4. Walker
Chapter four
Walker
“Sounds good, sir. We’ll go through the forensic reports after the lead examiner finishes up on the Milwaukee case. I’m still hopeful we’ll find a match that links some of these cases, even one connection would be a considerable break.” I finish up the call with the regional director and slip my cell into my back pocket. Placing the lid on the last box, I double check I didn’t forget anything else on my desk. I didn’t keep a lot of personal effects in my office other than a few photos of my nieces and nephews, a photo of Ghost as a puppy, and an aerial shot I’ve had in every office since I left Texas of my favorite spot on my family’s land.
“Knock, knock. Hey, Walker. You got a minute?” The svelte blonde interrupting me packing up my office is one of the best attorneys in the entire bureau. Her long, curly hair falls effortlessly over one shoulder and her perfectly tailored dress highlights her flawless curves. Gretchen Avery was once upon a time my favorite person in the entire world but is now more like a thorn in my side. I was really hoping our paths wouldn’t cross today.
I keep my face as neutral as possible, unwilling to be fake with her but I can be cordial without acting like we are friends. “Sure, Gretchen. What’s up?” I gesture to one of the chairs across from me as I settle back in behind my desk, careful not to hit my knees. Hopefully my new desk in Nashville fits my long legs better than this one did. I sneak a glance at my smartwatch, hoping to find a reason to keep her visit short and sweet. I’ve spent enough time and energy on Gretchen Avery.
Gretchen takes a seat and nods to the box sitting on my desk. “It’s hard to accept that you’re actually going, Walker. You totally deserve the promotion, but you’ll be missed around here.”
Humming in agreement, I know better than to trust anything that comes out of her mouth. She is right, though. I do deserve this promotion, and I am damn good at my job. I know the value of being silent, so I lean back in my chair and give her enough silence to reveal whatever true motive she has for stopping by my office. Nothing is ever by chance when it comes to Gretchen Avery. She wouldn’t allow it. I run a hand through my thick dark hair, making a mental note to find a new barber in Nashville. I don’t keep it as short as was required while enlisted, but I prefer to keep it shorter to tame my natural waves.
“I was hoping to catch you before you left. I wanted you to hear this news from me and not through the grapevine or from one of our friends.” She pulls on the sleeve of her shirt as her eyes dance around the room.
We do share quite a few mutual friends, but that happens when you go to college together, are friends for years, and then date for over two years. I know what Gretchen is here to announce but I’m not going to help make this any easier for her. I am a former Army Ranger sniper and a decorated special agent with the FBI, but even if I wasn’t exceedingly observant, I would have to be blind to miss the giant, flashy diamond on her left hand. Gretchen is no longer my responsibility, and it’s not my job to make this easier for her when she has proven time and time again not to consider my feelings. I still don’t say anything when I know she expects me to; I just sit there waiting for her to get on with it. Gretchen is exceptionally good at her job and keeps her professional mask securely in place whenever it’s required, but I know her better than she gives me credit for, and I can see how uncomfortable she is right now. I have to make sure to hide my smug grin, as there are few things I find as satisfying as seeing Gretchen squirm.
“Right, well out of respect for our history, I wanted to tell you in person that Adam has asked me to marry him, and I said yes.” She has a small smile on her face as she looks at me with hopeful eyes. I’m not sure what she’s looking for here. Am I supposed to be happy for her? Does she want me to give her a hug, pop some champagne, and congratulate her for getting engaged to the asshole she slept with behind my back? Gretchen had the choice to end our relationship with some decency and respect, but instead she chose to lie until I caught the two of them in our own home.
It’s been just over a year, but cheating is still unacceptable in my book. The woman sitting across from me is not the person I loved. She might look and sound like her, but I know now I loved a mythical version of Gretchen. I miss that version, but it was a lie. The more time that goes by, the more I realize how unhealthy parts of our relationship were, even excluding her unfaithfulness. She was always ready to unload all her needs and concerns on me, but when I had something to say, she never made an effort to listen. Even if they were once a close friend, I could never love someone who repeatedly cheats and lies to my face. Gretchen’s infidelity was exposed just two weeks before her birthday, when I had planned to surprise her with an engagement ring that had been waiting in my safe.
Unfortunately, I’m still the gentleman my mama raised, so I give her a polite smile and stand. “Congratulations, Gretchen. I hope you two are very happy together.” Her smile widens, and she stands and moves around the desk, as if I’m going to give her a hug. I offer my hand to shake instead, and her smile falls just enough that anyone else would have missed it. She takes my hand but doesn’t let go after shaking it .
“Thanks. That really means a lot. I know things have been … different this last year, but I know we can get back to our friendship if we’re both willing to try. We have too much history together and I miss my friend, Walker.”
Yeah, that’s never going to happen. I let go of her hand and take a step back.
If she knows me at all, she should know deceit is not something I overlook or forget. I keep my circle small and tight. Loyalty is non-negotiable for the people in my life, but outside of work, Gretchen is no longer in my life. She is where she belongs—firmly in my past. Knowing I won’t run into her on a regular basis made my promotion and transfer even sweeter. We both work for the Criminal Enterprise Branch of the bureau and inevitably we will cross paths at some point, but thankfully, those occasions should be few and far between. I ignore her friendship comment and lift my chin to her. “Take care of yourself, Gretchen.”
Sliding her perfect mask back in place, she gives me one of her signature smiles. “Of course, you do the same, Walker. Good luck with the move, and I hope you love Nashville.” I nod in agreement without saying anything else. I know she expects me to say more, but I don’t owe her any personal information about my life. I don’t owe her anything. She walks to the door, turning to give me a small wave before leaving. I still can’t believe how close I was to proposing to her before it all fell apart. Talk about dodging a bullet. I would rather be alone the rest of my life than live a lie, even one as pretty as Gretchen.
I slide my jacket on, grab the box on my desk, and take one last look at what was my office for the last six years. A few colleagues stop me for quick goodbyes as I head out to my truck. My team is relocating to Nashville from across the country, but due to the nature of our jobs, I’ll still interact with the teams in Atlanta, just in a different role as I lead the new task force. I probably could have negotiated to stay based in Atlanta, but I was ready for a change, so when my boss mentioned the task force might be based in Nashville, I fully supported the idea.
I add the last box from my office to the backseat of my black GMC Sierra 1500 Denali truck. I could drive a vehicle provided by the bureau, but I prefer my own truck whenever possible. My brothers and I all drive the same truck. I used to give my older brothers a hard time for all the upgrades they insisted on, but as I get older, the bougie extras are nice. Do I need an $85,000 truck? No, but I sure do love the seat massager after a long day. We trade up every three years and it’s one of my favorite perks of the family business. People outside of Hampton County—and especially those unfamiliar with ranches in Texas—can be quick to judge when they hear you’re from a small town. They assume we’re all out of touch, country bumpkin hicks that marry our cousins, but the Bennett Corporation is one of the largest ranches in Texas. My older brothers, Sam and Charlie, officially took over a few years ago. Although I'm sure our dad still works more than Mama would prefer, but retirement isn't a concept the Bennett men fully grasp.
My parents are a walking real-life love story, even fifty years after they started dating in high school. They got married when Mama turned eighteen and had my oldest brother, Samuel Henry Bennett, two years later. Charles Wilson Bennett arrived three years after Sam, and as Mama likes to say, our family was perfectly complete five years later when I joined the party. My full name is Henry Walker Bennett III, but no one calls me Henry. Henry Bennett was my granddad, and my dad goes by Hank, so I’ve always gone by Walker. People often assume I’m the oldest brother since I’m named after my dad, but when my dad and his twin brother were born there was a mix-up at the hospital. Even though he was the younger twin, my dad was named Henry Walker Bennett II. Instead of fixing it, my grandparents thought it was kismet as he was the second son. My parents joked they would carry on the tradition, and they decided to leave it up to fate if they ever had a third son.
When Sam got his first truck, our dad got him the same truck he personally drove, then did the same for Charlie, and eventually me. We like the tradition, and I think of them every time I get behind the wheel. As if he knows I was thinking of him, Charlie sends a text to the brothers group chat.
Charlie
Did they run you out of town yet?
Me
No, asshole. I chase the bad guys, not the other way around.
Charlie
LOL yeah ok, Batman. How did the last day in ATL go?
Me
Fine. Would’ve been better if Gretchen hadn’t stopped by. Won’t miss running into her.
Sam
Why? What did she do?
Me
Nothing important. Had to show off her new engagement ring.
Charlie
You know, when relationships start off by cheating on other people, they always end in a happily ever after. Good for her, she deserves it. Hope her finger turns green from the ring.
Sam
And she had to show you? What a bitch. Good riddance .
My brothers initially liked Gretchen, but once everything came to light, their feelings changed immediately. I would be the same way if roles were reversed. We’re protective of each other. Thankfully Sam married a wonderful woman that would never pull that kind of shit on him. Sam’s wife Carrie never liked Gretchen—she never had a reason other than she had a bad feeling about her. I’ll be sure to listen to her if I ever date again. Charlie’s love life is even worse off than my own, but I know Sam and Carrie keep a close eye on him.
Me
It was fine. Ring was huge and gaudy, but don’t care. I won’t miss seeing her. I’m swinging by my condo to grab Ghost. I can call y’all when I’m en route to Nashville, should be within the hour.
Charlie
Sounds good. We’ll be at Mama’s for family dinner then so you can say hey to everyone if you want.
Sam
How long’s the drive?
Me
4 hours or so. Easy. I’ll talk to you guys later.
Charlie
Be safe, Walker.
Sam
Sounds good. Drive safe.
Me
Always.
My brothers always remind me to be safe at the end of our conversations. They know I can be in dangerous situations with my job, but I think they would say that even if I had a boring job like an accountant. In their eyes, I’ll always be their baby brother. Their concern feels like home though, and I don’t hate it. I could have joined the family business full-time like my brothers, but ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to go into law enforcement. Just ask my mama about how I refused to entertain any costume ideas other than a police officer for three Halloweens in a row.
I pull into the underground lot of my building before I head up to my condo for the last time. It will be listed in a few days and should sell quickly. My realtor is married to a colleague of mine in the bureau and she made the entire listing process seamless. She already has the extra key and told me to leave the other copies on the counter before I leave.
Ghost is sleeping in his dog bed when I arrive but quickly bounds to greet me at the door. “Hey buddy, how’s it going? Ready for a road trip? Huh?” I give him some scratches, both of us happy to see each other. Ghost was part of a litter from one of Charlie’s dogs and is a gorgeous English cream golden retriever with the best personality. He can be super lazy but also likes to play a solid game of catch. Gretchen convinced me we weren’t home enough to keep him in Atlanta when he was a puppy so for just over a year, Ghost stayed in Texas with Charlie’s family. Within two weeks of our breakup, I had Ghost back home with me in Atlanta. “Let’s go buddy. Quick walk and then let’s hit the road, huh? We’re going on an adventure. You wanna be my copilot? Are you ready? Yeah? Me too, bud, me too.”
I grab Ghost’s bed and the last few items remaining in my condo. The movers came this morning to take the furniture and most of the boxes. My new assistant in Nashville, Christine, will meet them at my new house, which has been so helpful to not worry about finding someone to meet the movers in a city where I don’t know many people yet. I don’t need to take a last look around my condo, I’m ready to close this door forever. Down the hall in the guest room is where I caught Gretchen and Adam when I came home early from a work trip. They had the decency to not be in our bedroom or in our bed. How kind of them. I still replaced every mattress and all bedding when she moved out. Shaking my head, we head back down to my truck to drop off our stuff before taking Ghost on a quick walk around the block. We load up and Ghost commandeers shotgun, where he will be asleep within fifteen minutes .
“Adios, Atlanta.” I pull out of my building’s lot for the last time without a second glance. Nashville is more than a promotion. It’s a fresh start, and it’s overdue. My same realtor in Atlanta helped me find a completely remodeled bungalow not too far from my new office. It’s a three-bedroom house with two and a half baths and a fenced-in backyard with a covered patio. The location and backyard size sold me on the place because I know Ghost will love having his own space to run around. I appreciated not having to deal with looking at a bunch of houses and my realtor appreciated the healthy budget I had, another perk of the family business. Charlie and Sam may have larger ownership percentages, but they still consider me an owner in our family’s business, which includes profit sharing. I know they would do that even if our parents didn’t require it, that’s just how we were raised. I may not be on the ranch working it, but I’m still a Bennett brother.
Smiling to myself as Atlanta fades in my rearview mirror, I am ready to get to Nashville. I’m ready for a new adventure, and according to Ghost’s obnoxiously loud snoring, he is too excited to contain himself.