Chapter 71-72 - Former CIA, Now LAPD

Chapter 71 – Stand 14, Tacos and Legacy

March 15, 2019 – 1:04 PM

"Tacos de Barrio" Stand – Pico Blvd

The smell of grilled carnitas, buttered corn, and freshly chopped cilantro wafted through the warm midday air. Three police cars were parked around the stand, their doors ajar, radios blaring in the background. Sitting on plastic benches and recycled wooden crates were:

John Nolan, 40, the oldest rookie in the LAPD, still with a twinkle in his eye and a nervous smile.

Lucy Chen, analytical and focused, devouring a burrito with surgical precision.

Jackson West, son of an Internal Affairs legend, impeccable posture, always alert to his surroundings.

Behind them, watching and eating calmly, were their TOs (Training Officers):

Talia Bishop, serious, reserved, but keeping an eye on Nolan.

Angela Lopez, her police coat half-open, chuckling softly as she corrected Jackson with gentle irony.

Tim Bradford, eating with one hand, standing, his gaze constantly scanning the room.

That's when a black and white police car pulled up slowly. Athena Grant got out first, followed by Mike Edwards.

Tim noticed and nodded.

"Look who decided to leave the patrol car to try real food."

Athena smiled, taking her sunglasses and tucking them into her vest pocket.

"This is tent 14. Who knows, knows."

Mike approached with that measured, attentive walk, his gaze scanning the group—analyzing, reading postures, identifying who was a newcomer in three seconds.

Angela Lopez was the first to extend her hand.

"Edwards. Good to see you out of the crime zone."

"Lopez. Always direct."

Athena was already helping herself to a taco.

Talia Bishop extended her hand to Mike.

"Officer Edwards, I've heard a lot about you, Bishop."

"Just Mike. It's good to see rookies under your wing."

Tim Bradford looked at Lucy and Jackson, then at Nolan.

"Everyone, meet Athena Grant and Mike Edwards. LAPD, Western Division. Athena is a living legend. Mike is… shall we say… one of the few who makes you want to be better, just watching him patrol."

Nolan stood up out of respect.

"John Nolan. It's an honor."

Mike shook his hand firmly.

"The oldest rookie in the department. He read your file. Good luck. Life experience helps. But the street… teaches differently."

Lucy Chen spoke politely:

"Lucy. I've heard about you two on the radio. I was in the 7th chase with you last week."

Athena smiled.

"Good job keeping your distance. It's not every day rookies know when not to step into the fire."

Jackson, carefully, nodded respectfully.

"Jackson West. My dad talked about you, Athena. He said you could detect lies better than any polygraph."

Athena laughed.

"Because I listen more than I talk. You should try."

Mike looked at Tim.

"Are you still teaching with firmness and little patience?"

"Always. But this one…"—he pointed at Lucy—"…is the most promising I've seen in years."

Mike approached Lucy.

"Focus on details. Confident hands. You'll go far."

Lucy smiled, discreetly flattered.

1:25 PM – Tacos, Soda, and Stories

Everyone was eating together. The heat was soft on their skin. Latin music played from the tent radio.

Athena turned to Nolan.

"You changed careers at 40. What were you looking for?"

"More meaning. Less security. Something that would make me sleep exhausted and wake up with purpose."

Mike nodded.

"Most people here came for a calling. Others came for pain. The important thing is to keep going."

Jackson asked curiously:

"Is it true you were in the CIA before joining the LAPD?"

Mike looked at him, then at Athena, who just raised her eyebrows as if to say, "Here we go."

"I was. But today I'm a police officer. That's what matters."

Lucy:

"How was the transition? Going from something so… global… to something local?"

Mike answered, looking into her eyes.

— "A mission is a mission. Protect, serve, investigate. What changes is the scale. But not the value of a life."

Tim added:

— "Mike used to coordinate operations with the SEALs. Now he writes car theft reports with the same attention."

Athena:

— "Because no incident is small. Not when it's your city, your people."

2:00 PM – Radio Calls

Lopez's radio crackles:

"7-Adam-19, respond to a 211 in progress, Central & 6th."

She swallows the last sip of her soda.

— "Showtime."

Bradford and Bishop stand up together. Nolan wipes his hands with a paper towel.

Mike and Athena also get ready.

— "It was good to see you all. If you run into us… don't hesitate."

Lucy, sincerely:

"Thanks for stopping and talking to us. That… means more than it seems."

Mike nodded.

"Everything matters. Even the quick encounters."

And as the patrol cars returned to the streets, the newcomers carried with them something invisible but fundamental: the light weight of admiration. And the certainty that, in the LAPD, a few silent names… say more than many speeches.

Chapter 72 – Rug, Popcorn, and Truths About Spies

March 17, 2019 – 7:04 PM

Kris Jenner's Residence – TV Room

The space was spacious and welcoming, with a cream-colored shag rug, wide armchairs, scattered pillows, and a projection screen built into the opposite wall. The lighting was soft. Popcorn was popping in the kitchen, and the sound of small giggles was already filling the room.

Mike Edwards sat in the center of the wide sofa, wearing black sweatpants and a gray t-shirt. Stormi, just over a year old, sat between his right leg and the armrest, holding a stuffed animal and staring at him. Kim's daughter, North, was between his left leg and the rug, wearing a unicorn headband and a bag of colorful marshmallows.

Kendall, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and her hair down, sat on the floor between Mike's legs, leaning against his chest, her eyes half-closed with a sense of well-being.

On the couch in front sat Kim, Khloé, and Kylie, already settled in with glasses of wine, blankets draped over their legs, and plates of nachos and guacamole on the low table.

"Okay, okay, we've chosen!" Khloé announced excitedly.

"It's our silly movie night. But with action. And The Rock shirtless," Kylie added, laughing.

Kim grabbed the remote and pressed play.

"Spy and a Half"—starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart.

Mike tilted his head slightly.

"Oh... that's the one where the guy was a nerd in school, joins the CIA, and becomes a mountain with a sarcastic smile, right?"

Kendall laughed, looking up, resting her chin on his chest.

"Yeah. And the other one is an accountant who accidentally gets involved. You'll love it."

Stormi played with Mike's fingers as if they were a toy. North was already munching on marshmallows as she watched the screen.

The movie began with the classic "before and after" scene: The Rock, still a chubby teenager, being humiliated in the school locker room.

Kim, laughing out loud:

"That part is a classic teen movie. Who hasn't been bullied…"

Mike, unexpectedly, commented:

"The difference is that, in real life, people who get bullied rarely become CIA operatives. And certainly not at that size."

Kylie, curious:

"So... none of this is real?"

Mike looked at the screen where The Rock was jumping off a building using a makeshift rope.

"That would break any human's back. And the CIA... doesn't operate like that. We don't zipline through windows and shoot pistols with one hand while cracking jokes."

North, frowning:

"But you were in the CIA, right, Uncle Mike?"

Mike looked at her and nodded, with a slight smile.

"I was. But my job was to observe, plan, listen. Mostly, I just looked like a regular guy drinking coffee in a corner."

Stormi pointed at the TV.

"Spy! Just like you!"

Mike looked at Kendall, who was smiling.

"From her point of view, maybe I am."

Khloé turned, her tone amused.

"And no car chases, Mike? No explosions behind you as you run without looking back?"

Mike pretended to think for a second.

"Maybe one or two. But never with a soundtrack. And always with more fear than style."

Everyone laughed.

8:30 PM – Halfway through the movie, lots of popcorn

Stormi was asleep leaning against Mike's right leg, with the stuffed animal half covering her face. North was still awake, but quieter, watching intently.

Kendall moved up a little and lay on his chest, her eyes closed for a few seconds. Mike stroked her hair with his left hand, and with his right, he kept a light touch on Stormi's arm.

"She's so quiet," Kendall whispered.

"It's the sound of peace. Still strange to me, but I'm learning to let it in."

Kim, looking at the trio, whispered to Khloé:

"I've never seen her like this. Truly serene. It's like he anchors her."

Khloé, taking another sip of wine:

"And have you seen how the kids stay close to him? Stormi leaned against him as if he were the safest chest on the planet. And North barely blinked."

Kylie added:

"Mike has this way about him. Silent, but... present. He doesn't scream love. He shows it. With gestures."

9:00 PM – The film ends with jokes and gunfire

The film's final sequence features The Rock and Kevin Hart exchanging gunfire at a technology fair, all with quick jokes and exaggerated effects.

When the film ended, the selection menu returned to the screen.

Kendall, still on Mike's chest:

"Rating out of ten, Agent Edwards?"

"Rating seven for entertainment. Three for operational reality. Zero for applied physics."

Kim, laughing:

"So you've never jumped off a moving motorcycle to intercept a helicopter?"

Mike looked comically serious.

"Of course not. Helicopters don't just sit there waiting for that."

Khloé:

"But you've interrogated someone with a gun and sunglasses in a steamy room, right?"

— "I already questioned him. Without glasses. And in a diner. With cold coffee."

Kylie:

— "And have you ever kissed someone after defusing a bomb?"

Kendall answered before he could.

"Well, there wasn't a bomb. But there was a kiss. And the guy knows how to hold it tight."

Everyone laughed.

10:00 PM – The Goodbyes

Kris appeared in the living room doorway, smiling as she took in the scene: Kendall half-lying on Mike's chest, Stormi sleeping like an angel beside her, and North's eyes already heavy.

"It's beautiful to see. You all... so peaceful."

Mike looked at her and thanked her with his eyes.

Kendall whispered:

"You fit in here. And it's not because you're my fiancé. It's because... you built this with silence, presence, and truth."

Mike kissed her forehead.

"This is my true field of operation now."

Full story on my Patreon

Chapter 29 - Chapter 71-72