Sapphire

Chapter 13

Alec didn't want to take any chances with her. Shay realized that soon after she agreed to be their little mole. He had a plan for everything it seemed, and a profile for every person who had lived in Valerie Brigg's mansion.

Including Noah.

When Shay saw the folder with his name on it, she felt her heart skip a beat. She stared at the photo of him that was inside, a mugshot of him at 20 years old. Seeing him that young reminded her again of the first time she saw him, bringing with it a whole bunch of memories that made her question what she was even doing.

"As you can see, all we have is a list of people who might be involved and crimes that they might have committed. We have no direct links or proof of any of it, and that's where you come in." Alec explained. They were sitting in a white van in Asheville, Massachusetts, just twenty miles away from the Brigg's mansion. "Are you sure you can't point us to any evidence that connects them? Something you saw or heard when you were there?"

"I already told you, I wasn't involved. I was a kid when I first moved in and she didn't tell me anything about what they were doing." She wasn't stupid, though. She knew what they were up to when they left at odd times of day and came back with injuries or unexplained merchandise. Sometimes, she even convinced Noah to share mission details but that's all she ever got. No participation awards for her, not even once.

"Ok. Well if you ever remember anything, let me know."

She nodded, but still wasn't sure how far she was willing to take this.

When Alec put that tracker in her arm earlier that morning, though, she realized that getting out of this might be harder than she anticipated. "Any effort to tamper with the tracker will stun you temporarily, as well as alert us to your immediate location. So don't mess with it," Alec had told her. Still not impossible, but not easy either.

"You better not put a wire on me." Shay said when she saw Alec getting one out. "He'll know and it'll be all over."

Alec hesitated and looked at her. "I have to hear what you're saying, though. Just so I know you're not planning anything."

"I'll call you on my phone and put you on speaker." Shay suggested. One of the oldest tricks in the book.

"Fine. That'll work." Alec replied. He smiled at her slightly, his blonde beard at about two days growth. His green eyes met hers for a second before ushering for her to get started. "Let's go then."

Taking a deep breath, Shay left the not very inconspicuous van and walked half a mile to the bar, the tension in her shoulders increasing with every step.

When Shay finally stepped inside, her eyes anxiously scanned the face of each patron before she sat down. She chose a barstool on the opposite end, furthest from the door but with a perfect view of anyone coming in or out of it.

He wasn't here yet.

Part of her hoped he would never show, her guilt for leaving so strong that she was afraid to face it. To face him, the guy she grew up with for two years whose temper would be directed at her for the first time ever.

Still, she stayed right where she was, her butt rooted on the uncushioned barstool and back straight as a board while she watched the door.

"Can I see your ID?" The stocky man behind the bar spotted Shay not too long after she got there, giving her one look that made him dubious of her age. She couldn't blame him. She had turned 20 just a couple of months ago and with her heart-shaped face and innocent blue eyes, many people she ran into thought she was still in high school. Good thing she had stolen an ID from a twenty-two year-old girl who looked just like her.