“It’s more than that,” I said in a hushed tone. “She wants to take a more active role. Get out in the fray. Catch bad guys. Make a difference.”
“She’s making a difference.”
“She doesn’t feel like it.”
Daniels took a deep breath and grimaced. “When she came to work here, I promised her father I’d take care of her and keep her out of trouble. The world is full of degenerates, and I’m not going to put her in harm’s way.”
“You’re gonna lose her to the FBI if you’re not careful.”
“She’s going to apply to Special Agent Selection?”
“She’s making noise.”
"We need her around here,” Daniels said. “She is a valuable member of the team."
"Tell her that. She's got a college degree, she's got enough years of service here, and she can pass the physical fitness test.”
"You know how hard it is to get in?"
“I think she's a prime candidate.”
The sheriff frowned. "What kind of ideas have you been putting into her head?"
I raised my hands innocently. "This isn't my idea. I don't want to lose her either. I also don't want to see her getting shot at.”
"I'll talk to her." After a pause, he said, "Thanks for letting me know."
JD and I left the station. We headed back to Diver Down and grabbed lunch at the bar. We shot the breeze with Teagan and dished the latest dirt.
Jack ordered the Baja Burger, and I went with the steak tacos. We chowed down and kicked around theories about the cases.
Just as we were finishing up, my phone buzzed with a call from Catalina. I stared at the screen for a moment before answering. "Have you decided to confess?"
"There's nothing to confess,” she said in a devilishly innocent voice.
I scoffed. "Look, I'm busy. I've got a lot going on. I don't have time for you to jerk my chain.”
"I'm not jerking your chain. If I was jerking your chain, you'd know about it," she said in a sultry voice.
"What do you want, Catalina?”
"I want you to know that there is indeed a contract on your life. It's not limited to the Navarro cartel. It's an open contract.”
"Did you put it there?”
"Would I be telling you if I did?”
"Tell your father to call it off. I'm sure you can be persuasive.”
"If you knew anything about my father, you would know that he is a man who cannot be influenced or persuaded. He is a man who sees the world in black and white. You are either on his side, or you are not.”
"I am most certainly not on his side.”
"There is nothing I can do or say that would change his mind.”
"You expect me to thank you for telling me this? Give you some kind of pass?”
"I don't expect anything from you. I'm just telling you because I want you to stay alive."
