“We don’t know that Hart is innocent here,” Gwen said. “He could’ve staged this to screw with the cartel.”
“Hart seemed pissed when he drove up and found the bodies,” I said.
Agent Howard read both licenses. “Hart is Rosario’s front man. He works for her, and he would never fuck with her. Whoever did, I pity them. Rosario is one mean bitch and takes no prisoners, especially when she loses good soldiers.”
“And guns,” Bruce mumbled. “A lot of money is gone.”
“The Mexican cartel has been trying to get a foothold in the gun market,” Gwen said. “You think they’re involved?”
Agent Howard rubbed his jaw. “If Arturo Rodriguez is involved, we might be seeing a cartel war play out on the streets of Boston. Motherfucker. When are we going to catch a break? Bruce, I need you to start pulling all the files on Arturo. So far he’s stuck to drugs, which is the DEA’s department.” Agent Howard addressed Gwen. “I need you to poll your contacts on the streets. See if there’s any scuttle on Arturo. Also, we need to take the temperature of the gangs. Gwen, take Fallyn with you.”
I hadn’t been with the team long enough to have any contacts or informants, but I had an idea. “Maybe it’s time to send someone undercover. Either in the cartel or Duke’s organization.”
Everyone stared at me like I’d said I was a dirty agent.
Gwen gnawed on her lip. “Not a bad idea, although if I had to choose one, I would say Duke’s camp. But I’m not volunteering. I’ve had friends who went inside and never came out the same.”
My brother’s plight certainly spoke volumes to her last statement. While a dangerous assignment had more cons than pros, it was a chance for me to maybe learn if Jason’s death had been murder or suicide. After all, I could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Duke was friends with Brian McCauley. Maybe Duke knew of Jason or the details behind his death. Plus, if a cartel war was on the horizon, maybe I could help prevent that from happening.
“It can’t be you, Fallyn,” Bruce scoffed. “You’re a newbie.”
I clenched my teeth. “The fuck I’m not. I’ve been with the ATF for two years. Granted, the majority of that time was in LA. So what if I’ve only been on this team for six months? I still have the experience.”
My boss studied me, his dark gaze in thinking mode. “No one has real-world experience in undercover work. Not even you, Bruce. However, I do think it’s time to take things to the next step. But not in the cartel. Rosario has a team in Boston, but it would be easier to focus on Duke Hart, since he also has legal businesses that we could blend in well. But, Fallyn, your father would never agree. Not after what happened to Jason.”
“My father isn’t ATF, and he’s retired,” I argued, even though Agent Howard was right.
Agent Howard chuckled. “Your father still carries weight within the agencies.”
“Fallyn.” Gwen’s voice was soft and sorrowful. “Your brother, Jason, lost his life inside. Are you willing to risk yours?”
A sharp pain stabbed my chest, as if she’d rammed a dagger into me. “I appreciate your concern. but we risk our lives every day on this job.”
As if a light bulb brightened for Agent Howard, he said, “If you’re volunteering because you think you’ll find answers about Jason, then you might not be the right person, Fallyn. Our attention needs to be solely on the issue we are facing and the potential war that could happen.”
“Which is why I should go in,” Bruce said, his shoulders tense.
I pressed my lips into a thin line. “I’m not going to lie. I want answers on Jason, but I understand what we’re facing. I will do my job, and if the stars align and I find what I’m looking for, then it’s icing on the cake. Besides, I am the perfect candidate because no one on the streets knows me since I am anewbie.” I darted my gaze to Bruce.
Gwen hooked her thumbs in the sleeves of her bulletproof vest. “I’ll check with my sources, but the recent scuttlebutt among the gangs is Mateo Alvarez is looking to make a name for himself since he was forced out of the Southside Creepers. Let’s not forget his brother, Tito, who was pinched four years ago because Hart’s brother, Denim, was trying to break into the gun trade then.”
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Agent Howard chewed on his bottom lip. “I’ll run the undercover op by my superiors.”
Bruce snarled. “Fallyn is wet around the gills.”
I rolled my eyes, wanting to strangle the man. “Is it my newbie status, the fact that I’m a woman, or you dislike that I’m the daughter of the former FBI director?”
“Careful how you answer that, dude,” Gwen said to Bruce.
Bruce shook his head. “All I know is Hart is cunning and lethal and can sniff out a cop before you even realize it. He’ll chew you up and spit you out, and you won’t even know what happened.”
“That applies to you too,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Enough. Sending anyone undercover is not my decision or yours.” Agent Howard flicked his head at the dead bodies. “Gwen and Bruce, help the paramedics. Fallyn, over here.” He stabbed a thumb at a spot by a fence that surrounded another shipping company.
I pushed out a long breath when we were alone. “I can do this.”
