Tango
I t was later that same night that Briana finally got the call from Flores she’d been waiting for.
Jacob Hoch had hit the vodka hard, and by twenty-two hundred he was not only angry and looking for a fight, but he was drunk and belligerent too.
Simone no longer had to do or say anything to provoke him.
After going outside to view his dented baby yet again, he came in and decided he didn’t need a specific reason to beat the hell out of her.
Seeing ahead, how sideways it was about to go, Flores and Robinson had called for backup before the first punch was thrown.
Bravo Team medic, Eddie ‘Needles’ Winston and Mother responded.
Three of the four men drew in close to the house and waited while Eddie hung back watching the camera feed advising them of what took place in the residence.
As soon as Eddie saw Jacob start to beat his wife, he gave the go order to the other men.
Then he called the police to report the domestic abuse and then called Briana.
At the back sliding glass door, Mother used a crowbar to pry the door off its track and pop it off.
He, Robinson, and Flores rushed in and ran up the stairs.
They went right to the master bedroom where Jacob Hoch repeatedly struck his wife with closed fists and kicks while she cowered in the fetal position in a corner, one of the three corners that was clearly in view of the camera.
From the first punch to them busting in, less than three minutes had elapsed.
Hoch never knew what hit him.
The three men were on him fast, pulling him off his wife.
They secured him face down on the carpeted floor, his hands zip tied behind his back.
He thrashed on the floor like a fish out of water and swore, the only thing he accomplished was waking both his children from the dead sleep they’d been in.
They wandered into the bedroom, bleary-eyed and confused.
Mother kneeled in front of them.
“We’re the police. Your father was hitting your mom, but she’s okay.” That was yet to be determined.
Winston was on his way to the house, running through the backyards.
Simone Hoch lay in the corner, crying, bloodied, and bruised.
“We stopped him. A uniformed police officer is on his way to arrest your dad.”
The little girl started to cry.
“Daddy hits her a lot. He hits us too.”
“Your daddy is never going to hit any of you ever again,” Mother said.
He looked the older boy in the eyes.
“I need you to be the man of the house and take your sister back to bed and stay with her. Your mom will be in soon, okay?” He knew the two children didn’t need to see any more of what was going on in this room.
He doubted they’d go back to sleep, but the safety of her bedroom was where this little girl needed to be.
“Yes, sir,” the boy murmured.
He glanced at his mom, who was still lying on the floor.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her like that.
Briana arrived before the police.
Robinson stood outside the front door.
“How bad is she?”
“Winston is with her now, not sure. Hoch got in some good hits before we stopped him. They’re all still upstairs in the master bedroom.”
Briana shuddered.
She walked past him and into the house.
She jogged up the steps and went right into the master bedroom.
Jacob Hoch was face down though he craned his head, trying to see what was going on in the corner his wife was in.
He still yelled and swore at those in the room including his wife.
“You shouldn’t be in here yet,” Flores whispered, taking hold of her upper arm and leading her back into the hallway.
“He can identify you and that will majorly fuck up this Op.”
Briana leaned against the wall and let out a breath.
She’d only gotten a glimpse of Simone Hoch but it didn’t look good.
She saw open cuts, blood, and bruises.
Her heart ached that they couldn’t stop it faster before she’d been hurt so badly.
“The kids are awake,” Flores said, pointing at one of the doors down the hallway.
“Why don’t you stay with them until the cops take him away? Needles also called for an ambulance. You’ll need to see who your client wants to stay with the kids.”
Briana nodded.
“Let me know as soon as the police take that piece of shit away.”
“You know I will,” Flores said.
He watched her proceed down the hallway and then disappear behind one of the doors, closing it behind herself.
The police arrived first. Robinson, still outside of the front door, advised them of the situation, showed his DSS badge and creds, and then sent them up to the master bedroom.
The two officers didn’t ask him why the Diplomatic Security Service were on-site.
Those questions would come later.
One look at Simone Hoch, still lying in the corner of the room, and they were ready to arrest the husband.
The video the team had recorded of the attack cinched it.
And the information to look for the police report from the morning’s call had them vowing that they’d talk with the attending officers from that call.
Flores pulled the senior officer of the two that responded to the hallway.
“Just a heads up that the vic plans to get an order of protection and a process server is on standby to serve divorce papers on him while he’s in jail.”
“Good to know. Thank you. Don’t worry, he’ll be there for some time, I’m sure. Judge Kinian is on tomorrow morning and she always denies bail or sets it astronomically high on these kinds of cases if the wife is hospitalized or shows up with the D.A. willing to press charges. Two questions. First, why are agents of the Diplomatic Security Service here? What’s the connection?”
Flores couldn’t tell him that they were in the process of their creds being switched over to FBI and DEA for the four team members of Bravo.
Now that they no longer protected visiting dignitaries, who technically didn’t qualify for official protection, carrying the ID of a special agent of the Diplomatic Security Service, no longer served them.
Shepherd had canceled that contract with the State Department, much to Bravo Team’s relief.
They’d been dedicated to that contract for several years.
“No connection. We’re officially on leave. Helping Simone Hoch was a favor for a friend,” Flores said.
“Uh-huh,” the officer said.
“Who else is here? You said the minor children.”
“Yes, and a friend of Simone’s is in with them. She wasn’t here during the assault but came after to be with the children.”
***
Becca woke up tucked in tightly against Carter.
They’d waited up to hear from Briana for the resolution of things over at the Hoch house.
She’d notified them both when she’d gotten word from Flores that Jacob Hoch had snapped and beaten Simone.
Briana had finally gotten back to them at midnight.
Simone Hoch was transported to the hospital via ambulance for x-rays for suspected broken ribs.
Bravo Team member, medic Eddie Winston had accompanied her to the hospital while Briana stayed with her children.
Winston brought Simone home around zero three hundred.
The x-rays confirmed two broken ribs.
Several cuts required stitches, and photographs were taken by the police as proof of her beating.
She originally didn’t want to go to the hospital, but the team convinced her it would look worse for her husband if she did, so she agreed.
Becca wasn’t surprised to find Carter awake.
“What time is it?” she asked, when she realized that even though he lay motionless beside her, his eyes were wide open.
“Just past six,” he answered.
“How’d you sleep?” He kissed her temple, where his lips easily reached without moving.
“I had a hard time falling asleep. All I could think of was that poor woman,” she said.
“Briana texted last night while you were asleep, after Winston brought Simone home from the hospital. Two broken ribs, they’ll heal. It could have been worse.”
“At least we got it all on tape. That bastard won’t ever hit her again.”
“We’ll make sure of it,” Tessman said.
“She’s also my client now. I’ll stay in touch with her and make sure of it too,” Becca said.
“Carter, will you think I’m nuts if I tell you I think I want to help more women like her who are in a bad situation?”
“No, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. You said at the beginning you were going to sign your sister’s house over to a battered woman’s shelter, so I know this is a cause you are passionate about.”
“I’d like to help Briana with more of her cases,” Becca said.
“Do you think Shepherd would extend my limited contract and hire me on for more of a regular gig?”
Tessman’s lips pulled into a grin.
“I’d like that.” He rolled into her and wrapped his body around hers.
“You’ll never know until you ask.”
“I guess not. But I don’t think I’d want to start right away. When this is over, I need a few weeks away.”
“Away where?” Tessman asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe a few days in Vail, a few in Disney, and a few days in the Dells to revisit the memories.”
“St. Thomas. Add St. Thomas to your vacation plans and I’ll meet you there and teach you to scuba dive.”
Becca laughed.
“That would be nice. I wish.”
“I’m serious,” Tessman said.
“Will you be able to get off work?”
“I have several weeks leave on the books. I’ll get off, don’t worry.”
“Then we will definitely talk more about this when it’s over and those responsible for killing my sister’s family are behind bars where they belong.”
Tessman hoped that would be the case.
***
Becca gazed out of the window as Jackson pulled the SUV from the parking garage.
The sun shone brightly.
She wanted to lower the window and feel the sun on her skin, the breeze on her face.
But Carter had told her to leave it up.
The windows were tinted for a reason and although it was unlikely someone watched the parking garage, hoping to get a glimpse of her, it was just safer this way.
As they drove, heading for the court house, a feeling of freedom settled over Becca.
This was the first time in several days that she’d left the Shepherd Security building.
She remembered that she’d never had that conversation with Carter, that she needed to go home.
Her home still needed to be righted since it was ransacked.
The thought of all of her belongings lying scattered all over the floor bothered her.
When they arrived at the courthouse, Jackson dropped them off at the entrance on the side of the building for law enforcement.
Tessman walked her inside while Jackson parked the car.
Becca watched Carter show his badge and declare his gun.
They both proceeded through the metal detector, Carter retrieving the items on the other side.
It amazed her how comfortable he was with all of it.
For some reason, she saw him as a Marine, not an FBI agent, which seeing him interact with the county law enforcement officers who guarded the entrances into the building, reminded her that he was.
Tessman then guided her to a conference room that was near the courtrooms. Briana had messaged that she and Simone Hoch waited there.
Tessman opened the door without knocking.
Two other women were inside with Briana and Simone.
“It’s okay, they’re with us,” Briana said when one of the women protested the door opening.
“This is Meg Fitzgerald with the D.A.’s office.” Briana pointed to the older woman in the black pantsuit.
“And this is Denise Bradley, the advocate who’s been assigned to the case.” She was younger with long, dark red hair.
“Hello, I’m Rebecca Elliot, Missus Hoch’s attorney,” Becca introduced herself to the two women.
Then her attention turned to the only one in the room with facial injuries, her client, Simone Hoch.
“Hello Simone,” she said, reaching her left hand out to her.
“It’s nice to meet you in person.”
“Thank you for everything,” Simone said.
“And I’m Carter Tessman, one of Miss Elliot’s outside investigators,” he introduced himself, the role that had been thought up by Shepherd.
Briana had already informed Simone he and Jackson would be there and what their roles would be.
“We were just telling Missus Hoch that Jacob Hoch is number three on the docket. Judge Kinean is known to be tough with domestic violence perps,” Meg Fitzgerald said.
“We’ll inform the judge of the divorce papers having been served this morning, the order of protection request, and we’ll ask for remand, which I’m sure she will grant. There are two police reports now to back up our insistence that the defendant is a danger and should not be granted bail or if it is granted that it is so high he won’t be able to raise it, not to mention the fact that his wife will not put up the bail for him.”
“Are you sure the divorce papers were served this morning?” Simone asked.
“Yes, we have confirmation they were,” Tessman answered.
“Okay, good,” Simone said, obviously relieved.
“Any other questions?” Meg Fitzgerald asked.
“No, so, we just wait here until Jacob’s case is called?” Simone asked.
“I’ll be in the courtroom across the hall and will come get you when the second case is finishing up. I’ll bring you right up to the seats behind the D.A. You and your attorney will sit there until your husband is brought back to the prisoner area after the arraignment. Then we return to this room to go over the orders the judge gives,” Denise Bradley said.
Simone Hoch blew out a loud breath and nodded.
Briana took hold of her hand.
“We’ve got you, Simone. One step at a time.”
Simone nodded.
Just as the A.D.A. and the victim’s advocate were leaving, Jackson entered the room.
Briana filled him in on what transpired.
As Jacob Hoch could identify both Tessman and Briana, they would not go into the courtroom.
They’d wait in the room.
When Denise Bradley came to get them, Becca and Jackson accompanied Simone into the courtroom.
They sat in the back row until the proceedings on case number two ended.
Then, Denise led them up to the front of the courtroom as Jacob Hoch was led into the room by a bailiff.
Becca stared at Simone’s husband, noticing that he was wearing handcuffs.
The bailiff removed the cuffs as he reached the defense table where a court appointed lawyer stood.
Jacob Hoch stared at his wife throughout the entire arraignment.
Becca judged his facial expression as pleading.
He was silently pleading with her to end this, to retract the charges she wanted to press, retract the divorce papers.
Becca bet that it would take little to throw him into a rage.
He was smart enough to know he had to keep it locked down though.
His defense attorney surely would have told him to exhibit no anger.
He’d probably told him to avoid looking at his wife too, advice he wasn’t heeding.
The arraignment didn’t last long.
Becca was very happy that when it was over, the judge ordered all motions they wanted granted, except for bail.
But even that, she set the bail so high that Jacob Hoch would not be getting out.
They returned to Briana and Carter in the room across the hallway.
Only then did Simone Hoch noticeably relax.
Denise Bradley went over all of the motions and what they meant, and gave Simone a card with her information and the case information on it plus a pamphlet on her rights as a victim.
Then Denise excused herself, but advised they could use the room for another fifteen minutes if needed.
Becca gave Simone her card as well.
“I’ll be in touch, but call me if you have any questions,” she told her client before they all left the room.
Briana would escort Simone home.
Jackson went out ahead of Tessman and Becca to retrieve the car.
Standing alone just within the law enforcement entrance Tessman could see something was on Becca’s mind.
“That went about as well as it could have,” he said.
“Yes, I’m very glad the judge set bail so high. She couldn’t deny it, but Simone is sure there is no one who will come up with that amount to get him out. Unfortunately, he may get time served as his sentence when it does go to trial,” Becca said.
“We deal with that when it happens,” Tessman said.
“Carter, I need to go home,” she said.
“Sure, you want to pick up a few more things? We can swing by on our way back to HQ.”
“No, I mean home to stay.”
“Oh,” he said, visibly disappointed.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea yet.”
“My place is a mess. I need to put it back together. And I can’t hide at your office indefinitely.”
“How about a few more days? Just until after you confront Standish?” he whispered.
“Becca, we can protect you so much easier at the office.”
“Do you know how soon I can do that?”
“A day or two, I’m sure,” he answered as Jackson pulled up with the agency SUV.
They exited the building and got in.
“In that case, then yes, I’d like to go to my house and get a few more things,” she said.