Chapter 5
Carlos glanced down at his phone to make sure he was in the right place. He wondered how she was tracking him, but the timing was too much of a coincidence. The moment he was off base, he received a pinged location for a park. He had been to the park before and waited in the same place he once sat with his team and new friends. They'd had a cookout under the pavilion and it was one of the first memories of Hawai'i he had as a new resident, one of the first times he ever felt a sense of home and like he was settling into something instead of always being on the go. A fresh wave of sadness and dread filled the pit of his stomach at the thought that he may have lost that because of the split second decisions he made.
"Hey, big brother, or should I say, aloha?" He turned to see Carmen standing behind him.
"Hey, baby sister. What have you gotten yourself into now?" She sighed and leaned against a brick column as she peered out at the water.
"Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing I guess."
"I already know you've been working with a group of thieves for the past few years and that you are involved in something far more dangerous than you might realize."
"They're my family, more family than I've ever had."
"That family has gotten people killed."
"It wasn't supposed to go down like that. It wasn't always like that."
"Did you kill Samuels?" She huffed and crossed her arms.
"How can you even ask me that?"
"Answer the question."
"No, alright, no, I didn't."
"But you know who did." She looked down at her feet and shrugged as he groaned.
"Carmen, this isn't a game. Some of the best at what they do are coming after you, so you better start talking because I can't protect you from this, not if I don't know what's happening. You wanted me here for a reason. You showed up on the island for a reason, so just tell me."
"A few years ago, I started working with this team. Someone planned out the heists, a couple of others grabbed the stuff, we always had a backup plan and muscle and I was on comms. First mission went smooth, like super easy and setup for a lifetime smooth, but it was also fun, you know? We got each other. We still do, but things changed. The one who originally put us together, well she left, retired. Her last heist was probably our finest."
"And which one was that?"
"The Louvre has state of the art security. It was a nice challenge."
"So what happened after that?"
"We needed a new strategist and at the time it made sense. Our muscle knew a guy who could help us out. He's charming and charismatic. He's a genius, literally, and a hacker, but our approaches are different. We complement each other and it was great for a while."
"Was?"
"First couple of jobs felt like the same old routine. I liked that, but he's a thrill seeker. He started wanting us to take more, to get more attention. He wants the notoriety and that isn't our thing. Our work speaks for itself, but we were always ghosts. People knew of us and that was enough. He's different, though, and I think the power has gone to his head."
"Yeah, I met him tonight. He's good. I couldn't keep him locked out of the system or cams."
"Thanks for the assist, by the way."
"I didn't help you."
"You didn't stop me. You could've changed that light back right as those cars were coming, but you didn't. I was tracking his activities and yours through comms. He's impressed by you."
"Does he know who I am?"
"Of course not."
"Why are you here, Carmen?" She began to fidget.
"That cop he killed, did you know him?"
"Yes, we worked together on a case before. He was a good man, even loved comic books like us."
"The cop got too close and he got upset about it, said it was a problem now. He became obsessed. It changed him."
"I need a name."
"You know I can't do that."
"You brought him here. You've jeopardized my career, put my friends in danger, and could cost me everything. Give me his name, Carmen," he demanded and she sighed in defeat.
"Gio."
"Gio?"
"Yep."
"As in Giovanni Gray, you're working with Giovanni Gray?"
"I'm guessing you've heard of him?"
"He's brilliant, but definitely a Mad Hatter type. It's rumored he took out an entire city's power grid for a week just to test out a program he was designing. The guy's impulsive and dangerous, obviously."
"He just doesn't like it when he doesn't get his way. Your cop friend…"
"Scott, his name was Scott."
"Scott outsmarted him. He almost caught up to us one night and Gio set his sights on him after that. When he found the hideout in New York, he disrupted a lot of plans. Gio was furious."
"So he killed him?"
"I didn't know he would do that. None of us did. In the past, if someone got too close or sniffed around too much, we just corrupted some case files, made them look bad, or compromised them so they would be taken off our cases."
"You mean like you did with me?"
"No, that isn't…Carlos, he isn't going to stop. It's like he's snapped. I know you don't agree with everything I do…"
"That's the understatement of the century…"
"But I'm not a killer and I don't like working with one, no matter how good of a hacker they are. After we found out what he did, we all wanted to cool it for a bit, lay low, wait until the dust settles, but Gio refused. He wanted a new job, so I suggested here."
"So you did lure him here?"
"You can have him, but the rest of the team can't be involved. They didn't do anything wrong."
"Carmen, you're thieves."
"We take from people who take from others."
"You're still taking money that didn't belong to you and shouldn't belong to them either."
"We do plenty of good along the way. Hit a bank, might as well wipe out some debts of its customers while we're there. Take some art, give some money back to the communities it was stolen from in the first place. And let's not act like the government doesn't do plenty of things that don't fall under your self-righteous moral codes."
"I can't get your hands clean from this one."
"Your people negotiate with terrorists and other countries all the time, people who have done far worse than any of us, even Gio."
"Tell that to Scott's family and his wife."
"I can't turn in my family. It's hard enough having to turn him in. I can't do that to them though, just like I would never expect you to turn in yours." Carlos gulped as she looked at him with hurt evident in her eyes.
"Yeah, I know all about your new friends. Let's just call it what it is. You and I are family. You'll always be my big brother, but we're very different people and we'll never be in each other's lives. I'll give you Gio and you let the rest of us go."
"I'll see what I can do, but I make no promises."
"You never do," she said before stuffing her hands into her pockets and heading back to her car. Carlos scrubbed his face with his hands. He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew who he had to face to even began to make any of it right.
It was a very early morning and Kate was exhausted. After Carlos left, she told Maya and Zeinab to call it a night and get some rest. Jane did the same for her team. Lucy was relieved to get her girlfriend home, but sleep didn't come easy for Kate that night. She replayed every interaction she ever had with Carlos in her mind on a loop until she finally couldn't stay in bed any longer. She kissed Lucy's forehead and smiled at how her girlfriend didn't stir. She knew she was exhausted too. Kate headed into her office with a travel mug of fresh coffee in hand and a lot of questions she needed answered. She wasn't surprised when Ernie texted her and both agreed to have an early start. While he dug around for more evidence in his lair, she sat in her office at the FBI headquarters to reset and reassess the case. She was surprised when she got the knock on the door and looked up to see Carlos standing nervously in her doorway.
"You're supposed to be on leave, León."
"I know," he said as he closed the door behind him and sat down.
"What can I do for you?"
"I have a name, but I need to know my sister won't go down for this."
"How did you get this name?"
"We can get the evidence without compromising her or anyone else." Kate sat back in her chair and eyed him curiously.
"Why do I have a feeling you're about to tell me something I really don't want to hear?" He took in a deep breath and vaguely told her the details about the team, what changed, and how Scott got involved.
"So once the original ringleader left, this Mad Hatter as you call him, took over and that's the issue?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll bring them all in."
"Can't do that. Mad Hatter only."
"León, you know I can't do that. I can't just let a group of known thieves continue to terrorize people."
"Terrorize is a bit harsh. You said it yourself, they're like Robin Hood and I've never seen us as the Sheriff of Nottingham types."
"They killed Scott."
"No, their new ringleader did and I want to take the bastard down too, but not at the expense of my baby sister or her family. They aren't killers, Kate. He is, so let's do our jobs and get a killer off the streets." She mulled over her options and shook her head in disbelief.
"You're really a pain in my ass right now."
"I know and I'm sorry about that. I wish I would've seen it sooner. I wish I would've known before you got in that car and almost got killed," he admitted and she sighed when she saw the guilt in his eyes.
"Sometimes, people get in a tricky situation where one bad decision can lead to a whole slew of them. I don't agree with what your sister does, but I also wouldn't want to be in your position, trying to choose between her and well…us. If you can get me this ringleader, if we can take down Scott's killer…"
"Then you can let the others go?"
"No." His shoulders slumped in defeat.
"But, I can give them a head start. Our job is to find the person responsible for killing Scott. Once they are captured, there's a lot of interrogations, paperwork, you know how these things work. When that part of the case is closed, then I'll notify the proper authorities about a potential group of criminals carrying out future heists."
"So we get the killer and you let the others…"
"The others won't be my problem. Sounds more like a job for Interpol. But, I need the name of our suspect before we even get to that point and no, Mad Hatter won't do."
"His hacker name is Giovanni Gray, Gio for short."
"Then it sounds like we have work to do and if this hacker is as impressive as you say he is, we'll just have to put two impressive hackers on the case for good measure."
"Thank you. I won't let you down again. I promise," he said as he stood up to leave.
"Oh and Carlos, you'll need to work things out with Maya and Zeinab. You're back on the case, but you'll need to work to regain their trust as a member of this team."
"And what about your trust?"
"All I've ever asked is for you to come to me. You eventually did what I asked. Get back to work."
"Got it, boss," he said with a smile. Kate exhaled the moment she was alone again. She felt better about some of the questions she had about her cyber intelligence specialist, but knew Maya and Zeinab would not be as forgiving.
Kate called Jane to update her on the new findings in the case. Both called in their teams and devised a plan. It was a bit awkward with Maya refusing to acknowledge Carlos and Zeinab remaining somewhat neutral, but quiet. Ernie was able to piece together more information once the hacker was named and was quite impressed by the extent of his work. Kate and Jane explained the plan for apprehending the suspect and it was a simple one. If Carlos's sister was correct and the hacker had no idea about why they were really in Hawai'i, all would go well, but they weren't taking any risks. Carlos would be on-site in case a hacker was needed. Ernie would work comms remotely. Maya and Zeinab would lead the apprehension of the suspect and Lucy, Kai, and Jesse would be there for backup. Kate leaned against a wall in the locker room as she watched her girlfriend put on her bulletproof vest and get ready to go. Lucy blushed at the way she was staring at her.
"What," giggled Lucy.
"Nothing, sometimes I just don't know if you realize how ridiculously in love with you I am." Lucy wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and sighed happily.
"I do and I'm ridiculously in love with you too."
"Stay safe," whispered Kate.
"I will," promised Lucy before tenderly kissing her. Kate melted into the kiss and pulled her closer, their lips meshing together in soft kisses. The sound of bickering in the hall made them pull apart and Kate sighed.
"I should probably handle that," she grumbled and Lucy smiled sheepishly.
"It's going to be a fun outing, isn't it? Very glad I won't be in the car with them." Kate nodded in agreement as they headed out of the locker room. Maya, Zeinab, and Carlos were standing by the elevators waiting on the others to depart and bickering, like Kate had a feeling they would.
"Problem," asked Kate as she walked over to them and Lucy tried not to laugh. She stood back and watched her girlfriend in action as the team straightened up. Maya smiled politely at her boss.
"Zeinab and I were just explaining why Carlos is not needed since Ernie is running comms and the rest of us are perfectly capable of bringing in our suspect," explained Maya.
"Especially since the sister we didn't even know he had already told us where to find Gray before she just so happened to disappear," added Zeinab.
"And this is all assuming said sister isn't lying and playing us," added Maya and Carlos sighed.
"She isn't," assured Carlos and Maya smirked.
"Sorry, but you're no longer a reliable source," reminded Maya.
"But I am and you would've brought up actual reasons and concerns while we were planning things if you were truly worried. So no, this isn't a conversation. We go with the plan and you go with Carlos. Unless of course you think suddenly my orders are also up for discussion," challenged Kate. Zeinab shook her head.
"Of course not, boss," assured Zeinab and Maya sighed.
"You know I trust you…it's him I have an issue with," grumbled Maya as she glared at Carlos. Kate patted Maya on the shoulder.
"Maya, play nice," she warned and Maya gave a curt nod.
"Fine, but I don't have to like it," she conceded.
"Fair enough. Keep each other safe. Watch each other's backs and bring in Gio," instructed Kate. Jesse and Kai approached and she gave them a wink.
"Have fun with that," she said and Jesse chuckled.
"Always a fun bunch to work with," he teased. Kai playfully nudged her and she smiled.
"Watch their six," she said.
"I always do," assured Kai as Lucy joined them. Kate smiled warmly at her girlfriend and gave her a wink before heading to Ernie's lair where Jane was as well. The two teams got into the elevator and Jesse glanced over at Maya and Carlos.
"Are we gonna have to put you two in couples therapy," he asked and Maya smirked.
"Couples therapy only works if both people want to reconcile," she reminded and he let out a low whistle as Carlos rolled his eyes.
"Definitely gonna be a fun one," said Lucy as she shook her head in amusement.
Twenty minutes later, Carlos, Maya, and Zeinab were sitting outside on the patio of a restaurant. Carmen told them she and Gio had planned to meet up there for lunch. Instead, he would be intercepted by the teams. Lucy, Jesse, and Kai were waiting in their car and ready to move in if something went wrong. Zeinab glanced back and forth between her girlfriend and Carlos. She took it as progress that Maya was at least speaking to him again.
"What type of woman lures her lover into a trap," questioned Maya out loud as she read over the menu.
"What," asked Carlos.
"They're dating or at least he's into her," she informed.
"That's not true and I know what you're trying to do. You just want to mess with me to get back at me."
"I mean I do plan on messing with you to get back at you, but my statement stands. A restaurant like this, middle of the day, and she assures us it won't seem out of their usual routine? At the very least, they've had sex."
"Maya," groaned Carlos as Zeinab shook with mirth.
"You're right, that's not fair. I don't know that. She's at least let him get to second base, though."
"That isn't true. It can't be true, right," he asked and Zeinab shrugged.
"I think we both know how spot-on she tends to be about these things," reminded Zeinab and she giggled when he dropped his forehead to the table.
"Which means his guard is down, I wonder how much betrayal he'll feel, trusting someone like that, enough to put your guard down around them and then having them prove you wrong? That's a different type of hurt." Carlos sighed and looked up at her.
"I'm sorry, Maya. I wasn't trying to hurt you."
"I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. Oh look, Zei, they have your favorite. We should order something. You know I hate working on an empty stomach," said Maya and Zeinab smiled adoringly at her girlfriend. Carlos scooted his chair closer to her.
"Do you remember why you and I hit it off so well," he asked and Maya sighed, but nod.
"Of course I do. We had similar upbringings. The foster care system is a mess, but it was nice to see someone else who got out of it and wanted to make the world better. I always knew there were a lot of us out here trying to change the world and the system, but I'd never gotten to work with someone who I thought would get it. You know that."
"I didn't tell either of you about her because we haven't been in touch in years. I haven't been a good brother to her and I was ashamed of that. I didn't always think about what she wanted or what she was passionate about. I got out, made sure she got out, and then that was that. I just looked up one day and she was gone. She said she needed to make it on her own. I've never forgiven myself for not being someone she thought she could turn to and rely on in her life, so I couldn't turn my back on her now. That doesn't mean I ever wanted to hurt you. I never wanted helping my baby sister to mean hurting my other two sisters," he confessed. Maya put down her menu and groaned as Zeinab placed her hand on Carlos's.
"I get it," assured Zeinab.
"Fine. I guess Kate is right and you were in a tough spot. I get it too. Wait, if you think of us as your sisters, what does that make Kate," questioned Maya.
"My other sister," he said quickly, but she shook her head.
"No, I don't think that's it," said Maya.
"But that's what I just said."
"Doesn't make that it. Oh my God, you think of her as a mother figure," she laughed and Zeinab almost choked on her water as Carlos profusely shook his head.
"No I don't," he whispered harshly, but Maya smiled smugly.
"You do."
"No, I think of her like a big sister, you know? Sure, you pick on your little sisters…that's you two…but you want to impress your big sister."
"You totally think of her as your mother," giggled Maya.
"I do not and you know it," he practically growled and she shrugged nonchalantly.
"I know nothing except that facts never need to get in the way of a good story and if you ever lie to me again, I'm going to tell the boss that you have all types of Freudian mommy issues tied to her," explained Maya.
"But that's not even…"
"Who she gonna believe? Her favorite child or the one that is currently acting out," challenged Maya. Suddenly, Lucy's voice could be heard in their earpieces.
"So does that make me the stepmom in this scenario or…" teased Lucy and Carlos groaned as Jesse and Kai's laughter filled his earpiece. Maya grinned mischievously.
"No, I think that would make you a daddy," teased Maya and Zeinab shook her head in amusement.
"I'm really glad the bosses aren't in on this one," said Zeinab.
"But Ernie is and we all know he can't keep his mouth shut," said Carlos. Right on cue, Ernie cut in.
"Hey, I don't know if that is a personal dig at my honor or because I told Whistler about your sister, but either way, I'm offended," said Ernie.
"Okay, can we all focus here," whined Carlos.
"We are focusing, just on your mommy issues. I am plenty focused," assured Maya.
"She isn't the mother in this…you know what…I know you're just doing this to get back at me. I'm not going to take the bait. I'm not going to do it," he said as he crossed his arms. Maya smiled knowingly.
"You're totally going to do it," she assured.
"Because it's not true," he practically growled and she shook with mirth. They settled into a comfortable silence again and waited for Gio to arrive. Kai was the first to spot him in the parking lot.
"He's heading your way and is holding…wait, are those flowers," questioned Kai and Carlos's eyes widened as Maya smiled smugly.
"Wait, you weren't joking about them dating," he asked and Maya winked at him.
"No, I was only joking about you wanting Kate and Lucy to be your mommies. He's definitely into your sister. Don't think they've boned yet though. That's what the flowers are for. I'll handle this one. Babe, cover me," said Maya as she stood up and Carlos shook his head in disbelief.
"Always," assured Zeinab as she followed Maya off of the patio. Jesse, Kai, and Lucy got out of their car in the back of the parking lot and watched from a distance as Maya approached Gio. It was a tactic she and Zeinab had used in the past with great success, especially to apprehend suspects in public areas who were flight risks, and Maya made sure her girlfriend was close by as she put on an innocent smile and dramatically gasped.
"Oh my God, those flowers are so cute," said Maya excitedly as she stepped closer to him. Gio frowned in confusion, but chuckled as he glanced down at the flowers.
"Thanks," he said.
"Very cute," said Zeinab as they flanked him.
"Um, I'm running a bit late. If you two will excuse me…" Zeinab grabbed his arm and swiftly placed it behind his back into a hold as Maya pulled out her badge.
"FBI, Giovanni Gray, you're under arrest for the murder of Scott Samuels. I wouldn't struggle too much against that arm bar if I were you. She can always lock it in tighter," she assured before reading him his rights as Jesse, Kai, and Lucy surrounded him. The moment the handcuffs were on him, Carlos called Kate to notify her that they finally apprehended their suspect.
Getting a confession out of Giovanni took some time. Kate and Jane assisted Maya to get him to finally acknowledge that he was the leader of a gang of thieves who carried out heists all over the world. He was smug about that until Ernie and Carlos were able to use the confession to track his hacking to other crimes, including hacking into the traffic lights and cameras the day Scott Samuels was killed. After releasing him into FBI custody, Jane and Kate sent their teams home. The two of them headed to the parking lot together as they finished debriefing about the case.
"I already emailed you the information for my contact with Interpol," said Jane.
"Thanks, if his sister is smart, she and her Merry Group will take the win and disband. If not, I'm sure Interpol will love having the case," said Kate.
"Merry Group?"
"You know like, Robin Hood and his Merry Men, but they aren't all men so…never mind, you get it." Jane giggled.
"Let's hope they hang it up, but if not, there are plenty of people who would be more than happy to help them with that. Did you call Covington?"
"Yes and Claudia, it's always hard talking to someone about their loss, but it was nice being able to give both of them a piece of good news."
"What about the suspicions about Covington? You thought he was hiding something before."
"Turns out he was burying the case a bit and kept pushing it back down to the bottom of his pile. He was worried there was corruption in his field office and wanted to keep it under wraps until he figured it out himself. I think that's why Scott didn't trust him with it. He wasn't sure if Covington would report it or not if he did find something, but he seems like a good enough guy, just slow to act. Based on our conversation, he regrets that. I assured him there was no inside job. Scott was wrong about that part. It was just a very efficient hacker."
"Ernie and Carlos are pretty smug about taking down Gray. I figured there would be more honor amongst hackers," teased Jane.
"I guess that goes out the window when you use your abilities to kill."
"I would hope so."
"I'm glad this one is over. Maya seems to have forgiven Carlos too, which is a relief. She did ask me if Lucy and I have a kid, would we name them Carlos and that was a bit weird, but I don't have the bandwidth to unpack that right now." Jane giggled.
"Good to know the team is back on track."
"Thanks for the assist. Now, if you will excuse me, I think I'm going to take your advice and have a bath with a glass of wine," said Kate. She smiled at Lucy, who was leaning against the hood of her car in the distance. Jane smirked at her friend.
"You two have fun with that. Ice that shoulder while you're at it," said Jane and Kate gave her a nod as she headed toward her girlfriend.
"I would like to say all in a day's work, but that was a lot of work in a lot of days," said Kate as she pulled Lucy into her arms and Lucy nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm exhausted."
"Then how about we head home, I'll draw us a hot bath, and you grab the wine," she suggested. Lucy beamed with happiness as she nodded.
"I'll grab the whipped cream and strawberries too," added Lucy and Kate grinned from ear to ear as she opened the car door for her girlfriend.
"Are we home yet," she teased and Lucy giggled.
"Getting there." Kate sighed in relief as she walked around to the passenger side and got into the car. It had been a long few days and she couldn't wait to get home and focus on only her girlfriend.
AN: What did you think? I love Maya's teasing. She's the only one that can call Lucy a daddy and get away with it.
