Chapter 2 New Boss
Washington D.C., Georgetown.
Anti-Gang Unit.
Erin Caldwell sat at her desk, sorting through case files.
The gang investigation she'd been pouring herself into had hit a wall. The director had already told her to drop it and free up resources.
A text came in at the worst possible time — a date invitation from Richard, the senator's son.
Erin deleted it without a second glance. Then another message popped up, this one a threat: [Keep digging, and the Godfather won't be so forgiving.]
She gave it a cold look and tossed it in the trash.
Ever since she started investigating the gang, the threats had been getting worse. Now they'd crossed into personal territory.
At the Anti-Gang Bureau, nobody was surprised by that kind of thing.
The harder they pushed, the more it meant she was getting close to something that scared them.
Just then, a team member knocked and stepped in, letting her know the director had called an emergency meeting.
Director Barnes had pulled everyone together.
The moment Erin walked in, she spotted the uninvited guests — FBI.
Something was off.
"Emergency meeting. We're restructuring operations. This time, we have a new person in charge."
Before Barnes could finish, the conference room door swung open and a man walked in.
He was young and sharp-looking. The whole room turned to look at him the second he entered.
"Arthur Zexis." He gave a slight smile. "Starting today, I'll be running the joint Anti-Gang Bureau."
Director Barnes continued: "You've all heard about the Rothschild massacre in Europe. The Godfather behind it is believed to have entered the United States. Mr. Zexis has been tracking him in Europe for years — he knows this man's movements and methods better than anyone. He's been given special authorization to take temporary command of the bureau."
"He's a colleague from the European Security Affairs Agency," a CIA agent added. "He's had eyes on the Godfather for a long time."
"Welcome, sir."
Despite the fact that he'd been dropped in from above, the team greeted him warmly enough.
Standing in front of his sister for the first time in person, Arthur fought hard to keep his emotions in check.
The little girl he remembered had grown into a poised and beautiful woman. It filled him with a quiet relief. Every small breath she took felt like something precious. When they shook hands, he held on a beat too long, as if letting go meant she might disappear.
"Sir?" Erin forced a polite smile, a little thrown off by how firmly her new boss was gripping her hand.
For decades, Arthur had kept his composure in every situation. But right now, every instinct told him to step forward and pull her into a hug, to tell her how much he'd missed her.
He held back.
He'd taken on this cover as her superior for two reasons — to stay close to her, and to use the bureau's internal resources to move faster on his own plans.
Only when every threat standing between them had been dealt with would the time come for a real reunion.
Hold on a little longer, Erin.
"Erin, I heard you've been going after the Iron Curtain leadership. Any progress?" Arthur shifted the conversation.
He'd gone through her file before arriving. Her record was impressive — she'd single-handedly brought down the head of Musa, one of New York's most notorious gangs. Right now she was working a gang murder case tangled up with smuggling, drug trafficking, and high-level corruption. It wasn't going well.
Erin pressed her lips together. "The boss is slippery. Every time, he's one step ahead of us."
There was more behind those words than she was saying.
"Don't give up. I'll back you up fully." Arthur said it with a smile.
If a mid-level gang leader was giving the Anti-Gang Bureau this much trouble, the place wasn't quite as sharp as it looked on paper.
Maybe he could help clear up a few of her problems.
After work, Erin headed toward the parking garage.
A block down, she slowed her pace. She'd taken a deliberate detour — she wanted to see if anyone was following her.
Sure enough, steady footsteps fell in behind her.
More than one person.
Erin's hand moved to her holster. The shadows lunged.
Gunshots.
The first bullet grazed her left arm. Erin rolled behind a car and drew her weapon, firing back.
She didn't get to a third shot.
A figure cut out of the darkness — fast, like a black wind — and a single shot dropped the first gunman without a sound.
Then a second. Then a third.
All three were down.
Arthur stood with his foot on the last gunman's wrist, his eyes flat and unreadable.
"Don't move!!" Erin's voice cracked sharp behind him.
Arthur didn't turn around. "Be more careful out there. I happened to be passing by. Don't mention it."
"Drop the weapon and get on the ground! Take one step and I will shoot!" Erin's voice was hard, completely ignoring the fact that he'd just saved her.
When Arthur stepped out of the shadows, Erin went still.
"Mr. Zexis!"
"No need for formalities. Just call me Arthur." He said.
Erin exhaled and immediately called for backup.
Arthur was already searching the gunmen. She jogged over and looked at all three.
Gang tattoos. Iron Curtain.
Still breathing.
She found a phone on one of them. Call history.
Erin felt a jolt of excitement. If the Iron Curtain boss had given the order directly, tracing those calls might lead straight to him.
"This is great, sir."
"Get the bureau's resources on it right away. Don't let them slip away." Arthur said.
Erin turned away, already on the phone, working through the details.
Arthur watched her face light up, and felt something genuine stir in his chest. At the same time, he quietly sent an encrypted message to one of his most trusted people: "Take care of the Iron Curtain boss who's been moving against us. Consider it a gift for her."
He put the phone away and noticed something. Erin hadn't called the bureau's anti-gang operations team. She'd only spoken to two people from her own unit.
"You don't trust the bureau much, do you?" Arthur said it plainly.
Erin met his eyes without flinching. "No, sir. I think someone inside the bureau may already be on the gang's payroll."
Arthur took that in. It was exactly what he'd expected. "That's not surprising. Enough leverage buys enough loyalty."
Erin blinked. "You sound like a mob boss when you say it like that."
"Sometimes you have to think like a Godfather to go up against one." Arthur gave a small, knowing smile.
It was the first time Erin had looked at him differently.
This new boss of hers was no by-the-book bureaucrat.
