"Tell me. Why did you join the FBI?"
"To get justice for victims. To get assholes off the streets before they hurt more people."
Callahan nodded. "Right. It's not about closing cases or climbing the ladder for you. Politics don't even play a part in your mind, and yet that's what the FBI is all about. It's statistics. The more cases you close, the better your chances are of a promotion. The bigger the criminal, the more accolades you earn. But that stuff doesn't mean shit to you."
"It doesn't mean shit to a lot of agents, not just me. So why was I never meant for the FBI?"
"Because I think if given half the chance, you would step into the gray area if it meant protecting the innocent and getting a scumbag off the streets permanently."
I was taken aback by his statement. "No, I believe in the law."
"Do you? Or do you believe in getting justice? Because those are two completely different things."
Did I only care about justice? I thought about my feelings when I’d learned Lex was dead. I wasn't sad. No one in my position would be. He was just another criminal who got what he deserved. But there was a side of me who wanted to high-five whoever killed him. Thank them for taking care of the piece of shit when no one else would. Did that mean I was okay with people living in the gray area?
"I'm not saying you have to answer me now, but just think about it."
"What brought this on?"
Callahan would always be my mentor even if he no longer worked with me. I valued his input more than anyone else in my life.
"I saw the way you looked at Anita all those years ago."
"And how's that?"
"The same way I look at my sweet Maggie. Like the world revolves around her."
"There's nothing sweet about Anita." Well, except her sweet cunt, but I wasn't about to share that.
"Maybe not but that doesn't change the fact that she could be your other half. Your soulmate."
How the hell did we get to this point in the conversation? I came here to talk about the shitty week at work, and somehow Callahan was giving me advice about soulmates.
"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself."
"Am I? I saw it seven years ago, and I'm guessing if I saw the two of you together now, it would look eerily similar."
I wasn't so sure about that.
Did I find Anita attractive? Hell yes.
Did I like the way she lit up when I touched her? Abso-fucking-lutely.
Did I think we were marriage and forever material? Uhhhh I couldn't say I pictured that before now. But now that Callahan said something, several things were running through my mind at once.
"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"
"Only because you said something, and it doesn't matter anyway. Today was a one-off. She hates me, and our careers make us incompatible." Well, I assumed they did anyway. I didn't know exactly what job Anita had, but something told me it didn't align with the FBI.
"There's a very thin line between love and hate. Besides, your career is only a problem if you stay with the FBI. Who knows. Maybe you'll find something that aligns better with what she does."
Leave the FBI? I never even considered that. Then again, I was never called into a meeting with the brass before, so who knew what my future held? I might be switching career paths whether I liked it or not.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ANITA
I was in the gym doing my leg workout when the music I was listening to suddenly shut off.
