Genius #5; A Scorpion Fanfiction

Crossroads

Y/n's POV

"Hi," I greet the hostess. "Reservation for two, under Curtis."

"Can I get you a drink while you wait for your other party?" the waitress asked me.

"Uh, no, thanks," I reply. "He'll be here any minute."

"Okay. No rush," the waitress told me.

So I waited. And waited. And waited. One drink turned into two, and before I knew it, I had been sitting in the restaurant for an hour. I sighed, pulled some money from my purse, and after paying for my drinks, I left the restaurant. This was supposed to be our first official date. Sure, we went out for Tex-Mex the other day, but I didn't really consider that a date. For tonight, I had to get dressed up to even be let in the restaurant. So the fact that Toby didn't show pissed me off. The next morning, as soon as I arrived at work, I walked straight over to Happy, who was at her workstation.

"Hey, Happy. Do you have something I can hit? I need to let some anger out," I confess.

"I'm gonna guess that this is about you and Toby's date last night," Happy assumed and laid out a piece of metal for me.

"What date? I sat alone in a restaurant for an hour. He never showed," I grumble and swing the hammer down onto the metal plate.

"Good luck," Happy wished Toby as he walked over and she left, leaving the two of us alone.

"Peace offering," Toby offered as I hit the metal plate again. "I got you your favorite chocolates. The ones with the caramel. And a cactus you can keep at your desk."

"Toby, I don't really want to talk to you right now," I mutter.

"John 8:32. 'The truth will set you free'," Toby recited. "The truth is I'm an idiot. I was nervous about our date, so I took an Alprazolam. Apparently, I should've taken a half. Because I didn't wake up till 6:00 a.m. So I'd be so humbled if you'd please accept these."

"Toby," Paige interjected. "I think Y/n would like some space. So how about you put those gifts on her desk and let her get her anger out?"

"Guys. New case," Walter announced.

"What is it?" Paige questioned.

Walter nodded to the tv that was playing a news story. "We're gonna be protecting Ms. Hernandez."

United States Federal Court

"The DL crept up from Nicaragua in the '80s," Cabe started. "Started out in carting, trucking. Small-timers who did little more than rigged bids to get jobs. After a while, they graduated to shipping for hire. Drugs, guns, bodies, whatever you wanted to move discreetly, they carried in their trucks for the right price. Their boss, Hector Menjivar. Government's been trying to nail him forever. The guy is slippery."

"And this witness, Maya Hernandez, she was part of their group?" Paige inquired.

"She's a civilian," the US Marshall answered. "A neighborhood girl who took a job as their bookkeeper when she was 19. Her husband was a driver. They had no idea who they were really working for until it was too late. He was killed a few months ago. Rival runners took him out just north of San Francisco. Collateral damage in Hector's war to expand his territory. People are scared of these guys. They don't normally testify of their own free will. But we can't find the books outlining these guys' activities. She's the linchpin."

"So you trumped up a conspiracy claim, made it seem like she was part of it, and then told her you would drop the charges only if she testified. That's scummy," Toby commented.

"Not scummier than standing someone up," I utter, which caused Toby to look over at me.

"We are giving her protection," the Marshall insisted.