Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6 by Kathleen Brooks (well read books TXT) 📗

They’d been in Atlanta for three days, slowly taking down sections of the Myriad and gathering intelligence. What he hadn’t done was call Tinsley. As they watched Cy set up the gun dealer’s now empty van to ram into Myriad’s headquarters, he asked Dare about it. “Do you call Harper when you’re undercover?”

“Nope. But if you’re wondering if you should call Tinsley, then maybe you should reach out to see how she is so you can focus back on the case. Look at that creative engineering. I swear you can do anything with duct tape and bungee cords.”

Paxton looked to where Cy finished rigging the van and set a brick on the gas pedal before leaping back. The van tore off down the street. It jumped the curb, raced up the wooden steps, and slammed into the house that served as the Myriad

headquarters. Cy stood out in the open, and as the first men started pouring out of the house, he gave them the middle finger.

“Tell Engle I’m coming for him!” Cy yelled before getting in the SUV and taking off.

“He’s crazy,” Connor muttered, shaking his head as they took pictures of everyone running out of the house. “But it worked. There are lots of guys we haven’t seen before. I’ll run all the pictures through our database.”

“I’m not seeing the Spillers, though,” Paxton said with a sigh, before he perked up again. “Hey, there’s Curtis.”

Paxton watched as the head of the Myriad strode out of the house in a towering rage. He was on the phone and yelling orders to everyone around him, including whoever was on the other end of the phone call. “Let’s see who shows up and where Curtis goes. He must have another location where the drugs, weapons, and art are stored. If we want to put Curtis away, we need those items in his possession when we bust him.”

Dare and Connor worked on getting the photos uploaded to their various departments, but it was the SUV pulling up that drew Paxton’s attention. “Get that SUV and anyone who comes out of it on camera.”

“Who do you think it is?” Peter asked.

“I think it’s Trevino. It has F-E-D practically stamped on it.”

Paxton leaned forward and zoomed in the telephoto lens. Unfortunately, the driver’s window never rolled down. However, he snapped a picture of the plate as the SUV tore away from the house and in the direction Cy had driven.

The back door to their van opened and Cy jumped in. “So, did I stir up the hornet’s nest enough? You think they’ll move forward quickly now?”

“I do. The license plate for the SUV is registered to the federal government,” Connor said.

“There goes Curtis.” Paxton pointed as the man jumped into the passenger seat of a massive pickup truck. “Go. Kord and Granger, gunmetal gray truck,” Paxton said into his coms. Kord and Granger were in two different undercover vehicles on various side streets, waiting for Curtis to pass them.

Cy picked up his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Miss Trudie. Do you know anyone who wants to report a van running into a house at 555 Peachtree? Yes, ma’am that is the Myriad’s headquarters.” Paxton could hear Miss Trudie’s laughter from across the van.

A minute later, Connor’s police scanner went off reporting the accident. “Looks like I’m up. Dare, do you want to come in with me to investigate any guns we might find?”

Dare and Connor jumped from the van and headed for Connor’s cruiser parked a few blocks away.

“You and Peter follow Granger and Kord. See if Curtis leads you to the art,” Cy ordered. “I’ll stay here and monitor it all.”

Paxton hopped from the van with Peter and raced toward their undercover SUV. In minutes they were following Curtis per Granger’s and Kord’s locations. Paxton drove, his hands tight on the wheel. He wanted this over so badly it hurt. He wanted Tinsley safe and the only way to do that was to find the paintings.

Paxton pulled to a stop in front of the warehouse where he’d been shot. Dark and painful memories fought to be freed, but he pushed them back. Now wasn’t the time.

“Where is Curtis?” Paxton asked into the coms.

“Inside. The driver is still in the car,” Granger replied.

“An extended SUV is pulling into the back,” Kord told them. “Two men are getting out and knocking at the back door. The door is opening and they’re going inside.”

There was no movement out front, and as Paxton scanned the warehouse, he couldn’t see any movement in the front rooms either.

“Wait, they’re coming back out carrying large suitcases,” Kord told them.

“Big enough for paintings?” Paxton asked.

“Aw, crap,” Kord cursed over his coms. “It’s not the paintings. One of the guys knocked a suitcase over and white powder seemed to explode inside it. I just see puffs of cocaine floating in the air now. No paintings.”

Peter was already calling it in to Connor, who immediately sent a unit. The SUV wouldn’t get far and Curtis was going to be pissed when a lot of his coke was confiscated.

“That'll push Curtis over the edge,” Peter said as if reading Paxton’s mind.

“I was thinking the same thing. If he owes money to some South American gang and loses all of his product, he’s going to have to sell the paintings ASAP.”

“Paxton, Peter,” Connor’s voice sounded hushed over the coms. “Agent Trevino just appeared on scene and is demanding to take over. We were able to go into the house to check out the car and saw weapons and guns in plain sight. We were able to confiscate, but Trevino wants them all. No paintings, though, sorry.”

Paxton clenched his hand into a fist. “You can’t let Trevino take over. All that evidence will go missing and no charges will be brought.”

“I had my team move fast. I already arrested and transported fourteen Myriad members who had either outstanding warrants, possession of drugs they had on them, or unregistered firearms. I got them