[LOCK BUZZES]
[LATCH CLICKS]
[LOCK BUZZES]
Brinks?
[LOCK BUZZES]
Let's go. You're being transferred.
Why?
I don't know and I really don't care.
Let's go. Well, where am I going?
Did someone tell my public defender?
The Feds want you, and it's not my deal to explain to you... The Feds?
What, for petty theft? That doesn't make any sense.
Hands.
You'll have to ask the agent.
Come on.
Agent Lasalle, here you go.
She's got questions.
Well, I've got answers.
Thanks for your help today, Officer.
♪ Boom, boom, boom, boom ♪
♪ Bang, bang, bang, bang ♪
♪ Boom, boom, boom, boom ♪
♪ How, how, how, how ♪
♪ Hey, hey ♪
♪ ♪
♪ You gotta come on. ♪
♪ ♪
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Yes! Come on!
[INDISTINCT SHOUTING]
RYAN: Come on!
HANNAH: Yes!
So close! RYAN: You were robbed!
She was not robbed.
Fate.
Fate robbed her. [LAUGHS]
You know, I think we're in a really good place.
You know, just co-parenting and setting our own stuff aside.
Are you buttering me up?
How did that even become an expression?
[LAUGHS] This is not an answer.
Well, I'm not buttering you up.
But there is, there is something I want to talk to you about. I knew it.
About Naomi, really. Spit it out.
I met someone.
Someone who's becoming really important to me.
Good for you.
[LAUGHS] That came out wrong. I...
Good for you.
Really? Yeah.
Because I know you weren't expecting it.
Oh, of course I was.
No, you weren't.
Yeah, yeah. I'm an investigator.
It's my job, you know, to just prepare for things and anticipate eventualities, you know.
[CHUCKLES] [PHONE RINGING]
Um, I did want you to meet her, though, before I introduce her to Naomi.
You know, I think that-that would make things easier for...
Uh, this is work.
We'll talk later? Yeah.
Hey. What's up?
[SIGHS]
SEBASTIAN: We just got these sh*ts of Etta Brinks and Lasalle's imposter from Tangipahoa Parish Jail.
Apparently, the paperwork held up to initial scrutiny.
It wasn't until they processed their half of it...
That they realized a dead agent was back in the field?
Yeah. The imposter softened them up with a phone call, then arrived with well-forged credentials and a transfer order.
Yeah, well, who's the woman that he sprung?
Etta Brinks, lifelong grifter.
Moved around a lot, creating new identities.
Also likes to separate people from their money.
Uh, the guy who picked her up from jail... accomplice, family?
I don't know the former, but I know she only has one sister.
Yeah, Kristen Brinks. She d*ed under suspicious circumstances a few weeks ago. CARTER: Hmm. File that under "probably not a coincidence".
Probably not.
She was sh*t execution-style.
The case went cold pretty quickly.
But I unleashed our software on social media to try to find something. I got this.
Oh, well, that's Vice Admiral Hicks. - Yeah.
A few days after this, he abruptly resigned.
A few days after that, Kristen was m*rder*d.
I can't believe he had anything to do with this.
Was he a suspect? I mean, did the police even talk to him?
SEBASTIAN: No. NOPD never found these pictures, so they never knew they were supposed to.
Is he the kind of man who'd get in trouble with a beautiful woman?
Him? He's married. Um...
I only know him through my father.
Because the timing of this feels...
Front-page-of-the-tabloids icky.
The admiral resigned.
If he k*lled her, no reason to.
Scandal's over. If he didn't, it must have been a payoff.
Otherwise the details would have come out.
So, at that point, why bother to k*ll her?
Okay, so he didn't k*ll her. But there was something.
We've got too many moving pieces otherwise.
Well, maybe her sister was in the middle of a grift, and then Etta came out to finish the job?
Yeah, but why steal Lasalle's identity?
Simplest answer is that this guy looks a lot like Chris.
Start running our fake agent's photo through facial recognition.
And we need to go talk to the vice admiral.
I'm on it. Take Sebastian.
I don't need him.
Dude, I'm, like, right here.
You'd be surprised.
Yeah. Awesome. GREGORIO: Hey.
Hi, everybody.
Your dad didn't tell us you were coming.
Because her dad didn't know.
Hey.
You're always welcome. You know that.
It's just, if I'd known, I would have done something special.
Well, spending time with you is special.
Thanks.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
[SIGHS] Please don't do that thing.
What thing? That thing, where you treat me like I'm hiding something and then you try to pry it out of me.
[CHUCKLES] That thing is my job.
Exactly.
I'm not here for an investigation.
I'm here for family.
So... there is something you're hiding.
[SIGHS] I'm starting to think that maybe this was a bad idea.
No. I'm really glad you're here.
Okay, great. Then why don't you tell me about a good book that you read or a new album that you discovered?
Okay, um...
You first.
You're still doing that thing. So...
I'm gonna go. No...
But maybe we can get dinner tonight?
Su-Sure.
And when I say "we", I mean me and my dad, not me and the seasoned NCIS investigator.
Yeah. Got it.
[SIGHS]
Vice Admiral Hicks?
Yeah?
Special Agents Quentin Carter and Sebastian Lund, NCIS.
You Admiral Carter's son?
Yes, sir.
Yeah, I met you at his installation.
Yes, sir.
Well, what brings you here?
Uh, well, we just wanted to know more about why you resigned so abruptly.
I wanted to spend more time with the family, slow down for my health.
All the usual stuff.
Yeah, but we're wondering, sir, if maybe, uh, this girl had anything to do with it.
[SIGHS]
Whatever she's telling you, it's a lie.
I did the right thing.
Well, she's not telling us anything, Admiral.
She's dead.
I was introduced to Kristen at a fundraiser.
I had one drink.
The next thing I know, I'm waking up and she's got pictures of a situation that I don't remember being in.
One that I never would have chosen.
She wanted something.
It doesn't matter. I didn't give it to her.
I resigned instead.
Look, I-I think that you want us to leave here
100% assured that you're no longer a person of interest in this case.
For that, we-we got to be satisfied that you didn't hold anything back.
Sir.
I was working PR on an upcoming construction project near Belle Chasse.
She wanted to know the details, possible bidders, that kind of thing.
What's a grifter gonna do with that information?
HICKS: It'd be very valuable to a firm who wanted to make a winning bid.
When was the last time you saw Kristen?
She came here, to my house.
I mean, thank God my wife wasn't home.
She begged me to reconsider, to give her something, anything.
I sent her away empty-handed.
Hmm. How did she react?
Scared, maybe even desperate.
Yeah, well, in retrospect, it looks like she had reason to be.
Any idea who she was working with or for?
No.
You two now know what I know.
I trust that will be enough.
Well, actually, it's a m*rder investigation...
Yes, sir.
Thank you. Come on.
SEBASTIAN: Hey, you can't just let him off the hook like that.
I'm not letting him off the hook.
Well, he basically just told us to leave him out of it.
And we will until we can't. Then what?
Then I call my dad and tell him he probably won't be invited to Hicks's holiday party.
[CAR ALARM CHIRPS]
[HANDLE CLICKS]
Okay.
[DOOR SHUTS, ENGINE STARTS]
It's real funny.
[HANDLE CLICKING]
So we were right about the blackmail.
Yeah, except the information that Kristen Brinks wanted wouldn't have been much use to her.
However, it would be to the right kind of shady businessperson.
It seemed to us that the party where they met had to be part of the setup, so we looked up who hosted it, and...
[BEEPS] And I...
I guess your tech isn't my tech.
Wow. Huh.
It must have gotten messed up in the last update.
I'm sure.
I'll fix it.
Meet Jack Hardin.
Lots of pictures of him in the society pages.
He runs a consulting firm.
Now, there aren't many details on how that company makes money, but he's known for throwing exclusive parties.
Hardin doesn't have a criminal record, but he has been scandal-adjacent more than once.
All right, so that leaves us with Etta Brinks.
What's our theory about her connection to Hardin?
Revenge. - Kristen knew that she was in trouble when she failed to hook the vice admiral.
If she called her sister, that could explain why Etta took the risk of returning to Louisiana, even though she had an outstanding warrant.
Yeah, if it were me, you come after my family, I don't care who you are, I'm coming for you.
Wow.
He's got a heart.
And it's-it's filled with vigilante vengeance, but... somewhere in that suit, it... I mean, it's there.
Etta only had two weeks left on her sentence.
There's probably a reason why she got broken out now.
Yeah, we're thinking another party. Hardin didn't get the information he needed... [PHONE RINGING]
...so he needs to target someone else. All right.
Let's track down Jack Hardin. Odds are that'll lead us to whoever's impersonating Lasalle.
Yeah.
Hey, Loretta, what's up?
Well, apparently, it's bad luck to impersonate a m*rder*d man.
You found the suspect?
Not before someone else found him first.
He's been ex*cuted.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
WADE: It appears as if our imposter was ambushed, then double-tapped. Looks like Etta Brinks' sister.
WADE: Uh-huh. Prints came back to a Rhett Howard.
He's got a rap sheet: fraud, check-kiting, forgery.
Which extends the list of people that might have wanted him dead.
Not just Hardin and Etta Brinks but maybe one of his previous victims.
Etta Brinks doesn't have a history of v*olence.
And yet two of her known associates are dead.
I'll expedite the ballistics, see if the same g*n was used.
Thanks, Loretta.
Look, if this guy sprung Etta Brinks to get revenge on Hardin for Kristen's m*rder, they might be out of their league.
Well, let's hope you find her before she's body number three.
CARTER: Body belong to our imposter?
Yeah. That's his fake NCIS ID.
It's a quality job. I could admire it if I wasn't so mad he stole my friend's identity.
Yeah, I found two other high-level folks that, uh, look like they could have been targeted by Hardin in the past.
Seemed unlikely your friend would've been the only one.
He's my dad's friend.
I read your file. What's up with you Carters?
Is the Navy like a family business or something?
[LAUGHS]
No, no, um...
My brother, he joined because, well, you know, he's that guy, like my dad.
And my sister joined because she's super smart and they promised her that she could do research.
Hmm. And you?
Hardin's back in New Orleans, and, you know, I get why you're mad, but you could also see it as your friend reaching out from the great beyond to help us stop a vicious murdering jackass.
Oh, is Lasalle a crime-solving ghost now?
I mean, if he'd never been impersonated, we would've never gotten involved.
True.
Don't think I didn't notice you avoided my question.
Hey.
Hey. - Wow.
Smells fantastic. - Thanks.
I've been cooking a lot more recently, testing out some new recipes.
Cooking for two? Dad.
Look, it doesn't take a policeman to guess the reason you're down here is something to do with that guy you're dating.
You know his name.
David, and the way you said that tells me I'm right.
So... not going well?
Actually, it was great.
Too great.
Things got intense, fast. Can you...? Yeah.
And?
[SIGHS] And there's a reason I always promised myself I'd never date someone in law enforcement.
When did you make that promise to yourself?
A long time ago.
I've seen the way it gets in the way of, well, everything, and...
And you don't want a repeat of your childhood.
So, okay, pretending like that doesn't sting...
...what was the reason that brought you down here?
We were, uh, supposed to have a special night a few days ago.
Dinner and a show, but he got called away to a case, so...
Ah.
Done that a few times.
Never made your mother happy, either.
So that was my sign. It was over.
I came down here to clear my head.
So... Did you two talk about it?
No.
I've seen how those conversations go.
I watched them a million times. There's no way to win, is there?
Well, sharing your feelings shouldn't be a win/lose...
Yeah, but what do my feelings matter when there's some family out there suffering?
All it does is make me feel even more selfish.
And all it does is confirm that I will always be second to what somebody else needs. Laurel, your mom and I had some issues, but we always... You know, I have told you several times now that I don't want to talk about this.
Look, I don't want to interfere and I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm...
I know. I just...
I'm sorry. I'm not very hungry anymore.
Excuse me.
It's not like I don't know that her mother and I made mistakes.
Well, every parent makes mistakes.
If you don't make the ones your own parents make, you make totally new ones. I know.
But I also know it's not about me.
I mean, it can't be about me, although it kind of feels like it's about me.
What's your gut tell you about the situation?
Maybe she doesn't want a cop for a partner, maybe that's fair, but last night she was more torn up than I'd ever seen her.
She misses him.
Well, I'm just afraid that she's pushing him away for all the wrong reasons, and by the time she works through the whole mess of it, it'll be too late.
Or maybe she's giving herself space and time to figure that out for herself.
You know, when I was young and dating, I was so concerned as to whether or not a man liked me, I didn't think about my own feelings.
I wish I'd had Laurel's maturity at her age.
Laurel is a very strong, confident woman.
Yes, it's as if she was raised by supportive, loving parents.
Then... just thinking about it, she never actually asked me for any help, just space.
Oh.
I just should've kept my mouth shut, but old habits die hard, right?
Well, just because we learn something about ourselves doesn't mean we can always do something with the information.
Hope I haven't made things worse for her.
Dwayne, when her heart was hurting, who did she turn to to feel safe and loved?
To me.
She still needs to feel safe and loved.
You got this.
Thank you, Loretta.
Anytime.
So, now, curious about the case?
Of course.
These traces of soap and shampoo were still on the body, and it came back as a specific brand name used only by the NOPSI Hotel, here in New Orleans.
Well, if he and our missing prisoner were working together, she might still be there.
Well, am I a full-service help desk this morning or what?
[CHUCKLES] You're the best.
Yes, he is a guest, but not under the name Rhett Howard.
Well, whatever his name is, we need a key to his room.
This warrant should give you what you need.
Let me make a key and I'll escort you up.
Great, thanks. HANNAH: Okay, I'll try.
That's the best I can do, Ryan. Bye.
How'd it go?
Um, Ryan just made dinner reservations for us with Veronica.
Okay, are you going?
No. I can't think of anything more uncomfortable.
For what it's worth, I think Ryan's doing the right thing.
Don't you want to meet the woman who could be Naomi's stepmother?
Whoa. I... [STAMMERS]
I-I can't wrap my head around that right now.
It doesn't seem like Ryan has a problem with it, though.
Ma'am, when I went to make the key, I was alerted that a charge was just made to the room in the lobby bar right over there.
There she is.
Redhead.
I hated that one. Two more just like it.
Etta Brinks?
You're under arrest.
Rhett Howard got you out of jail and ends up dead less than 24 hours later.
Look, I don't know why he busted me out of jail.
I was just glad to go. He forged the identity of a man who worked for me, a man who was k*lled in the line of duty. Well, like I said...
Stop playing games.
Right now your best case is finishing your stint at Tangipahoa Parish Jail.
They'll tag on a year for the jailbreak.
We'll tag on three because you conspired with a man who impersonated a federal officer.
That last bit is federal time.
Means you get moved to a federal jail with federal guards.
Okay, not gonna lie, that sounds a lot worse than finishing my 15 days.
Then tell us, why did you go through all this trouble?
A man named Jack Hardin k*lled my sister.
She and Rhett were engaged. We were both motivated to make Hardin pay.
Can you prove he k*lled her?
No, but I know he did it.
So Rhett and I were just skipping straight to the punishment phase.
What's that, steal his money, like you did to so many other people?
No, make him suffer.
Take everything that makes him him and watch him twist. Hardin's back in New Orleans.
I'm guessing he's planning another party.
Rhett forged me an invitation.
And, thanks to the things that Kristen knew about Hardin, we had a pretty foolproof plan.
Hardin k*lled your sister and her fiancé.
Why won't he k*ll you on sight?
He's never met me.
I wasn't working with Kristen.
I only came back because she called me and said Hardin was gonna k*ll her.
When was that?
Two months ago.
Unfortunately, on my way back into town, I got picked up on an outstanding warrant.
I pled out, hoping that I would get to her in time.
I didn't.
You're being very forthcoming.
Jack Hardin took the only thing that I care about.
And right now my only hope for revenge is getting you to arrest him.
We have nothing to arrest him for.
Yeah, that's true.
If only there were a way to catch a guy like that red-handed.
PRIDE: She's playing us. Yeah.
She's not even trying to hide it.
But it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned.
She gets revenge, we get Hardin.
Look, Vice Admiral Hicks said no, but a lot of other powerful players have said yes.
Hardin's not stupid enough to leave evidence out where it's easy to find. No.
And I don't care how good her plan is, I don't believe in foolproof.
I don't believe in Santa, but it doesn't keep me from going to the mall at Christmastime.
All right...
I'm willing to listen.
Excellent.
You like an underdog.
No, no, I just hate jackasses.
And Hardin is definitely a jackass.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
My sister told me he wears a ring, and it's actually a digital vault.
It has all his blackmail files and financials.
Cold storage device.
Exactly. That's why you need two people.
Back up. I-I missed something.
Uh, well, these types of storage devices, they can be accessed with an RFID reader if you're in close enough proximity.
So all you need to do is shake his hand?
It doesn't sound like a secure system.
Well, it wouldn't be, but there's a second step.
To access the information from an unknown computer, you need to input 25 security words in exactly the correct order.
How in the world are you gonna hack that?
Kristen once saw him access his challenge words on his phone.
Apparently, going to his safe to access his list is too much trouble.
SEBASTIAN: Then we're talking about two hacks.
Right? We're talking about getting the list first.
And then accessing the ring with that list.
Then we copy the data and arrest him.
Don't forget to empty his bank accounts.
Leave him so broke he has to pawn his Patek Phillipe for ramen.
We're probably gonna skip that part.
Are we? ETTA: We shouldn't.
Look, if he's got his money, he'll just hire fancy lawyers to defend him.
He'll be out in a week.
Justice isn't the same for the dirty rich.
Hmm, ain't that the truth, huh?
I like you.
The purpose of the party is extortion.
Federal agents will be there to witness him trying to compromise someone.
It's a solid case. PRIDE: All right, Hannah, you'll accompany Gregorio to the party.
Wait. No. Let me do it.
Manipulating people for my own purposes is kind of my bag.
Hannah, you comfortable going with her?
No problem.
Okay.
Tammy, Carter, Sebastian and I... we'll run surveillance and take care of the hacks.
Excuse me. This officer says you know him, Pride.
Cabrera.
Jersey. Hey, Brooklyn.
I'm, uh, sorry to interrupt.
Do you have a moment?
Is Laurel here? In New Orleans?
Yeah.
But, uh, I don't know if she wants to talk yet.
Okay. I...
I was scared something happened to her.
I'm glad she's safe.
Wait, she didn't tell you where she was going?
No. She just disappeared.
No note, no text. She isn't answering my calls.
I got scared enough to get on a plane.
You should've called me.
If I needed to tell you your daughter was missing, I wanted to do it in person.
That's... that's actually very thoughtful.
Has she... spoken to you about what happened?
She has.
But I don't want to betray any confidence.
Do I have any chance to fix this?
Canceling a date and putting a case first...
Wait, wait, wait.
...has triggered a lot of things.
She said that I canceled because of a case?
That doesn't make any sense.
It wasn't for a case? I didn't cancel at all.
We were supposed to go to a dinner and a show.
I thought she was excited about it.
And I waited in the restaurant alone for two hours.
She ghosted me.
I haven't spoken to her since.
[KNOCKING ON DOOR]
Hannah, come on. I have to wire you. - Come on in.
Wow.
Is it okay?
Is it okay? It's beautiful, and you know it.
Should I wear it to dinner with Ryan and Veronica?
Duh. [CHUCKLING]
It's not too much?
Going to a casual dinner in a cocktail dress sets the tone perfectly.
"Hi, I'm your crazy ex-wife, and you're never getting away from me".
You gonna do it?
I don't know.
Look, I don't want to be married to Ryan anymore, but... it terrifies me to think of him and Naomi starting a family and me being left out.
You're not being left out, though. [SCOFFS]
And I think this is Ryan's whole point.
And by the way, being a family doesn't mean being a couple with some kids.
It's what you make it.
Yeah, but I didn't choose this person.
She's being forced on me.
She's not a hand-knit sweater by Granny Jean.
Listen, you go, you get to know her.
Maybe this is the girl that makes your ex really happy.
Which I want? Yes, or... all the alarm, signals, bells go off, and you're able to protect Naomi before Ryan brings her home.
I hadn't thought about that last part.
Come on, you got to go.
Thanks.
Listen... Hmm?
I don't know if you need to hear this, but you're a beautiful, strong woman, and if this is what you want, then you'll be the one bringing your own love to meet the family soon.
Okay?
Come on.
[GREGORIO CLEARS THROAT LOUDLY]
Oh. Uh... that's a very appropriate dress for the professional thing that we're about to do.
What Sebastian is trying to say is that you look beautiful.
Can I say that?
You can say that, you just can't creepy say that.
Thank you, Sebastian.
PRIDE: Etta has been prepped, and she appears to understand her role.
Appears to?
Well, you're the one that said that you're good at manipulating what you want people to see, so...
SEBASTIAN: All right, so, these both have hidden cameras inside them, along with RFID scanners.
So just get within five feet of Hardin, and we'll do the rest.
Shall we?
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
[PLAYING UPBEAT JAZZ]
♪ ♪
All right, let's do a lap on the way to the bar, get as much footage of the guests as possible.
All right. I'll keep an eye out for Hardin.
Thank you. Thank you.
Any likely blackmail targets yet?
Someone who had the same info that our vice admiral refused to give?
No, nothing yet, but it's early days.
Hopefully, they haven't already gotten to it.
PRIDE: Hang on. Freeze that.
[TAPS KEYBOARD]
That is Captain Harold Longford, Seabee out of Gulfport.
Ten to one he's our guy.
Yeah. Hannah?
Man with a dark suit, green tie, talking to the woman in red.
Uh-huh. I got him.
Don't go too far. He could be our target.
♪ ♪ Thank you. Thank you.
Have you seen Hardin yet?
Not yet.
HANNAH: There he is. 12 o'clock.
HANNAH: Are you seeing this?
PRIDE: Yeah, yeah, they're signaling each other.
Seems like there's three of them involved.
That was fast. They must have put something in his drink.
Looks like they're getting him out of here.
You two stick with Hardin. We got the captain.
♪ ♪
Hardin reserved another room on the ninth floor.
We'll intercept them before they got there.
We'll back up Hannah and monitor the hack. Go.
Well, why, what a lovely party.
Well... thank you.
And such a lovely dress.
[CHUCKLES] Oh. Thank you.
I don't think we've been introduced.
I'm Hannah.
SEBASTIAN: Okay, we got the ring.
Starting to access his phone.
And this is...
Georgina. We were invited by, uh, Carly.
She just stepped out.
Oh, Carly knows she's always allowed to invite beautiful women to my parties.
[BOTH LAUGH]
You're...? Jack.
Jack Hardin.
But you knew that, didn't you?
PRIDE: Stop, Crying, Snowflakes are his first three words? Ew.
Listen, why don't we go someplace quieter so we can get to know each other?
[CHUCKLES] Oh, Mr. Hardin.
Women get dressed up like this so they can be seen.
Oh, is that why you got dressed like that?
Came to a very rich man's party just to be seen?
Let my reputation rub off a little?
[ELEVATOR BELL DINGS]
[WOMEN LAUGHING]
Federal agents. Hands up!
Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa.
- You two, up against the wall. Sit down.
Hey, NOPD's in the lobby. Bring the girls to transfer custody, I'll call an ambulance for the captain.
Hannah, listen, the hack has started but we need more time.
We haven't found all 25 challenge words yet.
So, what's it gonna be?
[CHUCKLES] Well, we would love to talk to you.
Well, then, I'm more comfortable getting to know someone without all of the distractions.
So, ladies, please. Oh, thank you.
Thank you. Oh, thank you.
And let me get this door.
Ladies. Thank you.
Nice room.
Make yourselves at home.
All right, Hannah, we got it. You can leave.
Okay, ladies. [g*n CLICKS]
Now... tell me who you work for.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
You don't really need a g*n.
I've read "Fifty Shades of Grey", but I'm not really that kind of girl.
Make sure we got everything. I'll get Hannah.
HARDIN: I saw you watching the captain.
I find that very curious.
I'm sure when I speak to Carly later...
Why wait? Get her in here now.
No, no, no, no. Don't tell me what to do.
I'm in charge here.
Why?
Because I'm the one that's holding the damn g*n.
Wait. Hold on a second. Etta?
You k*ller her. You k*lled my sister. Here. Etta.
You said it would be better knowing that he would rot, knowing that you bested him.
Okay? We got him. We caught him.
No, that is not how it works when you have his kind of money.
The second you guys deviated from bankrupting him, I knew I needed a plan B.
NCIS.
Etta, there's a plan C, okay?
Hey.
Listen, I know it's hard for you to trust people, but just look at me, okay? Look at me for a second.
Etta, I'm gonna make sure that he goes to prison remembering that k*lling Kristen was the last thing he ever did as a free man.
Everything okay? Yeah.
Everything's fine.
[HARDIN COUGHING]
Hey, don't look so down.
I just can't shake the feeling he's gonna get away with it.
Well, a little birdy might have told me that since all of his ill-gotten gains are related to national security issues...
...the government has frozen all his accounts, making him destitute.
You made that happen.
Why would you do that?
'Cause you're right.
Justice isn't the same for the dirty rich.
And Hardin's money wasn't his, anyway.
I mean, why should a thief and a m*rder*r be allowed to use blood money to defend himself?
[LAUGHS SOFTLY]
I knew I liked you.
Make good choices, Etta Brinks.
I'm glad our story has a happy ending.
Now I got to go do something ten times more complicated.
Oh, yeah? Your personal life?
I got to mediate Laurel and her boyfriend.
Oh, I can relate.
I'm, uh, gonna have dinner with Ryan and his new girlfriend.
Ouch.
[CHUCKLES] Yeah.
You want to swap?
Yeah. [LAUGHS]
But, uh, I got a feeling it wouldn't work out for either of us.
Good luck.
You, too.
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR] Hey.
Just me.
You still thinking about it?
Yeah. [LAUGHS]
Why?
Look, I just know that as soon as I walk in there with you, this is all gonna be... real.
It's already real, love.
Well, I guess you better stop calling me that.
[BOTH LAUGH]
Look, I know this is for the best...
I know this is for the best, I just... suddenly realized that our family...
...ours, is over.
And I'm not really sure that I'm ready to accept that just yet.
Hannah, our family's never gonna be over.
It's, it's just gonna evolve a little bit.
But I always want you part of it.
Why don't you come in with me?
I'm really excited for you to meet Veronica.
Why?
Because I have really, really good taste in women.
Mm-hmm.
And I only get serious about the very best.
Come on.
That was pretty cute of me, don't you think?
Mm, it was cute. Thank you. [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHS]
[DOOR LOCK CLICKS]
[SIGHS]
Cabrera came into the office today.
He's here? Why?
'Cause he's worried about you.
And he's telling a slightly different version of what happened than you did.
He told you I stood him up?
He did.
Why lie to me?
You know I love you no matter what.
I don't know. I was... embarrassed and confused.
I know you're worried that with Cabrera, you're always gonna be second to the job, but...
I'm sorry that I said that before.
You didn't always make me feel like I came second to your job, just-just sometimes.
And that was a mistake.
My mistake.
And I don't want my mistake to stand in the way of your happiness now.
It's not that simple.
Cabrera seems like a great guy.
Is it possible that you're projecting something onto him that-that maybe isn't totally fair?
I mean, maybe y-you could just work your way through all of this.
Like you and mom worked through it?
[CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS]
For a whole lot of years, actually, yes, we did.
Just because... we're not together now, that doesn't mean that... that our entire marriage was terrible, or that I regret it.
I know, but...
I-I have a lot of wonderful memories.
Most of all, we made you.
And I wouldn't trade that for the world.
Okay, so you're saying that if I do marry him and get divorced, it's not gonna ruin my life?
[CHUCKLES] Well, okay. Hey, I-I think we're getting maybe a little ahead of ourselves there.
Are we?
Um...
There's more.
Okay.
That night that I stood him up?
[PHONE BUZZES] No.
He's downstairs. What?
Laurel.
♪ You make me wish I was yours... ♪ David.
I'm sorry that I ran.
CABRERA: I don't care, okay?
I just want you to be happy, even if that means without me.
No, I love you.
You just don't love my job?
How'd it go?
I was m-mature and wise.
Yeah, well, I knew it'd be hard, so I got you a drink.
Well, you were right.
She is a smart young woman.
She knows what she wants and what she needs.
You're a good father.
And hopefully he'll give her the space that she needs to make a good decision.
Oh.
[LAUGHS] Yeah. Yeah.
[PATRONS EXCLAIMING]
[APPLAUSE]
Oh, my God...
Ten minutes ago, they were over.
Should we show your... Yeah. [LAUGHS]
[CHUCKLES]
Come on, you got to go over there and say something.
Any ideas?
Because they're moving too fast.
I think this is a terrible mistake.
Well, I think... Don't say that.
[PANTING]
Hey. My little girl.
Engaged.
Huh? [LAUGHS] Get in here. Hey, hey.
Oh, yay.
♪ ♪