Chapter Forty Two: Angel Down

Jenn Cassidy had a way of making people's lives a living hell, Maggie wasn't sure if it was a gift that she was born with or a personality trait she had developed over the years. Either way she inches away from reaching over into the back seat and strangling the other woman. Maggie liked to think that she had great self control, it had served her well in her history as an undercover officer, however there were some people that just managed to hit all of her buttons and Jenn was apparently that person. Her jaw was literally aching from the amount of teeth grinding she had been doing over the past eight hours, she literally did not remember a time that Jenn hadn't been talking and all of it was about Roman.

Both Kim and her had heard so many stories about him over the past few hours Maggie felt like she'd read his biography, a bad one, written by someone who hated him. Although Kim had mentioned to her discreetly that she didn't think that Jenn actually did hate him. They had apparently been on a 'break' before Roman had transferred out to avoid issues with the fraternization rules. He had made a big gesture to show how committed he was to their relationship so that the two of them could move forward without it being some big secret. Instead Jenn had cut and run and was apparently engaged to another man two weeks later.

"And then he had the indecency to accuse me of cheating..." Jenn persisted as Kim pulled the squad car over in front of the last address on their list.

"An accusation means that there's a possibility of it being unfounded." Maggie responded distractedly as she focused on tapping out another message to Antonio on her cell phone. A strained silence fell over the the squad car and Maggie realised that it was the first time she had heard such a blissful sound today.

She glanced up from her phone to see Kim staring at her with an expression of unadulterated horror before her gaze switched Jenn's facial features were contorting in a manner Maggie would describe as unladylike. It took a moment to realise what had happened, she must have said what she had been thinking out loud. She thought about apologizing for the slip but the truth was she didn't want to. She'd been listening to Jenn bitch about Roman all day and had kept her mouth shut and she simply couldn't do it anymore.

"You got engaged literally two weeks after you went on a'break' so I'm not sure how you can tell me there wasn't an overlap there." Maggie twisted in her seat once more so that she was facing the other woman, her cobalt eyes cold and her tone glacial as she spoke. "And don't tell me this thing you had with Sean was just a fling so it doesn't count. He was made a big show of commitment and you blew it off because you had something better going on. That's your loss not his."

Maggie didn't even wait to hear Jenn's response instead she undid her seat belt and opened up her car door before stepping out onto the sidewalk. Kim followed suit, meeting her gaze over the top of the car and mouthing the word "wow" as she shut it. Maggie pulled a humorous face to express her own surprise before Jenn's car door opened.

"He's fucking you isn't he?" Maggie's head spun around so fast at the accusation she made herself dizzy. She stared at Jenn as the other woman rounded the back of the squad car and squared up to her. Those hazel eyes of hers were blazing with fury as they stood toe to toe, Jenn's fists clenched by her sides. To own surprise as well as everyone else's Maggie laughed. She couldn't help it, the idea was so ridiculous it tickled her entirely. Sean was a good looking man and he did have that boxer's physique that she tended to lean towards but they were stupidly incompatible. He was too brash for her, his manner too abrupt and plaintive. Roman was literally what you see is what you get. She knew it was the same for him, her humor was too dark for him and he had told her on more than one occasion that he respected Antonio for the amount of patience he had to have dating her.

"Trust me when I say there is no way the two of them would be sleeping together." Kim put in as she leaned against the bonnet of the car, a grin still fixed to her beauteous features at the suggestion. "She's with Dawson from Intelligence and he's in deep with..."

Kim caught herself just before the name rolled out. She clamped her lips together before hooking her thumbs in her belt and shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter." Kim murmured before turning her back on them and heading up the steps to the house.

"So he is with someone?" Jenn questioned, grabbing Maggie's arm in a vice like grip as she turned to follow Kim.

"Not that it matters because you are too." Maggie retorted, snatching her arm back, her foot coming to rest on the first step before Kim pressed the button for the doorbell.

The gunshot was instantaneous. The loud noise had barely penetrated Maggie's ears before the impact hit Kim's body and sent her careening backwards down the stairs. Her head hit the smooth concrete with a echoing crack as Maggie tugged the Glock out of it's holster and pointed it directly at the door. Jenn was by her wise in a second, between them they worked in silence dragging Kim, by the vest to the right of the door and away from any possible follow up. There was blood everywhere, Jenn had already holstered her weapon and stripping away Kim's bulletproof vest in an attempt to seek out the source of the bleeding as Maggie barked words into the radio clipped to the shoulder of her own vest.

"10-1, officer down! 3316 West 21st Street, my partner's been shot."