"No. There's no way in hell I'm giving you permission for this!" Wyatt snapped, slamming a fist on the table.

He was obviously irritated for a reason God only knew.

"Sir, this case is ours. They can't just take the baton and leave us on the sidelines," Liam argued, gritting his teeth.

We both got so pissed off over what happened in the interrogation room and there was no way that we were going to give up on the case without a fight. We went to Wyatt and told him about what happened and asked him to allow us to work on the case, but unfortunately, he wasn't very fond of our idea.

"No, it's not yours. This case always belonged to organized crime," Wyatt said, giving Liam a hard look. Then his harsh, dark eyes darted at me. "Now that I mentioned it, I think I had previously made that clear to you, Agent Ryan."

I didn't give a reply, even though his statement succeeded in getting on my nerves. I took a peek at Liam, who was clenching his fist, and a flare of anger was clear on his face, giving it a slight shade of red.

"And what the hell did they do with it all this time?" Liam demanded, a couple of veins popping out on his neck.

"That's none of your concern. It's their problem to worry about," Wyatt dismissed in a firm tone. Then he looked between the both of us with a stony stare. "Why do you really care about this particular case, anyway?"

I felt his words were directed at me. So, I finally stepped into the heated argument. I cleared my throat and looked at him.

"We're specialized in homicides, and it plays a huge part in this case. We could work alongside the organized crime division, and this isn't something new. A lot of divisions come together sometimes to solve different cases as part of a joint investigation," I said, hoping that I could convince him. "We could find something useful or make a difference, even if it was minor. This case has been open for so long, with no new leads. So why don't we just double our efforts? This may help us get hold of the tip of a new thread that might lead us somewhere."

"You said it yourself. This case has been open for so long that I don't believe you two can do anything better than all the agents in organized crime, and all the agents who worked on this case before," Wyatt said flatly, narrowing his eyes at me. "You should try solving some of the open cases that we have instead of wasting your time on a hopeless case." He looked between the two of us once again. "Our discussion is over. You can leave, now." He then made himself busy was some random file, a sign that meant he wasn't open to any further negotiation.

I looked at Liam, who was giving Wyatt a hate-filled look, and he seemed like he wanted to punch him in the face. I decided I wouldn't try to stop him if he planned to go on with it.

After we left Wyatt's office, a feeling of defeat washed over me. I was about to walk to my desk, but Liam stopped me.

He blocked my way. "Don't tell me you're going to give up."

"There's nothing we can do. Besides, he may be right. What's the difference that we can make?" It really had been a cold case for so many years, after all.

"Wow, I never thought you were the kind to surrender that easily." He scoffed.

A little smirk was playing on his lips as his blue eyes lit up with a mischievous look.

I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing that he was certainly planning for something.

"Let's go." He pulled my arm and started leading the way.

"Wait, where are we going?" I asked, having no option but to follow him.

"To the SAC's office," he said with a slight grin.

***

We stood in front of the closed door of Aaron McCoy's office, the Special Agent in charge of the FBI's New York office.

Liam knocked twice. We heard a voice calling for us to come in. He gave me an encouraging smile before walking in.

I took a deep breath before following him. I couldn't believe I had agreed to do this.

We stood in front of the huge desk in the middle of the office, feeling like misbehaving children.

The man behind the desk was looking at us skeptically. His dark eyes felt as if they were digging holes through us.

The wrinkles on his dark-toned face were like a map, telling the incredible journey of a man who had traveled through seven decades to this moment. A journey that was filled with long years of experience that certainly had gained him plenty of wisdom and prudence. I was in awe to be in his presence—the man was a veteran and a true legend to the bureau.

Liam cleared his throat. "Sir, I'm Agent Hunt, and this is Agent Ryan. We're from the violent crimes unit, and we wanted to talk to you about something."

He looked at us with interest and gestured for us to continue. "Okay, go on."

We told him about everything, starting from being at the crime scene to what happened with Wyatt. He looked at us for a couple of moments, saying nothing.

I knew this was a bad idea. He would probably get both of us suspended for disobeying superior orders.

To my surprise, McCoy smiled. "Oh, I remember being as determined as you are when I was younger. Sometimes, I miss the excitement of the field."

Liam and I shared a hopeful look.

McCoy then focused his gaze on us. "But what makes you think you will be able to accomplish something all the agents who worked on this case before failed in?"

"Our specialty is homicides, sir. We can help the organized crime division by working on the murders," I said, hoping he was more willing to listen than Wyatt.

Crossing his hands, he leaned back in his chair and fixed his eyes on me, saying nothing. I could see that he was running everything we said in his head.

"Fine," he finally said after what seemed like ages.

Liam and I shared another look. We never thought it would be that easy or that he would even go for it.

"Sometimes change starts with a single person and that case has been open for so many years with no new leads. Fresh hands and eyes might be of help," he said with a faint smile.

We gave him a huge, grateful smile and thanked him before we excused ourselves.

He called after us. "Don't let me down, Agents."

"We won't, sir," I said with a determined tone before I closed the door of his office behind me.

***

We were on our way to our desks, feeling as if we were on cloud nine.

We were really grateful for what happened, and the chance McCoy gave us; however, that didn't last for too long, for we had to deal with a furious Wyatt.

He was standing upstairs and looked as if he wanted to strangle someone. "Hunt. Ryan. My office, now!" he yelled the second he spotted us, then he headed back to his office to wait for us there.

Words definitely spread around here really fast. Liam and I shared a perceptive look, both taking a deep breath, before making our way up the stairs to Wyatt's office.

"So, you went against my orders and went to the SAC!" he snapped, clenching his jaw.

"Sir, we just needed a chance," I argued.

"A chance to prove what?" He raised an eyebrow. "You both are good agents, but you're just going to waste your time. I can assure you, you will find nothing!"

I couldn't fathom why he hated the idea so much, but it was getting on my nerves.

"There's no shame in trying."

He gave me a stern look. "I hope you're not doing this because of another reason, Ryan. Because then you will be chasing after false hope."

His words stung, as I knew exactly what he meant. "Don't worry, sir. I don't have any hope to chase after," I uttered before excusing myself. I walked out of the office without even waiting for his permission. Liam followed me.

"Don't let what he said in there get to you," Liam said, walking beside me.

I nodded. "What do we do now?"

He smirked. "Now, we go and get ourselves a celebratory drink. I believe we have quite a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

I gave him a little smile. "That sounds good to me."