Page 176 of Beyond the Badge: Crew

Or should he just call the coroner and have them on standby?

No, he wasn’t a goddamn coward. He needed to face Cami’s father like a fucking man and take full responsibility.

“Your record as an agent is a stellar one, Crew. You also impressed me when we worked together eighteen years ago.”

Crew pulled his shoulders back and straightened his spine, looking directly in the man’s eyes. “I remember.”

“When C.C. was only ten and... you were not.”

Maybe the whole heart attack thingwasa better plan. “I remember that, too.”

“She has her whole career ahead of her.”

“She’ll do well with the agency.”

“She has her whole life ahead of her, too. In my eyes, she’ll always be my baby.”

For fuck’s sake, he respected the man but not this bullshit guilt trip. Time to end it. “She’s not a baby in mine. She’s a very strong, capable woman.”

“From what I heard, you didn’t believe that at first. You thought she was too young and too green for the task force.”

“She proved me wrong.”

“But despite your belief she was inexperienced, she wasn’t too young foryou.”

Shots fired.

“What are you now, forty-three?” Cami’s father asked.

The man knew exactly how old he was. He came prepared for this ambush. “I am.”

“Divorced. Two kids.”

Luis Cabrera had already known that, too. “Yes.” Where was he going with this?

“I’d like to have grandchildren someday.”

There it was. “I’m sure at least one of your five children will be providing you with that gift.”

“It would be nice if all of them did. My wife and I love having a big family. We love having a full house filled with the sound of children laughing and playing…”

Jesus fucking Christ, was the man laying it on thick. “I’m sure my house will sound like that, too, if my children decide to have their own.”

“But you’re done having any more.”

Crew’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t a question, that was a fucking statement. “I’m not sure what this has to do with my position as a senior special agent.”

“It has to do with your position with my daughter.”

“She’s capable of making her own decisions.”

“Children always need guidance.”

Crew’s jaw shifted. “She’s not a child.”

Cabrera stared at him for a little too long for Crew’s liking. “It’s difficult not to still think of her as one.”

“How about when you attended her graduation from the academyaftershe served her country in the Navy? Did you think of her as a child then, or were you proud of her for following in your footsteps?”

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