I took a deep breath before I sighed. “That’s our hometown.”
Asher’s eyebrows went up. “Shit, seriously?”
I nodded. “Yeah, we both have family there. Neither of us has really been home since we left.”
Chelsey looked at me, and I scowled as I locked eyes with her. “You could have warned us rather than throwing it up on a screen like it’s not a problem.”
Chelsey frowned. “I didn’t have time. This just arrived, and we need to get you guys moving.”
I tried to keep my anger calm, but it was hard. I hadn’t been home, but that didn’t mean I had stopped caring about it. I left for a reason, and it was to keep people safe, not this.
“You and Kaleb are due to arrive tomorrow. You have an hour to pack what you need to get on the plane.”
“Wait a second, you’ll only be sending them?” Westley waved his hands. “How the hell does that make sense? We’re all part of the same crew, and we should all go.”
“You and Asher are going to be going, but I want them to get themselves settled first. We already had a group out there setting up cameras and surveillance around the town. You guys will be in charge of watching outside of their town.”
The door opened, and Kaleb walked back into the room, looking calmer. You could see the anger still swimming in his eyes, and his fists were white as he sat down. He glared at me for a moment before looking back at Chelsey.
“And I presume you want us to keep this news to ourselves?”
Chelsey nodded. “This is undercover, so no one can know why you’re there. At least not at first.” Chelsey clicked, moving the picture to a large map of the town. There were red lines marked to show the town boundaries. “We have everything mapped out, but we are moving out so we can see outside the town lines. Asher and Westley, you will be leading the charge in the woods. Brandon is still in charge of the entire operation. Once you guys land, I’ll send you the next steps.”
Everyone nodded, and I felt my stomach dip. I hadn’t been home since I left. Sure, I’d called home on occasion and given shitty excuses as to why I couldn’t come home for the holidays. My folks knew I was doing something with my life, but they didn’t know what, just that I was busy.
“Good luck,” Chelsey said, her lips forming a thin line. “This operation is big. The biggest you’ve had. Everything is coming to a head.”
Chelsey left the room, and Kaleb looked at me. “When do we leave?”
“An hour.” I rubbed a hand over my eyes and sighed. I turned to Asher and Westley. “You guys should get ready since I’m sure you’ll be leaving in a few days after us. I want you two to do a detailed search around the woods and anything that has been set up. We don’t want any holes for them to slip through.”
“Have you guys seriously not been home since you started here?” Asher asked, looking a little surprised by this.
I didn’t like to think about how I got here, or who got me here. It was messy, and I didn’t like having that in my life. Kaleb didn’t speak, so I nodded. “Yeah.”
I looked at Kaleb, knowing he was thinking about his folks. I also knew he was thinking about his sister. The very woman I rejected and ran from. The very woman I was likelygoing to have to see. My past was going to be there, and I would have to deal with it.
Chapter 2 - Jade
“Jade, I need these invoices put into the system before you leave.” Ryan, my boss, tossed a stack of papers onto my desk. It shook slightly, and I looked up from my computer, taking in the massive pile. I glanced at the time, seeing I was supposed to be getting out of work in half an hour, but what he was giving me was several hours’ worth of work.
I swallowed, trying to find my voice. “Ryan, I don’t think I’ll have all of this done by the time I have to leave.”
Ryan sighed, giving me a look. “Then stay late. You can have overtime.”
I wouldn’t have a problem staying late if it didn’t mean I would have to pick up Ilsa from daycare later. But I had already stayed late on Monday and Wednesday. I knew they were going to be pissed if I called, saying I would pick her up late again tonight. It was Friday, and they liked to get out as soon as possible.
“I can’t stay late tonight,” I said softly. “I have to grab Ilsa from daycare, and they aren’t open late tonight. I can come in early on Monday.”
Ryan crossed his arms, his face looking annoyed. “I need these on my desk by Monday at seven. Take them home then. But don’t lose any of the papers like you did last time.”
I slowly nodded, reaching out and grabbing the stack. “Of course. I’ll have them for you by Monday.”
Ryan turned without another word, and I chewed on my lower lip. I had planned to spend the entire weekend with Ilsa, but that wasn’t going to happen. Ilsa would be disappointed if I changed my plans.
I shoved the papers into a binder and packed everything up. I left, heading into my car outside. I turned the key, saying a silent prayer that it would start up. It turned over a few times before it finally came to life. I sighed, sagging against my seat. I needed to have my car looked at, but I couldn’t afford it.
I had spent a little extra last month on Ilsa to get her a bigger bed, and I was still paying that off. I penny-pinched to make ends meet. Even with the overtime, that money had a destination. I needed groceries, or we needed something new for the house. The microwave broke, and I had to wait three months before we could get a new one. We needed a new dishwasher, but I couldn’t afford one right away, so we had to wash dishes by hand. It took six months to save up enough to get a new one.
