Vice Cop Ch. 05

"But Mason Holmes, who is unaware of what goes on here, brought along a girl he says is a cop who works undercover."

"Oh, Jeesh" said Mikey, "that means there's not one but two cops at the party. This ain't good."

"It sure as hell isn't," said the Widow.

"Do you want us to waste those two?"

"No. I don't think I'd want them dead. There have been too many deaths caused by my guests already and two dead cops will stir up too much media attention here."

"What if we mess them up a bit?"

"No. They'd live to tell their story. They're spying on us. I want to take this matter into my own hands. What you can do, fellas, is plant a small bomb in that officer's nice Corvette. That would be a lark."

With that the goons left. The Widow Gibson let out a scream of sheer frustration. In her anger, she threw a vase which cracked the vanity mirror in her bedroom. Damn, she thought, damn. After all this time, she was getting caught. Well, she thought, I'll bring that cop down. I'll make sure he won't forget the Widow Gibson. She wondered if Detective Mason Holmes had left. She had always known him to leave the party before midnight but since everything seemed to be going wrong, it was possible he was still around. If she came across him, she made up her mind that she'd have to kill him, too. If she ran into that damn lady cop, she'd do the same.

Quickly, she rushed to a drawer where she retrieved a handgun which she loaded.

NINE

When Detective Mason Holmes and Lexa went into the so-called "Salon" their suspicions were thoroughly confirmed. The men in there were high. They were lounging around, some completely unaware of their surroundings and others were making out with some of the girls, who were themselves high on the cocaine and marijuana. Mason and Lexa walked about in disgust. They had to walk over some of the people who were lying on the floor motionless. Rock music blared and the lighting in the room was red like that of a photo development room.

"Did you call the other cops already?" he questioned her.

"I have," replied Lexa, "and something I forgot to mention to you is that Deputy Hudson Banach is here."

"Banach is here at the party?"

"Oh, not as a guest; he's here undercover. I saw him some time ago when we first walked into the house. Chief Hiller must have sent him here to report on what's going on."

"Where do you suppose he is now? Is he gone?"

"I wouldn't know. I haven't seen him since."

"Come on. Let's go find the Widow Gibson. We have to keep her from evading arrest."

* * * *

Hudson opened his eyes.

Tiffany was in bed beside him and Sumi had fallen asleep on a chair. Hudson had passed out and fallen asleep, having lost track of time. He had no idea how long he had been in this small room. He knew that what he had just done was an indiscretion but he was grateful no one who knew he was a cop was around. He stirred and moaned under the covers and Tiffany opened her own eyes. She stared at Hudson who got up and began to dress.

"You have some place you gotta go?" she said to him.

"Uh, yeah," Hudson replied, once again assuming character, "If I don't go, I'll miss a flight"

"Oh, where are you going?"

"London. I've got a film to make there."

"Could you take me with you?" Tiffany smiled at him and her eyes glistened.

Hudson chuckled nervously. He sincerely felt that if he was actually a millionaire actor he would take this girl with him anywhere.

"I'm flattered," he said to her, "and I like you but I really can't take you with me. I'm afraid this was just a one-night thing."

"You got a girlfriend or wife?"

"Uh, yeah. Are you going to be ok with this?"

"It's ok. I understand. But, hey, it was fun."

"Sure was."

"You sure you don't want me to pay for Sumi's service?"

"I told you, I already paid her," she said to him.

"Alright, ciao Bella."

As Hudson exited the room, he saw a strangely familiar face. An elegantly dressed young woman was walking down the hall, as if looking for someone in particular, searching the rooms. Behind her was a man doing the same. When he drew nearer, Hudson saw that it was Lexa O'Neil.

"Lexa?"

"Hudson?"

They locked eyes for a moment in utter surprise. Hudson's eyes surveyed her body from head to toe. She looked damn good in her blue sequin gown, which showcased her curvaceous body and she smelled so good.

"Are you here undercover?" he asked her.

"No. I'm here as Detective Holmes's date. But you're here undercover aren't you?"

"Yeah. How can you be here at a party like this? There are illegal drugs here."

"Detective Holmes didn't know about it. The Widow Gibson is really the Madame we've been looking for only he didn't know. She's been deceiving him."

"That's right," said a throaty female voice from behind them.

When Hudson and Lexa turned around, they saw that two men had seized Mason Holmes and The Widow had a gun to his head. At the sight of this, they both froze. The Widow had a malicious gleam in her eye and she relished in the power she held over the Detective's life.

Acting quickly, Hudson retrieved his handgun from the pocket holster in his slacks. He pointed the gun at the two henchmen following The Widow's orders.

"Let him go, damn you," Hudson shouted.

"The cops are on their way, Ma'am," Lexa said to The Widow," so it's best to comply. The party's over."

"Damned mulatto bitch," shouted The Widow and she fired a shot from her own gun.

The shot had been aimed at Lexa but Hudson jumped into its trajectory. The bullet went into his shoulder.

"Fuck," he cried and fell on the floor.

At that moment, cops burst into the scene. Among them was Chief Barry Hiller, issuing orders to the cops. A rather large team of cops had arrived and were making arrests left and right, cuffing the party guests that were still in the mansion.

Lexa leaned against Hudson, trying to get him up.

"Oh, Hudson, I'm sorry," she said to him.

"I'm alright," he said," it's just a little wound. It was just a birdshot."

"We have to take you to the hospital."

"No, Lexie. I'm alright, really."

Again, their eyes met and gentility flowed between them. It seemed to them that the only times they weren't arguing and being confrontational was when something like this occurred to them. This same type of vibe had been between them when Hudson had been kicked in the groin by Candy in Miami and had fallen down on the beach, only to be picked up by Lexa.

"Hudson, please spare me the machismo. Are you really alright or do we have to take you to the hospital?"

"I'm going to be fine. Help me up, Lexie."

She helped him get back on his feet and she saw that he was alright. The other deputies put the cuffs on the Widow Gibson and Mason Holmes was looking at her like he was staring at a woman he had never really known.

"Were you doing this type of thing when your husband was alive, Miss Gibson?" Mason said to her.

She spat in his face as a response and the deputies took her away. One of the officers had handcuffed Sumi and Tiffany who walked right past Hudson. Tiffany smiled at him knowingly, recalling their threesome sex. Hudson felt embarrassed and did not smile back.

TEN

The arrested party guests included the sons of an Arab royal, a well-known novelist and an NFL athlete. The Widow Gibson's bordello came crashing down that night and her home was taken from her. Her new home was to be a New York prison. She was charged with running an illegal brothel and for her association with a drug lord who supplied her with the drugs. She did not wish to say who the particular drug lord was only that he was a "devil".

Hudson knew at once it was Leo Mendoza, whose nickname was The Red Devil. Looking at The Widow Gibson being transported to headquarters for interrogation, he swore he'd personally get Mendoza no matter how long it took.

He was walking to his car when all of a sudden, it exploded in a blaze of fire. The sound was so powerful it made him shiver and fall to the ground. The other deputies turned to see that Hudson's Corvette blew up. It was obviously a bomb that had caused the explosion. The Corvette was small and the fire died down easily but Hudson cursed into the night air. It had been an expensive car and one of the popular ones that decade. He had felt like Don Johnson from Miami Vice in that car and he had bought it with his hard-earned money.

"Fuck," he said.

Lexa walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I don't need your pity, Lexie," he said, in a rough tone of voice.

"Don't be like this, please. You've been through a lot tonight and it's understandable you're in a bad mood. You have a wound in your arm and you don't have a ride home. I think it would be best if you come with me and Mason Holmes. We can take you home."

"Fine."

They looked at one another again in silence. Lexa smiled at him and again her hand rested on his shoulder. Each time she did this, Hudson felt strangely good and comforted. It actually felt good for her to touch him. He smiled back softly.

"Thank you for taking that bullet that was aimed at me," she said to him.

He smiled in response.

"Think nothing of it. I mean, after all, we are on the same team."

They walked into the direction of Mason Holmes' Bentley. Mason was in the car waiting for them. He noticed through the rear view mirror that Lexa and Hudson were staring at one another, sharing that strange, strong but subtle romantic chemistry between them, as if they had long been a couple. It disturbed him to see that there was something between them that they didn't seem to accept themselves. The brief thought of losing Lexa to Hudson crossed his mind and it made him even more determined to woo and charm Lexa into his life.

"Detective, Hudson is alright and does not need medical attention", she said to him.

"Damn right I don't need any medical attention. I've had bruises like this and I've been shot at twice this year. Both times in the Bronx."

He looked at Mason when he said this, as if his wounds and scars and the fact he had survived gunshots to his body made him a real man while everyone knew that detectives were never in any real danger as they sat in their offices and conducted investigations. Uniform cops caught criminals and risked their lives all the time, narrowly avoiding being killed when they were not actually being killed in the line of duty. Detectives were eternally in plainclothes and eternally interrogating suspects and criminals that cops brought to them in their offices with stories to tell about how they caught them.

Mason knew what Hudson's game was and he did not like it. He was showing off in front of Lexa, shamelessly displaying his manhood to impress her and at the same time belittling him for being less manly for being unable to see any real action himself. Arrogant bastard, thought Mason, I'll win Lexa yet.

"Hudson lives in Queens," Lexa said, "and I live elsewhere in Queens. Please take us there, Detective. And we'll see you next week. Hudson, get some rest, please. You go through so much."

Hudson smiled at her.

Mason frowned. He started the car and they drove out of The Hamptons. As they crossed the bridge back to New York City, the beautiful city lights up ahead briefly cheered Hudson's spirits. He loved this city and it held charms for him, like a lover that he couldn't let go. Hudson was content to know that New York City would always be there for him, no matter what his condition was.

To Be Continued...