“I’m getting too old for this,” he had said to Zoe right before they got married. “If we have kids, I’d like to live long enough to see them grow up.”

It was then that he had applied for a job in the white-collar crime unit. The WCC department had been established in 1974 and accounted for over $300 billion annually in illegally gained funds but was a far less dangerous job for agents. They wore suits, dined at great restaurants, and their most dangerous activity was attending corporate meetings. The special agent’s job in that division was to infiltrate corrupt organizations and gain enough solid intelligence to eventually bring them down. There were no flying bullets, drug dealers, terrorists or bombs. His team worked on crimes like embezzlement, insider trading, securities fraud, Ponzi schemes, and corporate espionage like the case of the woman who tried to sell Pepsi’s cola formula to the competition.

WCC’s cases also often took long periods of time to resolve. An undercover role in one of these humongous sting operations might last months, sometimes years. An agent slowly gained the trust of people on the inside, understood the inner workings of the operation and then when they least expected it, pulled the rug out from under before they knew what hit them. There were no guns, everything was done with a pen, subpoenas and warrants. If the agents did their jobs right, it often led to long prison terms for those caught with their hands in the golden cookie jar.

After putting his life on the line for so many years, Conner Brandt was more than ready for a less hazardous role within the bureau. Shortly after he and Zoe got back from their honeymoon, Conner had received the transfer.

“Guess what happened today?” he said with a big smile as he walked through the front door of their apartment and dropped his work bag on the kitchen counter with a thud.

With her back to him at the kitchen sink washing vegetables for dinner, Zoe shut off the faucet, and turned around. “From the smile on your face, I’m guessing it’s good news.”

“You, Mrs. Brandt, are looking at the newest member of the white-collar crime unit,” said Conner grinning from ear to ear. “From now on, no more wandering through back alleys and sitting in cars by underpasses. Now, I’ll be in corporate dining rooms and budget meetings, and probably getting fat eating expensive lunches at the top restaurants.”

“Aren’t you going to miss being out on the streets arresting the bad guys?” she asked. “Do you still get to carry a gun?”

“Agents are required to be armed at all times, you know that,” said Conner. “Why do you look like you lost your dog? I thought you’d be happy about this. This is one of the best jobs at the bureau and very high profile.”