⸻ tracy spiridakos, 38, cis female, she & her ; … around redford, names don’t stay clean for long. natalie dunham is no exception. they are thirty eight, born and raised or just passing through the town. when the sun rises, they work as an intelligence detective, but around here, that rarely tells the whole story. their name has been heard in connection to red jackals mc and like most in this town, they carry their weight in quiet ways. some say they can be aloof and loyal, depending on who’s asking and what’s at stake. they’ve laid claim to main street district, though ownership in redford is never as simple as it looks. land shifts, loyalties change, and nothing stays untouched for long. lately, their name has been circling for being pro modernization. in a town where legacy matters and progress threatens, the only question that ever really lingers is this: will they hold their ground or lose everything trying? [ brooke, 29, est, she & her, none ]
tw gambling addiction, tw parental death , tw murder mention , tw foster care
In Redford, Texas there once was a Dedicated Police Officer. Chief to be exact, for the Redford Police Department. His name was Shawn Dunham, a young man who just wanted the best for everyone, and just wanted to keep the people of his town safe. He was married to Sydney Dunham (nee’ Wilder), a Registered Nurseat the Charming Medical Center. They were married for a couple of years, enjoying life and their town. They were well known and well liked throughout town. It was a surprise, but they had welcomed a beautiful baby girl back in November 1986.
Natalie Alexandria Dunham was born on November 14th back in 1988, gorgeous gold curls, sapphire blue eyes and a smile shown so bright that Shawn and Sydney were in love. They were hooked and in love and all they wanted to do was protect their newborn form the World the couple had come to known and be in within work. It wasn’t easy, sleepless nights had kept Sydney and Shawn up most times and there were moments when Nattie, a nickname only her father called her wouldn’t stop crying. To say she was sunshine with a little bit of hurricane was an understatement. Overall a happy baby, things were going well.
Things were going well until they weren’t. Three is the unlucky number, at least that’s what Natalie’s been told her whole life. Age three was the age when her life had changed, and not for the better. It had turned upside down and changed completely. Sydney had lost her job as an RN and things were tight, Shawn wasn’t getting paid as much and he was becoming addicted to gambling. Blowing paycheck to paycheck when he should of been putting it in savings but did he listen to his wife? No. . Though that was almost gone too, as he was spending his savings on things for Sydney and Natalie.
It was when Shawn was desperate, desperate enough to put food on the table and keep a roof over Sydney and Natalie’s heads that he then asked for a loan. A loan from Red Jackals MC. One of the gang in town he was very familiar with. Never paid much attention to them or their business until now, the Chief of Police asked the Red Jackals MC for a loan. To help him and his family out. Thankfully, at the time the MC agreed and said yes. Giving him the loan, the man just needed to pay them back. Did he pay them back? No. Shawn never did anything he was supposed to do, that’s where Natalie had gotten it from.
Shawn didn’t have the money, he spent the loan right away. Of course he did, and now he was in trouble. Shawn was in trouble, so was Sydney his wife and his three year old daughter, Natalie. It wasn’t Sydney or Natalie’s fault, it was his. It was Shawn’s fault. So the man did what he thought was best. With the little money he had left, Shawn packed up what was important and moved his wife and three year old to New York City. The city of dreams.
Two years. Two years they were living happily in New York City, he got back on his feet and so did Sydney. Living in Brooklyn and working for the Police Department once more, things were looking up again. Natalie was about to start Kindergarten and that’s when it happened. That’s when the MC tracked Shawn Dunham and his family down. Did they get the money he owed back? No. It was a tragedy, honestly. That’s how it was. They didn’t only shoot and kill Shawn Dunham for not returning the money, they shot and killed his wife Sydney also. Pointing the gun to an innocent five year olds face, they couldn’t do it. So they left her. The Cartel left her alone to clean up the mess them and her father had made.
She was an orphan, brought up within the system. Having no other family other than her parents, Natalie learned how to stay afloat and fight for herself. Growing up was fine, it wasn’t the best but it was better. She was alive. She lived. Did Natalie remember her parents and what had happened when she was younger? No, but there were times when Natalie missed them.
The only reason Natalie became a Detective like her father was to find out what the hell happened to her parents and why she suffered. Why they suffered. Growing up in the city that never sleeps, Natalie was a Detective for the Police Department in Brooklyn. The women was at the top of her game, cracking case after case. Being partnered with Gabriel Perez, the two developed not only a partnership, a friendship but a relationship as well. It was at first friends with benefits but of course the two broke the rules and fell in love. Within three years of their relationship, the two were engaged and then again, three wasn’t a lucky number. They were engaged for three months, three months before an undercover gig went wrong. The undercover operation didn’t kill her, it killed Gabriel. His death was what almost killed her. Taking a much needed brake and time off from work, the women decided to transfer.
Seven years ago, Natalie moved back to Redford, Texas where her story began. Where all the pain and heartache began, becoming a Detective for the Redford Police. She kept to herself most days and tried to figure out her parents death slowly but surely.
