Page 23 of Deserving Maddie

Nothing else was said as Arlo directed Officer Reynolds out of the room. It wasn't until the door shut that Wes pushed the button for the intercom.

"Yes?" Missy's quiet voice filled the room.

"Have whoever’s in the building come to the situation room," Wes demanded.

"On it. I know most of Bravo Team is here and at least Arlo and Kyle from Charlie Team. I’ll see who else."

Missy didn't wait for more instruction before disconnecting. Kyle's wife had worked for Wes long enough to know that the boss expected things done quickly and efficiently. Wasted time on pleasantries wasn't a luxury that people got used to around here.

"Fucking DEA. Those bastards aren't going to give us shit."

Nope, it was a very good chance they wouldn't. Federal agencies rarely worked well together. Ray learned pretty fast that cooperation outside of the agency was practically zilch.

"I'll see what I can dig up. If I have to, I’ll hack into their databases."

"Don't leave a trail."

"Do I ever?" he scoffed.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall one day."

"Pot, meet kettle. How do you do?"

Wes didn't get a chance to reprimand him or give a snarky response before his team started to join the room. That didn't stop his boss from scowling in his direction.

Ray brushed it off. Pissing off Wes was not something he worried about. It would be a strange day if they actually got along without a single squabble.

"Does this have something to do with the officer that just left?"

Falcon was the first to speak up as the rest of his team took their respective seats around the large table.

"Yes. Officer Reynolds was first on the scene of Matthew Barrett's accident," he answered.

"The MC president," Falcon clarified.

"Correct. There appears to be more to his death than we first realized. Officer Reynolds just informed us that the DEA has taken over the investigation."

A collective grumble ofmotherfuckerswas echoed throughout the room. There wasn't a single person who didn't understand what that meant.

"There's no way that was just an accident. Not if the DEA is involved," Blue spoke up. "It also means the MC is under investigation. Either Wraith doesn't care, or he's too stupid to realize whose attention he has caught."

"My vote is the former," Ray said. "Based on what I dug up on him already, he's too arrogant for his own good."

"That type of arrogance doesn't bode well for us," Wes barked out. "Increase the security on all of Trista's houses. If need be, discuss with her consolidating where she can. I want two-man teams around the clock. If this prospect thinks he's getting a shot at them, he's sadly mistaken. I want to err on the side of caution."

Well, that should be a fun conversation. Trista would do what was needed to keep the women she helped safe, but not without some grumbling and bitching. Giving the team a hard time was Trista's favorite hobby.

Ray half listened as Wes continued to dole out assignments. Contrary to what Maddie believed, he didn't get involved with the team's assignments outside of his tech skills. He wouldn't be stationed outside the houses, keeping guard.

He was still thinking about why that realization bothered him when his phone vibrated.

"Excuse me," he told the room when he saw who was calling, and stepped out.

"Anders," he answered. "Everything okay?"

Maddie's car was supposed to be done by now. Anders was instructed to call Maddie when it was complete. The bill was already handled earlier that morning, so Ray couldn't understand why he was getting a call.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I know I was supposed to have the car done this morning, but my delivery was late showing up."

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