Page 17 of Marked for Danger

I don’t understand what the problem is.

“That’s the problem,” Cam answered as if she could read Izzy’s mind. “The kid did confess to the killing, and he told Detectives King and Thorne Valdez was behind it. But when they brought up the idea of getting Valdez on tape admitting he was the one who ordered Juan Gomez’s execution, he refused.”

“And as much as we’d love to”—Riedell continued where the pretty A.D.A. left off—“we can’t force the kid to do or say more than he already has.”

Izzy sat up a little straighter, the gnawing in her gut growing stronger with each unclear second that passed. “You just said Torres has already confessed to the murder, and he’s handed you Valdez on a silver platter.”

“Not exactly.” Hunt shook his head. “As far as Valdez’s involvement in Gomez’s execution, it’s Torres’ word against his.”

“Unfortunately, it’s going to take a lot more than a murdering gang member’s testimony to put a man like Valdez away.”

From the look in Cam’s sparkling blue eyes, Izzy could easily see the other woman’s frustration with the many flaws of their current justice system.

Trust me, I know the feeling.

Addressing the entire room, Izzy cleared her throat and ran through a brief recap to make sure she was caught up to speed.

“Okay, so let me see if I have everything straight. You have three dead Los Reyes gang members, one definitively shot by one of their own, and that man is claiming Dante Valdez ordered the killing.” Which, in her non-lawyer, non-cop mind seemed like a slam-dunk. “But you’re saying you need more evidence against Valdez in order to solidify a conviction, and since Olly works for Valdez, you want him to…do what exactly?”

“We need your brother to wear a camera and a wire,” SAC Hunt announced bluntly. “He gets Valdez on tape admitting he was behind the hit, we’ve got him.”

That gnawing morphed into full-blown nausea. “You want Olly to go undercover for you? That’s…” She glanced around the small office space praying she’d heard wrong. “My brother isn’t a cop.”

Not by a long shot.

“No, he’s a convict who did time for breaking and entering and assault.”

Izzy huffed out a soft, sarcastic chuckle. “I see you don’t pull any punches, do you Agent Hunt?”

His answer was as unapologetic as his previous statement.

“Pulling punches delays results, Dr. Garcia. And when we’re dealing with a man like Dante Valdez, every second counts.”

“Look, Izzy.” Cam spoke up again. “We all understand how big of an ask this is for your brother. The stakes are high and the risks are very real. But Valdez needs to be stopped, and unfortunately the bastard always seems to be one step ahead of the DPD and the FBI. The simple fact is, we need more evidence, and the only way we’re going to get it is from the inside.”

“So send in an undercover cop.” Izzy swung her gaze to Sgt. Riedell’s. “Surely someone on your team has experience with this sort of thing.”

Just not Grady. Please don’t send him into the lion’s den.

Sure, Grady was well-trained and knew what he was doing when it came to his job. From what she’d seen during the past several months, the sexy detective was more than capable of handling himself.

But still…

Izzy didn’t wantanyoneshe cared about anywhere near a man like Dante Valdez. And she did care about Grady. More than she ever intended.

“My team’s worked security detail on a few local political fundraisers in the past,” Grady’s boss explained why her idea wouldn’t work. “Valdez has been in attendance at some of those, which means he might recognize one of them.”

“Okay, well…the department’s a big one.” She kept trying. “Put someone else in. Or better yet…” Her focus shifted back to SAC Hunt. “Send in one of your guys.”

“I would, but my team has been actively investigating Valdez for a while now. They’ve spoken to him and his people, been around his properties. Some have even questioned Valdez directly.”

“We could find another detective or agent and put them under, sure,” Cam chimed back in. “But that would time.”

It was Izzy’s turn to shrug. “Okay. You said yourselves, you’ve been after this guy for a while. A few more weeks won’t hurt.”

“Not us, no.” A muscle in Riedell’s jaw twitched. “But I’ve got three dead kids, and the longer Valdez is allowed to breathe free air, that number’s just going to keep rising. Not to mention all the drugs and weapons that will be passed around the streets of this city in that time. Or more importantly, the number of missing young women and girls we suspect were lost to the sick bastard’s trafficking gig.”

“Izzy, we understand your hesitation with this.” Cam attempted to be the sound of reason once again. “But putting someone on the inside…getting them close enough to make a man like Valdez trust them…that sort of thing takes time. We’re talking months. Sometimes even years. Now I’m not trying to guilt trip you into anything, here. I promise I’m not. But I’ve personally spoken to a few of the families impacted by Valdez’s evil doings, and I’m telling you…we’ve already waiting far too long. The man needs to be stopped.”

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