“Stay back, Ranger.”
The dog obeyed, stepping toward the edge of the sidewalk.
Jack turned back toward Daniel.
“Stay down. I don't want to hurt you.”
But Daniel was too angry to listen.
He scrambled to his feet, grabbed Jack's jacket, and tried to pull him forward. Jack resisted the grip, but the officer threw a punch that struck his cheek.
Jack's head turned with the impact.
For the first time, the calm expression on his face disappeared.
He looked at Daniel with a coldness that made the officer hesitate.
“You really should have walked away.”
Daniel swung again.
Jack dodged the blow, caught the officer's wrist, and delivered a controlled strike that sent him stumbling sideways. Daniel collided with the sedan, braced himself against the hood, and immediately pushed away to attack once more.
The two men moved rapidly across the pavement.
Daniel attempted to tackle Jack around the waist, but Jack shifted his stance and redirected the charge. They crashed against the side of the car, the metal bodywork rattling beneath their combined weight.
Several pedestrians backed away.
Someone shouted for them to stop.
The young man continued recording.
Daniel managed to free one arm and threw another punch. Jack blocked it, stepped around him, and forced the officer forward against the hood.
“Enough,” Jack said firmly.
Daniel struggled.
“Get off me!”
“Stop fighting.”
“You're going to prison for this!”
Jack released enough pressure to move away without allowing Daniel to launch another attack. He kept his hands visible and watched the officer carefully.
Daniel straightened, breathing hard, his uniform disheveled and his face flushed with anger.
For a few seconds, neither man moved.
Then Daniel reached toward his duty belt.
Jack's expression changed immediately.
“Don't.”
Daniel ignored the warning and lunged again.
Jack sidestepped, caught the officer's arm, and turned him around. With one controlled movement, he forced Daniel against the sedan and secured his arm behind him.
The officer struggled, but his attempts only made his position worse.
Jack held him firmly without delivering another blow.
Ranger stood safely near the sidewalk, watching his owner.
The street had fallen unusually quiet.
Daniel turned his head, trying to see Jack over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you?”
Jack did not answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the people recording the encounter.
“Please keep your cameras running.”
The young man nodded, his phone still pointed toward them.
Daniel stopped struggling for a moment.
Jack then reached carefully into the inner pocket of his charcoal jacket. Daniel stiffened, but Jack withdrew only a black leather identification wallet.
He opened it.
The gold insignia caught the last orange light of the setting sun.
FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Below the insignia was a photograph of Jack Morgan, matching the man standing beside the sedan.
Daniel stared at the identification.
His expression changed from anger to disbelief.
Jack leaned closer, holding the wallet where the officer could see it clearly.
“My name is Special Agent Jack Morgan.”
Daniel's mouth opened, but no words came out.
Jack continued in a quiet, controlled voice.
“And you've just turned a fabricated arrest into a federal investigation.”
For the first time that evening, Officer Daniel Reed looked afraid.
Jack had not yet explained why he had been investigating Westbridge, what he knew about the department, or why Daniel's name had appeared in so many suspicious reports.
But as the officer stared at the credentials, Jack understood that the encounter had exposed something important.
Daniel had not acted like a man who had discovered an ordinary suspect.
He had acted like someone who had been ordered to find a particular target.
And somewhere inside the police department, someone was already waiting to learn whether the order had been carried out.
Jack released the pressure on Daniel's arm just enough to reposition him safely, then reached toward the officer's fallen radio.
The device crackled.
A voice emerged from the speaker.
“Unit Twelve, report your status immediately.”
Jack picked up the radio and pressed the transmission button.
“This is Special Agent Jack Morgan. Officer Reed is being detained following evidence fabrication and an assault.”
The radio fell silent.
Then another voice answered.
It was calm, authoritative, and unmistakably familiar to anyone who worked inside the Westbridge Police Department.
“Agent Morgan, remain exactly where you are.”
Jack's eyes narrowed.
He recognized the speaker.