resolving the problem would earn them congressional kudos, and more budget, of course. In the meantime, the locals were left to do all the dirty work.
She couldn't blame Warren for thinking the way he did—hell, she'd thought that way more than once herself. But the reality was, Getz was much more than just a kingpin.
“I wish that were the case, Detective,” Dani started, surprising the man with her acceptance of his implied criticism. “But the truth is, Ramon Getz is involved in a lot more than drugs and that's why we're here.”
“That begs the question then…” Ty met her gaze straight on. It wasn't a lascivious comment, but somehow, for a moment, they were back in his loft, just the two of them.
He was the first to break eye contact as he looked back down at the file. “If it's about more than the drugs, why are you here and why are you involving vice?”
When he looked back up she kept her expression neutral, careful not to give him or anyone else in the room any reason to suspect the truth about what she was thinking—about Ty or the investigation.
“Because the drugs are the start of the trail,” she leveled her eyes on Ty. “We're coordinating with other agencies, but this is where it starts. This is why we're here. Why we're involving you.”
And once this briefing was over, she expected to have minimal contact with them. She just needed to get through it without giving any of them a reason to think this was anything other than what was in the files, not that it wasn't enough.
“Where what starts?” Ty pushed. It was a question she expected and was prepared for, and it gave her a reason to turn away from him.
“Turn to page four and have a look for yourself.” Other than the rustling of paper, the room was silent for a long moment. Then someone let out a low whistle.
“Terrorists?” one of the younger detectives from the back row commented.
Dani couldn't help but offer a jaded half smile. “Cliché, I know,” she acquiesced with a shrug. “But in this case, it does look like Getz is going to be buying his next big shipment of drugs from a group of folks who aren't very fond of our government. And he's not paying in cash.”
“So for once, TV advertising isn't lying. Drugs really do put money in the hands of terrorists,” the young detective grinned.
“That's what our intelligence is saying,” she confirmed. “The difference is that the ads like to imply it's foreign terrorists.”
“And these are homegrown,” the same detective commented, flipping through the papers in his folder.
“Born and bred in the good ol' US of A,” Dani nodded.
Ty raised his head, even as his eyes stayed fixed on the pages he was skimming. “So this militia group, a group that claims to want to protect the American people from its own government, doesn't see a problem with selling drugs to a man who will distribute them to the very people they claim to want to protect?”
“If you ever come across a rational militia group, let me know, Detective. I'd be fascinated.”
Ty's focus went from the file to her. His eyes searched hers, and then his lips quirked with a hint of a smile. “So who else are you coordinating with?”
“FBI, ATF, Homeland Security. All the usual suspects,” she answered. “For the purposes of your involvement in the case, you only need to liaise with us. We'll handle distribution of information to and from.”
Ty studied her for a long moment. She sensed he wasn't satisfied with her answers and was grateful when he nodded, glanced at the folder again and then closed it.
“So that's the deal, gentlemen.” Dani snapped off the projector and faced the men. “To make a long story short, we believe Ramon Getz will be trading a number of weapons and questionable equipment to the Eagle's Wing Militia in exchange for a large shipment of high-grade cocaine. With your help, we hope to stop the transfer and apprehend the men involved from both parties,” she hoped she sounded convincing. “We will, of course, coordinate the details with your liaison,” she tossed the file back in her briefcase and snapped it shut to signal she was done.
She'd done her part and briefed the department; not everyone in the room needed to know all the details. “Do you know where the militia is getting the drugs?” Ty asked, not letting the meeting end yet. “It's not their