The Finale by Treasure Hernandez

about what she was doing.
    â€œI see a hundred girls like you every year, Halleigh. They stand by their drug-dealing boyfriends through it all. They give up their freedom, their children get sucked into the system, and for what? For nothing, Halleigh. Even if we don’t get to him through you, we will get to him eventually. He’s in love with the streets, and they all fall. And when he does, we will be there to catch him. So you might as well save yourself now. If you don’t care enough about freedom, care enough about your child to make the right choice.”
    Detective Rodriguez was plucking at the heartstrings of a good mother. As much as Halleigh wanted to be strong, the tears falling down her graceful cheeks were giving her away. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go down. Their love story was meant to end in a happily ever after, not like this. No matter what decision she made, her son Malek Jr. would be losing one of his parents. Either she was going to prison for murder, or she was sending Malek in her place.
    â€œWhy are you doing this to us? I don’t know nothing about some kingpin bullshit. There is no money, no cars, no nothing. We’re not even from here. We’re just trying to live.”
    â€œYou should have stayed wherever you came from then, Halleigh. This is Baltimore, and let’s just say Malek has stepped on the wrong toes,” Rodriguez admitted, finally feeling bad for the love-struck girl.
    Halleigh ended the conversation, refusing to speak to the detective any longer, but Rodriguez was patient and knew that time would crack Halleigh.
    Hours passed before Halleigh realized she had been backed into a corner. She loved Malek and always would, but she couldn’t see herself leaving her son. It was no longer just the two of them. She had their son to think about, and he needed her.
    She stood and went to the locked door that held her confined inside the room. She kicked the door and yelled, “Rodriguez!”
    Detective Rodriguez re-entered the room and waited for Halleigh to speak.
    Halleigh put her hands on top of her head. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do. “Aghh!” she screamed in agony as she closed her eyes tight. She wished that when she re-opened them she would be awakening from a bad dream. “I’ll do it,” she said, barely audible.
    â€œExcuse me?”
    â€œI said I’ll do it!” Halleigh shouted.
    It was three o’clock in the morning, and all Halleigh wanted was to go home. Malek had probably lost his mind with worry by now, because he had been expecting her hours ago.
    â€œI need to call him.”
    Rodriguez leaned across the table. “You will tell him you were carjacked. We brought you here to file a police report. That’s the story you will tell him. We will return your car to you tomorrow and say we found it abandoned somewhere.”
    She began to break down the specifics of what she expected Halleigh to do, how she wanted her to record conversations that would help them take Malek down.
    Halleigh barely listened. It was late, and she was overwhelmed, while exhaustion wrecked her. On top of that, her stomach was hollow from the blood on her hands.
    â€œI can’t do this right now. I said I’ll do it, but I need to get my head together. I just want to go home,” Halleigh whispered.
    Rodriguez was eager to get down to business and irritated that Halleigh wasn’t listening.
    â€œPlease,” Halleigh pleaded. “We can meet the day after tomorrow at my job.”
    â€œFine. But don’t forget what is at stake for you. I’ll still be watching you, so don’t make this hard and try to run.” Rodriguez stood. “I’ll take you to use a phone.”
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    When Malek raced into the police station with their son in his arms, Halleigh burst into tears.
    â€œKeep it together,” Rodriguez mumbled as she watched Malek