Above the Law by Carsen Taite Page A

her as much.
    “I guess I just wondered if you ever think about dating again,” Peyton said. “I mean I know how difficult our jobs are, but we all need someone to make it all worthwhile, someone to come home to.”
    Dale looked at the blue sky, the worn wood boards of the porch, the rocky gravel in the drive, everywhere but back at Peyton. She knew the answer and she’d known it since the moment she’d first met Maria. Maria had been her everything and, although a year had passed, the memories remained. Memories of their lives together. Memories of the future they’d planned. “I had that. Not sure you get to have it twice, and I’m not interested in figuring that out. No offense.”
    “None taken. I get it.” Peyton’s face flashed sympathy, but she dropped the subject and pointed inside. “You ready?”
    She was ready for anything that would distract from the conversation they’d just had. It was the closest she’d come to discussing a future after Maria in a while, and it was as unpleasant as the first time her brother had brought up the subject a couple of months before. She’d told him the same thing she’d said to Peyton, but this time the words had been accompanied by a twinge of regret, like the knowledge she’d forever be alone weighed more heavily than ever.
    The Davis kitchen was the makeshift war room, complete with a whiteboard and one remaining slice of pie. Dale helped herself and settled in at the table where Mary and Bianca were waiting. Peyton immediately took charge.
    “This morning, Dale and I met with Herschel Gellar, and he told us the task force funds are being diverted to other areas. Effective immediately, the task force is disbanded and everyone is being reassigned. Dale’s boss has confirmed it, and, Mary, I expect you’ll be notified soon. Raphael and the others were reassigned yesterday, and I couldn’t reach them to ask if they wanted to be here tonight. Bianca, you’ve already got a pretty big general caseload, so the only thing that will change for you is you might have a few more free hours in the day.”
    “And what about you?” Bianca asked.
    “I’ve been assigned to the human trafficking unit,” Peyton said. “I’ll be working with the FBI primarily, but I’m not sure who yet.”
    “So what happens to the Vargas brothers investigation and…”
    Mary Lovelace let the words trail off, but everyone in the room knew what she was really asking. They’d served a search warrant on Cyrus Gantry, and agents were poring over the files they’d gathered from his offices. There was no question Peyton would have to be walled off from the investigation and possible prosecution, but did the disbanding of the task force mean the whole thing would be dropped?
    “I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Vargases or Lily’s father,” Peyton said. “I recommended Bianca to take the lead, but Gellar says he’s going to handle it himself.”
    “That should be interesting.” Dale couldn’t help but laugh. The US attorney might be the top prosecutor in the district, but rarely did he or she actually try cases. The role was primarily administrative, and that was certainly the case with Gellar. He loved to brag about the accomplishments of his division, but he was rarely directly responsible for any of them.
    “I agree,” said Peyton. “But here’s the deal. The Vargases’ game is too big to rely on Cyrus as their only source for laundering funds. Now that Cyrus is under the spotlight and Sergio is on the run, someone else is going to pop up as a major player, and when they do, I want to be ready to catch them in the act. Nothing we do as a team will be authorized by my office or any of your respective agencies, so I can’t expect any of you to join me, but—”
    “I’m in.” Mary was the first to speak.
    “Me too,” said Bianca.
    Dale caught Peyton’s eye and smiled. “Pretty sure you know where I stand.”
    Peyton grinned. “I expected no less.” Her