“I’m in,” Carrera said.
“This ought to be interesting,” Luciano said.
“Why’s that?”
“They don’t trust me.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Carrera said. “They trust me.”
“Where does your loyalty lie?”
Wasn’t the first time Luciano had asked him that question. Wouldn’t be the last.
“My loyalty lies with all the vics and their families,” Carrera said. “My loyalty is to the innocent, the stolen, the raped, the survivors. My loyalty is to Mara. My promise to you is that I will help you take out the evil in the world, whether it’s with you or through ALPHA.”
“Justice is so civil. The guilty are arrested, they’re treated decent, they say they’re reformed, they get released.”
Carrera chuckled. “No, Luciano. Sometimes the innocent get wrongly imprisoned. The guilty aren’t always released, and sometimes reform doesn’t work. You know that better than anyone.”
Luciano mumbled something in Italian that Carrera didn’t pick up.
“I like my way of justice better,” Luciano said.
“Most of the time, I do too,” Carrera replied.
Minutes later, he pulled into his neighborhood. Instead of driving straight home, he drove past Slash’s.
For the first time in my life, my loyalty is to a woman.
One woman, and only one woman.
After parking in his garage, he entered his home, and strode into his office. There, he connected his laptop to his large monitor, and logged in to ALPHA. His new position gave him access to a wide variety of cases, on the local and the national level. He could see which agents were working what cases, and which local law enforcement were working in tandem with federal agents.
His first task as Deputy Director was easy. He didn’t have to check with anyone, didn’t need approval from his superior either.
Determination, paired with a newfound confidence, coursed through his veins. People in power trusted him to get the job done with charm, finesse, and a can-do attitude. Without a doubt, he was the right man for the job.
One by one, he pulled up each of the missing persons cases, and assigned them to ALPHA Operative, Amanda Maynard.
Then, he read her file. Graduated at the top of her class at Quantico, worked for the Bureau in Atlanta and Miami before returning to the DC area. She’d received several internal commendations and awards. She was the first female agent asked to join ALPHA, then recently accepted into BLACK OPS rescue team. It had been noted that she was a committed team player, an excellent markswoman, and fearless when rappelling from the helo. Her top ranking came from her ability to use a knife.
She isn’t just a badass. She’s a rock star.
Shame washed over him. He’d been a total heel, an immature prick.
Never again.
Now, the cases were officially hers to work and hers to solve. One step at a time, he would earn back her trust, and make her his.
Forever.
