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limmenel, who wanted the scene where Flack punched Mac and who also just had surgery.
“He used to be a nice guy,” Aiden had said one night over drinks at Sullivan’s, looking morosely down at her vodka tonic.
“You’re kidding me,” Lindsay’d replied. “Detective Flack? Really? What happened?” He’d just been called up on his third police brutality charge in nine months, that was what had happened, but Aiden obviously meant something earlier.
Aiden looked down with a sardonic twist to her smile. “Danny Messer,” she said, eyes as bitter as Detective Flack’s. “That’s what happened.”
That particular conversation had been three years ago, long enough that Lindsay hadn’t remembered when Messer told her his name at The World’s End. She’d heard the sotry a couple times over the years but never really given it much thought, not till now.
“He used to be a cop?” she said incredulously. “That – gangster – used to be a cop?”
“That’s right, Monroe,” Messer said. “This gangster used to be a cop. You got my job – aincha happy?”
Speechless, Lindsay turned to Stella. The other woman was frowning. “Danny, what are you doing here?” she said.
“I brought him in,” Flack said. “You got a problem with that, Bonasera?”
“Flack,” Stella said flatly, “get the hell out here. This is beyond out of line, even for you.”
“Ain’t that what you said for the Truby case?” Flack said, getting up lazily and without any kind of hurry. Everything about him screamed insubordination like a siren. “Or the Wilder bust, didn’t you say that then?”
Used to be a nice guy her ass, Lindsay thought, stepping aside for him to pass out of the conference room. Maybe when he was unconscious.
Aiden came in looking curious. “What, again?” she said to Lindsay. “He’s just lucky he’s such a good cop or he woulda been fired years ago. Hi, Danny.”
“Hi, Aiden,” Messer said amiably. “How ya doin’?”
“Sleepless,” she said concisely. “Your granddaddy’s case sucks.”
“Preachin’ to the choir, babe,” Messer said. “Reverberations from the mess are comin’ down my way. The Commission’s circling like vultures, the fuckers. I had to send my wife outta town.”
“Your uncle come back yet?”
“Haven’t been able to get hold of him. You know the last time Uncle Val had a vacation? Neither do I.”
“Suck,” Aiden said, perching on the edge of the conference table. “You gotta admit the timing’s a little suspicious.”
Messer gave her a sardonic look. “Aid, you know as well as me Val was fifteen when Hudson got whacked thirty years ago.”
“Yeah, well, he ain’t the only corpse Sid’s got in the morgue.”
Lindsay pushed away from the wall. “You can’t tell him about the case!” she protested.
Aiden slanted her eyes toward her. “Why not? Flack probably already told him all the nasty details anyway. I see you two kissed and made up, by the way.”
“Less kissing, more punching,” said Messer.
“You what?” Mac’s shout rattled the walls.
“Oh, here comes the main show,” Messer said, sitting up as Mac pushed into the conference room.
“Get the hell out of my lab, Danny,” Mac spat.
“No. I was invited.”
“Get out or I’ll throw you out.”
“You wanna try?” Messer stood up, arms spread. “Come on, take a swing at me. You know you’ve been wanting to for six years, ever since you saw the tat on my back.”
“Walk away now, Danny,” Mac said dangeorusly, hands flexing. “Walk away while I’m still giving you the choice.”
“I don’t want to,” Messer said. “And I don’t like your choices. They’re always either/or.”
“You had your chance, Danny, and you made your choice. You betrayed your badge.”
“No, actually I didn’t do shit,” Messer spat. “You told me to turn on my family or get out, so I got out. You never did have an eye for shades of gray, Mac. I ain’t walkin’ outta here on your say-so again, badge or no badge, not when it comes down to me or my family.”
“You want to play it that way?” Mac said, pushing his jacket back. “Fine.” He held up his cuffs. “Daniel Messer, you’re under arrest –”
“You wanna arrest me, Mac? Fine. Arrest me. See how long I stay in prison. You know my connections.”
“Turn around and shut up, Danny,” Mac snapped, stepping forward.
“You don’t want to do that, Mac,” Flack said and Lindsay jumped; she hadn’t seen him come in.
A muscle in Mac’s jaw worked. “Detective Flack,” he said shortly. “Leave my lab.”
Flack leaned forward and opened his eyes very wide, blue and guileless. “Make me,” he said. “I got my choice of positions, Taylor. I’ve got better standing in the department’s good graces than you.”
“The only reason you’re still here is because no other unit will take you,” Mac said, voice utterly cold. “If it wasn’t for CSU you wouldn’t even be with the NYPD anymore.”
Lindsay saw Flack blanch white, scars standing out starkly against his skin. Messer frowned slightly, eyes narrowing behind his lenses. “That ain’t true,” Flack said. “You taken a look at my solve rate recently? The NYPD would be at least ten punks in the hole if it wasn’t for me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re a loose cannon, Don, that’s why you’re still here with your solve rate. If it wasn’t for your atttitude, you’d be in Special Crimes or straight homicide by now, not still here. And you –”
“It all comes down to me, doesn’t it?” Messer said. “If I hadn’t walked out –”
“The hell it does,” Flack snapped, head turning sharply. “You spend those five years with the Mob learning the world revolves around you? Welcome back to real time, Danny-boy; it doesn’t.”
“Fuck off, Flack,” Messer snapped, cheeks coloring briefly.
“Get your wife to do it, Danny,” Flack said back and didn’t even blink.
Aiden winced. “Probably shouldn’t have said that,” she muttered.
Messer’s flush darkened. “You shut the hell up about my wife,” he said.
“Or what?” Flack spread his arms in echo of Messer’s earlier move. “You’re gonna hit me again? Walk out? You’re great at walkin’ out.”
“I’m going with option number one,” Messer said and punched him in the face.
Flack punched him back, fist glancing off the edge of his cheekbone as Messer turned his head aside, and then Aiden had grabbed Messer’s shoulders and was hauling him back. Mac grabbed Flack’s arm and twisted. “Detective Flack,” he began.
“Go to hell, Mac,” Flack said, pulling his arm free, and hit him too.
Lindsay practically saw Mac’s Marine training take over. He took the first punch and blocked the second, shoved Flack facedown onto the conference table with his arm twisted up behind his back. Flack snarled something incoherent into the wood, struggling.
She wasn’t watching Messer. She heard Aiden’s cry of surprise and then Messer put a gun to the back of Mac’s head, his finger on the trigger. “You let him the hell go,” he said.
limmenel, who wanted the scene where Flack punched Mac and who also just had surgery.“He used to be a nice guy,” Aiden had said one night over drinks at Sullivan’s, looking morosely down at her vodka tonic.
“You’re kidding me,” Lindsay’d replied. “Detective Flack? Really? What happened?” He’d just been called up on his third police brutality charge in nine months, that was what had happened, but Aiden obviously meant something earlier.
Aiden looked down with a sardonic twist to her smile. “Danny Messer,” she said, eyes as bitter as Detective Flack’s. “That’s what happened.”
That particular conversation had been three years ago, long enough that Lindsay hadn’t remembered when Messer told her his name at The World’s End. She’d heard the sotry a couple times over the years but never really given it much thought, not till now.
“He used to be a cop?” she said incredulously. “That – gangster – used to be a cop?”
“That’s right, Monroe,” Messer said. “This gangster used to be a cop. You got my job – aincha happy?”
Speechless, Lindsay turned to Stella. The other woman was frowning. “Danny, what are you doing here?” she said.
“I brought him in,” Flack said. “You got a problem with that, Bonasera?”
“Flack,” Stella said flatly, “get the hell out here. This is beyond out of line, even for you.”
“Ain’t that what you said for the Truby case?” Flack said, getting up lazily and without any kind of hurry. Everything about him screamed insubordination like a siren. “Or the Wilder bust, didn’t you say that then?”
Used to be a nice guy her ass, Lindsay thought, stepping aside for him to pass out of the conference room. Maybe when he was unconscious.
Aiden came in looking curious. “What, again?” she said to Lindsay. “He’s just lucky he’s such a good cop or he woulda been fired years ago. Hi, Danny.”
“Hi, Aiden,” Messer said amiably. “How ya doin’?”
“Sleepless,” she said concisely. “Your granddaddy’s case sucks.”
“Preachin’ to the choir, babe,” Messer said. “Reverberations from the mess are comin’ down my way. The Commission’s circling like vultures, the fuckers. I had to send my wife outta town.”
“Your uncle come back yet?”
“Haven’t been able to get hold of him. You know the last time Uncle Val had a vacation? Neither do I.”
“Suck,” Aiden said, perching on the edge of the conference table. “You gotta admit the timing’s a little suspicious.”
Messer gave her a sardonic look. “Aid, you know as well as me Val was fifteen when Hudson got whacked thirty years ago.”
“Yeah, well, he ain’t the only corpse Sid’s got in the morgue.”
Lindsay pushed away from the wall. “You can’t tell him about the case!” she protested.
Aiden slanted her eyes toward her. “Why not? Flack probably already told him all the nasty details anyway. I see you two kissed and made up, by the way.”
“Less kissing, more punching,” said Messer.
“You what?” Mac’s shout rattled the walls.
“Oh, here comes the main show,” Messer said, sitting up as Mac pushed into the conference room.
“Get the hell out of my lab, Danny,” Mac spat.
“No. I was invited.”
“Get out or I’ll throw you out.”
“You wanna try?” Messer stood up, arms spread. “Come on, take a swing at me. You know you’ve been wanting to for six years, ever since you saw the tat on my back.”
“Walk away now, Danny,” Mac said dangeorusly, hands flexing. “Walk away while I’m still giving you the choice.”
“I don’t want to,” Messer said. “And I don’t like your choices. They’re always either/or.”
“You had your chance, Danny, and you made your choice. You betrayed your badge.”
“No, actually I didn’t do shit,” Messer spat. “You told me to turn on my family or get out, so I got out. You never did have an eye for shades of gray, Mac. I ain’t walkin’ outta here on your say-so again, badge or no badge, not when it comes down to me or my family.”
“You want to play it that way?” Mac said, pushing his jacket back. “Fine.” He held up his cuffs. “Daniel Messer, you’re under arrest –”
“You wanna arrest me, Mac? Fine. Arrest me. See how long I stay in prison. You know my connections.”
“Turn around and shut up, Danny,” Mac snapped, stepping forward.
“You don’t want to do that, Mac,” Flack said and Lindsay jumped; she hadn’t seen him come in.
A muscle in Mac’s jaw worked. “Detective Flack,” he said shortly. “Leave my lab.”
Flack leaned forward and opened his eyes very wide, blue and guileless. “Make me,” he said. “I got my choice of positions, Taylor. I’ve got better standing in the department’s good graces than you.”
“The only reason you’re still here is because no other unit will take you,” Mac said, voice utterly cold. “If it wasn’t for CSU you wouldn’t even be with the NYPD anymore.”
Lindsay saw Flack blanch white, scars standing out starkly against his skin. Messer frowned slightly, eyes narrowing behind his lenses. “That ain’t true,” Flack said. “You taken a look at my solve rate recently? The NYPD would be at least ten punks in the hole if it wasn’t for me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’re a loose cannon, Don, that’s why you’re still here with your solve rate. If it wasn’t for your atttitude, you’d be in Special Crimes or straight homicide by now, not still here. And you –”
“It all comes down to me, doesn’t it?” Messer said. “If I hadn’t walked out –”
“The hell it does,” Flack snapped, head turning sharply. “You spend those five years with the Mob learning the world revolves around you? Welcome back to real time, Danny-boy; it doesn’t.”
“Fuck off, Flack,” Messer snapped, cheeks coloring briefly.
“Get your wife to do it, Danny,” Flack said back and didn’t even blink.
Aiden winced. “Probably shouldn’t have said that,” she muttered.
Messer’s flush darkened. “You shut the hell up about my wife,” he said.
“Or what?” Flack spread his arms in echo of Messer’s earlier move. “You’re gonna hit me again? Walk out? You’re great at walkin’ out.”
“I’m going with option number one,” Messer said and punched him in the face.
Flack punched him back, fist glancing off the edge of his cheekbone as Messer turned his head aside, and then Aiden had grabbed Messer’s shoulders and was hauling him back. Mac grabbed Flack’s arm and twisted. “Detective Flack,” he began.
“Go to hell, Mac,” Flack said, pulling his arm free, and hit him too.
Lindsay practically saw Mac’s Marine training take over. He took the first punch and blocked the second, shoved Flack facedown onto the conference table with his arm twisted up behind his back. Flack snarled something incoherent into the wood, struggling.
She wasn’t watching Messer. She heard Aiden’s cry of surprise and then Messer put a gun to the back of Mac’s head, his finger on the trigger. “You let him the hell go,” he said.
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Date: 2007-05-27 10:28 pm (UTC)Thanks!