"Oh, my dear, you're as beautiful as ever," Ray King greeted Dana Mozé with a warm cheek-to-cheek gesture, clearly showing their familiarity.
"And you, old man—weren't you talking about retirement? Why are you still clinging to your post at the IRS?" Dana laughed, teasing him.
"It's been a while. So, what brings you to New York?" Jack quickly stood up, shaking Ray's hand and casually casting a long-term healing spell on him. Ever since their last encounter in Margreve, he hadn't seen the "retirement-obsessed" Ray, who, by all appearances, was in great shape.
"Oh, it's about that Robert Lawrence. Don't tell me you've forgotten how much trouble he caused Dana when you first came to New York?"
Jack was momentarily stunned by Ray's remark, his mind racing. Ray was obviously referring to the other Dana—Dana Cummings. Jack remembered that Chris, after saving the IRS investigator, had become close to her, and she had even joined the IRS. Jack had also enlisted her help in dealing with the Sonora Group.
Connecting that with his first visit to New York and Robert Lawrence's background, Jack began to understand why Ray was here.
"Is he connected to that vampire, Mara Grayson?"
Jack recalled that his initial trip to New York was because Joe Mason, a retired CIA operative, had fallen prey to Mara Grayson, a woman who preyed on the elderly. Jack had set a trap, and Ray had sent Dana Cummings to investigate, hoping to expose the network tied to this "elder-care" operation. The investigation had been ongoing for months. Was there finally a breakthrough?
Ray nodded. "Robert Lawrence has been pushing to expand private hospice centers. During our investigation into Grayson Guardianship and the mysterious syndicate behind it, we zeroed in on him."
"Recently, the IRS found that a $15 million loan was funneled from Grayson Guardianship into Lawrence's 'National Greatness Foundation.' What do you make of that, Jack?"
Jack immediately recalled his earlier analysis of the McBala family's drug operations. "It's just enough to take over the McBala drug trade and even expand it a bit."
Ray and Dana exchanged a satisfied glance. "Exactly. Based on our intel, Robert Lawrence intends to partner with MS-13 to seize the McBala drug market. With the money-laundering network embedded in the elder-care sector, he's setting up a perfect closed loop."
"And elder care is the ideal cover for selling illegal substances. No one questions the sheer amount of opioids and other drugs consumed by patients with cancer or chronic illness."
Jack sat thoughtfully, piecing together the new information Ray had provided and forming his own judgment.
"So, Lawrence has two aims in orchestrating these bombings: first, to weaken the Black gangs so that MS-13 can take over their territory and generate enough cash to fund his political ambitions. Second, to provoke infighting among the lower classes, drawing attention to MS-13, while he, as a far-right politician, reaps political capital by blaming the chaos on the 'inherent flaws' of minority groups. That fits his divisive theory nicely, drawing in support."
"Is he planning to run for president?" Jack couldn't help but quip.
Ray chuckled. "You're a smart kid. Should've joined the IRS."
Jack, however, had lingering doubts. "So, MS-13 is just a pawn. It hasn't been long since they were expelled from New York, so they'll face intense scrutiny from the NYPD if they reappear. Lawrence's real partner, besides Mara Grayson in elder care, must be another gang—or rather, whoever aims to control the Hell's Kitchen drug trade. Who is it?"
"Roman Lunov," Dana replied, handing Jack a file, with a glint of admiration in her eyes.
Jack opened the file, and immediately recognized the photo. The man looked just like a certain "little demon" from Game of Thrones. Apart from the dragon queen's famous scenes, that character had left a lasting impression on him.
"He's one of the top Russian mob bosses in New York, with a major drug smuggling route. However, his sales and money-laundering channels have hit a snag recently. The DEA took down his biggest distributor and uncovered his banker."
Dana took the file back and locked it away after Jack finished reading it.
Now the puzzle pieces fell into place. Jack nodded, seeing the full picture. Going deeper wasn't necessary; one wrong move, and who knew what else might come up. He was just an FBI agent, after all; it was good to know his limits.
"So, what's our goal here?" Jack asked. When it came to matters like this, the higher-ups' intentions were what mattered. Fighting crime was part of his job, but he wasn't here to play superhero, going after every villain he encountered. Even Batman kept certain antagonists around.
Of course, if he ran into someone like Ian Doyle, who thrived on personal vendettas, he wouldn't hesitate to take them down.
Dana and Ray shared another look, each feeling a pang of frustration. Talented, self-aware young agents like Jack were rare—and somehow, he'd ended up under Rossi, the FBI's resident "idle man."
Ray's regret ran deeper. He had been the one to meet Jack first, the one who had even considered him for a leadership role. Everything had been going smoothly, so how had things turned out this way?
"Roman Lunov is under the DEA's watch. If we can prevent his people from taking over Hell's Kitchen, they stand a good chance of bringing him down."
"Meanwhile, Brick, the bomb maker, still hasn't talked. Even if he implicates Robert Lawrence, we need direct evidence to convict him. The man has an entire team of lawyers at his disposal," Dana noted.
She didn't mention Mara Grayson, as that matter was clearly within the IRS's jurisdiction, and Ray's investigators had already been working on it for months.
"Jubal has placed at least twenty FBI agents in the Scarsdale neighborhood where Lawrence lives. His phone is being monitored around the clock. Hopefully, the recent press conference rattled him, just as we intended."
"I understand." Jack stood to leave when hurried footsteps echoed in the hall. Jubal Valentine appeared at the office door.
"Ma'am, Brick talked. There's still one more bomb out there!"
——
"I'll tell you everything, but the NYPD and FBI need to drop all charges against me. I can't leave my mother alone in Hell's Kitchen; those animals won't spare her."
Standing behind the one-way glass in the interrogation room, Jack listened to Brick's negotiations with an exasperated Danny Reagan. Jack turned to Dana.
"Shall I give it a shot?" he asked.
Dana's expression was icy, her gaze steely. "No need. CSI just found an empty military-grade TNT box and a grenade case in his mother's restaurant basement. The TNT likely matches the strength of the recent apartment blasts, but at least twelve grenades are still unaccounted for. We need the location of that last bomb—now."
She signaled to Jubal, who left quickly, and walked to the door of the adjacent interrogation room. After a moment's pause, she entered.
"Let me handle this," Dana said to Danny Reagan, who exited. She didn't bother closing the door and took a seat directly across from Brick.
"You know, I've been doing this job for a long time. I've seen all sorts—human traffickers, serial killers, pedophiles. But do you know which type I like the most? Filial sons like you."
As she spoke, Jubal passed by the doorway, pushing a wheelchair occupied by an elderly woman who was loudly complaining, oblivious to the room's occupants.
But as they moved past, Brick's face turned pale. The woman in the wheelchair was his mother.
"Where's the last bomb?" Dana asked.
"Please, don't do this. She's innocent. She doesn't know about any of this," Brick pleaded in a low voice.
"Where is the last bomb?" Dana's voice turned sharp and unforgiving. "This is your final chance."
Brick swallowed hard, finally giving in. "Lawrence had me pass it to a runner right after Bernardo was arrested."
"And where was he planning to plant it?"
"I don't know. He talked about targeting the homes of those DU dealers, but I don't think he was serious about that. Grenades aren't nearly powerful enough. And he had me fill the bomb with nails."
"So his target is a crowded place. Anything else?" Dana pressed him.
Brick spilled the rest of the information. "I told him the cell battery for the detonator would only last 24 hours. After that, the bomb will go off automatically."
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