Missing names.
Altered dates.
Sealed documents that shouldn’t be sealed.
Because she already put the idea in my head that her oppressors might be watching, I found myself being extra cautious.
I made sure my laptop was positioned so only I could see the screen. And every so often, I would glance around to be sure no one was watching me.
At first, I wanted to rule these out as clerical errors. But the inconsistencies seemed to point toward deliberate interference. Someone had gone through so much trouble to hide something. But what? Someone’s involvement in this case? Whose?
In no time, I found myself going down the rabbit hole. My legal training kicked in, and I began cross-checking public records and archived files. The deeper I dug, the more I realized the truth.
This file was tampered with by someone above me—someone with the clearance I didn’t have. It appeared that whoever they were, they were trying to brush this trafficking operation under the rug.
This individual or these individuals stood in the way of justice. They’d made themselves enemies of the law, disguised as fuckin’ allies. And they could be anyone.
I lifted my head, my eyes scanning the office in silence. My colleagues were busy with work: answering phone calls, exchanging files, and facing lit screens. Everyone was doingsomething, but I couldn’t help thinking one or more of them might be working for whoever was pulling the strings.
The system was obviously protecting someone, someone powerful and influential.
“Hey.” Jake appeared behind me, seemingly out of nowhere.
I almost flinched in shock, but I held back. Instead, I swiveled to face him, calm and composed. “Hey.”
He bit into his hamburger, his eyes flicking toward my lit laptop screen. “Still on the Morales case?” he asked with his mouth full.
“It’s the only case I’m working on, isn’t it?”
He swallowed. “You do realize you can actually answer a question like a normal person, right?”
I let out a quiet scoff.
The smile on his face gradually vanished, replaced by a more serious look. Not threatening. But worrisome. “Seriously, Kiera…I think you should let this one go,” he whispered. “Some cases aren’t worth risking everything over.”
“What’re you talking about?” I locked eyes with him.
He glanced around for a moment. “Just let it go. Trust me. It’s in your best interest.”
If I had any doubts before, this was enough to convince me he knew more than he let on. Something was going on here, and he’d piqued my curiosity.
***
Later that night, I drove back to my apartment, knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep well. The fact that Jake wanted me off this case was the reason I wasn’t going to back down.
There was something fishy going on at the office, and I was going to get to the bottom of it. My car pulled into the driveway, and I killed the engine, fingers wrapped around the steering wheel.
I leaned back in my seat, drawing a deep breath when I spotted a familiar black SUV through my rearview mirror. The vehicle was parked at a safe distance across the street with its headlights off.
I wasn’t tripping; it was the same car that had been tailing me for the past ten minutes. It popped out of a side street and had been on my tail from a distance.
Initially, I didn’t want to think much of it, but seeing the same vehicle in my neighborhood now was alarming. Maybe it wasn’t that big a deal. Maybe it was a different vehicle. Maybe I was just being paranoid because of the glimpse of the truth I’d seen today.
My thoughts were still a mess when the car’s engine came to life, and I watched it drive past. It traveled along the road and then disappeared into the night. Only then did I feel some kind of relief.
However, a part of me still couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. I stepped out and headed into my apartment. Once inside, I locked the door behind me, turned on the lights, and took my boots off. Then my socks followed.
The floor was cool beneath my bare feet as I strolled through the living room, shedding my jacket. I tossed it onto the nearest sofa and combed my fingers through my hair.
