14
SHELBY
Martinez is waiting when I walk into the conference room. His tablet is open, evidence files displayed across the screen, and his expression is carefully neutral. The debriefing I've been driving toward all morning starts now.
"Monroe." He gestures to the chair across from him. "Let's close this case."
I sit and pull out my own tablet. The distance between us is obvious and deliberate. He saw what happened with Cole and Kline at the Forge. He's choosing not to include certain details in his report, but the knowledge creates a wall neither of us will acknowledge.
"Walk me through the ghost orders," Martinez says. "For the AUSA."
I pull up the digital evidence trail. "Ghost orders were placed through encrypted channels using stolen credentials. Kline created shell companies. Orders stayed small enough to avoid immediate red flags but were consistent enough to build stockpiles over eighteen months."
"The van at the Portland shooting?"
"Commissioned through a shell company to match Brotherhood branding. Kline's team used it to frame the Brotherhood at the shooting, then abandoned it. The van was never owned by Ironside Customs."
Martinez makes notes on his tablet. "Financial connections between Kline and the Devils?"
"Payments disguised as equipment rentals and security consulting fees. The Devils were hired muscle, not trafficking partners. Kline paid them to create the appearance of MC involvement while his actual network operated independently through established channels in Seattle and Portland."
"The Iron Brotherhood's cooperation was crucial to this investigation," Martinez says. His tone remains professionally neutral. "Cole Holloway provided intelligence that led directly to Kline's arrest and the dismantling of the trafficking network."
"Correct. Without his cooperation, we wouldn't have had the tactical advantage we needed."
"And the altercation between Holloway and Kline during the arrest?" Martinez meets my eyes. "Your report states you assessed the situation and determined intervention would escalate the conflict."
"That's correct." I hold his gaze without flinching. "Kline posed a continuing threat. Holloway's use of force remained within acceptable parameters given the tactical circumstances. I intervened when necessary to preserve Kline for prosecution."
The lie sits smooth on my tongue. Three years undercover taught me how to sell a story without breaking character.
Martinez studies me for several seconds, then returns to his tablet. "The AUSA is satisfied with the evidence package. Kline is facing multiple life sentences. His network is dismantled. Justice for Special Agent Walsh and your brother."
Blake and Ryan. Their names still hit like bullets, but the grief doesn't consume me the way it used to. Kline will spend therest of his life in federal prison, and the modified weapons that killed Ryan are documented evidence in a case that will reshape ATF policy on trafficking enforcement.
"SAC Bauman is flying in from Seattle this afternoon," Martinez says. "She wants to personally review the case closure."
I nod. Bauman rarely leaves the Seattle field office unless a case has significant implications. The Kline investigation qualifies.
Martinez closes his tablet and stands. "Good work, Monroe. Despite the complications."
The complications he's referencing include Cole, the Brotherhood, and every choice I made that blurred the line between being a federal agent and being the woman who fell for a man capable of brutal violence.
He leaves without another word. I finish documenting my final evidence notes and forward everything to the AUSA's office. The case is solid. Kline will never see freedom again. The Brotherhood is cleared of all charges.
Everything worked exactly as planned.
My phone buzzes. Text from Cole:
How'd it go?
I text back:
Case is closed. Kline's done.
His response comes immediately:
Good. You okay?
