"David Pierce, a decorated policeman with a reputation that extended far beyond the precinct. He earned the Medal of Valor for risking his life in the line of duty, the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat, the Meritorious Service Medal for his dedication to the force, and Officer of the Year multiple times. Over the years, his list of accolades was long—impressive by anyone's standards. But here's the thing: doing good doesn't always guarantee safety. Pierce made his share of enemies, and in the world he lived in, that was a dangerous thing. It wasn't just the criminals he took down who resented him—there were whispers in the shadows, power plays, and people who didn't take kindly to his moral compass.
One dark night, after years of service and a lifetime of doing the right thing, he and his entire family were brutally murdered in their sleep. It wasn't just him; his wife, his two kids—everyone was gone. No one survived the attack. It was cold, calculated, and ruthless. A reminder that even the most righteous could fall. The case went unsolved, buried under layers of corruption and secrecy," Ross said, his voice steady but edged with a hint of bitterness.
Maya's eyes narrowed, her frustration palpable. "That's all common knowledge," she spat, her voice seething with anger. "You're telling me things I can find on any website. Don't waste my time—tell me something I don't already know."
"Impatient, are we?" Ross teased, his lips curling into a smirk as he watched Maya's tense reaction. But before she could fire back, he threw a small object toward her with a fluid motion.
Maya's reflexes were sharp—without hesitation, she caught it mid-air. The object was a USB drive, small but heavy with implication. She didn't need to ask what it was; she could feel the weight of the moment hanging in the air.
Without a word, Maya turned on her heel and made her way back to her desk. She plugged the device into her laptop with practiced ease, her fingers moving swiftly as the screen flickered to life.
She scrolled through the files with focused intensity, her eyes scanning the contents as the tension in her body grew.
The first few files were standard, but as she dove deeper, her expression began to change. Shock flashed across her face, quickly replaced by disbelief, and then an anger so cold it seemed to freeze the air around her.
The evidence was more than conclusive—it was damning. But what truly made her stomach churn was the video. It was grainy, the lighting poor, but the voices and faces were clear enough.
The scene unfolded on the screen: a dark, windowless room, the low murmur of conversation, and there they were—the mastermind and the killers.
The planning, the cold, methodical way they spoke about Pierce and his family… It made Maya's blood boil. This was no random act of violence.
It was orchestrated, deliberate. And one man's fingerprints were all over it.
"Don Lucas Pablo Garcia," Maya cursed under her breath, her voice filled with loathing. She had heard the name countless times before, always whispered with fear in the underworld, always linked to the most heinous of crimes.
Garcia wasn't just a drug lord—he was a ruthless kingpin, with fingers in every pie of the criminal empire. Drugs, money laundering, kidnapping, prostitution—you name it, Garcia was involved.
He was the shadow that haunted the city, his influence so deeply entrenched that even the police had struggled to pin him down.
Maya's connection to him wasn't new. She had been tracking his operations for months, trying to uncover the truth, but every lead had been a dead end.
She had always suspected Garcia was behind the growing tide of violence in the city, but without concrete evidence, it was impossible to prove.
And with her brother's enemies lurking around every corner, it was hard to know who to trust. Was Garcia just one more player in the game, or was he the one pulling the strings?
Now, with this USB drive, the answers were clear. The video, the files—everything tied Garcia to the murder of David Pierce and his family. This was the break she had been waiting for.
She watched the screen for a moment longer, her mind racing. This wasn't just about taking down a drug lord—it was personal.
David had been a good man, a family man, and he had paid the ultimate price for doing his job. Maya's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white as the weight of the evidence settled on her shoulders.
After a long, tense silence, Maya slowly looked up from the screen, her expression hard, her eyes calculating. Her voice was icy as she asked, "What do you want in return for this?" The power had shifted.
With this evidence, she knew she could take down Garcia, bring him to justice, and ensure he would never harm anyone again.
The possibilities were endless, but Ross wasn't offering this for nothing. She needed to know what game he was playing.
Ross stood casually, arms crossed, watching her closely. He could see the anger in her eyes, the determination. But he also saw the hunger for justice—something that Maya didn't usually show so openly.
He was right to approach her with this. The question now was whether she would strike a deal—or if she would try to take it all for herself. Either way, he knew she wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by.
"Hehehe. That's nothing," Ross chuckled, a smug grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the moment.
"I can give that to you for free. But even with all the evidence in the world, how exactly do you plan on bringing that man to justice?" His eyes locked with Maya's, watching her closely as he spoke.
"Do you even know where Don Lucas Pablo Garcia is right now?" He let the words hang in the air, savoring the tension as Maya's expression shifted from eager anticipation to frustration.