“You were able to set aside your differences when it came to Walker. What makes Lee so different?”
“I just told you.” Fay set her drink on the hood and folded her arms. “But let me be blunt about it. Lee’s a sexist asshole.”
“I know a lot of men like that.” Beck raised a brow. “What about your problems with Walker? How’s that going?”
“Walker and I are fine.” Fay tugged at her ponytail and ran her fingers through her long hair. For her entire career she’d prided herself on her ability to keep her emotions close to her vest; however, she never had to keep these kind in check before. “He doesn’t blame me for what happened and while I’ll always feel responsible, you and I both know I did the right thing.”
“I agree,” Beck said. “But what is Lee’s take on your decisions regarding that mission? Is that what’s causing the friction? Or is it just the fact you’re a woman?”
“If I were a man, he’d be okay with it. He’d chalk it up to the enemy getting the jump on them. Because I’m a woman, I’m incompetent. It really is that black and white for Lee.”
“You’re right. That won’t fly with Hank, but if you want my advice, I wouldn’t say anything. Either Lee is going to figure it out, or he isn’t. Just do your job.”
“I’m sorry, Beck, but it’s not easy. Lee isn’t only challenging me. He’s making this difficult for Walker.” Fay pushed from the vehicle and paced. Her nerves were beyond frazzled. She resented how the mere presence of someone like Lee could rattle her, even though she knew she was at the top of her game. She and Walker had found their stride when it came to work.
She had no idea what their newfound sexual relationship meant, but she wasn’t about to try to figure that out just yet. That could wait.
“Walker’s a big boy. And he’s handled Lee before. And quite well. According to my intel, Walker made Lee a team player.”
“For the most part.” Fay couldn’t argue that point; therefore, it was time to zip it. She’d said what she needed to and now it was time to prove she could handle anything, including getting along with the likes of Lee.
“I best be going,” Beck said. “You know how to reach me.”
“That I do.” Fay let out a puff of air. She grabbed her soda and watched Beck stroll across the parking lot and hop into her vehicle. She took a long sip of her drink. She needed a good caffeine jolt. Actually, she needed a stiff drink, but that would have to wait until later tonight.
“Hey,” Walker called as he stepped from Gunny’s Watering Hole. He held up a to-go bag. “I got some grub.”
“Wonderful. I’m starving.”
“How’d your chat go with Beck?”
“Okay,” she said, though she really didn’t feel like rehashing it with Walker at this moment. “Have you heard from Lee?”
“I have. He said that no one has shown at the casino, but that’s not true because Albert has been texting me all sorts of interesting things about Chris having a meeting with Pete and Craig.”
“I don’t know what’s more fascinating. The three amigos or the fact that Lee is now MIA.”
Walker opened the passenger side of the vehicle. Once she was inside, he handed her the bag. “I told Lee to hang tight there and we’d meet up around eight at my place.”
“You’re planning on spying on Lee, aren’t you?”
“Damn fucking straight I am.” Walker tapped the door closed and jogged around the front of the SUV. He climbed behind the steering wheel and stretched across the cab, reaching in the bag and taking one of the Styrofoam trays. “I want to know why the fuck he’s lying to me because it doesn’t make sense. Not if he wants to work for the Brotherhood Protectors and no way is this another test.”
“No. It’s not.” Fay flipped open the top of her meal. She closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh scent of fried potatoes and grilled meat. Nothing got her taste buds more excited than those two things. “But let’s face it, based on what he said about the Aegis Network and the women in that organization, this doesn’t have anything to do with you and everything to do with me. I bet he’s already decided he doesn’t want this job and this is his big fuck you.”
“You might be right about that. However, the Lee I worked with, even when a woman in power was calling the shots, still did what was expected.”
She waved a fry in the direction of Walker. “That’s only because his ass was owned by the United States government. He might have pushed back a little. He might have balked or even made dumb-ass comments, but unless he wanted to face disciplinary actions, he didn’t have a choice.”
“So. What you’re saying is now that he’s a civilian, he’s more likely to stick his middle finger up at authority.” Walker stuffed his mouth with a massive bite of his burger.
“Exactly and right now, you and I represent authority.”
His cell rang.
He reached into his pocket and pulled it out. “It’s Sparrow. I’ll put it on speaker,” he said. “Hello.”
“We’ve got a body,” Sparrow said. “If I drop you my location, can you come?”
“Yes.” Walker wiped his fingers on a napkin before dumping his half-eaten burger back in its container and closing the lid. “I’ve got Fay with me.”
“Good.”
“Do you think it’s Levi or Andrew?” Fay asked.
“No. It’s someone else,” Sparrow said. “We’re waiting for an ID from the family. He’d left his parents’ house yesterday to drive cross-country to start college. They hadn’t heard from him and were worried. We told them they had to wait twenty-four hours.”