Loss of Innocence

"You did good Max."

Sheehan reluctantly doled out praise, so it did my heart good to hear it.

"Thanks Cap."

She looked at me with soft eyes I'd never seen before. "I know it cost you Lehka."

"Appreciate you mentioning it."

"Sometimes it sucks to be right."

"Don't I know it."

"Let's see if this tip pans out. I'm heading out there now. I've already called Lanny in."

Two steps ahead of me. Like I said, nothing gets past her.

It was 3 a.m. I went into the breakroom to make a fresh pot of coffee. I washed the pot thoroughly, as it was as disgusting as my motel room, and measured out some of my special blend. I watched as the coffee dripped into the pot, thinking about Carina De León, and the baby that was ripped out of her arms as she was abducted. Maybe it was worth it. Maybe.

Lanny wandered into the breakroom when the pot was about full.

"Early morning or late night Max?" he asked me, plopping his sorry ass into one of the cheap molded plastic dining room chairs.

"Both," I told him. "Max never sleeps."

"Sometimes I think that's true."

I grabbed a stained coffee cup off the drying rack and poured him a cup. Then I poured one for myself.

"Cap told me you got a solid lead on the women."

"As solid as it can be when it comes from Syd."

"Fuuuuck," he drawled. "You woke up Cap for a tip from Syd?"

"Yep."

"Balls."

"I got em and you don't. Ain't that a hoot?"

"Brass balls."

"That how I got where I am."

"Not sure I want to be there," he said in a moment of clarity.

"You got that right partner. I'm not sure I want to be here either, but here we are. Two sorry motherfuckers drinking coffee at 3 a.m."

"I think Tabitha would agree," he lamented.

I decided to bite. "Who's Tabitha?"

"The woman I left in bed to be with you."

I laughed. "You are a sorry motherfucker. You're here with me instead of with some hot naked babe who wants to fuck you again?"

"No one said I was smart."

"I surely didn't."

"Fuck you Max."

"I knew it would come to that."

"Always does."

I took my last sip of coffee. He did as well.

"Ready?" I asked him.

"Always," he said. "Let's go kick some ass."

* * *

We arrived at the stakeout location. We were four blocks from the house. Cap had commissioned a team with drones to give us aerial surveillance. We had a SWAT team on standby. We huddled around her video screen showing a feed from the drones.

"There's nothing going on right now," said Cap, "but it's early. We also received verification from one of our sources that this is one of Shevchenko's safe houses."

She offered us each a cranberry scone to go with our coffees. We both politely declined. I was a donut girl -- none of that foofy shit for me. Just give me a chocolate old fashioned and we'd call it a day. I didn't think Lanny could spell "scone."

A stakeout is a lot like sex. Hours of anticipation and then two minutes of intense excitement. We finished our coffee and I had to pee badly. It was only 6 a.m., and I figured we still had an hour or two before any action. I found Captain Sheehan talking to the SWAT commander. She looked up from her clipboard.

"What's up Pemberton?"

"Cap. Going to Grand Lake to use their facilities. Lanny and I are going to get fresh coffee and donuts. Want anything?"

She pointed to her belly. It was flat as a pancake. "Nothing for me," she said. I hated skinny people who were watching their weight. I could look at a donut and gain a pound.

"C'mon Lanny. Time to refuel."

Lanny drove. Grand Lake Donuts was hopping. He parked in the "No Parking" zone in front of the establishment. Marge was behind the counter. Her face brightened when she saw me.

"Max! See you brought your good looking partner."

"What does that make me? Chopped liver?"

She reached over the counter and pinched my cheek. "Max, you know I love you."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

"Sensitive today?" she asked.

"Sorry," I said apologetically. "Bad week." I should have said "bad year."

"No harm honey." She went into the glass display case and pulled out a dozen chocolate old fashioned donuts without me asking. Her barista brought over a cardboard container full of hot coffee. She put everything in a cardboard box. She handed it to me.

"What do I owe you Marge?"

"Nothing."

"You can't do that."

"Like hell I can't."

"Thanks."

I handed the box to Lanny and went to use the ladies room.

* * *

We were getting in the car when I spotted a black SUV going by. I could have sworn I saw Carina staring out the back window.

"Lanny, get in the fucking car. Now!"

He threw the box of donuts and container of coffee into the back seat and scrambled into the car without questioning me. I slammed my door and he hit reverse, squealing the tires.

"That way!" I shouted. I pointed in the direction of the SUV, which by that time was almost out of sight. The driver didn't realize we were following until it was too late. Lanny pinned the SUV against the curb. Shevchenko got out of the front passenger door and dragged Carina out of the back seat by her hair. He was standing on the sidewalk with a gun pressed against her temple. She was screaming hysterically. Lanny drew his sidearm but the front passenger window was blocking a clear shot. I stopped short, about a foot from them.

"Not an inch closer," he barked. He pushed the muzzle of the gun against her head.

"It's over Shevchenko," I shouted back. "Drop it."

"It's never over." He pushed Carina to the pavement and pointed his gun at her. I had a split second to make a decision. I dove in front of her. He fired his gun. I felt a searing pain in my left leg. I heard a second gunshot from Lanny's gun, the shattering of glass, a car door slam and the smell of burnt rubber. Then Lanny's disembodied voice.

"... called... will... in a few..."

I blacked out.

* * *

My mind was fuzzy. Like I had just finished my second bottle of vodka. I cracked open my eyes. There was a pair of dark brown eyes looking down at mine.

"Lehka," I said with a parched throat.

"Max, you silly dumb fuck. Trying to win a medal?"

I blinked my eyes. "I love you."

"I know Max."

"I feel sleepy," I told her as my eyeballs rolled up in my head.

"It's the drugs Max."

"I... love... drugs," I said dreamily.

"Please, not that Max. You've got enough problems."

Blackness again.

* * *

Lehka was there when I finally came out of my drug induced haze from the pain killers. She went to retrieve a nurse to tell him that I had regained consciousness. She in turn paged the doctor on call. She came in within a few minutes, Lehka hovering over her shoulder.

"You gave us quite a scare Max," the white coated doctor said. She was fortyish, and looked like she'd been there all night.

"I feel terrible."

"We just stopped the heavy painkillers. You will still experience nausea for a while. I'm Doctor Marlene Hargraves by the way. You're a lucky girl. The bullet hit your upper thigh and missed your femoral artery by less than an inch. If it hit the artery, you would have likely bled out before the paramedics got there. Your partner Lanny did a good job staunching the flow of blood until help arrived. Looks like you should be up and about in a week or two. Now get some rest and I'll check in with you in an hour."

My leg was throbbing. I still felt nauseous. I could see two uniformed policeman standing outside my door. I pointed to them.

"Looks like Shevchenko's still at large," I said to Lehka. Lehka also looked like she'd been up all night.

She took my hand and held it. "Routine security Max. Thank God you're alive. You gave us a hell of a scare."

"You must hate me."

"I don't hate you. Lanny told me the full story about Shevchenko and Heather and her planting her panties in your bed. But I'm still mad at you for that drunken bender. After all we've been through Max. I feel like I'm riding a bucking bronco when I'm with you. It's a thrilling ride, but sometimes I get thrown off, and it hurts. I'm not used to that. I know it wasn't your intention but you really hurt me Max. And your insubordination with Captain Sheehan. That didn't sit well with me either."

"Did Carina get her baby back?"

"That's why I can't hate you Max. You were right about Shevchenko. Slimy bastard played all of us. I won't underestimate him again. You saved Carina's life, and you'll probably get a medal for it. You and your fucking gut instinct. You don't play by the rules but you saved the girl, and the other three as well. I can't be mad at you for that. But the drinking. It's not the distance between Cincinnati and Columbus that separates us. It's your love of the bottle. I'm afraid it'll destroy whatever we have between us."

"I swear Lehka, it won't happen again."

I knew I'd made that vow before and had broken it. Lehka knew it as well.

"I wish I could believe you Max."

"Lehka, thank you for being here."

"I'll always be there for you Max. You know that."

"And speaking of being here, your partner Lanny is downstairs in the cafeteria waiting for you. Can I let him come up?"

"Sure."

"I'll be back later. Got some paperwork to attend to."

"Paperwork?"

"My assignment here. I'm going to finish my six month assignment. I've been tasked with finding Shevchenko. I'm taking a week off first to move my stuff and visit you. Cap let me keep the apartment."

"That's great."

"Max, I think you need to stay elsewhere until I can get my head wrapped around our being together again."

"I understand."

"Let me get Lanny."

A few minutes later Lanny's smiling face came peeking around the door.

"Hey boss."

"Lanny, come in."

He had a big grin and was holding a large stuffed bear.

"I didn't know what to get you, and I saw this bear in the gift shop and it had your name on it."

"That's sweet Lanny."

"I named him Olek."

"Still an asshole, huh Lanny?"

"You wouldn't have it any other way boss."

I laughed. It hurt. "I'm glad to see you."

"You should be. If I hadn't wrapped my belt around your leg to stop the bleeding you'd be someplace else right now."

"Fuck Lanny, does that mean I owe you again?"

"That's the way I see it. Two lifetime passes now," he said proudly.

"Shit, I'm never going to live this down."

"Boss, you saved that lady's life. I saw you do it. While you were unconscious I checked under the covers. You do have brass balls."

"What about Shevchenko?"

"That motherfucker? I had a clear shot at him through the passenger side window. The glass shattered and sprayed him with those small square pieces, but the glass deflected the bullet. The whole left side of his face was covered in glass shards and looked like a bloody pulp. But I had to choose, and went to you and let that fucker get away."

"You did good Lanny. If I could get up I'd kiss you."

"Not necessary boss. I don't want the word to get around the station that we've hooked up."

"I know you've always had a thing for me Lanny."

"Fuck you boss."

"And here we are again."

"You get better. I've got to get back to the station to start my shift. Captain Sheehan told me I'm going to be assigned to you once you're better and we're going to report to Lehka, who is in charge of his apprehension."

"Partners for life, Lanny."

"Amen to that boss."

* * *

It was two weeks before I was able to hobble back to work on crutches. Lanny met me at the front door to the station and walked me in.

"Cap wants to see you in the briefing room," he told me.

"Jesus Lanny, I just got back to work. Am I in trouble already?"

"No idea boss."

He led me into the briefing room. The lights were off.

"Surprise!!" The lights turned on. Captain Sheehan was the first face I saw. She hugged me. Cap didn't hug anybody.

"You did us proud Max."

"Thanks Cap."

She saw me almost every day while I was in the hospital. She was a pussycat, that is when she retracted her razor sharp claws.

Cap tugged on my shoulder. "Thought you'd like to see someone."

She moved aside. Carina was behind her, holding her baby in her arms. She came up to me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thank... you... Macks," she said in broken English. She held the baby out for me to kiss. For that moment, it was all worth it.

Lehka was standing next to her. She kissed me on the cheek next.

"Thank you Max."

"Forgive me?" I whispered to her.

"I'm working on it," she whispered back.

She traded her innocence for a ride on the Max crazy train. Now I needed to win her back.

* * *

Max will return with Olek Shevchenko.