Perfect Storm

Chapter 15 - In Case You Didn't Know

February came and went, the cold, dark winter giving way to the slightly brighter and longer days. The Intelligence Unit had recently received good intel from one of Antonio's CIs that Sinaloa Cartel were planning to push a boatload of cocaine into Chicago through a number of prominent drug dealers that were on the radar of all CPD departments, including Narcotics and the Gang Unit. Given it was Antonio's lead, Intelligence were running point.

Kevin and Kate were assigned the task of tailing one of the lower-level dealers in the hopes that they would unearth some useful information on the stash house. They had parked a couple of blocks down the street after following Marco Perez to a property in Pilsen and they watched as he took the front porch steps two at a time before disappearing from view.

"5021 Sam. Perez has just entered 219 West 21st Street. We haven't got eyes but we've dropped an anchor out front. Any chance you can run a check on the property and also run a plate for me? Victor, Ocean, King, 5, 5, 4, 9."

Just as Kate put the call in, her personal phone began to vibrate in centre console, her brother's caller ID flashing on the screen.

"Hey Matt, how's it going?"

"Even better now I've heard my baby sister's voice!"

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smile that spread onto her face at her brother's affectionate greeting. They traded idle chit-chat for a few minutes, her eyes still firmly on the front door of the house Perez went into before Matt got to the reason for his call.

"So, listen. I've got some time off coming up and I wondered if you wanted to come out and spend a few days? Maybe check out the St Patrick's Day parade?"

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll speak to Voight and see if I can get some furlough time. I'll talk to him later and let you know."

The two said goodbye with plans to firm up the details later in the week and Kate dropped her phone back into the holder in the centre console.

"That your brother?"

Kevin was scanning through the pictures he had taken of Perez, the house and the car he'd been driving as he spoke. This was a surveillance assignment only and, given the recent 'incident' involving Danté Williams, the two of them were still treading on thin ice where Fischer was concerned so they needed to be completely by the book.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try and get out to New York to see him in a few weeks. Catch up, ya know."

"I feel you. I was thinking of heading down to see Jordan and Vinessa actually. That whole thing with Danté..." He tapered off, shaking his head but Kate knew what he was trying to say. When cases hit a bit too close to home, you wanted nothing more than to hold the people you love just that little bit closer, to convince yourself that they're still safe.

"5021 Sam, the property you requested a background on is registered to a Javier Nunez. Also ran the plate you gave us, tags are hot."

"Copy that, thank you."

Kevin pulled up Nunez's file on his phone, whistling through his teeth as he read through his rap sheet.

"Javier Nunez, 32, known member of the Latin Kings. Been popped for all kinds of drug charges, distro, possession, intent to sell. He got out of Stateville a year ago after doing five years for assault with a deadly weapon...beat his girlfriend half to death with a baseball bat."

"Huh. What a fucking charmer."

The two fell silent once again, both lost in their own thoughts when movement outside of the house they were watching caught their attention. Perez re-appeared on the front porch, trotting down the steps but this time he had a black duffle bag in one hand as he moved back out onto the street towards his car.