The day after the job was quiet. No word from Chapman or Monroe on anything, but I knew it was only a matter of time. There was a storm forming in the distance, and it wouldn't be long until we were thrown into more danger.

It wasn't until the next night that my phone rang. My heart had dropped to my stomach, expecting it to be Chapman with bad news but it was Melissa.

I answered hesitantly, "Melissa?"

"Alexa," she answered, "I need you to come over."'

I stood from the couch, "Why? Wanna have a sleepover?"

"No, I need your help."

I hurried out the door and hopped into Mia's car. "Did you call Willi?"

"He's not answering," she stated. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah give me a few minutes."

"Try to hurry."

And I did, curious as to what she had gotten herself into.

It wasn't long before I drove up at her house, spotting a man at her front door. I exited my car and walked up to him. He wasn't much taller than me and had a hefty beer gut. The hair on his head had moved to his chest, which was visible in the V-neck shirt that was a little out of his age range.

I made my presence known, "Can I help you?"

He turned to me, an annoyed expression on his face. "Maybe! If you could get this damn woman out of her house!"

I moved past him to her door and knocked three times. "Melissa, your eviction notice is here!"

The nameless man looked at me with an unamused stare.

Then her door finally opened. She assessed the situation and stepped outside. "Rick," she groaned, "Nice to see you."

"Melissa where's my car?" so-called Rick accused.

"What car?" She asked.

"You think I don't know it was you that took that car off my lot? I had a bid on it and the next day when they came to take it home it was gone!"

Now I knew what was going on. This was the false dealership guy, and he was pissed about the car we had stolen.

"It wasn't me," Melissa lied.

"The security cameras say otherwise."

"Security cameras?"

Rick smirked, "A new installation. And how did you know the security code?"

Melissa shrugged, "You're really bad at picking passcodes."

"Where's my car Melissa?"

This time she glanced over at me, causing me to laugh a response. "The car's pretty useless now."

"Then you owe me ten grand!"

Melissa put her hands on her hips. "What do I have to do to get you the hell off of my property? Cause I don't have ten grand."

I watched the man fume, crossing his arms upon his chest as he tapped his foot. He was thinking of something, and I was sure we wouldn't like whatever he had in mind.

"Get me another car," he demanded.

"As in?"

He looked at me and then back to Melissa. "There's a shop off of Baker street with a car in their lot that I want. It's got a busted headlight on the driver's side. Steal it and bring it to my dealership."

"You want me to steal a trashed car?" Melissa replied.

"The light will cost me nothing to fix, and it'll sell for quite a bit. The profit will replace the one you stole."

Melissa crossed her arms, "And if I don't?"

"I'll send Jericho over next time," Rick stated.

At the mentioning of the name she had a change of heart. "Fine, I'll do it. Now get the hell out of my face."

Rick pointed his finger, "That car better be in my lot by tomorrow morning." Then he climbed into his car and drove away.

I looked at Melissa, "Why am I here again?"

"Like I said," she sighed, "I need your help."

"You could've just paid him off."

"I couldn't pay him off even if I wanted. I have hospital bills now."

I just shook my head, "So I'm the chauffeur?"

"Exactly." She gave me an innocent smile but I saw past it.

"Then let's go," I claimed, ready to get this over with.

We hopped in Derik's car and drove off down the street. This wasn't exactly how I had planned to spend my night, but I didn't mind spending it besides Melissa.

But I noticed she was quiet, which was unusual. She was usually so talkative and full of questions. I wanted to ask if something was bothering her, but wasn't sure if I wanted to start that conversation.

But it didn't take her long to interrupt the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

I glanced at her from the side, "Sure."

She paused just a moment before asking, "Do you ever get the feeling that you're just wasting your life?"

I had thought that many times. "Sometimes, but I try not to dwell on it."

She fell quiet again. Melissa seemed to have a lot weighing on her mind and not enough courage to continue the conversation. It was obvious she wanted to talk about it with me. Maybe I should try a little harder.

"I don't think you're wasting your life," I continued. "I mean you're helping us out of the goodness of your heart when you had really no obligation to do so."

"You really think helping Chapman is worthwhile?"

I nodded, "I think it's the right thing."

She continued to gaze out the window. How I wished I knew what she was thinking right now.

"I hope it's the right thing," she whispered.

The conversation died after that. I understood what she was feeling and from experience I knew it sucked. But it was when we were helping Chapman that I no longer thought about it. Even though the jobs were life threatening I never once felt like I was doing a bad thing.

Then Melissa pointed, "That must be the shop."

I pulled up to what looked to be an abandoned building. There was a lot behind it, but a gate blocked it off from our view. Suddenly I wondered how we were going to do this.

I looked over to Melissa, "How exactly do you plan on getting this car?"

"Same way we got the one at Rick's," she answered, exiting the vehicle.

I followed her up to the gate and peered through the small opening. I saw the car. Even though it was dark I could faintly see the busted headlight, but everything else on it looked brand new.

It didn't take Melissa long to snap the padlock off of the chain binding the two gates together with her pick-lock tools.

"Do you bring those things everywhere?" I wondered.

"Never leave the house without them."

She quietly opened the gates enough for us to squeeze in through the back. The place seemed deserted, but we still remained cautious. And to our dismay the door at the back of the building was a one-way. There was no way to get inside through the back.

"Shit," Melissa claimed, "We're gonna have to go in through the front."

I just nodded and followed her back to the front of the building. She had pulled out her tools again to unlock the front but realized it was already open.

She twisted the knob, "What the hell...?"

That's when an older man rounded the corner of the building, "We're closed!"

I jumped back, Melissa taking a step in front of me as she changed her demeanor. I watched the older man study us and have a change of heart.

He smiled warmly, "How can I help you two beautiful ladies?"

Melissa gave him an award-winning grin and continued to let herself inside. I followed cautiously.

"I'm so sorry to bother you, but me and my friend here are having some car trouble," she lied.

He stood tall and smiled with almost too much excitement. "Well, you two came to the right place."

She turned to me and whispered, "Take him to the car."

"What?" I asked. Was she nuts? I wasn't as good as her at playing dumb!

"Just do it," she ordered. Then she faced the man, "She'll show you the car. Would you mind if I used your restroom?"

"Not at all," he pointed to the back, "All the way down to the right." Then he faced me and grinned, "Following you."

I nodded, giving him a timid smile and exiting back through the front. Melissa better not take long to do this or I was sure to blow our cover.

We walked up to Mia's car, "Uh I think there's something up with the engine."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Overheating." God that was such a stupid answer, Alexa. Get it together.

"Would you mind popping the hood, sweetie?"

I walked around the front and obliged as I glanced over back to the lot. Melissa was already climbing into the car.

I popped the hood and hurried back to the man's side. I just needed to distract him for a few more moments.

"Alright, let's see." He shined a small flashlight into the dark, inspecting some of the components. It wouldn't take him long to figure out nothing was wrong, but hopefully it wouldn't take Melissa long to hijack this car either.

I turned, seeing that the car was now facing the gate. The one good head light shining through the opening. That's when the man looked up from my engine and spotted Melissa in his car.

"Hey! What the hell is she doing?!"

But Melissa took off. The gates flung open as she tore through them. My heart raced inside my chest as I slammed my hood shut and climbed back into my car. This girl was nuts!

The man hollered as both of us peeled out of the parking lot, leaving him in the dust. Melissa sped in front of me and I followed. I was sure the man was going to call the cops and give them a thorough description of the car, so we needed to move fast. Luckily this shop wasn't that far from where we were heading.

We pulled up at a stop light and I drove up on the side of her. We both rolled our windows down.

"You're insane. Do you know that?" I questioned.

She just nodded, "Wanna race to the Rick's? I bet I could lose you in seconds."

"Calm down," I joked, "The last thing we need to do is get a cop on us."

She winked, "You're no fun." Then she rolled up her window.

It wasn't long before we pulled up at our destination, Melissa driving the stolen car around the back. I followed and watched her place a large tarp over it before rejoining me in the car.

"Well that was fun," she claimed.

"That really put you in a better mood?" I asked.

"Kind of. It was exciting."

"I can't believe we just did that."

I drove up into her driveway but she made no sudden movements to leave. Instead she looked over to me, "Thank you."

I found myself smiling like an idiot. "You're welcome. It's not like I was doing anything special tonight anyway."

She returned my smile and looked down at her hands, "Well, if you ever get bored you have my number."

"Yea." My cheeks heated up, "I'll call you up when I get the urge to hijack a car."

"Sounds like a date."

"Goodnight Melissa," I replied, watching her exit the car. Before she disappeared into her house she glanced back at me, throwing me one last smile and a wave.

The thought of liking her a little more than a friend terrified me, but it was there. I believed we both felt it but we were refusing to acknowledge it for the sake of the team. But what would happen once this finally ended? Would we still see each other? Would I even want that?

Of course I would. I liked Melissa. Butadmitting that to myself would be the hardest task I would ever face.

* * *

The next morning Chapman finally called. I was sitting at the counter, having my usual coffee and scanning the newspaper for places hiring when my phone rang.

"Decided to ruin my day early this time?" I asked.

"So I'm the bearer of bad news?" he answered.

"Of course you are," I paused, "Tell me you've found something."

"Actually, I believe I have."

His response woke me up like a pot of coffee. Every fiber in my being was listening with full attention. My fingers crossed under the table. "Do you want me to bring everyone in?"

"Yes," he agreed, "Have them here by noon."

"Alright."

Then he was gone. For a moment I just sat at the counter and stared at my coffee cup. Chapman had sounded excited, which meant he had found something of substance. Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the beginning of the end.

Then Derik emerged from behind me, "Who were you talking to?"

"Chapman," I answered, "He's found something."

Derik continued pouring his coffee but I watched his jaw flex in response. I had yet to figure out why he acted the way he did when Chapman's name was in conversation, but I no longer had the courage to pry.

"Did he say anything important?"

I nodded. "Just that he'd like to have us all there by noon. I think this is the end, Derik."

He sipped his coffee. "It better be." Then he disappeared back to his room.

The conversation was over but I knew it wouldn't be long till we were all together again in Chapman's office. Derik would let everyone know, because that was his job, and then we would prepare ourselves for the truth. So I dressed and hopped in the car with Derik. We met with Melissa and Willi in the parking lot of the NIA building, and walked through the front doors together as a team. Chapman met us in the lobby.

It wasn't until we were in the elevator that Derik addressed him. "If we go through with whatever you have up your sleeve," he paused. "What's in it for us?"

"I think before we talk payment you need to see every card on the table," Chapman answered.

We all remained silent until we got to his office.

We watched Chapman click through his computer before turning it for us to see. What we saw was alarming, and I realized Chapman had been right all along.

We saw Derik's files first. It showed his previous arrests, where he lived, and even connections to Mia and her family that still lived down in Mexico. How did this man have all of this? Chapman showed us Willi's information too, along with my own. The fear in my stomach made me nauseous.

Then he showed Victoria's files. Not only was there way more information than necessary, but there was also a warrant out for her arrest. What had she done to earn a warrant? I guessed nothing and assumed the warrant was just a cover up for something else.

Chapman shifted in his seat. "These files weren't hard to find, which means they're not really confidential. I'm guessing this guy just took what he could from their informatics department without telling anyone. Don't worry, there are thousands of other files just like yours on his hard drive. But it's obvious Victoria is his target."

We were dumbfounded. Unsure of how we were going to deal with this information.

"Is there any way we can erase those files?" I asked.

Chapman took in a deep breath, running one of his hands along his head. "Break into the GIB again, except this time you'll have to gain access to the main server. Which will be much harder."

"And how soon can we do that?" Derik continued asking.

"As soon as we close my case," Chapman answered.

All four of us remained silent. I knew this wasn't over, but I didn't expect the finish line to be so far away. If we closed Chapman's case would he help us break into the GIB again? That's what I was understanding.

Chapman leaned forward on his desk, "If you help me catch these guys we'll talk about a plan to get you into the Bureau's headquarters."

I glanced at Derik, both of us already on the same page. We had to help him if we wanted a chance at freedom.

"We'll do it," Derik agreed.

Chapman nodded and stood from his desk. "I dug around and apparently our guy is very interested in an abandoned sawmill up in Pasadena. And it's odd because the mill hasn't been in use for years. This is because they've been using it to hide and export the drugs he helps import. Another shipment is coming in tonight, and tomorrow there will be a meeting between the cartel and the GIB."

He continued, "I can't trust anyone in this building, which means I can't even use my security team. If whoever the snitch is finds out about our plan they'll alert the GIB, and all the work we've done will be for nothing. This leaves us with limitations. But I'm having Monroe talk with Pasadena's local police department for extra backup."

"So what do we have to do?" I asked.

Chapman pulled up a drawn map of the mill, every entry point circled in red. "Since the police will be staking out before any of us get there they will be our eyes and ears. Monroe will drive us around to the vacant lot on the other side of the building. There's a fire escape we'll have to gain access too, and then we'll go in through there. Once we're in position to make the arrest I'll order for the police to detain the outside guards."

"Do the police know we're dealing with an extremely dangerous drug cartel?" Willi asked.

"No." Chapman shook his head. "They believe we're about to perform a drug bust between the street gangs they've been having trouble with."

Derik tilted his head. "Don't you think it's putting their lives at risk by lying to them?"

Chapman folded his arms across his chest. The heat between them made me nervous. "Leave the decision making to me Derik. All you have to worry about is helping me arrest my guys."

I hurried to speak before Derik could come back with a remark. "Who are we going in there for?"

That's when Chapman finally peeled his glare off of Derik. He turned his screen towards us to see. "This is the GIB director, Dave Stanley. Same guy you had the pleasure of meeting not long ago when you broke into that house. He's the one who's been working with the cartel."

I recognized the man in the picture. It was the creep who had been eyeing me and Melissa like pieces of meat the other day.

"And the other guy?" I asked.

Chapman searched his computer, "He's not the kingpin we're looking for, but he can lead us to him. He's more like the second in command. If we get him, we can finally find and arrest the biggest drug threat this world has ever seen."

Then a picture popped up on the computer screen. A face that had once been a blurry memory was finally coming back into focus. My knees buckled at the sight. I should've expected something like this to happen. But after all these years...

Why was everything so quiet? My hand found the arm of a chair as I sat down. This wasn't happening.

Chapman announced our second target, "His names Raymond De Savia."

A heaviness sat on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I couldn't pull my eyes off of the computer screen even if my life depended on it. The very ground I stood on was collapsing. After ten years of not seeing him... Or knowing where he was...

I heard Melissa ask next to me, "Alexa are you okay?"

But I was so far from okay.

"T-That's my..." I paused. I felt like throwingup. "That's my father..."