I half-expected a smile to form on her face, but not Agent Martinez. Couldn’t even imagine her cracking a joke.
“How long ago was it that I met with you?” she asked.
“Almost a year.”
“And do you remember what you said to me when I first made the offer for you to turn witness?”
I grinned. “Not exactly, but it probably involved the words ‘fuck’ and ‘off.’”
“That was more or less the idea. And now, here you are, inviting me to your home, telling me that you want to give up your company, to do the right thing. I have to ask…what changed?”
I was still hesitant to reveal too much. “Not wanting to see anyone else close to me hurt again.”
She nodded, crisp and professional. “As good a reason as any. And more than just your loved ones will go unharmed as a result of this. You work with me, give me what I need, and this whole city’s going to be a hell of a lot safer.”
“That’s what I’m hoping.”
“But…you know that you’re not going to get off scot-free, right? We’ll go easy on you, but this isn’t going to be a simple matter of you giving a testimony and going out for dinner with the family at the Cheesecake Factory that night.”
Another grin on my lips. Closest thing to a joke I’d ever heard her make.
“I know. And I’m ready for that, too.”
She leaned forward, her hands steepled together.
“Then let’s get started. Because Mr. Ryder, we have a hell of a lot of work to do.”