In Love's Defense - Part 14
Title: In Love’s Defense
Spoilers: Takes place after ep 101 (8x09) soon after Pepa and Silvia have announced their engagement.
Rating: Let’s say R just to be safe, for lots of profanity and some violence. Lotsa anguish, and some action. The pelirroja is really pissed off and is going to kick some serious ass!
Pairing: Pepa/Silvia
Summary: As Pepa and Silvia look forward to their upcoming marriage, the precinct becomes aware of a lead on the Italian mafia, but at what cost?
A/N: Geez, it’s been a while, huh? Lo siento gang! RL, the holidays and writer’s block kept me away. This part came out really uneven since half of it was written two months ago, in stops and starts, to just being finished fifteen minutes ago - sorry about the errors or inconsistencies! For those that need to be caught up, you can read the previous parts or just read this two minute recap: Pepa and Silvia are in love, about to get married, they get caught up in the mafia case, there’s an ambush, Pepa gets shot and almost dies but Silvia saves her and all is well until Pepa gets summoned by El Gordo and sneaks off on her own, on a potential suicide mission, all to protect the woman she loves…vale, got it? Good! ;D To those who continue to follow my lil’ corner of the PepSiverse, thank you for continuing to read!
[ Part 1] [ Part 2] [ Part 3] [ Part 4] [ Part 5] [ Part 6] [ Part 7] [ Part 8] [ Part 9] [ Part 10] [ Part 11] [ Part 12] [ Part 13]
Pepa found that she didn’t have to wait long. About thirty seconds after she sat down, she heard a ringing of a cell phone. Grimacing, she reached under her and managed to pry a cell phone free that had been taped below the bench she sat upon. Just like how they contacted Paco.
Flipping the phone open, Pepa swallowed tensely as she lifted it to her ear. “Sí?”
“Go through the mall and out the entrance on the far side.” The same gravelly voice in bad Spanish rasped against her ear. “On the sidewalk outside the flower shop. You’ll receive more instructions then.”
“Why not now?” Pepa hissed. She was getting tired of this cloak-and-dagger game. “I kept my word.”
“Hang up and drop the phone in the next trash bin. You have 20 minutes.” The voice continued, ignoring her. “Normally the walk takes 10 minutes, but seeing as how you’re currently…indisposed, El Gordo is being generous.”
“How kind.” Pepa sarcastically spat through clenched teeth.
“And as for keeping your word, we know that you haven’t. Any more calls to Inspectora Castro and she’ll get another bullet in the gut. And this time she’ll loose her life, not just her baby.”
Pepa’s blood pressure rose so fast, she became lightheaded as she slumped forward. “You fucking son of bitches! If you, El Gordo or anyone else even comes near Silvia, I’ll -”
“You’ll what?” The voice infuriatingly mocked. “Nineteen minutes and forty five seconds.”
The line went dead. The agent gripped the phone’s plastic molding so hard it almost cracked, resisting the urge to fling it to the ground, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Standing, she quickly found the trash bin and threw away the phone. Her eyes scanned a nearby map of the mall, locating where she needed to be, noting it was the farthest site from her current position.
The brunette tried to force her legs into a run, but her body refused to cooperate as she stumbled and almost fell, drawing a curious stare or two from passersby. Pepa bent forward with her right hand on her knee, drawing in tiny sips of air through her nose. She gathered her strength as precious seconds ticked by, waiting for the worst of the pain to pass.
Dios, that hurt! She straightened up and tried to refocus on the plaza in front of her, noting that her vision was becoming dangerously blurred. I know this is stupid Silvia. She internally addressed her absent fiancé. But I’ll do whatever they ask, whatever they want. If it keeps El Gordo away from you, then it’s worth it.
___
Fifteen minutes later, Pepa rounded a corner and reached her destination. The agent was admittedly getting scared by the hollow rasp her lungs now echoed with every breath. Joder, I feel more dead than alive. She shuddered at her own thoughts. Running her hand through sweaty dark locks, she reached into her pocket for another pain pill and fingered it. She debated on taking it, even though she’d taken one less than an hour ago and that she also knew it would do almost no good. Princessa, por favor, I need your strength to help me go through with this! Even if I don’t return, I mean it when I said I’ll die protecting you. And if by some miracle I do…Pepa cracked an ironic smile in the midst of her internal monologue. I know you’ll kick my ass to kingdom come when you see me.
“Señora?”
The agent whirled around at the voice and the light touch to her shoulder, cocking back her right hand into a fist, her adrenaline pumping.
“Alto, alto!” A short, grey-whiskered man put his hands defensively in front of his face, as he ducked below what would have been Pepa’s swinging fist. “Perdone, I just saw you here outside my shop.” He gestured to the bright, neatly kept flower shop just in front of them. “You looked a little lost and I just wanted to help you.”
“I don’t need any help, old man!” Pepa’s snarled, her hackles rising, her defenses still on hyper-alert. She had no idea if she was dealing with one of El Gordo’s men or what trick he might be trying to pull.
Sky blue eyes blinked in understanding, as the older gentleman was unperturbed by the taller woman’s outright rudeness. “Sí, you do. You’re shaking like a leaf.” A weathered hand made it to her shoulder again, this time without being thrown off. “Come in and sit down for a while. Let me call a friend or better yet a doctor for you, señora. Por favor, you don’t look well.” A keen gaze noted the sweat that drenched the flannel shirt and the fresh-looking blood stain behind the long dark hair that partially covered the woman’s face.
“No, no doctor!” Pepa cried, panicked. Her judgment was slipping as fast as her strength. She had no idea why she was talking to this old coot when precious seconds were ticking away.
“Vale, vale.” The flower shop owner reached into his pocket and pulled out a cold bottle of water. Nimble fingers twisted the cap, breaking the seal as he offered the bottle forward. “At least take a drink, sí señora? It’s hot today, no?”
The agent looked at the uncanny eyes that seemed to see right through her, the neatly trimmed beard, and the older man’s open expression, finding nothing but genuine compassion in them. Without thinking, her fingers grasped the proffered bottle she gratefully took a swallow, washing down the pain pill with it. She greedily gulped another swallow, her overtaxed and dehydrated body begging for fluids. Too late, as Pepa misjudged the amount of water in her mouth as she viciously choked, spewing droplets of the cold liquid as they dribbled out of her lips and down her chin. She saw an explosion of colors behind her closed lids as excruciating pain hit her from all sides, her battered ribs and chest screaming as she struggled to breathe. The bottle dropped to the ground half empty, spilling its contents down a concrete drain. Pepa staggered and would have fallen if not for the firm hand on her forearm.
“Señora, vamos.” The kindly voice spoke in her ear. “Come with me. I’ll take care of you. Por favor, tell me who to call and we can both get you some help.”
Pepa counted to ten silently in her head, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness as her fingernails dug deep indentations into her palms to keep herself awake. She shook her head, even as it brought on more waves of dizziness. “No, no señor. I have to do this.”
“Qué? What do you mean?” The sincere face was now clouded with befuddlement.
Pepa looked into the old man’s eyes, feeling an unexplainable need, a last chance to confess her sins, even if they were to a complete stranger. She swallowed painfully. “I’ve hurt the woman I love. I have to save her. I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right.”
A wizened brow scrunched up in perplexity. “But you can’t make it right in this condition.”
Pepa resisted the urge to scream, from frustration as well as pain. “Señor, por favor, how many times do I have to say that I don’t want a doctor!”
“I don’t just mean your physical condition.” The older man pointed out. “I mean you can’t save your señora by barreling through whatever’s bothering you, without asking her opinion on things.”
“Qué?” The agent was unnerved by what seemed to be an outsider’s uncannily accurate description of the internal struggle that was tormenting her. “What makes you think you’re right about anything you’re saying?”
A strong finger shook in her face, gently chastising her. “Because you have that look in your eyes, young lady. You’re fierce, proud! You’ll do anything to protect this woman you love, especially from yourself and any misguided intentions. But if you love her, if you want her, make sure you’re doing whatever it is you’re doing for the right reasons. Don’t just do it to win her back. Make sure your actions in your relationship are tempered by communication and love. The true love that exists for the other person, not just for yourself.”
Pepa’s eyes unexpectedly blurred with tears as her chest grew impossibly tighter listening to the wise words pouring forth. “Te quiero Silvia, I do.” She firmly shrugged the hand off her arm, gazing at the old man with a saddened, resolved expression. “But there’s no other way.”
“Señora, por favor…” The flower vendor tried one last time as Pepa stepped away down the street.
Pepa turned back briefly. “No. Gracias, señor.”
The older man watched worriedly as the tall, enigmatic woman stumbled down the street for another half block before finding her path blocked by a dark sedan that pulled up in front of her. Wordlessly, a large figure stepped out from the rear passenger side, holding the door open for the woman, who got inside without hesitation. The large man briefly scanned the street before climbing back in the car and shutting the door. Tires squealed as the car peeled away from the curb and disappeared around a corner.
Mierda. The vendor shook his head in amazement at the strange events of the few moments of his encounter. He thought of the young woman, unable to get her fiery, determined visage out of his head. Instinctively, he crossed himself, uttering a short prayer. Heavenly father, por favor, watch over this one.
___
Silvia’s radio crackled to life, causing her heart to leap into her throat. She was on edge, her nerves feeling shredded with a tension and grief that seeped through every pore since Pepa had cut her call short a few minutes ago.
“Inspectora, we’ve got a lead!” Montoya’s voice was tinged with hope. “The cab company was identified as the Madrid City Cab company, the vehicle registration plate is ‘2009 MDZ’. We’ve put out an ABP but so far nothing.”
“Dónde, dónde está?” Silvia’s words tumbled out of her mouth before Montoya even finished speaking. “Did you find her?”
"No, not yet.” Curtis’ voice joined in, on the same channel. “Salgado is rushing a warrant through so we can contact the driver and also have the cab company track the cab by GPS. We’ll have it soon, very soon, within the hour.”
“You tell Sagado to fuck that warrant, we need that GPS info now!” The redhead felt the fiery side of her temperament take over her body in full force. “I just got off the phone with Pepa a few minutes ago and she is going to a meeting with El Gordo! Lo comprendes? They could be interrogating her, hurting her, or worse right now and we’ll be too late!”
“Hija -” Don Lorenzo reached to take the radio from Silvia’s grip, only to be furiously shrugged off.
“Wait, wait, I just got a hit off the ABP!” Rita breathlessly chimed in. “It’s not too specific, but an officer thinks he saw the cab heading downtown about a half hour ago.”
“Fine, Papa and I are heading in that direction. Call me as soon as you have the specific location.”
“Silvia, wait.” The commissioner made another attempt to slow his daughter down but could only follow her as she ran to quickly pack up her forensics kit. “We don’t know that we’re even going in the right direction.”
Silvia could only shake her head vehemently in disagreement. “No Papa, I have to do something! I just can’t stand here anymore!” She stood up from packing her gear to face her father, her hardened expression daring him to defy her.
“All right, all right, hija.” Don Lorenzo took her by the shoulders, feeling the slight tremors that ran through her exhausted frame. “But we go in prepared. We’ll get Agent Ramos and his strike team to go with us, weapons, bulletproof vests, extra manpower and all. I am not taking the chance of losing both of you.”
The forensic scientist nodded, tears pricking at her eyelids, seeing through her father’s eyes how hard this was on all of them. “Vale. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Ramos!” The commissioner barked at the large man, who came running over. “You and your team - we’re moving! Now!”
__
The sirens of the assault team truck blared in Silvia’s ears, almost drowning out Curtis’ voice as it sounded tinny through the radio. “Inspectora, that tip was correct, the cab is downtown near a mall. We’ve got the GPS location, and we’re sending you the coordinates and address now.”
“Copy that.” Silvia tersely spoke as her heartbeat accelerated. “Are there any officers on the scene with the driver?” The truck turned sharply as she was forced to grab for a handhold, but speed was all that mattered. Gracias a Dios for Agent Ramos’ crazy driving!
“Sí, according to the police channels, they just pulled him over.”
“Vale, you tell them that they are to hold the driver there. To hold him and not let him go until I’ve questioned him. Don’t let him move an inch. Is that clear? We’ll be there in 30 seconds.”
“Claro que sí.” Silvia could practically see Curtis salute as he switched frequencies to inform the officers on the scene.
Paco, are you with us?” Silvia keyed the radio, calling her brother-in-law.
“I just pulled in right behind you.” Paco’s voice came through as Silvia heard another siren join in the cacophony of wailing alarms.
Silvia pulled her gun from its holster, briefly leaning her forehead against the burnished metal and closing her eyes to utter a short prayer. Please God, let this be a lead. Let us not be too late!
Her eyes flew open as the truck screeched to a halt and she reached for the door handle, being the first to hit the ground, her eyes sweeping the busy street and sidewalk in front of her. Silvia instantly spotted the small white cab parked at an askew angle to the sidewalk, the driver’s head barely visible on the other side of the car as two uniformed officers glowered down on him.
The redhead heard a voice in guttural, halting Spanish protesting as she rounded the vehicle.
“What the hell?! I’m just doing my job and you - you idiotas are pulling me over!”
“Señor, you are part of an ongoing investigation and we need to ask you a few questions.” The shorter of the uniformed officers reached out a hand to restrain the driver as he attempted to walk away. “And you’re not going anywhere until we do.”
“That’s damn right!” Silvia spat as she came up to the trio, her father close behind. “Now, listen! This morning, you picked up a woman from the Grupo Hospital de Madrid…” Her voice trailed off as the driver looked up and she got a closer look at his face - tufts of brown hair sprouting from a balding scalp and insincere hooded green eyes. Dios! The files…that mafioso who was undercover as a janitor at the precinct!
The inspector raised her gun. “Santos Pena, you’re under -”
Silvia never got to finish her sentence, seeing the flare of recognition in the man’s eyes as he realized his true identity had been compromised. A fist filled her vision, which suddenly veered crazily as she found herself on the ground, breathing in the musty tang of asphalt, her left cheek throbbing painfully.
“Gun!” Her father cried, the same instant that several shots were fired directly over her head. Cries of anguish abruptly cut short. Return fire from multiple weapons. The shattering of glass, shards spraying everywhere. The familiar form of her father’s body covering hers, protecting her. Retreating footsteps, the frightened screams of the crowd. All in mere seconds.
Silvia was in motion before she could even think about it. Ignoring her father’s shouted protest, she rolled out from under him and dashed through the crowd after the suspect, her legs pumping furiously. She was going so fast, she easily outran Paco and several of the special forces agents that were also in pursuit. The forensic scientist shouldered her way past terrified civilians, unable to fire a shot at Pena’s retreating back for fear of hitting a friendly target. Undeterred, Silvia pushed her body to its limit, her boots clomping on the concrete, managing to keep an eye on the flapping wings of Pena’s pea-colored coat. You bastard, I am not letting you get away and taking Pepa with you!
Pena took a sharp left between two buildings, in a back row of service entrances for mall shops that formed a dead-end alleyway. Panting, Silvia caught up and spotted him as he furiously tried to jiggle the handle on one locked door, than another. He was winded, his breath coming in short gasps, a wound sporting a crimson stain that spread down his right forearm.
“Policía!” Silvia pointed her gun, Pena’s head in her sights. “Freeze!”
The redhead saw Pena’s shoulders slump as he slowly turned and faced her, his hands raised skyward in a gesture of surrender. Her eyes narrowed in fury seeing the mafioso’s cocky smile, his body jiggling as he started to laugh.
“Silvia!” A breathless Paco sputtered as he approached her from behind. “Are you all right?”
"Muy bien.” She growled, never taking her eyes or her aim off Pena. “Cuff him. I’ll cover you.”
“Gladly.” Paco replied as he none too gently wrenched the suspect’s arms behind his back before snapping handcuffs tightly around his wrists. “Now before we take you in, you puta, we have some questions for you!”
Glaring at Silvia, Pena smirked before spitting in her direction. “No habla español.”
“Bullshit!” Silvia holstered her gun and grabbed him by the lapels out of Paco’s grip and slamming him against the wall, satisfied to see his smug demeanor crack as he grunted in pain. “Dónde está Pepa Miranda?”
The infuriating laugh returned as Pena answered in his harsh Spanish accent. “What makes you think I’ll tell you? I only answer to one person, and it’s not to a bitch like you!”
Silvia saw red as she shoved him even harder against the unyielding surface. “Dónde? You had to have been the one that called Pepa’s cell phone on El Gordo’s orders. You had her phone tapped so you could listen in and then you picked her up and dropped her off at the meet location.”
“You have no proof of anything. I’m just a cab driver.”
“No?” Paco displayed his radio tauntingly in Pena’s face, where he’d been listening to an update from the rest of the team. “Then why did we find your cell phone in your cab with Agent Miranda’s personal number on the call list? And Agent Miranda’s cell phone was just discovered in a fountain mere yards away from where your car was parked. You were watching her, doing recon for El Gordo.”
Pena’s cold green gaze shifted back to Silvia. “It doesn’t matter if what you say is true. You’ll never see Pepa Miranda alive again.” Noticing Silvia blanching at his words, he leaned and whispered mockingly in her ear.
“El Gordo wants me to tell you: Te quiero Silvia Castro Miranda. Para siempre, para siempre jamás.”
Hearing the last words her beloved fiancé had said to her repeated with such malice, Silvia felt something inside her snap. She was shaking, both inside and out, with a rage that she’d never felt before, welcoming it as it washed over her. The wrath wrapped it’s tendrils around her heart, squeezing her chest in tight, feeding on every ounce of civility she had left, until all she felt was an uncompromising need for vengeance. Savagely her boot shot out, kicking Pena in the groin as he dropped to his knees in agony. Pulling her gun clear, she jammed the barrel deep in Pena’s mouth, watching his eyes widen in shock.
“Joder! Silvia!” Paco was horrified by his sister-in-law’s actions, his jaw agape. He didn’t know what scared him more - what the redhead was doing or the lack of remorse in her tense, unforgiving expression.
Ignoring him, Silvia shook Pena again with her free hand. “I’m going to ask you again. Where is the meet up? Where did you take her?” Pena tried to speak, his voice gurgling on the inflexible metal stuck against his throat. “Qué?”
The balding man coughed as Silvia jerked the gun out of his mouth, spitting on the ground. He looked up at her, a trace of defiance still in his eyes. “Nowhere. I just dropped her off, that’s all.”
His mouth curled into an ugly jeer. “You’re a forensic scientist, not even a real cop. Do you think I’d be threatened by anything you’d do? You’ve got too many rules to follow, too much protocol. Once I get a lawyer and you get anything out of me, that cagna of yours is dead!”
Silvia cocked her head slightly as the studied the suspect, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him with a sudden, dangerously still sense of calm. “So, I’m not a real cop, huh?” Without hesitation, she aimed her gun just to the right of his head and pulled the trigger.
Pena screamed shrilly as blood trickled out of his left ear, feeling himself bodily hauled up as Silvia shook him furiously.
“If you’re lucky, I’ve only blown out your eardrum and you haven’t lost your hearing completely in that ear. Oh, and that ringing in your head will stop in about a month.” The inspector hissed through gritted teeth. “Now, I will ask you one last time - where is my fiancé?!”
“I - I don’t know!” Pena choked out.
“That’s not the right answer.” Silvia trained the gun to the other side of Pena’s head, threatening to fire.
“Okay, okay!” The hapless man sputtered. “I did the calls, I dropped her off in front of the fountain like you said! Then I directed her to wait outside the Zúñiga flower shop where she’d be picked up to be taken to the meeting. I don’t know where.”
“And that’s all you know?” Paco pressed.
Pena relented, his gaze nervously shifting between the bearded cop and the redheaded one he now saw as insane with fury. “Ru -rumor is El Gordo eats at Italian restaurant every Thursday downtown. No one knows where. I swear, that’s all I know.”
Silvia finally relented, giving Pena one last shove as he slunk down against the wall, shaking visibly, all traces of his former contempt having vanished. She holstered her gun and sighed raggedly, feeling her blood pressure slowly go down. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to quell the sudden headache that burned through her brain. Dios, I almost killed a suspect! I could have, no, would have if he didn’t give me anything! What the hell am I doing?
Her head jerked up as several special forces agents funneled into the alley, her father trailing after them. She stepped away as Pena was dragged to his feet and taken away. Suddenly feeling dizzy with the excess of emotion, she leaned against the wall for support.
“Silvia? Hermana? Are you all right?” Paco laid a gentle hand on Silvia’s shoulder.
Another sigh as Silvia was finally able to meet Paco’s concerned visage. “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Lo siento Paco, I didn’t mean to -”
“It’s going to be okay.” He reassured her. “If it had been Sara or Lola in that bastard’s hands, I probably would have done the same.”
Silvia nodded and stuffed her conflicted feelings deep down for the moment. She was aware she had seriously violated a suspect’s rights and about a dozen other protocols, but right now she had more important things to worry about.
“Papa -” she greeted his father as he came up and embraced her. “I’m fine.” She pulled back and patted his arm comfortingly. “Pena told us where he dropped her. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
His lined face broke into a tired smile. “Come on, cariño. Let’s go find your girl.”
___
Carlos Zúñiga glanced out of the plate glass windows at the front of his store as several police cars and armored trucks came to a sudden screeching halt outside his flower shop, their strobe lights flashing erratically. Multiple police officers swathed in body armor and bulletproof vests, weapons extended, swarmed out of the vehicles and started deploying the length of the street.
The elderly man’s nimble hands finished tying off a bouquet of multicolored roses, grateful for once that his shop was empty since what was happening outside would surely scare away customers! “Well, first that mystery woman and now this…” He mused out loud to himself, a longtime habit. “It’s certainly more exciting than your average day.”
His eyes tracked to the front door which burst open almost off its hinges, the small silver bell over it jangling wildly. A slightly built, redheaded woman dashed in. She was dressed for combat similar to the other officers, a gun holstered at her hip. But it was her eyes that drew Carlos in - almost the same deep brown as the woman he’d seen earlier on the street - but they held the same pleading, utterly lost expression filled with equal parts love, emotion and anxiety.
“Señor!” The officer rushed up to him, wispy strands of scarlet hair coming loose from her ponytail, sweat trickling down her brow. Her breath came in gasps, as if she’d been running against an unseen clock. “Por favor, I need to ask -”
“You’re her, aren’t you?” Carlos interrupted. She has to be. “You’re the one she loves.”
“Qué?” Silvia stopped short, baffled and amazed at the same time, this stranger staring as if he could see right into her. “Have you seen her? Have you seen this woman, Pepa Miranda?” Quickly, she produced her cell phone and displayed the same picture that Pepa had looked at earlier - the two of them embracing, joyful, in happier times.
The flower vendor nodded, causing tears to spring to Silvia’s eyes. “Sí, about twenty minutes ago. She was hurting, I could tell.”
A pained gasp escaped from Silvia’s lips, thinking about how much agony her partner must have been in. The store owner grasped her hand, apologizing sincerely. “Lo siento, lo siento, señora, I tried to stop her. I knew she was heading into some kind of trouble.”
A nod. “She is. She’s an officer who went missing earlier this morning. Por favor, if you saw where she went, if she was with someone, or anything you can think of -”
Carlos grabbed a scrap of paper, quickly jotting down a few lines. “I hope this helps, señora.”
Silvia looked at the paper, her heart seizing as a tiny flame of hope built in her chest. A car make and model and a vehicle registration number. “You remembered this?”
“Of course. It’s not every day I meet a beautiful woman who nearly passes out in front of my store. I knew something was wrong, so I kept an eye out. The car picked her up about half a block down the street.”
Silvia practically ripped her radio from her belt, speaking urgently. “Papa, I’ve got a lead! We need to put a priority ABP out right away!” Quickly she relayed the information that Carlos had given her.
Two other officers entered the store while Silvia stepped away to give them instructions, as they nodded seriously.
“These two officers will stay here and take the rest of your statement, Señor..?”
“Zúñiga. Carlos Zúñiga at your service.” He replied with a polite smile and a small bow. “And you’re Silvia, correct?”
The tears now blurred Silvia’s vision as she swallowed thickly. “She told you my name.”
“Sí.” His smile widened, his expression empathetic. “She said she loves you.”
The inspector gave the vendor an impulsive hug, surprising him with its ferocity as he staggered back slightly.
“Gracias, Señor Zúñiga.”
“No thanks are needed.” He reassured her. They both glanced down as her radio squawked to life with an update. “Go and find your Pepa. That will be all the thanks I need.”
With a last grateful look, Silvia dashed out of the store. Carlos watched her confer with several other officers outside the shop before piling into a truck and taking off, the wheels screeching against the curb.
Heavenly father, I think I don’t have to worry now. This Silvia will watch over Pepa, no matter what happens.