Felix, out of caution, asked again.
'You know… if I end up shooting a suspect, how would that be handled?'
Levi spread his hands. 'Same as before — surrender your gun, internal review, administrative leave. Only, because of the Major Crimes Bureau's particular work environment, the review will be a little more lenient. As long as the DA's office isn't out to make trouble.
'Within reason, you won't have a problem. Look at you — you're a case in point. The DA hasn't been breathing down your neck. This is L.A., kid. Everyone knows what it's like here.'
'Does the Gang Unit handle all gangs?'
Levi eased up a little; he'd half-worried Felix would go for something like Financial Crimes. But the Gang Unit? They wouldn't care if the new guy was green. If you could work, you were good enough.
'Of course. The Gang Unit covers every gang in L.A. County. It's headed by a Deputy Section Chief, under whom you have the African-American Gang Section, the Asian Gang Section, the Italian and European Section, the Russian and Northern European Section, the Mexican and Latin American Section, and the African Section. Which do you want? The Asian Section?'
America really was… diverse. Diverse in population, diverse in gangs — colourful in every way.
Felix immediately ruled out the Asian Section. Asian gangs in L.A. kept a low profile, quietly making money. It might not be hard to kill them outright with the mark over their heads, but catching them wasn't easy — and he couldn't just open fire without cause. At least not in plain view.
So, if there were other options, he'd pick something else. If he ran into them later, he wouldn't hesitate, but there was no need to start there.
The Italian Section reminded him of that mafia manager he'd run into at a bar — a tempting target. But they all kept legitimate fronts, their crimes buried deep. Without the time to dig, taking them down in the dark wasn't worth joining the Italian Section for. Same for the Russians.
The rest seemed roughly the same — the Black gangs and the Mexican gangs.
'Tell me about the Mexican and Latin American Section.'
'Young and full of fire. I thought you'd be more drawn to the Asian Section.' Levi's respect for him went up a notch — young, willing to act. Good. 'Southern California borders Mexico, you know. That hellhole sends over a constant stream of illegals. To survive, they band together, naturally forming gangs. In fighting for turf, they've become particularly violent.
'Once they get a foothold, they link up with the home turf. Drugs are smuggled north from Mexico, guns shipped south from here — a two-way trade. We and the FBI have hit them over and over, but it's barely made a dent. Too many of them keep coming across. It's a constant headache.
'Latin Americans — meaning South Americans excluding Mexicans — also have a high crime rate. The key difference is they don't get backup as quickly. Some Mexican gangs can call in gunmen from across the border at any time — dangerous. Latin gangs are relatively safer to deal with.'
Felix didn't ask where the Mexicans' hardware came from — guns don't just fall from the sky.
Rumours said the CIA had a hand in the drug crops down there. Where there's smoke…
Levi didn't go into detail about which Mexican or Latin gangs operated in L.A. Their reputations alone were enough — some of them so brazen "brazen" didn't begin to cover it. No point scaring the kid off.
Felix thought it sounded perfect. If he did join the Major Crimes Bureau, the nastier the Mexican gangs were, the more justified his shooting would look. That left just one more problem.
'I haven't been in the station long, but I've dealt with my share. The captain and the chief have been good to me. If I walked away, I'd feel… a bit guilty.'
'Sentiment's fine, kid, but this is your career. If you can take a step forward, you take it. Out of eighteen thousand deputies in the LASD, not many get to work in the Major Crimes Bureau. Once you're established, you can repay them in other ways — legitimate ways.
'And don't worry, we'll handle it. You don't need to do anything extra. Just work, and wait for word.'
'Alright. If possible, I'll take the Mexican Section — I want to go up against the most dangerous.'
'Pleasure meeting you, Felix. Wait for the good news.' Levi stood and left.
Felix took a sip of coffee, then realised he hadn't paid. The deputy chief of the Major Crimes Bureau was tight-fisted too.
He finished the coffee, then drove off. Running into Levi had been pure accident. His promise to bring Felix over was still only a promise. Until it happened, it was worth nothing — no point overthinking it.
He headed back to UCLA to wait for Rachel to finish class. She insisted on telling her friends they were together. Felix thought it was pointless — what was there to announce?
But when Rachel turned on the charm, he caved.
Had she found his weakness? Felix wondered.
'Thinking about me? You look miles away.' Rachel came skipping out of the building, smile wide enough to show both her little tiger teeth.
'Uh…'
'You're impossible.' She slipped her hand into his, turned to her friends and sang out, 'Ta-da~ This is my boyfriend, Felix.'
'Would you look at her, showing off already.' Lizzie shot Rachel a mock glare, then glanced at Lily — who was holding her own boyfriend's hand. Lizzie's face fell.
'Damn right I'm showing off. Can't I be happy?' Rachel beamed, both arms wrapping around Felix's.
'You two got together too fast. You've barely met a few times — no courtship, no depth.' Peter grumbled. When he'd chased Lily… never mind, that was all pain.
'Why make it complicated? If you like someone, be with them. No dragging it out.' Rachel looked at Felix. 'Right?'
'Uh, yeah. Yeah.' Felix nodded quickly. 'Let's get something to eat — it's too hot.'
Feng Wei forced a smile. 'I'm not feeling well. You go ahead without me.'
'Want me to come with you to a doctor?'
'No, go on.'
Felix started to say more, but Rachel pulled him away.