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"Busy day today?" Jacinta asked. Cami nodded.
“Yes. But I’m going to leave early this evening, hopefully, and take my parents out to dinner.”
She felt a sense of wonderment that she was even saying such a thing.
“They’re going to meet Kieran?”
“Yup. They’re excited about it,” Cami admitted. “And it makes for some positive topics of conversation, at least. My mother’s happier than I remember her being. And my dad? Well, now that I’m with the FBI, it’s as if he respects my opinion a little more,” she said thoughtfully.
“Arrest him if he doesn’t,” Jacenta warned with a twinkle in her eye.
Cami put her laptop on the desk, and while she waited for it to boot up, she went over to the coffee machine.
Sadness about Jenna still came in waves, and at unexpected times.
But for the rest of it, she was happier than she’d ever thought she would be. She’d found her niche as an FBI IT special agent, and truly loved the work that she was doing. Every day was different, outsmarting and outfoxing the bad guys. There was nowhere she’d rather be.
And happiness, as Cami knew, was fragile and never guaranteed. She reminded herself continually to live every moment of her life and to be thankful for what she had.
There was a lot, after all, to be thankful for – and an exciting future ahead.
EPILOGUE
She walked into the building, staring around her at this interesting, complex, and slightly intimidating space.
The security guard had a mixture of surprise and puzzlement on his face as he checked her in. There was nothing to go through the machine – she didn’t have much, and had brought less with her. Just herself, in old trainers, blue jeans, and a green top that brought out the color of her eyes.
But she felt a mix of heady excitement and trepidation to be here at last.
As she was shown the way, memories coursed through her.
That night, six years ago, when she’d been on her way back from an illicit drink with friends in the next town, heading for the late night bus to take her on the fifty mile journey home. The scene she’d stumbled upon. She hadn’t even known what it meant. There had been a car, and they’d been dragging a girl into it, on a quiet street corner, near the abandoned house by the woods. The girl had been screaming and struggling, her arms tied behind her, terror in her voice. A dark-clad man behind her, shoving the girl into the trunk.
She’d run forward shouting, “Hey! Hey! What are you doing?”
And realized, instantly, that it was a bad idea when another man had emerged from the car and the gun had swung around toward her.
She’d fled, racing across a park, her long legs and her sheer terror somehow giving her the speed she needed to outrun her pursuers. And she’d jumped onto the bus, feeling shaky with terror because they’d seen her and chased her. They’d seen her pale blond hair, her long legs, they’d seen her red jacket and her big chunky boots.
She’d thought she was safe, but then, on the bus, she’d noticed the headlights draw level, and she’d seen them.
Seen them seeing her. More men, in another car.
The terror all over again. The car had settled in behind the bus. They'd been following her relentlessly, and she knew that would have been the end, except for a crazy piece of luck.
The black car had accelerated through a red light to keep pace with the bus. And a drunken driver – she guessed – without looking, had recklessly accelerated on the crossroad. The car had clipped the dark vehicle and sent it spinning, and watching in fear from the bus window, she had felt a rush of relief. They had lost her, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long, because she’d seen what they had done. They would find out who she was.
She hadn’t gone home, she’d been too scared to. She’d spent the night hiding out in the old church, and when it was morning, she’d contacted the only person she knew who could help.
His name had been Liam Treverton, and he'd dated an older friend of hers a while back. He was with the FBI. She wasn't going to go to the local police. Her dad was part of them, and he disapproved of her, and she knew that this was serious.
And when Liam had heard about it, and she’d described what she’d seen, he’d done something unexpected.
He’d gotten scared.
“This is big. And I’m very worried there’s a cover-up going on. Maybe even within the Bureau, although I’m not sure. People have been killed.” He’d sounded panicked, which had made her even more frightened. "I don't know what's happening. We need time to get to the bottom of it, and until then, you're in danger. Big danger. They're everywhere, and we don’t know who they are!”
“What must I do?” she’d asked, feeling like there were no options left, like that black car would be pulling up any moment. Coming for her.
