Chapter Text
Lucy hovered at the door, watching as Detectives Lopez and Harper waited for the woman lying in the hospital bed in front of them to compose herself. Or attempt to at least. Her eyes traveled over the woman’s form taking in the various cuts and bruises all over her body. Her neck and face were littered with deep bruising, her cheek red and angry, underneath a black eye that was swollen shut. Her lips were split, and you could see grip marks on her arms. The colorful display was a stark contrast to the pale sheets. An IV line snaked from her arm to a bag of saline, and the steady beep of the heart monitor filled the otherwise quiet room.
The woman sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue as she laid in the hospital bed. Sarah Weedham had been found outside of a club beaten and seemingly drugged. Lopez and Harper had been put on the case and asked Lucy to join. Given the nature of her experiences and her incredible empathy, they knew she could offer a perspective on the victim and situation. She had been sporadically shadowing them in preparation to hopefully get the tap for detective. A type of case like this would only help increase her ability to separate herself emotionally from victims while still maintaining her empathetic nature.
“Ms. Weedham, can you tell us what happened last night?” Nyla asked gently. She patiently waited as the woman wiped her eyes and sniffed again.
“I…I don’t remember much…I’m a regular at this club. Afterglow. I’ve been going there for a few years. And I got to talking to this one guy I’ve seen regularly.”
“Do you remember his name?” Angela asked. Sarah paused. Her memory clearly still fuzzy from her ordeal. They watched as she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.
“He said…I think he said… his name was Ethan.”
“And he approached you?” This time it was Harper.
Sarah nodded, “Yeah, I hadn’t had a partner in a while so I was on the lookout for a new Dom that night.”
The trio's eyebrows raised but it was Lucy who spoke before anyone else could, “So the club is…”
“Yeah… it’s…a fetish club.” Sarah finished her sentence slowly and looked at them tentatively. She knew how cops usually looked upon such establishments. The three women shared a look.
Well that made things interesting.
The women took a beat to process and try to ensure they guided the questioning respectfully and created a trusting environment for Sarah to continue sharing. Lucy blurted out the next question.
“So, what happened with Ethan?” Nyla and Angela turned sympathetic eyes towards Sarah, notepads at the ready.
“I was there to play that night. He was looking for a sub I guess…I know I have seen him a couple times a month. It varies. Sometimes every week.” Sarah paused as she tried to remember more.
“I don’t even know what happened, one minute we were talking…the next minute I remember him taking me into one of the rooms. I felt super fuzzy, and I know I said something to him, because he got a bit rougher…like rougher than any partner I’ve ever had.” Her voice trembles a little as she lifts her hand to her cheek, continuing to give her statement. “The next thing I remember is someone dragging me to the alley and hitting me again.”
Angela and Nyla took everything in while Lucy looked, trying to offer as much comfort as she could with just a look.
“Do you remember if anything happened that was out of the ordinary from that night? When you first talked to him, I mean? Did you have anything to eat or drink that could have been tampered with?”
Sarah shook her head, “I had a soda, but I wasn’t drinking alcohol.”
“Did you see him put anything in your drink?”
“N-no…no…I don’t think so…I don’t know, I don’t know what happened!” As she wracked her brain, tears pricked at her eyes. She quickly went from upset to hysterical, a sob escaping her.
“What about earlier in the night? Did you see him talking to anyone else? Anyone that might have come over when you two were talking?” Angela probed gently. Sarah's breathing quickened, and she shook her head.
"I don't know... I don't know," she repeated, her voice rising in pitch. "Please, I just want to go home."
Lopez glanced at Harper and Lucy, then back at Sarah. They could see the panic setting in, the strain of the questioning adding to her trauma. She closed her notepad and nodded.
“Alright, Ms. Weeham, that's enough for now. We're going to let the doctors take care of you. We'll be back later to check on you."
“If you remember anything…anything at all…no matter how small, give us a call,” Harper and Lopez both leave her business cards on the table in front of her. Sarah's tears spilled over, and she turned her head away, clutching the blanket tightly. The trio exited the room, closing the door softly behind them.
In the hallway, Angela sighed heavily. "She's too shaken up to give us anything useful right now."
“God,” Lucy blew out a breath, “Do we know if she was…assaulted…sexually?”
Angela shook her head, “Not yet, they’ll be performing a rape kit shortly, so any evidence will be turned over to us. We’re going to have to manage this one carefully given the…nature…of her lifestyle…People will make all kinds of assumptions that could disregard her trauma.”
Harper agreed with her, “Right, let’s give her some time.”
“But…with that, we should bring in the club owner for questioning,” Lucy said, “something tells me they know something.”
Harper agreed, already pulling out her phone. "I'll call it in.”
“That’s the owner?” Harper asked with her eyebrows raised as they stood in the observation room looking through the glass. Jessica Balmy was a sultry and seductive looking redhead, with legs for days. She exuded an air of confidence even in the stark surroundings. Her crimson dress hugged her curves, and her emerald eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and amusement as she regarded the detectives.
“That’s her,” Angela said, “She definitely looks the part.”
“Let’s get this done. We’ll be back,” Harper glanced at Lucy before the detective duo entered the interrogation room.
Harper took a seat and leaned back, her gaze steady. "Ms. Balmy, thank you for coming in. We appreciate your cooperation."
Jessica crossed her legs gracefully, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Of course, Detective. Anything to assist in your investigation. I was told this concerns an incident at my club?" Lopez nodded, her tone professional but edged with urgency.
"Yes, a member of your club was drugged, beaten and possibly sexually assaulted last night.” She spoke and Jessica looked at them with a hard face, raising an eyebrow. “What does that have to do with me or my club?”
“It started inside your club. According to the victim, Sarah Weedham, she was approached inside, drugged and ended up being severely injured outside,” a flicker of recognition showed on Jessica's face, “so you can understand that we need to ask you a few questions about last night."
Jessica looked shocked. Concern immediately flooded her face. "Oh my god! Yes…yes absolutely, I know Sarah, she’s been coming to the club for years. She’s such a great girl, this is horrible…”
Harper pulled out her notepad, ready to record any details. "Can you tell us about her evening at the club? Did anything unusual happen? Any interactions that stood out?"
Jessica tilted her head, recalling the events of the night. "I don’t have intimate knowledge of her whereabouts during the entire night, but she usually comes in around 10. We have a 2-drink maximum at the club and only in certain areas, but Sarah doesn’t drink typically, especially if she’s looking to sub, so I doubt whether she did last night. I can only confirm if I check the receipts.”
Lopez pressed on, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Do you remember seeing her talk to anyone last night? Someone who might have had their eye on her?”
Jessica sighed softly, her fingers tapping rhythmically on the table as she pictured Sarah and thought back to the previous night, “Yes, I think so…there’s a guy who comes in regularly…I think I remember him taking up a bunch of her time last night..umm…” she looks to the wall as she thinks, “Ethan! I think that’s his name.”
“Can you tell us what he looks like?” Lopez asked.
Jessica nodded again, “Tall, brown hair…he keeps it cropped short. I think he has dark eyes…some facial hair. He usually wears all black, and always a suit.”
“Do you remember him talking to Sarah last night?” Harper asked.
Jessica nodded, “I think I remember them talking for a while. She didn't seem uncomfortable, so we didn’t intervene.”
“Does this Ethan have a last name?” Harper asked as she wrote down several notes on her pad.
“I can get it for you. I don’t know off the top of my head.” Jessica answers honestly, “I have it back at the club. I don’t make it a point to keep member names in the cloud.”
Harper jotted down the description, her mind already piecing together potential leads. "Do you have security footage from that night? It could help us identify this man and track Sarah's movements."
Jessica shook her head, her expression serious. "No, we don’t allow any cameras in the club. Phones have to be locked up as soon as you arrive. You understand…it’s the nature of our club…we must protect the privacy of our members. We have security staff throughout the club to ensure that rules are adhered to, and they step in if they see anything wrong.”
Harper's expression was unimpressed, “So then, tell me how this could have slipped by one of them?”
“I honestly don’t know. We’ve rarely had an incident over the years, and the individual’s membership is immediately terminated. If this was able to happen, he’s either very good at flying under the radar or…”
“Or…?” Lopez prompted her.
“…Or he had someone helping him…” Jessica’s eyes looked alarmed, “Oh my god.”
“Do you recall anyone talking to Ethan last night besides Sarah?” Lopez asked.
“I mean…he mainly talks to the other male Doms in the club. He likes to befriend the best ones…The one thing that’s…not weird, but a bit unusual…is that he won’t befriend them until he’s seen them scene on our stage. I do remember noting that about him. I thought it had something to do with his own power requirements.”
Harper and Lopez exchanged a look, “Can you give us a moment, Ms. Balmy?” She nods and they walk out into the observation room.
Lucy is immediately on them, “You know you’re going to have to send someone in there, right?”
Lopez sighs, “Yeah, we’ve gotta figure out a way to identify this guy and see if we can connect him to what happened to Sarah. So basically…we need someone to go in as a freakin Dom.”
“We should also see if there have been other cases similar to this in other clubs in the city. Maybe even outside.” Lucy said and Angela nodded.
Harper looked contemplative, “Let’s get Juarez on that and…..I think I will call Cole. He helped take down a sex trafficking ring a few months back…he could fit the bill,” she pulled out her phone and then paused, thinking, “let me call him.”
10 minutes later, Detective Cole had been quickly briefed and agreed to the mission. He stood in the interrogation room with Harper, Lopez and Ms. Balmy as they proposed the UC operation.
“You understand how serious this is, Ms. Balmy. A young woman was brutally assaulted at your club, and we need to figure out who did this and bring them to justice,” Harper started.
“Yes, yes of course.” Jessica replied as she eyed the male detective from top to bottom.
“We’d like to send Detective Cole here into your club, undercover, as a Dom to gather some intel to see if we can identify Ethan and whoever might be working with him,” Lopez finished.
Jessica looked at Detective Cole and blinked, expressionless, “Him?”
“Yes.” Lopez and Harper said in unison.
Jessica let her eyes run over Detective Cole once more and then stared into his eyes for a moment, searching for something. Cole held her gaze as he cleared his throat and crossed his arms. He was just under six-feet tall, with deep brown eyes and dirty blonde shaggy hair, that made him look more surfer than cop, but he made up for it in his physique.
“I’m sorry, he won’t work.” She said without missing a beat.
“What the hell?!” Detective Cole exclaimed, indignant, “You don’t even know me!”
Jessica smiled, “And that response, right there, is how I know he won’t work. If you truly could embody a Dom, you would have wanted to understand more. A key to a Dom is listening. Understanding. It’s one of the hardest things to impersonate. Being a Dom doesn’t mean being a hard ass, it means having a great understanding of power, pleasure and the person who trusts you to catch them after they rise.”
“We don’t need your agreement to send him in,” Lopez scoffed and suppressed an eye roll. Jessica merely shrugged her shoulders.
“No, but if you want to get intel from others you will need my help in selecting the right person. If this is going to be solved quickly, picking the right person is everything,” Jessica practically purred.
How was she like this even when trying to solve a crime?
Harper sighed, she had a point, “Fine. We will take 24 hours to find a few options and will call you back to aid in the selection. In the meantime, can you provide us with a list of your current members and employees?”
"Of course," Jessica replied without hesitation. "I will send it over as soon as I am back in my office."
As the detectives stood, Harper paused, her eyes meeting Jessica's. "Ms. Balmy, if you think of anything else in these 24 hours, anything at all, please contact us. Time is critical."
Jessica's gaze held Harper's, "You have my word, Detective. I'll do everything in my power to help you find the person responsible for this."
“We will escort you out,” Harper and Lopez waited for Jessica to stand, and held the door as she exited the room. Lucy left the observation room and trailed behind the group.
As they crossed the bullpen, Lucy saw Tim talking to Thorsen, Juarez and Nolan in the roll call room. His arms were crossed and bulging, his face blank. He was looking intently at Juarez as she explained something likely related to a recent case.
Lucy turned her attention back to the Detectives and club owner to see that they had stopped. Jessica eyes were fixated on Tim, her gaze flickering down as she licked her lips subtly. A flash of something white-hot seared through Lucy as she realized and she was about to say something, when Angela beat her to it.
“Is something wrong, Ms. Balmy?” Lopez stared at her.
“Does, he work here?” She pointed to Tim. Lucy’s eyes narrowed.
What the fuck does she want with Tim?
“Sergeant Bradford?” Lopez’s raised an eyebrow, “Yes, he does. Why?”
“He’s who you need.” Her words hung heavy in the air and Angela had to bite her lip, while Nyla raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Lucy blurted out.
Surely she didn’t mean..
“If you want to solve this case, you need him.” She insisted and Lucy whipped her head around to Tim who was still listening to Celina.
“Ms. Balmy, Sergeant Bradford is a patrol sergeant…he’s not an undercover officer.” Harper said, but Jessica interrupted her. “Can I speak with him? Please?”
Harper, Lopez and Chen all stared at her in disbelief.
Bradford? Seriously? What, because of his hard ass exterior?
Harper looked at Lopez who shrugged, “It’s worth a shot. Come on I’ll take you back to interrogation and Chen and Harper will bring him to us.” Lopez guided her back towards the room they just exited, leaving the other two standing there in shock.
“What the hell is going on?” Lucy stared over at Tim, her eyes wide.
“Well, I sure as hell don’t know,” Harper says, “So here’s what we’re going to do, we’re going to go get Tim, but we are not telling him who is in interrogation. We just tell him we need him.”
“Wha-?” But Harper is already walking towards the roll call room.
Tim trails behind Harper and Chen as they enter the interrogation room, “What’s with all the secre— ” he trails off as he locks eyes with Jessica, “-cy.” His eyes are impossibly wide all of a sudden.
“Hello, Tim,” Jessica smiles and stands. Tim glances over to the door to find that Harper and Chen had already left.
“Jessica…it’s been a long time…what are you doing here?” His voice is cool, but his face full of shock. This was definitely the last person he expected to see.
Jessica blinked slowly as she spoke seductively, “Mmmm it’s been quite a while…too long. How have you been?”
“I’ve been good. Been busy, why are you here, why am I here?” Tim crossed his arms, creating a little space by taking a step back.
“I’ve missed you, you were always the best for me,” she purred as she slowly moved in on him.
Tim scoffed, “There was a reason you became a Dom, Jessica.”
Her eyes glittered as she reached out to touch his arm, “Ahhh, but I would always have subbed for you. It was too good.”
Tim caught her wrist before she touched him and Jessica gasped, her chest heaving as she stared up at him. Then he leaned down to whisper, “Then you know you shouldn’t be touching me until I say so.”
Jessica was practically panting, “Yes, sir.”
Observation Room…
They watch as Tim moves to flick of the mic off in the room and groaned, wanting to know what the fuck was going on right now.
“This is spicy,” Angela grins and wiggles her eyebrows, looking at Nyla who shrugs her shoulders.
“Let’s not jump to conclusions. We don’t know what this means,” Nyla tries to reel Angela back, but she’s deep in it already.
“Ya guys think he’s a dom? I mean he is a hard ass, especially with rookies…..” Angela says, glancing over at Lucy and Nyla rolls her eyes. “It is none of our business, Ange.”
“Kinda is though, given that he’s talking to a person of interest in our case…Come on, admit it…aren’t you a little curious too?” Angela smirks, crossing her arms and popping her hip out, “Maybe he’s a regular at the club? That kinky little bastard. Withholding information like that from me?” She eyes him through the glass as he talks to Jessica, whose entire demeanor had changed. Her face was soft and seemed to melt under his gaze.
“You are insufferable, that’s probably why.” The other woman replied, and Angela pouted a little. “Party pooper….what do you think Lucy?”
“Huh?” Lucy was staring through the window at Tim and all words have left her, jealousy bubbling underneath the surface. It was clear that Tim and this Jessica woman had a history. An intimate one at that. She had never seen this side of him. Yes, he was commanding on the job, but if a woman hit on him, he usually fumbled through it. This version…this commanding…confident…sexually charged version…was new. It was hot, but Lucy hated that Jessica had that intimate experience with him. The two seemed way too familiar with each other and it ate at her.
“Earth to Chen,” Angela pulled her from her thoughts and waved her hand in front of her face. Lucy flinched and blinked her eyes, finally tearing her gaze away from Tim and Jessica.
“I think…I mean…I think we might need Tim to be our UC…” Lucy said, noticing Angela smirking and Nyla nodding her head.
Inside the Interrogation Room…
“Something’s happened at the club…Do you remember Sarah Wheelan?”
Tim furrowed his eyebrows before he answered. “It sounds vaguely familiar.”
“Petite blonde, short haircut with freckles, cut ties with her Dom a while back and then would switch to different ones.”
“I think I remember seeing her a few times.”
“Well, your detective friends brought me down here because someone who is a member of my club hurt her last night.” he drew in a breath but didn’t otherwise react gasped as she continued, “You know I swore, I would never let something like that happen when I took over…And it did…right under my nose…which could mean that someone on fucking staff is involved too.”
“Oh fuck, Jess, I’m so sorry. Do they know who did it?”
Jessica shrugged, “They suspect this one guy, Ethan. He joined about a year ago, but he’s a regular and so far has never caused trouble.”
“Ok…are they bringing him in for questioning?”
“You know how the club is…you won’t get anything if it’s official. Plus, there isn’t proof because we don’t have cameras or phones…”
Things were starting to click for Tim, “They want to send someone in.”
“That’s what they said. But the thing is Tim…this guy, unless he’s trying to cultivate you as his sub, he only talks to other male Doms. And not just any, he looks for specific ones. Ones who had a certain aura to them…that reels subs in.” She pauses and looks at him. Realization dawns on Tim at her suggestion.
Is he really being asked to go UC as a Dom?
He turns to look at the mirror, knowing the team is on the other side of it. His expression is thunderous as he turns back to Jessica, “Are you seriously asking that I go undercover as a fucking Dom?!”
“Your team…” Jessica says, “They were going to put someone in my club. I think his name was Detective Cole…” Tim scoffed.
“Cole couldn’t fucking Dom if his life depended on it.”
“Exactly,” Jessica continued, “The person has to be good to peak this guy's interest. They’d have to do a few public scenes. And you…you’re one of the best I’ve ever seen. It has to be you.”
Tim couldn’t believe this was happening. Not only was this situation completely ridiculous, but…if he did this…two of the people closest to him would get insight into one of his deepest and dirtiest secrets. He’s basically being asked to fuck for the job. This was utterly insane, “This…this is crazy. Plus…I haven’t scened in months. I don’t even have a sub right now.”
“Chloe is still a member…you know she’d go for it in a minute – she always loved a public scene…” Jessica pursed her lips as she watched Tim contemplate the scenario, “Listen, your partners were going to give me 24 hours to help them find someone. I imagine they’d let you take the same amount of time.”
“Wow a whole day to decide if I want to not only bare my entire fucking private life to a station full of cops, my fucking colleagues of all people, and then actually fuck someone to help solve a crime,” Tim snorts.
“I want to solve this, Tim. If he did it with her, he probably has done it with others. And you know how this kind of thing taints the community. Not to mention my club. I want that disease gone.”
Harper, Lopez and Chen enter the interrogation room as Jessica stands, “Just think about it, Tim. Sarah needs your help.” She turns to the trio, “Detectives, can you escort me out please?”
Harper nods, “I’ll walk you out.”
With one last look, Jessica walks through the doorway, followed by Harper, who shut the door behind her.
“Timothy…” Lopez starts.
“Don’t even start, Ange,” Tim all but growls.
“You know, it makes sense. Now that it’s out there, it totally jives with your personality. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” Tim rolls his eyes and sits back, trying to act nonchalant, but then he rubbed his chin. It was his tell and he definitely shouldn’t have done it in front of the two people who know him best, “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s hot. I’m not going to lie, I’ve thought about it, but Wes isn’t really into it.”
“Enough Ange. I’m less concerned with what you think you know,” Thank god he turned that mic off, “and more concerned with the fact that you want me to go UC at the club. This feels wildly inappropriate.”
“That’s what UC is Bradford,” Harper was back, “It’s not meant to be appropriate. It’s the seediest part of the job. But we do what’s necessary to bring justice.”
Tim blew out a breath and looked at Lucy, “You’re being awfully quiet.” His voice had slightly transitioned. It was sharper. Pointed. Lucy snapped into attention. And then her thighs tightened. She saw Tim’s eyes flick down slightly and back up to her eyes. Approval shined just behind them.
“I just…” Lucy started and then paused to gather her thoughts, “I’ve been observing this the whole day. If this is really the guy, and he is a regular at the club, I find it hard to believe that it was an isolated incident. My gut says it’s more than just Sarah. And if that’s true…what I saw from her this morning. She was violated and she couldn’t remember. It happened in a safe heaven for her and I cannot imagine how damaging that is. This guy needs to be taken down…” She looked Tim in the eye and did not need to speak her final words.
And you need to be the one to do it.
Tim started at her for a moment, “I need to think about this…can I…can I take the night? This is a lot to ask.”
“Of course…are you on shift tomorrow?” Lopez asked.
“Yeah.”
“Ok, let’s meet back here at 9.”