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Lexi suddenly stood up and practically threw herself into Erin's arms.
—I'm sorry… I'm sorry… —she sobbed against her shoulder.
Erin gently stroked her back while looking up at Ethan.
—What the hell happened?
Ethan shrugged from his chair and took another calm sip from his cup.
—Ask the idiot.
Her father was a detective, but recently she had gotten herself into trouble.
Her boyfriend had asked her to hold marijuana for him and, knowing she was a cop's daughter, they both thought no one would suspect her or dare search her.
And Lexi, like a lovestruck idiot teenager, agreed. Of course, everything went wrong, and she got caught. Now, apparently, her boyfriend had been murdered, and she had been there watching the whole thing from the front row.
When Lexi's sobs finally began to fade, Hank and Detective Alvin Olinsky hurried back into the office. The moment they reached the break room and saw the dried blood on the young woman's face, Olinsky's expression hardened, and he immediately quickened his pace.
—She's not hurt. The blood apparently belongs to her stupid ex-boyfriend.
Ethan waved a hand dismissively.
—She's scared —Erin said, shooting Ethan a look full of reproach for his obvious lack of tact.
She gave Lexi a couple of gentle pats on the back before pulling slightly away from her.
—I'm sorry, Dad…
The moment she saw Alvin Olinsky, Lexi immediately stood up.
—I don't know how everything ended up happening like this…
Her voice broke again as she spoke.
—What happened? —Olinsky asked, wrapping his arms tightly around her while nervously wiping the dried blood from her face.
After leaving Hyde Park, Lexi had gone to a party with her boyfriend. They stayed there until dawn, and just after leaving the house where the party had been held, the shooting started.
Hank remained standing with his arms crossed and a serious expression, thinking about how to solve the situation.
—Hey, what happened last night? Is there something you want to say?
Ignoring father and daughter, Erin walked over to Hank.
—Don't worry, everything's under control —Hank said with an almost irritating calmness.
He even smiled, as if they had just been talking about overdue paperwork and not the fact that Internal Affairs had dragged him out in handcuffs in front of half the precinct.
Erin let out an incredulous laugh and ran a hand through her hair, clearly frustrated.
—"Under control"? Hank, the whole department saw it. —She pointed at him with both hands.—
—So what? —he replied, shrugging while casually drinking his coffee as if nothing had happened.
—So what? —Erin repeated, staring at him in disbelief.— People are already talking. You know how this place works.
Hank set the cup down on the desk and barely looked up.
—Let them talk. By tomorrow, they'll have another rumor to gossip about.
Erin exhaled sharply in frustration.
—You still don't get the point.
—No, you're exaggerating the problem —Hank replied calmly.— It was a misunderstanding. Internal Affairs asked questions, I answered them, and the matter's settled.
He made a careless gesture with his hand.
—It's over.
Seeing his attitude, Ethan knew he was actually fine.
Leaving the two father-daughter pairs in the room, he walked out.
—Hank!
The moment Ethan sat down, Platt quickly came upstairs.
—There's someone from the Gang Unit who wants to talk to you about the Pearson community shooting. He's waiting in reception.
—Alright, thanks.
Hank nodded.
—I'll be down in a second.
Platt gestured and walked away.
The moment he heard the words "Gang Unit," Alvin Olinsky's expression changed instantly.
Tension appeared on his face almost immediately as he looked back at Lexi.
—The guy who got shot… was he gang-affiliated? —he asked cautiously, though the concern in his voice was impossible to hide.
—I don't know… —Lexi quickly shook her head.—
Olinsky closed his eyes for a second and rubbed his forehead, as if he could already feel the headache this was going to bring.
When he looked at her again, his tone became much more serious.
—Listen to me carefully, Lexi. From now on, you don't identify anyone, you don't describe anyone, and you don't say anything to anybody outside this room. Understood?
The young woman swallowed nervously and nodded slowly.
—I understand…
Lexi nodded, intimidated by her father's severe tone. He was no longer speaking like the man who had just hugged her, but like the detective who fully understood how dangerous this situation could become.
When Erin and Lexi left the break room, Alvin Olinsky stopped at the doorway and looked seriously at Hank.
There was no need to say much.
Hank understood immediately and responded with a slight nod.
—Let's go. Let's find out what's going on.
Then he gestured for Ethan to follow them, and the three of them headed downstairs together.
Ethan frowned as they walked.
The Gang Unit getting involved could only mean two things: either the victim belonged to a gang… or gang members had been involved in the shooting.
And neither option was good.
Because if Lexi really was the only witness, the situation had just become much more dangerous.
In the first-floor reception area, a white detective in a black trench coat was already waiting beside the desk. The moment he saw Hank, Ethan, and Alvin Olinsky approaching, he straightened up and greeted them with a quick handshake.
—I think we all know why I'm here —he said bluntly.
He got straight to the point. Opening the folder tucked under his arm, he placed it on the table.
—The guy who ended up in the morgue was named Russell Thompson. For now, we've classified him as a low-level criminal.
He flipped through the file.
—But he's affiliated with the Black Disciples.
The atmosphere shifted the moment he mentioned the gang's name.
—And his name recently came up in an investigation connected to drug movement in the Pearson community.
Ethan slowly took a seat and folded his hands in front of him.
—To be honest, I still don't understand why you're here —he said calmly.— Was Russell your informant or something?
—Not yet —the detective replied with a shrug.— We were just starting to get close to him.
He pointed at the folder.
—The Black Disciples have been trying to push into Latino territory for weeks. Everything points to this shooting being a warning.
Hank let out a short sigh and nodded.
—Understood.
He shook the detective's hand.
—Thanks for letting us know. If we find anything, we'll call you. And if there's nothing else, we're heading back upstairs.
—Ah… yeah, one more thing. —The detective hesitated briefly before speaking.— I heard you brought the witness here.
Silence immediately filled the room.
Leaning against the wall, Olinsky spoke with a completely neutral expression.
—There are no witnesses.
The detective slowly turned his head toward Alvin and stared at him for several seconds, clearly not buying the answer.
—Really? —he finally asked.— Because two patrol officers told me there was a witness… someone with your last name.
Olinsky didn't even blink.
—Then you should understand it better —he replied coldly before the other man could continue.— She didn't see anything.
The detective sighed in frustration.
—Listen, Al. I get it. She's your daughter. But—
—Being a witness to a gang shooting makes you a target —Olinsky interrupted, growing more impatient by the second.— I know exactly what you want, and it's not happening.
And he wasn't wrong.
In gang-related cases, being a witness was practically a death sentence. For those people, silencing witnesses was part of the business. The worst part was that the bullet could come from anywhere, at any time.
The Gang Unit detective frowned.
—Detective, we've been working this case for months. Months. We have a real chance to dismantle both of these gangs.
He stepped forward.
—We need cooperation.
—I don't give a damn how long you've been working the case —Olinsky snapped, stepping forward as well.— She's my daughter. And she's not testifying.
The tension immediately escalated.
—Hey, easy —Ethan intervened, grabbing Olinsky by the arm before he could keep advancing.
Outside the office, curious looks were already starting to appear through the glass walls. Some uniformed officers slowed down as they noticed the tone of the argument.
Hank let out a heavy sigh and slammed the office door shut to cut off the spectacle.
—Listen —Ethan said, pointing at the badge hanging from the detective's belt.— We both wear the same thing.
His voice remained calm, but firm.
—So show a little respect.
Hank finally stepped in front of the Gang Unit detective, making it clear the conversation had gone too far.
—From this point on, Intelligence is taking over. Send all the case files upstairs. You're dismissed.
—You can't take this case from me like that.
—I can… and I already did.
—Just because of one witness?
—I don't have to explain anything to you.
—Shit… I'm reporting this.
—Go ahead.
After the tense exchange, Hank forcefully opened the office door.
The Gang Unit detective walked out first, visibly annoyed, adjusting his trench coat as he disappeared down the hallway without another word.
The silence left behind was heavy.
Voight rubbed a hand over his face, tired, then looked at Alvin.
—You're not working today —he said firmly.— Go home. Stay with your family.
Olinsky opened his mouth as if to argue, but Hank didn't give him the chance.
—We'll talk once we solve this.
For several seconds, Olinsky remained motionless. Finally, he nodded once and quickly left the room.
Because at the end of the day, this was no longer just a case.
It was a gang conflict, and that meant the priority was keeping his family alive.
When the door closed again, Ethan slowly exhaled and looked at Hank.
Lexi could be impulsive, troublesome, and make stupid decisions… but Olinsky was still one of their own.
—What do we do now?
Hank Voight crossed his arms and leaned his weight against the table.
—We find the shooter and make him talk.
Ethan barely raised an eyebrow.
—And if he doesn't want to?
—Then we get enough evidence to force him to —Hank replied without the slightest trace of doubt.
That was how things worked in Intelligence.
For now, it was all they could do.