Page 24 of Pulse

What did this have to do with his arrest?

Who was this damn man standing before her?

Mind racing, she flipped to the next document, which wasn’t a photo. It was a termination of employment record. She scanned the file as fast as possible and learned Pulse had been a DEA agent until he walked away around five years ago.

Thank God.

What was happening here?

She flipped to another page where the words blurred before her eyes. Instead of reading, her analytical brain ran in a million directions, trying to parse the purpose behind this little ambush.

And then the lightbulb flicked on.

She lifted her gaze. “You’re a fed.”

It wasn’t a question.

“I heard you were intelligent.”

She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms as her fear melted away and annoyance took its place. Compliments wouldn’t win this guy any favors. She wanted nothing to do with whatever mess this man brought to her office. “So, what, you’re here to tell me he’s deep undercover with the MC, and the arrest served a purpose, and I fucked you over by getting him released so fast? Is that what this is? You want me to suck at my job next time so you can pull him back into the fold?”

The thought that Pulse could be deceiving his MC family made her want to vomit.

“No.” The agent slid into the seat opposite her despite her refusal.

She bit her lip to keep from snapping at him. Whether or not he sat wasn’t the issue.

“He really resigned five years ago. Max Vargas spent four years undercover with the Del Rios Cartel. The takedown went to shit, somewhat, and he walked away from the DEA without so much as a goodbye. He walked away from his entire life.”

Her eyes widened. Holy sit, the Del Rios Cartel. That was big business. The destruction of that cartel had been the top headline on every news outlet for weeks. Ridding the world of that one cartel drastically altered the drug trade in the United States. Fentanyl deaths dropped by almost a third within three months. If Pulse was responsible for those arrests, he’d done an amazing thing for the country.

So, how did he end up in an MC?

Talia set her hands on the desk and pushed the folder back toward her visitor. “Okay, so he burned out after years of undercover work with no gratitude from the country he served, and he left. None of that explains why you are here now.”

“We want his help.”

She narrowed her eyes. “The Handlers don’t deal drugs, nor do they do business with those who do. What could he possibly help you with?”

Shrugging, the agent said, “Maybe not, but they still know plenty of players in the game. And they’re still one percenters. Don’t try to pretend there aren’t mountains of illegal activities behind that clubhouse’s walls. Their enemies have gone missing or ended up mysteriously dead. That alone is enough to pullPulsein.” He said the nickname as though it tasted rotten on his tongue. “The federal government has had it with these motorcycle gangs—”

“Clubs,” she muttered.

“Clubs.” That time, he didn’t bother to keep the mockery from his tone. “We’re taking out as many as possible, and we want Pulse’s help.”

They wanted his help to take out his own club. This was worse than she thought.

“Ah, now I know who was talking to him after his arrest. The prostitute never named him, did she? You orchestrated that entire thing to get him alone so you could… what? Present himan offer? How much did you think it would take for him to sell out his club?”

The smile that spread across the agent’s face had a chill running down her spine.

“It’s not that kind of offer. Either he helps us, or he ends up in jail for what he did to that poor hooker, and his club finds out about his past. And if we can’t get him on this assault, we’ll get him on another one. You know how those bikers are. Hot tempers and all. There are so many ways they break the law.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You’re a federal agent, and you blackmailed a civilian with false imprisonment. How do you know I’m not recording this?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, you’re intelligent.” He stood and walked toward the door. “Convince him to work with us.” He spun back to face her when he reached the doorway. “It’s in your best interest.”

“A threat?” she asked, tilting her head. “I’ll have you know I don’t respond well to those.”

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