⋆° დ ༄ RISKY BUSINESS
chapter eighteen. the weigh station.

Maxine runs outside with her gun drawn to see the shooter getting away and she shoots at the vehicle. Then she gets onto her radio and says, "Kirby 5021 emergency. I need backup at 4292 south emerald street."

Max then runs back inside the bar and says, "Jay!" While holstering her gun.

"Max, come here"

"Is anybody hit?"

"Max, I need more towels. I need more towels!"

Maxine goes to grab more towels and hands them to Jay so he can put them on Maddie's gunshot wound.

"I'm gonna go outside and wait for the ambo" Maxine says, racing back outside when the ambo arrives with Sylvie Brett and her partner.

"Shot to the neck" Bishop says, leading the paramedics inside, "my partners got her behind the bar"

"Alright, we got it from here. I need the stretcher, the backboard and Kerlix for the bleeding." Sylvie says, kneeling down next to the brunette girl. Jay stands up and looks over at his partner who says, "we'll get 'em"

🪩🪩🪩

Max walks into the locker room where Jay is washing up and she leans on the blue colored lockers and says, "how you feelin'?"

Jay sighs and says, "horrible"

"This wasn't your fault, Jay. Maddie's gonna be fine"

"Yeah"

Maxine goes to pat her partner on the back and they head out back to the bullpen where Hank asks, "you knew the victim?"

"Maddie Callahan. She worked there" Jay says.

"No ID on the shooter?"

"No, patrols going door to door in the neighborhood looking for witnesses" Maxine says. Antonio hangs up his phone and says, "that was the hospital. Your friends in ICU, but she's alive"

"Thanks" Jay says.

"Hey, it's not your fault"

"So I've been told"

Antonio looks over at Voight and says, "someone needs to talk to Bembenek"

"Oh, Olinskys already on that" Hank says. Adam walks over to his best friend and asks, "you okay?"

Max nods her head, "yeah"

"A black Arcadia was found abandoned in Englewood" Kevin says, walking onto the bullpen, "it matches the description of the getaway vehicle but there's no prints. They torched it"

"White male just checked into a south side clinic about a half hour ago, two bullet wounds." Mickey says, right behind Kevin.

"Alright, Bishop and Antonio, get on it" Hank says, as the two detectives grab their jackets and Jay stands up, "no, no, no, Jay. You're in protective custody until this dies down."

"They shot my friend. They nearly killed me and Max." Jay says.

"You got a target on your back. You're not going anywhere till the targets removed"

"So I'm under house arrest?"

"You wanted to see us, sergeant?" Kim asks as she and Sean walk onto the unit. Voight looks at the two patrol officers and says, "Halstead doesn't leave your sight until I say so and he stays here at the 21st"

"You got it" Roman says.

"They don't need to stay up here to keep an eye on me. You gotta be kidding!" Jay shouts.

"Keep an eye on him" Hank says and Jay throws his jacket onto his desk.

Maxine walks down to the lobby of the district passing by Nadia, followed by Antonio when Platt says, "Bishop, you got a visitor"

Maxine looks over to see Joey in the office and mutters, "you gotta be kidding me"

"Who's that?" Dawson asks.

"I'll meet you in the car" Maxine says, walking towards the small office.

"Make it quick"

"I am in the middle of something" Max says, walking into the office.

"I've been trying to call. And I went back to the apartment and you weren't there"

"Yeah because Jay and I were shot at last night"

"You were with Jay after our fight about him?"

Maxine looks at the taller man in shock, "are you kidding me right now? I just said I was shot at and all you care about is that I was with my partner. What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry. You know how I get. I just love you"

Max rolls her eyes, "you're insane" then she walks away, grabbing her pack of twizzlers from Platt, "happy birthday Sarg" and she leaves the district.

🪩🪩🪩

Maxine and Antonio walk into the clinic and the older detective says, "where you going, Donald?"

"Do I know you?"

Both detectives show their badges on their hips and Dawson says, "what did you get treated for?"

As the man starts to walk away, Antonio pushes him back and Maxine takes his coat that was covering the wound and he says, "I accidentally thumbed the trigger. Pow"

Max holds up two fingers and Antonio says, "and twice, in the back?"

Maxine shoves the man's coat back at him and says, "detective Dawson, I'm going to bet you a weeks salary that the bullets they took out of his shoulder are going to match my gun"

"You couldn't give me odds high enough to take that bet"

"You tell us what happened before we get the slugs from the nurse, you're officially cooperative. You wait until after, and you just bought yourself another ten years."

"I just drove. I swear to god I just drove. And I sure as hell didn't know a cop was the target." The guy says.

"Who was the shooter?" Dawson asks and Donald becomes hesitant.

"Nurse!" Bishop yells.

"He's my friend, man"

🪩🪩🪩

Hank walks onto the scene where Maxine and Antonio are and Dawson says, "the assistant states attorney in Bembeneks murder trial, Steve Kot"

"Yeah" Hank says, as they look over at a broken down Kot, balling his eyes out and they walk underneath the red tape where the victim is face down on the pavement in an alley.

"It's kots daughter. Two shots to the skull. 16" Max says.

🪩🪩🪩

Kevin tapes the picture of Kots daughter that was on the board and says, "doubling up on squad cars in front of all the homes of the people involved in the Bembenek trial. There's judges, lawyers, clerks."

"Yeah, Bembenek anticipated that. That's why he's going after their family members." Al states.

"Two taps to the head without an eyewitness. That was a professional hit" Antonio says.

"And we have no idea how many people are on this list?" Erin questions.

"No" Hank says.

As Jay goes over to Nadia and asks to call Chicago Med to check up on Maddie, Adam walks onto the unit with another officer and says, "hey everyone. This is, uh, Sheriff Charlene Radigan. She helped me secure phone recording Bembenek made on a cook county landline"

"Most of the calls are in polish. Inmates switch to their native tongues all the time when they want to cover up what they're talking about"

"So we're gonna need a translator. The Forsman kid flipped, right? You'd think he'd do it?"

"He'll paint my house if I want him to. He's in here" Hank says, walking to interrogation followed by the blonde officer, who turns to Adam and says. "Remember, Saturday. FOP picnic. Corn dogs"

Maxine rolls her chair over to her partner and asks, "hey, how you doing?" and Jay just shrugs, making her sigh, then she looks up to see Kim leaving the break room, so she gets up from her desk to talk to Adam, "so, um.."

"Don't say it"

"Corn dogs?" She chuckles. Adam rolls his eyes, "it's not what it sounded like"

"Sure"

Adam sighs, "Kim said we should take a break"

"Maybe you guys weren't meant to be"

"And you and Joey are?"

Maxine scoffs, "whatever" then she walks away.

~~~

"Command staff has put together a task force to try and reach out to every aunt, uncle, cousin of anyone involved in the Bembenek trial. Although there's so much they can do" Antonio says, standing at the whiteboard. Nadia walks over to where Max, Erin, Mickey and Jay are and says, "hey, that was chicago med. Maddie is heading into surgery so they're going to let me know"

"She'll pull through" Max says.

"I never should have been there" Jay says. Max narrows her eyes and says, "hey, don't do that to yourself"

"Hey Ruzek, Atwater" Hank says, walking to the bullpen from the interrogation of Joe Price, "I need a cellphone rigged up right now"

"What's going on?" Jay asks.

"Sit tight"

"I'm tired of sitting"

"Sit tight" Hank says, walking back to interrogation.

~~~

While Adam, Hank and Al are in interrogation getting a phone set up for a call to come through for JP. Antonio, Erin, Mickey, Jay and Max are in the viewing room watching.

As the call comes through, Jay leaves and walks into interrogation.

"Hello?" Price says.

"JP" the voice says.

"What's up, Shostak? I have something you may want"

"I want a lot of things"

"Halstead"

"My understanding is you turned down this contract"

"And I heard they offered you a lot more money than me. I want half"

"Or what?"

"Or I let him go and better think quick. The dilaudid i pumped into him is going to wear off soon." Joe says looking at Jay.

"One third"

"Okay. I'll take care of it. I'll bring you a photo for proof"

"No, no, no, no, no, no. Just because I'm talking to you doesn't mean I trust you. I want to see him alive"

Hank shakes his head no and Jay mouths 'do it'

"Deal" JP says and Hank immediately gives Jay a look.

"Alley between Cermak and Kedzie. 30 minutes"

The team follows Jay back onto the bullpen and Antonio says, "there's too many risks."

"There's always risks" Jay says.

"Jay, you'd be in the car with a hitman" Maxine says, walking to her desk.

"Who's retired, and who we made a deal with"

Maxine scoffs and says, "Because that changes everything"

"We don't know how many people Bembenek wants dead!" Jay shouts then walks over to the board and slams his hand onto the pictures of Kots daughter and a judges mother, "isn't this enough?" Then he walks over to Voight and says, "Sarg, I will sign whatever I have to sign saying I went on my own free will, that I wasn't ordered. That'll release the city from all liability. I don't have any beneficiaries anyway. I signed that form the day I graduated from the academy, right before they pinned a badge on my chest."

~~~

Jay puts his gun into his ankle holster and Antonio gives him a pair of cuffs and says, "ratchets on the cuffs have been shaved down. So one tug, they'll come off"

"Okay" Jay says and the detective walks away.

"Be smart, right?" Maxine says, putting the cuffs on her partner.

"Of course"

"I need you back in one piece, alright. It's hard to break in new partners" Max jokes. Jay smirks and says, "yeah"

Maxine looks around before going to give Jay a kiss on his cheek, "I'm serious. Be safe"

Kevin drives a black car into the roll up and Al says, "alright, I want four tracking devices on this thing"

"On it" Kevin says, as he and Adam does as their told.

"alright, Burgess and Roman, you stay close, but not too close, in case we need to call in patrol" Hank says, "Ruzek, you're with Antonio. Atwater with Olinsky. Erin and Mickey" then he looks at Max, "you and me"

"We got ten minutes" Antonio states.

"Let's hit it"

🪩🪩🪩

After arresting Shostak and JP who went rouge, the team is back in the roll up when Hank says, "In about two minutes I got to meet commander Perry so he can brief the command staff. You know, no one out there really knows how we operate, how we put ourselves in harm's way. If they did, our hands would be tied and the worst of the worst that we hunt down would go free. So when I say this stays in house, this stays in house, so we can keep operating the way we do" then the sergeant looks over at Jay and puts a hand on his shoulder, "Halstead, what you did today. What you did for this city...well no one will ever know" making everyone smile, "but this family knows" then he walks away.

"Cheers to that" Antonio says, giving Jay a bro hug, "I'm going to Molly's and getting drunk. Anyone want to join?"

"Yeah, I'm in" Atwater says.

"I'm in" Roman says, following Kevin and Antonio. Maxine puts her hand on Jays shoulder, "you did good, Halstead." Then she walks away.

🪩🪩🪩

Joey walks into the apartment, ready to get on his knees to apologize to Maxine, when he saw all the lights off and it was completely quiet. Which was weird because when he kept asking if they could talk, she told him she would be home.

"Kitten? . . . Max" he shouts, going to turn the lights on. He then looks around the apartment to see it completely destroyed. He walks into the bedroom to see it also destroyed, the bedspread all messed up, then when he walked into the bathroom he saw that the mirror was shattered.

His heart dropped to his stomach. His anger grew every second he was in that apartment, wondering what happened to his kitten. He knew it wasn't good. He was pissed.

to be continued . . .

authors note;

NOT GOOD NOT GOOD!!!!