Chapter 21 #2
“I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t risk the investigation.”
“I wouldn’t have said anything.” She sounded hurt.
Luke grimaced, his chest tightening along with his hands on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry, Mags. It’s just so ingrained in me now not to talk about my cases…”
“I get it. Plus, it’s your brother…”
He stole a glance at her. Her face was turned towards the window. Luke reached over and grasped her hand.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have kept this from you.”
“What about your mom?”
Breath whooshed from his lungs. “I haven’t told her what I found either. Mostly because she has enough going on with her ankle.”
He could hear Maggie rolling her eyes at him. “That’s her son.”
“I know. I’ll tell her.”
She gave his hand a squeeze, not releasing it. “I can’t really be upset. It’s not like I told you everything, either.”
They arrived at the Haven, exiting his car and walking inside in tense silence. Luke changed into his tactical pants, aware of Maggie’s eyes on him.
“Please, don’t go anywhere without someone with you,” he begged as he strapped his vest on. The image of those divorce papers riddled with bullets plagued him.
She pressed something hard and metallic into his hand. He looked down and opened his palm. Her keys for the Haven and her room were in it.
“Sweetheart…”
“Come here afterwards. I don’t care how late it is.” He looked up at her face, her lower lips quivering, but her jaw remaining firm. “I need to see you’re okay.”
He tucked the key into his pocket and crashed his lips into hers, putting everything he couldn’t say into his kiss. “You got it, Mags.”
“Ouch, that thing’s hard.”
The vest. He released her, laughing at his own stupidity as she rubbed her breasts. “I’m sorry.”
“You can kiss them and make it better when you get back.” He wagged his eyebrows, and she stood on her tiptoes for one more quick kiss.
“You can hold me to that.” He winked then walked out the door.
Normally he wouldn’t wear the Kevlar with its FBI patch to drive, but just in case the raid went sideways, he wanted to be prepared.
He drove to the rendezvous point Gabe had given him, a secondary entrance to the trailer park.
Most people didn’t use this road where the county sheriff vehicles lined up along the gravel driveway.
Luke hopped out of his car, took his firearm from the trunk, checked the magazine, and slid it into his holster. He walked up to where Gabe was going over the plan with six other deputies.
“What’s a Fed doing here?” one of the guys said. Gabe looked up from the map on the hood of his car and waved.
“This is Luke. We go way back. Luke actually brought the evidence to us, so be nice.”
He held his hands up. “I’m not here to take over your investigation. This isn’t my jurisdiction.”
The other deputy’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you bring it to us?”
“Because one of the assholes dealing is my brother.” The fidgeting and the grumbling stopped, and someone let out a low whistle.
“I’m sorry for what’s about to go down.” Another deputy removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair.
“Not as sorry as I am, or as I’m going to be, when I tell my mom about it on Easter morning.” He shook his head. If only Aaron had listened to him.
An older gentleman with gray at his temples stepped forward, holding out his hand. “I’m Sheriff Metz. Thank you for your assistance, son, but I don’t envy you that conversation.”
“Thank you for taking this seriously.” Luke grasped his hand firmly. “And for allowing me to tag along.”
Metz gave him a nod, then motioned to Gabe to get on with it.
“Like I was saying, we station Houston and Lopez at the back door, me and Song will go in the front. The rest of you will hang around in a circle to keep anyone from escaping.” Gabe turned to Luke, his expression grim.
“I’d rather not arrest your brother at your house if I can help it. Your mom doesn’t need that.”
Luke shrugged. “If he sees me and escapes, he probably won’t go home.”
“Good point.” Gabe walked over to an SUV where another deputy had a laptop open in the backseat. “Rhodes, what do you have for me?”
“Looks like five males, early twenties at most, all white. I’ve got eyes on the window of the trailer and it seems their little meeting has started.” Her eyes never left the screen.
“Let’s roll out. Lights off, get as close as you can without alerting the suspects.” He waved to Luke. “You’re with me.”
“Ten-four.”
He hopped into the passenger side of Gabe’s SUV. Slowly, Gabe pointed the front end down the access road and crept along. Darkness was falling, aiding their sneak attack.
Luke’s stomach churned, the weight that giving the evidence over to Gabe had lifted back on his shoulders.
It was too late to stop the train rolling now.
Best he could hope for would be that Aaron would wise up and help the investigation, maybe for a reduced sentence.
The image of his baby brother wearing a prison jumpsuit made his throat close tight.
But at the same time, he saw Mikey, slumped over in The Busy Bee bathroom, barely responsive. Aaron hadn’t listened when Luke tried to make him see what was going on. And now there would be serious consequences. Because as much as Luke loved his brother, he hated injustice more.
Six SUVs rolling into position around a mobile home was not subtle by any stretch of the imagination. The radio squawked with Rhode’s voice.
“Delgado, they hear you. They’re getting ready to run.” Her calm voice reminded Luke he needed to get a handle on his emotions before they did this, or he’d fuck it up. Which wasn’t a good look for a senior agent.
“Ten-four. Houston, Lopez, move it!” Two deputies scrambled from their vehicle and bolted for the back of the trailer, one going around each side.
“Houston and Lopez in position.”
“All units move in.”
Luke exited the vehicle and stood next to it, watching the sheriff and the remaining four deputies emerge into a ready stance.
Gabe and Deputy Song strolled up to the front of the trailer, giving it a resounding knock. “Open up! Centre County Sheriff.” A beat went by, with no answer. “We have a warrant.”
A door creaked open, someone cried “Shit!” and Lopez and Houston called for back-up.
Undeterred, Gabe kicked the front door in with one hit, and he and Song drew their weapons.
Glass smashing drew Luke’s attention away from the door as a window gave way on the side of the trailer, and a skinny-ass guy ran off into the woods. Two of the deputies, one of them the mouthy one, ran after him, shouting.
Gabe, Song, Houston, and Lopez frogmarched four young men, including his brother, out the front door of the trailer. “Rhodes, there’s contraband in here we need to confiscate.”
“On it.” She pulled gloves on her hands and headed inside.
Luke glued his gaze to Aaron. Gabe had him by the shoulders and was heading right for him. Aaron hadn’t noticed him yet, too busy looking around at the task force gathered to take down what was probably a very small operation. But Luke knew it could be the symptom of a much bigger problem.
“Okay if he rides with us?” Gabe asked.
That’s when Aaron noticed him standing there in his FBI vest. “What the Hell are you doing here?!”
Luke raised one eyebrow, a technique he’d learned from Mom when she was in no mood to play around. “What do you think, Aaron?”
He spat, and a globule of mucus landed somewhere near Luke’s feet. “How’d you find us?”
“You’re not as clever as you think.” He opened the back door and motioned for Gabe to do the honors.
With Aaron situated in the back seat, Luke leaned against the SUV so he didn’t have to hear his brother’s vitriol. “That was anticlimactic.”
“These things often are.” Just then, the two deputies that had gone after the runner returned, pulling twigs out of their hair and brushing the dirt off their hats.
“Little asshole gave us the slip.”
Gabe groaned. “Damn it! I bet that’s the ringleader, too.”
Luke elbowed him gently. “One of these guys might be willing to testify for a reduced sentence.”
Gabe shook his head. “They don’t like to go light with felonies. But we can try.”
“Let me work on Aaron. You work on the D.A.”
His former teammate clapped him on the back. “You got it.”