If this isn't Beckett arriving home, I'm going to lose my shit.
I waited not so patiently for the car door to slam shut and for footsteps to clomp up the concrete steps. A sadistic smile took over my face as the anticipation of confronting Walsh settled into my bones. These were the moments I looked forward to. Seeing the surprise on my enemy's face.
I didn't hold my breath as the doorknob turned and the door swung open. My heart rate didn't even spike. This was second nature to me and anyone looking on would think I was bored.
I could tell the moment Beckett realized he wasn't alone. His footsteps came to a screeching halt. I continued to play with the brass knuckles waiting to see what he would do.
Suddenly the living room lights flooded the space. I gave myself a moment to adjust to the brightness before lifting my head. A sane person would've been alarmed at the gun pointed at them, but it was no secret I wasn't sane. The huge smile on my face made that very clear.
"Welcome home,Special Agent Walsh." I said his name with a sneer. I didn't hide my hatred for him seven years ago, and I wasn't about to now.
"How the hell did you get in here?" Beckett was smart enough not to lower his weapon. He knew I was a threat to him and anyone else who got in my way.
"It's just one of my many skill sets," I answered dryly.
"What do you want?"
I had to give the man credit. He hadn't gotten soft over the years like some federal agents did. He filled out his suit nicely, and the little bit of scruff on his jaw made him look sexy. If I didn't hate him so much, I'd let him end my dry spell. Thirteenmonths was an awful long time to go without sex. But I did hate him, and I never let my libido control my life.
"To talk."
"So then why didn't you just pick up the phone? Breaking into my house wasn't necessary."
I slipped the brass knuckles over my fingers and ran it along my palm. It wasn't meant to be a threatening gesture, but I could see it made Beckett tense ever so slightly before he regained his composure. He wasn't stupid enough to disregard me as a threat, but he wasn't shaking in his boots either. The man was confident, and damn, that annoyed me. "I believe in a more face-to-face approach." I liked to see my opponents squirm as I played with them.
"Well, congratulations. You got your wish; now start talking, or I'm calling this in."
I chuckled at the threat or lack thereof. Law enforcement didn't scare me. Not local or state and certainly not federal. "We both know that will be pointless. I could finish you off and be long gone before anyone showed up. I'm sure you haven't forgotten what I'm capable of."
Beckett's eye twitched. I hit a nerve. I had paid the lovely special agent a visit after Mason disappeared. I made sure he understood my disappointment with the use of my fists. It had to hurt his ego to be beat so easily by a woman.
"I'm not the same green special agent I was when we first met. I learned a lesson that day and made sure it could never happen again," Beckett hissed.
"Good to know." I continued to toy with the brass knuckles. "I would love to test that theory, but that's not why I'm here."
"Then how about you do both of us a favor and tell me why youarehere?"
I raised my right brow at him. I didn't appreciate the tone, but I would give him a little slack considering I was the one tobreak into his home. But only a little. If he continued with the attitude, I would be forced to adjust it for him. "Mason Dunkin." The two frigid words fell from my lips.
"What about him?" Beckett didn't look surprised by my request, and he still hadn't lowered his weapon. The man probably thought he had the upper hand in this scenario, but he was mistaken. I always had it.
"You know what I want," I seethed. I was no longer in the mood for this conversation. "A location."
"I don't have it, and I don't think Mason does either."
Was that pity on his face?
Fuck that!
I was up and out of the chair in the blink of an eye. Another second and I had Beckett disarmed and his face planted into the wall.
"Do you really think you can believe that piece of shit after the stunt he pulled?" I had one of his arms wrenched behind his back, and my hand was wrapped around the back of his neck as I pinned his front to the wall.
Most people underestimated me due to my size. But what I lacked in strength––I could beat most grown men––I made up in speed. It was rare someone saw me coming before I struck.
"You know as well as I do that he loved Nova."
I pulled Beckett back just far enough that I could slap him back into the wall. "Men like Mason don't know the first thing about love. I tried telling Nova that, but she refused to listen to me." My carefully controlled persona was slipping by the second, but I couldn't get control of it even if I tried. My best friend's death had that effect on me.
