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—Ah, hijueputa! ¡Gonorrea! —Millares roared, clutching the hand shattered by the gunshot.
Millares gritted his teeth and shook his injured hand, though he kept his other arm around Nadia's neck.
Ethan closed the distance in an instant and pressed the hot barrel of his rifle against the criminal's forehead.
—Come on —he said coldly—Tell me what you think you're going to do now.
Voight appeared behind Millares and pressed his Glock against the base of his skull.
Trapped between the two weapons, Millares began to sweat. He looked at Ethan, then at Voight, and finally released Nadia.
—No shoot, no shoot! ¡Me entrego! —Millares shouted, releasing Nadia and raising his uninjured hand.
—Muñoz got away! —Olinsky reported over the radio—
Halstead, who was closest to the main entrance, spun around and took off running. Antonio went after him.
Antonio ran after him.
Voight struck Millares behind the knees, forcing him face-first onto the floor.
—Stay on the ground.
Ethan lowered his rifle, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and pinned him down firmly.
On the other side of the room, Erin and Sumner subdued the man who remained frozen on the couch. They forced him facedown and cuffed him.
In less than ten seconds, everyone on the ground floor was under control.
Voight finished cuffing Millares. He had barely caught his breath when his radio came to life.
—Attention all units. A suspect fled the arrest scene on foot —Antonio reported—He's wearing jeans and a gray long-sleeved shirt. He's heading north on Sixth Avenue. Requesting backup and the establishment of a search perimeter.
Ethan and Voight exchanged a look.
Millares, his cheek pressed against the floor, let out a laugh.
—Looks like one of my guys managed to get away —Millares mocked.
Ethan gave him a sharp blow to the back of the head.
—Who gave you permission to talk?
At that moment, slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Olinsky appeared with an arm around Burgess's waist, helping her down.
The officer had an abrasion on her face and a thin trail of blood running from the corner of her lips. She walked hunched over, one arm pressed against her abdomen, pain reflected in every step.
Ethan's expression hardened when he saw her.
—Who did that to you? —he asked.
Fury hardened his voice, and his fingers tightened around the back of Millares's neck.
—Muñoz —Burgess replied weakly.
Shortly afterward, Ruzek and Halstead returned through the main entrance. Both were bruised. Halstead spat blood to the side and dropped onto the couch, breathing heavily. From there, he fixed Millares with a furious glare.
Voight clenched his fists.
He hadn't expected one man to leave three members of his unit in such a state.
—You underestimated Muñoz, didn't you? —Millares mocked, ignoring the pain in his injured hand—Now you know he's not just some idiot.
—Get everyone out of here. —Voight ordered.
He pointed toward the girls and the two criminals who remained in the room. His voice was so cold that it seemed to lower the temperature of the place even further.
Without asking questions, Erin, Olinsky, Sumner, and the others escorted everyone outside.
The smile vanished from Millares's face when he realized they were leaving him alone with Ethan and Voight.
—What are you planning to do?
—Nothing special —Ethan replied as he hauled him up by the collar—We just want to talk. You seemed pretty happy a moment ago. I hope you're still in a good mood, because my Sergeant isn't.
He looked at Voight.
Hank understood immediately and unlocked the cuffs he had just put on him.
—Since you like laughing so much, you'd better do it properly —Ethan added.
He drove a kick into him that sent him flying into the kitchen and followed him inside.
—¡Hijoputa!
Millares rolled several times across the floor before coming to a stop, completely disoriented.
Ethan caught up with him and slapped him so hard that his head snapped to the side. The criminal's vision darkened, and a swarm of bright spots appeared before his eyes.
Ethan grabbed him by his clothes and hauled him up until he was back on his feet.
—Did you just resist arrest?
He took two steps back and stared at him in feigned disbelief. Then he advanced again, furious.
—No! I didn't do anything! —Millares protested, desperately shaking his head.
Ethan grabbed him by the arm, turned his hips, and threw him over his body.
Millares slammed into the floor with an impact that shook the kitchen.
—Ah!
The air burst from his lungs. He could barely roll over, writhing in pain.
Ethan crouched in front of him.
—Let's try this again. Where will Muñoz go?
—¡Coma mierda, cerdo! —Millares spat, his face flushed with pain.
—Wrong answer —Ethan replied coldly.
Ethan stood, grabbed his uninjured arm, and planted his boot against his shoulder blade. He pulled the limb while forcing the shoulder in the opposite direction.
A sharp crack echoed through the room.
Millares frantically slammed his head against the floor. He tried to break free, but Ethan kept him pinned down.
—¡Hijueputa! ¡Ya voy a hablar! —Millares groaned—Quite el pie, malparido.
—You're not in a position to negotiate anymore.
Ethan increased the pressure on his shoulder.
—Talk now or I'll rip your arm off.
—¡Listo, listo! ¡Le voy a contar todo, pero suélteme!
Millares quickly rattled off several addresses: houses, hideouts, and other places Muñoz might head to.
—Where's the money? —Ethan demanded, pulling on his arm once more.
The sensation that his shoulder might separate from his body ended any intention of resisting. Between screams and sobs, Millares gave them all the information they wanted.
There was no secret that couldn't be extracted; only interrogators incapable of applying enough pressure.
By the time he finished, the criminal was a mess of tears, sweat, and snot. If any of his men had seen him in that state, they would barely have recognized him.
Voight pressed the transmitter on his radio.
—Erin, request an ambulance —he ordered in a deep voice—The suspect resisted arrest and sustained several injuries during the struggle.
Then he handed her a list of the addresses Millares had revealed.
—These are the places where the fugitive might hide. Have the patrol units search them. Warn them to use extreme caution: Muñoz is extremely dangerous.
Ethan left Voight watching Millares and walked out of the house. If there hadn't been so many witnesses outside, he would have preferred to solve the problem with one clean shot.
Once on the porch, he lit a cigarette.
On the sidewalk, four escorts and the two detained suspects shivered in the freezing wind, surrounded by officers.
Burgess had heard the version transmitted over the radio and approached anxiously.
—What happened? Are you okay?
—I'm fine, he just tried to be clever.
Ethan brought the cigarette to his mouth and took a drag. Knowing Ethan, the detainee still inside must have ended up several times worse than he had.
Ruzek approached with a huge snowball pressed against his face.
—Mine hurts too —he protested.
He wasn't exaggerating. His face was swollen and covered in bruises. Muñoz had landed several blows on him, and lumps were beginning to form around his cheekbone.
Ethan examined him for a few seconds before shaking his head.
—Hey, Ruzek, starting Monday, you and I are going to train hand-to-hand combat.
Ruzek pulled the snow slightly away from his face.
—What? Why?
—Because you can't keep getting your ass kicked on every operation.
Burgess tried to hold back a laugh, but the movement sent a stab of pain through her lip.
—I don't get my ass kicked on every operation —Ruzek defended himself—. This time he caught me by surprise.
—Sure —Ethan said—. And last time the floor was slippery. Before that, the sun was in your eyes.
Burgess burst out laughing and immediately pressed a hand to her abdomen.
—Don't laugh —Ruzek warned her—. You ended up in a bathtub.
Ethan pointed at Burgess with an approving gesture.
—Muñoz is an animal —Ruzek insisted—. He took me down before I could regain my balance.
—On the street, no one's going to wait until you're ready —Ethan replied, serious this time—. You're fast and you've got good reflexes, but you rely on them too much.
Ruzek looked at Burgess for support, but she raised her hands.
—Don't drag me into this.
—You should come too —Ethan added without taking his eyes off Ruzek.
Burgess's smile disappeared.
—Why me?
—Because you ended up in a bathtub.
Ruzek burst into triumphant laughter, though he immediately grimaced from the pain in his cheekbone.
—Monday after your shift —Ethan repeated—. Both of you, consider it an opportunity to learn how to keep your teeth.
Ruzek accepted his fate with resignation.
—I'm starting to miss the academy.
—Me too —Burgess muttered.
Then she pressed the transmitter and continued coordinating the search for Muñoz.
Shortly afterward, several patrol units and an ambulance arrived. The paramedics brought Millares out with one arm hanging at an unnatural angle.
The search for the fugitive was left in the hands of the patrol units. The rest of the team headed to the place where, according to Millares, the money was hidden.
They didn't have to go far. It was a small shed located a few blocks from the house.
After confirming that no one was inside, Ethan grabbed a crowbar and forced open the side door. Antonio and Erin entered behind him.
The beams of their flashlights swept across the cramped space. In front of a roll-up door, they found two large aluminum cases.
Ethan looked at Antonio and Erin. All three knew the rest of the team would be waiting outside, impatient to see what they'd found.
With a certain resignation, he pressed the door switch.
The mechanism groaned, and the metal shutter began to rise. On the other side stood a line of cops with their arms crossed over their vests, their eyes fixed on the cases.
—Very subtle —Ethan commented.
No one answered.
The lock on one of the cases was already damaged. Ethan planted his boot on the lid and opened it.
Several appreciative whistles sounded behind him.
The inside was packed with bundles of bills carefully wrapped in clear plastic. Halstead opened the second case and found the same thing: cash, arranged in tight rows.
Although Erin had already gotten a glimpse of Ethan's wealth during the visit to the house he was planning to buy, the amount still managed to surprise her. For the others, the impact was even greater.
One of the men responsible had escaped, but the mastermind behind the robbery was in custody. Most importantly, they had recovered all the money.
The operation hadn't been perfect, but the case was practically solved.
—All this... —Halstead picked up a bundle of bills and weighed it in his hand—More than a dozen people died for this money.
Voight gripped his vest and looked at the cash with a tired smile.
—Just what you're holding in your hand is more than we'll make in our entire careers. It's always impressive... for some people.
—Yeah —Ethan sighed—How humble our profession is.
No one paid him any attention; they knew he was just showing off.
—Careful.
Ethan picked up a distant sound and immediately turned around. He raised the AR-15 and aimed at two vehicles approaching at high speed.
The others reacted at the same time. Within seconds, a dozen weapons were trained on the newcomers.
The sight must have been terrifying. Both vehicles slammed on their brakes and switched on their blue lights to identify themselves. Even so, they remained at a safe distance.
Ethan didn't lower his rifle until a white man in a gray jacket stepped out of the first car.
—Who called Internal Affairs? —Olinsky muttered when he recognized the agents.
—I don't know, but... —Voight replied in a gravelly voice, casting a suspicious look toward Sumner—I'm going to find out.
Sumner pressed her lips together and remained silent.
The man in the gray jacket was Stilwell from Internal Affairs.
Ethan and Sumner's eyes met briefly. She discreetly looked away.
If Sumner had tipped off Internal Affairs, she'd better have a hell of a lot of luck. The problem wasn't that those agents had shown up at the scene, but that someone had called them behind Voight's back.
If Ethan were in charge, he wouldn't tolerate that kind of disloyalty within his unit either.
The blue lights on the two vehicles went dark, but no one lowered their guard.
Ethan kept the AR-15 pointed toward the ground as a man in a dark suit and gray overcoat stepped out of the first car. Four agents accompanied him; two carried cases for collecting evidence, while the other two remained near the vehicles.
Voight recognized the newcomer, and his expression hardened.
The Internal Affairs agent walked across the snow with absolute calm. When he reached the team, he looked at the cases filled with money, then swept his gaze over the bruised faces of Burgess, Ruzek, and Halstead.
—Sergeant Voight.
—Stillwell —Hank replied in his usual gravelly voice—. You're late. The party's already over.
—That remains to be seen.
Stillwell pulled a folded document from inside his coat and held it out to him. Voight didn't even make an attempt to take it.
—What's that?
—An order from headquarters. Internal Affairs is taking control of the investigation effective immediately.
The atmosphere changed at once.
Olinsky uncrossed his arms. Antonio stepped forward, and Erin exchanged a glance with Ethan.
Voight remained motionless.
—This is an Intelligence case.
—It was an Intelligence case —Stillwell corrected him—. There was a shootout, several civilians were caught in the crossfire, and one of the suspects ended up with his arm mangled after being taken into custody.
—He resisted arrest.
Stillwell looked at Ethan's face.
—Yeah, I've already heard that version.
Ethan gave him a humorless smile.
—Are you implying we're lying?
—I don't need to imply anything, Detective Morgan. My job is to find out.
Voight stepped between them.
—If you have any questions about one of my men, you ask me.
—That's precisely the problem, Hank.
Voight moved closer until he was only inches from Stillwell.
—My officers solved the case, recovered eight million dollars, and arrested Milares. Three of them ended up in the hospital. While you were sitting behind a desk, they were risking their lives.
—And Muñoz escaped.
Voight's jaw tightened.
—We'll find him.
Stillwell looked at him.
—Enough —Voight ordered.
He didn't raise his voice, but everyone fell silent.
Stillwell pointed toward the aluminum cases.
—My agents will collect the money and the rest of the evidence. I also need the operation reports, radio recordings, the list of informants, and the weapons used during the raid.
—You're not touching my informants —Voight warned.
Voight stared at him so coldly that even the Internal Affairs agents instinctively moved their hands closer to their weapons.
The two men held each other's gaze for several seconds.
Stillwell was the first to look away. He gestured, and his agents moved toward the cases.
Ethan stepped into their path.
—Nobody touches the money until the count is finished and the chain of custody is documented.
—Move aside, Morgan —Stillwell ordered.
—You heard the detective —Voight cut in—. If you want to take over, you're going to do it right. Every bill gets counted in front of a camera, and everyone who handles it signs the log. I'm not going to let a hundred thousand dollars disappear tomorrow and have you try to pin it on my unit.
Stillwell pressed his lips together, but eventually nodded.
—Do it his way.
As the agents set up the cameras, Ethan noticed movement to his right. Sumner was avoiding looking directly at Stillwell. He didn't greet her either, although his eyes lingered on her a moment longer than necessary.
Voight noticed the exchange.
He said nothing, but Sumner's expression confirmed that she had noticed it too.
Stillwell turned his attention back to Hank.
—You have until eight in the morning to turn over every case file. As of now, you and your officers are off the case.
Voight finally took the document, glanced at it without reading it, and folded it in half.
—You finished?
—For now.
—Then get off my scene.
—It's not your scene anymore, Hank.
Stillwell turned around and began supervising his agents.
Voight remained motionless, his fists clenched. Antonio looked ready to argue again, but Ethan subtly shook his head. This wasn't the time.
Minutes later, once the money was in Internal Affairs custody, the team walked toward their vehicles.
Ethan watched the Internal Affairs agents as they loaded the money.
The case might now have Belden's name on the file, but everyone knew Voight wasn't finished with Muñoz yet.
—I'll handle what's left here —Voight said, turning toward the others—Ethan, take Burgess and Ruzek to the hospital and have their injuries checked out. Halstead should go too.