Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate.
A Fresh Start Chapter 8
The FBI and Family
Jamie loved and hated being back in New York staying at the house he grew up in. Danny made time to come by each day to give him a hard time. They went for drinks a few days after Danny's tour was over. Nikki had volunteered to babysit with Grandpa Henry so Eddie and Jamie could have an actual date night once a week. Which was something that he and Eddie hadn't gotten to do since Frankie and Bella entered their lives.
Now they were both fully entrenched their training. Eddie's parents had decided that they didn't want their grandkids in the FBI daycare, so they hired a full-time nanny. Eddie's training days were on a set schedule, and she would be home at the same time each night. Jamie's training was unpredictable and there had already been a couple of times where he was gone for a couple days. These five months were going to be as intense or more intense then the training he did with the LAPD or during his time at the NYPD Academy. As much as he knew he was growing and sharpening his skills, he never thought too much about going back to school after graduating Harvard Law.
Eddie's training finished and she had a small graduation and then they were given their assignments. Jamie and Eddie were both anxious about the assignment. Eddie was worried about getting to their new location, finding a home, and getting all three kids enrolled in school. Bella had turned four over the summer and was ready for pre-school. The entire Reagan family drove down for Eddie's graduation, and her brother flew in on the private jet. Alex was proud of his little sister for taking the next step in her career. Alex had really come to appreciate Jamie too. He realized what a great husband and partner he was for his sister. He was a great dad to Betty too. He had been worried that he wouldn't want to adopt her but was happy to hear that was his first priority. They had been married for a while without a honeymoon, and it was Alex's goal to fix that.
Jamie couldn't be prouder of Eddie. She'd graduated at the top of her class which meant that they would get one of their top pics to call home for the next year or two. They got one of their top pics, the Seattle office, so they were back to the west coast. Eddie figured out early on that Jamie was really good at everything he did, and she had no doubt that in a year or two that they may be onto another new adventure.
The Reagan's were disappointed that Jamie and his wonderful family would be so far again but knew he could eventually get transferred closer to home. The Janko's were happy that they were coming back to the west coast, and closer to them.
The more Jamie got to know his classmates the more he realized that his Emergency Services training really prepared him and has helped him be successful. The last hurdle was the federal law course.
"Hey Jamie, you've done really well so far." Mike, one of his classmates said. Mike was an ivy league graduate and was looking forward to the law course. He figured Jamie was all brawn and no brains. He was convinced that he would pummel him in the federal law courses.
"Thanks, you are too. Are you ready for the law courses?"
"Yeah, I graduated Yale. I'm confident that I'll be able to ace this." Mike said confidently. "Where did you go to school?"
"Harvard." Jamie said and watched Mike's face fall.
"You're Harvard alum too? What year did you graduate?" Maya asked as she had walked over.
"2007, what about you?" Jamie like Maya better than Mike. She was nice and understood the teamwork that needed to happen in law enforcement.
"All Ivy League. My degree is in political science." Mike said thinking again that he had the upper hand over the others.
"My degree is in linguistics, and I speak five languages." Maya said proud of her accomplishments.
"Jamie, what about you?" Maya asked.
"Oh, I only speak Serbian and Spanish." Jamie had been lost in thought missing his kids.
"No, what's your degree in?" Maya was really curious now.
"Undergrad was Pre-law and Criminal Psychology, and Law." Jamie said without thinking of the significance.
Mike just stared at him. He was shocked. He thought Jamie was all muscle and no brains. Jamie had dominated the physical training. Mike didn't understand any of the other law enforcement training he'd had.
Jamie had always just done the work and what was needed to get through the programs, he never did anything for the accolades he just wanted to get to work. He hated attention, which was one reason he preferred living outside of New York. Anywhere else in the country he was just Jamie. In New York, he was Jameson Reagan, the youngest son of the PC.
"I remember, didn't you graduate first in your class?" Maya asked remembering that Jamie's dad was the Police Commissioner in New York where herself and Mike were both from.
"Yeah, and after practicing for two years, I decided that it wasn't the career for me, so I went to the New York Police Academy." Jamie smiled. He had been helping Maya through a few classes. She could have been a translator but decided that she wanted to be an agent with the ability to translate.
"Yeah, when I told my parents that I wanted to be an agent instead of a translator they thought I was nuts. I had already established myself in my career, and I wanted to do more. I used to work with a lot of agents in DC." Maya said understanding the want to switch careers.
"I thought you came from LAPD not NYPD?" Mike said not understanding who Jamie was.
"I started in patrol in New York and then went to LA and worked as a detective, in emergency services and as a hostage negotiator and I was working with the joint terrorism task force before one of the agents I was recruited." Jamie said as a matter of fact and was just giving his background. "What were you doing Mike?"
"I was working for the Mayor of New York City."
"Cool. Always a lot going on there." Jamie thought that they all had good prospects.
Maya and Mike were both impressed with Jamie. Up until this point they had both been in different careers than he had since they were not law enforcement, but now they were all on the same path.
"Are you related to Frank Reagan?" Mike was curious. He'd met the PC a couple times and he was nice enough, but he was wary of those who held that much power.
"Yeah, he's, my dad."
"Your dad's the PC of NYC?" Maya asked actually being in meetings with the PC when she was translating.
"Yeah. My grandfather was PC before him, both my brothers are or were detectives, and my sister is an ADA for Manhattan."
"So, you never really had a choice." Mike said actually rethinking his viewpoint on Jamie.
"Oh no, I always had a choice. I could've done whatever I wanted. I thought about being a teacher for a while. I wanted to work in one of the poorer districts and try and help the kids who seem to be forgotten."
"We have very different outlooks on life." Mike said and walked away. He had enough of the golden boy. He wasn't looking forward to this class as much as he was before the conversation started.
Jamie and Eddie had spoken as much as they could over the last two months while he was still in Virginia. In the past any traveling he'd done was only for a week or two and at the time they'd only had one child. Now he was missing two months of all three of his kids' lives. His dad, grandpa, sister, and niece tried to make it a little easier on him as they had visited him during a few of the weekends, although he wasn't sure they were doing it for him, he thought they were doing it because they knew they wouldn't be seeing much of him again.
Two months later Jamie graduated first in his class with his entire family there to see. The Janko's had flown Eddie and the kids there to be with him. Jamie was ready for the next chapter of their lives to begin, and for more than anything to be back with his family.
Jamie couldn't be happier to be home with his family. Eddie had found a beautiful two story five-bedroom home that fit their family well. She knew that she and Jamie would need an office, so she wanted to make sure that they had a space away from the kids. The kids had a big, beautiful playroom all to themselves. Jamie was happy to see that all of the kids were doing well. Although his first night home Bella wouldn't let go of him until he put her to bed. She followed him everywhere and if he was sitting down, she was either right next to him or on his lap. He didn't have any complaints. Frankie and Betty were letting Bella have time with their dad, but they were going to get their time too. Betty had a stack of books that she wouldn't let her mom read because she needed her dad to read them to her and Frankie wanted to play basketball with his dad.
Eddie was doing great at work. She loved interacting with the agents and getting to see the cases go all the way through instead of just passing the information off. It meant for some long days, so she was happy that they had the nanny to watch the kids. She was thankful for the Nanny, but wished that she and Jamie could spend more time with their kids.
Jamie was partnered up with a veteran agent Maggie Bell. Maggie had been in Seattle since she graduated Agent training five years earlier. She had been told that she was getting a new partner and that was it.
"Agent Bell, I'm Jamie Reagan, nice to meet you." Jamie said as he found his way to the desk that his ASAC had pointed out to him as he ran to a meeting.
"Hi Reagan, you can call me Maggie, you ready for the crazy life of an agent?"
"Yeah. Life's pretty crazy already, I'm beginning to think that I wouldn't know what to do if it wasn't" Jamie laughed.
Maggie and Jamie talked about their families, trying to get to know each other. They would be working closely and it was important to understand each other.
Their first case took them to Tacoma where a child had gone missing. While Maggie and Jamie are interviewing the family. Eddie and the members at the office are doing their own research. When the day began Jamie and Eddie didn't know that they would be working together.
It didn't take long for Maggie and Jamie to figure out that it was a domestic situation. Two days earlier the little girl's father had lost custody of her. Her dad had made some bad choices and he would have very limited visitation going forward. Jamie understood the pain he was feeling. It's hard not being with your kids, but that didn't excuse what he did.
When they called back to the office, they had some valuable information. Jamie and Maggie were sitting in the car with the phone on speaker.
"What did the family have to say?" ASAC Diaz asked knowing he had a rookie out there, but he trusted Maggie.
"Marisol's dad just lost custody and will have very limited visitation going forward and if those visits don't go well there's a chance, he would lose any chance to see her at all." Jamie said understanding.
"Anita, Marisol's mom, said that she didn't understand why she wouldn't be able to see her dad each week like she had been." Maggie said thinking, like Jamie that it was most likely the father.
"Why did he lose custody?" ASAC Diaz asks.
"DUI, a history of domestic abuse and his latest brush with the law was a third DUI with a child from a previous relationship in the car with him. The officer made the special notification to the family court as soon as he was booked." Eddie said, still loving her new job, and happy to be working with her husband.
"Thanks, Reagan, anything else?"
"His car is still in impound, so he may have either stolen one or borrow from another family member." Eddie finished.
"Anita said that he didn't talk to anyone in his family anymore because of the choices in life that he's made." Maggie said still trying to figure out the next step.
"But Anita said that he has kids with at least four other women, and from what she knew they hadn't involved the legal system because when she heard from the court about his latest arrest, she confirmed that she wanted to move forward, and two days later when he was released on bail, he came over screaming and threating her. She said that she almost called the cops on him, but one of her neighbors stepped in and he ended up leaving." Jamie explained hoping that he may have taken Marisol to one of his other ex's.
"Ok, I found four addresses of other women that he had kids with." Eric, another analyst on the team said.
"I found two more, one in Portland, Oregon and Reno, Nevada, and both are recent moves that he helped fund. He has two kids with the woman in Portland and three with the woman in Reno including at six-month-old." Eddie pointed out that they may be likely locations.
"Reagan and Bell, which do you want to go to?"
Jamie and Maggie looked at each other and thought about other conversations that they had with family, friends, and neighbors.
"Reno." They said at the same time.
"Okay, I'm gonna send Johnson and Marks to Portland." Diaz said knowing that this meant that he had four agents that wouldn't be back in the city that night.
"Reagan, are you related to Agent Reagan?" Diaz asked.
"Yes sir, sorry I didn't inform you before I filled in for the other analyst."
"It's okay. You two seem to work well together. We'll see how things are when he's back in the office. You both did great work and today's just his first day."
"Thank you, sir." Eddie said thinking she was going to get in trouble.
Eddie was still a little worried but knew she could have a day or so before the issue came up again. Now to explain to the kids that after one day of work daddy was already out of town and would hopefully be home the following day.
Jamie and Maggie had made it to Reno in a couple of hours to find the house empty. They hoped that word hadn't gotten back to them and that they had fled but were just out.
Maggie and Jamie had been sent over all relevant information for the woman and her family. She had moved to Reno because this is where a majority of her family lived, and she would have more support with the children. She was also able to find a decent job in one of the local casinos. Maggie and Jamie continued their search in Reno, while Eddie made her way home from the office to get the kids ready for bed.
Back in Reno, Maggie and Jamie finally got the break that the were looking for. They found his ex at a friends where he had told her to stay with the four kids. They had found Marisol. Now all that was left was to get her home. Jamie had called it in that she'd been found, and they were working on getting her home. Reno police arrested the others in the house. The owner of the house wasn't home. CPS was there for other kids, who would later be transported to their aunt's home.
Returning Marisol home felt great for Jamie, but not as great as he felt going home to his own kids. He saw them as they were sleeping, he would get to see them Wednesday morning.
"Daddy, you're home!" Bella screamed.
"Yep, but I do have to go to work later." As he said it he watched Bella's face drop.
"Why?" Frankie asked.
"Because I have to work, we've talked about this." Jamie said feeling bad. "All three of you have to go to school too."
"We know, we just missed you." Betty said being the best big sister.
"I know. There are just some days that last longer than others. I know how you guys feel. I could go days without seeing Grandpa Frank. Always know that I will be here as much as I can, and no matter how much I'm here I love you all. I always will."
"We know babe." Eddie said as she came around behind him and gave him a hug. "What time do you have to go today since you got back so late last night?"
"Some time before noon, so I'll take the kids to school."
"Thanks babe." Eddie heads to get ready for her day. She's been filling in on various teams so far, so she doesn't know where she'll be each day.
The morning at home was great. He'd made the kids breakfast and got them ready for school and walked each of them to their classrooms at their requests when he dropped them off. By the time he'd picked up some food and made it into work he was in a really good mood. He thought back to when he was still living in New York and was on patrol, he thought he was happy then, but now with Eddie and the kids he couldn't imagine a better life.
Thankfully their next case didn't involve kids, and Jamie got to show his team members how skilled he was in hostage negotiation. Jamie was past the point of people thinking that he was stupid, that people often thought during his early days in patrol, but he was still cursed with being young. Some people underestimated his abilities, he knew that he couldn't do anything about it, so he just focused on doing his job well.
The next six months fly by. Jamie and Eddie are both doing really well at work and the kids love school. A trip home was not in the works any time soon. Eddie was picked for the anti-terrorism task force. She had some long hard days but having her family to come home to helped. She really understood why Jamie would come home on his hard days and cuddle and read with Betty, cuddle with Bella, and play with Frankie.
Before they knew it, another new school year was beginning. Now that Bella was in kindergarten Jamie tried to spend time each night, when he wasn't working, having each of the kids read to him.
Frankie and Bella are always the first to run to him when he got home. They would always remember that he was the one that saved him. He was their hero, and everyone at school knew it. When it was time for show and tell, they wanted to bring in their dad, while many of the other kids brought in their toys. Jamie wasn't able to go to school, but they brought in pictures and told their story of how they got their new family.
Jamie walked into work knowing that he was going to do something good. It was a day full of meetings, and he was hoping in the back of his mind that a case would come in so he could miss them.
"Agent Reagan, do you have a moment." His ASAC asked as he made his way to his desk.
"Yes sir." Jamie said and made his way into the ASAC's office.
"Agent Reagan, this is Regional Director Lancaster." ASAC Diaz said motioning for Jamie to sit in one of chairs next to the couch when he and RD Lancaster sat at the same time.
"I understand that you're from Los Angeles." Lancaster asked.
"Originally from New York City, sir, but I lived in LA before moving here." Where Jamie was used to his coworkers getting nervous around the brass, it had been his entire life, and it didn't faze him.
Lancaster noticed that he wasn't as nervous as many of the other first year agents he'd met. He started putting two and two together. "Are you related Commissioner Reagan?"
All Diaz knew about Jamie was his stellar past in law enforcement. Jamie talked about his big family, but not their careers were.
"Yes sir." Jamie said hoping things didn't change for him.
"I know your father, he's a good man." Lancaster said watching both of the other men in the room.
"Yeah, he is. He's good for New York too."
"And you've been good for the FBI. From what I understand you've made a big impact since you've been assigned to this office."
"Thank you, sir."
"Agent Reagan has proven that he is a very valuable agent, his hostage negation skills have come into play during a couple of cases, and he thinks through things beyond just making an arrest." ASAC Diaz emphasized again.
Jamie was hoping that he wasn't blushing. He hated praise. He only ever wanted to do his job.
"Agent Reagan, I've asked ASAC Diaz to call you in today so we could go over an assignment that I think you'd be a good fit for."
Lancaster set three folders on the table and each of them grabbed for the one closest to them. Lancaster had read through all of Jamie's experience and knew he'd gone undercover with a major crime family.
"Regan, we understand that you've gone undercover with a major crime family before and were successful in obtaining the information needed to help put away many of the high-ranking members, as well as a large number of their lieutenants and soldiers." Diaz states.
"Yes sir, but it was only part time. I was still on patrol, and learning to be a cop."
Both men looked at him with quizzical expressions. The last comment didn't make sense to them.
"I was undercover with a bunch of others in my platoon, and we were working to close down a bar for underage drinking and drug sales, when I met one of the family members of the Sanfino crime family. I had just started my second year."
"From what I've heard you're a natural undercover." Lancaster said not knowing if Jamie had heard the praises. He'd heard that Commissioner Reagan was known to be harder on his kids than other officers.
"I did what I had to do at the time." Jamie said as a matter of fact.
"We need you to go undercover in a Seattle holding cell and see if you can get any information on Dimitri Solcolov." Diaz stated, hoping Jamie understood the importance of what they were asking him to do.
"One of his associates is being picked up today on a warrant tomorrow when he goes into pick up his kid from the airport. He hasn't seen his kid in two years while they've been away attending college. The only time this associate is seen out is when he's with his kids because he has a misguided belief that law enforcement won't arrest him in front of them."
"Ok, so will I already be in or be brought in while he's waiting for arraignment?" Jamie asked thinking of scenarios that make sense and could get him with this guy fast.
"We want you to go in first, but we will still go through with the arrest. We have a couple of patrol cops and detectives that we work with. This associate is the head of the gun running division. We'll run through the types of guns that they are running right now. You'll be brought in, on a gun buy. A fairly large amount."
"Ok. What's the big get?" Jamie asked preparing himself.
"We need to find out where he's getting them from, we know of three likely sources, but we are unsure which one or if new avenues are opening that we've missed." Lancaster states noting that Reagan is taking notes on everything, and he's already seen a change in him.
Jamie had disappeared to wardrobe to get ready. He had to go through the arrest in two hours. He'd called Eddie to let her know that he wouldn't be home that night and it could be a few more days depending on how far they had to take things.
Four hours later Jamie is being led into a cell by a patrol officer. He's in his persona, but his memory is being flooded with memories of himself, Vinny and Renzulli all bringing guys into holding. The cop was in on everything, and they had a game plan so that Jamie could get rough, and the cop wasn't hurt. Jamie is escorted to an empty holding cell in the detective's squad being told that the other was full.
Jamie's sitting in the cell with his head down in a defeated posture when Mikel Volkov is escorted in by one of the detectives.
"Man, you look rough." Volkov said having been in this situation before.
"Thanks, this is my first time. I know what I'm doing, and I have rules to prevent this from happening." Jamie said sounding tired.
"What are you in for?" Volkov asked knowing last time he was in he recruited a good person that the boss had liked.
"A gun buy. The idiot buying from me did something that tipped off the cops. He didn't follow my rules." Jamie said with obvious anger and started pacing in the small space.
"You buying or selling?" This guy was very curious about the guy he was sharing the cell with.
"Buying, but I don't want to talk here too many cameras and possible hidden ears." Jamie said looking around cautiously.
"When are you being moved to central booking?" Volkov wondered.
"I'm not, I got a good lawyer. I'm here until my arraignment tomorrow and then I'll be getting out." Jamie said with a lot of confidence.
"Looks like we'll be here together tonight."
The two men continue to talk and figure out a code, so they don't get more charges added to them. Volkov liked that Jamie had some of the same focus points that he did to be successful.
The next morning both men make it to their arrangements and are set free. Jamie had been let go on a technicality that his lawyer had figured out Everyone is upset because they've wanted to get him on something but have yet to do so.
Jamie was able to get the information that they needed, and he'd been invited to Volkov's house over the weekend. He'd gotten the information, and possibly gotten himself invited into the Russian Liberation Militia (RLM).
After two long days either spent in a holding cell or at the office Jamie was exhausted and was happy to be going home while the kids were in school so he could sleep and then surprise them and pick them up.
After two days off Jamie was spending the day in the office preparing for his afternoon at Volkov's. He'd been prepping himself in the back of his mind since he finished the first assignment. He knew what he was getting into this time, unlike with he Sanfino's. The big difference was going to be if he was accepted into the organization, he wasn't going to be able to see or spend any time with his family. He would be undercover full time.
Jamie had two focus' is split when he's at work he is thinking about nothing other than the case and understanding what he was walking into, and when he was at home, he was soaking up all of the family time. They'd gone for hike in the mountains. They were doing park picnics and just enjoying bedtimes when Jamie and kids would read to each other. The last thing he had to do was let them know he wouldn't be in contact with them for a while.
"Hey dad, got some time to talk?" Jamie asked through the phone knowing his dad was still at work.
"Yes, is everything okay?" Frank worried something was wrong with Jamie, Bella, Betty, Frankie, or Eddie.
"No, everyone's great. Bella loves kindergarten. She's going full days like her brother like Frankie and Betty. She loves it. Betty loves school, she's doing really great. She's acclimated really well to her new home. She's delt with a lot of big changes in her life over the last few years."
"Dad, do you remember how I got into the Sanfino family?"
"Yeah, by accident, for lack of a better description." This conversation was making him nervous. It was bad enough his son was still on the other side of the country working in law enforcement, now he was going undercover. Frank just hoped his son remembered he wasn't alone anymore. He had his own family to think of.
"Well, I did it again. I can't give you any of the details, but I'm going under full time for a minimum of three months, and it could be up to a year. I just depends on how long it takes me to the get the information we need to close them down." Jamie knew his dad hated every minute when he was undercover last time.
"What does Eddie think about this?"
"That I need to remember I have a family to come home too, and that she knows I didn't go looking for this."
"You didn't?" Frank can't help but question his youngest. He knew how much Jamie liked being undercover the last time and I think he would have done more except he could tell how his family felt about it.
"No, I was given an assignment and the next thing I know I was getting invited to the guy's house and before I knew it, I was meeting the boss."
"How is Eddie going to handle everything at home while you're gone?"
"Unfortunately, with my schedule she does a lot on the own already. You were gone a lot when I was growing up and I understood it a lot better now. Joe and Danny were working a lot too or Danny was gone with the Marines, but some weeks I may only see the kids once or twice." Jamie paused to see if his dad was going to either push back on the hours he worked or get on him about becoming a fed. "Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I love my family too."
"I understand, and I wish that I was able to be around more when you were growing up, but the kids will understand. They know that you love them. I heard about Frankie's presentation at school too."
"Did Eddie send the video. I would've loved to be able to go but had a time sensitive case. She can sometimes sneak and hour here or there when needed. She's a much better parent than I am."
"I don't believe that and neither does Eddie. You're a great dad, sometimes you just want to be able to split yourself in two. Now when do you leave?"
"I start staying in the apartment full time Sunday night, but I've been told that there will be some traveling and if they feel like I'd be more valuable elsewhere then they'll move me. I really can't tell you anything else. I really just called so you would know why you won't be able to get a hold of me for a while and it would be great if you could share the basics with the family."
"Be safe and tell Eddie if she needs anything that she can count on us. We will bring her and the kids here or we'll head out to her. Just make sure that we are here for whatever she needs and please do everything in your power to come home to us." Frank almost begged. He hated this. He needed to find out who is son would be undercover with.
"Thanks, dad. I'll tell her."
Two days later Jamie was off to his new assignment and his life would never be the same again. His time with his first partner was coming to an end as she'd been transferred to New York, so when he returned, he would either be getting a new partner or being transferred.
Two months later Eddie was worried and exhausted. She knew Jamie felt like she did it all, and that wasn't true. Considering how much time Jamie spent at work he always made time for his family. He used to joke that he was the oopsy baby that happened because his dad worked too much. Eddie didn't want anyone to find out that she was struggling without her better half because she didn't want Jamie to find out and feel bad. She knew that despite the fact that he was most likely in danger every day that he was worrying about them.
She had a few days off after a big case and she was enjoying a quiet afternoon at home. All three of the kids had gone down for a nap or were reading because they'd had a full morning at the farmers market, eating lots of good food. Eddie had a light lunch planned and macaroni and cheese planned for dinner. The kids were going to be so happy. She was relaxing reading herself when there was a knock on the door. She had to take a deep breath before answering it.
"Henry! What are you doing here? Come in, I'm sorry you just surprised me." Eddie said while giving him a big hug and holding back tears of joy.
"I'm glad that you're surprised, that's the point. I'm here to be a second set of hands while Jamie's away. I'll be here as long as you need me, and I just need a days' notice to head home." Henry smiled. Eddie's parents had flown him from New York to Seattle and would fly him home.
Eddie hadn't even noticed the big suitcase he brought in with him. She was just happy to see someone from the family.
"Your brother wanted to stop in and say hi, but he got called back to LA for a case. He said that he or whoever comes to be my traveling buddy home will try and stick around if you're okay with that and help in any way that they can."
Eddie was having a really hard time holding in her tears. She and Jamie had the best family. She was so thankful for all of them right now.
"Henry you can stay as long as you want, but after being in a house with three little ones you may want to run for the hills after a couple of days." Eddie laughed.
"I'm not so worried about that. They are Jamie's instead of Danny's and we spent a lot of time with them when you guys were training in Virginia." Henry said knowing none of the great grandkids were all that wild. "Where are they?"
"Betty is reading, and Frankie and Bella are napping. We went to the farmers market this morning and were there for several hours. I think we walked about four miles. I was just getting ready to make lunch."
"Let's order pizza. You look tired dear. Let me cook dinner too." Henry said worried about his family.
"I can't let you do that. You are probably tired after your trip."
"I slept most of the way here, and I came to help." Henry says without giving her any room for argument.
"Thank you."
Jamie or Patrick as he was known to RLM, was on his way to New York via Dallas with a large shipment of guns. He had no way of knowing that his brother had just arrested another one of his colleagues, and now NYPD was on high alert looking for someone like him.
Fortunately for Jamie some bad weather slowed him down and another one of the guys was able to tip him off so the buy could happen outside New York City. Jamie would still be entering the city to meet with another possible buyer, a few days later. He was now headed to Philadelphia where his buyer would buy the car and the guns, and he would take the train into the city.
"Patrick, here's your money. Sorry for the troubles. That guy is no longer part of our organization." The buyer said hoping to do business again.
"That's good, what did he do to get arrested anyway?"
"He was working on a plan for a possible attack, and he was talking about it while he got coffee, and then he stole some items from the store."
"Really, not long before a big hit. NYPD is going to be on high alert for multiple things because of what that idiot said. What the hell. Is the hit being moved back?"
"I didn't even tell you the best part. He was picked up by the PC's kid. He's a bulldog who won't quit until he takes us down."
"Does the boss know?" Jamie worried. If the boss didn't know the hit wasn't going to change.
"I don't know." The buyer said not understanding the importance of what he just told him.
"You better figure it out before you get to your destination, or the boss is not going to be happy."
With that Jamie left and started walking to the train station. The buy had happened a few blocks away, and he couldn't stand being in the same room with the guy anymore. He thought he was an idiot too, and he wondered why his boss was trying so hard to bring little organizations like the one he sold to into the RLM. His best guess was it was the fastest way to grow.
Once on the train, Jamie wished that he could call Eddie, just to hear her or the kids' voices or his family and let them know he was going to be in town for a couple of days before he was headed back to Dallas, then Mexico and finally back to his current residence in San Diego. The guy he met in the holding cell was a great mark, he's high ranking and was able to get Jamie into the top. Jamie's legal background was coming in handy to when it came to documents and other things needed for the buys. He really understood why this was such a big problem, he'd been running guns, drugs and moving their associates around the country for three months now, and for the most part he hadn't had any issues. Along with amassing evidence he was also working through some issues that they would run into dealing with domestic terrorists like RLM truly was.
Back in New York, Danny's bust was big enough to get the attention of his father.
"Danny, what have you found?" Frank worried that they would need to start preparing for another attack.
"Domestic Terrorist group. White supremacist, Russian Liberation Militia, from what I can tell it's a bunch of idiots who think we should be supporting Russia and giving all our power over to them. The idiot was talking about a guy driving in from Texas will a car full of guns today."
"Any other chatter. If the buy was big enough, we would hear something."
"Unless he was able to get word to his man driving in. The buy could have gotten cancelled or moved." Danny said without thinking that there were going to be bigger things happening soon.
"Listen, I know that you don't want to hear this, but these guys are knowingly crossing state lines. We have to bring in the feds." Frank knew that his oldest hated the feds with a passion. He could guess as to why, and it had to do with Joe, but Jamie was a fed now. He had to learn to let some of that hate go.
"Ok. Until you tell me otherwise, I'm not stopping the case." Danny said knowing full well even after his dad told him to back off that he would likely still keep working it.
"Danny." Frank said knowing what his oldest was thinking.
By that time, Jamie had made it into the city and to the place he would be staying for a few days. He couldn't help but laugh that the apartment was a block away from his sisters. This guy ran his own company during the day to afford his Park Slope apartment and a senior member the New York branch of RLM in his spare time. This was one of the guys that he needed some hard information on. He had a good idea that this guy was into RLM more than what he'd been told.
Frank had worked fast and spoken to one of his contacts at the FBI. He'd been told that after years of trying as they watched the organization grow, they had finally been able to get a guy on the inside. Not just on a low level like they'd done in the past, but in the upper echelons on the organization. With this FBI agent on the inside, they had an actual chance to take them down. When Danny made the collar, the NYPD had been contacted with the correct way to move forward so they didn't blow the case for the FBI. Frank learned that the guy went under three months earlier about the same time he and Jamie had an important conversation. He had to get Danny back up in his office for the hard conversation. He was not going to lose a second son to a cop.
"Twice in one week, must be important since you didn't wait until Sunday dinner." Danny said feeling the tension radiating off of his dad.
"Yes, well I spoke with the FBI, and you need to listen here closely Daniel." Frank said with a warning glare. "Back off, the FBI has a man on the inside who is making a lot of progress. The FBI has a real chance at taking down the entire organization, not just the New York branch. When they are able to stop them, they will get a lot of guns off the street and put a lot of scum in prison. The guy on the inside is known for his conviction rate."
"So, I'm just supposed to do nothing now? What happens when these jokers kill someone?"
"Daniel, listen to me carefully, you do not understand the entire situation. If I hear of you moving forward with anything in terms of this group, I will put you on modified or take your badge if needed. I know that you don't like the feds, but they do good work, and your brother is one of them."
Danny was listening to everything his dad was saying, and a light bulb went off. The entire family knew about Jamie's undercover work, they didn't like it, but it's his life not theirs.
"Is Jamie, the guy on the inside?" Danny worried. He didn't want to back off, but he didn't want to cause his brother's death either.
"I honestly don't know. They won't tell me who it is. All I know is that the guy's been undercover since around the time that Jamie told me he'd been given the assignment. Something tells me that Eddie knows, but she wouldn't talk, she can't. Jamie didn't tell me anything either. They have rules."
"And golden boy must follow them. So has he gotten all of these big cases and training and everything because of you?"
"Danny what the hell do you mean?" Frank hated the animosity between his oldest and youngest.
"I just mean with the LAPD he was always getting advanced training, or a big case or something that seemed outside his skill set. Now it is happening with the FBI too. I mean the kid can't lie to save his life and he's undercover with this big terrorist organization now."
"Danny, when Jamie was here, did you pay attention to the work he was doing, or were you just focusing on his career choice that you didn't think was appropriate for him?"
"The kid is smart, too smart for this job. He belongs in DC, or I don't know not in some terrorist group. He shouldn't be working the same job I am. He's capable of so much more." Danny said worried that he was going to get a call from his sister-in-law that his brother was killed in the line of duty.
"Danny, this may not be the profession that you, I or your mother wanted for Jamie, but it's his life and his choice, and we have to respect his choices."
Danny left the office feeling a little defeated. He didn't want to stop the case, but he didn't want to get his brother killed either. He just hoped the feds didn't let anything else happen in his city.
Jamie and his host headed out to lunch.
"Patrick, you're from New York, right?" Gavin Richards, his host asked trying to figure out who this guy was. He wanted to make sure that they weren't getting played. He was making a play to run RLM in New York.
"Originally, but I haven't lived here in a long time. San Diego is home now."
"Why'd you leave New York?"
"Family drama, and it was time to make a name for myself, plus an opportunity too good to pass up arose. Let me get my name out in the right circles."
"You're good. Boss said your family was Irish Mafia. I can understand wanting to leave that circus, plus the NYPD has really taken them down a notch here."
"Yeah, I wanted as far away from that as possible. They were looking for glory and not making smart choices. I have no desire to ever end up in prison, so I've worked hard to build up network and know where my worth lies. I have a good job back in San Diego where I spend most of my time, but it gives me the freedom that I need to handle these jobs."
"Similar set up to what I've got. You've met the boss too." Gavin says a mixture of a statement and a question.
"Yes, the day after I got out of holding. He was at a party that I'd been invited to in Seattle. I like his plans. We got along well. Both Harvard Alumni. Time to bring the country in the right direction again."
Gavin didn't like this guy. He wasn't worried that he was a cop, although he should've been, he was worried that this guy was going to be RLM's number two. He was the type of leader that he wanted to follow, and the boss already had him doing major runs across the country and he had no idea about the deal that he was going to Mexico to help with the funding and other strategies. Gavin didn't know that the boss was living in San Diego, the boss wanted his location to be low key.
Gavin and Patrick had been eating at a little café outside. Erin had thought she'd seen her little brother, but knew it couldn't have been, but they currently didn't know where in the world he may have been. She just prayed that he would get to live long enough to see his children grow up.
Danny was headed to her apartment when he saw the same thing. He knew that it was a good chance that it was Jamie and was happy to see that he looked good. It had been a while since he'd seen his brother and he wished that he could see him and talk to him while he's in town.
"Hey, you still want to eat?" Danny said when he arrived to see his sister looking sad and exhausted.
"Yeah, I just had a long day and I thought I saw Jamie down the street on my way home. Why did he have to go undercover again?"
"Because no one, but a superior can tell that kid what to do and even then, he'll still push back if he feels the need. I told dad that he didn't belong in law enforcement at all, but then he put me in my place. I saw Jamie too. I got pulled into dad's office twice this week because of a case that I was working but was told that the feds have a man on the inside, and dad said the guy went under right around the same time that Jamie did."
"Danny, I can lose Jamie. I can't lose either one of you. Have you talked to Eddie or gramps lately?"
"No, I just spent three days working on a case that dad just told me to dump. Linda talked to Eddie the other day, and from what I can tell they are doing okay. The kids are really missing their dad and can't wait for him to come home."
"Does Linda talk to Eddie a lot?"
"Some weeks more than others. I remember right after Jamie graduated from the academy, she used to take Sydney out for lunch once a week to talk about what it was like being married to a cop. Since Eddie's in law enforcement, she has a much better understanding of the things that we face out there, but Linda still tries to play momma bear and help her in any way that she can."
"Everything that I know about Eddie makes me think that she's a strong little thing." Erin said happy that her baby brother finally found someone strong enough to support him.
"I agree, but that kid is some kind of stubborn, so he needs her." Danny said and laughed, hoping he saw Jamie again before he headed out of town.
Things quiet down in New York. Despite Erin and Linda offering to fly out and help Eddie so Henry can come home and rest, he insists that he's staying until Jamie comes home. He needs to see that his grandson is okay. Eddie's shared minimal details with him and he's scared that he could lose another family member.
Three months later, after a nine-month long assignment, Jamie had gotten the unequivocal get of the assignment that would take down the entire organization across the entire country. When Jamie got the information, he made his way to Washington DC where all of the regional directors and SAC of the pivot offices had been called into a meeting to see his presentation and plan. While he was waiting for the meeting to start, he'd been working with the federal and state prosecutors getting arrest warrants for all involved.
Maggie walked into the 5-4 hoping that she didn't get a hard time from the detective when she was giving him exactly what he wanted but had been told by his brother to expect a flight.
"Detective Reagan." Agent Bell asked knowing it was him from the pictures that she'd seen.
"Yes, how can I help you?"
"I have a warrant for you to arrest Michael Sokol, he'll be arrested on local and federal charges. The operation is going down tomorrow, and you've been selected to be a part of our team here in New York." Maggie said not seeing an outburst yet.
"Ok, can my partner be involved too?" Danny asked feeling like Jamie was involved in this.
"Yeah, a Detective Baez?" Maggie said having been told that Danny goes through several partners.
"Yes, you've done your research. Who picked me to be on this team?" Danny questioned. He figured that Jamie had contacts in the FBI but having been undercover for the last nine months how many other agents could he have really met.
"My former partner, Agent Reagan. I worked with him for a while in Seattle before he got his assignment, and I was transferred here. Your brother is an impressive force to be reckoned with."
"Ok, thank you. Will he be in town for take down?" Danny hoped.
"No, he's in DC running the entire operation. He's been there all week setting this up, and you know nothing of this, and it cannot be shared with anyone." She says without giving him any room for an argument.
"Okay, when is this going down?"
"Be at 26 Fed tomorrow morning around six. Final assignments will be given out then."
The operation was a great success. They got everyone with minimal injuries and Jamie impressed a lot of people in Washington DC. ATF and the DEA were involved in the take down and when they learned how he worked his way into RLM on what was basically a test assignment and then learned about all the work he did coordinating all the different branches and getting the warrants they all offered him jobs. They want someone who can take charge put together such an elaborate operation.
In the end Jamie ended up staying with the FBI but was promoted to Assistant Agent in Charge of the Detroit office. When he got home, he got to tell his family that after only a little over a year in Seattle that they would be moving again.