pushed open the large gray door, that he had to do this in order to save his daughter's life. He has no choice; Dan would do anything if it meant keeping Trixie alive and safe. These reminders were met with guilt, however. He thought of how much he's changed in the last three years, how much he's turned his life around at work, as a father, and in his personal life. Dan had a great life now, he felt like a better man.
By giving into Malcolm's demand, he would ultimately let Trixie down even though it was all to keep her safe. She trusted that her parents kept bad guys off these streets, not aid them into evil-doing. She had always been so proud of him, even when he knew he didn't deserve it, but he couldn't demolish his child's outlook on the world. The panic smothered him as he realized, not only would he be letting Trixie down, but he would be disappointing Chloe, Ella, Matt, Amenadiel, and even Charlotte who had worked diligently to change her past mistakes.
Dan looked at himself in the mirror, listening and watching for men in the cubicles. His face was pale, even a little green, and his forehead beaded with sweat.
Regardless of the purpose and the good that would come from this, stealing evidence from the police handing the drugs off to a known criminal would be like erasing all of his progress from the last three years. Malcolm had assured him that no one would be able to trace the theft back to him, but knowing that another cop, a good cop, was about to go down for mistakes that Dan made years ago? There had to be another way to save his daughter.
Hearing Trixie screaming in the background of the call, Malcolm having his hands on her made these thoughts disappear for a while, filling Dan with enough rage to run his hand underneath the blue counter until he found a small metal key underneath a strip of tape. No one would be able to help him, not even Maze who had been his, for lack of a better term, partner-in-crime on a few occasions years ago. He thought about calling her several times because if there was anybody who would be as invested in saving Trixie's life as much as he, it would be the strange bounty huntress.
But Malcolm had said that he wouldn't hesitate in killing Trixie if Dan told anyone what he was up to today. Letting Mazikeen in on the details wasn't smart in the slightest.
Dan pulled the key off and stuffed it in his pocket, turning quickly and hurrying back through the door, nearly running smack into Detective Kline on the way out.
"Sorry Kline," Dan muttered,
"Hey Espinoza," The young detective greeted.
Dan stopped in the middle of the bull pen. There was chaos all around him, unis dragging criminals around, civilians shouting and crying, officers and detectives making phone calls, but Dan couldn't hear any of it. It was like a high-pitched screeching in his ears, the speed of the scene overwhelming to him.
Dan wanted to take the key and chuck it across the room, call Malcolm, and tell him the deal is off, he would find another way to save Trixie and put an end to him.
He had spent most of his career looking for loopholes and places to hide, though. If Dan couldn't directly recieve help as he gave over to the darkness, he could at least ensure that Trixie would forever be protected if Malcolm never lets Dan off the hook.
Dan reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, pressing the call button when he had found Maze's contact.
She picked up on the second ring with a disgruntled, "What!"
YOU ARE READING
The Beginning of the End
Fanfiction"Hey," She began quietly, much like how she greeted him in the penthouse several times when he hadn't known she was coming over. "Look, I promise that I'm trying to be okay with you leaving. I know why you had to do it. It was so brave, and I knew i...
