Page 21 of Just Hide

"I understand," Cami said. Now, her heart was pounding as Jacenta's words sank in, and Cami felt the weight of them on her shoulders. She knew that Jacenta was right—that any action she took had to be carefully considered, and that she had to be sure of her facts and her motivations. She should think before she acted and not let her emotions get the better of her.

Jacenta's voice softened. "I have faith that you’ll do the right thing. You're smart, you're brave, and you're capable. I believe in you, and I know you'll make the right decision. Just remember that you can't do this alone. When you're ready, you need to talk to someone you trust, and make sure you're getting the support and guidance you need. And from my standpoint, there are many good, trustworthy people within the FBI who will have your back. Myself and Connor included."

Tears sprang to Cami's eyes, and she quickly wiped them away. Jacenta was more than her parole officer—she had become her mentor, her confidant, and her friend.

"Thank you," she said. "I will. I'll keep in mind what you've said."

"Good," Jacenta said. "Now get some rest, and I'll talk to you soon, okay? If at any stage, you want to share more with me, then do. I'll treat it with confidence."

"Okay," Cami said, feeling a little better. "I will."

Sternly, Jacenta repeated, "And remember my warning. Don't get on the wrong side of the law. Not now, Cami."

"I promise I won't," Cami said, hoping it was a promise she could keep.

"Goodnight," Jacenta said and hung up the phone.

Cami put her phone down and sighed. She felt a little better as she opened her sandwich and began eating, but she was still uncertain. She knew that she had to go forward with this investigation because she had no choice. If she didn't, then they might find out who she was and try to take her out too.

She needed to find out the shooter’s identity, and what the relationship between Ethan and Liam had been, but she was scared of the consequences. She knew she had to take the risk and trust her gut, but who could she trust?

With that thought in mind, Cami decided to send a message. She got out her phone and texted Kieran.

"I'm on a case with the FBI now. When it's done, I'm going to try and find out more about Ethan, and what he was looking into,"she said."What do you think?"

She hesitated for a moment before sending it. Then, nerves immediately flooded in as she waited to see if she'd get a reply.

Her phone beeped, and she grabbed it, but her heart sank as she saw it was a student friend, asking for advice on one of the study assignments. Quickly, switching her brain to that side of her life, Cami texted a reply she knew would help. She ended up getting into some detail on it. After all, mobile device security was an important assignment topic and a problematic one for a lot of her classmates.

But by the time she'd sent it, she saw that Kieran had answered. With a surge of nerves, she read the reply.

"I think that's great. But I'm worried for you.”

“And I’m worried for you too.”

“Point taken. We don’t know how far this goes. Our neighborhood security company has seen strange vehicles in the area for two nights now, near our house. No number plates, and they’ve fled when approached.”

“Serious?”Cami felt fear wash through her.

“Might be nothing, or something else, but I feel it’s important. Police were in touch again today about the case. We told them about the vehicle. They said they’d station an officer here for the next few nights, but for now, there’s still no progress. So whoever he is, they’re not close to finding him.”

“That’s scary.”

“I want to help. How?"

Cami thought."We need to talk. Can we meet asap when case is over?"

"Sure."

“Please, take care until then.”

“You too.”

Reading the message, she felt a sense of purpose. It was even more important to find out who the shooter was and what they had to do with Ethan's investigation. She was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, and she hoped that with Kieran's help, she could do it before the danger got any closer. These people knew who Kieran was, that was easy, because he was Ethan’s brother. They might not know who she was yet, if they’d only glimpsed her at the bar, which was why she hadn’t been targeted since then.

She wasn't leaving this alone. And the sooner she could work it out, the better. Cami thought again of that shooter, out there on the deserted road.

He'd gone for Ethan first, but he'd intended to shoot her, too, and had been searching for her. Only luck, quick thinking, and the arrival of the police had prevented him from getting her right there and then.

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