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When Gina got back to her apartment that morning, she found Carlos sitting on the sofa waiting for her. She could tell he had been there a while, and he did not look happy. Carlos immediately let her know just how upset he really was.
“I know you didn’t come home last night, and I know where you were, so save your excuses!” Carlos shouted angrily, standing to confront her. “You were acting strange last night, so I waited out in the parking lot and followed you to see where you were going. You were nowhere near Sean and Jenny’s neighborhood.”
Gina could feel the fear building up inside. She desperately tried to come up with the right response, but he did not let her speak.
“I went back to your place to wait for you, but you never came back. When it got late, I tried to call you, but your phone was off. I guess you didn’t want to be disturbed.”
“I’m sorry, Carlos.”
“Why would you lie to me about the party, Gina, unless you didn’t want me to know you were with him!” Carlos eyed her for a moment. “Look at you, dressed like that, and all for Frank! You slept with him, didn’t you?” he accused. “Didn’t you?” he demanded more forcefully, shaking her by the shoulders.
“Yes,” she finally admitted guiltily.
“Damn you, Gina!” he shouted before slapping her across the face. “I thought I could trust you!” He grabbed her with both hands and slammed her into the wall. Carlos had her cornered, and her thoughts turned to her gun. But before she could react, he hit her again, much harder this time, knocking her to the floor.
Gina stayed down on her elbows and knees and shielded her face with her hands. Her body shook as she tried to recover from the blow, and her heart pounded in her chest when she realized she’d left her backup gun at Frank’s place. Her duty gun remained far out of reach. “How dare you hit me when you cheated too!” she said defiantly.
Carlos pulled her hair, forcing her head back. “Look at me!” he demanded. “I could see the guilt on your face the moment you walked through the door! I knew something wasn’t right. I should have trusted my instincts. I never liked the way he looked at you and defended you so much more than even a partner should. The guy punched me for you! And then there was the charity ball when I find him hanging around the next morning, and you swore to me there was nothing going on!”
“Last night was the one and only time Frank and I were together. You and I weren’t on good terms. I drank too much and turned to him. I made a mistake. He’s out of my system now,” Gina lied. She hoped Carlos would at least find her excuse plausible, but the wild look in his eyes frightened her.
“He better be! You make a fool of me like that again, and I’ll kill you.” With that, Carlos let go of her hair and stood quiet for a moment studying her. Then, unexpectedly, his tone softened. “I get it. You were mad at me, and you got even in the one way you knew would get to me the most. It looks like we’re even now. You had your fling, and I had mine. The problem is mine was just for one night, but this guy actually means something to you, doesn’t he?”
“Carlos, you know my heart belongs to you. You were my first love. Last night just happened. It won’t happen again.” Gina did her best to sound convincing since she felt her life depended on it. “I’m sorry, Carlos. I love you and only you,” she said while inching closer to her gun.
“I want to believe you, Gina, but I don’t know what to think right now.”
“Well, believe this,” she said as she picked up her Glock, pointed it at him, and stared him down. “If you ever slap me around again, I won’t hesitate to use this. Are we clear?”
Carlos tried to defuse the situation when he realized he no longer had the upper hand. “Careful, Gina! You don’t want to do that.”
“Are we clear?” she repeated assertively after Carlos started moving slowly in her direction. Feeling threatened but stubbornly holding her ground, Gina kept her gun trained on him. “Back up, Carlos! I’m warning you, don’t come any closer!”
Carlos stopped in his tracks. “Yeah, we’re clear. Now put the gun away.”
“Fine, but I need you to leave.”
Reluctantly, Carlos turned and headed for the door. “I know you can’t stay mad at me because you realize this is all your fault. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t cheated on me.”
When Gina returned to work the next day, Frank could tell something wasn’t right. She was cold and distant, almost lifeless. This was not the same woman who had left his apartment Sunday morning. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and was looking forward to seeing her again, but now it seemed like she wanted nothing to do with him. Had their night together not mattered as much to her as it had to him? That couldn’t be it. They had confessed their feelings for each other. He loved her, and she loved him. There could only be one explanation for her behavior, and that was Carlos.
“That was some wild party of yours, Frank!” Tim declared, taking a seat at his desk across from him.
“Not now, Tim,” Frank replied, but Tim persisted anyway.
“I tried to kiss Claire goodnight, and she slapped me!”
“Serves you right! She’s engaged,” Frank said.
“How was I to know? She wasn’t wearing a ring.”
“Just stay away from Claire, OK?”
“So, did you and Gina finish what you started that night?” Tim asked with a lowered voice and a wicked grin. “Whatever I walked in on seemed pretty hot.”
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
“You sly dog! So, how long has that been going on? I want details!” Tim pleaded.
“My personal life is none of your business. I don’t ask you about yours, and you don’t ask me about mine, alright?”
“Oh, come on, Frank! You’re killing me!”
“Look, I don’t have time for this nonsense.” Frank dismissed Tim’s request and got up to leave. He needed to talk to Gina and find out what was wrong. She was no longer at her desk, but he knew she could not have gone far. Sean hadn’t arrived yet, and she wouldn’t be leaving without her partner. He found her by the coffee machine, lost in thought.
“Gina?”
She turned to Frank with a grave look on her face. “He knows.”
Those two words were all she had to say for Frank’s blood to run cold. “What happened? Where can we talk?”
“I’ll meet you in the parking garage tonight. It’s best we don’t leave here together. I can’t risk being seen alone with you in public.”
Frank’s fears had been confirmed. Something terrible had happened to her after she left his place, and he had a feeling he was lucky to see her alive.
Later that day, Tim cornered Gina by the copy machine. “Hey,” he said with a mischievous smile.
Gina was immediately suspicious of his intentions. “What do you want, Tim?”
He leaned in close so only she could hear him over the noise of the machine. “I wonder what your boyfriend would think if he knew what a naughty girl you were at Frank’s party. It seems Frank’s a fascination for you right now, which is something I don’t really understand.” Tim paused when he noticed her agitation. “I never would have guessed he’d appeal to you.”
“Your point?” Gina asked, not really wanting a response.
“When you get bored with him, and I’m sure you will, you know where to come.”
“Get lost, Tim! Hear me when I say these lips will never touch yours!”
“You say that now, but I can be rather charming.”
“More sleazy than charming, in my experience.”
Unable to argue, Tim walked away defeated.
The rest of the day seemed an eternity. When it finally ended, Gina nervously met with Frank in his car. He took her hand in his and calmly asked her to tell him what happened.
“He was so angry, Frank,” Gina began, reliving her encounter with Carlos. When she described in vivid detail the beating she took, Gina could almost feel Frank’s blood boiling. “He basically threatened to kill me if he ever catches me with you again,” she finished before breaking down. When Gina regained her composure, she took out a tissue and wiped away a thick coat of makeup, revealing the large bruise she had been ashamed to let show at work.
“If he touches one hair on your head ever again, I’ll kill him myself!” Frank said, filling with rage.
“Please, Frank, just listen to yourself! You’re not thinking clearly, and you’re a homicide detective for God’s sake! I don’t need you spending the rest of your life in prison because of me!”
“Relax, Gina. You know I’m not actually going to kill him, no matter how much I want to. But should I wait until he kills you before I find a way to stop him? I won’t just stand by and let him hurt you again! I love you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. His behavior is escalating, Gina. I bet you never expected him to cross that line and hit you. What’s to stop him from doing something worse the next time he gets mad? You saw how it ended for the woman in that last domestic violence case of yours. I don’t want you anywhere near him! You were well within your rights to pull a gun on him. I’m not sure I would have stopped there.”
“I could tell Carlos was shocked when I defended myself and stood up to him like that. He sure didn’t like having the tables turned on him and having to feel the same fear I felt.”
They sat in silence for a moment. When Frank’s anger subsided, he gently ran his fingertips over her face, examining the bruise. “Does it hurt?”
“Not so much anymore.”
“I let this happen,” Frank blurted out, “and I feel sick about it. We never should have slept together. It was too risky. I should have been more patient. I should have known he would find out and react by taking it out on you. Better yet, I should have gotten you away from him the second I knew he was trouble. That assault and battery charge was a huge red flag, not to mention the glowing recommendation from his ex-girlfriend’s roommate. Now I feel almost as bad as if I’d hit you myself.”
“It’s not your fault, Frank. I was the one who wanted things to move faster in our relationship. You were the one with some sense in your head, always thinking about the bigger picture. And, for a man, you controlled yourself rather well.”
“But my momentary lapse in judgment could have landed you in the hospital or even cost you your life! I got careless, and I feel awful about it.”
“I can see that,” she said softly, squeezing his hand. “Frank, I still don’t regret what we did. You told me you love me.”
“And I meant it.”
“I know you did. I did too. I’m the one who made the mistake of getting back together with Carlos in the first place, and I should have known better. Now I’m to blame for choosing to stay with him, no matter what, because of my secret. He has me right where he wants me, under his control. Now what do I do?”
“You need to report this and get a restraining order.”
“And if I do, he’ll say what he knows, and then my life is over anyway.”
“Don’t say that, Gina.”
“Besides, it’s not like a piece of paper is going to protect me from him.”
“You’re right. That’s my job. I promise you, Gina, we’ll find a way to be together again. I know I can get more dirt on Carlos, but I need more time. A little surveillance could be just what we need.”
“You’ll never get as close to him as I could, Frank. We need to learn more about this Jimmy guy. Every instinct I have is telling me there’s something going on with that man. I know he’s not Carlos’s friend because he seems almost afraid of him. If I let Carlos take me to the club and get him drunk enough, I might be able to get something out of him. He can’t hurt me there without an audience. Besides, next time I’ll be ready for him.”
“Are you crazy, Gina? I can’t believe you’d even consider that after what he did to you. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Well, do you want to catch this SOB or not?”
Frank had never heard Gina refer to Carlos that way. She’d been upset with him before, but this time was different. Clearly, this was the last straw. He had finally done something she could never forgive. There was nothing Carlos could ever say or do that would make it right again. Any fears Frank harbored deep inside that Gina would someday decide to leave him and go back to Carlos were now erased. He knew she needed it all to end, so he reluctantly agreed to let Gina go through with her plan.
That Thursday, Gina allowed Carlos to take her to the club, pretending she was willing to talk and try to fix things. Although he seemed talkative, she was not getting much useful information out of him. She was beginning to wonder if this would be a waste of time.
“You know, Gina, let’s just forget any of this ever happened.” Carlos was focused on getting her to come crawling back to him. However twisted their relationship had become, Carlos wasn’t done with her yet and was determined to have her back in his arms that night. He had grown overly confident in his ability to manipulate her, even under these circumstances.
But Gina could not forget. She would never forget, and she would never let him touch her again. She responded with nothing but an icy stare, so Carlos decided to give her a little space. “I’ll be right back,” he promised and headed to the restroom.
Gina occupied herself with a drink and made conversation with the bartender, who said he hadn’t seen Carlos much recently. Yet another dead end. She was ready to leave when she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
“Hey, Jimmy,” Gina greeted him. She saw her opportunity to gather more information about what he and her boyfriend were up to. “Carlos just headed to the restroom. I’m sure he’ll be back any minute.”
“Do me a favor. Tell Carlos to stop avoiding my phone calls!” he ordered, surprising Gina with his threatening tone. Before she knew what was happening, he had a handgun equipped with a silencer pressed firmly against her midsection.
“What are you doing? I thought you were Carlos’s friend.” Gina’s fear was evident when she spoke. She felt completely vulnerable and unprepared for this situation. The way he was holding her made it nearly impossible to access her concealed 9mm.
“Carlos owes me money, lots of it. Make sure he pays up or things won’t end so well for you.” Jimmy leaned in even closer to her. “I hope for your sake Carlos does the right thing. It would be a real shame to spill the blood of such a beautiful woman,” he said, leering at her.
“Are you threatening me or hitting on me?”
“Both.” Jimmy took the gun away, released his hold on her, and vanished into the crowd.
“How about another drink?” Carlos asked when he strolled up a minute later, unaware of her run-in with Jimmy.
“Forget the drink. We need to talk. Now!” Gina demanded.
Carlos was surprised by her sudden aggressive demeanor. “Is something wrong?” he asked after she dragged him outside. “What’s going on?”
“Jimmy, one of your so-called friends, decided it would be fun to point a gun at me! Now why would he do something like that? And don’t lie, Carlos!”
“I may owe him some money.”
“Just how much money are we talking about, Carlos?”
“Sixty grand, including interest.”
“Sixty grand? Where and how are you planning to get your hands on that much cash?”
“I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”
“How did you even end up with a debt like that?”
“I made a few bad bets, OK? It happens. He knows I’ll pay him back when I start winning again.”
“You better! I don’t ever want to be in a situation like that again!” Gina exclaimed before storming off.
“Gina, wait!” Carlos called out after her, but she was gone. He pulled out his phone and immediately dialed Jimmy’s number.
“I knew I’d be hearing from you tonight,” Jimmy answered smugly. “Now, where’s my money?”
“What are you thinking confronting Gina like that? You stay away from my girl!”
“You know how this works, Carlos. You don’t pay up, I take everything you have. Nothing’s off-limits, including her.”
“She’s a cop, you idiot!”
“Why on earth is a guy like you dating a cop?”
“You’ve seen her. Gina’s worth the risk, and she’s actually the perfect cover. I’ve known her forever. Anyway, don’t worry. I’ve got her under control.”
“How can you be so sure? Is she dirty?”
“Let’s just say she’s got a secret I can hold over her head to get her to do whatever I want.”
“It sounds like she just might be your ticket out of this mess. My boss has a little problem he could definitely use her help with.”
“What do you need? She works in Homicide.”
“Perfect. As long as she cooperates, I won’t harm a hair on her pretty little head. I have to talk to my boss, but it looks like today might be your lucky day. I’ll be in touch.”
That night, Gina went straight home. She locked the door behind her and lay on her bed, clutching her gun. She would not be sleeping. Instead, she would be ready if either Jimmy or Carlos were foolish enough to come after her.
Frank waited nervously for Gina to arrive at work the next day. He knew calling her could jeopardize her safety and decided against it, but his anxiety over her meeting with Carlos had kept him awake half the night, and he could no longer handle the suspense. He let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the familiar sound of her shoes approaching his desk. “I sure am glad to see you,” Frank greeted her, but he could tell something was wrong.
“We need to talk,” she replied ominously.
“A friend of mine retired last week. His office is empty if you want to talk in there. Follow me.” They made it inside without anyone noticing, and Frank shut the door behind them.
“Jimmy is Carlos’s loan shark,” Gina immediately blurted out.
“How do you know?”
“He was at the club last night.”
“Really?”
“If Carlos doesn’t pay up, Jimmy’s coming after me, not him. He’s pretty serious about it too. The gun pressed against my stomach made his intentions perfectly clear. I didn’t sleep at all last night, and I’m not sure I’ll ever sleep again until we do something about this.”
“Oh, Gina, you must have been so scared.” Frank put his arms around her and held her tight. He wished he could soothe her with his touch, but she was shaking uncontrollably.
“He owes sixty grand, Frank. Sixty grand! How does someone gamble away that much money? And now I’m caught up in it. What am I going to do?”
“This stops now! If it’s money he needs, we’ll give it to him and be done with it.”
“You’re not serious, are you? That’s more money than I make in a year! I sure don’t have that kind of cash lying around, so I know he doesn’t!”
“Well, I do.”
“No, Frank. We’ll find another way.”
“The money means nothing if you end up dead.”
“But it’s like bargaining with terrorists. If you give them what they want, they’ll just demand more and then kill you anyway.”
“I need time to think about this. There’s a solution here somewhere. But I’ve got to ask you, Gina, how far are you willing to let things go before alerting the proper authorities? We’re playing a dangerous game here. At some point, you might as well take your chances facing the consequences of your mistake instead of winding up dead, either by Jimmy or Carlos.”
“I hear what you’re saying, Frank, but I’m not ready to surrender yet. I’m not giving up my freedom, my career, and my reputation for him, not after all I’ve been through. But that’s not even the end of it. Everything would come out. My life would be an open book. I’d have to suffer the humiliation of being a cop who got beat up by her boyfriend. Of course, there’s also our relationship, Frank, which we’d both get in trouble for, especially you, being a sergeant who should have known better. They’d figure you took advantage of me, when nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I know, Gina. I don’t want that to happen either, but your life is worth far more than any of those things.”
“You’re so sweet, Frank, but it’s just not that simple... We should get back. I’m sure someone’s looking for us by now.”
“Alright. Let’s think this over. We’ll talk tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll have Sal keep an eye on you tonight. I trusted him with my life for nine years, so I know I can trust him with yours. Be safe, sweetheart.” He kissed her tenderly and headed for the door, but before his hand touched the knob, he doubled back to embrace her once more. “Gina, we’ll get through this, and remember, I love you.”
“I love you too,” Gina replied, trying hard not to get overly emotional, but it was too late. The second the door closed behind him, her tears erupted. Gina hated the situation they were in and hoped it wouldn’t continue much longer. What bothered her most was the burden she was putting on Frank. She could see the toll it was taking on him. It was obvious he wasn’t eating or sleeping well and could barely function because of it. Of course, the same could be said of her. With her whole life now hanging in the balance, Gina felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
