【R76】Pull Out the Pin

Morrison looked at the window with the curtain drawn, and then lowered his head to compare with the photo in his hand.This was a photo he had taken the other day when he was stalking, and sometimes Reyes would come back here for a few hours.He was sure it was the same room from the window sill with half of the dark red brick paint missing.It's hard for Reyes to live here. Half of the old buildings in New York are constructed like this. The walls are full of stains from the rainy season, and the government won't take the time to manage the houses on this alley.But Reyes was never short of money, and everyone knew it.

Morrison went in through the gate, but the iron gate was not locked, so he pushed it open.The stairs were much cleaner than they looked from the outside, no smells or rats scurrying around.Morrison found a bloodstain on the corner wall on the second floor, which may have belonged to Reyes. He guessed that his partner had a habit of not going to the doctor. The dressing was hastily done, and the technique is really not flattering, so it doesn't seem surprising that Reyes has so many large and small scars on his body.

Morrison knocked on Reyes' door. "The door is unlocked." His muffled voice came from inside.Morrison pulled the gun out of the stock, carefully pulled the safety catch, and pushed the door open with the palm of his hand.

Reyes was sitting facing the window with his back to him, his figure was outlined with a gray outline by the dim sunlight on a cloudy day; And slightly ups and downs.Morrison's leather shoes scraped against the floor, echoing through Reyes' stuffy room.He raised the pistol and aimed it at his back.

"I saw you from the window." Reyes got up and turned around, he was still the same-even though Morrison didn't have much chance to observe his face these two days, "You recently pointed a gun at Is my frequency a little too high?"

"There's always a reason," Morrison said calmly. "I'm not going to put the gun down until I fully trust you."

Reyes spread out his hands: "I don't have a weapon on me."

"That's right," Morrison said intently. "Now let's figure things out."

Reyes shrugged, then turned and pulled a half-empty bottle of red wine from the refrigerator.He calmly grabbed two more cups from the cabinet, and under the watchful eye of the gun, he used a screwdriver to unscrew the corks and poured them into the cups.

"I'm not in the mood for a drink."

"I advise you to drink more, Jack," Reyes said. "If you really figure out all this, it means that you will take some responsibility from now on. Are you really ready?"

"Yes, damn it." Morrison stepped forward, "I'll ask the questions, and you'll answer." Seeing that Reyes nodded, he asked, "First—are you a member of Talon? ?”

"On the face of it, yes."

"Undercover?"

"It's more like a double agent, to be precise, playing a double agent." Reyes twirled his cup with two fingers, "I provide Talon with police information, and I also report Talon to the bureau. trend."

"Which side do you belong to?"

"The beneficiary of a real double agent is himself, he can play both sides around, but my purpose is to make Black Claw think that I am a brazen double agent, the kind of stinky guy who wants to make some money for himself."

"But you really revealed the internal information of the police station. Is it your credit that all the black claws were safely withdrawn yesterday?"

"Yes, I also provide them with various ways to target or avoid the police. This will make me more realistic, and the reliability of the information is all in my hands. In a way To my advantage."

Reyes pushed the untouched mug along the wooden tabletop toward Morrison.Morrison swallowed, and his Adam's apple choked.

"How does Talon make sure you're not acting?"

Reyes sneered: "Morrison, Talon doesn't have the word loyalty. Instead of running over in tears and saying that I don't want to be a policeman, a guy like me who only trades information for money will be punished." equipment."

"how long it has been?"

"When I was in Los Angeles, I investigated Talon for a while, but after a few years, Talon fell into a deep sleep again. The police stations of various branches disbanded the investigation team due to lack of manpower. Ever since the drug lord's warehouse rescued Billy , the abnormal activity of Talon reminds us that now is a good time-"

"'We'?" Morrison frowned. "Who authorized this operation?"

"In the Bureau. We have long wanted to arrange such a long-term mission. When the opportunity comes, we will start it immediately."

"Does Winston know?"

"know."

"But I don't know?" asked Morrison sharply. "How long are you going to keep it from me?"

Reyes glanced at it and took a step forward, still pointing at his gun. "You were still sleeping in the ward, and a small movement in the corridor would cause you nerve pain. Everyone hoped that you could rest well and not break down your body like a fool. Besides, we also I don’t plan to keep it secret for long, the police station is already preparing for the reorganization of the Talon investigation team.”

"The Talon investigation team?"

"You'd better put down the gun first, isn't it sore to always raise your arms?"

Only then did Morrison realize that his arms were already sore and sore.He cursed a few words under his breath, then finally put the safety on and put the gun away.He swung his eyes around the table, grabbed the glass of wine and poured it down.Morrison's esophagus seemed to be on fire, and a rush came up his throat, almost forcing tears out of his eyes.Reyes raised his eyebrows to the sky:

"That's not how red wine is drunk."

"I know." Morrison wiped his mouth, "Give me some more."

Reyes poured him another glass.Morrison began pacing up and down the cramped living room. "I still need to figure out something," he said. "When did you infiltrate Talon?"

"Remember the day you got smacked on the back of the head? We caught that mohawk and his accomplices, and they came up with a few people who had ties to Talon, and we screened a few guys for a break- —The kind of young people who are eager to get on the job and don't speak strictly. I tell them that I am tired of working in the police station for years and years, and I hate the ineffective government bureaucracy. Feel more satisfied..."

"Is that why they trust you?"

"Of course not. At first they only paid me a small amount of money to spy on me. I weighed the remuneration to provide information. The less I paid, it was naturally not important information; if they increased the price, I would say something more reliable Later, a smuggler introduced me to Talon, and they successfully intercepted two armored vans based on my intelligence, and I got a little attention. It took about two months."

"They just believed you? It's a little too simple."

"Remember what I said, there is no word of loyalty in Talon's dictionary, and there is no absolute trust. In their eyes, I am just a businessman, and most of them will isolate me from internal meetings. I help them, I To collect money, I will never ask too much about Talon, if they are willing to reveal something, that is my profit. So—"

"—It's a long-term mission," Morrison said. "You need to earn a little bit of their trust over a period of months or even years."

"Yes, but the bureau didn't intend to delay it for so long." Reyes also poured himself a glass of wine, "To be honest, this mission is a bit hasty, and many details are up to me, and I'm not a good actor. "

"Your poker face helped a lot." Morrison sneered. "How's it going now?"

"I can't reveal too many details to you or other colleagues, but what is certain is that Talon has planned several transactions in order to rise, involving a lot of stolen money and weapons. In these operations, we will observe and use their Vulnerabilities, sweeping them all out, crushing its core from the inside with quick and precise slashes."

Morrison saw a trace of weariness in his eyes.

"Don't be too hasty."

"If we can't suppress their breeding tendency as soon as possible, it will be a nightmare in the future." Reyes stared at the sparrow perched on the window sill, "Lacova - you have seen it too, she has a falcon-like Insight and a woman's terrible sixth sense, if I want to stand firm in front of her, I have to do much more than this. This is one of the reasons why Winston decided to set up an investigation team. I need to respond, and someone needs to help me fill in An oversight. Winston will tell you."

The room became quiet again, and the two of them were silent for a while, listening to the chirping of sparrows, mixed with the occasional motor sound of one or two cars passing by.Reyes leaned on the refrigerator to watch Morrison's reaction. Morrison reached for the bottle again, but Reyes easily snatched it away.

"Have you finished asking?" He put the bottle back on the stopper, "Don't drink after you finish asking."

"Okay," Morrison said vaguely, throwing his hands up in a gesture of surrender as Reyes took his glass back and threw it in the sink, "I haven't had a drink in a long time since... since we They were all too busy to turn around, damn it, this thing is really more useful than coffee."

He fell into Reyes' sofa chair, kicking up a cloud of ash.Morrison let himself sink into the soft cushions, stretching his neck and shoulders. "Do you know how hard I've been trying to figure out what you're up to? I even went to Torbion for help, and I followed you, every day, following your ass like a fool."

Reyes chuckled: "I know. You did a good job, if it were me, I would do the same."

Morrison looked at the ceiling of the room and began to count the dusty cobwebs in the corners.In several places, the wall skin has begun to peel off, and there is a cold musty smell from the corners.Much of the decor is vintage woodwork, with chipped wood grain or dark marks from stains.The living room only has simple bookcases and a soft sofa made of cotton and linen. There is an honest coffee machine on the dining table. Morrison can imagine that it will always go on strike because of getting old.Reyes stood out of place among them, only the wine cabinet behind him looked like something from this century, probably moved by him.

"I didn't expect you to live here."

"Only recently," Reyes said casually, "my grandma used to live here and it's been left unoccupied since she died. Recently used as a safehouse."

"Is your grandma American?" Morrison asked with some surprise.

"Yeah, but she's not pure white, she's biracial," replied another. "She was fighting for racial equality all her life. Back then, you know."

"It's interesting to hear you talk about your grandma," Morrison said, tilting his head at him. "I mean... you seem to have a lot of secrets, your face... your eyes, always There are a lot of things hidden. We have been colleagues for so long, and the most I know about you is only superficial, and I don’t even know your real work, but you read me as easily as a blank sheet of paper.”

Reyes came closer and sat down next to him.Morrison shivered reflexively as their legs touched.

"That's why I was the spy, not you."

"Stop saying that," Morrison groaned, "I can't help being frustrated whenever I try so hard and find out it's not what you expect of me—"

Reyes snapped at his wrist, which was propped on the sofa. Morrison was taken aback, and blinked to find that Reyes' stern face was only a few feet away from him, and he could see every tiny line of it. Scars, and even two new dark scars.Morrison's eyes flicked over his straight nose and well-trimmed beard, not knowing where to fall.

"You always care too much about what others think of you, but do you really know what others think of you? You are justice, the representative of the spirit of the police, and the bright side that the underground group hates; and I am walking on the People in the shadows, so it was, and so it will be. We were meant to go different ways, and I don't want you to feel lost because of a partner - you're too young to go your own way, Jack. "

Reyes let go of him, but they seemed to be getting closer.Morrison suddenly felt that Reyes must smell bad alcohol on him, and he suddenly regretted drinking so much alcohol just now.

"Do you understand?"

Reyes' deep voice was like a gust of wind blowing fallen leaves, pouring into his ears and churning in his head.Morrison understood. He recalled the first time the two met. Reyes almost broke his hand. They fought in the cafeteria because of another person's rude words. They were in the monitoring car endlessly Tricking and teasing, Reyes inadvertently showed his approval...

"You think I'm a good partner?"

"Are you drunk or are you deaf?" Reyes glared at him impatiently—he must be the most impatient man in the world. "Two glasses of wine make you dizzy? God, smell yourself— "

"It's you who are too close to me!" Morrison angrily pushed his chest away (eventually) with one hand, "Don't you know what a private domain is?"

"Private domain?" Reyes was stunned for a second, then shook his hand angrily, "Morrison, do you still not believe me?"

"What?" Seriously?Are they going to fight here?

"I said, you are my type, I am not lying." Reyes said word by word, "You attract me like a little sun, do you remember? I am not lying."

"You like me?" Morrison frowned this time. "Really?"

Reyes looked like he was on the verge of a rage. "Has no one ever expressed affection for you?"

"um, yes."

"I didn't expect so many blind people in the police academy."

"No, actually..."

"Okay, Morrison," Reyes interrupted his weak defense, "may I kiss you?"

How should Morrison respond?His brain has been completely short-circuited, and his body is shaking desperately beyond his control; he feels the steady breathing of Reyes when he approaches, but his heart is rushing out of his chest nervously; Reyes always goes straight, He didn't know whether to choose "reject" or "accept" to him, so the word could only be choked in his throat, and he exhaled in his trachea like a stupid cat.What kind of emotion does he have for Reyes?Morrison had never been a literary guy, and he couldn't describe the mess in his chest to the person across from him.

Reyes was still waiting for him.Morrison took a deep breath, and suddenly opened his mouth thoughtlessly:

"The days you hid from me by acting alone... I hated you, I felt excluded and disqualified from working with you. I was disappointed in you when I suspected you were in league with Talon To the extreme, but I have been trying to convince myself to look for evidence that this is a wrong inference. Yesterday, last week, these two months." Morrison paused, and suddenly chuckled. "But the worst part was the moment I saw you pointing the gun at the hostage, I thought I saved a Talon lackey."

Reyes stood motionless like a statue, not blinking.Morrison began to wonder if Reyes regretted asking him that question.Morrison let out a sigh of relief when his collar was violently pulled.

"I take it for you," Reyes said.

Morrison thinks back to his first kiss with Reyes - all the alcohol's fault, including this rambling flashback - and he remembers those nasty, blinding dancing lights, all the time Their heads twirled tirelessly, the music frozen in his head with echoes; he hadn't had time to close his eyes when he was kissed, and a blue or purple light flashed across Reyes' dark-skinned face, like some kind of god.He didn't know why he was only thinking about it now, maybe it was the same principle as when he was sleeping, when his head touched the pillow, he would remember the dream he had the day before.

Reyes' lips aren't quite as soft, at least not as soft as his own, as he's been nibbling (even exaggeratedly) obsessively on Morrison's lower lip, and Morrison's tongue occasionally touches him slightly. Cracked lip skin.He smelled Reyes' alcohol and thought he would be worse than him, and he shrunk back in shame; but Reyes' palm held him firmly, and he couldn't escape anywhere.

Morrison fell into madness. No matter how calm a person is, his rationality will be completely drowned out by Reyes' violent offensive, not to mention that he is far from being calm.His back was strained, and his whole body sank into the sofa. The dry grass smell that belonged to linen penetrated into his nostrils, and the fiber fabric rubbed against the back of his neck.Reyes followed his position and pressed him deeper, kissing him harder.

Reyes pulled back a little, whispering his name as he breathed. "Jack."

Finally, Morrison's last line of defense also collapsed.He opened his mouth, letting Reyes' hot tongue rush, tangling with the tip of his tongue and brushing his teeth, causing a tingling sensation.Morrison found desperately that he didn't hate this at all, he was even addicted, he wanted more of Reyes—Gabriel, the man's breath enveloped him in the corner of the sofa, but he still wanted Want more.Morrison fumbled at his short hair, trying to draw him closer, only to realize his hands were shaking like a sieve.

After so many centuries, the world has calmed down again, and Morrison opened his eyes when the buzzing in his ears faded away: Reyes looked rather embarrassed, his collar was scratched in a mess, and the corner of his mouth was swollen together; he propped himself on top of Morrison, his eyes glowing.

"Damn it, Jack, damn it," he swore. "Alcohol again. I don't want our relationship to be made of alcohol. Fuck."

He paused slightly and took a breath. "It's not all about the alcohol, is it, Jack?" he asked.

Morrison stared at him, unable to say anything.He has aphasia.He looked at Reyes in front of him, saw himself in his bottomless black pupils, and then saw himself nodding slowly.

Reyes looked at him too, smiling.

■

"Hey, Jack." McCree greeted Morrison, squatting at the reception desk busy filling out a form for a newly arrested suspect, "Where did you go yesterday?"

On the other side of the office, Reyes shot his eyes through the crowd with precision. Morrison touched his neck guiltily.

"what?"

"Yesterday I wanted to invite you to the bar after work, but they said you were leaving first." McRae complained. He wrote a lot in the "brief" column of the form, and then double-crossed two lines. , "Where did you go yesterday?"

"Well, I went to Reyes'," Morrison said matter-of-factly. "Don't fill out the form like that, Winston won't like it."

McCree naturally ignored the second half of the sentence: "Did you go to Reyes' house? Stayed all night?"

Reyes yelled at Hana for taking the wrong file from behind.

"We had some drinks and he wouldn't let me drive back..."

"So you stayed at his house all night." McRae threw away the pen and slapped the form on the chest of the suspect who was staring at him viciously. "Take this and go find that girl—" He pointed to Lena, "Don't treat her fiercely just because she's a little girl, she can annoy you to death. Go over there."

"Didn't stay all night," Morrison argued feebly, "he has something to sober up, and in the wee hours of the morning I..."

McRae stretched out a finger and shook between the two: "I don't want to hear the details, Jack! But I'm very happy that the relationship between the two of you has changed qualitatively. To be honest, sometimes you quarrel so fiercely, I'm about to come out and say something nice for Gabriel—cough!"

He suddenly coughed so loudly that Morrison noticed that Reyes floated over sullenly.He glanced at Morrison first—a look that set Morrison on fire.He was so close he almost touched Morrison's back.

"Why, don't stare at me like that, you can't really kill people with your eyes." McCree said, "Can't I just chat with Jack casually? Take your possessiveness away, this is a public place. "

"I'm here to inform you that you will have a meeting in the small conference room in five minutes." Reyes said, holding up a piece of paper with his name on it. "Also, I won't be jealous of an idiot like you."

McCree threw up his hands in surrender, took two steps back and ran away. "I really wonder how that police uniform is on him." Reyes looked at his back, and then tried to pretend to be casual and asked, "What were you talking about just now?"

Morrison raised an eyebrow: "Really? Are you really jealous?"

"Of course not." The dark-skinned person immediately denied, "I'm just curious, after all, you don't often chat."

"You're wrong about that," Morrison walked to his seat, throwing his coat and bag on the table, "Before you came, McCree and I would go drinking or playing pool every week. Later, when we got busy, this unwritten agreement was shelved."

Morrison didn't think Reyes' sudden darkening was an illusion.

"I'm going to the meeting room."

"Wait," Reyes stopped him suddenly, "Let's have dinner together tonight."

"It's only eight o'clock in the morning!"

"I've got to book your time ahead of time so people don't keep trying to chat with you." Reyes stared at him. "Huh, Morrison?"

It was a simple invitation, but after the kiss Morrison would never forget last night, he probably couldn't think of anything that came out of Reyes' mouth as simple anymore.He wanted to calm himself down, but his heart beat wildly again:

"Don't we often have dinner together?"

"Just the two of us."

If his next sentence is "like a date", then Morrison really doesn't know how to respond, not to mention that the other party is (almost) whispering to his face and doesn't care about it It's the busiest police station during fucking early morning shift changes.Thank God he didn't go on.

"I'll call you when I'm hungry." Reyes seemed satisfied with the answer.Morrison pulled out a notebook from a drawer, "Now let's go to the meeting."

■

Winston called everyone on the list into the conference room, and when he announced the formation of the Talon investigation team, only Morrison opened his mouth in no surprise.The young man chattered excitedly and nervously in the back row; Reyes hid in the back corner of the room with his arms folded, without saying a word from the beginning to the end.Winston handed out the documents, and Morrison flipped through them at random. They were all about Talon's materials that he had sorted out a few years ago. At that time, he had just arrived at the police station and was still learning from Anna's ass. The investigation into Talon has only been heard a little bit.

"Why so suddenly?" McRae played with an unlit cigarette, frowning at the information, "I thought it would take a few months before it would be put on the agenda."

"The black claws attacked the freight forwarding companies in the city center in broad daylight. We can't let them go on like this." Winston said, "Not only in New York, they have more and more bases, and their roots are getting bigger and bigger. We must have The forces that confronted them head-on suppressed them."

"Are these kids also members of the team?" McCree pointed at Lena, Hana, and Japanese newcomer Shimada Genji behind him, and the three of them protested angrily, "They just graduated!"

"We not only need experienced police detectives, but also fresh blood. They are full of drive, bright minds, and can find many things that you don't notice." Winston glared at McCree from behind his glasses, "Don't Think too much of yourself, Jesse. Oh, and your team leader is Jack Morrison, any questions?"

Morrison felt all eyes on his back. "No, sir." Only Genji answered Winston politely and loudly.McCree touched Morrison's elbow and gave him a thumbs up.

"What about Reyes?" Lena asked quickly, "He and Jack used to be partners. What is he responsible for?"

"Strictly speaking, he is still Jack's partner." Winston explained, "Gabriel needs to do a job that is a thousand times more dangerous than what you have at hand-he is responsible for breaking into Talon and acting as a double agent." " Lena's mouth was wide open in surprise, her eyes were full of admiration, "He will hand over the details of the investigation to Jack, and they will work together to formulate the next step of the investigation team's plan."

Now the group of kids turned to look at Reyes again.

"The point is, Gabriel won't reveal details about his work other than what we need to know. The less you know, the better. It's protecting you," Winston emphasized. Surround him and tell you undercover stories."

Hannah's shoulders slumped, and Morrison was sure she almost rushed to do so.

"The rest of the matter, Jack will clarify with you in private. Jack, you stay here, and I want to talk to you." The superintendent waved his hand, "The meeting ends."

Everyone left the office one after another. Winston took the opportunity to wipe his glasses, and then found that Reyes was still standing behind him motionless.

"Gabriel?" said Winston. "Can Jack and I have a moment?"

"I thought I could be part of this conversation?"

"Actually, no." The superintendent said politely, "Please go out, if there is anything else, we will talk about it alone."

Reyes reluctantly leaves.Before closing the door, his eyes dangled between the two as if examining them. "I always think he's been a little weird lately." Winston muttered, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Morrison. "Let's talk, Jack."

Then Winston took off his spectacles with both hands solemnly and laid them flat on the table, which was his hallmark of a serious conversation.

"I owe you an apology for Reyes' infiltration mission. I know you've been wondering where Gabriel left off, and that's the privilege I gave him. He kept it a secret, too. my decision."

If it was a month ago, Morrison would have lost his temper, but now he maintains a calmness that even he doesn't believe.

"I understand."

"Thank you." Winston smiled gratefully. "When you and Gabriel raided the warehouse, the black claws who heard the wind finally smelled a little panic - 'So the notes are not all trash!'. They also want a policeman Be an ally, but this cop has to be a dirty bastard."

"Reyes is the right man?"

"Working with Gabriel for so long, you can also figure out his temper. When he was still in the Western Division, he used to scare the interns to tears because of his straight face. Haha, he was actually very funny. His face It's just a mask, his emotions, all his secrets, if he wants to hide it, it will be difficult for others to discover it."

"Maybe he should go straight to the undercover team."

"Yeah, everybody said that, but he didn't want to. He turned down a good offer from the undercover team outright. You see, no one really knew him. He's been in the Homicide Squad in Los Angeles, and he's a... Terrific detective."

Winston cleared his throat, and went on:

"Why do we have to bring their star detectives from Los Angeles? This starts with Talon. Five years ago, there were strongholds of Talon gangs in every state, and they quietly occupied most of the underground market in North America. The New York branch was relatively late in setting up the investigation team, and Washington has sent several undercover members, one of whom is code-named Sombra. Anna is in charge of the eastern investigation team, so they are more or less social.

"Sombra and Gabriel used to work in the Talon investigation team in Los Angeles. After Sombra was transferred to Washington, the work related to Talon there fell to Gabriel's shoulders. Many people thought he would be overwhelmed and leave the team. But no one thought that he worked there for half a year with ease. He was good at dealing with gangsters, and he had his own set of rhetoric; at that time, he had the most informants, and no one dared to betray him."

Winston stopped again, and Morrison handed over the bottle of mineral water at hand, but he did not move.

"The good times didn't last long and Gabriel started losing the important things in his life - his career was thriving but there was always a price to be paid for such a dangerous job. His house was ransacked once and he lost a fortune, loved ones Injured, he shot and killed two Talons, and later had to persuade family and friends to live in other countries; Gabriel also tried to restrain his emotions, always scaring away anyone who wanted to approach him, his colleagues said He might not be able to like anyone anymore."

Morrison lowered his head, staring at the toes of his leather shoes.

"In other words, Gabriel has nothing left to lose, and this kind of person is often the scariest. Because the investigation team got too close to the informant and the gang, there was some work that had to be done, you know, The so-called "removal of hidden dangers" or "cleaning up the mess" was handed over to Gabriel. At that time, Jesse entered the police station as an intern to help him fight, organize reports, or follow him, although Gabriel never told him He revealed a little bit of the dirty work he had done, but Jesse also more or less guessed some. A year later, Talon disappeared again, and the investigation team disbanded. Jesse was selected by the New York branch, and Gabriel returned to the serious crime team , everything goes back to how it was before.

"But Sombra is still on undercover missions. Until last year, she sent us the news that Talon will re-emerge, and its sphere of influence will be fixed on the east coast first. After Anna's promotion and transfer, we need someone who understands Talon People from all over the world came to us. Gabriel immediately volunteered and said he had had enough of being in L.A. Considering what happened in those years, it’s no surprise.

"You know what happened later. As soon as we saw an opportunity, the bureau and I immediately made a decision to let Gabriel sneak into Talon and play the role of a double agent. Now that the Talon investigation team has been established again, it seems that history is beginning to repeat itself. But our end this time must be the complete smashing of Talon."

The superintendent drank water to moisten his thirsty throat and gave Morrison a few minutes to digest the food. "It's going to be a very dangerous job," Morrison said, "sneaking into Talon."

"Yes, of course, but Gabriel is not afraid. Jesse said that a man can't stop being a stone after what he's been through. What can a man with a heart of stone be afraid of?"

"I don't want him to go on like this."

"Nobody wants that, Jack," Winston reached out and squeezed his shoulder, "so I'm very relieved to see that the relationship between you and Gabriel has improved. , that’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

Winston got up and put on his glasses.Morrison stood up too, and pushed his chair under the table.

"Thank you for what you have done for the police department, Jack." The superintendent said, "We still have a long way to go, and so do you. As for how to go, it is up to you to decide."

"Go my own way," replied Morrison, and Winston smiled at him.They left the meeting room together.

■

Morrison was delayed for another meeting, and by the time he grabbed his coat and rushed out of the building, Reyes' car had already