The Trap (Agent Dallas 3) Read Free Page B

eyes.”
    “Thanks.” The owner/cook smelled like burgers and fries, and her stomach growled. “Do you have a menu?”
    “Nope. Just tell me what you want.”
    She hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday—if you didn’t count airport cashews—so she ordered a grilled ham and cheese and a cup of coffee. Drager tapped his cup. “I’ll have the same.”
    When the old guy left, Drager said, “I’ve got bad news.”
    Please don’t cancel the assignment.
“What’s going on?”
    “A retired judge named J.D. Bidwell is dead.”
    Dallas scrambled to place the name but couldn’t. “Was he murdered?”
    “Beaten to death with a tire iron.” Drager raised his eyebrows. “MPD is handling the case, but I’ve asked to sit in on their task force meetings.”
    “How does his death connect to my assignment?”
    “Bidwell is the Virginia judge who sentenced Luke Maddox to ten years in prison. So I think Maddox is a primary suspect.”
    That was worrisome. She’d known Luke was bitter, but he’d never mentioned going after the judge. “If it was a grudge killing, any of the ex-cons Bidwell sent to prison could have done it.”
    “Maybe.” Drager gave a shrug. “But we know Maddox is aggressively seeking justice, and you overhead him say ‘terminate.’ That’s why you’re on this assignment.”
    In getting to know Luke, she’d forgotten that part of the overheard conversation. The fact that her target could be a killer sent a cool ripple of fear through her. But it didn’t change anything. “It’s good that I’m about to work my way in. The inner circle may have more hits planned, and we need to stop them.”
    “I hoped you’d see it that way.”
    Her thoughts came back to the murder. “When did Bidwell die? Maddox was in Utah with me yesterday.”
    “A parking attendant found his body this morning, and they think he died in the middle of the night.
    Luke could have done it. “I made it back by three this morning, even with a delayed flight, so in a private plane, Maddox probably arrived before midnight.”
    “Or one of his activists could have carried out the murder, while Maddox went to Utah for an alibi.” Drager’s mouth tightened. “But a beating like that is personal, and I’d bet a month’s pay Maddox is guilty.”
    But the murder seemed like it could be a setback to Luke’s primary cause. Dallas kept the thought to herself.
    Drager mistook her silence. “Maddox is dangerous, and you can back out if you want.”
    Would he have said that to a male operative?
“I told you, I’m in.”
    “Good.” Drager put a hand in his pocket, then slipped her a tiny device. “GPS. I want you to keep it with you. The inner circle seems pretty mobile, and I need to know where you are at all times.”
    As much as she wanted the security of that level of backup, it was risky. “What if they scan me before letting me into their base camp?”
    “You think they’re that sophisticated? Or paranoid?”
    “Yes. Cree is a hacker, and I’ve heard them talk about someone named Aaron who’s a tech whiz. I don’t want to take the risk.”
    “It’s your call.”
    “Besides, I bought a smartphone in Tara’s name.” The bureau hadn’t approved the expense, but she couldn’t stand the cheap phones for personal use. Dallas wrote down the number and slid it over to him. “I know you’ll never call me on this one, but you can track my location.” They would only talk on burner phones that had no names or personal information associated with them. It was the only way to protect her cover.
    Drager’s eyes contracted until he was squinting. “Have you thought about what you’ll do if they ask you to help them commit an act of sabotage?”
    Her jaw tightened. This came up often in undercover work, especially for agents who went deep into biker and drug gangs. She’d faced it before too, but snorting cocaine to keep her cover had been no real sacrifice. “It depends on what they have planned and how close we