"Thing is, I didn't even have to do much. The gang had the brute force, and the bureaucrats and politicians had the authority and connections. Together, they started wiping out rival gangs left and right—either taking them out completely or absorbing them. In just two months, the Kingsmen had eliminated all their competition and became the biggest gang and the sole distributor in the state.
"But while the state now had one dominant gang monopolizing the entire crack dealings, the suppliers? There were still plenty. So, what do you think happened?" Matthews quizzed Ace to see if she had his attention.
Ace, who had been quietly processing everything, finally spoke, "The cartels started fighting among themselves to secure the golden goose across the borders."
Yes, Matthews had Ace's attention as none of this was in the files Dame Wasp had secured on Operation 9Ks. Hell, he hadn't even known Matthews was involved—let alone the one who started it.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!" Matthews grinned, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Looks like we have a winner."
Ace rolled his eyes, but she continued, "So, now there was only one supplier and one distributor. These guys had swallowed up all their rivals so completely that there wasn't any room left for other players—on either side of the border."
"But here's the thing—since we controlled the distributor, we knew everything. Where the cocaine was made. Who made it. How it got into the country. And most importantly?" She leaned forward, lowering her voice. "We controlled what happened to it once it was here."
Ace remained silent, listening intently.
"The next step in my plan was to kill the monsters I'd created." Matthews exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "But I ran into a problem—I didn't have enough manpower. The cartel that survived? It had grown too big. Too powerful. My team alone wasn't enough to take it down. So, I went to my mentor, showed him everything I'd accomplished, and demanded backup to finish what I started."
She let out a dry laugh, shaking her head at the memory.
"My mentor? He was beyond impressed. So much so that, that same day, he officially sponsored me to be next in line after him. But in exchange?" Her expression darkened. "He took my case away from me. Said it was going to be his legacy in the bureau.
"At the time, I didn't question it. I was young, ambitious—I thought, fine, as long as it gets done and I get my much-deserved promotion, I don't care who gets the credit." Her jaw clenched. "But by the time I realized what he actually meant, it was too late."
She let that sink in before continuing, "You see, my mentor didn't share my plan. He believed that if we wiped out the Kingsmen Gang and the last standing cartel, others would just rise up to replace them. As long as there was demand for crack, there would always be someone willing to supply it."
"And with curse users getting involved?" She leaned back, exhaling. "He figured it was impossible to truly put an end to it."
"Since he couldn't eradicate it, he decided to control it," Matthews' voice was sharp, her expression unreadable. "That's how Operation 9Ks was born. He overhauled my Kingsmen Gang and handed it over to the person he trusted most—apart from me." Her lips curled into a bitter smirk, "Sir Beyton."
She let the name sit in the air for a moment before continuing.
"And Beyton? He turned Operation 9Ks—our mentor's so called legacy—into one of the most successful operations in bureau history. Not only was it self-sufficient, but it brought in nearly half a billion dollars in seized drug money every year." She leaned back, shaking her head. "With numbers like that? None of us had a reason to question it. Hell, we barely even looked into it.
"Even though we did hear whispers… rumors… about the cartel splitting up and all from across the borders we did not give it a thought since it was across our borders and Beyton claimed he had it under control…" She trailed off, her eyes locking onto Ace. Then, after a beat, she dramatically ends, "Until today. Until you."
Ace simply blinked. "What did I do?" he asked, feigning confusion.
Matthews let out a deep sigh—then, suddenly, her eyes flicked behind him, ordering, "Senior Special Agent Man Hunter—he's all yours."
Ace's blood ran cold hearing a voice—sultry, hypnotic, and undeniably dangerous—respond from right behind him, "Yes, Ma'am."
The moment he heard it, Ace felt an unnatural haze creep over his mind. His thoughts slowed. His body felt heavy, and sluggish. What the hell? His instincts screamed at him—someone was behind him. But how? Dame Wasp didn't even notice—
Matthews watched him closely, her shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. Seeing Ace already under Man Hunter's ability—without even resisting—was a relief. Finally, things were going according to plan. She hadn't wanted it to escalate to this, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Make sure he deletes everything he has on Operation 9Ks," Matthews instructed her tone all business. "And find out how he pulled this all off. Especially details about his innate curse tool and curse arts—if we should register him as a national-level threat."
She glanced at Ace, who was still under Man Hunter's influence—until, suddenly, his eyes snapped into clarity. Matthews felt a chill crawl up her spine causing her to exclaim, "Holy shit."
"I guess we're done talking," Ace said, pushing himself up from his seat. He didn't wait for Matthews or the agent to respond—just turned and made his way to the exit.
Despite the urgency clawing at his gut, he kept his pace measured, casual—like he had all the time in the world. He needed to make it seem like Agent Man Hunter's ability hadn't affected him. When in reality? It had.
He had no idea how long Doctor Druid could hold out, but he knew he had to get out of the agent's range—and fast. He needed to reach Delores. Actually, if not for Dame Wasp Switching places with Doctor Druid in time sensing his sluggish senses Man Hunter and Matthews would have gotten away with whatever their true plans for him were.
But before stepping through the door, he paused. Turning his head slightly, he cast one last look at Matthews with an expression unreadable before remarking, "I'm thoroughly disappointed in you."
Then, without another word, he slammed the door shut behind him.