Above the Law Read Online Free Page B

without you looking over her shoulder. There’ll be plenty of time for you to get to know Sophia.” Helen put her hand on Peyton’s arm. “Lily’s a tough one. She had to get that from someone, and it sure wasn’t Cyrus. I bet Sophia can handle any trouble that comes along. You can’t protect her from everything.”
    Dale nodded at the wisdom of Helen’s words, but she sincerely hoped Peyton would never have to learn that last truth the hard way.
    A second later, an SUV burst out of a cloud of dust and pulled to a stop right in front of the porch. Dale watched Peyton vault over the railing, run down the walk, and yank Lily’s door open. She couldn’t hear their exchange, but she imagined their words were laced with comfort and affection. She was happy for them, but couldn’t help but feel a trace of pain as she witnessed the relief of their reunion.
    Peyton looped her arm through Lily’s as they walked toward the house and Lily called out a greeting. “Hello, Agent Nelson. Good to see you again. Mrs. Davis, I’m sorry I’m late, but there was a wreck on the highway and traffic was crawling. My phone was in the backseat, and I didn’t want to risk a wreck trying to get it. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
    Before Dale could say anything, Helen pulled Lily into a fierce hug and said, “Don’t you Mrs. Davis me, young lady. I’m just glad you’re home. Now, I imagine these gals have a bit of business to discuss, so come inside and have some iced-tea with me.”
    “Wait,” Dale said.
    “What’s up?” Peyton asked.
    “Maybe all three of you should hear this.”
    “Out with it,” Peyton said.
    “We got a tip on Sergio Vargas earlier today, and we conducted a raid at a farm over in Denton this morning.”
    “Let me guess,” Peyton said. “He got away.”
    “He wasn’t there. At least not when we arrived. But he’d been there and left us a present.” Dale shifted in place, unsure how her news would be received. “Your brother Neil was in the barn, tied up and left behind.”
    “What the hell?”
    “I’m not sure what to make of it, but the minute we found him, he clammed up, asking for a lawyer. I thought maybe he might talk to you. I can give you a ride in.”
    Dale watched Peyton struggle to process the news that her brother, who’d disappeared after she’d caught him manipulating the family business, had turned up under even more nefarious circumstances. Peyton’s expression quickly changed from disbelief to anger.
    “You should go,” Lily said, placing an arm around Peyton’s waist. “He might talk to you, and answers are what you need. Family’s complicated.”
    Lily’s words and touch seemed to have a calming effect on Peyton who agreed to accompany Dale to the DEA office where Neil was being detained. As they drove into town, Dale couldn’t help but wonder what Peyton would have done if Lily weren’t around and, as she once again relived the pain of her own loss, she hoped she would never have to find out.
    Dale waited until they were on the highway before attempting to engage Peyton in conversation. “I think he just got in over his head.”
    “Neil’s always had big dreams, but he doesn’t understand having to work to make them come true. He’s the perfect pawn for a get-rich-quick scheme, but he’s also culpable for his actions. He has no one else to blame for the mess he’s made.”
    “Like Lily said, family’s complicated.”
    “Understatement of the year. What about you? You have much family?”
    Dale winced at the question. She realized Peyton was asking about extended family, brothers and sisters, mom and dad, but the question nagged at the sore spot she feared would never go away. Maria Escobar, her wife and the prosecutor who’d held Peyton’s job before her, had been her family, her most precious treasure. Time had numbed the pain, but she didn’t think she could ever think family without feeling the enormous void Maria’s death had left in her life.