Reborn: The Rookie Detective

"Stella has one more year until high school graduation, and Augie (August's nickname) will be entering high school next year. Both kids are doing well in school. Emily has been engrossed in charity work lately, driving to the border every week, so she hasn't had much time for me."

Walker seemed like a traditional family man; although he sounded a bit complaining, he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes.

"The kids grow up so fast. In the blink of an eye, they're almost the same age as when I left. Come on, I can't wait to see Emily, and Aunt Molly's stewed beef brisket. She's probably already starting to prepare it, right?"

With that, Hannah excitedly dragged the two out of the restaurant.

Jack followed the police car in his Firebird, while Walker went back to the police station, switched to a Ford Raptor, and led the way, heading west.

Walker's ranch, or rather Hannah's small farm, is actually quite far from Austin, about 200 kilometers away. In Jack's previous life, he would never have considered making a special trip just to eat authentic food before returning to his hometown.

But to the Americans, this seemed quite normal. Seeing that his car was already approaching 100 miles per hour and he was barely keeping up with Walker's Raptor, Jack was a little confused.

"Uh, is this really okay? I think I just saw an 80 km/h speed limit sign."

"This is Texas, everyone drives like this." Hannah said matter-of-factly.

Okay, it seems his understanding of the Lone Star State is far from enough.

"Should we notify the Wolff brothers?"

Jack estimated the time in his mind. Although Hannah might plan to stay in Texas for a few days, it wouldn't take more than two days to get to that small town in Georgia. Even if they spent a few more days sightseeing along the way, they should arrive in about a week at most.

Since Margrave is a small town with a population of less than two thousand, outsiders would stand out, so their original plan was to go in batches. The Wolff brothers would arrive first to make some preparations, and Jack and Hannah would follow by car with the necessary equipment.

Now it seems that Walker was the one who prepared the equipment.

"That accountant and his mercenary brother did something big last night, you know?" Hannah's expression was somewhat complicated.

"Uh, took down some big drug lord?" Jack wasn't surprised at all, because he was the one who provided the intelligence, just yesterday.

Interesting part was the one who helps the drug lord is a C*hinese.

He had promised Chris to keep an eye on the drug trafficking group called Marlos Dorados, so he had naturally made the necessary arrangements, especially with Angela's wedding approaching, this dangerous bomb had to be defused as soon as possible.

The day before yesterday, when he restored communication and called everyone to let them know he was safe, Zoe told him that La Fiera would be in LA. Jack also contacted Nolan and learned the latest developments from the unsuspecting rookie: La Fiera was coming to LA to see her son.

So he immediately contacted Chris. Just before he left New Mexico this morning, he received an encrypted message from Justine containing only an OK emoji.

"Last night, a yacht at the Cabrillo dock was blown to pieces. The LAPD, ATF, and FBI were all mobilized, even alerting the DHS, who initially thought it was a terrorist attack. It was only later discovered that the yacht's owner was La Fiera, the head of the Marlos Dorados Group."

"I remember you said Chris had been eyeing this woman for a while and guessed this was related to you guys. Are you planning to be vigilante superheroes forever?" Hannah's eyes didn't show much worry, but rather a hint of resentment at not being included in any fun activities.

This girl has flashed her FBI badge twice today, why is she still so enthusiastic about this kind of thing? Has she been corrupted by me?

Jack reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don't overthink it, I only made a few phone calls, I didn't expect them to act so decisively."

He briefly recounted the criminal past of this "Flame Girl," then sighed, "Chris did take my advice and didn't use a Barrett, but ended up using explosives instead."

Hannah pouted, "I think this was probably Braxton's idea, but they were very clean. I didn't inquire too much, but I heard that the ATF has focused their suspicions on several retired police officers from Guatemala."

In the original storyline, these retired police officers who came for revenge were either killed or arrested, but this time they've become scapegoats. It seems the ATF probably won't find any crucial evidence; a few days in jail is just a small price to pay for their indirect revenge.

"Alright, the Wolff brothers are leaving tomorrow, let's contact them in a week."

Jack put down his phone and began to concentrate on driving.

As night deepened, after nearly two hours of speeding, Jack followed Walker's Raptor onto a dirt road. Soon, they arrived at Walker's ranch.

A large, well-maintained villa, though somewhat old, came into view. Seemingly to welcome the two, the Walker family had lit up a ring of colorful lights around the villa, and the whole family was waiting at the door, as if holding a small welcoming ceremony.

"Aunt Molly, Uncle Bonham." Hannah jumped out of the car quickly and gave the two kind-looking elderly people a cheek kiss.

"Welcome home, my little Hannah," Walker's mother looked radiant, though her long blonde curls were half white, she still had a youthful appearance despite her age.

In contrast, Walker's father, Bonham, looked less well. Jack vaguely remembered that he seemed to be ill, which had caused the two elderly people some friction. Since he was here, he might as well help him with that.

[A/n: One day his healing powers will get him into the trouble, if not I write the trouble.]

"Hey, Stella, Augie, you've both grown so much! When I left, you couldn't even reach the horse's back."

Hannah finally hugged a beautiful, gentle woman tightly, refusing to let go. "Emily, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, darling." Emily gently stroked Hannah's back, noticing her choked voice, and chuckled, changing the subject. "Aren't you going to introduce that handsome gentleman?"

Hannah wiped her tears shyly with the back of her hand and introduced Jack to everyone.

Taking advantage of the handshake, Jack bestowed a month-long buff upon the two elderly people. Over the next month, a long-term healing spell would gradually eliminate some of their physical ailments, as his way of repaying the Walker family for taking care of Hannah years ago.

"Come inside, it's getting late," Walker said, and everyone escorted Jack and Hannah into the villa.