C3 Chapter 3

Zane sat down at his terminal and typed in ‘Hope Ryder’ on the search screen. Under offenses, he inserted ‘drug abuse, drug trafficking, drug pushing, drug dealing, and prostitution’. He hit enter and waited.

The screen lit up seconds later and Zane stared as the list of offenses appeared one after another on the screen.

Zane hit the print button and waited as sheet after sheet of information printed out. When the printout was finished he scanned the sheets learning what he could as fast as he could.

Hope Ryder had been operating in small towns near Hurstville for the past few years. She had been caught on numerous occasions but had always somehow managed to slip out of the clutches of the law. She was known as ‘Flamingo’. No information told him why she was called ‘Flamingo’.

He could not believe how many times she had slipped away already. How was it possible? She had never killed anyone, never used violence. But somehow she had escaped prison more than six times already. The odds of that happening were almost impossible. An uneasy thought crossed his mind as he read the information again. And he remembered what she had said to him when he had been questioning her, they warned me about you. Who had warned her?

Something was off. The fact that she had seemed to be coming on to him and offering him sex for her release was a bribe. It was more than a bribe. If he had taken her up on it he would have been blackmailed for sure. Something smelled.

Zane grabbed the printout and returned to the room reading as he went. He opened the door to the interrogation room.

“So, Flamingo ...”

He heard the click of a gun as the hammer was drawn back and he stopped and looked up. He tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Brian sat in the chair where Hope had been. His hands were cuffed to the armrests of the chair and he had a cut above his left eye that was bleeding.

Zane looked around and found himself looking down the barrel of Brian’s gun. Hope held it firmly trained on Zane.

“Done your homework?”

“I guess you could say so,” Zane replied as he tried to think of options.

Hope smiled at the use of her alias. “Good. Toss your gun over here.”

Zane didn’t move.

“You heard me. Toss your gun over here.”

“You don’t use violence,” Zane said bluntly. “Just give yourself up.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Hope replied. “Does your friend over here look like I don’t use violence?”

Zane looked at Brian who shrugged helplessly in his handcuffs. Zane pulled out his gun and tossed it over to Hope. She picked it up and shoved it into the waistband of her jeans behind her.

“I’m glad we understand each other. Now let’s get going to your office and have a chat,” Hope said then added, “Get your hands up!”

Zane raised his hands and backed out of the room. He turned and began walking slowly to his office as Hope followed a safe distance behind him. When they reached his office, Hope ordered him to sit on the guest's side of his desk. She cuffed his left hand to the chair and then took a seat in his chair behind his desk.

“Now, you can take all the notes you need,” Hope said pushing her file and a pen across the desk to Zane.

Zane looked at her then picked up the pen.

“Do you know why they call me Flamingo?”

Zane shook his head. “You like standing on one leg?”

Hope smiled disappointedly. “It’s got nothing to do with the bird. It’s about the Flamingo Flower. The scientific name is Tropical Anthurium. It’s a symbol of kindness.”

“I knew that,” Zane said sarcastically. “I think you should change that name.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a lie,” Zane said bluntly.

Hope ignored his remark. “I do good for people. For youth. I use my profits from drug trafficking to send homeless kids to school.”

“So you destroy the children you pretend to help,” Zane said incredulously.

“How do you get to that conclusion?”

“You let homeless kids work for you peddling drugs and in return, you send them to school. If they happen to go to prison along the way it’s just their tough luck right?”

“That’s not how it works. The kids I send to school don’t work for me,” Hope replied.

“Oh, so you get some kids to work for you and give them nothing other than a chance to go to prison and ruin their lives while you take the money from the risk they take for you and put other kids through school? How very fucking noble of you,” Zane said.

“A little weed never hurt anyone,” Hope said. “The other shit you found with the weed? That ain’t mine. But I have to peddle it to stay free. There are some seriously bad fuckers in this world and if I don’t do what they say...” Hope paused, “… well, you’re a cop. You can figure it out. I hope you’re writing this down. Maybe you can make some sense of this after

I’m gone. I’m helping you. For now. It might seem odd, but it’s the truth. There’s a lot more at play here than simply peddling drugs.”

Zane made notes. He would try to make sense of it later.

“How have you escaped so many times?”

“I’ve been lucky and not so lucky. I’ve had help. You should be careful. Things are not what they seem.”

“Who do you work for or with?”

“I work for myself. I like to think so. But I also work for others now. Powerful people. I think you have an idea. Suffice to say, trust no-one.”

“You’re not giving me much to go on,” Zane said frustrated. “Why can’t you tell me?”

“I’m giving you what matters right now. What I can. Listen to me. Take notes and listen, then go do some research. You cannot bring me down. You won’t be allowed to. I am already a prisoner. I am not the issue here. There is more at play and you’re in the middle of it.”

“Earlier you said, ‘they warned you about me’. Who warned you?”

“Look at the information you have. Surely you can answer that question yourself. I would hope a police chief can answer that question.”

Zane was quiet as he tried to digest what Hope was saying. It was all so cryptic.

“What’s your mobile number?” Hope asked.

Zane quoted it for her and she wrote it down.

“I can’t say much more than what I’ve told you right now. I want to help you. You seem like a nice guy. But the best advice I can give you is to leave me alone.”

“This is my jurisdiction. I don’t care who you work for. I will bring you down and whoever you work for.”

Hope sighed. “You guys are all the same. No wonder I’m still single. It’s all about your ego.” She stood and rounded the table. She took the pen from him and cuffed his other hand to the other armrest.

Then, grasping the armrests of his chair, she bent over bringing her face to his level. She looked into his eyes without saying a word. “They warned me about you but they didn’t tell me everything. If only we were on the same side…” Hope whispered as her eyes darted between his lips and his gaze. She inched closer slowly until her lips touched his. She kissed him once. Zane did not react.

She kissed him again and smiled. “Mr. Ego. I think that’s what I’ll call you.”

She kissed him again and Zane felt something stir in him. This woman was an absolute enigma to him. And although he found himself cuffed and helpless he sensed no immediate danger from her. She was beautiful. He recalled how he had thought what a waste her life was being so young, arrested, and on her way to prison. Yet here they were. She was kissing

him. He recalled the thoughts that had crossed his mind when he had seen her at the warehouse. He had wanted her the moment he laid eyes on her but knew it was impossible. But he was helpless.

She kissed him again. He ached to respond but resisted. There were CCTV cameras that would catch everything on tape and if he responded it wouldn’t look good nor bode well for him. Finally, she pulled back, smiling.

Shamelessly she dropped her hand to his crotch and felt his desire straining in his trousers.

“Ah, the ice melts,” she whispered.

“Shut up,” he whispered back.

Let me make it easy for you,” she said pulling out Brian’s gun. She cocked it and pressed it against his crotch. Her eyes were ice blue as she looked into his.

“Kiss me unless you don’t value your balls,” she smiled. She leaned in again and kissed him. This time his tongue reached for hers and found it. Their tongues danced as their mouths melted together. They breathed in silently as they tasted each other.

The control freak in Zane ached to take her in his arms but his arms were cuffed to the chair. He ached to kiss her deeper, longing to put his arms around the back of her neck and pull her into him but he couldn’t. And she knew it. She pulled away, time and again teasing him with her lips.

Eventually, she stopped kissing him. She put the gun on the desk and then her hands settled on his throbbing manhood and rubbed him through his uniform.

“So much promise,” she whispered. “I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed if only I had the chance....” She paused biting her lower lip again as she looked him in the eyes. She watched his reaction as she touched him.

Zane groaned at her touch and ached to kiss her, to take her in his arms and do things to her he had never done with any woman.

Hope finally kissed him one last time long and slow as she pressed the gun against his crotch again and rubbed him with her other hand. He wanted her so badly. He had not been with a woman in ages and Hope was driving him crazy not just because she was the first woman to give him attention after so long but because he was attracted to her.

Hope ended their kiss after what seemed like an eternity.

She straightened and sighed. “Sorry officer, I have to leave.”

“What ...? Stay ... let’s talk ...,“ Zane said trying to think of something coherent to say.

Hope unlocked one handcuff and placed the key on the desk.

“You can free yourself when I’m gone. I’ll call you when you can unlock the cuffs. Your gun will be by the door. Don’t think of freeing yourself before I call. Don’t assume because of what I just did, I won’t hurt you if I have to.”