Hobbs, a man as burly as they come, whose single arm was as thick as the leg of the long-legged beauty Giselle, certainly lived up to his formidable reputation. After days of chasing Dominic and his crew to no avail, Hobbs had keenly discovered that his team wasn't the only one scouring the area for Dominic. Thanks to Elena, the local cop guide Hobbs had specifically chosen for her extensive knowledge of Hernan Reyes, Hobbs learned the true reason why Reyes was pulling out all the stops to find Dominic and his gang.
With Elena's connections, Hobbs uncovered that the other group hunting Dominic was driven by something far more sinister: Dominic had obtained a memory card that documented all of Reyes' smuggling routes and illicit activities, including detailed information on his dirty money operations. This explained why Reyes was so desperate and why another faction was also relentlessly pursuing Dominic. Hobbs also discovered another critical piece of information during these fruitless days of pursuit: the two DEA agents he had initially believed were killed by Dominic were, in fact, murdered by Reyes. The motive? One of the cars seized by the DEA contained the crucial memory card critical to Reyes.
This card could unravel Reyes' entire smuggling network, expose his contacts, and reveal the channels through which he laundered his money. No wonder there was another team besides Hobbs' frantically searching for Dominic and his gang.
An ambitious man, Hobbs immediately reported this vital information to his superiors, hoping for CIA intelligence support. He aimed to capture Dominic before Reyes could get his hands on him. After all, with Reyes' secrets in Dominic's possession, Dominic was practically a goldmine. If Hobbs could bring Dominic back to the USA, he wouldn't just capture a notorious fugitive; he would also have leverage against Reyes, a long-standing thorn in the DEA's side. Thus, Hobbs could earn significant favor from the DEA—a win on multiple fronts.
Hobbs' superiors in the USA were very supportive of his proposal. They promptly mobilized the vast national machinery, and through the CIA's network of agents embedded in Brazil, Hobbs pinpointed Dominic's general location. The final confirmation was all that remained before launching the decisive operation to capture Dominic and his crew.
Meanwhile, Richard Castle had been observing the movements of these three factions with a keen eye. Reyes, now the most agitated of all, was baffled by how Dominic and his crew seemed to anticipate every move and evade capture repeatedly. To add to his frustration, Dominic and his gang had seemingly vanished without a trace, yet all signs indicated they were still in Rio de Janeiro. Where could they be hiding?
Just as Reyes was at his wit's end, his men brought him some good news: Hobbs, the persistent American agent, had apparently found out Dominic's hideout with the help of some undisclosed channels and was planning a raid the next day to capture the elusive fugitive.
Upon hearing this, Reyes immediately devised a plan. He ordered his trusted lieutenant, Mario, to ensure Hobbs would not succeed in taking Dominic and his gang back to the USA. If Dominic were captured, he would likely reveal Reyes' smuggling secrets, effectively sealing Reyes' fate.
Mario, a ruthless henchman, suggested a plan to ambush Hobbs. He proposed waiting until Hobbs had captured Dominic and his crew and then attacking them during their relaxed state while transporting the prisoners back to the airport. This way, they could eliminate the troublesome Hobbs and his team and easily retrieve Dominic, forcing him to surrender the memory card before killing him to cover all tracks.
Mario's proposal was met with Reyes' approval. Reyes, relieved and satisfied, handed over the task to Mario, instructing him only to retrieve the memory card by any means necessary.
Emboldened by Reyes' promise of reward, Mario left the office full of confidence and began assembling his men for the ambush. However, neither Mario nor Reyes was aware that their entire conversation had been transmitted to Castle and his hacker friend, who had infiltrated the surveillance system in Reyes' office.
Castle found himself in a moral quandary. He didn't know whether to warn Hobbs about the ambush. Although Hobbs was arrogant and headstrong, he was still a law enforcement officer, and his team members were innocent. Watching them get slaughtered didn't sit well with Castle's conscience.
However, Castle feared that if he alerted Hobbs, the highly skilled and well-armed Hobbs' team might fend off Mario's ambush, potentially capturing Dominic and his crew. This would mean the end of Castle's plans to witness thrilling car chases and heists against Reyes.
Castle was torn. He didn't want to see Hobbs' men, who were merely following orders, die needlessly. But he also didn't want to lose the spectacle he had come all this way to Brazil to see—the daring actions against Reyes that he had meticulously set up by providing safe houses, transport, and weapons for Dominic's team.
Stuck in this dilemma, Castle began pacing the room, muttering to himself, trying to find a solution. Should he call his friends Mozzie or Neal back in New York for advice?
Meanwhile, the young hacker, intrigued by Castle's unusual behavior, finally asked, "Uncle Rick, what's wrong? Is there something I don't know about?"
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