Papi says he can drive, Lupe Molina offered in a hushed, uncertain tone.
Gina sat up as straight as her seat belt and protective vest allowed. No. Absolutely not. The whole reason hes going for these checkups is because he passed out the last time his blood pressure spiked. He cant be behind the wheel.
What do I do? Lupe asked quietly.
As much as she loved her great-aunt and -uncle whod taken in the three Galvan siblings and raised them after their mother had died, Lupe and Rollo Molina were now both close to eighty and didnt need the hassle of dealing with an attention-craving teenager. Especially not with Rollos health issues. Ill call Sylvie. See if I can get her home to help like she promised. If you dont hear from her or me in ten minutes, call the doctors office and reschedule the appointment for tomorrow. Ill be off except for practicing for my next SWAT test on the shooting range. Ill make sure you get there.
All right. I can do that. You see? This is where having a young man to help you would be a good thing.
Gina rolled her eyes at the not-so-subtle hint. There was more than one path to success besides getting married and making babies. I love you, Tia Mami. Adios.
Te amo, Gina. Youre always my good girl.
By the time she disconnected the call, Derek had pulled the black-and-white into the coffee shops tiny parking lot but was making no effort to get out and let her deal with her family on her own. Instead, he rested the long black sleeve of his uniform on the steering wheel and grinned at her. Sylvie off on another one of her escapades?
Gina might as well fill in the blanks for him. Shes supposed to be driving my uncle to the doctor. Instead, shes cruising around the city with a young man whos too old for her.
Derek shook his head. She does look older than seventeen when she puts on all her makeup. He dropped his green-eyed gaze to her black laced-up work boots. Shes got the family legs, too.
Ignoring the gibe at her five-foot-three-inch height, Gina punched in Sylvies number. Then she punched Dereks shoulder, giving back the teasing camaraderie they shared. Youre eyeballing my little sister?
Hey, when you decorate the Christmas tree, youre supposed to celebrate it.
Well, you dont get to hang any ornaments on my sister, understand? Shes seventeen. You could get into all kinds of trouble with the department. And me.
Derek raised his hands in surrender. Forget the department. Youre the one who scares me. Youre about to become one of SWATs finest. Im not messing with anyone in your family.
The call went straight to Sylvies voice mail. Damn it. Gina tucked her phone back into her vest and held her hand out for Dereks. Could I borrow yours? Maybe if she doesnt recognize the number, shell pick up.
That means Ill have her number in my phone, you know. And Sylvie is a hottie.
Seven. Teen. Gina repeated the warning with a smile and typed in her wayward sisters number.
Shed barely been a teenager herself when her mother had passed away and their long-absent father had willingly signed away his parental rights, leaving the three Galvans orphans in No-Mans Land, one of the toughest neighborhoods in downtown Kansas City. Theyd moved out of their cramped apartment into a slightly less cramped house. Instead of prostitutes, drug dealers and gangbangers doing business beneath Ginas bedroom window, theyd graduated to the vicinity of a meth lab, which KCPD had eventually closed down, at the end of the block. Naturalized citizens who were proud to call themselves Americans, her great-aunt and -uncle had stressed the values of education and hard work, and theyd grown up proud but poor. With her diminutive stature, Gina had quickly learned how to handle herself in a fight and project an attitude so that no one would mess with her family or take advantage of her. That hardwired drive to protect her loved ones had morphed into a desire to protect any innocent who needed her help, including this neighborhood and her entire city. But she couldnt forget which side of the tracks the Galvans and Molinas had come fromand just how far she had to go to secure something better for them.
Hey, dont jinx the SWAT thing for me, okay? A little bit of her great-aunt and -uncles superstitious nature buzzed through her thoughts like an annoying gnat she thought shed gotten rid of. If she made Special Weapons and Tactics, the rise in status with the department and subsequent raise in pay would finally allow her to move her whole family into a house with a real yard in a safer suburb. She wasnt afraid of setting goals and working hard to achieve them, but it was rare that she allowed anything so personal as wanting some open space to plant a proper garden or get a dog or owning a bathroom she didnt have to share with four other people to motivate her. Im not the only recruit on Captain Cutlers list of candidates for the new SWAT team hes forming. There are ten people on a list for five spots. Including you.
Yeah, but youre the toughest.
Jinxing, remember? Gina crossed her fingers and kissed her knuckles before touching them to her heart, a throwback from her childhood to cootie shots and negating bad karma. We all have our talents.
Im just repeating what Cutler said at the last training meeting. McBride scored the highest at the shooting range. And you, my kickass little partner, are the one he said hed least like to face one-on-one in a fight. Take the compliment.
It was on the tip of her tongue to remind Derek that she wasnt his little anything, but she was dealing with enough conflict already today. Youre doing well, too, or youd have been eliminated already. Captain Cutler announces things like that so we stay competitive.
Hey, Im not quittin anything until those new promotions are posted. I only have to be fifth best and Ill still make the team.
Fifth best? Gina laughed. Way to aim high, Johnson.
Its too bad about Cho, though. Hes been acing all the written tests and procedure evaluations.
Gina agreed. Colin Cho was a fellow SWAT candidate whod suffered three cracked ribs when hed been shot twice while directing traffic around a stalled car on the North Broadway Freeway in the middle of the night two weeks ago. Only his body armor had prevented the incident from becoming a fatality. Any idea how hes doing?
I heard hes up and around, but he wont be running any races soon. Hes restricted to desk duty for the time being. I wonder if theyll replace him on the candidate list or just shorten it to nine potential SWAT officers.
Chos too good an officer to remove from contention, Gina reasoned, hitting the phone icon on the screen to connect the call.
But there is a deadline, Derek reminded her. If he cant pass the physical...
The number rang several times before her sister finally picked up. Sylvie Galvans phone, a man answered.
Not her sister but that slimy lothario who struck Gina as a mobster wannabeif he wasnt already running errands and doing small jobs for some of the bigger criminals in town. Gina swallowed the curse on her tongue. She needed to keep this civil if she wanted to get her great-aunt and -uncle the help they needed. Bobby, put Sylvie on.
Its your wicked big sister, he announced. The sounds of horns honking and traffic moving in the background told her they were in his car. Hopefully, in the front seat and not stretched out together in the back. What will you give me to hand you this phone?