SWAT Team One and the Social Worker (2 page)

health and had been struggling with sickness for months now. Her

mind whirled in different scenarios. The moment she entered the third

floor she saw that the door to Alex’s apartment was wide open, and a

police officer stood beside it. His face appeared rather white as if he was shocked and upset with something.

She walked closer.

“Sorry, Miss, no one can enter.”

She ignored him and numbly pushed forward through the

doorway. She never even saw Ted or the detectives. Instead her focus

remained on the massive amount of blood and what appeared to be a

body. Before her eyes could move from the floor over the feet and

legs, men were yelling, and Ted swept her up into his arms and

pressed her face against his solid chest.

He was a bit larger than Alex and just as handsome but with

brown hair. He was also a detective in the Dallas police force.

“Baby, don’t look. Please, honey, my god,” he whispered against

her ear, and still she felt numb, as if everything was happening in

slow motion.

She heard Ted yelling as he carried her down the hall toward the

staircase entrance.

“Do your fucking job, and don’t let anyone else up here. It’s a

fucking crime scene, rookie!”

The words
crime scene
seemed to begin clearing the fog in her head. The scene in the apartment was becoming clearer and clearer in

her mind, and just as she realized what had happened, Ted opened her

apartment with his spare key and closed the door behind them.

He placed her on her couch and stared at her as he covered her

knees.

“What happened? Where’s Alex, Ted?” she whispered as tears

began to leak from her eyes.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

Ted appeared as if he were about to cry, and her heart ached at the

seriousness of the situation.

“He’s gone, baby. Oh, Red, he’s fucking gone.” He pulled her into

his arms and cried.

Sam began to process the situation. Suddenly her mind refocused

in a faster speed, and she realized what she had seen. He was dead.

Alex had killed himself, and she hadn’t been there to stop him.

SWAT Team One and the Social Worker

13

Chapter 1

Two years later, New York City

It was so damn hot that her throat felt tight with every breath she

took. Anyone with asthma or breathing problems would suffer today.

But this was life in New York City during an Indian summer. Despite

the fact that it was September, it was hot, humid, and nasty. Sweat

dripped down her back between her shoulder blades and under her

white, cotton blouse. Samantha hadn’t regretted leaving Dallas to

come out here to work. In fact, as a social worker, working for the

police department, stationed out of the forty-sixth precinct in the

South Bronx, she was needed. She loved working with children and

families in need, and in a city this big, she had a heavy case load.

The summer had been busy. The heat made people do crazy,

stupid shit. Samantha understood that, sometimes more than she liked

to admit. But she had a way with people. She empathized with their

emotions, their positions and struggles in life. Sometimes that put her in vicarious situations.

Her boss, the commander, knew she had special abilities. Most

places Samantha was forced to go to in order to help children and

families were surrounded by the criminal element. Which was a nice

way of saying the area contained many scumbags of society that

preyed on the weak and unarmed. The bad people especially preyed

on children and families struggling to stay off the streets. They made promises of money, better housing, and a family support network that

revolved around violence and crime. She saved some of the kids, but

she also lost a lot to guns, drugs, gangs, and violence.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

Samantha waved at Jose, the owner of the small bodega that sat

two blocks from the apartment complex Samantha was headed to. It

was a shitty neighborhood. The streets were covered with filth and

contained everything from black garbage bags to gangbangers

hanging out waiting for action. She had visited this particular

neighborhood over a dozen times in the last month, dealing with

everything from child abuse and neglect cases to rape and murder.

Not many people in her field were willing to head into most of these

locations, but Samantha was determined to help make a difference.

“Hey, mamma, you back, huh? I knew you wanted some of this,”

some gang member from the Bloods gang stated to Samantha as he

grabbed his crotch and rolled his tongue at her. Samantha kept

walking. It was better to ignore them than act affected by them. So

far, the troublemakers seemed to drop it if she just kept walking and

ignored them. She wouldn’t show any fear, but she wasn’t stupid.

These people could never be trusted. She knew that they were aware

of who she was and what her job was. Her office was located in the

precinct, making trust difficult for them. But she didn’t care. She

wasn’t there to help the criminals. She was there to help the victims.

Not that she was overconfident, but she was well-trained. Samantha

was armed with a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Brazilian jujitsu, and a

temper that just about matched her reddish-brown hair.

Reaching her destination, she saw the majority of the residents in

the apartment complex standing on the street and sidewalk. Someone

had opened up the fire hydrant, and the kids were trying to cool off the best they could in the one hundred degree temperature. Sam wiped

her brow as she approached.

Some gave her disgusted looks as if they disliked her, or maybe

just didn’t trust her, while others waved and smiled because she had

helped them.

* * * *

SWAT Team One and the Social Worker

15

“Hi, Sam. Those Bloods didn’t mess with ya, did they?” Charles

asked as he sat on the folding chair, watching the kids play. He was

an eighty-year-old black man, with gray whiskers on his beard and a

heart of gold. Beside him sat Howie, his best friend and roommate.

Both lost their wives to cancer and had been living in this apartment

for the last sixty years. It was Sam who suggested that they move in

together to save money and share one rent. They were with one

another all the time anyway.

“Hey, Charlie. Hi, Howie. I just ignored them like I usually do,”

Sam stated as she accepted the iced tea from Sienna.

“Thanks, Sienna. How is the babysitting job going?” Sam asked

as she enjoyed the cold iced tea.

“Oh, it’s okay, I guess. Ms. Evans’s babies cry a lot, and then I have to come home and listen to Benny cry. I’m starting not to like

babies anymore,” Sienna complained as she stomped her feet in a

puddle of water that ran off from the fire hydrant.

“Well, then that’s a good thing. You don’t want to wind up like

me. Single mom, three kids, living on food stamps and having to

accept help from strangers,” Brandy replied sarcastically, then added,

“Sorry, Sam.”

“Don’t apologize for saying that, Brandy. There would be nothing

greater than for me to lose my job because there weren’t any people in need.”

“Yeah, wouldn’t that be nice,” Howie chimed in, but Sam noticed

that both he and Charles were staring across the street at something,

or rather someone.

Samantha instantly felt her gut clench. Myers Lewis, the father of

Brandy’s littlest baby, was making his way over to them, and he

wasn’t alone.

“Get inside with the baby, Brandy,” Charles stated as he rose from

the chair.

She saw him and Howie holding baseball bats behind their backs.

This wasn’t good.

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

Sam grabbed Jimelle and Sienna then hurried them inside the

front entrance to the apartment as she pulled out her cell phone.

She hit speed dial to the commander, who knew exactly where she

was and who might be nearby to help out.

“Commander, it’s Sam. I’m at Brandy’s, and the ex-boyfriend is

on his way over with three other guys, and he doesn’t look happy.”

“Shit, Sam! What do you think?”

“I think we both know the guy’s an asshole with a temper and a

record. I believe the three shits he’s with are waving their colors. I’m getting the family inside of the apartment, but Charlie and Howie are

out there, and they’re old.”

“I got someone on their way. They’ll be there in less than five.

What gang?”

“Bloods. Hurry.”

“Fuck!”

Sam hung up just as they entered the third-floor apartment and

locked the doors.

“What do we do? What will he do to the baby?” Brandy asked,

crying as she held the infant in a death grip. Benny was only four

months old.

Sam started to give orders.

“Sienna, start putting some stuff in front of that door to block it.”

Before Sam could finish, they heard shots being fired outside.

Sienna looked out the window then screamed.

“They shot Charles!”

Sam’s heart was pounding in her chest. She needed to keep calm.

Help was on the way.

“Sienna, get away from that window, and do like I told you to

do!”

“Brandy, loosen your hold on the baby. You’re going to squeeze

him to death.”

Sam touched the baby’s cheek, trying to calm his crying, then

touched Brandy’s shoulder.

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17

“It will be okay. Help is on the way.”

Brandy shook her head.

“He’ll kill us all. He said he was going to kill us. Told me if I

didn’t let him back in my life, he was going to kill us all. He said his real family is the gang anyway. He’s going to kill us.”

“Mommy, I’m scared,” Jimelle stated as he began to cry.

“Jimelle, I want you to go into your room.”

Suddenly, there was banging on the door, and both Sienna and

Brandy screamed. Sam could hear Myers Lewis yelling.

“Jimelle, I want you to go into your room, get into the closet, and

cover yourself up with all the clothes and blankets in there. Do not

make a sound. No matter what you hear going on in here, do not make

a sound, and do not come out, you hear?” Sam asked as she held him

by the shoulders. She felt horrible and sick to her stomach, but she

had to try and save their lives if this madman made it into the

apartment.

Brandy cried and told her son to do as Samantha said, so he ran

into the room and disappeared.

“I know you’re in there, woman! I know that cracker is in there,

too. You’re both dead if you don’t open this door now!” he yelled.

“Brandy, give Benny to Sienna. Let them hide in the other closet

in case Myers breaks in before the police come.”

Brandy cried, and Sam could hear the sirens in the distance. The

police were on their way. They heard the numerous bangs against the

door. He was trying to break in.

“Go, Sienna! Take Benny and hide in the other closet. Keep the

baby quiet, and don’t come out, no matter what you hear,” Sam

whispered with her teeth clenched, trying to get Sienna to move.

Sienna shook her head in fear.

“Do it!” Sam repeated and demanded that she go.

Brandy kissed Benny then Sienna as the tears flowed from her

eyes.

“I love you.”

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Dixie Lynn Dwyer

“I love you, too, Mamma.”

“Sam, please save us,” Sienna cried as she took Benny and hurried

into the other room to hide with Jimelle.

Brandy grabbed on to Sam and cried against her.

“I’m right here, and I’m not leaving you.” Sam swallowed hard as

the door began to creak and crack from the impact of hits to it.

Sam’s phone rang, and she flipped it open to answer it.

“We’re here. What’s the situation?”

Dustin. She would recognize his voice anywhere. Her heart

instantly pounded in response, and her legs nearly buckled with relief in hearing his voice. He was Lieutenant of a SWAT team, her

neighbor, and one of five men she knew she could never have.

Just as she was about to answer, Myers broke through the door.

Sam tossed her phone on the table. It remained open, so at least

Dustin would know what was happening.

Brandy screamed, and Sam held her.

“You stupid bitch! You’ll pay for this.” He stalked toward them

and pulled Brandy to him then struck her. Brandy fell to the rug.

Sam went to help her, but Myers pulled a knife on her.

“Stop right there, cracker, or die.”

Myers was one big guy. He had a lot of tattoos and a look that told

her he was familiar with death. She had seen that look before, and it

made her cringe inside. She needed to buy time.

Her heart pounded in her chest. She needed to remain calm and

think. Where were the other three assholes that followed him across

the street? It probably didn’t matter. She needed to keep Myers away

from the children.

“I’m not going to try anything. You have the knife, and I don’t,”

Sam stated, hoping her voice was loud enough for Dustin to hear.

“That’s right, bitch. I got the knife,” he yelled at her then eyed her from head to toe. His eyes roamed a bit too long over her chest. When