I sat back in the metal chair and sighed. I almost missed the scared man I met all those years ago. Mason had hardened during his time away, and I would need to study him better if I had any chance of convincing him to testify for me. Despite Mason's family being a bunch of scumbags, they were smart and knew how to skirt the law. It pissed me off to no end that they continued to stay out of prison.
Since there was nothing more I could do at the federal prison, I made my way out of the building, driving back to the Nashville field office. I was lucky enough to stay in the same office my entire career. Most agents had a dream office they wanted to be transferred to once they were eligible, but not me. I liked Nashville and would be happy to stay until I retired.
"How did your meeting go?" my partner, Special Agent Sylvia Mattias, asked. She was assigned to me three years ago, and I caught her up on the situation when I was advised Mason was picked up on a warrant.
"Mason wasn't in the mood to talk. He grew a set of balls since he went on the run."
"You know, I'll never understand why men think balls are tough. One kick at them and a man goes down like a baby. Now a vagina, on the other hand, that's some tough shit. Popping out a baby isn't for the faint of heart. Not that I would know that from personal experience, but from what I hear, it's no walk in the park."
I looked at my partner like she had grown a second head in the last minute. "What?" She shrugged her shoulder. "Does your mouth have a filter? Or do you say whatever pops into your head?"
During the three years I've been teamed up with Sylvia, I’d learned one thing. The woman didn't give a shit about social norms.
"Whatever pops in my head. It has a way of weeding out the sensitive souls. Take you for example, we've been together for awhile now, and you haven't once asked for a new partner. It tells me you aren't easily intimidated."
I didn't know if that was a compliment, or something I should be concerned about. I decided to take it as a good thing. "You aren't that bad. And besides, it would be annoying to break in someone new."
Sylvia was only my second partner since I joined the Bureau. The first one was my mentor, and I wasn't sure I would ever find someone I clicked with more than him. Although Sylvia was turning out to be a close second.
"Aw." Sylvia clutched her chest above her heart. "And here I thought you didn't love me."
I shook my head. Sylvia was a unique personality; that was for sure. She also talked enough for both of us that I barely ever had to say a word before she was jumping into the next topic. "So what's your plan? I assume you have one or at least on your way to one."
If only. "Not yet but I'm sure I'll think of something. Mason refuses to testify against his family, but eventually word will get out that he's locked up. It won't take long for his family to put a hit out on him. It should be enough reason for him to change his mind."
"I'll never understand how a family could turn on their own like that. I know not everyone has a tight-knit group like me but pure hatred? Yup, I can't understand it."
Sylvia came from what she liked to call hippies. Her family lived off the land as much as possible, and she was the first one of her siblings to branch away from that. From what she told me, her family didn't agree with her choices, but they never made her feel bad about it or turned their back on her.
"Yeah, I'm not close with my family, but I could never see my brother or father wanting to kill me."
Disown me? Sure. But kill me? I didn't think so.
"Ooooo. Is the ever-silent Special Agent Walsh finally going to open up to me after three years?" Sylvia rested her chin on her knuckles and wiggled her eyebrows at me.
I merely scowled in return. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe training a new partner doesn't sound so bad after all."
Sylvia threw her head back and laughed. "This is why I love working with you. It's so easy to rile you up. Go home, Beckett. It's clear it's past your bedtime, and old age is making you cranky."
Old age my ass. I was forty-one. Instead of arguing, though, I got up from my desk and waved her off before heading out. Sylvia was right about one thing. It was getting late, and I had missed dinner. It was probably the reason for my cranky attitude. I would swing by on my way home and grab fast food, knowing damn well there was nothing at my place. I hated grocery shopping, so I rarely did it.
Once I had some food in my stomach, I would be able to think clearer and formulate a game plan.
There was no way I was getting much sleep tonight. I was back on the hunt, and nothing would keep me from figuring out what Mason was hiding.
CHAPTER THREE
ANITA
The dark was where I excelled. I could spend all my time there and never see the light of day. But that wasn't how the world worked. It didn't cater to those of us who preferred the cover of darkness.
However, right now, it was my best friend as I waited for Special Agent Walsh to return home. For someone who worked in law enforcement, the security at his townhouse was shit. It took me less than ten seconds to gain access and disarm his security system.
I didn't bother to snoop while I waited. It wasn't my style. I was a get-in-and-get-the-hell-out kinda woman. The fact that I had to wait for Beckett to show up pissed me off. I was going on forty-five minutes already, and if I had to wait much longer, there was a good chance I would take my aggression out on the special agent despite his career choice and the warning from my teammates.
Patience wasn't something I possessed. Not when there were a million other things I could be doing at the moment. My onlycomfort was the brass knuckles I rotated between my fingers. They kept some of the anger at bay.
The flash of headlights through the blinds gave me pause.
