Page 38 of Fanatic

“Hello, girl,” a voice spoke as I answered my phone.

“Hey, sir,” I replied with a smile.

“How’s my honorary nephew?”

“Ah, I gather you heard from my neighbour, Edna,” I said to Thomas Markin, Assistant Director of the RC Bureau.

“Sure, as hell did, and I asked Edna what she possibly could have done to upset my highly decorated ASAC and a local hero. Then I wondered if Edna had something to hide, which is why she didn’t want an FBI agent living opposite. She got off the line pretty quickly after throwing a few insults.” Markin chuckled.

I laughed as he’d intended me to. Markin was a good guy. We’d not seen eye to eye when he’d tried to make Grey move to a different office. But we’d been breaking rules for years and had gotten away with it.

“Edna clearly has a guilty conscience,” I agreed.

“When are you returning to work, Ware?” Markin asked.

“I’m not sure if I am boss, I feel adrift at the moment,” I answered honestly.

“Because you’re not focused. How about a phased return? Start with three days a week and build it back up. We have also moved offices, as you know, because we’ve expanded to several other divisions. I’ve got a proposition for you,” he said.

“Now that sounds interesting. What departments?”

“Gotta come in to find out,” Markin teased, and I made a rude noise. “Willow, you’re one of the best we have. It would hurt the bureau to lose you. We don’t do part-time jobs, but we can work out a phased return. Come back, give it a few months and see how you feel. If you quit without trying, you and I both know you’ll regret it and will be filled with what-ifs.”

“Boss, I hate you sometimes,” I said, and Markin chuckled.

“Yeah, but you’re coming in.”

And damn if he wasn’t right.

Chapter Eight.

Willow

The offices were now on the outskirts of Rapid City, which eased my stress levels immensely. They were in a nice glass and brick building which looked newly built. I entered, showed my badge, and headed through the metal detector. This was a significant improvement upon our previous location.

A woman waved, and I smiled and walked over.

“Hey Jenna,” I greeted Markin’s secretary, who was smiling.

“Hi, ASAC Ware,” Jenna Rose replied with a grin.

“Call me Willow,” I said, and she nodded. “Follow me, ASAC Ware.”

I rolled my eyes but followed Jenna as she led the way to the lifts. Several people glanced over as we entered the elevator. Clearly, Jenna didn’t escort many to Markin.

The lift stopped on the third floor, and Jenna and I exited, and I wondered if she’d hit the wrong button. The floor was empty.

“There’s my favourite agent!” Markin boomed, and I turned with a smile.

“Hey, boss,” I called as I walked over to greet him. Markin hauled me into a hug and squeezed me briefly before releasing me.

“You look good,” he said, studying me. “A bit pale, but yeah, you appear well.”

“So, what’s this about? It’s obviously part of your plot to get me back to work,” I asked, waving a hand around.

“This is the new and dedicated Violent Crime and Major Offenders Unit,” Markin announced.

“We didn’t cover that before, not to this extent,” I replied, surprised.

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