CUBAN HIRE (CARTEL GXG)

ALLY IN BLUE

Miramar, FL

The soft knock on the office door barely echoed through the quiet room. Wilson clutched the stack of papers close to her chest, steadying her breath, already preparing her case in her mind. She didn't wait long before she heard the familiar voice from inside.

"Come in."

Wilson entered, careful to close the door quietly behind her. The department captain, seated behind his desk, barely glanced up from the sea of paperwork he was drowning in. His tired eyes met hers with only a flicker of curiosity.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked flatly, his attention still split between her and the file he had been focused on moments earlier.

"I need clearance," Wilson said, her voice more urgent than she intended. She stepped forward and sat down in the worn chair across from his desk, laying the thick folder in front of him. "It's a big case."

The captain's eyebrow lifted slightly as he leaned back in his chair, still skeptical. "How big?"

"A Cuban cartel lord," she began, her words carefully measured, "who just crossed into Miami with an American bride." She spread the contents of the folder in front of him—photos, surveillance reports, and briefings, fanning them across the desk like cards in a high-stakes poker game.

The captain, his curiosity now piqued, pulled the papers toward him, scanning them with a critical eye. "And you have solid evidence?" His tone was cautious, wary of her enthusiasm.

"I have circumstantial evidence," Wilson admitted, her voice picking up pace. "But I know it's her." She could already see the skepticism forming in his eyes, and quickly pressed on before he could dismiss her. "Look—same ring in every photo, the height matches, the weight, hair color, even her skin tone. Everything fits."

He exhaled slowly, leaning back, his hands moving away from the photos. "Nora..."

"Dad, I know I'm right," she interrupted, a fire behind her words as she leaned forward. "You know I'm one of your best agents. I've been right before, and I'm right again."

The captain rubbed his forehead, a familiar weariness setting in. "Circumstantial evidence won't hold up in court. You need more than that."

"I don't need it to hold up in court yet," Nora countered, pulling the photos back toward her. "I just need your approval to investigate, to get the real evidence that will hold up in court later. Please, Dad." Her voice softened, but her determination remained unshaken.

The captain sighed heavily, the lines in his face deepening as he weighed his options. "What have you got?"

Nora's shoulders relaxed slightly, sensing the shift in his tone. "I did some digging," she said quickly, flipping through the documents. "There's a party tonight. It's tied to a buy, some owner exchange—something big. I got my hands on the guest list." She handed him the paper. "She's going to be there. And not just her—people we've had suspicions about for years, but never had enough evidence to go after."

His eyes fell on a name she had pointed out, Ezmeralda, circled in red. The name lingered in the air between them like a loaded gun.

"And I'm assuming you want to go?" he asked, his voice skeptical but resigned.

"If you give your approval," Nora replied, a slow smile forming on her lips, one he had seen many times before. It was the look that always made him nervous, the look of a woman determined to get what she wanted.

The captain tapped his fingers against the desk, mulling it over. "Fine," he relented at last, shaking his head. "But I want full security backup, and a damn good undercover story. If what you're telling me is true, you're walking into dangerous territory."