Page 27 of Colton’s Secret Identity

She’d take it.

Watching them from the forest that the cemetery backed up to and using the high-resolution DLSR camera made it almost too easy to capture their every expression. The images would be enlarged later, just like the photos of Monique working at Frisky had been. Slim’s order had been clear: to follow Veronica’s every move, in and out of the undercover disguise. More photos with the new threat, Hawk Masters, would really please Slim.

Satisfaction bloomed deep down as the final goal was closer than ever. To become the next heir to take over the family business. To finally be in the inner circle of Papa, aka Slim, and be a part of the family business Papa had fought to protect all of his children from. Papa would be furious, at first, as the other siblings were edged out due to their disloyalty. He’d calm down when he saw proof that there was no one he could ever trust except his firstborn. The anticipation of the paternal pride in Papa’s eyes made the years of preparation, all of this sneaking around now, worth it.

Priceless, in fact.

Chapter 12

“Are you out of your mind?” Cal’s anger smoldered in his eyes as he stared at his younger brother. Dylan tried to not get defensive, but his gut tightened in sync with his mental hackles rising. It was just like Callum to treat him like he was still a kid stealing his older brother’s G.I. Joes. “You went into Veronica’s office at Frisky with zero backup, to face down Rex, no less. What were you thinking?”

Dylan swallowed, sucked in a deep breath. “You remember that I don’t work for you, right?” The fact that Dylan had always expressed his desire to be a federal law enforcement agent had once really pissed Cal off, when Cal was still a deputy. By the time Dylan became a special agent, Cal had enough experience under his belt to appreciate the advantages of different law enforcement entities at all levels working together to keep the streets clean.

Dylan knew that there had been hiccups along the way, when one agency or the other hadn’t informed Cal of their operations in Stark County. From the way Cal’s eyes narrowed and the deliberate manner in which he put his hands on his hips as they stood facing one another in Callum’s garage, his older brother still had some simmering resentment against the feds.

Gotcha.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass who you work for, what you’re doing or how you’re doing it, Dylan. I hope like hell that you succeed at bringing down this whole damn cartel. But when you intrude on an undercover operation that my folks have been working exclusively until you showed up, yeah, I get my undies in a wad.” Cal took a step backward, ran his fingers through his already messy hair. Dylan couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen his brother so stressed. “You’re supposed to focus on the big guy, let my team handle Rex and the Frisky leg of their business.”

“Except it’s all interconnected. I don’t have to tell you that, Cal.”

Cal’s exasperation reflected in how he glanced away, looked up at the ceiling, probably counted to ten to himself. “There’s no such thing as a simple undercover anymore, to nab the local dealer, is there? They’re all in deep, whether they know it or not.” Callum spoke of there no longer being part-time or insignificant dealers. Once someone got looped into trafficking at any level, it rarely ended well for them whether they used the product themselves or not.

“There’s more money on the line than a decade or two ago, that’s for certain.” Warmth crept into his rib cage, alerting him to how good it felt to be the one validating his older brother, even with Cal so ticked off at him. Cal had always been his keeper when they were kids.

Cal shook his head. “It’s hard to see my hometown overrun by these losers.”

“It’s our hometown, and yeah, I hear you.” He nodded.

“How much longer do you need to work directly with one of my officers?”

“Last I heard she works for Red Grove PD.” He couldn’t help teasing Cal.

“You know she reports to me for this assignment, bro, to the task force. Answer my question.”

“First I have to explain where I’m at, Cal. I’ve made contact with Rex, as you know, and I need to make sure I trace his shipments to his boss, Slim.” He slugged water from his refillable flask. “My sources think Slim is running his headquarters from Saskatchewan.”

“That makes sense, because the state troopers have shut down all of the shipments coming from the south as far as I know. Yet the weekly volume’s increasing. Exponentially, at that.”

“My sources don’t see that it’s coming in from Montana, either,” Dylan added.

“That leaves Canada, then,” Cal concurred. “Unless there are some kind of drone drops we’re missing.”

“There aren’t. I can trust my sources on that.” Dylan was certain the drug ring’s route crossed the Canadian and US border, where North Dakota’s northern border met Saskatchewan’s southern line.

“But you can’t reveal your sources to me,” Cal quipped with a chuckle, “or I’m going to have my kneecaps blown off.”

Dylan couldn’t help but laugh. “I haven’t heard that cliché since we were kids.” They’d watched countless cops-and-robbers thrillers, including some that were undoubtedly deemed inappropriate for preteens. “Thanks for understanding, though. Not every local LEO is as cooperative as you.” Dylan cast Cal a sidelong glance. “I’ve missed this. Working together.”

“Yeah, well, we’ve never really had a chance to do so like we planned when we were kids. The FBI snapped you up while you were still a rookie, my man.” Callum stared at him. “There’s something else you’re holding back from me. If it’s more government classified intel, I get it. But me thinks my lil’ bro has more to add to the conversation?”

“You know me too well.” Years melted away and it was as if he’d never left Red Grove. “Getting back to your question on how long this op might last. It’ll go more quickly if I can employ Veronica’s talents in meeting with Rex again. He obviously trusts her to run Frisky—we both know Hank is nothing more than a patsy, kept in place to warn Rex if she turned out to be undercover, a thief or both—but he’ll never trust me, not one hundred percent. He trusts Veronica.”

Cal swore under his breath. “We’re so close to chopping off Rex’s tentacle, and Veronica’s vital to this. I don’t have an extra trained undercover officer warming a bench somewhere, Dylan.”

“I hear you, and I agree. You are close, and she is a key player. But we’re onto the main supply route now, that much closer to Slim.”

“The kingpin of them all,” Callum added. “You’re thinking we’ll bring them both down at once, then?”