Valentina's POV
The criminal was coming to. We had arrested two of them, but one escaped. Three of them had died in the shootout.
We had been able to secure the drugs that they were transporting and the $250,000, and it was a lot more than we had anticipated.
I was with my partner, Alex and we were transporting the criminal and the money to the station when he came to.
My name is Valentina Vitale, and I worked in Direzione Centrale per I Servizi Antidroga DCSA, the central directorate for anti-drug services. I was a policewoman, and my job was to fight against drug trafficking.
"Where am I?" He asked in Italian.
"You are in police custody." I replied, in the same language.
He tried to struggle against his handcuffs.
"You will not get away, so do not even think about it." I warned him. .
We arrived at the station and we took him out of the car.
"You will be sued for drug trafficking, you know this is a serious crime, right?" I asked him.
"I have nothing to say, I want my lawyer." He replied.
I shrugged my shoulders, it was fine by me. The evidence we had against them was enough to put them away for a long time.
We took him to the holding cell and then took the money to my boss, who was the chief of police.
"Good job, Valentina. This was a very successful raid. Where did you find them?" He asked me.
"They were in one of the private hangars at the airport." I replied.
"Did you lose anyone on your team?" He asked.
"No, we were all okay." I told him.
"Good job. I'm proud of you." He praised me and dismissed me.
"Are you Valentina?" Someone asked me, and I looked to see who it was.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm the new detective." He said. He was a handsome man. He had dark hair and eyes and he was tall. He was built with a good physique.
"I'm Valentina." I replied. I tried not to stare at his handsome face, but it was hard.
"I'm Sergio, nice to meet you." He said, and left.
As soon as Sergio walked off, Alex nudged me with his elbow.
"You didn't blink once," he whispered.
I shot him a glare. "Shut up."
He laughed and followed me toward the processing desk.
The station was busy, officers were speaking rapidly, phones were ringing, someone down the hall was yelling for paperwork.
The suspect we brought in was being photographed and fingerprinted by the booking officers.
After that, they would search him properly, log everything on his person, and take his statement if he agreed to talk.
Since he'd already asked for a lawyer, all they would do was escort him back to holding and wait for his attorney to arrive.
Alex handed the evidence bag to the custody officer.
"This is all the cash found on the suspect. Confirmed and counted."
The custody officer signed the log.
"Got it. It'll be stored in the vault."
Then he handed me the arrest form.
"Vitale, sign here. You're primary on the arrest."
I signed my name and returned the pen.
"Come on," Alex said. "The boss wants us in the briefing room."
The briefing room was already half full. Detectives, analysts, narcotics officers. A large whiteboard stood at the front with photos from today's raid, maps of the docks, and a table stacked with files.
Our division chief, Chief Inspector Lorenzo Moretti, stood at the front of the room. He was in his late fifties, he looked tired today, but proud.
When he saw Alex and me walk in, he motioned us forward.
"Vitale. Russo. Take your seats."
We obeyed immediately.
Moretti cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've confirmed that the quantity seized tonight is over thirty kilograms. Whoever was transporting this wasn't small-time."
Murmurs filled the room.
Moretti raised a hand and everyone quieted.
"Three suspects dead. One escaped. One in custody. We'll interrogate him once his lawyer show up. For now, we treat this as connected to larger operations across Sicily."
"We are forming a joint task group," Moretti continued. "This will require analysts, undercover assets, and field officers. Vitale, Russo, you two will be leading frontline operations."
Alex looked at me, eyebrows raised. I kept my face neutral.
"And as of this morning," Moretti said, "a senior detective has been reassigned to this unit. He will be working directly with both of you. Detective Sergio Romano."
The room shifted as Sergio stepped forward.
He looked different in the brighter light, sharper jaw, darker eyes, he seemed like the kind of man who had already seen too much, yet still walked like nothing scared him.
Moretti nodded toward him.
"Romano's experience with organized crime investigations makes him a necessary addition. You'll share intel with him, report to him in the absence of command, and collaborate on strategy. Understood?"
I swallowed.
"Yes, sir."
Sergio's gaze met mine for a moment, and I felt heat rise under my skin. Moretti dismissed us.
As the room emptied out, Alex smirked.
"This is going to be interesting."
I ignored him and gathered my files.
When I turned around, Sergio was in front of me.
"Vitale," he said softly, "We'll be working together a lot."
"Yeah," I replied. "Looks like it."
Something flickered in his eyes. I couldn't tell if it was curiosity… or something else entirely.
Alex tugged my arm.
"We're late for debrief."
Sergio stepped aside, but I felt his eyes follow me as I walked out of the room.
I was exhausted after a long day at work. I was home, and I was planning on ordering some takeout.
My phone rang, and it was Alex.
"Vitale, you have to come back to the station, someone was killed." He informed me.
"What? Who?" I asked him, already standing up and putting on my jacket.
"The criminal we escorted to prison. He committed suicide." I was shocked.