“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.”
