“Correct.” Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out a tin of peppermints. He opened it and silently offered one to Peyton. “She has a 1999 Toyota Camry registered to her name, and we found evidence that a car was parked on the road south of the train depot based on a fresh oil stain. A BOLO’s been issued for the vehicle, but so far, we haven’t had any hits.”
“We also don’t know where she’s been living for the last year,” Jax added. “Lilia’s last known address is in Austin. Travis County deputies went there, and discovered that Lilia moved out a little over a year ago. No forwarding address.”
“What about bank accounts?” Peyton asked, shifting the peppermint to the side of her cheek so she could talk better. “Credit cards? She had to be paying her bills somehow.”
“Her bank account has about ten bucks in it and hasn’t been touched since moving out of her old apartment. She doesn’t have any credit cards, as far as I can tell.”
Frustration bit at her. “What about the number she called me from?”
“Burner phone,” Felicity piped in. “It was bought last month from a shop in Austin. I contacted them for surveillance video but the system records over itself after a week. Even Grace’s birth certificate lists her old Austin address, and the clinic Lilia gave birth at specializes in helping low-income women and families.”
“So Lilia moves out of her apartment about a year ago, and then what? Drops off the face of the planet except for when she gave birth to Grace?” Peyton’s brows drew together. “Doesn’t that strike anyone else as weird?”
“Definitely. But it’s possible she was living with someone. A boyfriend, maybe. Which brings us back to Cade Maddox.” Felicity’s expression grew speculative. “Lilia and Cade had dated before, as teenagers. Those kinds of relationships can stick. What if Lilia moved in with him, got pregnant, but then left before having Grace. Cade is a violent guy. I could see her being afraid of him.”
Peyton nodded. She could easily envision that too. “She goes into hiding. Gives birth to Grace, but doesn’t put Cade on the birth certificate. She’s worried something will happen to her, so she draws up guardianship papers. And then…what? She called me in a panic.”
“Cade found her.” Dawson’s expression darkened. “If Lilia left him, he’d be furious. Cade isn’t the kind to let it go.”
Jax’s face screwed up in disbelief. “Guys, I can see Cade hurting Lilia, but kidnapping Grace? Why? He’s never struck me as the kind of guy who’d want to change diapers or handle school drop offs.”
“I would normally agree with you,” Felicity said, casting a knowing glance toward Noah. “But his relationship with Lilia might be different. More…powerful. Grace may be someonehe cares about very much, and there’s no way he’d ever gain custody of her legally. He’d have to take her. That could also explain why Peyton and Dawson were shot at today. Peyton is Grace’s guardian. With her out of the way, it makes nabbing Grace a lot easier.”
It was a good theory. One worth pursuing. Peyton planted her elbows on the table. “We need to interview him.”
“Cade Maddox isn’t going to willingly talk to any of us.” Jax waved a finger around the room. “He’s smart enough to lawyer up immediately. And he’s not on parole, so we have no reason to drag him in.”
“He might talk to me.” Peyton absently ran a finger over the fresh cut on her hand. “Lilia is my cousin, and I met Cade once. It could be enough to lower his guard.”
“You kicked Cade out of your house,” Dawson argued. A deep scowl darkened his features, and his tone was hard. He definitely didn’t like this idea. “I doubt he remembers the interaction fondly.”
“All the more reason for me to go. He was a braggart even back then. Cade’ll be thrilled to one-up me now.”
“Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous.”
She rolled her eyes. “I appreciate the concern, Dawson, but I’m perfectly capable of handling myself with criminals. I’ve been doing it for years.”
Liam tilted his head. “Hate to break it to you, Dawson, but she has a point.”
That earned him a glare from Dawson.
Peyton turned to face Chief Garcia. “I know Lilia is my cousin, and that makes this case personal, but I’m requesting to officially join the task force. The interview with my aunt proves I can be an asset, and I promise to follow orders. I have no interest in risking my badge, but I would like the opportunity to help in any way I can.”
Chief Garcia assessed her for a long moment. His expression was inscrutable.
She held her breath. If he said no, there was nothing Peyton could do about it. She forced herself to meet his iron gaze dead-on. Her insides quivered with nerves. She’d faced down hardened criminals and had worked with some of the toughest law enforcement officers in the country, but all of them could take a lesson from Chief Sam Garcia.
Then his expression softened. “Special Agent Hughes, welcome to the team.”
The knot in her chest loosened as she gave him a sharp nod. “Thank you, sir.” Peyton surveyed the room, noting Dawson’s resigned expression. He’d lost the battle, but she knew he’d insist on coming with her to interview Cade. She wouldn’t fight him on it. Peyton was daring, but she wasn’t a fool. Walking into a biker bar without backup would be reckless. “Let’s make a plan for my interview with Cade.”
ELEVEN
The home base of The Iron Serpents was Sidewinders, a bar positioned close enough to the highway for easy escape, but hidden from view behind a wall of trees. The dirt parking lot was packed with expensive motorcycles, chrome glinting in the faint moonlight. A few trucks were scattered near the back, and a lone sedan that looked completely out of place. Voices from a group of men dressed in leather vests carried across the distance. Dawson felt their eyes track his SUV. He had the sense, even in the darkness and the borrowed vehicle, they’d been made as law enforcement.
No one came to Sidewinders uninvited, except cops.
Peyton leaned closer to the windshield, presumably to get a better look at the bar. The low, flat-roofed structure was dimly lit, the blacked-out windows sufficiently hiding whatever was going on inside. “How would anyone know this is a bar? It doesn’t even have a sign.”
