Page 120 of Snowbound Threat

Shrugging out of my jacket first, I set it off to the side, then strip out of the sweat and dirt-crusted clothes as the shower heats up. For a moment, I pause in front of the mirror, my gaze landing on the scarred skin of my chest just above my heart.

It was meant to break me.

Instead, every time I see it, I’m reminded ofwhyI do what I do.

I earned this particular scar when I infiltrated a ring of human traffickers. They’d tried to test me, and I failed—proudly. So they thought they’d punish me instead. Luckily for me, the cavalry showed up shortly after they gave me this memento.

We ended up saving the lives of two dozen children and young teens who were about to be sold and transported out of the country.

I only did one undercover op after that, and while it went sideways and the guy I was investigating ended up dead, I still took down an evil man who was on the fast track to politics. Now he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison, and the world is a safer place.

No matter how tired I get, how down in the dumps I feel when I’m faced with evil on a daily basis, I’m reminded that there are still people worth fighting for. Innocents who deserve a chance, not just to survive…but to thrive.

So, until the day the Good Lord calls me home, I’ll fight for the innocent and wear any scars I’m left with honor.

Attorney Secures Major Win

December 19, 2025. Boston, MA.

Boston attorney Beckett Wallace secured a major courtroom victory Friday afternoon when the jury returned with a guilty verdict against Carl Jensen, owner of Summit Steel Construction, LLC. Jensen was accused of cutting safety corners that led to the deaths of three employees who fell to their deaths on January 7of this year.

Throughout the trial, Jensen attempted to deflect responsibility onto the victims. But Wallace, a partner at Langford, Wallace, & Wolfe Legal Group, delivered a powerful closing argument that struck a chord with jurors. She reminded them that this tragedy was not a freak accident but a preventable failure of leadership and basic safety.

“The lives lost could have been any one of our family members,” Wallace told the jury. “It could have been any one of us. And the fact is: They would still be here if the most basic safety protocols had been followed.”

The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning with a unanimous guilty verdict.

Jensen was sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay a substantial restitution to the surviving families.

“It won’t bring their loved ones back,” Wallace said in a post-trial interview. “But I hope it will go a long way in supporting these families while they get back on their feet.”

Known for her relentless preparation and moral clarity, Wallace has built a reputation as a bulldog in the courtroom. She’s respected for her tactical precision and unwavering code of honor, no matter the obstacles she faces.

Ismile as I finish reading the article, then pause at the image of Beckett embracing a crying woman on the steps leading up to the courthouse. Her eyes are closed, and her lips are parted as though she’s saying something.

Knowing her, it’s likely something reassuring. Kind.

Because, while she’s a bulldog, Beckett Wallace is the type of woman who is as kind as she is stubborn.

Something I knew long before a date that went horribly sideways, which led to her leaving Seattle to head home to Boston. I hadn’t even had time to fully process what had gone wrong, and she was already out of the state.

Yet, two years later, she’s still on my mind.

It’s pathetic.

“What are you looking at?” my partner questions.

I close out of the article then look up at him. “Paperwork,” I reply. “Which is what you should be doing, too.”

Redmond and I have been partners for less than a year, and while he’s a decent detective, he’s got an arrogant streak that really gets to me. I know it’s likely because he’s green, and I’m sure I had one back then, too, but I’ve learned that, in this job, arrogance causes you to miss vital information.

It gets people killed and lets killers slip through the cracks.

“I’m nearly wrapped up with mine,” he replies. “Thinking about playing some pool afterward. You interested?”

“I have plans,” I reply. “But thanks for the invite.”

“Yeah, man. No problem.” He leans back behind his computer, so I re-focus on the paperwork I’ve barely started but need to finish before I can turn in for the night.