Because of Hunter's intervention, Brian, as an FBI Agent,
Failed to successfully get close to Dominic or hit on his sister, Mia.
Consequently, he now had no good feelings toward Dominic.
In fact, because of a previous conflict with Dominic's subordinates,
Brian was injured in an attack by several of Dominic's men, and even the auto parts store where he was undercover
Was smashed by unknown persons and could not operate for a short period of time.
Although Brian couldn't be certain if the mastermind behind the trashing of the store—which was willing to cooperate with the FBI—was one of Dominic's men,
He was naturally righteous and hateful of evil, not to mention he had suspected Dominic and the others were the California Highway Bandits from the start.
Coupled with these recent encounters, Brian now deeply hated Dominic and his crew.
Brian's words made the old Black FBI Agent frown slightly.
The faces of the several LAPD officers nearby immediately darkened even more.
"Mr. Brian!"
An LAPD Sergeant said to Brian quite bluntly: "If you FBI have evidence, please just bring it out."
"We will arrest those people without hesitation and send them to prison."
"But if there is no evidence, US law does not allow us to arrest people at will."
Not long ago, during the joint operation with the FBI, when the FBI notified the Los Angeles Police Department,
they were told that among the drivers who organized and participated in the underground street races
were the very highway bandits suspected of committing more than a dozen armed robberies on California roads in recent years.
Although the FBI had produced no solid evidence to back up their claim,
the California police had been under tremendous pressure for years because those highway bandits remained at large.
Therefore, despite the long-standing friction between the Los Angeles Police Department—or the U.S. police system in general—and the FBI over jurisdiction and authority,
the LAPD ultimately cooperated with the FBI in carrying out that recent operation.
In the end, they arrested dozens of racers who had taken part in the underground competitions
and seized a large number of illegally modified vehicles.
The FBI had even relinquished operational command this time,
yet the LAPD was still deeply dissatisfied.
The reason was simple: the FBI could not verify its suspicions.
Although Dominic and three others, identified by the FBI as suspects in the California Highway Bandits case, were arrested,
and the LAPD had interrogated the four separately over the past two days,
they had also launched surprise raids on their homes and every property registered under their names.
Apart from discovering a few cars that closely resembled those once used by the highway bandits,
neither the FBI nor the LAPD found a single trace of the stolen loot.
That left them with no way to prove Dominic and his crew were the highway bandits the California authorities had hunted for years.
Consequently, the LAPD
now felt it had been used as a tool by the FBI, and resentment ran high.
The Los Angeles Police Department, second only to New York's in size and budget, wields enormous power and funding.
In recent years the FBI has kept expanding its reach into criminal investigations nationwide,
and its encroachment on local investigative authority has long angered police departments everywhere.
Had the FBI not promised the LAPD that solid evidence would be found once the suspects were in custody,
and pledged to let the LAPD lead the case and claim credit,
the department would never have cooperated in the operation.
Now, although they had reaped a sizable amount in bail money,
the LAPD had mobilized hundreds, even thousands, of officers for the raid,
deployed large numbers of patrol cars, and even dispatched several police helicopters,
not to mention riot police and SWAT teams.
In the end, they had come up empty-handed.
Now FBI Agent Brian
kept insisting that Dominic and the others were the highway bandits,
yet he still could not produce any hard evidence.
The LAPD naturally had no intention of indulging him.
As several LAPD sergeants overseeing the case showed their impatience,
the FBI supervisors exchanged glances, their faces equally grim.
They knew that, whether or not Dominic was the ringleader Brian claimed,
the operation had been a failure.
Worse, their rash move had likely startled the snake,
making it even harder to catch Dominic and his crew in the future.
Thinking of the fury awaiting them back at the FBI Los Angeles Field Office,
the senior and special agents in charge of the operation
now looked at the greenhorn Brian with hostility.
'Still too green; he needs more seasoning.'
---Seeking flowers--- 'How about sending the kid undercover with the mob?'
'Let him toughen up for a few years!'
Hunter and the others, of course, had no idea that because the operation had failed to pin anything on Dominic,
Brian was now in for a world of trouble.
He drove Dominic and the rest straight back to their house.
Mia had been waiting at home for a long time.
'Dom!'
Hearing the car pull up, Mia rushed out the door and ran to hug her big brother.
'Mia, well done.'
Letty then embraced Mia as well.
They had been released so quickly this time,
and though Letty knew the credit belonged chiefly to Hunter.
But if Mia hadn't found the right person, they obviously would've had to stay locked up a while longer… Jesse and Leon had already headed back.
Each of them had families; getting arrested out of the blue must've thrown their homes into chaos.
Worried about their folks, the two hadn't come along with Dominic and the others.
Dominic and Letty understood.
Hunter wasn't in a hurry to return the car—he'd rented it for the day.
He parked it in Dominic's garage, pocketed the keys, and didn't rush off.
A golden chance to get closer to Dominic was something Hunter intended to make the most of.
After all, Mia was a great girl.
Moments later he stepped inside.
The lively chatter among Dominic, Letty, and Mia stalled the instant they saw him.
Mia opened her mouth, about to say something nice to ease the tension between him and her brother.
Before she could speak, Dominic cut her off.
"Mia, could you and Letty fix us something to eat?"
"I need a word with this kid."
Hunter looked straight at Dominic.
The man's trademark deadpan revealed almost nothing.
Yet when their eyes met, Hunter saw no hostility—only a hint of approval.
"So I've finally earned the Family Man's blessing?"
He gave a reassuring nod to the anxious Mia.
"Sure thing," he answered at once…
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