As soon as the words left her mouth, Amy felt her heart plummet into her stomach, the knots of guilt, shame, fear all wrapping around it and trapping it as she shook with nausea at what she had agreed to.
"See." Luke said grinning as if he had won the lottery, "That wasn't so hard was it."
Amy blanched, scrunching her nose up at his amusement. It didn't mean anything, if it would appease him and help him cooperate with her investigation then fine, she would play along.
"Right..." She said weakly before clearing her throat.
She looked behind herself and sunk back into the armchair and did her best to regain her composure and reset the situation. Yet despite her desire to regain control, she felt something else inside of her screaming to escape, to stop whatever was happening before it developed into something worse. Yet she looked up at Luke towering over her and gulped.
"So...as...as I was saying, if...if you do have any information ab...about the gang..." She squeaked.
"Oh Detective please." Luke snorted before moving to sit back down opposite her, "you can drop the act now, the cop routine, all the boring high horse morality bullshit, now you're here you can act properly." He said.
"I...it...it's not an act, this is who I am." She whined defensively, frowning.
"Uh-huh, okay, well we're gonna work on that." He said, tilting his head to inspect her.
She shivered at his gaze, watching his eyes rest on her chest and then her crotch and she crossed her legs doing her best to shift his attention as she clicked the pen and tapped the notepad now resting on her lap.
"Please...Mr. Jackson, uhh...Luke...please, I need your help." she insisted.
"Oh I can tell girl, I can tell." he said
Despite her newfound uncertain situation, Amy couldn't help but feel annoyed at the change in how he spoke to her, looked at her, and interacted with her. He was now condescending, rude even, normally she would never let anyone speak to her like that, but clearly this wasn't a normal situation. Desperate times called for desperate measures and Amy was willing to suffer the indignity silently if it got her results.
"Right...well...maybe we could start with your former cellmate then." Amy said, doing her best to stay on track, "perhaps you can tell me if he discussed anything with you during your time togeth-"
"What's your name again?" He asked loudly, interrupting her and earning a scowl as she simmered.
"Detective Santiago." Amy said quickly and cleared her throat. "As I was saying, did he-"
"No no forget that, what's your name, what can I call you." Luke clarified.
"You can call me Detective Santiago." She said with a strained smile.
"Nah nah nah." He replied lightly, shaking his head, "you ain't getting it, clearly you're smart as you've worked up the ladder and out of the blues, but if you're my woman then drop the cop act, in this apartment you're mine." he said.
The sudden shift in his tone caught her off guard as she sucked in her lips nervously, his voice a low rumble in her ears. She couldn't understand what was happening as she scooted to the edge of the seat and coughed.
"A...Amy..." She admitted and furrowed her brow at her compliance.
"See...that's a start, Amy...I like it...I like it much more than you trying to boss your man around and have him call you something that doesn't apply here." He said.
She frowned, an uneasy feeling growing inside of her at the terminology he was using, the labels he was applying to them both and his apathy towards her official title which she had worked so hard to obtain.
"I...I don't think that's appropriate." She said weakly.
"No? You prefer I call you something else? You wanna new name, Santiago?" He asked in a mocking tone.
"No." She said sternly, scowling once again at him.
He chuckled, and his dry laugh only added to her injury, her anger at being treated in such a manner simmering under the surface as she did her best to stay composed. She needed the information, she needed a lead, she needed to grit her teeth and bare with him until she could leave.
"Then until you're ready for some nicknames, I think we'll stick with Amy." He said, his tone of voice leaving no room for discussion.
Amy drew in a breath and sighed heavily, doing her best to expel her anger and remain calm, "fine, fine, I...fine you can call me Amy," she said.
"See, isn't it good when you do as you're told, when you're good for me." He said in a low seductive voice.
She swallowed hard, not understanding why his words seemed to have an effect on her, flustering her, she didn't want his praise, she didn't want his validation. She didn't. Did she?
"I...please...Luke...I've asked again and again, I've agreed to your request, you can call me by my first name, please, can you give me anything to take back and follow up to get results." She asked, desperation in her tone.
"Sure," he said casually, throwing his hands up.
Amy let out a sigh of relief, finally she would be able to proceed with her investigation and have something to show for her compromise, her breaking of her own rules and morality.
"Just as soon as you convince me you mean what you say." Luke said with a smirk.
"What?" She asked, caught off guard as confusion coloured her expression.
"I don't know if I believe you is all, you're so insistent on getting info, like a dog with a bone," He paused and narrowed his eyes and looked at her, "well not that that's a bad thing, good to know you're an obsessive bitch when you need to be." He said, his grin growing.
"Excuse me, I am not a bitch!" She snapped, reacting immediately, her emotions beginning to compromise her formal position.
"Ha! We'll see." Luke said, unbothered by her response, "But I like that, hot and flustered so easily, oh I'm gonna have fun with you." He mused.
"I...I...just...just want...information." she said in a small voice, looking away and down at the empty page of her notepad.
"You'll get it, soon as I know you mean to honour our deal." Luke said, regaining her attention. "Now, you want answers, then answer my questions, who are you?" he asked.
"I...I'm Detective Amy Santiago." She answered softly, confused.
At her reply Luke sighed and shook his head, she watched as he brought his thumb and finger up to the bridge of his nose and pinched it.
"No...no girl, oh you really are interesting, more work than I thought but I guess that makes it all the more fun." He said looking back up at her.
"I don't understand." Amy said, feeling once more like a schoolgirl failing to understand a question or obtain the highest grade for an exam.
She sat on the edge of the armchair, looking at him with a fixation she knew was dangerous to give the man, he was a criminal, he was clearly dangerous, and he was clearly toying with her, yet that innate quality in her to succeed, to pass every test, know the correct answer to every question, was trapping her in her newfound situation. She leaned forward, her notepad crumbling against her jacket as she waited for his explanation.
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked, once again his tone condescending, "you're my woman." he said simply.
Fear of failure paralysed her, yet beyond that a cold sense of dread as she realised he wanted her to state it, recite it, declare it as if it were true. Her throat turned dry as she let out a weak raspy sound of confusion. Confusion at the situation, the newfound title that he placed upon her that seemed to not quite fit right and her own emotional response to the label.
"Oh." She said, feeling small.
"So, want another go detective?" He asked, flashing his teeth in what Amy could only describe as a shit eating grin.
She wanted to say no, wanted to tell him where to go, or even to book him and make him go through holding, force him to sit in a cell for twenty four hours just to try and wipe the grin off of his face. Yet she knew that if she did she would never find out what he knew, and she would never be able to showcase to Captain Holt and the upper echelons of the NYPD her capability.
"Yes." She whispered, hating herself for her weakness, her need to prove herself to anyone and everyone.
"So needy." Luke teased, causing her to frown, "Alright then, Amy, what are you?" he asked, his gaze fixed on her.
"I..." Amy began, the barrier in her mind a long hurdle which she mentally jumped over "I'm your woman." She said in a flat, empty voice.
"Uh-huh...and what am I?" He asked, clearly enjoying this new game.
She looked at him, uncertain as to what purpose this game served apart from giving him a kick out of her submission
"You're my man." She said in a reserved manner
"Like you own it, come on I wanna hear you declare it like you're proud of it." Luke said loudly, "what are you?!"
"I'm your woman." Amy said loudly and quickly
"Who are you?" Luke repeated
"Your woman." Amy replied feeling funny about the situation
She blew her breath out uncertain as to why the declaration seemed to have affected her as she shook her head slightly. It didn't matter, it was just words, just another game she was forced to play
"So now that you're satisfied, may we continue, please?" She asked
"Sure." Luke said, "although you look a little flushed, would you like some water?" He asked
"Yes, yes please." Amy said accepting the offer
She remained seated while he stood, once again towering over her for a brief moment before stepping past her and disappearing. Suddenly alone Amy couldn't stop herself from looking around and taking in the various artefacts around the apartment to try and gleam more of an insight into Luke's life. She frowned at the poster on the opposite wall, unable to work out the meaning of the letters as she stared at them. The picture was a jumble of geometric shapes but along the bottom were four letters written in large black font and as she stared at them she tried to figure out what they could possibly stand for but couldn't work it out.
