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But telling this man the truth - Hallie just couldn’t bring herself to do it because not knowing how he would react put a fear into her unlike anything she’d ever known. No one knew what she could do. Not her parents. Not Alicia or Meg. No one. She’d never told anyone, mostly out of fear. The thought of Special Agent Avery being the first person to know her secret felt awkward and wrong on so many levels. Besides, it wasn’t like her gift caused things to happen. It only predicted them. And even then, Hallie was sure the future was not set in stone. It could be changed at any moment, proving her glimpse wrong - even if that never actually happened. All her glimpses always came true. That was the scariest part about them.
Special Agent Avery’s eyes bore into her with both a sense of compassion and a strong determination that she divulge her secrets. The more she thought about it though, the more it scared her. Her eyes darted to the door, a final plea for help that was obviously not coming.
Caden wasn’t going to rescue her from this, and she couldn’t even blame him. He was an agent and he had a job to do. Hallie’s gaze landed on the mirrored glass wall behind Special Agent Avery. She’d watched enough of those police shows to know there were likely agents on the other side watching and listening to her. Was Caden there?
It didn’t matter. He wasn’t here and she was, and she had a choice to make. Tell Special Agent Avery the truth or not.
***
Caden hated the way Avery was putting Hallie on the spot, but the man was doing his job. He didn’t like seeing her so nervous. It was obvious she was freezing from the way she kept shifting in her chair and wrapping her sweater around herself.
It was all standard procedure though, and Caden couldn’t fault Avery or the bureau for treating her like they would any person of interest. Only this was Hallie. She was innocent. He shook his head. He couldn’t go around thinking like that, but it was taking everything in him not to burst into that interrogation room and haul Hallie out of there. But that wouldn’t go over well for either of them. He had no choice but to let this play out and hope he hadn’t made a mistake when it came to Hallie. They had no proof yet that she’d done anything wrong or illegal, but for his own mental health, Caden needed to take a step back from her, and maybe even the case.
Blake was still laid up in the hospital, and Caden wanted more than anything to put away the assholes responsible for putting him there. He’d done everything he could to get Blake’s shooter arrested. Now it was the prosecutor’s job to make sure the charges stuck.
Caden turned to leave the viewing deck when he heard her say, “I want a lawyer.” He sighed in relief as he continued out of that stuffy room and straight down the hall to his office. She should’ve asked to call a lawyer the first time she’d been brought in, but for whatever reason, she hadn’t.
Caden shut the door to his office and collapsed into his chair. The mountain of paperwork he’d left on his desk was staring him straight in the face and he needed to start making a dent in it. At the very least, it would take his mind off Hallie being down the hall with Avery. He started with the document on top of the first stack, and meticulously worked his way through it. When he looked up again, it was nearly three hours later. He hadn’t heard from Avery or seen Hallie since he left her in that room with Avery.
Caden stood, stretching his back and legs, and stepped out into the hallway. Almost everyone had gone home for the day, but he spotted Avery exiting his office.
“So what happened?” Caden asked. The other man looked worn from the day as he juggled his briefcase and travel mug while locking his door.
“Nothing. She asked for a lawyer. He had her out within minutes.” Avery pocketed the key.
Caden wanted to jump for joy, but Avery had a pensive look on his face. “Did she say something incriminating? Give us anything that would help with the case? Give you any reason to believe she’s guilty?” Caden didn’t think she had, but maybe Avery thought otherwise.
Avery smirked. “It’s my job to believe she’s guilty of something. You two are friends, right?”
Caden sighed. At least the man wasn’t asking if they were fucking. “Not really. I just went by her shop once, looking for a wedding gift for a friend of mine.”
“Well, she seems to like you. I want you to get close to her. If she won’t tell me, maybe she’ll tell you.”
“Tell me what?” Caden asked.
Avery waved his hand as though it was obvious whatever was on his mind. “What she’s hiding. And mark my words, Dobbs, that woman is hiding something. Now, whether it has to do with Blake’s shooting, I don’t know. But with you on the case, I’ll find out. See you tomorrow.”
Avery walked away, carrying the brown leather briefcase he always took home with him, while Caden stood glued to the spot, his mind spinning.
He had just been ordered to get close to a person of interest. To Hallie. He closed his eyes. This was a nightmare. It meant that anything she told him, he would need to report back to Avery. Something about Hallie nagged at him. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but the last thing he wanted to do was betray her trust.
Caden shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and went to the kitchen. It was a large room with several round tables, three chairs around each one, an apartment sized refrigerator, a few cabinets with disposable plates and utensils, a microwave, and a large coffee machine that spit out the worst tasting shit he’d ever had in his life. He smiled, thinking of how much Hallie would hate this coffee. It was bitter and always came out burnt. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and drank it down without stopping for air.
A steely resolve coursed through his veins. He knew how to do his job and he would do it because the badge he wore was a reminder of the promise he’d made when he joined the FBI. Caden would follow orders, and if Hallie was guilty of anything, he’d be the first person to throw the book at her. But he would not hurt her in the process. And with that decision made, he went back to his office and gathered his things.
He drove home, glancing over at his passenger seat every now and then, remembering how sweetly Hallie had told him it was okay, and how she understood he was just doing his job. He only hoped he’d have the chance to explain just what his job entailed after she’d been cleared by the FBI.
Chapter 6
When James McHenry pulled up in front of The Mystic Cow, Hallie let out a quiet sigh of relief. He’d been a longtime friend of the family, and was the first person who came to mind when she needed a lawyer. He’d had her out of there less than five minutes after walking into the room, but even now, sitting in his BMW staring at her storefront, everything felt so surreal. How had trying to help someone turn her life into this mess? Maybe it was a good thing her glimpses never amounted to anything. She couldn’t imagine living under this kind of constant scrutiny and threat of law enforcement barging in, demanding answers, and taking her things.
“You know you can call me anytime,” James said. He had short dark hair, dark eyes, and a warm smile that didn’t quite go to his eyes tonight.
Hallie nodded. “You won’t tell them, right?”
“Of course not. I know your relationship with your parents is complicated, but if this gets more serious, I think you should.”
The thought of involving her parents in any of this filled Hallie with dread, but James was right. There was only so much she could do without them finding out, and it would definitely be better if they found out from her. “I know.” And then mostly out of a need to change the subject, she said, “how are you doing by the way? I haven’t seen you in a while, running the store and everything. How’s Lucy?”
