The morning of my return to the force began bright and early. The Miami sun casted its warm light throughout my apartment windows. My shoulder still ached, but the pain was a dull throb now. A constant reminder of my handicap. I moved carefully as I dress in my normal work attire, a fitted pressed navy blue dress shirt, my badge shined and clipped to my belt, along with slacks. The outfit that made me feel like my old self. Pre-shooting.

  A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts. I quickly opened it to find Jacob stood there, a wide grin etched on his face.

  "Today's the day! Ready to get back out there partner?" He asked, his voice full of excitement.

  "Ohhhhhhhhhhh, you do not even know the half of it. I am more than ready. Let me grab my bag and we will be all set to go." I said to him as I ran over to the counter to grab my shoulder bag and keys to my apartment.

  As we headed to the car, Jacob glanced at me with concern. "You alright? I know it's probably hard going back out there. I can sense something is wrong." He said.

  I sighed, "You know it all don't you?" I laughed.

  "But for real, I got to be honest... No matter how much I hate to admit it. It's hard. I was just thinking about that. I want my return to be me fitting right back into the routine. Returning to Detective Isabel Grant. Stubborn. But I can't lie. There's a significant amount of tremor I have to work through."

  The drive to the precinct was filled with our normal banter back and fourth. A comforting return to the normalcy of my life before all of this happened.

  When we pulled into the parking lot. The outside of the building was a sight for sore eyes. As we headed inside, the familiar sights and sounds of the station greeted me and I couldn't help but acknowledge the rush of excitement. It was good to be back. I missed the sight of the walls with the pictures of fallen heroes that have come from here. I missed the break room. Everything.

  "Welcome back, Grant." Captain Howard said, his voice gruff but warm. "Good to have you back with us."

  "Thank you Captain. It's good to be back." I said, taking my seat next to Jacob in the briefing room. "It's been way too long." I said, a smile coming over my face.

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  Howard nodded and began outlining the day's operations. Jacob informed the captain about Marco Diaz, and our plans to interrogate him and dive deeper into his connections with the network of Walter Ortega.

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  Our first task was to interrogate Marco Diaz. We need information to confirm the intel he provided and get any last minute details in accompaniment to Ortega's network. The interrogation room was cold. Marco was already seated at the metal table, his hands cuffed in front of him. His disheveled hair and cold face spoke of sleepless nights and wicked planning.

  Jacob and I took our places across from him, the tension in the room between us palpable. I leant forward, fixing him with a steady gaze. "Marco Diaz. We heard you have a lot of connections with one Walter Ortega. We need anything and everything you know about that individual and his organization." I said with a bit of determination clear in my voice, some of the fear washed off of me for the time being.

  Marco's eyes flickered with defiance. "I already told you everything I know."

  "That maybe so." Jacob said, his tone oddly casual. "But, we need to make sure. Lives are on the line here. Your life too if you don't tell us what we need to know."

  Marco swallowed hard. "What more do you want to know?"

  "Let's start with the warehouse." I said. "You said there's a shipment arriving tonight. What's in it?"

  "Arms," Marco replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "High-grade military stuff. Guns, grenades, even some RPGs."

  Jacob whistled softly. "That's quite a crate full of items right there, What I'm wondering... Who's the buyer?"

  Marco hesitated, glancing around the room as if the walls themselves might betray him. "I don't know his real name. They call him 'El Diablo'. He's some big shot from Central America. He's been funding Ortega's operations for months."

  "El Diablo," I repeated, I exchanged a look of approval with Jacob. "Anything else you can tell us about him?"

  Marco shrugged, He looked nothing more than defeated. "Just that he's dangerous. If Ortega goes down, he won't be happy."

  "And the mansion?" Jake pressed. "What's Ortega keeping there?"

  "Money. Lots of it. Stashed in different rooms, hidden compartments. He's been laundering it through a series of shell companies... Why you guys got it out for Ortega anyway?"

  I smiled at him, I shook my head. "Well, we have been chasing him for months... He's not a good guy Marco." I said with confidence in my voice.

  "He also shot a cop which is completely against the law and makes him a prime target for us." Jacob would add on, glaring at Marco.

  "Anything else we should know?" I asked, my eyes narrowed.

  Marco sighed, slumping in his chair. "There's a nightclub downtown. It's a front for his operations. Drugs, girls, everything. It's where he keeps some of his top lieutenants."

  We stood up, the weight of Marco's words sinking in. "Thanks, Marco," I said. "You've been helpful."

  As we left the interrogation room, the gravity of the situation settled over us. We had the information we needed, but the risks were higher than ever.