Chapter 9:

Christina's eyes are still filled with sleep while she rubbed them.. she stops and tries to make her vision more clear….Her head is pounding so hard from all the wine she drank last night and wanted to grab an aspirin in the bathroom cabinet.

Michael fidgets to hide the phone from her sight. He still has not sent the message to the Chief. He slowly presses the send button and drops it in the bathroom bin.

"Nothing comare." Michael answered. He  quickly reclaims his calm stern posture

while he confidently looks at her.

"Oh ok, I just woke up and you were not on the bed with me so I wondered if you had gone back to your quarters or not." Christina says with a big smile on her face. She was glad that Michael is still around.

"Can you please hand me some aspirin from the cabinet next to you. I have a splitting migraine from the wine I had last night." She lets out a silly smirk on her face.

Michael turns around and looks for the aspirin which was tucked away in the back of the cabinet.

"Here you go." while handing her a glass of water too.

"You can finish up in here… I am heading back to bed." She gave Michael a naughty tease and left him in the bathroom.

Michael let out a great big sigh. He bends down into the bin and grabs the phone. He tries to check if the text was sent. Its screen is blank without anything being seen on it. 

‘No no no! Don't die now.' He groaned in frustration. He did not know if the massage was sent or not.

"Ah, fuck it!" He tosses it in the bin and heads back to bed.

*********

Meanwhile at the police headquarters…

"Look alive people!" As Chief Smith storms into the office.

"I received a message from detective Michael Lewis in the early hours of the morning today. I know how most of us were patiently waiting to hear from him." She adds.

She grabs her phone from her handbag and hands it over to a junior detective standing next to her. He connects it to his PC and connects it to the projector so that everyone is able to read the text. Everyone in the room pauses in silence while each one reads it.

Some detectives in the room let out loud sighs of relief.

'We now know he's alive.' Another detective muttered. 

"At this point we know he is in and safe, but I feel we need to send in another person there to help out." Chief Smith adds. She had a crush on detective Michael Lewis but did not tell him or anyone else because of the work code of conduct which does not allow co-workers to get into relationships. 

"Chief, it was hard for detective Lewis to infiltrate the Chris cartel… and we will need to locate his snitch Victor Walker and start from the beginning. I don't think it's a good idea." Her second in command says.

"Let's just wait for him to contact us back. He’s the best man we have and we need to trust him." Another junior detective said with so much confidence in Micheal.

"Ok but can someone try and locate Victor Walker? He left the safe house and is nowhere to be found." Chief orders the detectives while she walks out of the office.

"Chief! chief!" Her secretary called out to her as they both hurried along the hallway.

"Yes Cindy. I need to go see the district attorney and I don't have time now."

"There is a man here to see you. His name is Max and he has a message from dectective Lewis." Cindy almost tripped off her heels.

"Wow! I told you to wear more comfortable shoes. You will break your leg one day. What massage does this Max have from Michael?" Chief said while holding Cindy back to her balance.

"Thank you ma'am." Cindy responded as she gained back her composure.

Without hesitation, she heads to the car park. "I will see him when I get back." The chief enters her car and drives off Cindy is left behind in a cloud of smoke from the exhaust pipe.

She coughs it out while waving her palm back and forth to clear it up..

***********

Back to the Chris cartel….

“Do you have everything ready?" Christina asked Mario. Flapping her hands in excitement. Christina was about to go to the community center and give to the less privileged..

Once in a week she visited the center to give out food, clothing, medical care and money to the people in the community. This way, she gained her love and loyalty from the people… no one would ever go against her and testify to her illegal business… because that is what she did for the most poor families in town.

"Yes comare. The three trucks are ready to move on your command." Mario responds.

Michael on the other hand is busy with the other guards who were on high alert and checked that everything was in order and ready to move. 

"Hey what's this fuss all about?" Michael asked the other guard standing next to him.

"Well if you must know, the comare is going to the community center and give out all the things in the trucks. She does this once a week." He responded with a raised eyebrow.

'Oh is that so.' Michael murmured out loud with his jaw dropped in shock.

"But why do all this and still be ruthless?"

"Well that's the reason she is called the comare, the godmother to the people." He added.

Michael is now intrigued by Christina. 'She is both good and bad… but you can't be both. Pick a side for once.' He muttered to himself.

"Hey, Michael let's go." Mario calls out to Michael. He trots over to him and opens the car door for Christina.

Christina gives him a seductive wink as she gets in the car… She wore simple jeans and a t-shirt with white sneakers. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun not forgetting her signature gun holster. 

The look made her look more laid back than business and Michael liked it. She looks like an ordinary person he would ask out if he met her in the streets.

*********

The community center ….

A thunderous applause welcomes comare Chris and her entourage. Thousands of people show up to get a glimpse of her and the help she offered them.

"Comare! comare!" 

Thousands of people chanted her name.

Christina opens her window and waves at the people. Her mouth is smiling and Michael could see how happy she is.

The smile on her face made her true beauty radiant even more and in that moment Michael forgot how cunning and ruthless of a woman she was.

The convoy comes to a stop and everyone outside is overjoyed to see all the goodies she bought for them.

"Remember guys, the comare's safety comes first before your life." Mario radioed his soldiers to be alert at all times.

"Michael, don't leave the comare’s sight no matter what." Mario ordered him. He did not turn his head back but used the rear view mirror to get the massage to him.

"Yes commander." He replied with his chest sticking out with confidence.

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." Christina said, while beaming with pride on her face.

“Don't mind her soldier!, watch her like your life depends on her." Mario repeated his order. His eyes narrowed with anger and seriousness..

Michael gets the message but Christina still insists she is able to look out for herself.

She removes her gun holster and leaves her guns in a safe which was installed in the car before she got out of the car.

She was greeted by the local reverend at the community center and other leaders of non profit organizations.

The reverend gives Christina a warm embrace as the others reached out there hands to greet her. She is led into the hall but before she entered. She gives out flying kisses to the crowd…and the people roared in joy.

"You are welcome comare." The reverend said to her while pointing the way to his office.

“Thank you reverend,” she spoke softly with a bright crimson smile on her face.

The reverend, Christina and the leaders of the non profit organizations enters the office while Michael stands guard at the door.

The hall is filled with alot of people who are frantically getting everything set for the day… from the food bay setup to the clothes handouts and a health care post for people who needed the medical care..

Michael's mouth is wide open in shock… Most mafias he knows don't give to the community but rather just leave a careless life till the law catches up with them. But Christina is different. Perhaps he was wrong about her after all. 

Within minutes, the hall is fully set up and Christina and the reverend walk out of his office with smiles on all of them. They walk over to the food bay and they are handed aprons and hairnets to wear.

Michael is closely walking behind her and does not leave her sight as Mario ordered.

The doors to the hall are finally open and people begin to walk in in an orderly manner.

"Right this way please." A man instructed people to the food bay setup as it was the first point before heading to the medical care unit. People who wanted clothes, picked up some before exiting the hall.

Michael stares at Christina's beautiful smile while she interacts with the people. He has never seen her genuine beautiful smile in the weeks he has spent with her. 

Time stands still at that moment for Michael…..

**********

Back at the police headquarters.

"Ma'am!" Cindy called out to the Chief.

Cindy's voice sends a cold chilly shiver to her spine..

"Oho Cindy it's just you. I thought you had left." The chief remarked while looking at her wrist watch… It was after hours and everyone at the office had knocked off.

 

Chief Smith's body was slouching from the long day she had with the district attorney. He is upset with all the funds being used on a result-less mission. 

"No ma'am. Max the man I told you had a message from detective Lewis is still insisting he needs to speak with you today and he has not left since."

"Oho him, is he still around?" Her body slumps into the office chair..

"Yes, he is." Cindy responded.

"Send him in and please go home to your husband." The chief said with a warm smile on her face.

 

"Thank you ma'am. I will see you tomorrow." Cindy said. She walks out of the office and informs Max to go in.

Max enters the chief's office with doubts overpowering his thoughts.

"Please take a seat ." The chief says. She points to the chair across her table. Then drops the file in her hands to pay attention to Max.

"How may I help you?"

"My name is Max and Michael Lewis is a friend of mine who said you would help me after I delivered a note to you."

Upon hearing Michael's name, she sits upright and focuses all her attention on Max.

"Where is the note?"

Max hands her the note and she reads through it.

"How do l know detective Lewis wrote this?" Her eyes widen with excitement but quickly puts on a poker face.

Max narrates how Michael fake killed him and found a note hidden in the baby's clothes.

"Well, that's quite a story you have there. So are you willing to testify in court against the Chris cartel in exchange for your freedom?"

"Yes ma'am." Max replied. 

"Good. I will put you and your family in my witnesses protection program tonight. Call your family and tell them to meet you at the airport. We are flying you guys out tonight."

Both Max and the Chief Smith start making calls…