Saved By Grace

Chapter 8

Liza walked into the sheriff's office at midnight to find Doug filling in at the desk.

"Hey Doug, I take it you're the unlucky soul tonight?"

"Looks like you too, Chief."

"Who is out at the accident?" Liza asked as she leaned against the counter.

"Max Stone and Jeff Riggs. They're just about finished up."

"Casualties?"

"Luckily no fatal ones."

"Good thing, but the night is still young. Finish up whatever it is you're working on there and call it a night. No sense in two of us pulling a double." Liza told him as she walked into her office. She used the opportunity to go over the paperwork from the second shift to make sure that there wasn't anything that couldn't wait until normal hours on Monday. She noticed that her father hadn't called in after she got off shift which didn't surprise her any. She was contemplating how to handle him when her intercom buzzed.

"Chief?"

"Yes."

"10-34 at Phil's." The dispatcher stated.

"Got it." Liza stood and grabbed her vest on her way out the door.

"Chief?" Doug asked when he saw her head out.

"On me."

He grabbed his vest from his chair as he stood to follow Liza out the door. They drove the short distance in silence.

"Unit 2, 10-97." Doug told dispatch when they'd arrived at the bar. "Looks like we have some tourists." He indicated toward the motorcycles parked at the front.

They stopped just inside the door to scan the room. Liza's gaze met Cali's and Cali nodded to the far corner. Two men and two women dressed in bike leather were in the corner arguing.

"How's everybody doing tonight?" Liza asked as she approached the group. One man had a busted lip and the other would have a shiner in the morning.

"Just fine officer." The woman on Liza's left answered, earning a scowl from the man beside her.

"How about we call it a night folks." Liza suggested.

"When we're done drinking." The soon to be black eyed man said.

"We have two options here gentlemen. One, we call it a night and everyone goes on their way peacefully. Or option two, we take one or both of you in."

"Dispatch, be advised we have a 10-38." Doug warned into his mic at his shoulder.

"10-4." Dispatch responded.

Liza moved to the right as Doug moved to the man on their left.

"Let's go gentlemen." Liza prompted.

Just as both men moved to stand the one on the right shoved the other, "This is all your fault."

Liza managed to swing him around and face planted him on the table while Doug got his detainee cuffed. Liza got the cuffs in place and pulled him up right to move him out the door while Doug radioed in for transportation. Liza sensed movement from the booth and turned her head toward it. She watched one of the women break a beer bottle on the edge of the table and come toward her.

Cali froze in fear as she watched the scene before her. She screamed Liza's name as the woman with the bottle reached her. She watched Liza shove the woman off of her before falling to the floor.

Doug turned around in time to see Liza hit the floor. He forced his prisoner to his knees, "On your face." He yelled, "Chief?" When he didn't get an answer he told him to lay on his belly.