Brooke Undercover Trilogy E-Book

Trevon Carter

• Herausgeber: PEAR Stories
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Brooke is a successful cop in New Jersey but when her Captain gets a call from up north, she has no choice but to help with an investigation in New York.  The NYPD are suffering from a breach and some rampant gang related activity.  Brooke's entire career as a cop is erased and she's sent up as a deep undercover agent.  This trilogy contains Brooklyn Nights, Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn Fights in one three book bundle!

Brooklyn Nights

Brooke is a beat cop in New Jersey. She's from a family of cops, starting with her grandfather and she's damn proud of it. When the New York Police Department suffers a horrible cybersecurity breach that reveals all their undercover agents, the Captain of Brooke's precinct asks her if she wants to help.

She is a bit hesitant at first, having never gone undercover, but Captain Bolt reassures her that she has the skills to succeed. When she agrees, Captain Bolt informs her that they are running on very limited information. Per the NYPD the breach was from hackers, hired by a mysterious gang that has slowly engulfed Brooklyn. The NYPD don't even have a main suspect, or even a name on the gang.

This is a trial by fire, as Brooke goes up to unfamiliar territory, with no resources and her history wiped from the New Jersey police systems. Only a select few will know of and assist with Brooke's undercover operation. Can Brooke handle the heat or will she be burned as she spends her Brooklyn nights undercover?

Brooklyn Heights

Brooke is deep undercover and she's been promoted to manage a more prestigious gang territory, Brooklyn Heights.  She hasn't heard from her own squadron in a while, and she's got quite a lot to tell them.  Her instincts tell her that something is wrong but she knows she has to ignore them if she wants to survive.  

Lamar and Marcus aren't like the usual run of the mill gangsters she's used to.  As she becomes more engrossed in their lives, she begins to wonder if they're getting outside help.  They've split their empire into multiple gangs, with no true center that she can pinpoint.  In addition, they've built several businesses of their own to launder their money.

Brooke can't help but think that there's another higher power at work with the isolation they've created.  Unbeknownst to her, Captain Bolt and the team supporting her are also finding strange activity within the police ranks in Brooklyn.  Does Brooke manage to use her newfound position at Brooklyn Heights to uncover more of Lamar and Marcus' thuggish empire, or is she headed for a trap created by the very police she works for?

Brooklyn Fights

Brooke's cover has been blown and all her investigative work has gone straight to hell.  She has nowhere to go as her own undercover team has been arrested by a corrupt deputy colonel.  With only a soon to be discovered safehouse left, Brooke has her back against the wall.

Her only option left is to fight back with whatever she has left.  She knows she won't be able to take on the gang she was investigating but she can bring down the cop that put her and her team in this position.  But the only way to get to him is to first figure out what his connection is with the lawyer that blew her cover...

Leseprobe

Brooke Undercover Trilogy

By Trevon Carter

Table of Contents

Brooklyn Nights

Brooklyn Heights

Brooklyn Fights

About the Author

Brooklyn Nights

Hurried footsteps echoed through the dark alleyway, followed by a stream of sirens.  Brooke cursed and turned a corner, her gun withdrawn and cautiously pointed at chest level.  The footsteps paused for a moment before she heard them rush in another direction.

"Stop running!  I swear to God, if you keep running, I will cap your knees!"  Brooke shouted angrily.

"Fuck you!"  A voice boomed back.

Brooke sighed and closed her eyes.  She could hear the footsteps echoing further and further away.  The sirens on the other hand, grew closer and closer.  She opened her eyes and glanced at the different alleyways and then nodded to herself.

"You dumb fucker," she cursed under her breath.

She hated running but strangely enough, she enjoyed the thrill of chasing someone down.  Her instincts told her which direction to take to cut off her prey.  After taking a couple of turns, she paused and waited.  As expected, rushed footsteps echoed closer towards her.

"Asshole," she whispered as she stepped out and pointed her gun down towards the sound.

The man she was chasing yelped in surprise, nearly dropping his knife as he saw her.  Without hesitation, Brooke fired, hitting the man's right knee.  He crumpled to the ground in response, immediately regretting his decision to run.

"Ow!  Fuck!  You shot me!"  He yelled.

"Can't say I didn't warn you," Brooke replied as she kicked his knife to the side and pulled out her handcuffs.

"Bitch!  I'm gonna sue yo ass!"  He yelled.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Brooke replied as she pulled both his wrists behind his back and cuffed him.

A bright light filled the alleyway, followed by red and blue flashes and a siren.  Brooke shook her head and looked up at the black and white police car.

"Took you assholes long enough," Brooke said.

A cop stepped out and mockingly clapped as he looked at Brooke.  His partner stepped out and adjusted his hat.

"The dumbass rookie over here couldn't get his shit together," the cop who stepped out from the driver's seat said.

The rookie blushed and pulled his hat down a bit.  Brooke glared at him before standing up and kicking the man on the ground.

"Fuck you bitch!  I'm gonna sue yo ass fo dat!"  He yelled.

"Oh shit, don't tell me you shot him."

"Had to be done.  Imminent threat with the knife," Brooke replied while the other cop rolled his eyes.

"Seriously Brooke, you need to go see a fucking psychiatrist," he said.

"And you need to fucking man up Jake," Brooke replied.

"Uh... should I call in an ambulance?"  The rookie asked cautiously.

"You can put his ass in the car, and then you’ll have to clean up the blood.  I fucking hate having blood in my car," Jake replied.

"Really?  I never would have thought Mister fucking Clean would hate having blood in his car," Brooke laughed.

"Oh fuck you," Jake responded.

Jake was a well built white man with a nice, shiny bald head, and ever since Brooke saw him standing next to a bottle of Mr. Clean, she couldn't help but notice how similar he looked to the character.  Jake, of course, hated the comparison.

"Uh...  Sorry, am I supposed to put him in the car then?"  The rookie questioned.

"Oh, for the love of... Just call a fucking ambulance," Jake replied angrily.

The rookie nodded and called in nervously.  Jake walked around so that the man lying on the ground could see him.  He gave him a golf clap as he crouched down.

"All right dumbass, here's the story," Jake started.

"No story motherfucker!  I got rights!"

"Unfortunately, you don't.  You stabbed a man, stole his wallet and then ran off.  Like a fucking idiot, you decided to do this right in front of this lady right here.  And you know what she loves doing?"

"Yeah!  I bet she loves takin' it up dat ass!"  The man yelled.

Jake shook his head and looked up at Brooke.  Brooke rolled her eyes and kicked the man's ass.

"Ow!  Bitch!  I want your fucking badge number!  I know my rights!"

"Look dumbass, you need to cooperate before she shoots out your other knee.  She loves chasing down dumbasses like you.  She's got a bit of a quick trigger, but you know what?  It actually works out.  If I were to shoot you, there'd be a media frenzy about a white cop shooting a black man.  With her, she's a female cop who defended herself from a vicious black gangster," Jake continued.

"Fucking racist motherfuckers!"

"Well, here's the thing, you stabbed a white man.  To me, that's racist.  You could've picked any other fucker out there, but you decided to stab a white man.  Lucky for you, he's not dead.  You cooperate with us, we'll be lenient.  You fuck with us; we'll put you in for as long as we can.  And medical attention?  You can kiss that goodbye," Jake said.

"You can't do that!"

"Hey rookie!  Call off that ambulance.  Fuck it, let's just have him bleed out here," Jake said.

The man on the ground looked up at the rookie, then at Jake, and then back at the rookie.  The rookie nodded and grabbed his radio.

"Whoa, whoa, wait the fuck up!  What I gotta do to cooperate?"

"That's better.  Brooke, I think I got this handled.  Didn't you have a date?"  Jake asked.

"Seriously?  You're going to go take the credit for this shit?"  Brooke replied with his arms crossed.

"I can't take credit for this shit.  It's your fucking bullet in his leg.  I'm just being a nice asshole today," Jake replied.

"Fine, but if I see your stupid grinning face on the front page of tomorrow's paper, I swear to God, you're going to be Mr. Clean with a huge black fucking eye," Brooke said.

"Uh, am I calling off the ambulance?"  The rookie interrupted.

"Oh for fuck's sake.  Are you that dense?  Seriously?"  Jake questioned.

Brooke laughed and headed off.  She did have a blind date to go to that her friend had set up, but a part of her wanted to just cancel it.  Her friend's track record of finding good men was absolutely horrid.

***

BROOKE STARED ACROSS at the red haired, pasty white man nervously twitching around at the table.  His thick rimmed, black framed glasses only seemed to accentuate how pale his skin was.  He nervously drank his water while he tapped his foot on the ground anxiously.

"So uh... you're a cop?"  He asked.

"Yeah."  Brooke replied.

"Wow.  I mean, that's... how did you decide to become one?"

"A cop?  My grandfather was a cop, my father was a cop, and my brother is a cop.  Just kind of runs in the blood I guess," Brooke answered.

"Wow... wow, a family of cops.  Are they all here?"

"No.  My family was originally from Chicago.  My grandfather retired there and he's living out somewhere in the suburbs.  My father is still there, Superintendent of a precinct downtown.  Brother moved to Houston.  Perfect place for him.  He's big; he likes guns and loves steaks.  He figured you can't get better than Texas for that," Brooke informed.

Her date laughed nervously and nodded.  He took another nervous sip of his water and carefully placed his cup back on the table.

"And you?  You picked Jersey of all places," he said.

"Yeah, a bunch of friends of mine and I went to Atlantic City once, had a blast.  They ended up moving to Newark for work and I figured I'd join them," Brooke said.

"Wow, yeah, I like Atlantic City."

"That's good.  I got a little bored after a while.  Checked out Vegas instead last year."

"Oh yeah, yeah, I think it's a bit boring too," he nervously agreed.

Brooke rolled her eyes and looked at her watch.  She couldn't believe it had only been fifteen minutes since they first met.  It had felt like an eternity had passed since they first greeted each other.

"So, do you see a lot of action out there?"  He asked.

"Depends on your definition of action," Brooke replied with a shrug.

"Like knife fights or uh... gun fights."

"Knife fights?  What?  Like West Side Story or something?"

"Huh?  Uh yes?  No?"

Brooke shook her head and looked around for their server.  She desperately wanted to just get her food, eat, and leave.

"I shot a guy today, if that's what you're thinking is action.  Blew out his knee for running away from me," Brooke said as she waved down a random waiter.

Her date's eyes widened in surprise and he nearly toppled his cup of water over.

"May I help you Madame?"  The waiter asked.

"Yeah, I think we've been ready to order for a while now."  Brooke replied.

"Oh, my apologies.  Let me grab the server and have him take your order," the waiter replied.

Brooke leaned in and pulled out a twenty dollar bill from her pocket.  She leaned in while discretely slipping the twenty into his jacket pocket.

"Look, I'd really like to just get through this date as soon as possible, you get it?"  Brooke whispered.

The waiter briefly glanced over at her date, and then at her, nodded and stood upright.

"Actually, why don't I just go ahead and take the order?"

"Uh... well, I mean, I haven't really looked through the menu," her date replied.

"You like steak?"  Brooke asked.

"Huh?  Well, I'm a vegetarian and steak isn't really my type of-"

"He'll have today's vegetarian special.  I'll go with the surf and turf," Brooke said, cutting off her date.

"Any soup or salad?"  The waiter asked instinctively.

Brooke glared at the waiter and shook her head.  He immediately realized his mistake and quickly turned his attention to her date.

"I wouldn't recommend today's soups or salads though.  Nothing really special on the menu," the waiter said.

"What?  I thought the pea soup looked nice," her date said.

"I thought you didn't get a chance to see the menu," Brooke replied.

"Oh... the people over there got a cup and it looked-"

"Sorry, they actually got the last batch my good Sir.  Oh, if that is all, I think the other table is calling me," the waiter said as he rushed off.

"Wow... the service here is incredibly b-"

"Amazing," Brooke said, cutting him off.

"Ba... brilliant," her date said, quickly changing his words.

"So why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"  Brooke asked as she quietly pulled out her phone.

"Well uh... I'm still new to Newark.  Used to work for a chemical company up in Maine," he started.

Brooke briefly glanced down at her phone to start typing a text message to her friend.

"So, what did you make?"  She asked.

"Well, it's a little ironic.  I try to be careful with what I eat but I work on making plants stronger through the use of GMOs.  Like making corn more resistant to the weather, or making watermelons larger.  I know a lot of people are against this type of science and..."

Brooke nodded as his voice trailed off.  She continued glancing at her phone as she typed a message for her friend.  Her date was oblivious as he excitedly talked about whatever it was that he did.  Brooke finished her message, glanced down, and then sent her friend the message:

FUCK YOU!

***

BROOKE YAWNED AS SHE stared at the clock in the office.  Her desk was a mess of papers and folders, with rings of coffee stains hiding underneath.  She looked up to see her coworker and friend, Diane, waltz by.

"Seriously?  What kind of thank you was that?"  She asked.

"Really?  Did you even vet the guy before you set me up for that date?"  Brooke replied with a question.

"I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

"Jesus fucking hell Diane, this guy was so... so boring," Brooke replied.

"Well, if you were just a bit more lady like, maybe you would've enjoyed your time."

"Oh, seriously, fuck you.  At least I got a good dinner out of it," Brooke replied.

"What did you have?"

"A surf and turf.  The lobster was fantastic.  I guess the only good thing about him was that he was well paid," Brooke replied.

"Yeah, he's like a lead geneticist.  Did you know that he helped keep the banana live through all kinds of-"

"Okay, seriously, I'm just going to ignore you from here on.  I had enough of that talk last night," Brooke interrupted.

"Well helloooooooo sunshine!"  Jake said as he strolled in with a cup of coffee.

"Oh God, what are you so bubbly about?"

"Not much.  Just got mad laid last night.  How'd your date go?"  Jake asked as he leaned against a wall.

"Seriously?  Mad laid?  What?  Are you from the hood now?"  Brooke responded.

Diane laughed and shook her head as she walked off.

"That's what happens when you tell the ladies to check out the papers," Jake said as he pulled out the morning paper.

Brooke took the paper from him and flipped through the pages.  She paused as she saw a picture of Jake, his arms crossed, in front of a wall full of graffiti.

"Local cop stops potential murderer and robber..."  Brooke read.

Jake smiled as she read and loudly slurped on his coffee.

"Oh... you motherfucker," Brooke said as she stood up.

"Couldn't be helped.  The media just pounced on me out of nowhere," Jake replied.

"You asshole!"  Brooke shouted as she threw the paper at him.

Jake laughed and grabbed the paper after it bounced off his chest.

"Hey!  Brooke!  I need you in my office, now!"  A voice shouted.

"Oh... looks like you've angered Papa Bear," Jake said as he sipped at his coffee.

Papa Bear was their Captain.  He was aptly labeled due to his large frame and rather hairy body that he did a horrid job hiding under his uniform.  Brooke gave Jake the finger before heading into the Captain's office.

"Brooklyn, sit down," he ordered.

The captain always referred to everyone as their full name, which Brooke found annoying.

"Captain," Brooke responded.

"I see you and Jacob are being quite friendly out there," he started.

"Well, he did take credit for my job," Brooke replied.

"You mean the shooting?  Brooklyn, you know how much of a nightmare it is for this office to file paperwork on why an officer shot someone?"  The Captain questioned.

"Yeah, I know.  Sorry Captain," Brooke replied.

"But that's not why I called you into my office.  I've told you this before, but you're getting quite visible to the higher ups," the Captain complimented.

"Thanks."

"This is what brings us to the here and now.  There's a precinct up in Brooklyn that needs a woman of your caliber," the Captain started.

"Wait, what?  Brooklyn?  As in New York?"

"Yes.  They need an undercover but they can't use their own guys.  Their covers were all blown.  Some kind of computer hack.  They thought about contacting the FBI, or seeing if they could use other districts but the entire New York system was compromised, and the FBI don't want to send any of their guys," the Captain continued.

"So they're reaching out to... Jersey?"  Brooke questioned.

"They're reaching out in general.  I figured we could take the assignment," her Captain said.

"And you volunteered me?"

"Yeah, I figured you'd want to," her Captain replied.

"And why would you think that?  You know I hate New York."

"Because you're always talking about how boring this job is.  You wanted to go undercover in that last case with Nicole.  I figured you get this one," the Captain replied.

"So... how undercover is this?"  Brooke inquired, her interest rising.

"You interested?"

"Yeah, maybe I am," Brooke replied.

"Good.  Brooklyn, you'll be heading to..."  The Captain paused.

"What?"

"Wow, I just realized you're going to Brooklyn and your name-"

"You can't be serious.  You just realized that?"

"It is quite the coincidence."

"Captain, I get it.  Can we get on with it?"  Brooke said, slightly annoyed.

"There's a massive drug ring and prostitution trade going on up in Brooklyn.  Whoever's leading this group is modeling themselves off real organized criminals like the Mafia.  As I mentioned, they had a group of hackers in their back pocket.  The NYPD have had zero leads and any moles they managed to plant just had their covers blown," her Captain explained.

"What's to say that my identity is safe?"

"We're going to forge a whole new identity for you.  Your police files are going to be backed up offline and then wiped.  You're going to have to get rid of all social networking accounts and we can even get a subpoena to have them fully purged."

"Lucky for you, I don't do that shit.  Isn't my face plastered somewhere on a newspaper or anything?"

"Well, Jacob has done a fantastic job taking your credit over the years," her Captain replied with a smile.

"Ass.  I mean, he is an ass, not you Captain.  And how do we know there are no moles here?  If they're employing hackers, they can just as easily get moles all over the place," Brooke questioned.

"Jacob, Diane and I are the only ones who know about this.  The only other person is Roberto."

"Who the fuck is Roberto?"

"What?  The IT guy.  Seriously?  You call him over to help you on your computer almost every day," her Captain responded, surprised.

"His name was Roberto?  Why does he have to know?"

"Who do you think is going to do the offline backup and purge?"

"What if he's a mole?"

"I've taken every precaution Brooke.  Not only has he been vetted, his background check passes, but also he doesn't know why he's doing what he's doing.  He's backing up our files in case of a disaster while he's purging your files because he thinks you're being fired," her Captain explained.

"Fuck... so this is real," Brooke mumbled.

"Yes Brooklyn, this is a real assignment and I'm asking if you can take it."

"What about my cover?  Do I have to get a new identity?  I need to coach myself to respond to a new name... this is crazy..."

"Actually, since you're no longer being linked to us at all and as you mentioned, you don't really participate in social media, there's nothing to stop you from just going as yourself.  Brooklyn Thatcher."

Brooke nodded and quietly stared at her Captain.  Thousands of thoughts blasted through her mind.  Uprooting her life and putting her life on hold to go undercover.  It was an exciting opportunity that she'd wanted since she had become a cop.  Yet, with the opportunity right before her, she had small doubts.

"I don't...  Captain, can I be frank?"

"I don't think Frank would be a good cover name," her Captain laughed.

Brooke shook her head, unable to respond.

"When have you not been?  Go on, be yourself," her Captain continued.

"As excited I am for the opportunity, I'm worried that I... that I might not be ready for something like this," Brooke confessed.

"No one ever is.  You know, I did an undercover stint once.  Way back when.  It was one of the craziest, scariest experiences of my life.  But when I look back on it now, I feel like I'm such a stronger individual because of it."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely.  And not just in those cliché ways about knowing more about yourself or whatever bullshit is out there.  I had to bust a drug ring and the shit I had to do...  Not just the random thugs I had to kill, but the drugs.  I had to do crack, cocaine, even heroine to prove that I wasn't some pig.  Strippers, prostitutes, it was ridiculous.  To make matters worse, I had just gotten married.  That was just the first of many marriages that just did not work out," her Captain said solemnly.

"Wow... I never knew..."

She was stunned.  From what she had seen of him, he was a straight arrow, never smoking or even drinking when they went out.

"There are a lot of things you all don't hear about.  The road to being Captain takes a toll on some.  You know, I wasn't always this big either.  I was actually really fit back then.  But damn, once I had to get cleaned up to get back in the police force..."  Her Captain paused as he turned his chair and stared out the window.

"Captain?"

"Let's just say, you really don't know what you're made of until you're fighting your own personal demons and urges," he finished.

"Wow...  You know, I can't really say I'm any more excited about the opportunity after that.  I mean, I've smoked some pot here and there but... wow..."

"You're probably going to have to do things you never imagined you'd do.  Even after all that, I think I can look back on my career and think... I did that.  I took down a drug ring, a Cartel boss, and stopped hundreds, if not thousands of women from being sold as sex slaves," her Captain said as he turned his attention back to her.

"Why is the NYPD so badly after this guy?"

"The mastermind behind the whole operation?  He's selling a whole new breed of meth.  Above ninety five percent pure.  Damn near impossible from what most of our lab guys are saying.  It's got a strange purple tint to it, leading to its name, Purple Dream.  Its usage is growing to an unimaginable rate in Brooklyn."  Her Captain answered.

"And that's just the drug trade aspect.  Whoever this guy is, he's got hackers stealing information on CIs, police records, bank accounts... just an insane amount of data.  There have been threats to release information to get some of his high ranking thugs out.  Those thugs of the mastermind go on to pimp out girls that they captured from Eastern Europe and Asia.  Whoever is leading this group is just ruthless and the criminal empire he's building in Brooklyn..."  The Captain paused as he clasped his hands together and leaned forward.

The two briefly stared at one another, no words being exchanged but the message loud and clear.  The person who was leading this group was an absolute threat, not just to the NYPD but to the police in general.

"And you think I can help take him down?"

"Absolutely.  We need to set up places for information drops.  We don't even know who the top dog is.  Hell, the NYPD doesn't even know if it's a male or female.  That's how little information we have on this.  It makes all of us look incompetent."

Brooke nodded and leaned back on her chair.  She still feared that she wouldn't be able to succeed, but there was a sense of anger that grew from within.  She came from a family of proud cops and deep inside, it inspired and drove her.

"How long is this operation estimated to take?"  Brooke asked.

"Who knows?  We don't know how deep this organization goes."

Brooke tapped at her elbow as she looked at her Captain.  The two met eyes and quietly came to an agreement.  Brooke sighed and leaned back on the chair again.

"All expenses are at least paid right?"

"That... might prove to be a bit difficult.  If they find money pop up in your account from a police owned account... that could easily blow your cover," the Captain replied.

"You... you can't be serious Captain.  How am I supposed to pay for anything?"

"We'll have to figure something out," her Captain said.

"Captain, I can't just live off the land," Brooke said, annoyed.

Her Captain smiled and crossed his legs as he leaned back on his chair.

"Well, we can't have you up in some nice apartment.  We're going to have to put you up in some sort of project.  Maybe get you roommates," her Captain started.

"That's insane!"

"We won’t be able to supply you with roommates.  Try to find at least two, then you’ll have safety in numbers."

"This is ridiculous.  I mean, I thought... there's no safe house or something?"  Brooke questioned.

"Brooklyn, Brooklyn, calm down.  Of course there's a safe house.  But it's only to be used for emergencies.  I wasn't kidding about living in the projects with some roommates though.  Being undercover... well, it's really being undercover.  You have to be fully immersed."

“Captain Bolt, I think... I mean, this sounds like you want me to do drugs...”

“Drugs?  Brooklyn, I’m telling you that you need to be one of the criminals we arrest.  Once you accept this assignment, you’re wiped; you’re no longer an Officer.”

“Wait... isn’t this like that one movie?  God... what’s it called...”

“No, we’re not that stupid.  Jacob, Diane, Roberto and I have an addendum in our wills.  If anything happens to us, there are strict orders to pull you out by any means necessary and all your files are to be restored.  We’re not going to be in a situation where nobody knows what is happening,” Captain Bolt replied.

Brooke stared at her Captain’s desk, tapping her fingers against her thigh.  Her mind was wandering off, ticking away at the pros and cons of the situation.  Going undercover was always something she wanted.

“I’m... I’m in,” she finally said with a sigh.

“Are you sure?  You don’t sound very convinced.  This is an all-in assignment Brooklyn.  There’s no turning around,” Captain Bolt warned.

“Unless everyone dies,” Brooke replied.

Captain Bolt smiled and nodded.  “Yes, in the unlikely situation that this whole operation is blown, you are stuck in Brooklyn.”

“Are these thugs killing cops too?”

“With the information they have?  They’re threatening NYPD families,” Captain Bolt replied as he leaned forward and clasped his fingers together.

Brooke silently contemplated, her hands slowly clenching into fists.  While growing up in a family of cops, she’d learned that every cop was a member of her family.  It didn’t matter if they were from another state or another country.

“I’m in.  I’m getting these fuckers,” Brooke said.

“Language Brooklyn,” Captain Bolt replied.

“Let’s do this.  Let’s take these guys out.”

Captain Bolt nodded and grabbed his phone.  After dialing a number, he glanced up at Brooke.

“Thank you Brooklyn.  Hello?  Roberto?  We’re a go, start the data transfer and wipe,” Captain Bolt ordered.

“I guess I’ve got to go and get ready,” Brooke said.

“Let’s regroup tomorrow morning.  Me, you, Jacob and Diane,” Captain Bolt replied.

Brooke nodded and opened the door to her Captain’s office.  As she stepped out, the world seemed different.  Jake glanced up from his desk while still twirling his pen.  When the two met eyes, he gave her a slight nod.

“And Brooklyn!  I need you to finish the paperwork on that Corvette robbery!”  Captain Bolt yelled.

“Fuck me...”  Brooke whispered.

“Language!”

***

BROOKE SCRATCHED HER arm as she looked up at an old black woman standing in front of the door to the entrance to her new home.  She sneered down at Brooke and walked by, making sure to swing her cane in her direction.

“Damn druggies takin’ up this place,” she mumbled as she walked off.

Brooke shook her head and stepped into the entrance.  Her new home, if it could even be called that, was at the end of the hall.  It was a seven story building, but the only place she could afford was on the first floor.

Three months had passed since she was first given the assignment to infiltrate a gang in Brooklyn.  With what little information she had, she’d been able to make very little progress.  Her roommates were meth addicts with low level dealers into whatever organization was controlling the flow of drugs.

She was now living in public housing, the Cypress Hill Houses, located in Brownsville, Brooklyn.  Her newfound part-time jobs at Wal-Mart and a nearby McDonald’s were barely enough to make ends meet.  The two hour long commutes to work and back were also putting a strain on her.

Brooke sighed and walked into her home.  Her roommates were illegally living with her, giving her the extra money she needed to be able to live in her place.  They were knocked out on the sofa, needles littered around the ground.

“Fuckers need to clean up after themselves,” Brooke whispered.

Her roommates usually dealt their drugs at Glenmore Plaza, which wasn’t that far from the home.  She visited once and watched as her roommates tried to deal near the cul-de-sac next to the four brick buildings.  They weren’t exactly successful but it helped her get a step closer to understanding how everything was connected in Brooklyn.

She had slowly found that while the poorer neighborhoods were where the drugs were spreading at a rapid pace, she’d come to learn that her roommates received their drugs from elsewhere.  They themselves didn’t know the exact location as they received the suppliers, who received their supply from mules.

One of her roommates slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Brooke.  She gave her a half dazed smile and waved.

“Hey girl!  Do you want some?”  She asked, reaching out to grab a needle.

“Nah Sara, I’m good.  I have another shift later.  Don’t wanna lose the job,” Brooke replied.

“Okay girl... whoa damn... you bought a unicorn?”  Sara asked.

“What?”

Brooke sighed and shook her head as she cleared the sink.  She was slowly getting frustrated with the waiting, but she had to figure out a way to get close to one of the suppliers.  They were extremely paranoid and careful, which was not surprising.  Though, what was surprising was the fact that they themselves did not take any drugs, in fact, they were barred from doing so.

The mysterious gang they worked for even had drug tests.  Brooke found it interesting that they were like a legitimate corporation.  Random drug tests, background checks on any new “hires”, and management layers in different silos.  Whoever the kingpin behind all this was most likely very educated.

“Oh shit...  I gotta get my supply!  Damn...”  Sara said as she tried to sit up.

“Why don’t I get it for you?  I don’t think you’re in the right mindset to pick up a package,” Brooke offered.

“Oh no, I’d get in some mad trouble girl!  You ain’t been initiated into the group,” Sara answered as she tried to get on her feet.

Brooke sighed in frustration again.  This wasn’t her first attempt at trying to take Sara’s place to pick up a package.  She’d driven her once, not directly to the supplier but at least within a block’s radius. 

“Oh damn, fuckin’ dizzy like a mofo... You think you can drive me?”  Sara asked.

“Fuck, again?  Only if I get to meet this fuckin’ supplier,” Brooke responded.

“Nah, damn girl, you know I can’t do that,” Sara replied as she struggled to get on her feet.

“Sara, you’ve been saying that I’m going to go through initiation for like the past month.  When am I going to start dealing like you and Jen?”  Brooke questioned angrily.

“I’m tellin’ ya girl, it’s close.  We have to wait on management to make that decision,” Sara replied.

“Management?  What is this, Baskin Robbins?”

“Girl, you know what I mean,” Sara replied.

“Fine, whatever,” Brooke said as she grabbed Sara’s car keys.

She helped to support Sara on the way out of the room and down the hall.  There were other random people in the halls, some obviously high as they walked by.  Brooke helped prop the door open for Sara to walk outside.

They headed down the stairs and towards the street.  Brooke looked around for Sara’s old Honda, trying to find the little beat up, rusted car.  It was awkwardly parked on the street, with a couple of flyers on the windshield.

“Damn it Sara, I told you to at least park the car right.  You know if you get a ticket, you’re fucked, right?”  Brooke reminded as she opened the passenger side door and practically shoved Sara in.

“You know what I gotta say to that girl, fuck da police!”  Sara yelled.

Brooke rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut.  Sara was a skinny, short, white girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, who could have easily had a steady life but instead, here she was, acting like some sort of hood rat.  Brook got in the driver’s side seat and started up the car.  It took a few tries, but it finally roared to life.

“Okay, where am I going?  The usual?”  Brooke asked.

“Take me to the KFC on Chester,” Sara replied.

“What?  Not the Domino’s on Watkins?”

“Oh shit, yeah, uh... take me there,” Sara said.

“Sara, be honest with me, are you doing the trade at KFC?”  Brooke questioned.

Sara sighed and looked down.  “Nah, I ain’t.”

“Sara, girl, you gotta be honest.  You know how far it is from that Domino’s to that KFC?  You ain’t gonna make it if you’re trying to leave me and walk over there,” Brooke replied.

Sara rubbed her nose and shrugged.  Brooke grinned as she knew very well that it meant that Sara was trying to lie. 

“It’s okay Sara, no one has to know.  I’ll just park across the street, and you get out.  No one has to know I was there,” Brooke said.

“I don’t know...”  Sara replied, hesitating as she bit on her lower lip.

“Come on, how is this so called management going to find out?”

Sara shrugged and nodded.  “Okay fine, take me across the street from KFC.”

Brooke smiled and began driving off.  This was the perfect chance to at least get a face on the supplier.  If she could at least see him or her, she’d be able to close in.  The drive was relatively silent as Sara fell in and out of consciousness.

Whatever drug she had tried seemed to have more of an effect on her than before.  Sara was normally hyperactive in between when taking her normal meth, but this time, she was just out.  She was dreaming about unicorns and rainbows before coming back to reality.

“The fuck did you take?”  Brooke questioned.

“Oh girl, it is something else.  No needle needed for this shit.  Smoked the shit out of it,” Sara replied.

“No needle needed?  Then what the fuck were you trying to give me back at home?”

“Oh, some cheap shit,” Sara cackled.

Brooke shook her head as she parked the car.  The familiar logo of the fast food chain smiled down at them.  A glowing ATM sign struggled to stay on, letting potential customers know they can grab cash from the little restaurant.

“Be careful girl, don’t get hit by some fucking car,” Brooke warned.

“Thanks girl, I’ll be right back,” Sara replied as she opened the door and stumbled out.

She walked across the front of the car and across the street.  Sara paused and turned to the left, heading towards the closed off store next to the restaurant.  Brooke noticed a tall man in a hoodie leaning against the metal gating and staring at a phone.

Sara walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.  The man pulled down his hoodie and looked around, cautiously making sure there were no cops in the vicinity.  The two exchanged words and Brooke could see he was rather frustrated.  Most likely because Sara was high as a kite.

She didn’t recognize the bald black man, but he looked rather young.  He had thick black eyebrows, and a solid, thick jaw line.  A long scar ran down his cheek from the bottom of his jaw line right up until the bottom edge of his eye.  His clothes clung to his rather large frame, not large as in fat, but large as in muscular.  Brooke could tell from his posture that he was most likely a fighter, a boxer maybe.  It was quite a stark contrast from other drug suppliers or carriers she had met in the past who were just skinny guys.

Whoever ran this little empire didn’t want just runners; they wanted people who could defend themselves in a fight.  Brooke was slowly getting more and more impressed with the inner workings of this gang.  The man nodded over at the car and Brooke quickly looked away.

When she glanced back, she saw Sara handing the black man something and he walked off.  Brooke scratched her chin as she watched him raise up a fist and then point towards Sara.  After a few seconds a black car drove by and stopped next to Sara.  She leaned in towards the passenger side seat and Brooke cursed as she couldn’t see through the heavily tinted windows.

As the car drove on, Brooke at least tried to memorize the license plate number.  She could only get the first three characters before it sped off.  Sara picked up a brown paper bag on the ground and headed over to Brooke.  She hopped into the passenger side and tossed the bag into the backseat.

“Okay, let’s go!  Unless you want some chicken,” Sara said.

“Fuck no, they probably don’t even have the extra crispy kind,” Brooke replied as she started the engine.

Sara laughed and leaned back on her seat, sinking down as she readied to fall asleep.

“That dude you were talkin’ to was pretty cute,” Brooke commented.

“Yeah?  Randy is kinda cute in a tough kind of way,” Sara replied.

Brooke’s eyes lit up as she heard a name.  She was hoping Sara would let something slip, but the fact that a name popped out was too perfect.  Sara had fallen for Brooke’s little fishing attempt, hook, line and sinker.

***

BROOKE CAUTIOUSLY LOOKED around while she was in the old, grimy pay phone booth.  She saw a couple of people wander by but they paid no attention to her.  After a couple more minutes, she put in some coins and dialed a number.

“Chen’s Chinese Kitchen, may I take your order?”  A voice answered.

“Randy, black, possibly a little over six feet, bald, scar from the bottom of his eye down his right cheek,” Brooke responded.

“Thank you.  Your order will be ready in 30 minutes,” the voice replied.

Brooke hung up and sighed.  She had to do something for half an hour while whatever resources her Captain had assigned performed some research.  He had assigned his most trusted officers to man the lines along with Diane and Jake.  They were also given very vague instructions on who they were working with and why. 

This was the first major break in her undercover operation.  There were zero guarantees that they would find any information on Randy, but if they could get anything, it would’ve been helpful.  She paced around outside of the phone booth, and then circled around a block.  A couple of bums walked by, briefly pausing to look her up and down before continuing on their way.

She circled the phone booth again as the thirty minutes neared.  Just as she entered, her other roommate, Jen, turned the corner and saw her.  Brooke cursed under her breath and smiled.

“Brooke?  Damn girl, what are you doin’ out here?”  Jen asked with a thick New York accent.

“Ah nothing, just felt like skipping out of work today,” Brooke lied.

“Shit girl, don’t get fired, we need money for that rent,” Jen laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s all I’m good for, just bringing home the bacon,” Brooke replied.

“You wanna hang girl?  Been thinkin’ of goin’ over to the cemetery with some Purple Dream,” Jen said as she pulled out a small baggie with little purple gem-like crystals inside.

“Mm...  I don’t know, I was going to...”  Brooke paused, trying to think of a reason.