Having a wealthy playboy like Mike Lowrey as his partner was starting to wear on Marcus, who was already feeling the weight of a midlife crisis. The stress from balancing work with the demands of family life had him on the verge of requesting a transfer to a desk job. But learning that Mike had secretly gotten involved with his own sister? That was the last straw. How could Mike, who spent every day with him, hide something like this from him?
No one knew Mike better than Marcus. After all, they'd been partners for over a decade, and Marcus was all too familiar with Mike's charming, but commitment-phobic ways. The idea that his sweet sister had fallen for this player was infuriating.
What was supposed to be a nice evening to welcome his sister, Sydney, had now turned into a revelation that Mike had pursued her during his last trip to New York. Outraged, Marcus pulled Sydney aside and grilled her on how she'd ended up entangled with his incorrigible partner, while Mike stood nearby, looking uncomfortable. He tried to approach but was quickly waved away by a very stern Marcus, who didn't want him anywhere near their conversation.
Marcus, who had been planning to request a reassignment from working with Mike, was now even more determined to end their partnership. Once they'd arrested the notorious drug lord Johnny Tapia, he was done.
In the middle of his scolding, however, Mike suddenly approached with a serious look on his face. Before Marcus could explode, Mike hurriedly explained, "It's not my fault. The captain wants us back at the station—there's been a development with the Tapia case. A team from the FBI showed up wanting in on the investigation. The captain wants us to join forces with them."
Hearing this, Sydney was stunned. Her brother's precinct was already targeting Johnny Tapia, her own mission objective. But even more surprising was the fact that the FBI was involved as well. What on earth had Tapia done to draw their attention? Could it be that his drug trafficking had finally been fully exposed?
Suddenly, Sydney had a sinking feeling that her DEA team's mission might be compromised. Though the DEA was highly capable, going up against both the Miami PD and the FBI would make it difficult to take action without their support. She realized she'd need to report this new information to her superiors.
Reluctantly, Marcus stopped grilling his sister and warned her to stay put and keep out of trouble. Sydney and Mike both rolled their eyes, and Sydney teased that Marcus was prematurely turning into an old man. Meanwhile, Mike took the opportunity to check on Marcus, half-expecting him to explode on the spot.
Back at the precinct, Captain Howard had weighed the pros and cons and finally agreed to work with the FBI. The evidence they had was already enough to convict Tapia as a high-level drug trafficker. More importantly, they wouldn't be charging him with just drug trafficking; the FBI planned to take him back to New York to face more severe charges of national security violations and terrorist connections. After consulting with his superiors, Howard agreed to let the FBI agents, Zidan and Maggie, join the operation.
The terms were clear: once Tapia was apprehended, the FBI could take him back to New York, but any seized drugs or assets would remain with the Miami PD. Eager to apprehend Tapia and uncover Bakawi's location, Maggie, after consulting with Joe Martinez in New York, accepted these terms. The FBI team only wanted Tapia himself; their priority was to extract information on the notorious terrorist Amir Bakawi from him.
Joe Martinez, who remained in New York, showed decisive leadership by prioritizing Bakawi's whereabouts over any material gains. He understood that collaborating with the Miami PD was essential for a successful mission, especially since his agents had come from New York. Joe's experience with local police departments made him appreciate the importance of fostering cooperation rather than imposing the FBI's authority. This decision, which Joe considered routine, impressed many agents, who admired his clarity of purpose and lack of ego.
Meanwhile, Sydney slipped out as soon as Marcus and Mike left. She quickly said goodbye to her sister-in-law and headed to a discreet safe house in downtown Miami, operated by the DEA. There, she reported to her supervisor the unexpected complication: both the Miami PD and the FBI had already targeted Tapia, making her initial plan to approach him under the guise of a money-laundering expert nearly impossible. Furthermore, Marcus's unit was specifically focused on drug-related crimes, meaning that Tapia's cover had likely been blown.
Her superiors quickly took her report up the chain, and soon DEA agents were briefed on the FBI's real interest in Tapia—Amir Bakawi, who had recently resurfaced in New York only to vanish again.
In the precinct, with the deal in place, Maggie, Zidan, Mike, and Marcus prepared for a raid on Tapia's estate, waiting for intel from the scouts on the ground to initiate the operation. The speed and decisiveness of the plan took even Cassel by surprise. He marveled at Joe Martinez's resolve in sacrificing a huge potential gain simply to prioritize Bakawi's capture.
Cassel, observing the unfolding events, was astonished at Joe's sharp sense of purpose and restraint. He knew that Tapia's attic alone held a fortune in cash, with piles of money chewed by rats and taking up most of the space. But Joe had made it clear that he only cared about bringing Tapia in, a level of decisiveness and humility that earned him respect at the New York command center.
Even though the FBI had a reputation for exerting pressure in local cases, often leading to conflicts with local police, Joe's approach had secured Miami PD's full cooperation.
As the Miami PD and the FBI sealed their collaboration, word came from the DEA as well. After Sydney's report, her superiors learned that the FBI's interest in Tapia was linked to the fugitive terrorist Amir Bakawi, whose brief appearance in New York had captured the agency's attention. The news set the stage for a rare alliance among law enforcement agencies, all converging on one elusive target.
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I Am Zeus, KING OF GODS (Chapter 79)
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 391)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 471)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 677)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 1059)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1418)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1422)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1452)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1504)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld!(Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 703)
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