In July 2012, Nick Mendoza was promoted to detective in the vice squad of the Miami Police Department. Shortly after his promotion, Mendoza and his new partner Carl are involved in a drug bust gone wrong. After arresting the last surviving suspect, Captain Julian Dawes puts Stoddard in special detail and partners Nick up with Khai Minh Dao to pursue a lead on cocaine broker Tyson Latchford. Upon locating Tyson’s associate, Tap Milstein, they forced him to use a wire to locate Tyson and rescue him from a group of armed men. They also learn about the existence of a new type of cocaine known as Hot Shot.
In the process, Khai is shot and injured in the shoulder, putting her out of action for several weeks. After returning to duty, Dawes orders the two to meet Leo Ray at the Elmore Hotel in Miami while he seeks protection from Remy Neltz from the police in exchange for information on Neltz’s operation. Angered that Dawes had not come to meet him, Leo called the settlement and began to leave, only to be met by Neltz’s men who proceed to open fire on Leo and the two detectives.
Khai filmed by Neltz’s men
After fighting for Elmore, Nick witnesses Khai defeat a captured Leo for apparently insulting her. Horrified, Nick stops Khai and tells her they need to go as more of Neltz’s men arrive. Once they are taken care of, Nick and Khai transport Leo into a nearby armored truck and proceed to escape as the rest of Neltz’s men pursue them. Upon losing them, they encounter Captain Dawes, who then personally takes Leo into custody, with Nick claiming that Leo suffered his injuries in the previous car ride.
Leo’s information leads Nick and Khai to the books to the Everglades, where bales of drugs are being dumped. During the investigation, they are led to Neltz at Miami’s old water stadium. While confronting Neltz while trying to escape in his speedboat, he tells the detectives that he made the deal with Stoddard and that they can now leave him as promised, much to their confusion. Neltz then quickly leaves and hides inside a nearby warehouse while the Miami Police Department surrounds the building.
