────── LONELY HEART

prologue

o. Molly's

❝ LOVE CAN BLIND YOU MORE THAN A GUNSHOT. ❞

― Thomm Quackenbush

Marlowe Romero had the worst headache she had had in a while as she settled down on a barstool at Molly's Bar. Herrmann had already placed a beer bottle on the bar in front of her, the older man already knowing it had been a long day on the job by the look on her face. She gave him a thankful smile, resting the side of her face against the palm of her hand as she brought the bottle to her chapped lips. She had ditched her patrol uniform for the night and changed into a pair of dark jeans with an oversized grey hoodie, hellbent on taking the edge off.

Endless patrol rounds, drug busts, and raining bullets- all part of a day's work.

"You look like you've been through the ringer," Herrmann told her with a laugh.

Marlowe laughed softly at his words, "Got knocked down a flight of stairs today. Couple rough happenings on patrol- that's about it."

"Nothing like the streets of Chicago to keep life interesting," He leaned forwards against his elbows on the opposite side of the bar.

"You'll never guess what happened towards the end of shift though."

"Knowing that district of yours it's hard to tell."

Marlowe raised her bottle to his words before taking another sip of her drink, "Voight asked me to shadow in Intelligence."

"Whoa, that's a big deal!" Herrmann clapped, "When do you start that?"

Despite the rough history between the Twenty-First District and Firehouse 51, most of the officers got along well with the firefighters. Being first responders, often having overlapping scenes, they saw one another often- especially when Molly's was the go-to place after a long and grueling shift.

"Monday," She told him, "So nothing like a Friday night at Molly's to celebrate before I get dragged into the chaos of Intelligence."

"What are we celebrating?"

Herrmann and Marlowe greeted Leo Hak with simultaneous of hellos. Leo was Marlowe's partner, had been since she had gotten the job at the Twenty-First District in the Patrol Division. He was a couple years older than her and a few inches taller than her, but just as dedicated to the job. Marlowe called him her favorite Korean and he teased her for being the weirdest Italian-Mexican-American in Chicago. Sergeant Trudy Platt really had a match made in hell pairing the two most lively and ambitious patrollers together.

Taking a seat next to Marlowe, Leo ordered a glass of whiskey from Herrmann, "Hm, let me guess- Hank Voight is finally bringing you upstairs after years of badassary on the job."

"I say it's about time, huh, Leo?" Herrmann asked as he poured the liquor into a glass for Hak before leaving the bar to serve other costumers.

"I'll say," He agreed taking a swig from his cup, smiling at his friend, "But I am scared Platt's gonna put me with some dummy cop in your place."

"You never know, it might just be for a week or so- if I'm that lucky," Marlowe laughed.

It was Leo's turn to chuckle in disagreement this time, "Somehow, I doubt that once you're in, you're coming out. You're too good Mar. Though Voight might scare you back out."

If there was a force not to be reckoned with in Chicago it was Sergeant Hank Voight. Notorious for being one of the most ruthless and headstrong police officers to walk the streets of the city, he had been called dirty by many but praised by plenty others. Voight handled most of his cases his way with his own rules- something Marlowe both admired and feared. And if anyone crossed him, recovery teams would be dragging the bottom of Chicago River for their body.

Marlowe snickered softly against the end of her bottle, "Sure, Hak."

Looking down at his glass, swirling the liquid around in his glass, "Speaking of Intelligence... It's been almost a year, you know, since Greg..."

"Reenlisted. I know. I'm handling it better than I thought I would be a year later, Hak," Marlowe said, placing her owed money from her pocket down on the bar next to her empty bottle, "And I don't regret supporting his decision. He wanted to go back to be a solider, so he did. I just wasn't ready to be left behind."

"Ah," Was Leo's only response, rolling his eyes, "You're so full of shit, but I'll leave it alone."

Marlowe patted his shoulder and grabbed her jacket from the bar, "That's more like it."

She gave him and Herrmann one last smile before heading to the front door of the bar, halting halfway through opening it as a pair of men began entering the bar. A round of greetings met Marlowe as she stepped outside into the cool night air. Two friendly faces from the district greeted her in the doorway, both grinning- something rare to see when on duty.

Adam Ruzek's ego was as tall as he was, but his sense of humor made up for it. Six-foot with a tossed head of dark brown hair and matching eyes, Ruzek was definitely one the ladies' favorite. Marlowe definitely did not mind him, especially when they were paired together on assignments and every miniscule thing turned into a competition- such as who could eat the most hot dogs on stakeouts or who could run after a suspect the fastest on ice.

And next to him stood Jay Halstead, one of the most seasoned detectives on the Intelligence Unit, but definitely one of the toughest. He was hard to read, and inimitable- definitely one of a kind. Marlowe sometimes teased him for only being an inch taller, but she knew if he were to go dead serious and narrow those blue eyes of his- all laughter was to be put aside. Jay tended to be a hardass, but his loyalty and selflessness went beyond measures.

The balance of lover and fighter inside that man was unbelievable.

"Hey, guys," Marlowe greeted them, placing her hands in the pocket of her coat.

"Hey, M," Jay nodded in her direction, "You leaving already? It's barely past nine."

"Yeah, I'm calling it a night- I'm, uh, going to visit Cody early in the morning," She told him, "Then I'm taking the weekend to rest up so-"

"So you can get a taste of the big times, huh?" Adam laughed, punching her shoulder.

Marlowe chuckled in response, "Yeah, totally, Ruzek."

Jay shook his head and placed a hand on Marlowe's shoulder, "You're going to need all the rest you can get. We'll see you Monday."

"Yeah, see you guys then."

She left them withone last wave and turned to walk across the street to her car, smiling to herself.

Monday morning could not come soon enough.

first published ── 04.24.20