"I'm still nervous about leaving you alone," Mother said.

She was in full uniform, standing rigid next to Mom who was shifting awkwardly from foot to foot. Ashe found the sight of them a bit amusing and might have even smiled if it wasn't for the butterflies in her stomach.

Mom was set to return to duty while Mother took her days off, but one of the cartels got into a gunfight with the Iron Patriots up in Sutton. They'd shut down two whole blocks and she volunteered to go in to free up the other captain to deal with that mess.

Her mom looked to her wife, clearly nervous about leaving, but things were getting nasty out there. The only reason they'd eventually decided to both go in was because Ashe would be spending the day with Crystal. The attack might have happened just a week prior, with Ashe being far from healed, but Crystal seemed to have earned enough of their trust for them to let her spend time with the woman. That or they were trusting her to behave and Crystal to keep her safe, which made what she was about to do hurt all the more.

"It will be fine, Mother," Ashe said. "We're going to be in public spaces only, and far away from Sutton besides."

Truth was, they would be in northern Antioch near the Suwannee River, which was also on the border of two gang territories. It wasn't safe, and Ashe knew that. Worse, they were going there to do something that was borderline illegal. She didn't dare relay that to her mom however, or even hint at it. Instead, they were going to check out a bookstore and grab a bite to eat, nothing more.

Her mom pulled Ashe into a hug. "We still worry."

"Do you have protection?" Mother asked.

"I have my Glock, I'll be fine," Ashe said.

Her mom chuckled and even her stoic Mother hid a smirk. She just had to pray that statement remained true.

Ashe watched her parents leave, waving them goodbye, before doubling back to her room. She needed something to help conceal her identity and settled on one of her old face masks she'd used during the height of the pandemic, one with a red flame print bandana she picked up a few years back. Reflective sunglasses and a red plaid jacket would complete the look. She hid the faded, but still obviously dyed, streak of her hair with the bandana, and with her distinctive eyebrow scar hidden by the sunglasses and the mask covering for the rest, her disguise was ready.

Putting everything together, Ashe barely recognized herself. Nobody would be picking her out of a lineup easily which was the entire point of a disguise. She kept telling herself that all they were doing was scoping out the man's home and calling it in once they knew he had illegal drugs.

Gathering her resolve, Ashe left her home twenty minutes later, bandana and mask tucked into the pockets of her jacket where they would remain until she was far enough from home. No point making it easier on anyone trying to recognize her, but she would rather be cautious than make it too easy.

The elevator dinged and opened to the lobby of her apartment building and Ashe hurried out to the street. She walked for about a block before she saw the green motorcycle and the gorgeous woman atop it. Ashe had to swallow the lump in her throat at the sight of her wearing biking leathers while thumbing through her phone.

She was the picture of casual boredom, and yet Ashe couldn't look away. She was hopeless, there was no denying that. Ashe was just glad that Crystal's arms were currently covered, she didn't need to turn into a complete mess before even having a chance to say hello. Right, she needed to focus on the task at hand, not who she wanted to hold her hand.

"Hey," Ashe said, the very picture of eloquence.

Crystal pocketed her phone, a grin on her face as she held up the spare helmet. "Sup girl, you ready?"

"Not in the slightest," Ashe admitted. "Still, let's do this thing."

Crystal laughed, pulling on her helmet as Ashe double checked her shoulder holster. Despite the warmth, a motorcycle would still be cold at speed which would make the jacket less likely to stand out to others. Once she was certain everything was secured, Ashe hopped on behind Crystal and they were off.

The ride was every bit as thrilling as the last time she rode behind the older woman, her heart pounded with the thrill of it. City blocks passed in a blur, fading into the suburbs of Antioch, small ponds dotting the landscape. At one stoplight, Ashe spotted a gator sunbathing near the shore of one such pond. They were close enough to the Suwannee river that gator sightings weren't uncommon. Just one of the perks of living in Florida.

There was a reason you didn't walk your dog or took small children anywhere near open water of any kind. At least once a year a horror story would happen because people didn't respect nature or common sense. She still remembered the last story, just a few months prior, where a woman let her son go down to see the turtles.

He was lucky to only lose an arm.

People often joked that everything in Australia was out to kill you, but the same was true of Florida as well, just less aggressively so. Gators were puppies compared to crocs, and the snakes and spiders weren't on the same scale, but the comparison still held true. The difference was the people. Florida Man was a meme, but it proved true time and again.

Ashe was distracting herself, she knew that, but it kept her from working herself sick with worry over what was to come. The pair pulled into a strip mall and parked the bike. Ashe hopped off, looking around at the bookstore they were visiting.

"Hand me your phone," Crystal said, stowing her helmet before pulling on her own black bandana to hide her distinctive hair. Ashe felt her anxiety swell as her lifeline was secured in Crystal's bike. She then handed Ashe a new phone. "This is a burner. It's got my number and a few friends of mine on it."

"Don't criminals use burners?" Ashe asked, eyeing the phone dubiously.

Crystal raised an eyebrow. "You are aware of the legality of our afternoon plans, right?"

"Please don't remind me," Ashe grumbled, pocketing the phone. "What now?"

"Now," Crystal said, as she started walking deeper into the parking lot. "We get in this dubious looking unmarked van."

The van sat with windows so tinted you could see nothing inside. It looked like it might have been an old ice cream truck or something, but Ashe wasn't sure. That or the type of van an old man would offer candy out of.

Crystal walked around back and popped the door open. "Robbie, everything ready?"

"Good to go," a gruff voice said.

Ashe paused, not having expected anyone else to be present. If she was having second thoughts before, they were now screaming at her what a horrible idea this was and how she should just turn around and go back to the bookstore. She didn't need to do this, she could pretend her faith in the system wasn't shattered. Maybe the police would still manage to get something on the assholes that hurt her.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Crystal looked back, then let out a sigh as she offered Ashe a hand. "He's a friend. I've known Robbie for years. He's cool."

"Very reassuring," Ashe muttered, but hopped inside anyway. "Why do we even need the van? I thought this was just to confirm he had drugs or some shit."

"Always be ready to take advantage of opportunities," Robbie said. Now that she could see him, she noted that he was a built black man, with a thick beard trimmed close and a bald head. There were tattoos along his bare arms, but she couldn't tell what they were from the angle. "Crystal here asked if I could be the getaway driver if something went wrong."

Crystal hummed, a smirk on her lips. "Which in my experience is an unfortunately common occurrence."

"Because you're a shit thief," Robbie said, putting the van in gear. "Now, shut that damn door and let's get this shit show done."

Crystal rolled her eyes and pulled the door shut. Ashe jumped at the sound, knowing that her chance to escape was now firmly behind her. The van rumbled as it pulled out onto the street, not that Ashe could see anything. Instead, she was treated to Crystal swapping out her leathers for normal clothing. Her bandana remained on, but a beanie went over it.

Sunglasses much like Ashe's own were put on as were a set of thin leather gloves. Ashe took the chance to take out her own disguise and put it on, knowing that whatever they were about to do was going to be worse than she initially assumed.

"So, where did Crystal find you?" Robbie asked, startling her out of her introspection. "She was weirdly vague about it when I asked."

"Because you tease me like the little shit you are anytime a girl is involved," Crystal retorted.

Robbie snorted. "And? Even after a nasty breakup, you and Keiko still go out for drinks on occasion."

"We broke up three years ago," Crystal said with a pout. "We're just friends and nothing happens."

"Nothing happens?" Robbie said, then barked out a laugh. "What about the time you threw a skinhead off a pier at Horseshoe Beach, he got caught in a riptide and drowned."

"He shouldn't have grabbed my ass!" Crystal yelled, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "You were there with us, you fucking laughed about it when Keiko broke that bottle over his head!"

"Never said it wasn't funny," he said, his shit eating grin visible in the rear view.

Ashe's blood ran cold at the casual joke about a man's death, manslaughter if Crystal was to be tried for it, though she might get off with self defense if she got a decent judge. Those were few in Jericho, however.

Crystal turned back to Ashe with a smile that quickly fell away. "Shit, probably shouldn't have joked about that." Crystal rubbed the back of her head as she looked away. "Look, I was younger than you at the time and he was easily fifty and piss drunk besides. I still remember the iron cross on his bald head as I grabbed his arm and tried to pin him. I slipped, he went over the railing. Far as I know, they never recovered his body."

"Could he have survived?" Ashe asked.

Crystal winced, then sighed. "Not likely. Keiko broke her beer bottle over his head, the moment I grabbed his arm."

Ashe closed her eyes and took a slow, deliberate breath. She knew Crystal was too familiar with death, she didn't react to shooting a man when she came into the alley like an avenging angel. It still hurt to think of Crystal as a killer, but the truth of it was staring back at her.

"No point crying over spilled Nazis," Robbie said with a scoff.

"Besides," Crystal added. "You have plenty of reasons to hate them, just as I do. We aren't here to kill him, just put some egg on his face with his superiors."

"Which might just end with him dead in a ditch," Ashe finished, glaring back at Crystal.

"That's how things work out on the streets," Crystal said. "You aren't going to get justice with the courts, you know this, so why not put some pressure on a different scale and see what happens to tip?"

Ashe knew she was wading into murky waters by taking the path before her, but it was quickly proving to be far deeper than first appearances dictated. Could she still back out? Worse to consider, did she actually want to? The image of the man who groped her came to mind, the satisfaction when her fist impacted his nose.

It had been too damn satisfying.

"We're here," Robbie said, jolting her back to the present.

Crystal patted her on the shoulder then moved to the rear of the van and opened the door. Ashe followed, her stomach churning bile as she did. The neighborhood wasn't nearly as rundown as she expected. Homes had their own yards, and she could even see some toys scattered in one of them across the way.

A woman sat on the steps, smoking what Ashe knew wasn't a cigarette. She was tall, even while sitting that much was obvious, her dark skin contrasting with the white porch. She was dressed simply, jeans and a t-shirt and wore her hair in a complicated braid. To Ashe's surprise, Crystal walked up to the woman with purpose.

"Mercedes! How have you been?"

"Well enough," the woman said, blowing her smoke towards the sky. Crystal then held out a roll of twenties which the woman deftly took. "He's home. No visitors for two days."

Crystal nodded, looking back to the home before she produced another roll of cash. "And we were never here."

"Of course," Mercedes answered.

Crystal stepped away, and Ashe reluctantly followed as she glanced back. "What was that about?"

"She's Viuda," Crystal said. "One of their caregivers that helps take care of the kids while others work. She's good people."

"You brought a gang into this?" Ashe hissed.

Crystal shrugged. "That surprises you? Look Ashe, you want to stick it to two members of the IP. Doing that requires some level of support and the Viuda are largely neutral and willing to provide information and more importantly, won't sell us out to the fascist pricks."

She had a point, but that didn't mean Ashe had to like it. "Fine."

"It's obviously not," Crystal said softly. "Look, I can tell this is way outside of your comfort zone. I honestly made the offer in jest and planned to do this without you."

Ashe blinked. "You did?"

Crystal gestured back to the house. "You think I figured all this out in the span of three days? I've been burning favors and greasing palms since you told me they made bail. When you asked to join me, I almost laughed it off to keep you out of it."

"What changed your mind?" Ashe asked with a dry throat.

Crystal smiled, sharp and savage. "Because I know what it's like to feel powerless. I know you felt that same thing in the alley, otherwise you would have never asked. I wanted to show you that you never have to feel like that again. So, are you ready to go take this bastard for all he's worth and leave him with nothing but excuses for his bosses?"

Ashe took a measured breath. She wasn't anything of the sort, but really, who was truly ready when they committed their first felony?

"Fuck it, let's do this."