Maren and Colt unleashed the dogs and gave the search command. Within seconds both dogs zeroed in on the black cabinet. Inside the cabinet were little pills packaged in plastic and sealed with duct tape.
Taking a picture of the stash of what she assumed to be opioids with her phone, and sending it to Colt, Maren said, “Steve, you’re under arrest.”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, DEA agents swarmed the neighborhood. Colt recognized most of them but he wasn’t close to any of his fellow agents. Several Aurora and Denver police cruisers arrived as well. While Maren went to talk to the local law enforcement officers, Colt and Rusk walked Steve out of the building, placing him into the back of a black SUV.
When Maren joined him on the sidewalk, he could read the upset on her face. “What gives?”
“The local LEOs are mad that we didn’t call the PD first to make the arrest,” she said. “I told them this was the DEA’s op and that you and I are part of Colorado K-9 Unit task force.”
“Good thinking,” Colt said, admiring her mental acuity.
“Not sure it mollified them,” she said. “They wanted to know why we were chasing down drug dealers when the task force was formed to stop the illegal baby adoption ring.”
He could tell the conversation had her wound up tight. “If Shadow is as plugged into the criminal element in Colorado as I believe he is, he may know something useful. All the more reason we need to bring him into custody.”
Maren’s gaze narrowed. “One of my priorities is finding my sister and keeping her alive.”
Colt acknowledged her words with a nod. “Of course. We can do both.”
“Just so you know, if it comes down to a choice of taking in Shadow or protecting my sister, I’ll choose my sister,” Maren said, her voice hard. “What will you choose?”
His gut twisted. He didn’t like being put on the spot. For too long he’d been after Shadow. The criminal had proved elusive, and for Colt, the hunt bordered on obsession driven by the overdose death of his cousin. Colt’s determination was what made him a good agent. At least, that was what his boss told him. He didn’t know if he could let an opportunity to take the criminal down slip by.
When he remained silent, Maren asked, “Why are you so hot to bring Shadow down? This feels personal.”
He sucked in a breath. He glanced around at the remaining DEA agents who were bringing out the stash of opioids and putting them into a compartment in another black SUV. There were tons of gawkers from the neighboring buildings crowding the sidewalks and window frames. Any one of them could be Shadow. Or working for the drug kingpin. “Personal. Yes, very.”
“And?” she prompted. “The least you can do is tell me why.”
Glancing around again, wondering who might hear and who might be a threat, he shook his head. “Not here.”
She took in a breath, obviously reining in her frustration. “Fine. But I’m not going to let you squirm out of spilling the truth.”
No, she wouldn’t. He’d already discovered she was tenacious. Good trait in a law enforcement officer. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
DEA Agent Daniel Russell came up to Colt. He wore a dark suit with a shoulder holster visible beneath his jacket. His thick brown hair was swept off his high forehead. His gaze flicked to Maren and lingered.
A strange irritation invaded Colt. He didn’t like the interested look on Daniel’s face. But he couldn’t blame the other man—Maren was gorgeous and fierce and so smart.
Colt mentally reared back from the direction his thoughts were headed. Falling back on the manners his mother taught him, he said, “Daniel, this is Officer Maren Anderson of the Colorado Springs Police Department.” He refrained from mentioning the task force because the info wasn’t relative to the investigation into Shadow.
Daniel inclined his head. “Officer.” Turning back to Colt he said, “We’re done here. Thanks for the tip. I’ll take it from here.”
“You know what to do,” Colt said, shaking the man’s hand. They’d already had a confidential conversation about placing Steve in a safe house until they could bring in Shadow.
“Out of sight, out of mind.” With one last glance at Maren, Daniel headed to the SUV where Steve Loren sat in the back.
Once the black SUV took off and the police presence dispersed, Colt cupped Maren’s elbow and steered her toward his truck. “We should get out of here, too.”
With the dogs leading the way, Colt and Maren moved in tandem, hurrying to where’d he’d parked his rig.
From behind them, a man shouted, “Opal?”
When Maren would have turned, Colt squeezed her elbow, “Keep going. Hurry.”
Soon they were urging the dogs into a run.
