I stared down at my pizza. “There are good people there—lots of them. My father just tended to attract the bad apples. Like calling to like, I guess. I think I might be able to help get people to trust you.” I plucked off a bell pepper and twisted it between my fingers. “Maybe this is my chance to pay it forward.”
“You would reach these people in a way I’ll never be able to.”
I lifted my head, staring straight into Beckett’s eyes. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
14
BECKETT
My cell phone buzzed on my desk, and I glanced away from the paperwork I’d been focused on. I picked it up, swiping my finger across the screen. “Hey, Holt.”
“Beck. It’s good to hear your voice.”
“Yours, too.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I caught a case that had me out of pocket.”
I leaned back in my chair. “Everything okay?”
Holt blew out a breath. “A little dicey, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“Need me to stitch you up?”
He let out a low chuckle. “Thankfully, there were no knife wounds this time.”
“Clearly, this mission wasn’t challenging enough, then.”
“Such a shit-talker.”
“Always.”
Holt was quiet for a moment. “How is it being home?”
I picked up a pen from my desk and twirled it between my fingers. “It’s mostly good. It was time.”
“Going home again is never easy.”
I knew Holt fought his demons when it came to that; understood in a way few others would. “It never is, but it’s been good just the same. And I missed these mountains.”
“I might have to come visit you one of these days and get a look at them.”
“You’re always welcome. We’ve got plenty of space at the house, too.”
“We?”
I mentally cursed my slip. “I’ve got a roommate while my house is being built.”
“Shiloh?”
“No. Her name is Addie.”
“Her name, huh?”
My grip on the pen tightened. “It’s not like that.” No matter how much I wished circumstances were different.
“I’m just giving you shit. I’ll check my schedule and see when I can come down for a visit. Now, you gonna tell me what that cryptic-as-hell message you left me was all about?”
“I need help running a search on someone. I could ask Hayes, but I know you have other channels that he might not have access to.” Channels that skirted the lines of legality.