Crime of Passion

By Laura Lang

Alex Mooreland is a New York City Police Detective. At a retirement party for his mentor Lieutenant Maxwell Dowd, Alex meets Trillbey OHearn, a young and beautiful struggling artist. In a heroic effort, Alex saves Trillbeys life by risking his own life in the process. Fate brings them together and they fall in love under exceptional circumstances.
Their love is met with severe obstacles however, as they battle crime, greed and corruption. Both are committed to their love and both must find a way to overcome the manipulation that surrounds them, and moral judgment that plagues them.
Crime of Passion is a novel set in the exciting and provocative metropolis of New York City, the city that never sleeps. Its a story brimming with strong colorful characters, that are as resilient as the city they live in. Crime of Passion is a sweeping love story that is fueled by suspenseful drama, deception, and redemption. In a world filled with crime, drugs and deceit, Crime of Passion reminds us, that love will find a way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Nov 30, 2012
• ISBN: 9781452548517

Laura Lang

AU does not want a Bio.

Book preview

Crime Of Passion

Laura Lang

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Copyright © 2012 Laura Lang

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The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

ISBN: 978-1-4525-4852-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-4851-7 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012904376

Balboa Press rev. date: 11/26/2012

Contents

First Glance

Dire Straights

Saving Grace

Love Drop

Snow Fall

Power Play

Delicate Persuasion

Getting Real

Learning Curve

Truth Serum

Stealing Heaven

Christmas Tidings

Malicious Intent

Staying True

Downward Spiral

Love Lies

Femme Fatale

Letting Go

True Believer

Second Chances

Solemn Promise

Masked Player

Collision Course

Swan Dive

New Life

Snake Dance

It’s Alright

Unfinished Business

Making Plans

Loose Ends

Rats Nest

As One

Just Cause

Total Eclipse

Dark Victory

Breaking Through

"Give me that man that is not passion’s slave,

and I will wear him in my heart’s core."

Shakespeare’s Hamlet

First Glance

Chapter One

T rillbey held onto the steel pole inside the subway car to steady herself as it rambled below the city. The force of its speed and the uneven tracks intermittently shifted her body from side to side. It was crowded and steamy inside the subway car from passenger body heat, causing her to perspire underneath her winter jacket.

As the train began to slow down, she quickly inched her way toward the doors, positioning herself to be the first one to get off the train when it stopped. When the doors opened, she squeezed through the maze of people getting on and off the train, and raced up the steps that led to 42nd Street, in Times Square.

Heavy sleet had begun to fall and the metal edge of the concrete steps was slippery. It caused her to quickly overcompensate for the fact that she had sneakers on and the rubber soles had zero traction against the ice. She pulled up the hood of her jacket and wrapped her woolen scarf around her neck as she reached street level.

She was late again, but Eddie would understand, he always did. Once on 44th Street, she turned and walked down to 8th Avenue, toward Mulroney’s Saloon. The wind and ice pinched her cheeks as she walked, so she pulled her scarf up, and covered the bottom half of her face.

Some of the guys were already walking inside the saloon and some were congregating outside, smoking and laughing, the cold wind and sleet had no affect on them apparently. These weren’t just any cops, these were New York City cops, they could handle anything.

A few of the guys turned and said, Hello to her and she waved in their direction. They were the regulars that had been drinking at Mulroney’s long before she showed up, two years ago.

Eddie the owner had been good friends with her dad, and offered her the job after her dad passed away. Eddie was like family to her now, although there was a hint of something below the surface. Trillbey knew that given the exact set of circumstances, if the opportunity presented itself, he would make a play for her.

Eddie Mulroney wasn’t unattractive, with his head of reddish brown hair and green eyes which held that spark of mischievousness that the Irish are so well known for. His voice was deep and he was often smiling, revealing a large set of white teeth.

He was behind the bar when she swung the door open. Trill, we have a big crowd tonight, hurry up and get back here! He bellowed in his Irish brogue.

She made her way to the back door of the kitchen, and hung up her scarf and jacket on hooks behind the door of the employee’s restroom.

The Mulroney’s were well known to most of the police force, and just as many of the fire department guys, especially the 42nd Street Station. The Chief Lieutenant Frank O’Hearn was Trillbey’s dad, who died two years previously of smoke inhalation. The 42nd Street Station House was called in as back up for a tenement fire that had broken out in lower Harlem.

Her dad slipped and got trapped under a steel beam that collapsed on him, pinning him down. Had they gotten him out sooner, he would have lived, although his leg was shattered, it was the smoke that actually killed him.

Eddie had made a promise to Frank, Trillbey’s dad, when Trillbey’s mom passed away from cancer. Eddie promised that if anything were to happen to Frank, the Mulroney’s would look out for his daughter. Eddie and his wife Charlene were keeping their word.

There were other relatives, some as close as Staten Island. But as far as Frank was concerned, they were bigots and Frank didn’t want anything to do with them.

Trillbey’s mom was a native of the island of Jamaica, and the union had not been blessed by Frank’s family, who had migrated from the County Cork in Ireland. Frank turned his back on his family to marry the woman he loved.

The result of their love was Trillbey, a child who was both exotic and beautiful. Trillbey was captivating to gaze upon, with skin that was a deep golden tan. Her hair was the color of dark honey. It was full and curly, falling down the small of her back.

Her eyes were light amber in color with a dark brown iris and surrounded by long dark eyelashes. They were the most prominent feature on her face. Her nose was small and delicate, and slightly turned up at the end. She had full lips with a well defined cupid’s peak. If Trillbey was anything, she was sultry and exceptionally feminine. If she could improve one thing about herself, it would be her height.

Standing barely five foot two without shoes, she had trouble reaching over the bar top. It was the only reason Eddie had built a step which ran along the inside length of the bar. It was covered in thick black rubber so Trillbey wouldn’t slip and she’d be able to serve customers easily. Eddie named the step, Trillbey’s steppin stone. Because working at Mulroney’s was her stepping stone and temporary until she finished school and received her degree.

Life had not been easy in her youth, having grown up in a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood. The daughter of a white father and a black mother, she could be easily put on guard, but now she was coming into her own. Finally, carving out the life she had envisioned, through her hard work, and determination.

Trillbey acquired her determined work ethic from both her mother and father, who were not just dedicated to each other, but to their careers as well.

Frank O’Hearn eventually lost the house due to the insurmountable medical bills he accumulated trying to fight the cancer Trillbey’s mom Odette died from. Living in a two bedroom apartment near Battery Park, both Trillbey and her dad struggled to keep going. His salvation was his work; hers was getting accepted into Columbia on a partial scholarship.

After her dad died, she moved into a one bedroom apartment on the upper Westside of Manhattan. Her dad managed to leave her some money for school, but she would have to work to support herself. Having a partial scholarship was great, but tuition costs were high and going up every year, plus rent and utilities needed to be paid. Then there were art supplies, which were expensive.

So, the Mulroney’s stepped in. Working five nights a week Trillbey could make six hundred dollars with tips, often more. She was paid cash out of the register, seventy five dollars a night. Eddie made sure she cleared six hundred a week, one way or another, even if he had to pull the money from his own pocket.

However, that was confidential, something he did not share with his wife Charlene. Trillbey understood that there was no reason to tell Charlene. Eddie was the actual owner and he called the shots so to speak. Trillbey learned early on that he wore the pants in his house, and in his bar.

If Charlene, Eddie’s wife were to ask Trillbey, she would have answered honestly, but the topic had never presented itself. For the most part Trillbey did her work and did not get deeply involved with the Mulroney’s.

Trillbey’s mother Odette had taught her daughter something very valuable early on. It was a saying her mother lived by, especially at work. Friendly, but not familiar.

For Trillbey life without her mother left her devastated and withdrawn, so she focused on one thing, and that was getting the highest grades she was capable of. Her mother had been a nurse at New York City’s Memorial Hospital. That’s how she met Trillbey’s dad. He came into the emergency room one night after fighting a fire with a six inch gash on his hand.

Frank O’Hearn was immediately captivated by Odette’s beauty. However, it was her smile that sent cupid’s arrow straight to his heart. Her face lit up when she smiled exposing a beautiful set of white teeth against her brown radiant skin. It was the happiest face he’d ever seen, vibrant and full of life. Odette had dimples that were more pronounced when she smiled, which made Frank’s heart flutter with excitement. It became his mission to get to know her better.

She turned him down though when he asked her out. It literally took him visiting the hospital seven times, before she consented to meet him for coffee. Frank was smitten from the moment he had seen Odette. However, Odette was raised in a conservative family in Kingston Jamaica and had been taught discipline and self control by both her parents.

She was also not ready to rush into any relationship, especially one with a Caucasian man. Having only been in the states for a year, she felt that she might still go back to Jamaica. To Odette, that was still her true home.

However, Frank had the luck of the Irish on his side and the tenacity to go along with it. He would make her his wife, but it took three years and countless battles with the O’Hearn side of the family.

The couple eventually married at the registrar’s office inside Manhattan’s City Hall. Only a few friends attended. Those friends included Eddie and Charlene Mulroney, who hosted a small reception in the couples honor following their marriage.

Nine months later Trillbey was born, and she was a combination of both her parent’s physical assets. She had inherited her mother’s smile and dimples and her father’s full head of curly hair and amber eye color.

The couple first lived in a one bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, but eventually they saved enough money to buy a single family house near Prospect Park. It still wasn’t easy though, as there were members on both sides of their families that could not accept their decision to marry and have a child.

Even some of the nurses at work took exception to their union and with Frank it was the same thing. However, their love was insurmountable and they filled their hearts with the joy of their love and the blessing of Trillbey. Trillbey grew up knowing that her parent’s love for each other had found a way for them to stay together.

Odette suffered two miscarriages after Trillbey was born and eventually the couple stopped trying to add to their small family.

When she was forty, Odette was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in its advanced stage. She inevitably became physically and mentally emaciated and unable to get out of bed. Frank and Trillbey both cared for her and toward her decline nurses were brought in to help with her care.

At the age of forty four Odette died, having suffered through four years of fighting the disease which had spread throughout her body.

However, it was during the early years of her illness that she lectured Trillbey on the importance of a College education, and the odds she would face if she did not have an advanced degree. Odette encouraged her to go into nursing, but she knew from the time that Trillbey was a child, that it was the art world and painting that inspired her daughter.

Odette advised her daughter to take business accounting as a second major, so she would have something to fall back on if she could not earn a living as an artist. Trillbey indeed had the soul of an artist, but she had a survivalist’s common sense, so she took her mother’s advice.

During the summer of her junior year in high school Trillbey expanded herself in the art community. She began selling paintings at the farmers market on Bay Street every Thursday, with the help of her father, Frank.

While there she met a fellow artist, who immediately realized Trillbey’s potential. Her name was Evelyn Stuart and she did sculptures in clay and wood. It wasn’t long before she and Evelyn became good friends, and Evelyn began teaching Trillbey how to work with clay and then how to carve in wood. Evelyn was seven years older than Trillbey and she was someone in the art community that Trillbey could learn from comfortably.

In time, the two would build a lasting friendship. Because Evelyn was older, Trillbey looked up to her as an older sister and a mentor. She not only valued Evelyn’s opinion but respected it and sought it out.

Evelyn was also the owner of an art studio in lower Manhattan and she taught classes there. It was at these classes that Trillbey was not only able to expand her creativity, but her technique as well.

Trillbey became surrounded by a group of artists that embraced her talent and gave her a sense of belonging that she had not experienced outside of her mother and father. However, she continued to maintain her grades in school and her mother was able to live the joy of her daughter’s high school graduation with honors.

Odette raised Trillbey not to rely on her looks, but to advance herself in her education. Odette taught her daughter that this was the way she would not just build a secure future for herself, but it was the one way people would always take her seriously and respect her. Being beautiful was nice, but being smart was essential.

Although Odette could not attend her daughter’s graduation ceremonies from high school, Trillbey and her dad relived the moments for Odette and she cried when she saw the video. Two weeks later Odette passed away with her husband and daughter by her side.

Frank sobbed, and was inconsolable by her passing, but for Trillbey tears eluded her. She wanted to cry but the tears wouldn’t come. Her father explained that she was still in shock and eventually she would sob uncontrollably as he had.

Yet, the tears never came and two years later when her father died…still no tears. The pain was there and the emptiness, but not the outward emotions. They were locked up inside of her, hidden away somewhere, unable to reach the surface.

Trillbey had learned self preservation at an early age, and held onto it with her own steadfast commitment.

Dire Straights

Chapter Two

A lex backed the minivan into the driveway. He put the van in park and left the engine running, with the heater on full blast. Walking into the house, he looked for his wife. Honey? What are you taking? He called upstairs. The suitcase under the stairs, the blue one, it has all our clothes in it. His wife hollered down to him.

A boy and girl came running down the steps. Alex picked his daughter up in his arms. I’ll miss you daddy. She said kissing him on the check. No you won’t, you’ll be too busy having fun with Nana and Poppa. Alex replied kissing her on the forehead. How come you can’t come daddy? asked his son looking up at him. I have to work buddy, and one of the guys is retiring and I have to go and help give him a send off. Alex explained to his son who was six, his daughter five.

Remember Max, daddy’s friend from work? Alex asked his son. His son looked up at him and nodded. Well, there’s a special party for him, and I have to go. Alex said. Can we come too daddy? asked his daughter. Nope…you guys have your own party to go to with mommy, and your Aunt Lesley and Nana and Poppa. Alex replied tousling the hair on his sons head.

His wife Denise came down the steps all full of business. She held a check list in her hands and went down the list with great efficiency. I think we have everything. She said looking up at Alex. Alex leaned over and kissed her, and then he started putting his daughter’s snow jacket on.

Are you sure you’re ok with this? Denise asked frowning slightly as she put her coat on. With what? Alex asked perplexed, he wasn’t sure if she was referring to her leaving with their kids or him staying behind.

With us going for the whole week without you. She clarified, zipping their son’s jacket. Of course, it’s Christmas, you and the kids should go and have a good time. He insisted. I’ll be up there on Christmas Eve, alright? I want you guys to enjoy yourselves. Alex replied, walking them out to the minivan and putting the suitcase in the back of the van.

Alex had left the heat running in the van so that it would be warm when his kids and his wife got in. The temperature had dropped suddenly and snow was in the forecast.

He buckled his kids in their car seats and patted his daughter and son on the head. Bending down he kissed his wife. Be safe, those are new snow tires…call me when you get there. He looked in the back seat and smiled at his two children. I love you guys, take care of mommy and be good little monkeys. He told them, removing two small packages of candy from his jacket pocket, and handing the candy to his children.

Alex, you give them too much sugar. Denise said with a tone that was resigned to the fact that he over indulged their children. Alex looked at Ali his son, and Samantha, his daughter, Guy’s don’t finish the bag, alright save some for later. He said as he winked at them and they took the cue. Ok daddy. Ali and Samantha replied in unison.

Honey, please call my sister and tell her I’m running a little late, I should be there in twenty minutes to pick her up. Denise said with a sly grin, knowing that Alex hated talking to her sister Lesley because she talked endlessly, and she was hard to get off the phone.

Alright, but you’re gonna owe me big time for that one. He said and watched as she drove out of the drive way, down the hill and around the corner.

Denise’s parents had rented a cabin in the Catskills, near White Owl Lodge and that’s where everyone was headed and would be spending Christmas. Alex had Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day off from work, which he had requested over six months ago.

He would drive to the cabin on Christmas Eve and stay the week. Denise’s parents would drive back to their house in Queens the day after Christmas with Denise’s sister Lesley and the two kids. Alex and Denise would have a second honeymoon, which they were both looking forward to.

Maxi Dowd, the Lieutenant that was retiring from the New York City Police Force, Eleventh Precinct, was in charge of making the schedules and assigning time off. So of course Alex got the time off, no problem.

Alex called Lesley, his sister in-law and lucked out because the call when straight to voice mail. He left a message and hung up. He needed to get going and be on time for Maxi’s retirement party; after all he owed his promotion from detective second grade to detective first grade to Maxi.

Because of Maxi, he was now earning a higher pay rate. Yeah, a lot of it was based on who you knew, but Alex was freakin good at investigations and he had closed a lot of drug related cases.

A year ago Captain Ryan called Alex into his office and shook his hand and gave him the good news. Alex would also be part of a new task force for homicides and illegal drug trafficking. Maxi was there and told him he deserved it. The Commissioner believed he deserved it too.

Alex was polished when he needed to be and tough when the situation called for it. So Maxi pushed for Alex, but Alex had what it took to be a detective, the drive and the intuition.

Anyway that’s the way Maxi saw it, plus Alex looked up to Maxi. The two men had bonded when Alex first joined the force and Alex followed Maxi’s lead. Alex had pretty much learned the ropes from Maxi.

Alex showered and changed his clothes in preparation for Maxi’s retirement party. He was going casual which was how he usually dressed. Even at work he wore jeans unless top brass was in town then everyone was in a suit, including him.

Alex removed the magazine from his 9 millimeter Glock 19, and stashed it in a locked box on the top shelf of his closet. He placed his gun in the top drawer of his armoire and locked it. He would carry his Smith and Wesson .38 special tonight, which was his back up and off duty weapon.

Grabbing his brown leather jacket, he set the alarm to his house and left. Driving from Queens, he headed over the 59th Street Bridge into midtown Manhattan, straight to Mulroney’s Saloon.

Alex double checked the inside pocket of his jacket as he drove, to make sure he hadn’t forgotten Maxi’s gift. Two tickets to the Bahama Islands and a week’s stay at a five star resort to kick off Maxi’s retirement with his wife Arlene. Alex and a bunch of the guys at the precinct had chipped in, including the captain. Even some guys that were already retired contributed to Maxi’s gift. It’s what you did.

Alex led an ideal life. At thirty one he was one of the youngest cops to make detective first grade and also be part of an elite task force, but it wasn’t surprising.

He had a job that paid well and that he enjoyed. He was well liked and respected and he had a wonderful wife and two great kids and a beautiful house. What else could anyone ask for? Part of his charm was his looks and he knew it and capitalized on it when he needed to, which was not often.

Alex preferred to use his intellect and skill to move obstacles and it usually worked. He considered his looks to be an added bonus but not to be relied on, especially in his line of work. He stood six feet, two inches tall, with a well toned body which he worked at, and dark hair that was longer than normal for someone in law enforcement.

He usually showed up for work looking like he just got out of bed…but it worked for him. Especially when he was on the street talking to informants, or interrogating suspects.

Alex looked more like a male model for a men’s fashion magazine, than a cop. His most prominent feature and also his most alluring, his deep blue penetrating eyes that were surround by long black lashes and a smile that was irresistible.

His strong Anglo features were softened by his eyes and his smile. There was no getting around the fact that he was handsome, and most women took a second look, he was used to it and rarely paid attention. However it was that air of self confidence which he possessed, that added to his charm.

Alex was friendly and outgoing and yet professional. He lived by his own moral code and ethical standards. All who knew him liked him and respected his opinion.

He could be macho if he needed to be though. He knew when to get rough. It wasn’t something that he thought about consciously, he used it when the circumstance called for it. It was built into his instinct.

By some accounts he was a blueblood, with his ancestry dating back to the fathers of the American Revolution. Some of his research showed that he had British, Scottish and Irish blood in his lineage, but by his own definition Alex Mooreland was an American, period.

Hey? she asked walking behind the bar. Eddie was busy empting the container of ice into the stainless steel chest under the soda machines. He glanced up at her and as usual she took his breath away. You know Maxi over there? he asked, pushing up his shirt sleeves. Yeah, well I don’t know him but I’ve served him a couple of times. Trillbey replied. Maxi wasn’t a constant at the bar but she remembered him. He’s retiring from the force, after thirty three years. Eddie answered her, gazing into her eyes. Wow, that’s a long time. Trillbey said looking over at Maxi.

My point is darlin, in about an hour we’re going to be jammin in here. Eddie replied as he filled wooden bowls with peanuts and handed them to her. She walked along the bar and placed a bowl in front of every other stool and then placed one on each of the twelve tables, which were opposite the bar.

Each table was round and sat four comfortably and there was also a long horizontal booth against the wall which ran the full length of the dining area.

Encircling the walls of the saloon and above the booth was a mirror with heavy etching along its borders, reminiscent of the Victorian era. The mirror made the saloon look twice as large as it really was. Ten square tables were lined up in front of the booth. Above each table hung a tiffany inspired lamp.

Trillbey walked to the back of the saloon and placed a bowl of peanuts on all of the tables. Maxi looked up at her and smiled when she got to the back where he was seated, holding court.

She smiled back politely, but he rubbed her the wrong way. There was just something about him Trillbey didn’t like. For one thing he was a huge man. Her father had been huge too, but Maxi had a harshness about his demeanor that was very intimidating.

Removing a large white apron from under the cabinet of the side board she folded it in half and tied it around her waist. Is anyone else working the floor with me? she asked Eddie as she approached the bar. Charlene and Agnes will be servin the food; you work with me getting the drinks out, alright darlin? That’s what turns a buck, the booze, not the food, right Trill? Eddie asked not needing an answer.

Tonight meant big money for the saloon and he was focused on that. Every cop and fire fighter retiring had a send off at Mulroney’s…it’s what you did. Eddie knew from experience that tonight was good for an easy five grand if not more. The party for Maxi and his other regular customers would ensure a great night for the till.

Trillbey unbuttoned her shirt sleeves and rolled them up so they fell right below her elbow, than walking to the back were the tables where, she studied herself in the mirror. She wore the bar’s uniform. Black pants, a white apron which was long falling below her knees, a crisp white shirt and a black tie which she tucked the tail of in between the two middle buttons of her shirt. She wore Keds sneakers on her feet.

Eddie allowed the Keds sneakers because they were black and white and the floor often got slippery. Trillbey studied herself in the mirror and adjusted her tie. She caught Maxi’s stare through the mirror and quickly turned away. Maxi laughed openly at her gesture.

The uniform hid her curves and that was how Eddie wanted it. He couldn’t handle it and neither could most of his customers, if Trillbey wore jeans and a tee shirt to work. With her small but curvaceous figure he’d have trouble on his hands.

Also it would not look professional and Eddie wanted to portray a professional image in the saloon. That’s how his grandmother would have wanted it. Eddie was loyal to his creed and to his lineage. The saloon had been a local landmark since the early nineteen hundreds and Eddie had a reputation to uphold.

The night started out slow and then as it progressed, both Trillbey and Eddie were sliding along the back of the bar on the rubber mats. Music was blaring from the jukebox and they struggled to keep up with the crowd.

Bryan the bus boy and dishwasher was cursing below his breath, because he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before having been with his girlfriend the entire night, he was exhausted and hung over. Trillbey teased him every time he came behind the bar with clean glassware, his long blond hair falling across his eyes.

He teased her back, calling her a major snob for never accepting any of his invitations for a date. The truth was that Trillbey was shy by nature and she also knew Eddie would not have liked her and Bryan getting too chummy. As her mother had instilled in her, friendly at work…but not familiar.

Alex came in and ordered a round of drinks for everyone early on in the evening and then every cop and detective who had worked with Maxi did the same thing. Even the ones that only knew of him, felt obligated to buy a round. There is an unspoken loyalty and dedication between law enforcement professionals and it was evident this evening.

Trillbey accidentally spilled a glass of Jack Daniel’s at Alex’s’ table, some of it landing on Alex. But Alex just laughed and helped her clean it up. Maxi teased Alex calling him a waitress. Hey, just trying to be nice, after all she’s the only one serving, the kid needs help. Shrugged Alex as he turned discreetly and gave Maxi the finger.

But tonight was all about fun and games and being rogue. Oh yeah we all know what kind of help you wanna give her Al! Maxi laughed, egging Alex on. Alex ignored the innuendo, this was cop foreplay, he was use to it most of the time, but he threw Maxi a hard look at that last comment, and he meant it.

Come on, she’s just a kid…knock it off Max. Replied Alex irritated, but he quickly recovered his smile when Trillbey reappeared, bringing back a double of Jack on the rocks with coke on the side.

I’m sorry about that sir. She said setting it down in front of him. Hey, no problem, really don’t worry about it. He replied with a small chuckle as he smiled back at her. Eddie says this one’s on the house sir. She told him. Hey sir?! A couple of the guy’s shouted at him, teasing him, one was Maxi.

Alex ignored them, and followed Trillbey with his eyes. He wondered exactly how old she really was. What a beautiful piece she is. Daniels said under his breath. Daniels was one of the cops that worked at the same precinct as Alex and Maxi. She’s a kid! Alex snapped back at him, while chewing on some peanuts. She’s probably like eighteen years old…if that. Alex said, brushing off the comment.

No bro, you’re wrong…you should know, you gotta be at least twenty one to pour and she’s been pouring all night. Daniels replied with all seriousness, as Alex studied Trillbey at the bar.

Trillbey caught Alex’s gaze a few times during the night, through the mirror. It didn’t mean anything really, he was fantasizing about her but that’s all it was. He was married and he would never cheat on Denise.

However, he did mentally envision what Trillbey would look like without her uniform on. The curves that he could see intrigued his imagination. Even still, he thought that she was far too beautiful and too sensually exotic for her own good. But, the feature of hers that created the need for him to search her out with his eyes was her smile, and her dimples.

Alex studied her behind the bar, as she found something that Eddie was saying so funny that her smile made her dimples deepen and her complexion take on a rosy glow. The thought of what it would feel like to kiss her fluttered about in his mind, and then abruptly left. Trillbey had smiled at him demurely several times throughout the evening, she thought him cute and silly in his mannerisms but far too handsome for his own good.

Alex was at the bar settling the bill with Eddie, having collected all the money from the guys who had come to toast to Maxi’s retirement. The tab came to a little over four grand and that didn’t include his regular customers. Alex handed Eddie forty eight hundred dollars which included the gratuity.

Trillbey was walking back from the kitchen with a large plastic container of clean glasses. She was struggling to carry it, but she needed to help Bryan because he was doing Chester’s duties in the kitchen. Chester the fry cook had left early to pick his wife up from her night job. So, they were one person short in the kitchen. Trillbey was trying to make headway by doing what Bryan usually did.

Alex rushed up to her. Hey, hey, give me that…it’s bigger than you are. He said taking it from her and lifting it easily. Where do you want it? he asked her. Just over there behind the bar so I can stack them…thanks. She said, as she directed him where to put the container down.

Then before he turned to walk away, he called Trillbey to him. Here Miss. He said, handing her two hundred dollars out of his own pocket. This is for you, you did a great job of putting up with us tonight…I hope we didn’t offend you in any way. He said as he handed it to her, but she didn’t accept it.

Oh no, that’s alright…Eddie will give me my share at the end of the night. She said declining graciously. Thank you very much, anyway. She added not wanting to hurt his feelings.

But Alex wasn’t accepting her answer. Please, really I’d like you to have it, you deserve it, you worked hard tonight…look, this isn’t for you to share, it’s just for you. He responded just as graciously.

Eddie looked over at them and laughed. He knew Alex wanted her, most men did. Go ahead Trill…take it, he’s got a lot more where that came from. Eddie remarked jokingly. Hey! I’m only a detective; I’m not Max over there, the mayor. Replied Alex, as he shoved the hundred dollar bills in Trillbey’s hand and winked at her.

There you go, that’s a good girl. He said and walked to the back of the saloon, where the pool table was. He had made Trillbey nervous, but in a good way. He was assertive and knew his own mind but polite, like her dad had been. As the kitchen closed down, guys were still hanging around drinking and playing pool.

Before anyone realized it, Eddie was calling out last call. It was two am. Most of the officers and detectives had left, but there were still a few sitting around talking and carrying on. Alex was one of them. He was playing pool with a bunch of the guys. Some were good, but Alex was better and he won a hundred bucks.

He had planned on leaving earlier but for some reason he decided to stay. Trillbey and Alex exchanged glances in the mirror several times during the evening, and probably no one noticed, no one except Maxi. He was paying close attention to the evening in general. If Trillbey was the reason Alex had decided to stay he wouldn’t realize it, until two days later.

Trillbey was used to men staring at her, it came with the territory. Most of the time it was a mute point. This attraction only led to something more significant once before in her young life.

Living on her own for two years, she had her own art of survival pretty much down pat. She stayed focused on her degree and was only thrown off balance once and in her case once had been enough.

His name was Charles Loudan and he was in her art and design class. He was from Belgium and his charms, good looks and his pale blond hair had swayed her. Charles had graduated last year and returned home to Belgium with his Bachelor’s degree in art history, part of Trillbey’s heart and all her virginity had gone with him.

However, Trillbey was not one to look to her past. She had entered into the temporary relationship with her eyes wide open. Charles had called her a few times and invited her to Belgium, but the circumstances of her life and her upbringing stopped her from going after him.

Her mother taught her well, when you love someone, you don’t leave. No one and nothing can get in the way of true love. Her mother would say. Trillbey stood by that belief, knowing that Charles had left and therefore he did not love her. Understanding that, why would she go to Belgium? It had been a lesson learned.

Charlene, Eddie’s wife was filling trays with dirty dishes and Agnes who worked there part time, was ringing tabs through the register and separating the tips that she collected from other patrons.

No one had locked the entrance yet when four gnarly looking guys walked in. Two were African American and two were Caucasian. Eddie called out that the bar was closed, but they walked up to the bar and took a seat. One of the Caucasian guys looked at Trillbey. Hey Miss, how about pouring me a Jameson straight? He shouted above the music and then Agnes unplugged the jukebox. Alright have your drink and go home. Eddie replied casually.

Trillbey stood still and waited for a sign from Eddie. Trill, go in the back and help Charlene I’ll serve’em. He told her. That’s when one of the guys jumped behind the bar and grabbed Trillbey and held a switch blade to her throat. No one move! The guy who held the blade shouted. No one fuckin move or I’ll slice her throat!!

Maxi and two cops, Daniels and Rodriguez were sitting in the back and not one of them moved. They could see the blade start to draw blood from the side of Trillbey’s neck. Alright! Yelled Maxi. Just take it easy, and let the girl go, don’t hurt the girl! Maxi shouted.

Eddie stood a few feet away from Trillbey and the perpetrator and he could see the blade cut into her skin, but he was frozen with fear that he would see Trillbey murdered before his eyes.

The two African American perpetrators by the door had drawn their weapons, so Maxi kept his cool. He didn’t want to ignite a blood bath. There were still around fifteen patrons in the saloon finishing their drinks and waiting for change from their tabs. Innocent bystanders who just wanted to get the hell home without being shot up.

The other Caucasian perpetrator began ripping everyone off as he held his gun in their faces. He didn’t approach Maxi or Daniels and Rodriguez though, but everyone else was told to empty their pockets and put their money and jewelry in the black satchel he held open.

Just take the money, no one’s gonna stop you but let the girl go. Maxi began to negotiate. Nice try old man but she’s comin with us for a little ride, aren’t you sweetheart? said the perpetrator holding the knife to her throat.

Come on man think about this…you don’t want to add kidnapping and bodily harm to the list…just let her go. Maxi continued. At least lower the knife from her throat… That’s when Daniels reached for his gun and one of the African American perpetrators by the front door fired, hitting one of the Tiffany lamps and sending bits of glass flying into the air.

Trillbey could feel the cold steel against her skin and felt a burning sensation that made her realize she was bleeding. She took her foot and swung it back as hard as she could, and hit the perpetrator on his shin.

Wow, you’re a little wild cat aren’t you? He said wrapping his arm around her even tighter, he was so strung out he had barely felt it, it was only a mild irritation. Calm down little kitty or I will cut you badly. He told her. The other perpetrator walked over to the cash register and told Eddie to open it and put all the money into the satchel.

The leader seemed to be the one holding Trillbey. He was nodding to the others and silently indicating what to do next. Come on my little kitty, your coming with us. Said the guy with the switch blade held against Trillbey’s throat. Trillbey tried to remember every detail about him.

He was Caucasian, around thirty, with short cropped blond hair, skinny, wearing a black leather jacket and black slacks. But the two biggest things about him were that he reeked of cigarettes and had a heavy accent, a heavy Russian accent.

The memory of his face was becoming a little cloudy as Trillbey had not made the conscious decision to study it prior to him grabbing her. All she could remember was that he had brown narrow eyes and he hadn’t shaved.

Alex could hear everything that was going on from the time Agnes unplugged the jukebox. He had just gone to the restroom and put his jacket on. He was removing the brochure and airline tickets from the inside pocket of his jacket, which he was going to give Maxi before he left to drive back to Queens. As he exited the restroom he sensed that something was wrong and stayed quiet.

Inching slowly and quietly down the hall he thought of Denise. Alex had spoken to her briefly when she arrived at the lodge, so he knew she was alright. He told her he’d give her a call in the morning, to give the kids a kiss goodnight from him and that he loved her.

These last little tid bits of information were rumbling around in his head as he listened to what was going on at the bar. It’s funny what you think about when that hard core adrenaline rush takes over.

He had been in this kind of situation once before and the outcome had not been good. The hostage had been shot and killed. Alex needed to keep a cool head and think clearly.

However, by the sounds of the conversation between the perpetrator and Maxi, he knew that these guys would not negotiate. Alex needed was a strong element of surprise to distract the perpetrators or the young woman could be seriously injured or kidnapped, or murdered…or all three.

Assessing the situation, he wasn’t sure using his gun was the best option because his view was obstructed. He’d only have a second at best to take the shot, before the perpetrators near the door would see him. The biggest problem was that the owner of the saloon Eddie, was in the way. If Alex took the shot he didn’t want to end up hitting Eddie.

It was also possible that if Alex fired, he might hit Trillbey, because of the erratic behavior of the perpetrator that was holding her and the fact that she was fighting him. Suddenly Alex saw Bryan the dishwasher in the back doorway and he silently signaled for him to back up into the street and call 911.

Alex got down on the floor and crawled over to the pool table, which was partially hidden by a wooden partition that separated the entrance to the restrooms. In the drop slot there was a pool ball, if he could remove it silently, he would have one chance to throw it at the guy who held the knife to Trillbey’s throat and create a distraction. Slowly, the perpetrator and Trillbey were making their way around the corner of the bar and Alex knew he didn’t have a lot of time to act.

The decision not to use his gun was based solely on his instinct and not on his training. It was based on the positioning of the victims and the likely hood of one being hit. He knew he was going to take a bullet either way. His plan was to throw a fastball with a slight curve and catch the perp on the right side of his head. Hopefully the impact would knock him out.

He quickly stood and aimed, throwing the pool ball as hard as he could. The ball went flying through the air clipping the perpetrator on the side of the head and into the shelf filled with whiskey bottles, shattering the mirror behind the bar. The force of the ball sent glass and booze flying everywhere. All those years of softball games had paid off. The perpetrator let go of Trillbey and fell to the floor and Trillbey ran to Eddie and they both fell down behind the bar, as gun fire erupted.

Lots of shots were fired and Alex went down. One of the perpetrators near the door had seen Alex stand and pitch the ball and had fired his gun at Alex. However Alex’s pitch had been so fast and so hard that the ball was in mid flight by the time he took the bullet.

The perpetrator fired twice and then more shots exploded in the bar, as Rodriquez and Daniels opened fire, killing the perpetrator that shot Alex. Blood was pouring down Trillbey’s white shirt, and she started shaking as Eddie removed her apron and held it to her throat. He made his way to the ice chest and filled his dish towel with ice and held it against Trillbey’s neck, to slow down the bleeding.

Eddie squatted down on the mat and held Trillbey in his arms. Am I dying Eddie? Trillbey asked as tears fell from her eyes. No darlin, ya not gonna die, but it’s a bad cut…ya gonna be fine, I promise. He said as he held her, he was shaking too.

If it wasn’t obvious to anyone else, it was obvious to Charlene that Eddie didn’t seem concerned about her safety. But everything had happened so fast, he didn’t have time to think straight and Trillbey had been cut and was bleeding.

That indeed was their conversation later that morning. Charlene’s question to him was, Did you ever think I could have been shot? Eddie couldn’t respond, it had not occurred to him initially, only after the paramedics came in and took over administering care to Trillbey, did he look around for Charlene and Agnes, who had ducked behind the side of the large hutch in the dining area.

Two perpetrators escaped and two were down. The one who had fired at Alex had been shot by Daniels or Rodriguez or both, and the one that Alex had clipped on the head was down, blood pouring from the side of his head and draining out of his right ear. He was definitely unconscious if not dead.

Alex had been shot in the shoulder and the second shot had grazed the side of his arm. He was bleeding badly from the shoulder wound, but all he was interested in, was how the girl was.

Daniels was the first one to get to Alex and took his jacket off and placed it under Alex’s head. Get me up. Alex told Daniels, I need to see the girl…is she alright? Alex asked Daniels, adrenaline was still pumping through his body. Yeah man she’s ok, she’s fine…just take it easy. Daniels replied as Alex tried to get up. For Christ’s sake Al stay down, you’ve been shot. Daniels insisted, trying to keep Alex still.

But Alex was stubborn and forced himself up and made his way over to Trillbey who was still laying on the floor behind the