Chapter 10 - The Federal Shield
The lead agent—a tall woman with sharp silver hair and an iron-pressed suit bearing a Department of Justice badge—strode directly into the center of the garage, her eyes sweeping over the scene: Rocco bleeding on the floor, Javier and Daniel near the truck, and Carmine standing calmly beside me.
“Carmine Moretti,” the federal agent said, her voice cutting through the hum of idling police cruisers outside. “You’re under arrest for racketeering, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice.”
She gestured to two armed agents behind her, who immediately moved forward with steel cuffs raised.
“Agent Vance,” Carmine acknowledged, his voice smooth and utterly devoid of panic. He didn't resist as the cold metal clicked around his wrists. “You’re quite far from your usual jurisdiction downtown.”
“When an anonymous digital drop unloads a multi-million-dollar corruption network right onto my desk, I tend to travel,” Agent Vance replied crisply, her gaze shifting sharply to me. “And who do we have here? Another loyal employee caught in the crossfire, or an active participant in the Moretti syndicate?”
My heart hammered against my ribs, but before I could open my mouth to speak, Carmine stepped deliberately to the side, placing his handcuffed body directly between Agent Vance’s line of sight and myself.
“She is a domestic employee who was trapped in a hostile situation,” Carmine said, his voice ringing with absolute, commanding finality. “She has no connection to the syndicate accounts, and any statement implying otherwise will be met with immediate, aggressive federal countersuits.”
Agent Vance narrowed her eyes, studying Carmine closely. “You’re protecting her, Moretti. Why?”
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Carmine didn't look back at me. He stared straight ahead into the blinding lights of the federal cruisers, a faint, cryptic shadow of a smile touching the corner of his mouth.
“Because,” Carmine said quietly as the agents began to lead him away toward the waiting transport vehicle, “some things in this world are still worth saving.”
