The conversation me and Melissa had last night resurfaced while I stared at Chapman. I wasn't afraid, but I hadn't expected him to come looking for me so soon. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since the heist.

I decided not to keep him waiting. Walking around the car I let myself in through the passenger side, a moment of silence settling between us.

We drove off, and for a split second I thought he was about to bring me to the NIA building. Or maybe he was finally bringing me to jail. Before I could ask he spoke up.

"Are you trying to get yourself arrested again?"

"No," I claimed, "And I don't know what you're talking about."

"Playing dumb with me never works," he reminded. "You and that girl Melissa are lucky I was contacted about last night and not someone else."

I shook my head, "What do you mean?"

"I mean they caught your faces on a security camera. Luckily I was able to get rid of it," he informed.

I felt my skin run cold.

He lifted one hand from the steering wheel in annoyance. "Did you really think it was a good idea to drive into town not wearing masks? I thought you were smarter than that."

I was biting the inside of my cheek out of frustration. He was right. It had been a stupid move. But last night hadn't exactly gone as planned. Then again, when did it ever?

"We weren't planning on causing a scene," I answered.

"Haven't you learned to expect the unexpected?"

I rolled my eyes, "So what, you're finally here to arrest me?"

I couldn't look at him, too afraid that my freedom was about to be ripped away from me once again.

"No," he paused, looking forward, "I'm here to thank you."

I stared at him in shock. "Well, you sure have a funny way of going about it."

"Do you want to keep being a smartass or do you want answers?"

I shut right up. This was the question I had been dying to hear since meeting him, but being face to face with this kind of opportunity was intimidating. Was I ready for the truth? Probably not. But there was no way I was passing this up.

I nodded silently.

He glanced at me before speaking, "Welsh's murder wasn't because we messed up that night at the GIB. Whoever informed them of our plan not only told them we were coming, but also what we were coming for. Welsh was murdered hours before we even stepped foot in their building."

I no longer felt responsible for Welsh's death but there was still a sense of failure. We had gone through all of that for nothing. The meaningless blood I had on my hands made me sick.

"Who knew about the plan?" I asked.

"My entire team," Chapman shook his head, "And word seems to travel fast in our headquarters."

"So you have no chance of finding who snitched?"

"No, not right now."

I took a deep breath and tried to wrap my head around the information. This seemed to be a serious problem. Too many people had known, which meant there were too many suspects. Finding out who it was would be near impossible. The only way to make sure it didn't happen again was if Chapman were to keep things low-key from here on out.

"The man you helped Monroe find," Chapman continued his thought, "Antonio Silva. He's been very helpful in reopening the case-"

"What is this all about?" I interrupted. There was a hint of desperation in my voice. "Why are you here?"

Being involved with this was dangerous. The least he could do was give me some insight on why he was here. Or some answers. Honestly, any kind of information on this rapidly growing problem would ease my mind. If he was going to keep coming to me for help, then he needed to give me an incentive to want to assist.

"I'm here to make a trade," he claimed.

"A trade?"

"Information for your agreement to help me with this case."

I rolled my eyes. "As great as that sounds, secrets don't pay the bills, Chapman."

"We can talk money later if you accept."

This time I allowed my gaze to lock with his. Was he serious? I couldn't help but ask, "Why us?"

"Because I can't trust anyone but Monroe, and it's gonna take more than just the two of us to close this case."

I pondered the thought, wondering what Derik would think if he knew what I was up to. He was the one to make these types of decisions. Not me. It wasn't my place to make the call for my entire team, but I had a feeling that I needed to accept. And I was always the one to trust my gut.

I looked at Chapman. "What happens if I accept your offer?"

"I tell you what this is all about," he answered, "And I make arrangements for monetary payment."

"And if I don't accept?"

He sucked in a tight breath. "I drop you off back at Derik's so you can continue struggling to hold a steady job and support your family."

His choice of words struck a nerve within me. The jab about my personal life sparked a fire, and I believed that's what he had intended to do.

"You can do something good, Alexa," Chapman continued. "This is an opportunity for you to help on the good side. To fix a broken system and get paid for it. This is the break you've been searching for, isn't it?"

I stared at him. Dark eyes were intently staring back. There was something in his expression that told me he wasn't leaving without a yes. But Chapman was right. This was an opportunity to do something good. This was an opportunity for redemption. But was I ready to open Pandora's box?

"What do you want us to do?" I asked without any more hesitation.

He smiled in victory. "Antonio informed us that there's a ship coming to port tomorrow night. The cartel he was working for is importing-"

"Wait," I couldn't help but interject, "You're investigating drug cartels?"

Chapman nodded stiffly. "Kind of, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I believe someone inside the GIB is helping the drugs get across our borders."

The accusation hit me like a punch to the face. An international drug cartel was possibly being funded by our own government? I had heard of things like this happening but never knew if it was true.

I shook my head, "Why would they do that?"

"Plenty of reasons," he paused, "But I believe the driving force is information on other cartels. They sell information to the GIB on other cartels, which allows our government to shut down their competition. The GIB repays them by allowing them to run their business to the states. It's extremely political."

This was much more serious than I had anticipated.

Chapman glanced at me. "I need you and your team to get on that ship tomorrow night and get evidence."

"What kind of evidence are we talking about?"

"Pictures of the dealers with the GIB officials, the drugs..." he claimed. "If we can identify at least one of those people on that ship it could lead us to the root of the problem."

I didn't know what to say. I had already accepted the job on behalf of my entire team. And now I knew the truth. There was no way Chapman was letting me off the hook now.

"Why'd you come to me and not Derik?" I asked.

Chapman blinked and looked away from me before answering. "Because you're reliable."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Right," I paused, "What's the real reason?"

"That's it," he nodded, "I saw it the night of the GIB heist. Not only did you refuse to leave without the files, but you fought like hell to get out. You have the dedication it takes."

I remained silent. Chapman must have heard me and Melissa's exchange that night.

"That's what you believe?" I questioned.

He just nodded silently.

I realized we were heading back towards Derik's house. I dreaded telling everyone what I had gotten us into. Hopefully they wouldn't be too mad.

Chapman stopped in front of the driveway. "Oh, before you go. I have something for you." Looking over I watched him retrieve my long lost cellphone from the middle console of his car. He smirked, "After we confiscated it I forgot to give it back."

He placed it in my palm.

I examined it cautiously. "What did you do to it?"

"Nothing, Alexa. Don't you trust me?"

I just threw him an unamused glare before exiting the car.

His window rolled down, "Be in my office by sundown tomorrow night."

I just gave a stiff nod, watching Chapman's car roll away from the house. Taking a deep breath, I tried to rationalize with myself.

Willi and Melissa would goalong with it based on Derik's reaction. If I could get Derik on board then therest would fall in line. I just prayed everything went well while lettingmyself back inside.

* * *

"What do you mean you accepted another job from them?" Derik raged.

"You don't have to help," I argued, crossing my arms in defense.

Derik ran his trembling hands through his short black hair, his dark eyes resting on the ground. "Why are you so hell bent on sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"Chapman came to me, Derik. Not vice versa."

"And that gave you permission to accept his offer on behalf of everyone else?!"

Okay, he was right about that. I should have consulted with the rest of my team, but I hadn't had the chance! It was an opportunity that I felt would slip away if I hadn't accepted immediately.

I tried to redeem myself. "Derik, we would be doing a good thing. And we'll get paid for it!"

"Yeah we'll get paid. If we don't die first." He sat in the chair across from me. His strong hands wove together as he bowed his head. "It wasn't your place to make the decision."

Then the backdoor opened, Willi and Melissa joining us in Derik's back yard. He had called for them to come over not long ago.

"What's going on?" Willi asked.

"Chapman asked Alexa to help him again with his case... she accepted for all of us." Derik answered.

I swallowed, refusing to bring my eyes to meet the others.

Willi and Melissa walked closer, Melissa choosing to stand next to me. I silently wondered if this meant she was on my side.

"Well what do we have to do?" Melissa asked.

That's when I explained everything again, to everyone this time. I forced my voice not to tremble as I did. It was too late to back out now.

"He said he'll pay us..." I finished, hoping to ease some of the tension.

Derik started again. "Alexa-"

"Aren't you tired of doing this?" I shouted over him. This was my breaking point. I wasn't able to hold my tongue any longer. "Derik I'm so tired of being the bad guy. Mom gets out of rehab in a month. Anna's about to start high school... I can't keep doing this. I can't keep putting my life at risk for the wrong reasons anymore."

"You're putting your life at risk by accepting Chapman's offer!" He retorted, throwing his hands up.

"At least I'll be doing something good! At least I'll finally be helping someone!"

All was silent as I finished my rant. Once again my eyes stung with tears but I blinked them away. Taking a deep breath, I sat back down, realizing I had shot out of my chair.

Willi began to join in the conversation, "Derik's right, Alexa. This isn't about playing superman. This is serious. We're getting ourselves involved in federal affairs as criminals..."

Then Melissa countered in my defense. "But it's now a rogue case, Willi. It's no longer a case for the NIA. It's a case for Chapman. If anything does go wrong, he'll make sure our names stay out of it."

Everything was at a standstill, but I was grateful Melissa was here in my defense. Willi and Derik still seemed unconvinced, but I knew my job was to have everyone in Chapman's office by tomorrow night.

"I need to do this," I claimed. "And I know helping Chapman won't make everything I did in the past go away but... I'm going tomorrow. With or without you."

That's when I turned towards the backdoor, heading for the house. I silently prayed Derik didn't let me go.

When my hand landed on the doorknob I heard him call out. "Alexa wait..."

I turned back to face him.

"I'll go," he answered, "I still think it's a mistake. But I can't let you go alone."

The defeat I had momentarily felt was gone, replaced with something warm that settled in my chest. Chapman believed me to be reliable, but I still thought Derik the most reliable of us all.

With Derik's approval Willi and Melissa soon agreed, just as I predicted. My job was done, at least until tomorrow.

Then Willi changed the subject. "Derik, I need you to look at my truck. I think there's something up with my engine."

He and Derik disappeared, leaving Melissa and I alone.

"Told you Chapman was gonna come looking for you," she joked.

I just smiled, "Thanks. For taking my side."

"Well, I kind of owed you one. Plus, I understand why you want to do this so bad."

Owed me one? What exactly did she mean? Was she referring to her bailing on me in the beginning? Did she still feel bad for that? Maybe she had defended me because she knew I hadn't told Derik or Willi about what she had done. Maybe this was her silent thank you. Once again, I decided not to bring it up.

"Bet you didn't know what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to help us, huh?" I looked over, her eyes already on me.

She smiled, light dimples appearing in the middle of her cheeks. "True. But it's nice to know my help is appreciated. At least now."

I pulled my eyes away. Guilt of how I had treated her in the beginning tugging at my heart. "Melissa..."

"Alexa, it's fine. I know we'll never truly be even after what I did, but stop beating yourself up." She continued playing with her hands that sat in her lap.

For just a moment I thought what it would be like if we had met as normal everyday people. What would our relationship consist of if it hadn't started out to rocky? Thinking about it now Melissa was exactly the kind of girl I found myself attracted to. Although she had been a coward not long after we had met, she had now proven herself to be intelligent and brave.

Her bravery hadn't shown itself until after the GIB job, but it was shining through. However, the more time I spent getting to know her the more I found myself enjoying her company.

Then she stood, interrupting my thought. "I'm gonna go see if Derik and Willi need any help."

And then she was gone through the backdoor. Leaving me alone once again.