Things were really going against him; he only had his left hand to control the driver while his right hand juggled a gun and handcuffs, which made him somewhat clumsy. Most importantly, he couldn't just put away his Glock since there was a passenger nearby who was backing away.
"Passenger, stop, get down, spread your arms out on the ground," Jimmy said. He hadn't forgotten about the passenger while handcuffing the driver. Seeing that the passenger had moved away from the handgun on the ground, he instructed him to lie down which would also facilitate later handling.
The passenger was cooperative—he didn't know that Jimmy no longer had his gun pointed at him—so he obediently lay down and spread his hands out on the ground.
Once the driver was handcuffed, Jimmy briefly frisked him. Aside from a spare magazine, there were no other weapons. He opened the rear door of the car and threw him in, locking it afterward.
Jimmy approached the passenger lying on the ground, first grabbing his right hand and pulling it behind his back before pulling him up to his feet and moving him to the front of the car for a search. He had it even worse; he didn't even have a spare magazine, but he did have a folding knife, which Jimmy removed and placed on the hood of the car.
The sound of a siren grew louder, and an NYPD patrol car arrived, "FBI, give me a pair of handcuffs, catch him."
The NYPD Patrol Officer didn't check Jimmy's identity before producing handcuffs from behind and securing the passenger, thereby freeing Jimmy. He took his credentials from the inside pocket of his suit and handed them to the second officer. Unlike when Jimmy was with the county police, NYPD patrol cars always operated in pairs.
The Patrol Officer placed the passenger in the back seat of their cruiser, and the second officer used a walkie-talkie to contact the dispatch center and verify Jimmy's identity before handing it back to him.
Jimmy put on a pair of disposable gloves, picked up the two handguns that the passenger and driver had dropped on the ground, and placed them on the control panel of his own vehicle. Then he took out his phone and dialed Ruiz's number: "Ruiz, who arranged Razor's safe house?"
Ruiz: "What happened?"
Jimmy: "I went to check on him, and just caught two armed Latin American men downstairs. Razor's location is compromised."
Ruiz: "Wait for me, I'll be right there," and then he hung up.
Jimmy put away his phone, looked up at the apartment block, and cursed inwardly, "FK, has the FBI become a sieve too? Why is the safe house arranged by Ruiz exposed?"
Jimmy said to the Patrol Officer, "Stay here for a while. Our people will be here soon to take them away."
The Patrol Officer nodded, "No problem, I'll move the car."
Jimmy lit a cigarette by the roadside, not going up to look for Razor. Razor had contacted Jimmy precisely to save his life by setting up such a safe house, and he surely would not inform others about it. So, the exposure must have come from elsewhere.
Theoretically, only Ruiz and those he arranged would know about this safe house. When he arrived, Jimmy knew he had to thoroughly check everyone involved. If there was an insider issue, simply changing locations wouldn't suffice anymore.
It took about ten minutes for Ruiz to drive over, followed by two other vehicles carrying four people. Jimmy directed them to take the two men from his and the Patrol Officer's vehicles and drive their vehicles away, leaving only Jimmy and Ruiz at the scene.
After arriving, Ruiz remained silent until he finally spoke, "Razor is OK, right?"
Jimmy: "Yes, I was just going to leave when they arrived, almost hitting my car. It was all a coincidence, I believe they didn't expect to encounter me here."
Ruiz looked up at the apartment building, "This place isn't an official bureau safe house; I had someone rent it temporarily. There's no record of it in the bureau."
Jimmy: "I understand, looks like you're going to be busy. Do you need my help?"
Ruiz clenched his teeth and shook his head, "No need, I'll handle it. Let's go up."
Having reached the upper floor, Ruiz knocked on the door. Razor opened it and let them in, "Razor, get ready to move, this place has been compromised."
Razor paused for a moment, then nodded, "No problem. Are we leaving now?"
Ruiz: "Yes, we're leaving immediately. Pack your things."
Razor nodded, turned, and headed towards the bedroom. He came out quickly, with no luggage or backpack; he seemed to have just stuffed something into his pocket and was ready to leave.
Ruiz didn't say where they were going, Razor didn't ask, and of course, Jimmy knew nothing. The three of them closed the door, went downstairs, Razor got into Ruiz's car, and they left Little Italy, heading towards Upper West Side.
The other safe house, this one was an FBI internal record safe house, suitable for Razor who needed immediate relocation. Although there was still a risk of exposure, in an emergency, it was the only option, and renting a place on short notice wasn't feasible.
This time, only Jimmy and Ruiz knew Razor's location, and the FBI had many such safe houses. If no one checked carefully, they wouldn't know Razor's exact location. Theoretically, the safety level was also passable.
Ruiz: "Razor, you stay here for now. I'll pick up some food for you. Absolutely do not go out. Besides us two, do not open the door for anyone else."
Razor: "You don't need to tell me, I understand."
Ruiz: "Jimmy, let's go."
Jimmy nodded. How Razor was handled was Ruiz's concern; he didn't speak throughout and simply followed Ruiz out of the apartment building.
Downstairs, Ruiz stopped and looked at Jimmy, "Jimmy, you're not handling any cases right now, are you?"
Jimmy: "No, I get what you mean. I'll stay nearby for a while. Arrange the security as soon as you can."
Ruiz nodded with a smile, clearly understanding what he meant.
This was the Upper West Side, just a few streets away from Jimmy's apartment. Although it wasn't far enough to come from his home if something happened, he would definitely need to stay nearby for a while.
Jimmy first parked the car in a nearby parking lot, then started walking around the apartment building, finding places to eat and drink coffee. As for the evening, he would just stay in the apartment with Razor.
Ruiz returned to his office and started jotting down a list of names. He was in charge of organized crime, and just as he could arrange informants and undercover agents for the gang, the gang could also bribe police officers and detectives.
Since the surveillance of Razor and Trinidad began, many were involved, and eventually, it was others who had moved Razor, including the detective who rented the house. There were more than a couple of people who had contact with Razor.
He needed to identify the leaker from this list, and it was not going to be easy. Everyone was a detective, and it was just a matter of seniority. No one was foolish enough to leave obvious evidence proving individual responsibility for the leaks, which might take a very long time.
Those two people had already been taken back by the detectives for interrogation, and the results were still pending. This wasn't something that could be resolved quickly.
Ruiz's mood was not very good at the moment. What was initially a minor incident had turned into a serious security breach. If he didn't pursue it, the pitfalls within his team would only grow larger. Those who took dirty money would go from initial nervousness to increasing relaxation. The more money they took, the more information they leaked, and it might even lead others to follow suit. If he didn't clean up now, it would become more difficult later.
Ruiz wasn't sure whether to thank Jimmy or complain. If not for Jimmy stirring things up, he wouldn't have been able to clearly pinpoint the range of the insiders and prevent further issues in the future. But, because of Jimmy's actions, he was burdened with a lot of work for no reason, and dealing with the insiders was the most cumbersome part. To avoid affecting others, he couldn't let the Office of Professional Responsibility intervene openly. Once they started an investigation, the entire team would be unsettled.
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