had clearly noticed the presence of someone tailing them. Perhaps confidently aiming to lure the enemy to a secluded location, it headed towards the deserted docklands.
But when he saw someone leaning out the car window with an AUG assault rifle, he panicked and instinctively swerved, trying to get into a side street.
Jack was hoping for just that kind of panicked reaction. Although the road was sparsely populated, even his marksmanship couldn't be as impulsive as those Hollywood heroes, firing at the cars ahead. He was
n't just worried about stray bullets hitting passersby, but he also wanted to capture the suspect alive.
While there were some lucky guys who managed to withstand hundreds of rounds of police fire while hiding in their cars and not even a scratch, there were far more unlucky souls who perished after just a few shots.
Catching Leah wasn't difficult for the FBI; as long as they didn't set a time limit, it wouldn't be long before they found him in New York. The challenge was finding the right charges to send him to federal prison instead of a local jail.
After all, a regular prison in New York City or New York State would be like a vacation for a gang leader like this.
Take, for example, Rikers Island, where Lydia's ex-husband, Moretti, was previously held. He not only enjoyed good care within the prison gang, but also occasionally controlled gang affairs remotely through his son.
The FBI's success in reducing the LCN from a nationwide criminal organization to its current state was due not only to the RICO Act and the Federal Witness Protection Program, but also to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
All major Mafia bosses are slapped with a prominent "LCN" label upon entry into the prison system. The Bureau then seeks out prisons farthest from their territory and with minimal LCN presence, placing them there.
The more prominent the Mafia boss, the more attention they receive. Some are even sent to Colorado's renowned prison for high-ranking criminals, ensuring they're never surrounded by a single Italian.
Jack still hopes the scarred man in the car will testify against Lydia, and he's willing to even go so far as to offer witness protection to the killer.
If he had initially considered it acceptable for Leah to dominate the New York underworld and become the godfather of the LCN, he had completely abandoned that idea after the car bomb attack.
The American Mafia's continued existence, besides its inherent complexity and difficulty in dismantling, is also due to its seldom direct confrontations with law enforcement and its reluctance to make major headlines, maintaining a remarkably low profile.
Political and business collusion, union control, and drug smuggling are minor issues in today's federal government, but causing a major disturbance and causing international embarrassment for the United States is a recipe for death.
Al Capone was targeted by all sides because of his high-profile actions, even impersonating a police officer and executing seven major gang leaders in an execution-style shooting, sparking a national media outcry and earning the moniker "Valentine's Day Massacre."
While Jack doubted the current federal situation would produce another Al Capone-like figure, since Leah had shown similar signs, he couldn't afford to continue nurturing a tiger that would become a threat.
The silver-gray Tahoe SUV accelerated for a moment, then suddenly slowed as it approached the intersection. It swerved sharply to the right in an attempt to shake off its pursuers, but this maneuver only exposed both its front and rear tires to Jack's gun.
"Da da da da da da." The AUG fired a series of short bursts, accurately striking both the front and rear right tires of the Tahoe SUV.
The SUV, already turning sharply, suddenly lost control, lurching onto the curb.
A spring knife punctured the airbag, thrashing it a few times before severing the seatbelt. Scarface pushed open the warped car door and staggered out, clutching his bleeding forehead.
There was a sound of a bullet being loaded, and he raised his head to look at Reese who was pointing a gun at him, with a sinister smile on his face, "Why are you here again? My boss was talking about the 'man in a suit' some time ago, saying that you and he are the same kind of person."
Jack, who was treated as a background board, raised his hand and fired a shot. With a "bang", the bullet hit the scarred face's feet.
"Don't try to get close. Drop your weapon, put your head in your hands, and get down. You're under arrest."
Scarface remained unfazed, continuing to address Reese. "What? You have a cop friend? Does he know about what you've done?"
"He's stalling for time," Reese warned.
As if to confirm his claim, the distant sirens began to grow closer.
Jack hadn't called the police. Less than two minutes had passed since the first gunshot. An NYPD patrol car wouldn't be sitting idle in this deserted little harbor, so the conclusion was obvious.
"Drive ahead." Jack pulled out his phone, texted Danny, and dialed Jubal's number.
Reese took the AUG from Jack without a word and got in and drove off. Neither he nor Finch were comfortable showing up in front of the police, regardless of whether the person was from HR or not.
Three minutes later, before the dust kicked up by Reese's Ford Taurus had settled, a white Ford Explorer with blue stripes screeched to a halt.
Two NYPD patrolmen exited their car, one at the front and the other at the rear, pointing their pistols at the Tahoe SUV, which sat on its side, its wheels upturned and still emitting smoke.
"Hands up!"
"Let me see your hands!"
A bruised and battered face appeared from behind the car. Scarface, who had appeared so confident just moments before, was grabbed by the scruff of the neck by Jack and forcibly lifted.
"FBI, we're one of them, don't get me wrong."
Jack held Scarface in one hand and his ID high in the other, but cautiously remained hidden, using the overturned SUV as cover.
The two officers who arrived were both white men, a typical NYPD setup of veterans leading newcomers.
The older patrolman wore several badges, and Jack recognized the Distinguished Service Medal and the Firearms Expert Medal, as Danny had the same ones.
Three blue stripes were affixed to his shirt's left forearm, each representing five years of service with the NYPD. In other words, he was a veteran of over 15 years.
The nervous young officer was clearly a rookie. Although he didn't have his index finger on the trigger to create a "golden finger" that could cause the gun to fire accidentally, the muzzle of his gun was shaking violently as it pointed towards him.
Upon hearing Jack, hiding behind the SUV, introduce himself as an FBI agent, the young officer's expression visibly relaxed, and he even breathed a sigh of relief.
However, a sudden, grimace crossed the face of the veteran officer.
(End of Chapter)