Rocco's Atonement

CHAPTERONE

15 MONTHS LATER

ROCCO

I’m standingin another chief’s office with my partner, Damian. He’s a couple of inches taller than my six-foot height and has light brown hair that in some lighting looks dark blond. He also has a Boston accent, unlike my Staten Island one.

“Distonoli and Shaw, today is your last day on patrol. We’ll have the full ceremony in a month or so, but you both made detective. Tomorrow report in plain clothes to Lieutenant Marsh.”

My shoulders relax but only slightly at his announcement. I don’t deserve this, but for the last year I’ve worked hard to prove myself. My primary focus has been on my job and doing the best I can. I don’t date. I focus on helping my mom when she wants and on the volunteer work I started doing after my demotion. But I still see the other officers whispering behind their hands, waiting for me to fuck up again. I’m lucky Shaw was new to the force here or I wouldn’t have had a partner.

As we move out of the room and toward the exit to our car, I keep quiet and listen as Shaw goes on and on about the fact he knew it was going to happen. Maybe it’s because of him I’m being given another chance; he’s a good cop. He was a cop in Boston before he moved here. He and I became fast friends. I would throw myself in front of a bullet for him, just like Linc did for me. However, Linc was just throwing my body out of the way, he didn’t know he had been shot until afterward.

“Told ya we’d get the call to move up. You were the one who kept saying wasn’t going to happen, that you’d be in a car forever. It’s not something cool like Cold Cases, it’s just general precinct detectives, but I’ll do it.”

“Yeah,” I say, trying not to bring him down. Being a precinct detective means we investigate just about any case from burglaries to muggings and so on. No homicides though.

“What?” he says as soon as we are in the car. I let him drive today, but instead of rolling out he’s watching me.

“It’s nothing. Come on, let’s get to work.”

“Roc, don’t lie to me. What are you thinking?”

I shake my head. I don’t want to rain on his parade, but he is my friend, so I want to be honest. “I only got promoted with you because no one else will be my partner.”

“If that’s the case, then be happy for your good luck. As for no one wanting to be your partner, that’s on them, man. Don’t worry about it. Bunch of teen girls is what they are. Come on. You need some caffeine?”

“Yes.” I turn to pull my seat belt on. Some officers don’t wear their belts, but I don’t want to be in an accident without one. Besides, it’s the law for us too.

We stop at our favorite coffee shop, and I make my way back to the car with my black coffee and sandwich in hand. We are patrolling the Lenox Hill area when I catch a sight.

I swear I just saw an angel.

“Stop, Damian.” He pulls to the side of the road. I set my coffee down and exit the car, using my height advantage to look around for her. Sure enough, there she is. Her blond hair is waving down her back as she moves through the crowds fast. She’s so tiny at maybe only five foot four, if that. She turns to look over her shoulder and I see the fear in her eyes as she watches a couple of men moving fast behind her. She turns down an alley and I’m in motion.

“Follow me,” I yell at Damian as I slam the door. I click my shoulder mic and inform dispatch that I’m in pursuit of a potential mugging. The alley she slipped down has an opening at the other end, but it is also away from people and she could be hurt.

My boots pound the pavement as I run. “Out of my way! NYPD!” I order people as I move toward the mouth of the alley, my heart clenched tight in my chest fearing I’m going to be too late. I round the building carefully. Not giving someone my full body in case they have a gun or weapon and saw me coming. I hear her scream and the sound of a body being hit.

“NYPD. Stop,” I yell as I pull my Taser.

When I come around the trash cans, I see two men in black with hoods up running away, but it’s the body of the small woman on the ground that causes me to pause.

Damian comes up behind me.

“Go after them. Two perps. Black hoodies, black pants. One of them dropped something there.” I point across the alley where one of the guys threw something metal.

“Not a gun,” Damian confirms before he takes off after the men.

The woman whimpers and curls around herself tighter. I want to reach for her but see blood. They hurt her in the short time it took me to get to her. Her hair is soaked in the muddy water she’s lying in. Her body shivers from the dampness. She’s not dressed for the chilly air from the rain earlier this morning and will be coming again as the day progresses. Her jeans are baggy on her body. Her sweater is old and tattered. I look down at her little feet in the threadbare tennis shoes. Carefully I reach out for her but don’t touch her.

“I’m Officer Distonoli; call me Rocco. I’m here to help you. What’s your name?” I try to make my normally gruff voice sound softer.

She rolls her head toward me and I’m frozen by her startling wide-set eyes. One is bottle green, while the other is a hazel with shots of brown through it. They are full of fear and are red-rimmed from crying. Her face is swelling, and her delicate ivory skin is bruised. Some of the bruises are already green, which I know isn’t possible. This poor girl has been attacked before today.

“I’m Guinevere,” she says, her voice so soft I can barely hear her.

My heart pounds hard in my chest. Her voice holds me captive, just like her eyes. It’s soft and what I imagine an angel would sound like. But she’s so timid, she pushes back away from me.

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