But when she’d put her hands on him, pressed her body into his and he could smell her expensive perfume close up for the first time instead of the hints of it he caught when she drifted by him, he lost control and couldn’t stop himself from accepting her invitation.

This did not make sense. She was not his type.

He liked his women to have long legs, pronounced curves and lots of attitude. She had the curves but she was petite and what personality she displayed was frigid, nowhere near the hot-headed, in-your-face attitude he liked in his women.

He didn’t give a f**k about this, bottom line, he wanted her. When she gave him his shot, he took it.

He’d been furious when, close to the point of no return, she’d walked away leaving him hard and aching for more of her.

At the time, he thought she was playing games. When he had time to think about it, he decided, in her drunkenness, she’d lost control too but she’d found hers and, in the end, the games she was playing were games she needed to play so she could end up alive and breathing after he took down her father.

That was much better than dead, like her mother was assumed after eighteen years ago Elizabeth Townsend approached Indy’s father, Tom Savage, a cop and the widower of Elizabeth’s close friend, Katherine.

Elizabeth Townsend had wanted to be free of her husband, her life and wanted it for her daughter too. She didn’t want Sadie to grow up the daughter of a drug dealer. Therefore, she started to inform on Seth who had yet to make the big time, giving Tom information.

Until one day, she just disappeared.

* * * * *

Although Hector had been furious when Sadie had walked away from him, he’d waited and not approached her even though he wanted to. He knew he was close to closing the operation.

It was just over a week later when the DEA moved in.

He kept firmly detached from the process after. He demanded that other agents interrogate her and he didn’t get involved when they investigated her assets. He wasn’t surprised when she’d walked away and didn’t look back when the Agency froze the accounts and seized all property.

She’d done her job and she was moving on.

When they told him they were going to transfer him to DC, he quit. He’d had enough. Although he got off on the hunt, he’d never been big on rules and policy.

Furthermore, Sadie couldn’t get to him in DC.

He bought a house, went to work for Lee who also was not big on rules and policy and waited for her to come to him.

He didn’t think it’d take long. He’d never had a sweet piece go that hot for him that quickly nor had he ever lost that much control. He had no doubt that when their lives were no longer on the line she’d make her approach. She was a trust fund princess who walked away leaving him aching, it was going to have to be her that made the next move.

Sadie and he had unfinished business, he knew it and he knew she knew it and Hector intended to finish it.

However, by the time she made an appointment with Lee, he was losing patience.

* * * * *

He’d heard about Ricky Balducci and his brothers. Word on the street was Sadie was marked. The Balducci Boys had an unspoken deal, win Sadie, win the throne.

It was insanity and it was talk. The Balducci brothers were known for being both insane and entirely full of bullshit.

He was surprised that Sadie had come to Lee and he knew when she asked for protection that she’d been getting pressure from the Balduccis. Why she didn’t share this information with Lee, he didn’t know but he didn’t care either.

He didn’t want Lee involved. He could take care of it on his own. When Sadie left he told Lee he’d look into it. By this he meant deal with the Balduccis and deal with Sadie.

Her time was up. He was done waiting.

That night, he followed her from her gallery to her apartment and waited outside in case she went out.

She stayed in.

He left her thinking she’d be safe in a high rise with security. He had an assignment with Luke that night and he decided he’d come back in the morning. He’d planned to return, make sure she got to work then he’d take Luke, Mace, Darius or Vance and go have a word with the Balducci Boys.

After that, he’d go to Sadie.

He didn’t have that chance.

* * * * *

“You waited?” Eddie asked.

Hector sat back, took another drink and leveled his eyes on his brother.

“She handed me her father.”

He heard and saw Eddie suck in breath.

Hector nodded. “Fed me info, not good info but she fed it to me all the same. You remember that situation out in Stapleton, I gave you the head’s up?” Hector asked.

Eddie’s eyes flared and Hector knew he remembered. It had been a big bust and the Denver Police Department had been fully informed ahead of time who would be there, when and what they would find. It was the only piece of decent intel that Sadie had passed him.

“Sadie?” Eddie asked.

“She wrote me a f**kin’ note,” Hector told him.

“Jesus Christ,” Eddie muttered. “She wrote you a note?”

This time Hector shook his head but not to Eddie’s question, in disbelief at the memory.

“She’s the worst f**kin’ informant I ever saw. Broad daylight, door open, she’s rifling through the safe. Christ, you wouldn’t believe it. Spent half my time building the case against Townsend, the other half keeping an eye on her.”

At this Eddie started laughing and although Hector wouldn’t have thought it possible, he smiled.

Then Eddie quit laughing and said, “Word was, she stood beside her father through the trial.”

Hector replied on a dying smile, “She played her part. She was good at it. She’d been doing it a long time. It was her final show. I pulled in a favor, checked the logs, she hasn’t visited him once.”

Eddie let this sink in then he started, “You know her mother –”

“I know,” Hector cut him off.

They stared at each other. They both knew the risks Sadie took and they both knew the guts she displayed by taking them even if she didn’t do it well.

“Does she know about her mother?” Eddie asked.

“Doubtful.”

Eddie stared at Hector a beat and then said on a sigh, “Townsend’s a piece of shit.”

Hector took another shot of Jack and didn’t reply. There was nothing to be said. Seth Townsend was definitely a piece of shit.

The silence stretched.

Then Hector said quietly, “Heard about Zano’s visit to Balducci.”