As Melissa and I searched for the address Alvin had given us earlier, I couldn't help but notice we had ended up on a lesser side of town. Not that I felt threatened, but knowing someone like Al was dwelling here for the time being made me respect him a little more.

"It says we're here," Melissa claimed as she gazed at her phone.

"Where is here?" I asked.

We looked down the deserted street, but the only thing I saw was a flickering neon Open sign in a tattoo shop window. Could that be...?

"Come on," Melissa said. "I feel like a sitting target right here."

I followed her out the car and onto the dark street. We were closer to the beach now, so the smell of salt water lingered in the air. Unfortunately, it was also mixed with the aroma of trash and sewer.

In the distance, you could hear the bustling of the city, but all was quiet here. It gave me the creeps.

Melissa lowered her face to peer inside the tattoo shop. The neon lights danced off her face as she pushed against the door. It was open.

We walked inside and the bell above our heads dinged at our arrival, but there was no one at the front.

"Alvin?" I called.

All remained silent for a minute. I was beginning to believe we were in the wrong place.

"Hello?" Melissa called.

That's when Alvin himself peeked around the corner.

"Lock the door," he ordered.

Melissa did as such.

"Come."

Melissa gave me an unsure glance before I followed Alvin around the corner and up the stairs, which led to a hallway.

"Did anyone follow you?"

"No," I stated, even though I was unsure. "We got your external-drive."

"Fantastic." He opened a door. "Did you also find the cellphone?"

Melissa set her bag down on the table inside the cramped room. Alvin's industrial-sized laptop sat on the counter as well, ready to go.

Melissa showed the drive first.

He gasped. "This is it."

Then I showed him my cellphone.

He took it from me and immediately plugged it into his computer and got to work.

"Come by tomorrow around seven." He looked up from behind his screen. "Bring some coffee, if you can."

"I actually have another favor..." I said.

He stared at me.

"Could you print up a few fake IDs?"

"So, you're skipping town," he claimed.

"I have to find my sister." I stared at him. "And I can't do that as Alexa Cortez."

"Sure," he agreed as he stood from his computer. "Let me grab my printer."

Melissa looked around the room. "Do you always travel with all of your equipment?"

"This isn't even half of what I own," Al revealed as he rummaged through a bag. "It's just what I could carry."

I raised my brow. "Had to leave in a hurry?"

Alvin found what he was looking for. "Let's just say hacking into your government's database is... frowned upon by the law."

"Or in other words, you're on the run."

"My friend went missing and they confiscated her stuff," he defended. "I was just trying to find her."

Melissa moved closer to me as Alvin flicked on some higher-powered lights and set up the small tripod. He turned on the card printer and then hooked up the regular printer for the title and insurance.

Then he looked up. "Who's first?"

In just thirty minutes, Al had everything we needed besides the information from my cellphone. Apparently, that would take hours. But Melissa and I had some very convincing fake IDs that I found myself eager enough to use.

"Here you go, Miss Paige Stanley."

I accepted my fake ID with a devious smile. There was a small ounce of doubt that when I decided to use this, I wouldn't succeed. But I had to at least try.

"And Miss Molly Roberts."

I couldn't help but laugh at Melissa's fake identity.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You don't look like a Molly."

"That's because I'm not a Molly," Melissa defended. "But it'll have to do."

Al handed me the fake title and insurance before he followed us back down to the tattoo parlor.

"I'll see you two tomorrow. Bright and early."

We both exchanged glances with Alvin before heading back out onto the dark street. The street light above us flickered as the door locked behind us.

"Not bad for a night's work," I claimed.

Melissa climbed into the passenger seat. "You think Chapman's gonna freak when he realizes your cellphone is missing from Anna's case room?"

"I'm sure." I started the car. "But hopefully by then we'll be far away from here."

I sped through Los Angeles and headed back to Melissa's. I was beat. My body was begging for sleep. Too bad my mind constantly fought it. At night, I felt bad for Melissa because I would toss and turn for hours. Yet, she never complained. She just pulled me closer to her in hopes to comfort my unsettled mind.

It wasn't until I turned down Melissa's street that I realized someone was in her driveway. The back of my neck turned hot.

"Who the hell is at your house?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Hurry. Cut the engine."

I parked down the street and turned off the car. The beam of the headlights disappeared, but not before I was able to study the dark suburban.

"Did you get some guns from Willi?" I questioned.

"Yeah, they're in the backseat."

"Good, because we might need them."

But I exited the car in a hurry. Hopefully Melissa grabbed what we needed before I confronted whoever was in her house.

Then, before I could, she grabbed my arm. "Alexa, wait."

I turned around. "There's someone in your house, Melissa. No telling what-"

"What if this is about Victoria?"

I stopped. Then I glanced back at the house and realized that's exactly what this was. Nothing else made sense.

I faced her. "You think they found us? Already?"

She shrugged before looking past me and at the vehicle. Then she started to creep closer to her house. I followed.

Her door was wide open, the light in the upper bedroom was on. I quickly wondered if they had found the hidden attic.

Then Melissa opened the passenger side door of the car.

"Alexa, look..."

I moved in next to her to see what she was looking at. There were two pictures, one of me and one of Melissa, sitting on the console. I felt my blood run cold as Melissa dug in the glove compartment for further information.

She pulled out a badge.

"A special agent," she said. "They're looking for us."

I looked up and realized the bedroom light was off. Where we they? Were they coming back down?

"Move. Now," I ordered as I pulled Melissa away from the vehicle and closed the door.

We raced to the side of her house and I pressed my back against the cold siding. I heard the front door of her house close and counted the footsteps approaching the suburban sitting in the driveway.

"You think they ditched town?" a masculine voice asked.

"Seems like it," another answered.

There were two of them. Both men.

"Call the boss and tell them what we found."

Then two doors slammed and a car engine started. I allowed my worried eyes to lock with Melissa's.

I peered around the corner and waited until they turned off the street before even moving a muscle. There was no way in hell we were staying here tonight.

"We can't stay here," Melissa claimed.

"We'll stay at Derik's for the night," I said. "But we're leaving as soon as Alvin gets what we need."

"Okay." Melissa paced up to her door. "I just need to pack a bag."

We both made our way through her house and up the stairs. When we got to her room, Melissa wasted little time getting her things in order.

I watched the frantic brunette shove clothes into a duffel bag and wondered why she was doing this. She could've left so many times when things got hard, but for some reason she stayed. She could've gotten away from me and all my bullshit, but hadn't.

She glanced over her bag. "I think that's it."

But when she finally faced me I couldn't help myself.

My hands grabbed her face and pulled her into me. Our lips connected for the first time in over a week. Lately, I hadn't been able to look at anything other than that board in her attic, but I wasn't blind anymore. I could see her again, and I needed her to know that.

I knew my kiss was frantic and desperate, but that's how I felt. Adrenaline and angst flowed through my veins, which is what made the kiss so important. That's what made it so real.

I pulled away but couldn't speak.

"W-What...?" she stammered.

"Thank you," I stated. "For never leaving."

This got a smile out of her, and it warmed my cold heart. In the six months I had known Melissa, our relationship had been a wild rollercoaster ride. From betrayal to redemption, we had covered so many things most couples experienced over years and years of being together, but that's what made me crazy about her.

Then those silver eyes lit up.

"Thank you for letting me stay," she whispered.

And I knew, I just knew, that things would work out as long as I had Melissa. It would get ugly, and it would be hard... but we were good together.

Together,we were unstoppable.