Operation: Saving Grayson Hoffman

“Officer Whitlock PD4583 on duty, 10-67 speeding on Wolford Avenue, Brenn City. BMW X7, silver, heading north is out of the frontier.”

Clutching the handlebars tightly, Kendall Whitlock pushed the ignition, letting the engine run at its full tilt.

“Mike Bravo 402, copy Whitlock, suspect plate number?” The dispatcher responded on the intercom.

Swerving to the corner of the street, she pressed the PTT of the radio hoisted at her thick and dense belt. “The license plate number is Zulu Sierra Romeo 9-8-7-6. I repeat, Zulu Sierra Romeo 98-76. Suspect is not stopping as he heads towards Farforth Street, over.”

“Roger on 10-67.10-02 en-routing officer on duty in 223 on Farforth Street.”

Her long, dark raven hair loosely rippled against the strong collision of the wind. “Copy, Mike Bravo 402, over.”

As soon as the call ended, Kendall rushed to chase the high-speed car that was on the loose. For the past three years of her career as an officer, she'd frequently get petty crimes assigned to her.

However, it was not because she wasn’t good enough to do the job, but compared to her colleagues, she was not that qualified yet to handle classified and high-profile cases as per Chief Spencer’s commentary that she’s not smart enough to be held accountable.

Still, Kendall’s qualifications were rather impressive at such a young age of twenty-three. She graduated when she was only twenty and became one of the youngest inspectors in her district. It is with that fact alone that most of their colleagues turned a blind eye.

“Damn, these rich brats think they own the driveway!” she hissed while leaning in front of the speedometer. The speed of her motorcycle was already at its full limit. Eventually, she must slow down before cribbing the break.

Her annoyance soon grew impetuously as the speeding car obstinately brisked through the lane. With that, she zipped up her newly bought leather jacket for ease of driving and jolted the rear brake as her working boots paddled onto the back. Curling the clutch, she exceeded the speed limit of her motorbike as she continued chasing the BMW.

“Ugh, mom’s gonna kill me again.” She groaned slightly when she noticed the time on her watch.

Unfortunately, as she was on her way to her parent's home, she didn’t expect another speeding violation down the road.

In an instant, the car rapidly veered to the left, disturbing the footpath along the side of the street. Kendall immediately launched into following the car as it headed towards Farforth Street. The stoplight was still green as many cars on the cross lanes were stirring while the BMW incessantly sped through the opposite lanes, chafing the surface edge of each car it crashed into.

The driveway became turbid and the cars in each lane blared their car horn signals as the flow of traffic was disrupted. Following the BMW, she glided to 2nd Avenue to cut to Farforth Street. A narrow driveway welcomed her as she collided with street vendors on the sidewalks.

As soon as she was on toes with the car, she skirted to the side, knocking on its tinted window. “Pull over, sir! You’re beyond the speed limit.”

The man inside the car didn’t obey as he continued to drive, intending to speed up the engine more.

“I said, pull your car over now before I whack this window!”

Yet, the only answer she got was his obstinacy.

“Alright, if that’s what you want, kid, then let’s give you hell or high water,” she tutted, brimming with much annoyance.

Then, she revved the ignition of the bike at full throttle, resulting in a fissure of reverberation. Bouncing her motorcycle along the driveway, she moved away from the car, aiming to get to the eastern block.

As soon as she reached the center of the road, Kendall spotted the enforcer on duty. With that on her mind, she drifted to reach the enforcer for the signal.

“10-67 at three o’clock to your right, officer!” Kendall shouted as she continued head-on with the car she was chasing.

Without any hesitation, the enforcer affirmed as he saw the car reaching toward him.

Steadfastly, he got his gear out of his breast pocket, whistling to stop the BMW. When Kendall noticed the incessant speed of it crashing against the enforcer, she slipped between the road to stop it.

In a flash, the BMW halted, bouncing to the ground in a reverse reaction. Its tires fizzled out burning the sipes of polyester rubber.

“Out, now!” Kendall shouted as she extracted herself from her motorbike while the enforcer let the other cars pass through the driveway.

The man soon got out of his car while his head was dipped to the ground. Kendall wasn’t shocked to see a young man in his teens as the violator. As such, teenagers were always reported for reckless driving.

“Give me your driver’s license,” Kendall added with utter exasperation.

Reluctantly, he grabbed it from his pockets as his hands skittled when handing it. “I swear it’s not my intention. My breaks were so cramped up that I could barely control it,” he defended.

The enforcer then came back. “You can tell it to the district office, sir. As of now, we’ll be confiscating your license and you’ll have to pay the fine to retrieve it,” the enforcer instructed while giving the violation ticket to the man.

“Can’t I pay this now, officer, and have my license back? Just this one time,” he asked.

The enforcer shook his head with indignation. Both of them continued talking for minutes, which signaled Kendall to drive back home. She then patted the enforcer to bid him goodbye as she scooted over to her bike.

As soon as she launched the engine back to life, her brows furrowed when, along the road, her eyes caught the dark corner of a lane. She drove near its block and glimpsed a young guy being ganged up on by three college kids that were about his age.

Kendall sauntered through the wet cobblestones on the ground as she noticed them about to hit the lonesome kid. “Hey dimwits, stop whatever you’re planning to do with that kid before I shove your asses to the police.”

“Damn! Guess we have here the heroine he’s been looking for, ain’t right, fucker?” The bulky man with a mohawk spouted with his fist in midair.

The young man only replied with his eyes that stared like daggers.

“What? You gonna cry?” the tall, lanky man beside the bully added.

Kendall crossed her arms with irritation. “Hey, I’m fucking talking here. Get away from that kid before—”

She was soon cut when the small man challenged her. “What you gonna do, lady?!” He menacingly laughed. He then snided with contempt. "Oh, we’re so scared! She’s so scary! Help me!”

Ignoring Kendall’s warning, the three kids were about to hit the young dud. She couldn’t take it as her temper outgrew her patience. As soon as she saw the bulky man's fist about to land on the young man, she instantly grabbed it but just enough to stop him.

As a police officer, she had sworn to never use unnecessary means to stop such squabbles, especially petty ones. Indeed, Kendall was a responsible cop.

Nonetheless, the other two kids weren’t swayed by her warning as both of them flung punches at her. She skillfully dodged all their attacks while keeping all of her senses alert for any unexpected hits.

Rolling her eyes, she spat, “Damn teenagers...”

Eventually, they threw punches focused on Kendall from both sides.

Regrettably, this time, Kendall’s temper outgrew the patience she was bottling up. With nothing but an opening to her front, she gripped her palms in a tight fist and curled her body. She inclined her head down to their lower extremities and launched punches at their sides with both hands.

Both of them shrieked in agony as they curled inwardly to their stomach in pain.

“Fucking bitch!” the lanky kid shrieked as he held onto his gut.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, kid, but you just hit me at my worst time,” she stated and added, “Get the fuck out of here!”

The three hooligans leaped in fear, cowering with terror as they scrambled away from the scene. As soon as their reflection vanished from Kendall’s perspective, she checked behind her.

She moved to the young man who was hunkered at the corner of the graffitied wall. Reaching onto him, she checked his wellness. The man declined her assistance as he stood there, propping his back against the wall. It was then that Kendall realized how tall he was.

“Are you okay? Were you hurt? Don’t worry, kid. You’re safe,” she said as she examined him intently. His rich and superior bearing was evident in his posture and clothing. It was a good thing that he received no punches from the three bullies because his handsome face remained perfect.

Unexpectedly, the young man sneered. “Who are you to interpose in someone else’s business?”

Kendall was flummoxed, as she wasn’t expecting him to react in that manner.

Without even letting her speak, the young man walked away and got inside his luxurious Porsche, driving and leaving Kendall utterly speechless.

She huffed in disbelief as she was surprised at the young man she had just helped. Kendall couldn’t believe how bratty and spoiled the guy was that he didn’t even thank her for her efforts in helping him. She didn’t actually need a reaffirmation from him for what she did, because she was too disgruntled by the fact of how churlish that idiot was.

Letting out a heavy sigh, she then tilted her head to calm her nerves. It was then, when the sun hit her face, that she realized her real agenda.

“Shit...”

Doom hit her as soon as she came back to her senses. She immediately ran back to her motorbike and went home.

***

After a few minutes of riding, she got to their home in Arison Village and immediately headed to the dining room for breakfast. Unfortunately, Dorothy, her mother, and her brother, Jacob, greeted her with disapproving glances.

Gripping her fist firmly, she scooted to the empty chair away from her brother and mother. She was about to scoop the fried egg onto the platter when her mother hurled a glass of water on the dining table.

Kendall jolted in shock as she looked at her mother’s glare.

“You didn’t come home yesterday for dinner, or even call us to let us know you’d be eating out, Kelly.”

She sighed. “I’m so sorry. I forgot to inform you. I was piled up with reports that were already due.”

“You still should have warned us. We were waiting for you last night,” Dorothy grunted. “You’re always away from here or from any special occasions. Even on holidays, you’re out, busy with your work. You say you want to live independently, and you did! But you only stay in an apartment not even a mile away from here. God, Kendall!”

Shrugging, Kendall defended, “I can’t do anything about it, mom. This is my job. It’s totally not the same working in private companies.”

Jacob chugged his coffee and patted her shoulders.

“Yeah, and the pay isn’t that much also, Kels. Come on, look at you! You made your job your freaking life. Goddamn it, you even look like a cadaver every time you come home.” He chuckled.

'I do not!' Kendall said inwardly.

Yes, she knew she was a bit workaholic, but that’s the nature of her work. Working in the police force is not like any job you could leave when you had enough of it. Kendall knew she had to be practical and hands-on to survive this precarious career.

“Your brother is right, Kendall. You’ll end up being alone with the way you live.”

Despite the fact that her mother and her brother relentlessly castigated her to death, Kendall knew they loved her. They just despised her profession, knowing how dangerous it was. Dorothy would always chastise her job while her brother would always chide her.

She got used to it to the point where their words became numbing lyrics in her brain. Their words came in a sting and out of her ears in a hush, like a breezing wind.

“And also, why do you keep that apartment if you’re just sleeping there, Kelly? Tessa is the one cleaning your shit while you still eat here. What’s the point of paying for a flat you don’t use?”

It was in her second year as an inspector that she moved out of her parents’ house. However, her mother rejected that idea. Because of that, to appease her mom’s request, Kendall bought a flat nearby, wanting to become more independent while making amends with Dorothy’s demand to eat with them frequently.

Jacob, her brother, who was also a surgery doctor in their community hospital, thought it was ridiculous because their maids were still the ones cleaning the apartment.

After a couple of minutes, her grandfather, retired general Cyrus Whitlock, arrived in the dining room. Her grandfather vaunted her with an enthusiastic smile as he sat down beside her.

“Ah, here’s my favorite granddaughter. How’s work, dear?” He asked, while grabbing the hash and beans on the platter.

Kendall forced a smile. “It’s great, gramps. All’s good.”

“Good. Just let me know if you need any help.” He placed the white silk cloth on his lap and reached for the pitcher of orange juice beside him.

She only nodded.

Kendall loved and idolized her grandfather. Cyrus Whitlock was, and still is, very much respected in the police force and has contributed a lot throughout his career. She admired him ever since she was a little girl, and he was now her greatest icon to look up to, especially in her job.

When Cyrus found out that Kendall wanted to join the police force, he instantly supported her throughout her career, even when she was still a fledgling, which is also the reason he favored her over Jacob.

“So, how’s Spencer doin’? I heard about an upcoming promotion in your department. Are you on the list?” her grandfather asked while chewing the hash from his plate.

Kendall took a sip from her glass. “It’s on the way, gramps. I just need to bag another case from the chief.”

“That’s great, dear.” He then wiped his mouth. “The HQ recently expanded their district perimeters. From what I heard, your department will be given the cold cases from those vicinities.”

Her eyes went wide in excitement. “Eh, really? I’ve been waiting to be handed high-profile cases. I’ve been asking the chief to give me some serious ones.”

“I could ask Spencer to give you more chances, but that doesn't mean you'll cling to it, okay? Still, don’t hesitate to tell me if that bugger is partial to you. Brood can be a bit biased. That fucker loves to smooch his superiors when he’s still an officer,” he scoffed.

“He still does, gramps. But don’t worry, I got it. I can handle the chief,” she affirmed, smiling sweetly at him.

Pursing his lips, Cyrus then stared at her, yearning for something. “I’m so proud of you, Kendall. I’m sure you’ll do better than I did in my years.”

“No one can beat you, gramps,” Kendall avowed. “I’ll do what I can, though.”

Cyrus released an approving smile at his granddaughter.

“Dad, seriously? Your granddaughter even barely visits us, and you’re still condoning her?” Dorothy reproached, intervening in the conversation between them.

“Dorothy, Kendall is doing great. You and Victor should be the least concerned about it, as Kendall can handle the risks. Even if I’m retired, I can still pull strings.”

Kendall’s father, Victor Whitlock, was also disappointed in her decision to be a cop. He opposed her being a police officer, as he wanted her to work for him in their shipping business. However, Kendall was too obstinate to even listen to her dad.

Dorothy breathed out in frustration. “Least concern? She’s my daughter. Don’t you tell me to not worry!”

“Calm down, mom. Your anger won’t do anything,” Jacob reminded.

Meanwhile, Kendall was silent as she watched her mother and grandfather argue with each other. It’s always like this when they’re together. Her mom, reprimanding her because of her work, and her grandfather, defending her.

After minutes of squabbling, silence enveloped the dining table. No one said a word or even started a conversation. They continued eating in silence, like what happened a while ago was nothing.

When Kendall was about to finish eating, her phone beside her rang restlessly. Her mother eyed her first to warn her not to answer it, while her grandfather was lenient enough to let her pick it up. She just sighed when she dropped her utensils to press the button on her phone.

Looking at the screen, she noticed that her boss, Chief Spencer Brood, was already calling her. At that instant, she remembered that she was late and looked at the clock attached above the door frame. As soon as she realized it was already eight thirty, she stormed out, bidding them a short goodbye.

“I’m late! I’ll head out!” Kendall yelled briskly.

Jacob jested, “Take care! If you get shot, the funeral will be costly!”

Kendall just rolled her eyes.

“Bye mom and gramps!”

She kissed her mom’s cheeks and partly hugged her grandfather, then grabbed her keys from the counter.

“Good luck, dear!” brightly, Cyrus cheered.

Dorothy stood up, following her to the entrance. “Are you coming home for lunch?”

Kendall could not respond since she was already on her bike, speeding to the office.

So, Dorothy yelled as she watched her daughter fade in the distance, “Hey, Kendall!”