Page 66 of Unbridled Fire
My eyes darted between them as I wondered what the fuck was going on.
“You see, Leo, we were informants who got caught too,” Brian continued. “We see the world the way you do. You’ve got to get your hands a little dirty to do some good in this fucked-up world.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “Okay.”
“We’re part of a classified task force of agents who have special relationships with criminals throughout the country. We work with these criminals to take down the worst members of our society.”
I stayed silent, my wheels turning as I listened.
“Michael Caruso is certainly a criminal. But Marco Nunez, and others like him, are pure evil. Our task force...overlookscriminal activities of people like Michael if they can help us take down people like Marco,” Brian said.
“Are you understanding what we’re saying here?” Jack asked.
“I am, but Marco is dead as of this morning.”
Brian’s expression grew serious. “He is, but his sister has been running his business while he was in New York. Her name is Isabella Nunez, and she’s even more ruthless than Marco.”
I rubbed my chin as I contemplated. “You want me to work with Michael and his syndicate to bring down Isabella.”
“Yes,” Brian said with a nod. “Michael has connections the FBI could never fathom. It will take some time to bring her down, but we believe it can be done. It will be your first assignment with the task force, and it will be classified.”
“Meaning it will stay off-the-books,” I said.
“If you join us, the official narrative will be that you were fired for illegally informing to an organized crime syndicate, but not prosecuted,” Jack said. “You’d have to be comfortable with people thinking you got canned for illegal activities. In reality,the case that Daniel built against you will be dropped and your record will be clean.”
“I’ve never given a crap what people think about me,” I said, lifting a shoulder. “Except my girlfriend and my dad. I’d want to tell them the truth.”
“You’ll be allowed to tell them that you work for a classified organization that recruited you because of your connection to Michael. We wouldn’t want you to divulge any further details, though. You’ll be given a ‘normal’ job as a consultant for an inconspicuous LLC,” Jack said, making quotation marks with his fingers.
“You’ll exist in society as a benign suburban man who works from home in his routine job,” Brian said. “No one will know that you work for a covert agency.”
“We’d also suggest you volunteer or get a job in your community to really sell the idea that you’re out of the bureau,” Jack continued. “The assistant football coaching job just opened up at Massapequa High School. We think it would be a perfect cover.”
I pursed my lips. “I’m a pretty big Jets fan, but I don’t know the first thing about coaching high school football.”
Brian laughed. “I’m the coach of the Bayport High School girls’ basketball team. My daughter goes there and has a mean three-point shot. How much do you think I knew about coaching basketball before I started?”
I smirked. “I’m guessing zero.”
“Bingo.” Brian tapped his nose.
“Your first assignment would be to work with Michael to use his vast network of connections to take down Isabella,” Jack said. “After you accomplish that, we have an endless list of other ruthless criminals who need to be brought to justice. We’re willing to overlook Michael’s illegal activities as long as they don’t pass any red lines we deem unacceptable. The taskforce leaders actually admire his stance on eliminating human trafficking and respect his efforts in the Northeast.”
“How much travel will I need to do?”
“There will be times when you’ll have to travel to Florida or the Caribbean as you work Isabella’s case, but it won’t be unreasonable.”
I rubbed my neck, contemplating. “I’m interested, but there’s one other thing. My girlfriend and I are looking into the process of becoming legal guardians to a Russian teenage immigrant. The process is a bit complex, and I don’t want to complicate it more.”
“We’re aware of your and Katia’s desire to become guardians to Dmitry,” Brian said. “We have connections that other agencies don’t. If you agree to join us, Dmitry will be granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and you and Katia will have joint guardianship within a year. If you get married, it might be faster. Dmitry will be issued a green card once you have guardianship, and he can begin the path to citizenship.”
Relief swished through me, knowing that Dmitry would be okay. Grinning, I straightened in my seat. “You’re making this sound really easy,” I said, arching an eyebrow.
“Classified task forces have existed since the country was founded, Leo. It’s just imperative to pick the right people that fit the objectives.”
“Well, I’m in some deep shit with Daniel, and I would appreciate the help with fast-tracking Dmitry’s green card. In light of my circumstances, I think I’d be a fool to say no.”
Jack nodded and held up a hand. “We’re happy to hear that, but we do need to tell you about the dangers. As with any law enforcement job, there will be heightened danger for your family.”
