REVENGE

A RAGING WAR

When Amari Hunter had first returned home from overseas, she had hoped to take a long rest from everything else, taking the break to focus more on her family. What she hadn't expected was her husband to file a divorce against her  and that had changed everything. She knew that he would also try to fight for custody of their two kids and the last thing she wanted was him to win that. It would mean that the kids would have to stay with him permanently and if she got lucky, she would only get to see them during the holidays. She had so much to figure out and solve if she wanted to win this. First, there was the job she had quit so that she would be with her family more but then her husband had other plans. She had lost those two and now with no job, that was likely to sink her case when they went to court.
Her father's retirement had come as her saving grace. She didn't know that he was until she got home a week prior. That meant that someone would have to step up to take his position and there would be a place to recruit someone new. Her mind hadn't even been set on taking over his position, all she had wanted was a place to give her confidence in the hearing. It didn't matter what position it was as long as the prosecutor wouldn't take advantage of her joblessness.
However, when she had talked to her father about it, he had talked her into fighting for the position alongside his understudy, detective Tanner who she had met the previous day and who didn't seem to like her too much. She wasn't there to be liked though, was she? The captaincy would also look good on her profile and if that meant winning her kids, she would do anything just to get it.
That came without a saying that they had clashed through out the day, with both of them trying to take the lead and neither of them wanting to back down. They had finally managed to question the witnesses without breaking into a fight and the day had ended well but as she walked into the precinct that morning to start her job officially, she could already feel the negative energy hanging around as she walked past the people who she would be working with. She looked around and met detective Tanner's piercing eyes together with several others and she had to look away.
                "They hate me already," she said with a sigh as she sat opposite her father in the office. "How am I supposed to work with them. Maybe this was a bad idea."
                   "They don't hate you. It's only because you have more experience than any of them and you were working with the bureau, nothing more."
                    "It's not that," she shook her head. "Otherwise they would be admiring me instead of throwing daggers with their eyes." She went on, "I think they think that you are playing favorites with me since I'm your daughter."
                   "Don't be ridiculous. I would never do anything like-" he stopped abruptly when she raised an eyebrow. She knew him well enough to know that he never wanted to see her struggling with something especially if he could help. Maybe telling him about what her ex husband was doing had been a bad idea. Sure she didn't want to be liked but getting along with her coworkers would do her some good.
                    "Dad, please don't do it. Let me work for it fairly." He observed her for a while without saying anything then stood up and headed to the door. She hadn't expected him to call the detective and whatever he was up to wasn't known to her. "What are you doing?"
                   "I want you two to get along. That's where it begins," he said and sat back down a moment before detective Tanner walked in. Their eyes met briefly but she looked away first.
                    "Captain," she acknowledged. "What's going on?"
                   "Sit down Blake." Amari observed her through her peripheral vision as she obediently took the seat next to her. She was wearing black pants, not too tight to her body like her own and boots on her feet instead of regular shoes. She had a vest on her upper body over a long sleeved shirt and as she remembered from the previous direct contact, her hair was cut extremely short especially along her sides only letting a few short strands loose on her forehead. Her whole gait, appearance and even sitting position screamed masculine. Was she gay or just   liked that style? Her father's voice however interrupted her straying thoughts. She cleared her throat and focused on what he was saying.
               "Alright, you two are my most capable candidates. Your skills are different, nurtured through different experiences but both very impressive. Blake, you have the advantage of having worked under me, the best I have ever had and Amari, the advantage of having worked with a stronger department. But now you are on common ground. Each of you have the potential to become the next captain and I'm not here to play favorites." He looked at each of them in turns, "If I was to do that, I wouldn't know who to choose because you are both family and very important to me. Blake, you are also like a daughter to me and so I won't be the one choosing the person to step up. What I want you to do is work together through this, you will know how to handle yourself but in the end only one of you can replace me." Slowly, she turned to her side and found her doing the same. Meeting her eyes from up close made her feel like the very seat she was sitting on was moving under her to sink to the ground. Her eyes were a powerful set of emerald green, drawing and beautiful to look at. Above all, they were a raging war. Between her and her senses, she knew who was in charge at that instant but she would never say it out loud. She quickly turned away from her. "Please don't kill each other," her father added sarcastically.
Before any of them could say anything, another woman interrupted them by her sudden entrance. She remembered seeing her at the previous crime scene taking pictures. She worked in forensics.
                  "I'm sorry Captain but this just came in. Another body was found near the lake by a jogger," she paused to catch her breath. "They said that his heart had been detached from his body."
  They were both standing even before the captain could say anything else. She headed straight to their assigned work car but turned the moment she realized that Blake wasn't following. They were supposed to work together.
                   "Aren't you coming?" she asked.
                  "We will meet there," she replied and started heading to another car with the forensics officer.
                  "I thought we were supposed to work together?"
                 "It doesn't mean we have to go together."
"For heavens sake!" she muttered under her breath, got inside the car and drove after them. This was going to be one hell of a case.