Chapter 24 | Leo
Leo
Isat in the interrogation room at the Brooklyn FBI field office, furious that Daniel had arrested me.
He must’ve been building a case against me since he started, and I racked my brain for ways to save myself from going to prison.
Although I’d been careful, Daniel was a seasoned agent, and I was sure he had evidence against me.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made the arrest.
Jermaine entered, carrying a cup of hot coffee, and he placed it in front of me.
“Daniel said I could bring you that,” he said, his tone compassionate. “Sorry, man. You’re a good agent and you don’t deserve this.”
I took a sip of the coffee and sighed. “Thanks. I’m no saint, and I’ve made questionable choices along the way, but this is bullshit.”
“Absolutely. Daniel will be in soon. Did you ask for a lawyer?”
“I’m going to see what he has and stay mum. If I feel like I need to request one, I will.”
Jermaine flashed a sympathetic smile. “Good luck, Leo.”
He exited and I waited a few more minutes before Daniel entered. His expression was sour, and I noticed the file folder in his hands. He tossed it down on the table and pushed it toward me.
“That’s everything I have so far,” he said, tapping the folder. “It’s enough to make your life hell, Leo. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s dirty agents.”
I lifted my eyes to his, remaining silent as I stared him down.
“But you seem to be one lucky bastard. I’m turning this over to a different agency. They’re going to take it from here.” His nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed. “You could’ve been so much more, but maybe we’re just different types of agents, Stabler.”
“I don’t see the world in black and white like you do,” I said, crossing my arms. “We all do the best we can in the ways we decide.”
Daniel’s eyes darted between mine before he nodded. “That we do.”
He left, the door making a loud click as it closed behind him. A few minutes later, two men in jeans, polo shirts and baseball caps entered. They sat in the seats across from me, and one pulled the folder toward him. Opening it, he slowly whistled.
“Daniel was really on your case, huh?” the man asked. “He’s a stickler, and that’s why the suits in DC put him here. He serves his purpose.”
The other man leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “But we all have different purposes to serve, Leo. We know you understand that.”
Annoyed, I lifted my hands. “Excuse me, but who the fuck are you guys?”
They glanced at each other and smiled. Facing me, the man on the right spoke.
“Brian DePalma, and this is Jack Casey.” The other man saluted. “We used to be field agents too.”
“So?” I shrugged.
“I get that you feel like a caged animal right now,” Jack said. “We’ve both been there.”
My eyes darted between them as I wondered what the fuck was going on.
“You see, Leo, we were informants who got caught too,” Brian continued. “We see the world the way you do. You’ve got to get your hands a little dirty to do some good in this fucked-up world.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Okay.”
“We’re part of a classified task force of agents who have special relationships with criminals throughout the country. We work with these criminals to take down the worst members of our society.”
I stayed silent, my wheels turning as I listened.
“Michael Caruso is certainly a criminal. But Marco Nunez, and others like him, are pure evil. Our task force...overlooks criminal activities of people like Michael if they can help us take down people like Marco,” Brian said.
“Are you understanding what we’re saying here?” Jack asked.
“I am, but Marco is dead as of this morning.”
Brian’s expression grew serious. “He is, but his sister has been running his business while he was in New York. Her name is Isabella Nunez, and she’s even more ruthless than Marco.”
I rubbed my chin as I contemplated. “You want me to work with Michael and his syndicate to bring down Isabella.”
“Yes,” Brian said with a nod. “Michael has connections the FBI could never fathom. It will take some time to bring her down, but we believe it can be done. It will be your first assignment with the task force, and it will be classified.”
“Meaning it will stay off-the-books,” I said.
“If you join us, the official narrative will be that you were fired for illegally informing to an organized crime syndicate, but not prosecuted,” Jack said.
“You’d have to be comfortable with people thinking you got canned for illegal activities.
In reality, the case that Daniel built against you will be dropped and your record will be clean. ”
“I’ve never given a crap what people think about me,” I said, lifting a shoulder. “Except my girlfriend and my dad. I’d want to tell them the truth.”
“You’ll be allowed to tell them that you work for a classified organization that recruited you because of your connection to Michael.
We wouldn’t want you to divulge any further details, though.
You’ll be given a ‘normal’ job as a consultant for an inconspicuous LLC,” Jack said, making quotation marks with his fingers.
“You’ll exist in society as a benign suburban man who works from home in his routine job,” Brian said. “No one will know that you work for a covert agency.”
“We’d also suggest you volunteer or get a job in your community to really sell the idea that you’re out of the bureau,” Jack continued. “The assistant football coaching job just opened up at Massapequa High School. We think it would be a perfect cover.”
I pursed my lips. “I’m a pretty big Jets fan, but I don’t know the first thing about coaching high school football.”
Brian laughed. “I’m the coach of the Bayport High School girls’ basketball team. My daughter goes there and has a mean three-point shot. How much do you think I knew about coaching basketball before I started?”
I smirked. “I’m guessing zero.”
“Bingo.” Brian tapped his nose.
“Your first assignment would be to work with Michael to use his vast network of connections to take down Isabella,” Jack said.
“After you accomplish that, we have an endless list of other ruthless criminals who need to be brought to justice. We’re willing to overlook Michael’s illegal activities as long as they don’t pass any red lines we deem unacceptable.
The task force leaders actually admire his stance on eliminating human trafficking and respect his efforts in the Northeast.”
“How much travel will I need to do?”
“There will be times when you’ll have to travel to Florida or the Caribbean as you work Isabella’s case, but it won’t be unreasonable.”
I rubbed my neck, contemplating. “I’m interested, but there’s one other thing. My girlfriend and I are looking into the process of becoming legal guardians to a Russian teenage immigrant. The process is a bit complex, and I don’t want to complicate it more.”
“We’re aware of your and Katia’s desire to become guardians to Dmitry,” Brian said.
“We have connections that other agencies don’t.
If you agree to join us, Dmitry will be granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and you and Katia will have joint guardianship within a year.
If you get married, it might be faster. Dmitry will be issued a green card once you have guardianship, and he can begin the path to citizenship. ”
Relief swished through me, knowing that Dmitry would be okay. Grinning, I straightened in my seat. “You’re making this sound really easy,” I said, arching an eyebrow.
“Classified task forces have existed since the country was founded, Leo. It’s just imperative to pick the right people that fit the objectives.”
“Well, I’m in some deep shit with Daniel, and I would appreciate the help with fast-tracking Dmitry’s green card. In light of my circumstances, I think I’d be a fool to say no.”
Jack nodded and held up a hand. “We’re happy to hear that, but we do need to tell you about the dangers. As with any law enforcement job, there will be heightened danger for your family.”
“Understood,” I said with a nod. “I learned that being a cop’s kid.”
“Since we’re covert, there won’t be a paper trail like there is here,” Brian said, his hand circling the room. “If you get caught, you’re not officially an agent. You won’t have a badge, and you’ll carry your own private firearm.”
It was risky, and I took a deep breath to settle in with that. “I’m okay with being off the books. How will I get paid?”
“You’ll get a check every two weeks from Blackridge Security Consulting LLC,” Jack said. “It’s the shell company the government set up to pay us. It sounds boring and corporate to keep it off the radar.”
“Your FBI pension will end immediately. You’ll keep what you’ve earned in the pension so far, and the task force will create a new one for you through the shell company moving forward.”
I nodded, digesting the details as I realized how quickly my life would change. But change wasn’t always a bad thing, and I would still be doing important work to bring down criminals and save lives.
Rising, they both extended their hands. “So, Leo, what do you say? Are you ready to join us? It will be a transition, but we both think you’re a perfect fit for the task force.”
Standing, I shook both their hands. “I accept your offer and will give it a hundred percent.”
“We have no doubt. You’re a fantastic agent, Leo, and we look forward to working with you.
” Brian pointed toward the door. “Daniel has been notified of everything we discussed today. When you leave this room, go to your desk and pack your things. Leave your badge and gun on your desk. Do you have any questions?”
“I’ll need to access my old emails and files from time to time to get information,” I said.
“We have access to the FBI servers, and can get any info you need.”
We finished up and Brian picked up the folder.
“We’ll be shredding this now. See you soon, Leo.
A package will arrive at your house containing a laptop and cell phone.
It will have instructions on how to set up an encrypted task force email.
Once you receive it and complete those steps, we’ll go from there. ”
“Looking forward to it.”
I headed to my desk, overcome with how quickly my career as an FBI agent was coming to an end. In truth, although I loved solving cases for the bureau and bringing people to justice, my heart hadn’t been fully in it for years.
Removing my badge from my waist, I ran my thumb over the gold shield, acknowledging the nostalgia for what I’d accomplished.
I set my gun on the desk beside my badge and packed my things in the backpack I kept in the bottom drawer of my desk.
Slinging it over my shoulder, I turned to Jermaine and gave a salute.
“Stay in touch, man,” he said, smiling behind his desk. “It was a pleasure working with you.”
“You too, buddy. See ya.”
Inhaling a deep breath, I walked out of the Brooklyn field office for the last time in my long career.