The black coffee kept me warm as I pulled into the empty parking garage. It was five in the morning and the place was deserted. For most people this was an ungodly hour but this was the time I got the most work done. The sun was barely up and the noise of the city had not begun. It was serene and perfect.
I parked in my usual spot and walked to the dark corner of the parking garage. I came to a long door that stated: Electrical Closet. Warning: High Voltage. I pulled out my key card that had my name engraved and slipped it into the subtle slot right below the door handle. A beep announced that it was okay for me to turn the handle.
The room was pitch black until I flipped the switch. The lights flickered and buzzed, lighting the small space. Nobody was here yet. I was always the last to leave at night and the first to arrive in the morning. We used to have a whole floor in the office building above but the bosses cut the team by ninety percent and exiled what was left down here. I actually liked it more. Less people meant less annoyances.
I sat down in a rigid chair and let the coffee heat my hands. I blew on it before taking another sip. I glanced up at the giant bulletin board that hung on the wall. The Dark Steel Motorcycle Club had eluded us for a long time. They were pretty smart criminals—covering their tracks and never making a mistake.
The pictures of each member formed a sort of pyramid on the board. At the top was the leader, Hammer. Below him were his right-hand men, Maverick and Axe. At the base of the pyramid were the rest of the members. These were the ones we focused on the most. The less important members were more likely to mess up or turn against the MC. We knew every detail of their lives: who they talked to, who they fucked, where they took their smoke breaks. Folders and folders of small details that were for the most part useless. I had spent years of my life on Dark Steel and I had nothing to show for it.
The beep at the door signaled someone was coming in. I checked my watch that said: 5:30 A.M.
“Good morning, Agent Malarkey,” I said, surprised that he showed up so early.
Malarkey walked in carrying a tray of four Starbucks coffees. He had been with me since the beginning. He was older and more experienced but didn't have the ambition to rise the ranks. He didn't let office politics influence his decisions which made him the perfect partner.
“Coffee, Agent Swift?” he asked.
I raised my own. “Already beat you.”
Malarkey sat down and sighed. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head.
“Rough night, Malarkey?”
“I didn't get much sleep. I got some intel from my girl at the restaurant last night.”
I quickly grabbed the file on our sources and began flipping through it. “Remind me who that is.”
“Hailey Gutter. She works at The Burger Joint.”
I turned to a photo of her arrest. Her face was contorted in disgust as she held the black sign with her serial number on it. Hailey looked like the usual scum that frequented The Burger Joint—bleached blonde hair and eyes caked in dark makeup.
“I remember now. She's slept with a few of the members in the past. We turned her a year ago when her boyfriend was arrested.”
Malarkey laughed. “Funny thing is, she broke up with her boyfriend soon after that.”
“Yeah but she can't stop talking to us or we'll leak that she's one of our sources to the MC.”
Malarkey blew on his hot coffee. “She doesn't know that we're bluffing. We would never put anyone in danger.”
I skimmed through the rest of her file for anything interesting. “What did you find out from her last night.”
“The MC has a meeting with the Los Diablos set for tomorrow afternoon.” Malarkey grinned.
I leaned towards him, my eyes lighting up. “Do you know what about?”
“The source says that there are rumors buzzing around that Dark Steel is getting out of drugs.”
The synapses in my brain fired off, connecting all the dots. “They wouldn't give their supplier to the Mexicans so they must be telling them that the Blacks are getting it. Which means the Mexicans will be without drugs.”
“Exactly,” Malarkey said, resting his hands behind his head.
“They won't be happy to get that news.”
Malarkey shook his head. “No, not at all.”
I closed the file in front of me. “Okay I want us at the meeting. Get Agent Daniels to trail Los Diablos and you and I will follow Dark Steel. We'll need surveillance equipment and a couple cars. I want us armed and ready for action. This could get messy.”
Malarkey smiled. He lived for this.
And so did I.