As I drove down the interstate to the office, I had a hard time seeing the road in front of me for my tears. Although I had initially kept my emotions in check, I finally started crying when I saw Bishop being loaded into one of the SUVs, and half an hour later, I had yet to stop. I had never imagined the course the morning would take. I had been finishing up getting ready when Mama Beth banged on the door. In a panic, she told me the police were all over the compound.

In that moment, I hadn’t had the presence of mind to question her on if it was truly the police. We had gone up to the clubhouse immediately. Then my worst nightmare charged at me like a locomotive. My two worlds finally collided, and it was brutal. The look in Bishop’s eyes when he found out was heartbreaking. I never imagined someone I cared for would have such hatred and loathing for me. It cut me more deeply emotionally than any physical wound ever could.

I realized how naive I had been to think I could get away with living a lie. How did I think this was going to play out? That I would clear the Raiders and then Bishop would be fine with my being an undercover agent? I was a fool to think that there could be a happily ever after for us. I had gotten so swept up in a sex and love haze that I believed something good could come from a relationship built on lies.

By the time I pulled into the parking lot, my emotions had flip-flopped to anger at the way things had been handled. I wanted answers, and I was going to demand them of Peterson just as soon as he returned from booking Bishop and his brothers.

From my office, I had the perfect view of Peterson’s door. I didn’t know how long I sat there absentmindedly clicking my pen back and forth. When I saw Peterson entering his office, I leaped out of my chair and charged down the hall. I barged inside without knocking and slammed the door behind me.

“I imagined you would come to me before I came to you,” Peterson said as he sat down in his leather chair.

Placing my palms flat on his desk, I demanded, “Why the hell wasn’t I notified about a raid?”

Peterson eyed me over his glasses. “I’m sorry, but I was under the assumption that only assigned agents receive sensitive information about a raid.”

“Dammit, Peterson, it doesn’t matter that I wasn’t on the case. You owed it to me for Gavin.”

“Right now I think the least of your worries should be about the lack of my communication skills.”

With a growl, I pushed off his desk and began pacing around the room. “I know I owe you an explanation.”

“You sure as hell do.” Rising out of his chair, Peterson walked around his desk. “Can you tell me what the hell you were doing there?”

Pursing my lips, I countered, “You’ve had surveillance there, so I’m sure you’ve seen exactly what I’ve been doing there.”

“Up until today, the only involvement we’ve had has been through phone tapping.”

“Then how in the hell did you know about the guns if you didn’t have the clubhouse wired up?”

“We received a tip in the middle of the night. Because of the intricate detail of the information given, we deemed it to be reliable. I assembled a small team as quickly as I could. Since it was a weekday morning, I knew we would be dealing with the least number of Raiders on the property. Luckily for us, we got all the officers in one sweep. We’re working on the other members as we speak.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “Just a tip? You didn’t have any physical evidence tying the guns to the Raiders besides the tip?”

Peterson crossed his arms over his chest. “Would you like to tell me what you were doing there? Considering the spectacle between you and Bishop Malloy, I’m pretty sure you weren’t there in an official capacity.”

After jerking a hand through my hair, I sighed. “A week after Gavin’s murder I went to see Bishop. We’ve been talking every day since then.”

“Just talking?”

“This past weekend it became more.”

“Just exactly how much more?”

I threw up my hands. “I’m in love with him, okay? Somehow along the way as I was getting to know him, I fell in love.” Although I hated myself for it, my bottom lip quivered as I added, “And now he despises me.”

Peterson exhaled loudly. “How is it possible you fell for a man that you hated so much? Have you forgotten his involvement in Gavin’s death?”

I shook my head. “That’s just it. He’s not who I originally thought he was. None of the Raiders are.” At Peterson’s skeptical look, I continued. “Yes, at one time they did partake in illegal activity. But then they lost several of their members to violence, and then Deacon became a father and wanted a better, safer life for his daughter. Those factors made them choose to go legitimate. Because I spent so much time with them, I know they’re innocent.”

“If they are innocent, how do you explain the guns in their warehouse?”

“They were framed.”

Peterson scoffed as he leaned back against his desk. “I usually appreciate conspiracy theories, but I’m not in the mood today.”

“Bishop told me that there were members of their organization who weren’t happy with them going legitimate. He said they were the ones who orchestrated the shooting in Virginia. I think whoever has this bad blood wanted to get back at Bishop and the others, so they planted the guns there and then called the tip in to you guys.”

Scratching his chin, Peterson appeared thoughtful. “And where does this animosity for the Raiders come from?”

“I think it somehow all goes back to that deal with the Rodriguez cartel. I think that the Raiders wanted out of the gun business as part of going legitimate, so they gave their gun trade to the cartel. Then someone didn’t like getting cut out of the guns.”

“That’s an interesting theory, but do you think you can prove it?”

My heartbeat thundered loudly in my chest. “If you give me a chance, I can.”

“You do realize what a chance you’re taking on this case? If it falls apart, your career is over.”

While my stomach twisted at the prospect of never rising through the ranks at the ATF, I knew that I had to do everything within my power to see that Bishop and the others weren’t falsely imprisoned. “I am aware of what could happen.”

Peterson stared me down for a few seconds before he turned and walked back around the side of the desk. As he sat back down in his chair, I couldn’t help holding my breath in anticipation. “Look, I know you’ve had a hell of a time since Gavin’s death, but never would I have expected you to go so far as to hook up with Malloy.” When I started to defend myself, Peterson raised a hand to keep me quiet. He got up again, then paced around in front of the desk as if he was searching for the right words. “I’ve always trusted your instinct, Vargas. Always. You’ve never given me any reason not to. If you’re willing to go out on a limb, then you have my support.”

I wheezed out the breath I had been holding. “Really?”

Peterson nodded. “I hope you realize how fucking hard it’s going to be on me to get you the resources you need.”

“I know it’s going to be tough.”

“It sure as hell is. I’m going to be jumping through hoops like a damn dog.”

I smiled at Peterson. “Thank you. I promise I won’t let you down.”

“You better not, because it’ll be both our asses on the line. You’ve got forty-eight hours to get your shit together before they are arraigned. That’s the best chance we have of getting the charges dropped.”

Although anxiety threatened to choke me, I bobbed my head at Peterson. “I’ll get right on it.” I whirled around and headed for the door. “Thanks again, Peterson.”

He gave me a small smile. “You’re welcome. And good luck.”