Page 47 of Shadow Sabotage
“We all need a listening ear sometimes.”
“You probably always have that in your family.” This time, his smile was wistful. Sad.
It stabbed my heart to realize that the ultra-confident special agent was lonely.
Chapter Sixteen
Vance
Claireand I chatted the whole drive back to Wildwood. I was still surprised by how much I’d opened up to her. How I’d told her things I’d never told anyone else.
Not that I had many friends these days. Since moving to Wyoming two years ago, I’d been entirely focused on work. I’d pushed myself, working around the clock to earn the experience my father said I needed. It had paid off in more ways than one.
But I hadn’t realized how empty my life felt until now.
Working cases gave me a sense of purpose. I’d gone into the field trying to find some connection with my father—and probably to piss off my mother—but I’d fallen in love with the job. I was good at it. I enjoyed pushing myself, both mentally and physically. And there was something deeply satisfying about bringing someone to justice or closure to a family.
I’d followed in my father’s footsteps and discovered that I shared his personality. That I could make work my entire identity and find fulfillment in it.
I’d never stopped to question whether or not that's what I actually wanted.
Not that it mattered. It wasn’t like anything else was available to me at this point. I’d already made my decisions. Two years of giving everything I had to the Wyoming DCI had opened doors for me. Everything I’d done, everything I’d sacrificed had led to this: two offers on the table, either job waiting for me as soon as I wrapped up this case. For me, the only decision left was which one I was going to take.
Option number one was that I could go work for my father, having finally earned enough experience that he’d offered me a position—at the bottom of his company.
Option number two was that I could keep following in his footsteps and take the job I’d been offered at the FBI.
Keep fighting for a relationship with him, or walk away and prove I’d been as good as him all along.
I think I had my answer. The conversation with Claire had sealed the deal.
Right before wehit the Wildwood city limits, Claire told me to take a left.
“Why?” I asked as I turned onto a desolate, narrow road.
“I have another lead. Someone I want to talk to about Tony. But…” She hesitated.
“What is it?”
“Turn right,” she said, pointing to another road. “I think I should talk to him by myself.” There was uncertainty on her face.
I frowned. “Why?”
“He doesn’t like cops.”
“You’re a cop,” I pointed out.
“I’m not like most cops. He trusts me, but…I should talk to him alone.”
“What are you not telling me?”
“I don’t want to get him into trouble.”
I pulled the SUV over so I could turn and look at her. “Partners have to be honest, remember?” Then I softened, seeing the worry on her face. “You can trust me, Claire.”
She studied my face. Whatever she saw there seemed to ease her mind. “His name is Rob. He’s not a bad guy. Wouldn’t hurt a soul. But at his place, you may see … evidence … that could get him into trouble.”
I smirked. “Let me guess. Weed?”
