Meanwhile Agent Wayne, Agent Williams, Alvin, and Decker headed back to the Roaring Lion Cafe for a late-night meal, eager to discuss the case in a quiet spot. They pulled up to the cafe, the neon sign creaking in the night wind, and headed inside to grab a booth in the back.
As they sat down, the waitress came over, chewing gum. "Goodnight, all! My name's Charlene, I'll be your waitress. So, what can I get for you?"
Decker spoke up first. "I shall be the first order," Decker said. "I'd like macaroni pie, fries, barbecue chicken breasts, coleslaw, a Caesar salad, and a large Coke."
Charlene smiled and nodded as she wrote down Decker's order. "Who's next?" she asked.
Agent Williams chimed in. "That would be me. I'll take two cheeseburgers and fries and a large Sprite."
"I'll have the same," Agent Wayne said, "but I'd like to get a large cup of coffee instead of Sprite."
Charlene nodded, wrote down their orders, then turned to Alvin. "You're the one left, sweet cheeks," she asked, blowing a bubble with the gum in her mouth and popping it with her teeth. "What would you like?"
Alvin grinned. "Well, for me, I shall have a stick platter with fries, a tossed salad, large orange juice, and a slice of cheesecake."
"Coming right up," Charlene said as she turned and walked away.
Decker chuckled, giving Alvin a meaningful look. "I think the waitress likes you. You're the only one she called sweet cheeks."
Alvin smirked, shrugging it off. "Nah, she just knows I'm the one with the big order."
"Alright, let's stop horsing around. What did your Captain tell you guys when you went into his office?" Williams asked, curious.
"Well, basically, we're not supposed to look for the five suspects that escaped. That's the job for the SIU. It was orders from the top brass," Decker said with a frown. "So wait a minute, let me get this straight. You guys were just taken off the case, just like that, but you weren't even there when the suspects made their grand escape?" Agent Wayne said with a sneer.
"Well, technically, we're not supposed to be doing anything that's directly connected to that case. However, we were told to help you guys. That was on the record. But off the record, we can do what the hell we want," Alvin chimed in with a sneer.
"Anyway, what's the deal with this Core group nonsense that you guys were talking about?" Decker asked curiously.
"Well, to the normal, ordinary citizens, the Core doesn't exist. But to a select few, the Core is a very advanced organization that has its hands in some of everything. They exist in the underworld. We don't know who controls them or where they came from. We just know they exist. Recently, we were tracking Michael Griffith. We found out he had some ties to the underworld and that he was into money laundering, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. We don't know who his boss was. We were about to find out, but then he was killed, and that's when we met you guys. We've been tracking the Core for five years now. Under normal circumstances, we'd have gotten little progress, but it was snatched away, just like that," Agent Williams said with a sigh.
"That is a lot to unpack, but I just have one question," Decker asks. "What made you choose me and Alvin to help you guys?" Decker asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, the reason for that is because you two are the only two cops in your precinct who aren't corrupted. We did our investigations on you two," Agent Wayne said with a smile.
"As Decker was about to speak, his phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw it was Dr. Jones who was calling him. He picked up without a moment's hesitation. 'Hey, what's up, Doc?' he asked with a small smile.
Dr. Jones laughed. 'Oh, you think you're Mr. Funny, Bugs Bunny?' she asked.
'I don't think I'm funny, I know I am,' Decker said confidently.
'Anyway, all jokes aside, my car's still at the station and I can't get there right now, so I wanted to know if you could give me a ride,' Dr. Jones said with a hopeful tone of voice.
'Yeah, sure I can pick you up, but the station's a little shaken up right now, so I think it's best we get your car in the morning,' Decker replied.
'Wow, this presents a big predicament because the keys to my apartment are in my car,' Dr. Jones said with a frown.
'Well, I guess you can stay with me for the night,' Decker said, scratching his head.
'Well, if you insist, I'll take you up on your offer. Now come and pick me up, please.'
Dr. Jones said, then she hung up the phone.
After putting up his phone, Decker stood up. "I have to leave guys. I have to go, Dr. Jones asked me for help, so I'm going to help her. Alvin, could you pack up my lunch when it comes back and bring it to me? Thanks a lot," Decker said as he ran out of the café.
Alvin started to giggle. "I hope my boy gets lucky tonight. I've been trying to push those two together for so many years now... You want to know what's the most annoying part? It's that they have feelings for each other, but they'd never admit it," he said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, you know it's getting late, we should all go get some rest and regroup in the morning," Agent Williams said.
"You're right, it's been a long day. By the way, where are you guys staying?" Alvin asked, looking at Agent Williams and Agent Wayne.
"We booked our rooms at one of the hotels downtown, so you don't need to worry about us," Williams said.
The waitress came over with their orders, and they turned to her and asked if she could pack them to go.
"Boxes, please," Agent Wayne added with a smile.
The waitress nodded and started packing their food.
Shortly after, they paid for their meals and left.
Meanwhile, Decker arrived at the hospital, having come to pick up Dr. Jones in ten minutes. As she saw him, she got into the car, and they drove to Decker's apartment.
As they entered the apartment, Decker ran to his bedroom and offered Dr. Jones a towel and some clean clothes.
He didn't have any women's clothes, so he gave her some of his that he didn't wear. She graciously accepted them and went to take a shower. After she was finished showering, Decker hopped into the shower.
Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the bathroom. As he was heading to his bedroom, he accidentally bumped into Dr. Jones; her towel dropped.
''Sorry, Doc, I didn't see anything,'' Decker said, quickly shutting his eyes.
'It's fine, Shawn, we are both adults. Stop acting like a little baby,' Dr. Jones said with a smile on her face.
Decker opened his eyes and looked at her with confusion.
'Is something wrong?' she asked.
'No, nothing is wrong. It's just that no one really calls me by my first name; it's just a little shocking to hear you say it, that's all,' Decker said with a smile.
'It is easy, so why don't you call me by my first name as well?' Dr. Jones said with a smile.
'You mean Dr. Jones?' Decker replied, blushing slightly.
'No, fool, you know exactly what I mean,' Dr. Jones said. 'Call me by my first name,' she demanded.
'Amaya, your towel is still on the ground,' Decker said with a smile.
Dr. Jones stepped forward and kissed Decker. 'See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?' she asked with a small smile.
In that moment, a primal urge took over Decker, and he lifted Dr. Jones in a princess carry and took her to his bedroom."