Love and War

_{Image by Bret Kavanaugh}

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For a very short time, the quiet of the neighborhood was disturbed by the heavy staccato of gunshots. So odd was it that for a moment passersby had no idea it was weapons that were firing. And then pandemonium struck as people began to run about. And the gun battle was going on in what everyone had thought to be an abandoned warehouse. The gunshots were loud and echoed for miles.

The exchange of firepower went on for just over a minute, and suddenly silence fell again in the warehouse. Returning the neighborhood to the quiet it once was. But it was not the same.

Soon after, the door flew open and a man staggered out of the warehouse, clutching his bleeding arm and holding on tight to a pistol. A sedan swerved into view and the back door flew open, he jumped in at once, slamming the door shut behind him. The car was kicked into motion once more and sped out of there.

Seconds later, S.W.A.T operatives poured out of the warehouse, their weapons raised as they searched around for the wounded man. Taking the rear was a woman. She was dark-skinned and had deep-set eyes which were currently looking angry. She was the mastermind behind this successful raid. She was the Chief of Police.

Miles away and increasing by the second, the Crime Boss was in his getaway car as his trusted driver drove him to safety. The driver was good, easily navigating the traffic and running the red light when he had to. There was no time to delay; the Boss was losing a lot of blood.

“Kathy,” He rasped, letting the pistol drop to the floor of the car.

“I’m sorry, Boss. But she has been arrested; I saw it with my own eyes.”

Eventually, they got to their hideout and the car screeched to a halt. The driver jumped out and called out, “I need the nurses in here right now! The boss has been shot!”

And from there, everything went as smoothly as a well-oiled engine. The Boss was assisted into the mansion. He was taken to his private room where his nurses began to work diligently to stop the bleeding and pull out the bullet.

Just as they staunched the flow, and were about to begin the process of pulling it out, he noticed a figure lurking in the shadows. He growled.

“Get out!” He ordered the nurses. “I said get out!”

“But… Boss… We have to―”

“NOW!!”

They didn’t hesitate. They all scurried out, leaving their equipment behind. The lead nurse locked the door behind him.

Then the Boss opened his drawer and pulled out a pistol. He slipped the safety backward and pointed it at the figure in the shadows.

“You fool! What the hell are you doing here?”

The curtains fluttered a bit and the figure slowly disentangled herself from the hiding place. And stepping into the light, the Chief of Police regarded him idly.

He didn’t seem fazed by her presence; he looked all the more intent to shoot her.

“You should put that away baby; I think we’ve had enough gunshots for today. Don’t you think?”

His hand remained raised until she stopped beside him and gently pried the weapon out of his grip. She walked around the desk and sat on it, directly facing him.

“You don’t look so good, my love.”

“Oh. I wonder why. Wait, let me think! Because I was shot by my frigging girlfriend!!!”

“Oh, come on. Don’t be such a baby. It was only in the arm, you’ve been shot there before.”

“Yes, but not by my lover.”

Just then she picked the pincers and proceeded to pull out the bullet, he too subconsciously turned in her direction. Even though he was pissed at her, he didn’t think twice about being treated by the same person who had intentionally shot him.

As she worked, a sharp flare of pain spread across his chest, he bunched his fist and slammed it on the desk, “do you know how much you cost me today? About two million dollars. That warehouse had enough drugs to tide us into the New Year. What the hell were you thinking?”

“I was only thinking of myself, not of you. But you’re a big boy; you will always find a way to recoup your losses.”

“Oh, you think?” there was another bout of silence as she kept working, then he just had to ask it, “why, my love? I thought we had a deal? We were not going to interfere with the other’s business. Why didn’t you keep up your end?”

She kept quiet for a while until she pulled out the bullet and let it fall with a clatter on the silver tray. She proceeded to bandage and dress the wound.

“How long were you planning to fool me?”

The Boss’s brows furrowed at that, “what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about Kathy! You think I didn’t know you’re having an affair with her?”

He didn’t even try to deny it; he just collapsed deeper into the chair, looking deflated. He knew that for her to be confronting him with it, she already had proof. So there was no point for him to try to deny.

“I’m sorry, how long have you known?”

“It doesn’t matter. Kathy made the mistake of telling me to leave her man for her,” The Chief of Police let out a dry laugh, it was without humor. “Your side chic was pretty dumb, like didn’t she know who I was?”

“But… you didn’t have to raid my warehouse! We could have talked about this.”

“That was only to teach you a lesson, I hope you learned it.” She finished the wound and smiled down at him, her eyes filled with love, “you idiot. Don’t you know how much I love you? Please, do not try to insult me again, okay? The fate of your business depends on it.”

“What have you done to Kathy?”

“She has been arrested; I will make sure she rots in jail.”

“That is not necessary. What if she talks?”

“Oh, believe me, she won’t. I’ve made her know just what a bad idea that would be for her. Now that she knows who is truly in charge, she’s quite easy to handle.”

Finally done, the Chief got down from the desk and straightened out her jacket, “I need to return to the office. I will see you later tonight.”

“Babe,” The Boss muttered, getting to his feet, “I’m sorry.”

She nodded before kissing him deeply, “I know. That is why I only shot you in the arm. The moment your heart ceases to be mine, I will take it too.”

She turned and began to walk towards the hidden door through which she had sneaked in earlier. The Boss quietly settled back into the chair, looking sad and dejected, “what about Kathy? What happens to her now?”

The Chief of Police didn’t reply until she got to the door, “she has to learn her lesson.”

“And what is that?”

“If she’s gonna steal a man, she should damn well make sure he’s not dating the Chief of Police.”

And she slammed the door shut behind her.

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_{The End.
Thank you for reading.
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