Emily jolted up in bed. She could no longer remember what scared her but sadly she was awake. Her mouth was dry so she climbed out of bed, threw on a robe and headed downstairs for a glass of water. She made her way down the hall in a tired daze. As she passed by Addison's room she softly inched the door open and she poked her head inside to check that the teen was asleep. To her surprise, the bed was empty and panic ensued.

Now on high alert, Emily raced back to her room for her gun. She quickly checked the top floor, clearing each room as she made her way down the hall. Her senses were in overdrive, she listened carefully to every sound. The bathroom, spare bedroom, and office were all empty as well and she found no sign of forced entry.

She approached the stairs, gun still raised. She heard the faint sounds of gunfire and screaming coming from the living room on the main floor. This didn't alarm her, she knew that it was coming from the television. She could see the flashing of light from the TV as she descended to the main floor.

She spotted Addison curled up on the couch under a pile of blankets and let out a shaky breath of relief. Emily lowered her gun, letting her hand fall to her side as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Addison blinked slowly as she stared at the TV and she did not acknowledge Emily's presence, although it was obvious that she had seen her.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" Emily asked softly as she circled the coffee table to take a seat on the far end of the couch.

"Couldn't sleep," Addison replied dryly, she did not look away from the TV.

Emily leaned forward and placed her gun on the table. Addison't eyes drifted to it momentarily but she was not concerned. Unlike most teenagers, Addison was used to being around guns.

She shrugged it off and turned her focus back to the movie she was watching.

"Is your shoulder bothering you?" Emily asked worriedly, trying to meet Addison's trance-like gaze.

"No," Addison replied harshly but Emily brushed it off.

Emily had noticed this tension in the car on the way home from Rossi's.

"What are you watching?" Emily asked with a glance at the TV.

"Apocalypse Now," Addison said simply.

Emily chuckled fondly as she leaned back and settled into the couch. "Ah, three hours of helicopter montages and battle sequences," she said.

Addison turned her head slightly and she let her eyes slip away from the television to shoot Emily a chilling glare. "Yep," she said in a flat tone.

This did not go unnoticed by Emily. She scrunches her face, looking genuinely confused by Addison's hostility. "How long are you going to stay mad at me for taking you to dinner?" Emily asked.

Addison rolled her eyes. "I'm not mad about dinner."

Emily threw her hands up in defeat. "Well, something is bothering you. You've hardly said a word since we left."

Addison stayed quiet and avoided Emily's worried gaze.

"If this is about your dad we can talk about it," Emily pressed. She reached out and placed her hand on Addison's outstretched leg.

Addison flinched slightly at the mention of her father and pulled her leg away quickly. She abruptly sat up straight and looked at Emily with fire in her eyes. "Can you just let me watch this movie in peace? It's enough that I had to spend all day with you," she spat before letting her eyes wander back to the movie and laying down on the couch with a huff.

Addison's words felt like blows to Emily's heart.

Emily nodded, slow and sad. She knew that whatever was bothering Addison would not be solved tonight so she chose to let this slide for now.

"Okay, no problem. Just know that if you ever need to talk, I'd be happy to listen. Always," she said genuinely before picking up her gun and heading into the kitchen for her water.

She filled her glass then wished Addison a good night and headed towards the stairs. She paused, briefly lingering there with her eyes still locked on Addison. Her heart went out to the young teen and she wished that there was something that she could do to make her feel safe. She hoped that Addison might someday feel comfortable enough to talk to her.

Around 9 am the next morning, Emily found Addison in the same spot she had left her. The TV was still on but Addison was fast asleep. She was sprawled out on the couch with several blankets covering the lower half of her body. Emily stifled a grin at the state of Addison's hair; it was a frizzy mess.

Nonetheless, she looked peaceful.

Emily sighed as she picked up the remote control off the edge of the couch and turned the TV off. She then leaned over Addison and brushed her hair out of her face.

Addison's eyes fluttered open at the sensation of fingers grazing her forehead.

Emily smiled softly. She had completely moved on from the hurt she felt the night before. "Did you stay down here all night?" she asked.

Addison pushed herself up slowly with her uninjured arm. She looked around and frowned. "Looks like it."

Addison's mood seemed to have improved.

Emily placed the remote on the coffee table and headed to the kitchen. "Are you hungry? We've got eggs, milk, and bread. I could do french toast," Emily offered.

Addison shook her head. "I'll make my own breakfast."

Emily watched from the kitchen as Addison folded the blankets she had been using. She placed them in a neat pile at the end of the couch, then slowly she stood up. She teetered in place and winced before letting herself fall back down.

She was still weak.

Emily rushed to her side with a glass of water and her pain medication. Addison hated being reliant on anyone else, especially when she knew that Emily's kindness came from ulterior motives. As angry as Addison was, she could not deny the thankful smile that teased the corner of her mouth as she accepted.

Addison took the pills and handed the container back to Emily.

"Okay. I'm making coffee, do you want some?" Emily asked as she walked back into the kitchen.

To Emily's surprise, Addison reverted back to an annoyed tone. "No."

Emily thought that things would be better this morning. She was wrong.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" Emily asked, now sipping her coffee as she leaned over the counter.

"No," Addison replied shortly as she headed for the stairs. She started to climb but Emily stopped her.

"Wait a sec," she called. "If you're mad at me, could you please tell me what I did wrong?"

Addison turned slowly, one hand on her hip and a scowl on her face. "Why does it matter?" she spits venomously.

"I want to fix this because I want you to be comfortable around me," Emily said genuinely.

Addison chuckled dryly at Emily's naive effort to mend their relationship. "That's not going to happen."

Before Emily had the chance to reply, Addison headed up the stairs to her room.

When she emerged moments later, she was dressed in a pair of dark leggings and a grey sweater.

"I'm going for a walk," she informed Emily as she passed the kitchen on her way to the door.

Emily placed her mug in the sink and followed Addison to the door to stop her. "Okay, let me get changed and I'll go with you."

"I'm perfectly capable of going by myself," Addison said as she narrowed her eyes.

Emily crossed her arms as she sized up Addison. She wasn't about to let this little girl walk all over her but what choice did she have? She needed Addison to trust her. Maybe some space would be good for both of them.

Emily tilted her head, letting her eyes close briefly as she sighed. Emily opened her purse which was sitting on the bench at the door and removed a phone. She handed it to Addison. "Okay. Don't go too far and call me if something happens."

Addison spun the phone in her hand as she looked it over. "If something happens, a phone call won't help me."

She went to hand it back but Emily clasped her hands around both the phone and Addison's hand and pushed it towards her. "Take it anyway and be back in half an hour. I'll be watching the clock," she said seriously.

Addison nodded. "Yes ma'am," she said through gritted teeth.

Emily stood at the door and watched as Addison made her way down the street. Each step, further and further down the block, made Emily's chest tighten with worry. When the teen was out of sight Emily took in a deep, labored breath that she would not be able to release until Addison came back.

Addison felt free for the first time in weeks. No one was watching her, no one could tell her what to do. She walked down the street aimlessly, lost in thought as she took in her surroundings.

The houses looked the same as the one she was living in. Well-manicured lawns, raked and spotless. Somehow, the recent cold, fall weather had not affected their vibrant green colour. There were bags of leaves lining the curbs in front of each house.

A car passed slowly and Addison moved out of the way and closer to the curb. She watched it pull into a driveway ahead of her. An older man climbed out of the driver's seat, then he opened the back door and pulled out a few grocery bags before heading inside.

She was too busy watching this man to notice the orange ball that had rolled in front of her feet.

"Throw it here!" she heard someone yell. She looked up to see a tall, dark-haired boy across the street. He was wearing hockey gloves and was holding a beat-up hockey stick.

Behind him were two other boys, both similar in height and build. They were clearly older than Addison but not by much.

She looked at them with a puzzled look to which the same boy responded by removing his glove and pointing to the ball. She bent over and picked it up, then threw it in his direction.

He caught it but quickly dropped it. He shook the pain from his hand and laughed. "Nice toss," he said, sounding surprised.

Anna raised her brow and slowly approached him.

"I'm Dylan, this is Tyler and Adam," he said, pointing to each of them as he spoke. The other boys each tipped their chins in Addison's direction as they were introduced.

Tyler looked to be the oldest in the group. He had a darker complexion and short curly hair while Adam had strawberry blond hair and freckles.

"I'm Addison. I just moved in down the street," she said, pointing towards her house.

"Where from?" Tyler chimed in.

Addison nodded. "New Mexico."

The boys exchanged a look that Addison did not understand before Adam said, "You're a long way from home. Why did you move to Virginia?"

Addison paused. She wanted to say that it was because her dad died and now she had to live with a two-faced stranger but she stopped herself. "My parents got divorced so my mom packed up our things and picked the furthest place she could think of."

Tyler sighed sympathetically. "Shit, I'm sorry, that sucks."

Addison shrugged. "It's okay."

They fell into silence, not knowing what else to say. Addison wasn't used to hanging out with people her age.

An awkwardness fell between the group so Addison decided it was time to keep moving. "Anyway, it was nice meeting you guys," she said as she turned to leave.

"You're welcome to stay," Dylan offered, calling after her.

Addison smiled graciously but declined. "I can't. I need to go pick something up. Do you guys know where the nearest gas station would be?" she asked as she took a few steps backward.

The boys looked at each other then back at Addison curiously. It was clear that she still did not know the neighborhood well but this was a gated community. There were no gas stations close by.

"It's a few miles outside the gates. I can give you a lift," Tyler offered.

"Really?" Addison asked incredibly. She hadn't expected them to be so nice but she didn't trust it. Her instincts would never allow her to let her guard down, even if they were only a group of teenagers.

Tyler laughed and nodded. "Yeah, it's no problem. I need to fill my tank anyway."

Addison hesitated but she knew this was her opportunity. "Alright. That would be great. Thank you."

The boys dropped their gloves on the front porch, then Tyler unlocked the car and they climbed in, leaving Addison the passenger seat. Addison momentarily paused in place, staring at the car.

The car started, engine revving and music blaring. Adam, who was sitting in the back, rolled down his window and poked his head out when he noticed that Addison had not moved.

"What are you waiting for?" he yelled over the music with a laugh. He did not wait for her reply before pulling his head back in.

Addison glanced back down the street. She felt guilty but she could not comprehend why. She knew that she would be in trouble but she didn't like Emily so why was she torn about breaking the rules? Why was she worried about upsetting her?

After a moment, Addison shook herself from her thoughts and hurried to get into the car.

They drove away with the music still blaring. The boys were scream-singing along as they bobbed back and forth. The song was not familiar to Addison but she tried to seem like she was enjoying it. This was her first real experience with teenagers, she wondered what else they liked to do.

It was nearly lunchtime so Emily had decided to make something for them to eat when Addison returned. She was cutting vegetables and trying not to worry. She glanced at the clock on the stoves for what felt like the umpteenth time. She pulled her phone from her pocket but still no missed calls and no texts.

Addison had been gone too long.

She shook her head, trying not to let her mind go there. She continued to chop peppers but she was not paying attention. The knife grazed her finger. She yelped as she dropped the knife and pulled her hand away.

Frantic, she ran to the sink to run it under water as blood began to seep from her open wound.

She was always good in a tense situation. Always. That was why she has had the jobs that she had and why she was trusted with this one. She could keep her cool, she could compartmentalize. She did not freak out. But currently, she felt like she was spinning.

Addison was upset with her, possibly upset enough to leave but Emily wanted to believe that she would never actually do so. Her heart was racing as she thought of the alternative. Addison could be in trouble.

She patted her finger dry with a paper towel then wrapped it with another dry sheet. She headed for the bathroom to find a bandage. She found one easily and secured it around her cut. Then, she exited the bathroom.

She knew that she needed to go find Addison so she grabbed her keys and headed for the door with haste. She reached the door, slid on the first pair of shoes she saw.

Then her phone rang, causing her heart to stop and her breath to halt.

She pulled it out as fast as she could and answered. "Hello?"

"Hello darling, I wanted to check-in," she heard. The voice on the other end was one she recognized well but not who she was hoping for.

She tried to take a deep breath but it got caught in her throat. Emily could not let Clyde know that Addison was gone unless he somehow already knew.

"Are you sure it's safe for you to be calling?" she asked in a mild but concerned voice.

He chuckled at her concern. "Don't worry, this is a clean line. How is suburban living?" he asked and she relaxed slightly knowing that he was not aware of the situation at hand.

She wanted to hang up. She didn't have time for his questions but she had no choice. He would be furious if he knew.

"Insufferably domestic but I'll get used to it," she answered as nonchalantly as she could.

"How's the girl?" he asked.

"Addie's having a hard time," Emily replies honestly. Addison was struggling, that didn't need to be a secret.

"Have you gotten anything out of her?" he asked next.

"Not really," she said with a sigh. "Her dad has several properties if you wanna check that out."

"We know about the cabin in Switzerland, the townhouse in Brussels and his main residence in Marseille," he told her.

"There are more. She said she thinks he had 8 but she hasn't been to all of them," Emily replied.

"The townhouse in Brussels had no sign of a child living there, so I suspect that's one she didn't frequent. See if you can get some locations out of her," he says. This did not surprise him. Brian Sinclair's assets were endless but he wondered why Addison would not have been brought with him everywhere he went.

Emily wandered out of the entryway, making her way across the house. She chewed her thumbnail anxiously. She needed to go find Addison, not talk to Clyde about his theories.

Emily took a breath as she glanced out the back window. "I don't think she knows very much," she said.

She could practically hear him raise his brow at her comment.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

It's something that Addison had said the night they arrived. She said that Emily knew more than she did about her father's financial situation.

Emily tilted her head, letting her eyes close momentarily as she let out a laboured breath. "She seems to be answering questions openly but her answers are limited. I don't think she's hiding anything, she simply doesn't know. Until this morning she talked about her father freely."

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"We went out to dinner last night and since then I've been getting the cold shoulder," she replied, bending the truth. She knew that he would be mad that she was so quick to get her team involved but then again, what did he expect.

To her surprise he laughed. "Teenagers are unpredictable. I wouldn't worry too much," he offered, trying to assure her that this was normal.

Emily rolled her eyes. He had no idea what he was talking about. "I think the stress of this whole situation has finally caught up with her. I can't imagine how she's feeling and she won't talk to me so it's not going to be easy to help," she said sadly.

"Em, don't let your emotions get in the way of what you're there to do. Someone wanted her dead for a reason so regardless of what you are seeing, she does know something. Don't let your guard down, she might be putting on a show," Clyde said firmly. This was a job and he could tell that she was starting to forget that.

Emily gritted her teeth. "You were the one who asked for an update, and this is where we're at. I can only do so much if she isn't willing to talk," she spat, more harshly than she had intended. She had a short fuse when she was stressed.

"You don't need to get defensive. I was only reminding you," Clyde said apologetically.

To a certain extent, he was right but she would never admit how she felt. Addison may have been lying to them but she was not dangerous.

"Well then thanks for the reminder," she said sarcastically.

"Where is she now?" he asked.

"Up in her room," she lied effortlessly. Every second that passed made her chest tighten more and more. She needed to find a way to end the call.

Clyde sighed knowingly. "You sound agitated. Is everything okay?"

Her eyes widened but she quickly swallowed her fear. "Yeah of course," she assured him. Trying to brush him off she added. "I should really be going, I'm in the middle of making lunch."

"Take care and keep me posted. Also say hello to your former team for me," he said in a cheeky tone before hanging up.

Shit.

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