PROLOGUE

Flick

The day started out just like any other. I’d finished my last assignment yesterday and today I was due to receive my next one. Yep, everything was completely normal and boring, until I opened the folder in front of me and saw those names. A shiver ran down my spine as I re-read them.

Donovan ‘Taz’ Lee

Jacob ‘Mac’ Miller

Colt ‘Eagle’ Benally

It had been about three years since I’d first seen those names. Closing the file, I shifted my focus onto my supervisor, Greg Cave, who was sitting opposite me and watching me like he was waiting for me to explode or something. I was finding it hard to believe he was the one asking me to investigate these three men, considering he was the one who’d stopped me from chasing them down when I’d first joined the FBI.

“Greg, did you mix up this assignment with another one or something? Because you can’t be serious.”

With a raised eyebrow, my boss and the director of the FBI headquarters here in Dallas, dared me to continue.

“You do remember who these three men are to me, right?”

After a minute of silence that made me more than a little nervous, not that I showed it, he finally answered me.

“I haven’t forgotten. I actually thought you’d be excited to be put on this assignment. Finally, you’ll get your chance to talk with these men.”

Since I’d only just been handed the file, I obviously hadn’t had a chance to read it and didn’t know what the assignment would require, as Greg was well aware. But it was rare that I actually got to talk to many people when I went out in the field. As a forensic accountant, I was normally part of a team and my job was in the background, working with computers or ledgers.

“Talk to? What exactly does this assignment entail?”

“Eighteen months ago Lee, Miller and Benally were approached to take on a job for us. They accepted, and joined the Charon MC in Bridgewater, Texas, where they were supposed to report back to us with information about what the club was doing. As far as motorcycle clubs go, the Charons are pretty clean. Well, they actually look a little too clean, which is why we wanted a man or two inside.”

Nothing about that sounded out of the ordinary. Former military men were often recruited for specific assignments.

“So what’s gone wrong?”

Greg screwed up his face, as though he’d eaten something rotten and couldn’t get the taste out of his mouth. “They were given an unsuitable handler. As a result, we’ve lost Miller and Benally.”

I tilted my head. Was I reading this right? “Their handler was dirty?”

Greg cleared his throat, which was basically an answer in itself. Unfortunately, it wasn’t unheard of for agents to leak information, or take bribes. The Bureau did what it could to get rid of those they found, but there were always more. “Yes. They gave us something extremely valuable, which became useless, thanks to him. Once the three of them found out their information had been leaked, they began ignoring their handler’s calls. It put a woman Benally cares for at risk, so he in particular became difficult after that incident. Then, he pushed Miller over another matter, and now both Miller and Benally have informed us they don’t care what we do, they will never help us again.”

“So I’m to go after Lee? And what, bring him in?”

That was the standard protocol, but clearly this situation wasn’t normal.

Greg shook his head. “That wouldn’t do us any good with the last man standing. We believe the best way to move forward with Lee is to send you in to be his partner.”

I focused on keeping my face and voice neutral, to not show my confusion or shock. “Why?”

“We’ve received intel that the Charon MC have recently become closer with the Satan’s Cowboys MC, and that the Cowboys intend to use that connection to expand their distribution channels. We need to know if, and how, that happens. We’re following the theory it will be easier to catch them doing something new, that they haven’t had time to set up fully and secure.”

“Does he know I’m coming?”

“Nope. He has no clue at all.”

Great, that was going to be just wonderful to deal with. “When do I leave, and where, exactly, am I going?”

“Tomorrow morning, and you’re heading down to Bridgewater. Pack for a long stay. You’ll find all the information you need in that folder. I know you prefer to stick with accounting work, but for this assignment you’re going to go in as a bartender.”

That part I could handle. I’d worked as one during college. In fact, I had a feeling that would be the easiest part of this assignment.

I stood up to leave and was halfway to the door when Greg called out. “Vaughn?”

“Yeah?”

“This assignment gets priority. Once you finish it, then you can ask Lee all the questions you want about your brother. But not until afterwards, understand?”

“Understood, sir.”

With that, I turned and left. What the hell would I ask anyway? “Hey Taz, I was just wondering if you could tell me what happened with Andrew Vaughn in early 2014 that got him dishonorably discharged?” Yeah, that would go over smooth as sandpaper, I was sure.

No, to find out what had caused my brother to become a completely different man, one who’d abandoned his entire family, I was going to have to be more subtle about it. And apparently, I had to wait until I finished this assignment to do it.