Criminal Activity

[Ashi]

"Charming? I like to think so." Nick batted his eyes in mock innocently, fighting back a condescending smile. He could be quite charming when he wanted to be, which was usually only when a sticky situation called for it. A situation like the one he got himself into. Staying under arrest wasn't what the blonde was hoping to hear, and he grimaced at Marc's smile. "I'm easily found if you want me," He joked, raising his brows suggestively. He made no fuss about going to the holding cell; although the look on his face as the door closed said enough.

"I have friends, so I'll pass, thanks." Nick said in a slight grumble. At least the cuffs were completely off, if there was an upside to this at all. He turned to look at the entirety of the cell and the few others that inhabited it. They were grisly characters, likely just as awful in attitude as they appeared to be. Nick sighed and went to sit on the bench farthest away from them, ignoring the stares of suspicion and the death glares.

The diner whose address Nick had written down sat on a corner at one of the busiest intersections in downtown. It was an alright place that didn't fit the area that surrounded it. The name he wrote down was that of the young woman who oft could be found in the corner booth, a beach blonde that went by Mel. It was easy enough to judge by the way she dressed that she was of an unsavory profession. In fact, that street corner was her turf. Mel had been an acquaintance of Nick's for some time, since he helped her out of trouble. She told him about some of her clients, the ones she thought were especially weird or creepy. There was one in particular recently that stood out: a man who paid her not in cash, but in drugs. Mel didn't use them, but kept them, thinking of selling them for the money the man should have given her. They were an unmarked brand popular amongst other prostitutes.

 

[AshlioFern]

>>>

Marc had changed out of the uniform before he went, figuring that showing up as a cop might scare away whoever he was going to talk to. He also went in his own car. Getting there had been no problem, and he found her easy enough. Now he was back, wondering what he was supposed to do with this information. Was it somehow linked to the case Nick had been looking at? Or just a free tip on some drug dealer, to show that Nick knew stuff?

He went straight to the holding cells and crossed his arms while looking in on Nick. "Nice, you're still here," he said with a pleased smile. Not that he had expected him to go anywhere, that would have been very unlikely. "So, what? Do I seem so lonely that you figured you'd send me to a hooker? Don't quite know how I should take that."

 

[Ashi]

Mel wasn't stupid; she could smell a cop a mile away, and Marc was obviously a cop despite he wore regular clothes. She wondered what Nick would send a cop to her for, but didn't ask for lack of wanting to hear the answer. She was initially skeptical of the man; however, she did tell him what information she had. Albeit carefully, she even showed Marc the small plastic pouch of powder. While Marc was gone, Nick stretched out across the one empty bench in the holding cell and avoided the eyes of the others in there with him.

"Thought I'd wait up for you," Nick said as he rose from the bench to stand at the cell door. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, my friend. Though... now that I think about it, you look like you could use a fun night out." He smirked, taking a step back and looking Marc up and down. "But seriously, did you even look at the case? The drugs the police found in the most recent bust are described as being packaged the same way as what Mel was paid with. I think they're connected - and Mel could identify the guy who gave it to her." Nick spoke with a firm, insistent tone. He glanced over his shoulder as inconspicuously as he could towards the other occupants, hoping they weren't listening. That was a good way to get into trouble or even killed.

"Besides, you're not Mel's type."

 

[AshlioFern]

Marc rolled his eyes at the fun night-comment. He was perfectly capable on deciding that for himself, and if he felt like having a fun night, he most definitely would. No hooker needed for that.

And yes, he had noticed the drug looked similar. "That guy could just be another buyer," he said stubbornly. He realized he didn't really want Nick to know anything. It would just hurt his pride if this no body knew stuff that he himself didn't. But he had to admit that it was a potential good lead. Paying hookers with drugs... Maybe he was more than just a buyer.

"And no worries, Mel is definitely not my type either," he said with a smile. Then he unlocked the cell door and got Nick out. "Let's find a place to talk some more." There where too many ears listening here.

He found an empty interrogation room and brought him inside, and locked the door. There was no mirrors on the walls, so they where safe from people listening in. Not that he really thought anyone would, everyone had their own stuff to do. "So, what now?" he asked and crossed his arms again.

 

[Ashi]

"Yes, but you don't know for sure until you find out." Nick said, prepared to stand his ground on the matter. For a second, it seemed Nick was actually getting somewhere with this guy. There seemed a little bit of promise there, despite he was being stubborn. He didn't quite understand why the officer was trying so hard to belittle the idea. Did he not care about being stuck doing everyone else's paperwork or was he just dead-set on sending Nick to jail?

"Why would I be worried?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, uncertain of what exactly that statement meant. Mel wasn't Nick's type, either; both of them agreed that that had been a one-time thing. He decided not to mention this, figuring it would be more fuel for Marc to comment on. Nick was glad to get out of the pin and away from potentially listening ears and prying eyes. He grinned at those who were still in there, only able to get away with it because there were bars between them now.

"What--? Who's the cop here, you or me?" Nick said as he stepped into the empty interrogation room. It was baffling that Marc even asked such a question. "Of course, you follow the lead. We need to investigate who the guy is and how he got the drugs. If he's not selling, then we find who he bought it from, and so on and so forth. Follow the bread crumbs so to speak. C'mon, detective. You should've thought of that. Is all that paperwork dulling your cop senses?" He teased rather smugly. "It'll take me a while, but I'll see if I can't at least find out a name. And don't worry, if anyone asks, this was all your idea."

 

[AshlioFern]

Marc pinched the bridge of his nose, counting to five. Why had he gotten himself into this... He had imagined that if he ever got an informant, it wouldn't be a rude bitch like this kid. Maybe he actually should smack him around a little, teach him a thing or two.

"I know what to do, you moron!" he said and dropped the hand, and looked at Nick with all the happy emotions he was feeling showing in his eyes. There weren't none. "And if you want this deal to go through, maybe you should cut back on the insults? I just ment I thought you would give me something better than this. What, I'm supposed to let you go because you maybe know about someone who is maybe just a buyer of some drug?"

Yes, it was a lead, a sore needed one. But, what was stopping Nick from just leaving now? Marc couldn't exactly lock him up anymore unless he was going to charge him with the break in. If he wanted to continue this informant thing, he had to let Nick go. Problem was that he didn't trust him for a second. He didn't belive Nick would stick around. "So I should let you go now, huh? And just hope that you will show up again with more information? It's not like I have any way to fint you if you choose to disappear. The information you put down in that form could very well be fake," he said and crossed his arms. He actually had a couple potensial solutions to this problem, but he wanted to hear what Nick's was. It was after all he that was risking going to jail, so Marc felt that Nick should work a little harder on convincing him.

 

[Ashi]

"Hey, hey, hey! Chill! I'm just messing with you." Nick blinked incredulously at Marc, a look of amusement on his face. He found it both shocking and hilarious at the officer's inability to take a joke. Then again, it didn't help that Nick's jokes teetered on the very thin line between tease and insult. He held his hands up, almost as in surrender, signaling for Marc to calm down. "However unfortunate, I only connected those dots when I read the file, because - of course - details like that aren't disclosed to the media. I admit that this really is a crap shoot; it could be a good lead, or it could go absolutely nowhere. But either way, you and I don't really have any other options. Well, I suppose you do, but I sure don't." He crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged.

"That is up to you. You don't trust me and I don't blame you; I wouldn't trust me, either. I can say, with a little of that honesty from earlier, that my information is authentic. I don't really have any means of proving it to you other than showing you my place, since I don't have a driver's license or any documentation like that. But I'm easily found if you really want me." Nick smirked a little. No person in their right mind would trust him and rightfully so. He was sneaky and sly and could pick a pocket with ease. There were few people that trusted him; although, there were only those few that he bothered to be trustworthy of. Marc would have to be one of those few.

"If it helps, I'm not inclined to get myself into any more trouble than I'm already in; and lying to you certainly wouldn't help my case. There may or may not be a recent theft that may or may not have something to do with me, as well as multiple others. You have my fingerprints, so if you wanted, you could compare them, maybe pin me for the thefts. There's your leverage. Unless... you need a more concrete method? The GPS on my phone perhaps?" The blonde said thoughtfully, trying to find an angle that the cop would go for. He would probably object to the phone GPS, on account that Nick could easily ditch the phone.

"Just about the only thing I absolutely won't consent to is tracking device implants. I'm not a dog."

 

[AshlioFern]

Marc just stared at him while he talked, not showing any response. He didn't appreciate the teasing at all, and Nick seemed to enjoy it too much. Idiot. He hoped an opportunity to punch him would present itself sooner or later.

It pleased him that Nick was aware that he did have his prints, that was after all one of his plans to keep him in check. «Good. So then you are aware of that if you suddenly go AWOL, I'll register the prins along with your photo and any other information we have on you. I'm guessing that wouldn't be a good thing for you, seeing as you would be a lot easier to find with every cop knowing how you look,» he said and dropped his arms back down. He would run the prints later anyway, he though, to check what might come up. He needed to know anything he could about this person if they were going to work together. «And that gun you tried to steal. I'm betting that you need it for something, or you just want it for yourself. So, if you have any interest in getting your hand on it, you should do as I say. I'm keeping it locked in evidence, but I might give it to you later when I feel that I can trust you. If that ever happens…»

He opened the door again and held it open so Nick could go out first. «And thank you for inviting me home! I would love to see where you live.»

 

[Ashi]

Despite Nick's calm demeanor, he felt uneasy. He didn't like having to give Marc more reasons to send him to jail in order to stay out of jail; and if he did indeed run the prints, he would find more than plenty of those reasons. Rather Nick felt a little like he was throwing himself to the wolves and in more ways than one. There was no turning back, though; it was too late. All was already said and done. There was too much at stake now to try and weasel his way out of this, too much to lose. But maybe it wouldn't be so bad since it seemed like he and Marc reached a bit of an understanding. People like him didn't survive in jail.

"Well, there you go, then." Nick said with a matter-of-fact nod, placing his hands on his hips. "I told you I was going to sell it. The only thing I needed it for was money. You should return it to the pawn shop. Besides, if I wanted or needed a gun, I would get one that actually works, not some broken antique." The blonde exited the room as Marc opened the door, walking a few paces ahead of him. "I didn't; this is purely self-preservation." Nick collected the two things he had on his person at the time of the arrest from the front desk, his screw driver and a key.

The apartment wasn't far from the station, only about twenty minutes by car due to traffic. It was much quicker to walk. It was on the second floor of the brick building that housed it, just up a couple flights of stairs and around a corner. Nick pulled the key from his pocket and unlocked the door, which was labeled with the number he wrote down on the form with his address. It was basic, enough for one person's small needs. It was perhaps surprisingly tidy for a young man's residence.

"I'd invite you over for the night, but I'm afraid the walls are thin." Nick joked. Surely that wouldn't bother Marc too much, since it didn't venture upon insult; although, it was meant to unnerve him.

 

[AshlioFern]

Marc looked around, not quite sure what to say. It was so small and… boring. «What a dump,» he muttered and crossed his arms. «Like I would ever spend the night in a place like this.» He had standards, both for people and where he went with them. Which ment he usually just took them home with him, not wanting to risk sleeping in a bed infested with bed bugs and whatnot. Nick definitely had bed bugs.

«Or, should I say 'wow, I should have become a thief instead, this is so cool!'» he said and rolled his eyes. He barely dared to walk anywhere, expecting a rat or something to run over the floor any second. He didn't want to risk stepping on it. «Do you even clean this place?» he asked and sniffed the air. Something smelled weird, but that might just be Nick himself.

 

[Ashi]

"Scared you'll catch flees, Mr. Pedigree?" Nick laughed at Marc's reaction to his apartment. It was good for what Nick needed, which was really just a place to sleep. He hardly spent much time there aside from the hours he spent in bed, as his days were quite busy with deliveries and heists. Thus, the place wasn't as clean as it was simply tidy. If Marc were to run a finger over the surface of the coffee table, he would find it was dusty, as was the surface of just about everything except the sofa, where Nick evidently crashed a majority of the time. It was even funnier that Marc seemed too scared to even take a step.

"I don't spend much time here, so very rarely do I take the time to clean it. I'm a slob, I know." The thief shrugged, unaffected by the man's judgement. "But we can't all be paragons, can we? Now, if we're done, I'm going to bed." Nick took a step back, placing his hand on the door to close it. "Oh, hold up." He disappeared into the next room for a moment, returning with a scrap of paper in hand which he gave to Marc. "My number. Later." At that, Nick closed the door. Then he kicked off his boots, tossed his jacket and shirt, and flopped onto the sofa where he promptly fell asleep.

Nick woke the next morning, sunlight pouring in the window shining in his face. He stood from the couch, stretching, and idled into the kitchen where he found his phone and checked the time. It was almost seven. "Shit!" He cursed to himself, skipping breakfast to take a quick, cold shower and grab clean clothes. He pulled on his shoes as he headed out the door. Rather than walk down the stairs, he jumped every few to get down in half the time, and nearly ran a few people over as he dashed out the door onto the sidewalk. For nearly twenty blocks he ran, hitching a ride on the back of a moving truck for eight of them. He was in the nicer part of town now, one of the more expensive neighborhoods where there were brick houses neatly lined up on each side of the road. Some had fences and nice cars out front. He stopped at the corner of that street, catching his breath and waiting.

From some of the houses came kids of different ages, all with their backpacks, on their way to school. Nick watched for one in particular, a teenage girl of golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She wore the uniform of a nearby private school complete with a leather bag in which she carried her books. She slid out of the fence of one house and started his direction. When he saw her, he waved to catch her attention; and upon seeing him, she smiled and ran towards him.

"Nick!" She threw her arms around him, dropping her bag on the ground. "Hey, Tal." Nick greeted her warmly, his hug lifting her several inches off the sidewalk. He set her down and picked her bag up, throwing it over his shoulder. "Did you come just to walk me to school?" The girl, Tal, asked and clung to Nick's arm as they started to walk. "Of course." He said, as if it was obvious. The other students walking bee-lined around them, keeping their distance, especially the boys. Nick was protective of Tal, as he was quick to demonstrate on multiple occasions, much to her annoyance.

 

[AshlioFern]

The first thing Marc did when he came home after visiting Nick, was to take a long shower. Just stepping into that thief's apartment mad him feel dirty, and it tok almost fifteen minutes under the water before he felt clean again. Then he spent the rest of the night in bed. With company. He had needed some help to get his mind of the eventful shift on the job, and one of the numbers on his phone and given him exactly that. And apparently a little more than he asked for, since the person was still there when he woke up the next day.

«Jeez…» Marc groaned when he noticed the person still sleeping beside him, and then nudged the persons hip with his foot. «Get out, moron.»

The body shifted slightly under the duvet, and groaned back. «No.»

«Yes!» he said and sat up before he nudged a little harder, already impatient. «Now! This is not a hotel.»

«More like a motel…»

«What did you say?!»

A pair of sleepy brown eyes peeked over the edge, followed by a pleased grin framed by a strong jaw covered in stubbs. «You have to unlock me first.»

«I what?» Marc sighed and rubbed his eyes before he turned to look at the male. This was definitely not the morning he had planned for. «What the hell are you talking about, Tom?»

Tom yawned and stretched before he lifted the arm that had been lying under the pillow. There apparently was a reason for it. He was cuffed to the bed.

«Oh, fuck…» Marc said at the realization and his eyes widened. Then he turned to his nightstand and started looking for the key. «Shit, I'm sorry. Idiot, why didn't you just wake me?!»

«You underestimate what a heavy sleeper you are,» he chuckled and sat up on his elbow, following him with his gaze.

Marc found the key and Tom finally got free. He massaged his arm while Marc stood up and started to get dressed.

«Where are you going?» Tom asked and leaned back against the wall.

«I'm getting up,» he said and pulled on a pair of black pyjamas pants. The same color as all the other clothes he owned. «And you're getting out. So up, up with you too!»

Tom just wriggled back down on his back and looked up at Marc, grinning. «I think you have some making up to do.»

«No, I don't,» Marc said and walked after him, prepared to throw him out of his place if he had to.

«You kept me locked to the bed all night,» Tom said and grabbed Marc's arm, and then pulled him down on top of him. Marc landed on him with a groan and scowled at him. «I would say you have a lot of making up to do, Marcus,» Tom added.

Marc sighed and rolled his eyes. «Fine,» he said and kicked his pants off, and then grabbed Toms arms and held them against the mattress. «But be quiet, I don't want to listen to your moaning all morning.»

Tom just laughed and raised his head up, reaching far enough up so he was able to kiss him.



It was almost noon before Marc finally managed to kick Tom out. He always forgot how stubborn that idiot could be between each visit. Although working the night shift meant he could have the laziest mornings possible, Marc hated wasting time. Even when it meant morning sex, it still annoyed him a little. So, eager to finally get some things done, he grabbed his phone and sent a text to Nick.

«Got a name yet???»

Nick had said it would take him a while, and March thought the almost twelve hours that had passed should be more than enough. While he waited for a reply, he grabbed a bowl of cereal and ate it while looking out of the floor to roof window in his living room, which held a nice view of the city.

 

[Ashi]

Nick walked Tal to the gates of the schoolyard, where they stood for a moment watching the students coming and going. At the steps of the building, there was gathered a group of boys. The blonde male's eyes narrowed and his lips turned downward at the corners. He recognized them as some of the friends Tal spoke with before classes started every morning and while she hung around after the day was over before going home. He much preferred that all of her friends be girls, but there was no helping that. The boys caught sight of him and immediately retreated indoors.

"Nick!" Tal slugged him on the arm when she caught him glaring. "Stop it! If you keep scaring people like that, no one will talk to me. I've had people tell me they avoid me because of you," She complained. Her jaw was set tight, her lips pursed and fists clenched as if she was trying not to explode in his face.

"Sorry," Nick sighed and put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her into his side. "But if people won't associate with you just because of me, they're not the kind of people you want to associate yourself with anyway. I won't stop looking out for you, but I guess I can try to scare your friends a little less." He smiled, forcing Tal to smile. She couldn't stay mad at him.

"Are you going to walk me home?" She asked, taking her bag from Nick. "If you want me to, I'll be here." He assured her and Tal hugged him before heading across the schoolyard. From there, Nick went back across town to see Mel. She was at the diner, the place she usually picked up clients, at the usual booth. Since she was alone, Nick approached.

"Morning, sunshine." He grinned at her and plopped down on the cushioned seat. Mel looked up from her cup of coffee and narrowed her eyes at him. She wasn't a morning person. "So, why exactly did you send that cop here?" Mel wasted little time on pleasantries and skipped greeting the young man altogether. Nick's smile dropped from his face. "Well, mostly I was avoiding arrest." He confessed apologetically. "So what do you want now?" She asked around a sip of coffee, never taking her sharp green eyes off of him.

"I need the name of the guy who gave you the drugs, if you can tell me." Nick sighed. Mel stared at him hard a long moment, the only sound between them was the sipping of her drink. She set the cup down on the saucer in front of her finally. So he was in trouble; she didn't find that the least bit surprising. "I don't keep track of that kind of thing much anymore, unless for repeat customers. But I remember his because I thought he was a total dick for taking a phone call while doing me. He said it was something like Brian.. maybe Bryant. I don't know if it's real or not." She shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" Nick pressed eagerly. "I don't know.. lightly tanned, dark hair - either brown or black, brown eyes, tall and muscular? He was between 5'9" and 6 feet. He had this crazy creepy tattoo on his back." Mel didn't sound as sure about this as she did everything else. Nick winced at her answer; those descriptors would indicate a vast majority of the human population. Despite this, he took note of it.

"Thanks." He said, pulling some cash out of his pocket and sliding it across the table. "While I'm here, I think brunch is in order." He was on the move again by the time the text message came in. He replied quickly with the information he'd been given: "Either Brian or Bryant. Between 5' 9" and 6' tall, bodybuilder. Brown or black hair, brown eyes. Tattoo all over back. Heading to where Mel said she met him to ask around."

 

[AshlioFern]

The cereal bowl was already in the dishwasher when he got a reply. He scoffed and quickly replied. "Brown or black hair, you say? So we know he got a head. Great, that reeeeaaally narrows it down, moron." He then deleted the messages of his phone and put it away, muttering in annoyance. If this was the kind of information Nick would give him, he would end up in jail real soon.

After spending some time in his work out room, Marc showered and got dressed, and was soon in his way back to the station. His shift wasn't close to starting yet, but he had nothing better to do, so he thought he would run those prints. While the computer on his desk was searching for a match, Marc went over the reports that needed updating. There was not much to add, just a few witness calls and tips, and right when he was done the fingerprint search come up with a result.

Marc whistled while he looked through all the charges that had been put on those prints. Someone had been busy… Fortunately he didn't find anything too horrible that would mess with his conscience about letting him go free. Nick was apparently a fan of stealing stuff, and Marc thought most people had too much stuff anyway.

After skimming through the result, he deleted it and closed that whole database down. That was when Lukas walked over. «Hey, what happened with that shit-kid you arrested?» he asked. «I let him go. The owner wouldn't press any charges,» Marc answered while staring at the screen, currently going through a news site. «What?!» «Yeah, I guess he was just a stupid family member or something,» Marc sighed and glanced at him. «Anything else you wanted?» Lukas just scoffed and walked away.

 

[Ashi]

From the diner, Nick had gone further into downtown. Past all the shopping and restaurants and clubs was a seedy place that no one ever dared to go. It was a series of empty warehouses that used to be a ship yard on the southern end of the harbor. It used to be an industrial place with a profitable marketplace for some imports and fresh fish. Now, it was one of the common gathering places of drug dealers, gangs, and the homeless. He wandered through the maze of rusted metal buildings, which looked as much like old sardine cans as they smelled. Nick asked a few of her associates in the profession if they knew the guy, but only one had any useful information.

From the looks of things, the place seemed deserted. But from what the girl he asked said, it was a popular place for hook ups and parties. Nick's phone jingled in his pocket and he pulled it out to read the text. He scowled at Marc's reply; and he had a good mind to say something even more rude. In the end, he settled for: "Tsk! No need for the sassy attitude, Miss Priss. I'm on the hunt for the guy now." He shook his head over it and shoved the phone back into his pocket. There was a sound behind him and Nick whirled around to see a man at least thrice his size towering over him.

"Oh, hello. Do you know where I might find a Mr. Bryant? Or is it Brian? I'm afraid I can't remember which." Nick grinned sheepishly up at the bald, bearded man, who just narrowed his eyes down at him. "Who wants to know?" The man growled and crossed his massive arms. "Um, Nick. I have a friend who, um, introduced me to his product. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pick some up while I'm here." The man didn't budge, merely curling his hairy lip in a snarl. Nick fished the cash out of his pocket and showed it to him. The man considered Nick a moment before he snatched the money and, grabbing the collar of Nick's jacket, dragged him along with him to the nearest warehouse. He signaled for Nick to stay while he went inside and was gone long enough for Nick to question whether or not he was coming back before he returned. He tossed to him a small paper sack. It had a little weight to it, so there was something in it. Nick didn't look to see what it was. He already knew.

"Now, get lost." The man said and swung his arm to point the direction Nick came from. "Yeah, man. Okay." Nick backed away a bit before turning and starting the trek back. He went between two of the warehouses and ducked down there, out of sight of the burly giant. There he snapped a picture of him with his phone and sent it to Marc. Then, he took off running back towards civilization.

By the time Nick showed up at the station, it was early evening. It was the late afternoon when he finally got out of downtown and went straight to the school to walk home with Tal as he promised.

 

[AshlioFern]

Marcus was just coming out of the wardrobe after changing into his uniform, now that his shift was about to start, when he spotted a familiar face in the corner of his eye. "What the..." Nick had apparently just enetered the other end of the hall, and seemed to be looking for something. Or someone... Marcus let out a heavy sigh between gritted teeth and walked towards him at a fast pace.

«What the hell are you doing here?» he hissed when he reached Nick, and without giving him time to answer, Marcus grabbed his arm and pulled him with him. He opened the door where they stood by, which turned out to occupied, so he quickly went on to the next one. It was empty, so he pushed Nick inside and slammed the door shut. «Are you brain dead?» he snapped and turned towards Nick. They where standing in an office, with barely enough room for the few furniture that was in there. A desk, chair and bookshelf.

 

[Ashi]

Nick searched the station as he entered, eyes scanning faces for Marcus. The officer had yet to reply to his text about the photo and Nick wanted to get rid of the drugs as soon as possible rather than take them home with him. He spotted Marc down the hall and started towards him. The man appeared cross, as he seemed to always be, and grabbed Nick's arm when he got close enough.

"Hey!" The blonde objected lightly and jerked his arm as Marc pulled him along to an empty room. It was a small office with little room for even the furniture in it. "No, though I don't suppose that will change your obvious opinion. You never answered me after I sent you the photo; and I came to give you this." Nick groused, rubbing his arm a moment before reaching into his jacket and pulling out the paper sack. He shoved the sack against Marc's chest. In it were two small, nondescript plastic bundles tightly wrapped, full of white. "I paid for it, but I'd rather not keep it." Nick said and moved towards the door.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going home. Oh, and I have plans tomorrow, so take a day to look into that, eh?" Nick slipped out of the office, and back down the hall. He saw the other officer from the previous night and greeted him with a "S'up?" on his way out of the station. He was glad to go home after a long day, also that it was the start of the weekend and thus could spend time with Tal.

 

[AshlioFern]

Marcus had been busy staring at him in utter bafflement, and then staring into the bag he handed him. Drugs? Before he got the change to look up again, Nick was already out the door. «Get back here!» he yelled, but it was too late, and he didn't want to go yelling after him down the hall. The last thing he wanted was to bring them any attention.

So he picked up his phone instead and let his frustration poor into a text.«If you ever come back to the station like this, I'll strangle you! AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY!!» The he stuffed the bag under his shirt and walked out of the room. And of course he met no other then Lukas.

«Marcus! Was that the kid from yesterday?» he asked, and Marcus decided that he would definitely strangle Nick the next time he saw him. «Yes. I'm apparently being sued. Claims I hit him during the arrest.» Lukas eyes widened. «What?! Shit… He's not suing me too, is he?» Marcus raised an eyebrow. «No? Why, is there something to sue you for?»

They both knew there was. Lucas wasn't the most honest cob, which Marcus had witnessed. A few times they had been called to different scenes of crime to transport evidence and arrests to the station, and more than once some of the evidence magically disappeared on the way. Especially if there was money. So when Marcus hinted at it now, Lucas looked at him like he wanted him dead and walked away without a word, which made Marcus grin and feel a lot better.

 

[Ashi]

"Oh?" Nick was intrigued to get a text just as he exited the station, even more so that it was from Marcus. It didn't surprise him that he was angrily threatening him and actually found it humorous. He replied with "Well, then, how exactly should I walk into the station? Or should I at all? And I look forward to it. ;p," knowing he was sure to be strangled after that if it wasn't just an empty threat. It was probably best to avoid Marc and the station for a while, just in case.

Unexpectedly, Nick found himself cleaning his apartment that night. His plans for the next day changed a little bit; Tal's parents were going away for the weekend and she had begged them to allow her to stay with him. It had been months since she'd even seen his place much less spent a night there. Marc's words crept into his mind and he scrubbed the place from top to bottom. Nick felt a bit smug when he finished; although, a clean abode wasn't likely to change the man's opinion of Nick himself. He was antsy the next day, even when Tal finally arrived. He wondered about the photo still and checked his phone frequently for anymore messages. Somehow, he doubted that Marc had looked into it at all but he wasn't about to go ask him.

"Nick? ..Nick!" Tal sat in front of Nick, staring at him with furrowed brows. "H-huh?" He snapped out of his daze, blinking. Tal scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You weren't even listening, were you?" She accused with a pout, her cheeks puffing out. "Er.. Sorry. Just got work stuff on my mind." Nick lied and smiled apologetically. His words piqued her interest and she leaned over the coffee table where she sat doing homework. "You mean your deliveries? Or one of those other jobs you sometimes do?" Tal asked. Nick couldn't tell her about his getting arrested or that he was snooping into a drug scandal. Then her parents would make sure this never happened again.

"One of those other jobs. Just don't worry about it. Hurry up and finish your work so we can go grab a bite before the dinner rush. Unless you want to wait an hour?" Nick brushed off her question with as vague an answer as he could manage. Luckily, she focused her attention on her work and didn't ask about his work anymore, even after they went to eat. It didn't help that they had to pass the station in their coming and going.

 

[AshlioFern]

After some thoroughly thinking, Marcus handed in the drugs and told his colleagues that it was an anonymous tip. It wasn't uncommon, so no one really questioned it, and he didn't have to show the photo of the seller that Chris had sent him since he had recognized the guy right away. Tiny Tim was no stranger for the police, and a plan was soon set in motion.

An undercover cop was sent to the location to buy some drugs of him personally, and Tim of course fell for it. So they soon had him in custody and all the evidence they needed to send him off to jail, which they thought would be enough to make him talk. He'd give them some information, they would make sure he would spend less time in jail. But he wouldn't talk. No matter how much they asked and sweet talked him, they got nothing. No information at all about who or where he was getting the drugs from, not even a single hint.

That would normally be annoying enough by itself, but Marcus was even more pissed. This was the great lead Nick had promised him? As if! So he texted him demanding something better, in… maybe not the nicest way you could ask someone something, but Marcus saw no reason in being polite. That was probably why in return he only got some vague promises about more information coming.

Days passed and no information was delivered. Marcus kept expecting to se Nick walk into to station with that stupid smirk, but his threat about strangling him if he did had apparently hit home. Three weeks later with still no new information from Nick, Marcus was ready to strangle him anyway. The idiot had even stopped replying to him completely by then. Yes, Marcus might agree that he had maybe gone a little overboard with the texts and the tone he wrote them in, but it was after all his job, even his life, that was on the line. He had let a criminal go lose, and for what? To arrest a lousy drug dealer? That was not what he had had in mind when they made the deal.

Now he kept asking himself why he hadn't turned in Nick's prints already. He didn't have a good answer, only a hope that Nick was actually looking for something and just not shitting him, so he kept pushing it off. And he thought that he should at least give Nick a final warning before he turned him in, and probably do it face to face, but he didn't really want to go to the dump he was living in again. He didn't want to get lice on top of all of this.