A NEW CARTEL

Sophia took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts.

"Jacob, he's always been a bit of a troublemaker," She began, her voice tinged with frustration and sadness. "Growing up, he hung out with the wrong crowd, and it only got worse as we got older. When mom fell ill, he started fighting, skipping school, and eventually turned to drugs."

Bruce listened closely, "How did he end up involved with this new cartel?" he inquired, his tone gentle but probing.

Sophia sighed and rubbed her forehead as if to relieve the stress of the situation, "It started three months ago. Jake got out of rehab for the third time. Truth be told, he looked to be doing better. He got a job at a local garage, and we were hoping he'd turned a corner. But then he began hanging out with new people. I had no idea who they were, but I could tell they were bad news."

She paused, her gaze distant, recalling the recent events. "He began arriving home late, looking more and more stressed and paranoid. I talked to him about it, but he ignored me, saying everything was fine. Then one night, he did not return home at all. I was worried sick, but I had no way of contacting him. His phone was switched off. I was so scared that I barely slept at night. Finally, two days later, he showed up looking like he'd been through hell."

Sophia's voice wavered as she continued, "He told me he owed money to some dangerous people, and they were after him. He'd been forced into working for a new drug cartel. They promised him quick cash, but when he couldn't pay for the drugs he took from their stash, they started threatening him."

Bruce's face darkened with concern as he listened to Sophia. He leaned forward, he gazed into her eyes, "What happened after that? Did he call the police?"

Sophia shook her head, letting a bitter laugh escape her lips.

"Jake was too scared. He thought that going to the police would make things worse. He tried to handle it on his own, but he was a complete mess. One night, he came home terrified. He said he had a stash of drugs to deliver but was too scared to do so because of the recent sting operations. He wasn't sure what to do," She explained. Her eyes filled with tears as she recounted the memory.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"I begged him to go to the police. But he refused. He said that the cartel would hurt me, or worse, if he did. Then he got a call and ran out of the apartment. The next thing I know is that Jake was arrested by the police for possession and distribution of drugs."

She bit her lower lip in frustration.

"Do you have any evidence that your brother was coerced into working for the cartel?" Bruce inquired.

Sophia nodded, "He told me that the cartel was forcing him to sell drugs and threatened to kill me if he didn't cooperate. I'm sure if we can prove that he was under duress, the court will understand his situation."

"I doubt that's enough to get him off the hook," Bruce stated. "In cases like this, the courts tend to be unforgiving. Unless there's strong evidence proving your brother's innocence, he's likely to serve a long jail sentence. I'll be honest with you Sophia, in cases like these, things can get pretty complicated. The cops, we don't know who is working with those cartels... Let's just say, they're corrupt. So, there's a chance that your brother might take the fall for something he didn't do."

"What are you saying?" She stood up with a ghastly expression.

"Calm down and sit," He said, gesturing to her seat. "There's nothing definite yet, but let's consider every possibility. What I'm trying to say is that unless there's solid evidence of your brother's innocence, the courts are unlikely to give him a lenient punishment. But I've some connections and friends, let me deal with this. If your brother is really innocent, I'll get him out but if he isn't, he's gonna have to serve his sentence."

"Bruce, I can't ask you to do that... It's my family's problem," Sophia said, her voice trembling with emotion. "Why go this far just to help me? We barely know each other like a night and a day..."

Bruce smiled and placed his hand on hers, "Is there a reason not to help someone in need? I try to help whenever I can, but I can't help them all. Right now, you need my help, and I'm willing to give it. That's all there is to it. Besides, I do owe you one for the delicious cake."

Sophia laughed lightly and shook her head, "Bruce, you are... I don't even know how to repay you..."

Bruce's expression softened as he gazed at Sophia's tearful face, "You don't have to repay me anything. Just promise me that if you need anything, you'll come to me."

"No, no, no... I can't just do that. There must be something I can do for you. Please?" She insisted.

Bruce pondered for a moment, "Hmm... How about you come and work for me? I've read your profile from those job search sites, you'll fit right into our tech department. Since we are lacking someone to take over the programming sector, you'll fit right in. That way, you could work and the pay is good, so, I'll take 2% of your salary every month till the fees for your mother's treatment are completed. Deal?" He extended his right toward her.

She froze, "Work for Wayne Enterprises? Me? But... I don't know if I'm qualified for such a position?"

Bruce chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I'll make sure you get the necessary training, and you can start anytime. What do you say?"

She hesitated for a moment before finally reaching out and shaking Bruce's hand firmly. "Thank you, Bruce. You don't know how much this means to me."

He smiled warmly, "You're welcome, Sophia. Now, I'll let you do your work. I took up enough of your time. It's time to pull some strings. Oh, and don't worry about the bakery. Your work is only 5 days a week, so you can do whatever you want during your weekends. And don't worry about your safety, it'll take only a single night to solve this case. I promise you that."

.

.

[Metropolis Police Department]

Bruce was sitting inside Captain Jones' office.

Jones, a bald and tall man, was sitting at his desk, looking through some files. He had a gruff voice and looked to be in his early fifties. His gaze shifted towards Bruce, who sat across from him, "I don't get it, what does a Wayne want with Jacob? Don't get me wrong, with your connection you could have just called in and gotten him released, why the visit?" He asked as he closed the file in front of him.

"Captain Jones, you're correct in that I could have made a call and Jake would have been freed within the hour. But isn't that just the wrong thing to do? I'm sure in your career you've faced such situations many times over. You get a call, then another couple of calls then the criminal walks free," Bruce replied with a sigh.

Jones nodded, "Yeah, we see that quite a lot. But that's just how the system works. People with power walk free, while the poor take the fall. Commissioner Gordan tried to fix things but the corruption runs deep. Even he's forced to compromise sometimes."

Bruce nodded, "So, how's he doing lately?" He tried to shift the conversation a bit, trying to smooth things between them before moving to the main topic.

"Commissioner Gordon? He's doing alright. He's been working hard to clean up the city and with Superman's help things are looking great, but as you already know, you weed out one corner and another pops up somewhere else," Jones replied with a tired smile.

"That's how criminals are..."

As they were making small talk, Bruce caught a glimpse of Barbara, whom he hadn't seen in like forever. The last time he met her was when he went to talk to her about Floyd's daughter's tuition.

"Barbara works here?" Bruce asked curiously.

"Yeah, she's our tech expert. You know, we get some smart people who like to play with techs and all that stuff. And being Commissioner's daughter, everyone thinks that she's got the easy way in. But man, everyone was like after her mocking behind her back, but those fools didn't even know that had she not entered our department, we would still be running after those hacker bastards. She's one goddamn hacker, I tell ya. Last month alone she helped us catch almost 30 hackers who were blackmailing people using their identities, and they were good too, but Barbara was better." Jones boasted about his subordinate, without holding back.

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Next, Ch: 170: Jacob

Ch: 171: Raid

Ch: 172: Bruce meets Hippolyta

Ch: 172: A call from Pamela