Page 72 of All He Sees
She shut her eyes for a moment. Allowed herself to breathe.
Then, she turned on the car and set the GPS to the prison Felix Anderson was staying in.
She pressed the gas and set off down the road.
EPILOGUE
The prison loomed over Nicky as she drove up, making her feel like it could crush her at any moment. Its shining walls, the sun reflecting off them, blinded her like a searchlight. At least four stories tall, surrounded by razor wire fencing, and the concrete made its way into the sky like a tombstone. The top was flat with watchtowers on each corner where guards sat.
She'd been here too many times now. She'd called ahead, and the guards would be expecting her.
Felix would be expecting her.
It was time. It was time to finish this.
She parked her car in the visitor's lot, a space already reserved for her, and got out. She shut the door and locked it, then walked up to the gates, where she showed her badge to the guard as she went by. She nodded to him, then went through.
She turned around, facing the sun. Even here, it was burning hot. It was always burning hot.
Nicky walked up the stairs and entered the prison. She showed her badge again to the guards, then she made her way through the halls.
She knew where she was going. She'd been here before. She was always here before.
She met with the final guard, who sat behind plexiglass in the prison. She held up her badge. "I'm here to see Felix Anderson."
The guard ran a metal detector over her. It beeped, but she knew it was because of the car keys she had in the pocket of her jeans, not because she was carrying a gun. "Go on in," the guard said.
That was it. No further questions.
She stepped into the room, where the door closed behind her.
Felix sat at the table, smiling up at her.
"Hello, Nicky," he said. He looked her up and down. "You look good. Got back after that fishing trip pretty quickly."
"Did you expect anything less?" she asked, playing along. There was always something in his eyes. Something that made her feel uneasy.
"I knew you'd come back," he said. "You always come back. You're a good agent, Nicky Lyons. You're a strong woman now. Not like you were when you were sixteen."
Nicky's teeth gritted together as she sat across from him. She couldn't let his words get in her head.
She couldn't let him manipulate her. She'd thought about this before. It was all a game to him. A game he wanted to play.
The problem was--he had gotten in her head. And she needed more answers.
"What did you mean about my father?" she asked.
Felix's eyes flashed. "You haven't spoken to him?"
"No," Nicky said.
"Hmm." Felix eyed her. "Do you have a poor relationship with him, Agent Lyons? Maybe he's not such a great dad?"
Nicky's teeth ground. Felix didn't know a damn thing about her family. But she couldn't show emotion--that would be her biggest mistake.
"Tell me what you know about my sister," Nicky said.
Felix sighed. "We're back to this, are we?" he said. "Agent Lyons, I already told you. Your father. He is the key. It all leads back to him."
