Beckett gritted her teeth as she made her decision. Damn it! Her precinct was in the middle of dealing with a challenging case, and she'd planned to use the new software Ramsey provided to catch a group of Haitian drug dealers who'd just started operating in her jurisdiction. But then the CIA idiots threw a wrench in her plans, forcing her to uninstall and destroy this incredibly useful tool, just as Castle demanded.
Remembering her confident assurances to Castle the night before—that her precinct could use the software safely and securely—only fueled her anger. These jerks were testing her patience.
Yet, the lead she currently had was critical. She'd originally planned to assign the case to Esposito, who'd been performing well lately, as an opportunity for him to tackle something entirely different from murder cases. This would have prepared him for bigger responsibilities in case she got promoted or left the precinct, giving the Latino officer, with his military background, a chance to stand out. Now, it seemed she'd have to handle the case herself.
After all, the DEA had sent intelligence requesting assistance from her precinct, the NYPD's best-equipped and most heavily armed. By coincidence, the new Haitian dealers had set up shop right in her territory.
For Beckett, there was no question. Whether for the public's safety or to assist the DEA in fighting drug crimes, she had a duty to act.
These newly arrived Haitian dealers were shockingly bold. Beckett's precinct was the first in the city to implement drone patrols, which had effectively cleared the streets of small-time drug peddlers. Seeing this vacuum, the Haitian newcomers were openly selling on the streets, assuming they'd found a wide-open market in the heart of New York. This infuriated Beckett, who'd worked hard to keep the streets clean.
Moreover, these thugs were heavily armed, posing a serious threat to regular officers. However, her patrol officers were no ordinary cops—they had Remington shotguns replaced with Belgian FN-SCAR rifles. Over the past two weeks, her officers had confronted the gang multiple times, winning each encounter. Yet, these dealers were annoyingly persistent, like cockroaches.
It wasn't until the DEA's New York office sent over additional intelligence that Beckett learned these dealers were from Miami. Seriously? Did they think her precinct was a joke?
This was partly why Beckett wanted Esposito to lead the case; he was one of the few in her team with combat experience, ideal for facing the heavily armed gangsters. A "milk-and-honey" guy like Ryan might not have the cool-headedness needed for a vicious firefight.
To Castle's surprise, the DEA agent assigned to assist Beckett in tracing the source of the drugs was none other than Sidney—the sister of that middle-aged cop Marcus from Miami and the girlfriend of Mike Lowrey, the flashy playboy with a Ferrari!
Castle couldn't help but marvel at how small the world was.
Even though Castle didn't recognize this particular gang from any shows in his past life, finding these dealers was easy for JARVIS, who now had access to nearly every camera in New York. Beckett wanted to trace the gang's supplier, so she held back from just wiping out the intruders outright.
With Castle's contributions, Beckett's twelfth precinct was now armed even better than New York's elite SWAT team, the ESU. Each patrol car had an FN-SCAR rifle, which is why her officers had repeatedly managed to drive off these AK-toting gangsters in street fights.
However, Sidney's arrival made Beckett hesitate to take immediate action. Whether for the chance to gain favor with the DEA or to completely cut off the drug supply chain in New York, Sidney eventually persuaded her to try to find the gang's supplier.
After hearing that the CIA had taken an interest in the software she was using, forcing her to uninstall it, Beckett was frustrated. Fortunately, with JARVIS's help, locating the supplier wasn't difficult, though she was annoyed that she'd have to step in herself, losing the chance to develop Esposito's leadership.
Meanwhile, Castle was reading through the case details, realizing these gangsters' move to New York was partly due to his and Beckett's influence. If he hadn't funded the precinct's advanced equipment and even donated a drone, the twelfth wouldn't have cleaned out their streets so effectively, creating a tempting vacuum that these Miami thugs couldn't resist.
As Castle read on, JARVIS quickly identified the man supplying the Haitian dealers. Castle was shocked—it was an old acquaintance, Vulcan Simmons!
This was the same Vulcan Simmons who had once been the money-laundering stooge for former New York State Senator William Bracken, whom he and Beckett had taken down. Wasn't Simmons supposed to be in prison? How had he gotten out?
Suspicious, Castle had JARVIS dig into Simmons' records, and he discovered that Simmons had managed to secure an early release due to his connections with high-ranking officials. Apparently, he had secretly worked with other government officials in addition to Bracken.
That explained why he was out on a medical furlough not long after Bracken's imprisonment.
People like Simmons were just like cockroaches—seemingly indestructible and popping back up the moment you let your guard down.
Simmons, it turned out, had been a key influence behind the Haitians' move to New York. Having lost his foothold during Beckett's crackdown on Bracken, he had a supply of drugs but no distributors. So, he'd invited his Haitian "relatives" up north to fill the gap.
These gangsters had jumped at the chance, fleeing to New York with a large crew when Simmons called. However, Simmons had been so busy reconnecting with his suppliers that he hadn't realized his low-IQ relatives had chosen territory right in the twelfth precinct, setting up shop on streets Beckett had fought hard to clear.
By the time Simmons realized it, his gang of cash-hungry relatives had already taken root.
Simmons was wary of Beckett, though he didn't know she'd become the precinct captain; he still assumed she was working homicide. Since he didn't see her as a threat to his drug operations, he turned a blind eye to his gang's activities.
At the same time, the fact that these streets lacked any other gang presence or competition satisfied Simmons, who was eager to prove himself to his new backers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
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)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter][+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]