Some of the tension in her shoulders eased. “Thank you.”
“Good. Now that the matter is settled.” Chief Garcia brought everyone’s attention back to him. “Let’s discuss where?—”
A knock on the door interrupted him. Assistant Chief Hayley Montgomery opened it and slipped inside. Her dark pixie cut was sharper than usual, and the sleeves of her button-down were rolled to the elbows, exposing the mottled scars on her righthand and the scripture tattoo on her inner wrist. At five months along, the slight swell of her belly was just visible beneath her shirt. “Sorry to interrupt, sir, but Supervisory Special Agent Derek Fallon from the ATF is here to see you. It’s about the Lilia Morrison case.”
Shock vibrated through Dawson. The ATF didn't make house calls to small-town police departments unless something big was at stake. He exchanged a look with Liam, who'd gone still in his chair.
Chief Garcia's expression didn't change, but his jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. “Send him in.”
She nodded and then turned to Dawson. “I’ve scheduled the Special Forces to protect the ranch until the end of the week. If you need them longer than that, let me know and we’ll make arrangements.”
He flashed her a grateful smile. “I appreciate it, Hayley.”
She snorted, reaching for the door handle. “You may regret it once my husband arrives for tonight’s shift. I’ll send Walker with snacks, but he’s been known to raid the fridge like a wild raccoon.”
Dawson made a mental note to warn his mom. She’d be thrilled. The only thing that made her happier than taking care of babies and kids was feeding people.
Hayley left and returned moments later with a tall, silver-haired man in an expensive charcoal suit. Chief Garcia made the introductions, and SSA Derek Fallon politely shook everyone’s hand before setting his briefcase on the corner of the desk. He declined Liam's offer to sit and positioned himself where he had a full view of the room.
“Forgive me for dropping by unannounced, but it’s come to my attention that your missing person’s investigation has run afoul of a federal investigation into the Iron Serpents and Cade Maddox. I’m not at liberty to discuss details, but we have assetsin play. Your visit to Sidewinders drew attention and put my people at risk.”
Dawson blinked in surprise. The ATF had undercover officers embedded in the Iron Serpents? Since when?
“We apologize, SSA Fallon, but we didn’t know about a federal investigation into Iron Serpents.” Chief Garcia arched his brows. “It’s customary for the local police department to be notified of such investigations in order to avoid an overlap that would put an undercover officer’s life at risk.”
Fallon acknowledged that with a slight nod. “There was a mix-up in our office.”
The chief grunted. “And did you mistakenly forget to inform the Texas Rangers as well? Because they’ve been working with my department for months investigating the various aspects of the Iron Serpents' criminal enterprise.”
“Casting blame at this point gets us nowhere, Chief. I’m here to handle the matter at hand. The ATF has been running an operation targeting the Iron Serpents, and we're close—closer than we've ever been—to dismantling the entire organization. We need your cooperation.”
“What precisely are you asking for?”
“Stay away from Cade Maddox and the Iron Serpents.”
Peyton opened her mouth, but Dawson placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. He knew Chief Garcia well and trusted him to handle this.
“SSA Fallon, I appreciate the delicate balance you need to strike, but what you’re asking for is out of the question. We have direct evidence linking the Iron Serpents to Ms. Morrison’s disappearance, and as it stands now, we believe she may be alive. I cannot stop pursuing leads or hold up our investigation. Not when a woman’s life is at risk.”
“Our intelligence suggests the Iron Serpents are not involved in your missing persons case.”
Peyton inhaled sharply. “Is Lilia dead?”
Derek looked at her, and a flash of sympathy sparked before he buried it. “I don't know where your cousin is, Special Agent Hughes. What I do know is that my operation has eyes and ears inside the biker gang, and Lilia Morrison has not come up recently. If she were being held by the Serpents, we'd know it.”
Dawson was tempted to ask what Fallon knew about the evidence Lilia supposedly stole, but he wasn’t sure he’d get a straight answer. If the ATF undercover agents were embedded with the Iron Serpents and knew Lilia had taken evidence, then they should be looking for her too.
“Might I suggest a compromise,” Chief Garcia said. “An ATF agent is welcome to join our task force. That way we can avoid stepping on your toes, but still have the freedom to pursue all leads.”
“Chief, I don’t think you understand. Pursuing the Iron Serpents in any way puts my people at risk and threatens an investigation we’ve spent nearly a year building. As fellow members of law enforcement, I would think that means something.” His expression hardened. “I’m formally requesting your assistance in this matter, and hope you’ll give it. I would hate for things to become political and messy.”
Dawson rocked back on his heels. Who was this guy? He’d worked with federal agents before, and found them to be cooperative and helpful. Fallon was making it clear this was his ground, not theirs, and was willing to threaten the Chief over it.
Was he simply protecting his case and his people? Or was there more to it?
Chief Garcia straightened. “SSA Fallon, I don’t take orders from you, and I don’t appreciate the attempt to railroad me. Out of respect for your undercover officers, we will proceed with caution, but I won’t stop looking for Ms. Morrison simply to saveyour investigation. Working together is our best option, and I encourage you to reconsider my offer to do so.”
Fallon looked ready to spit nails. “I’ll assign an ATF agent first thing tomorrow morning. Until then, I’ll need you to steer clear of the Iron Serpents. I’m sure none of us want to put my agents at risk.”
