Once they pulled up to the gas station, Tyler hopped out and started filling his tank while the other boys and Addison stayed in the car. As quickly as she could, Addison started removing her sling. She did this as inconspicuous as possible, doing her best not to gasp when the support was loosened.

Addison turned in her seat to face the boys in the back. They were too busy scrolling on their phones to notice her. She cleared her throat, causing them both to look up.

She mustered up a friendly smile, batting her lashes as she spoke. "Could I borrow your ball cap? My hair is a mess today."

Adam hesitated but complied. "Sure," he said then he removed his cap and handed it forward.

Addison reached for it with her bad arm, instantly feeling pain jolt through her shoulder. She bit her lip, trying to conceal her discomfort before thanking him and turning forward in her seat. She flipped down the visor to look in the mirror as she placed the ball cap on her head and pulled up her hood. Then, she reached under the hem of her sweater and took the phone that Emily had given her out of the waistband of her leggings and threw it on the dash.

Satisfied with her disguise, she got out of the car. She slipped her injured arm into the front pocket of her hoodie for support because letting her arm dangle freely causes an excruciating throbbing that pulsed from the tips of her fingers to her shoulder.

Schooling her features, she looked over the roof of the car to Tyler. "Do you want anything?" she asked casually.

"Twix?" he asked.

With another smile, a nod, and a slap of her hand on the roof of the car she said, "You've got it!" Then she turned and headed into the gas station.

She lowered her head as she approached the door. She got a good look at the security cameras when they were pulling up so she knew how to shield her face. She pushed the door open with her uninjured side and sauntered towards the back of the store.

The cashier did not look up as she passed.

She pulled a bottle of water from the fridge with her good arm, letting the door slam shut then she headed back to the front counter.

She stood back with her head still lowered and out of the corner of her eyes she perused the selection of chocolate bars and gum. Once she had found what she was looking for she stepped forward. She leaned down and pulled a few Twix bars off the shelf then placed them on the counter along with her water.

The cashier was an older woman. She had short grey hair and thin silver-framed glasses. She looked up from her book when Addison approached the counter.

She lifted her head enough for the cashier to see her eyes but not enough for her face to be detected on camera. She smiled at the cashier, hoping that she would make this easy.

The cashier started to ring her purchase through.

"Could I also get a prepaid phone?" Addison asked casually as she pretended to look at the scratch tickets displayed on the counter.

The cashier stopped scanning and lowered her glasses to get a better look at Addison. "How old are you?" she asked firmly.

"18," Addison lied confidently. She was tall for her age—almost 5'5"—and her darker hair now made her look more mature. Without her disguise, it would be hard to believe but she felt that she was passable.

"ID?" she asked skeptically.

"I don't have it on me," Addison said with a sigh, letting her smile fall. She broke eye contact, her gaze dropping to her hands, pretending to pick at her nails as she let tears well in her eyes. "I-I just broke up with my boyfriend and he's become very obsessed." She paused as she looked back up at the woman, making sure she saw the brief flash of anxiety that crossed Addison's features. "I'm scared," she whispered as she looked for sympathy in the older woman's eyes.

The woman sized Addison up one last time and Addison held her breath hoping that she had deceived her. She saw the moment the woman gave in and bought her story, saw the way her eyes softened at Addison in pitty. The woman turned around and unlocked a case full of packaged cell phones. She pulled one off the hook and placed it on the counter.

"Does this one work?" she asked as she pushed it closer to Addison so she could get a better look.

Addison picked up the package and turned it over to read the fine print. It was a black flip phone. It had call and text but no internet or data connection. It was exactly what she was looking for.

She replaced it on the counter and smiled thankfully at the woman. "It's great," she said and the woman nodded.

The woman rang it through with the chocolate bars and the water. "That will be $63.50," she said.

Addison pulled a small wad of cash from the front pocket of her sweater and passed the woman 3 twenties and a ten while she was putting the items into a bag. Addison stopped her. "I don't need a bag but thank you."

The woman poured the bag out on the counter. Addison reached for the phone first and quickly removed it from the packaging. She opened the back of the phone and inserted the battery then she slipped it into the waistband of her leggings. She put the SIM card and the charger into her pocket before handing the women the trash. She gathered the rest of the items, sliding the chocolate bars into the front pocket of her hoodie, and carried the water in hand.

"Have a nice day," Addison said charmingly, then she ducked her head and exited the gas station.

The boys were already in the car and—as she predicted—the music was blaring when she returned. She opened the door and threw her water on the dash before climbing in. She picked up the sling and began refastening it in place.

Tyler turned down the music as he watched her suspiciously. Addison could tell that he was going to ask.

"It gets in the way," she said with a shrug before he could say anything.

Tyler nodded, seeming convinced and Addison tossed him his Twix bar to shift his focus. The boys in the back leaned forward after seeing that she was handing out candy. She laughed before tossing them each their own which they graciously accepted.

As they pulled away, the phone that Emily had given Addison began to ring but she did not pay attention to it. Tyler glanced at her as it continued to ring.

"You're not gonna answer?" he asked.

Addison shook her head. "It's just my mom. She's very overprotective," she said, then she reached forward and turned the volume dial on the center console up to drown out the incessant sound of the pre-set ringtone.

The boys dropped Addison off in front of her house. They said goodbye and thanked her for the chocolate bars. She thanked Tyler for the ride and told them all that it was nice to meet them before she got out. She was sure that she would run into them again.

Addison hurried to the door. She opened it slowly as she entered and she closed it softly behind her, trying not to bring attention to herself. She hoped she could make it to the stairs before Emily noticed she was home. She kicked off her shoes and rounded the corner quickly.

She slowed and lowered her eyes when she saw Emily pacing in the living room. She was muttering to herself as she bit at her fingernails. When Emily turned, she found Addison standing in the hallway before her. Her eyes widened and her hand slipped away from her mouth.

"Where were you? It's been almost an hour!" Emily yelled. She made no effort to hide how furious she was that Addison had made her overwhelmingly worried.

Addison rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she assured.

"Why didn't you answer your phone when I called you?" Emily asked firmly as she approached Addison.

Addison groaned. "I met some guys down the street and they took me for a drive. I didn't want them to think that I have a crazy mother," she explained in an annoyed tone. Addison carefully slipped her hand into her waistband and pulled out the phone that Emily had given her.

"I assume you want this back," Addison snapped as she reached out forcefully to hand the phone over. She glared at Emily as she had many times before but this time it felt different. Usually, her glare was met with the same fierceness in return but right now Emily's eyes were weak and weary. The only emotion Addison could read on Emily's face was worry.

She didn't realize how much she had scared Emily.

Emily held out a hand to take the phone and sighed. "You can't just get in a stranger's car and leave without telling me. I need to know where you are at all times. What if something happened?" she reasoned as her eyes softened.

Addison had expected to be berated when she returned but the way Emily looked at her was unexpected. For a moment Addison could see the genuine concern in Emily's eyes. She frowned but shook it off, not wanting to accept that Emily actually cared about her.

"Nothing happened. We went to the gas station and back. I got a chocolate bar and water," Addison said defensively.

Emily's brows shot up. "With what money?"

"One of the guys bought it for me. Is that a crime?" she spat venomously. She clenched her fist around her water bottle as she leveled her gaze at Emily. She was not going to back down.

"Do not test me," Emily warned. "I am doing this for your own protection. If this is how it's going to be then next time you ask to go for a walk I'm not going to let you go," she said firmly. Emily was now only a few steps away from Addison. As mad as she was, all she wanted to do was hug the young girl, hold her in her arms and reassure herself that everything was okay. She reached her hand out but instantly pulled it back knowing that Addison would not want to be touched.

Addison retreated back a few steps instinctively. "What are you going to do Emily? Lock me up and throw away the key?"

"No," Emily said solemnly as she shook her head. This conversation—or rather fight—was getting out of control. Emily knew that she needed to de-escalate the situation before either of them said something they would regret.

"I want to be able to trust that you can follow the rules. I'm not trying to punish you, Addison, but I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe. You may not like this but it is for your own good. Please try to understand," she pleaded gently.

Addison scrunched her face. Her eyes started to water but she quickly blinked her tears away. "Don't pretend that you care about me," she said in a hushed voice through gritted teeth.

"Addie, I'm not pretending," Emily said softly.

"Stop lying to me. I know what you're doing."

Emily reached out, her fingers grazing Addison's hand. When she did not recoil, Emily took Addison's hand in hers. "I don't know what you think is going on here but I have no illusions."

"Then why did you tell your friends that you're spying on me?!" Addison screamed as she brushed past Emily and up the stairs to her bedroom.

"Addison wait," Emily called after her but it was not enough to stop Addison from storming away.

A second later, Addison slammed her bedroom door leaving Emily standing alone in the living room, at a loss for words.

Addison was sitting on her bed with her back to the door. She had been in her room for a few hours, contemplating what to do next. She was still and hunched over, clutching the burner phone she had acquired. She listened to her surroundings and she was confident that Emily was on the lower floor of the house. Every few seconds, she glanced over at the door because it didn't lock and she needed to be careful.

She started to empty her pockets. She hid the charger in the top drawer of her nightstand before setting up the phone. She popped the SIM card out of the plastic casing then removed the back of the phone once again to insert it. She closed the back before she turned the phone on. It began to chime, a light melodic electronic sound, signaling that it was being turned on.

"Fuck," she hissed as she shoved it under her pillow in a panic to muffle the sound. The sound was almost inaudible but she couldn't be sure that Emily had not heard it. She held her breath until it stopped.

She stayed like this for a few minutes, in silence, listening to her surroundings while she calmed down. She pulled the phone out from under her pillow and stared at it. She knew that she needed to make contact. She had to let them know what she had discovered so far but more than anything, she needed to know what they had done.

When her father died, her life ended. Everything she thought she knew came crumbling down around her; she was consumed by grief—he was all she knew, the only person she trusted. For a moment she let her loss destroy her and everything her father had worked for, but then she was handed the keys to the kingdom. His men, the people who worked for him all her life, knew what needed to be done and for the first time, she got to be part of it. She wasn't in charge—no one would take orders from a child—but she was included and it gave her life purpose again.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

"Addison?" Emily's voice was soft and filled with remorse.

Addison rolled her eyes but did not answer. She quickly removed the phone from under her pillow and shoved the phone between the mattress and the bed frame. She then quietly moved so she was laying on the bed with her back to the door.

"Go away," she whispered to herself as she shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. The idea of facing Emily made her body quake with rage.

Emily knocked quietly. "May I come in?"

When Addison did not reply Emily sighed and slowly, she pushed the door open. She hovered in the doorway silently.

Addison laid still, keeping her breathing slow and steady, hoping it was convincing. She heard the hardwood floors creak under footsteps, slowly approaching her, then they stopped. Emily was now only a few steps away, but Addison did not move.

"I know you're awake," Emily stated as she loomed over the young girl.

Still, she kept feigning sleep until she felt the corner of the bed dip and a hand grazed her leg. She tried not to flinch.

"We should talk," Emily said softly.

Addison sighed then opened her eyes and craned her neck. "You'll tell me the truth?"

Emily nodded slowly.

Addison rolled over and sat up carefully. "Why are you really here?" she asked.

"You needed someone to protect you that you could trust. I felt that I could be that person and I–" Emily started but she was cut off.

Addison shook her head. "No, that's not good enough, I want the truth," she said sternly as she narrowed her eyes at Emily.

Emily sighed. She knew that this would blow up in her face. Addison was not naive, but she was too young to understand why some parts of their arrangement were better kept secret. Still, it pained her to see the hatred in Addison's eyes and it scared her to think of what Addison's distrust could lead to.

"That is the truth," Emily assured her. "Collecting information about your father is a condition of this assignment but that is not why I took this job." She tried her best to be gentle, to show that she did care but Addison still looked weary.

"You can't hide things from me and then expect that I'll trust you," she said bitterly as she clenched her jaw. Betrayal stung but she should have known better than to expect anything else. Her father had warned her of the danger of letting your guard down for anyone.

Emily bowed her head. "I know and I'm very sorry but as I said, it's a part of my job. I never meant to upset you."

She sounded sincere but Addison couldn't be certain that this was not another ploy to earn back her trust only to break it again. She had no way of knowing but it would be easier to fake forgiveness for now.

Emily hoped that Addison would understand. When she finally looked up again and her eyes met Addison's she could see them starting to soften.

"I told you, I don't know anything," Addison said.

Emily nodded. "And I believe you, okay? I'm not your enemy here. I'm probably the only person that is truly on your side," she said before taking Addison's hand in hers and squeezing it

"I'm gonna need some time but I'll try to be better at following the rules."

"Thank you. I know that this is already hard enough for you and I don't want us to fight about everything. We're in this together now."

Addison nodded understandingly.

That evening, after dinner and what felt like years of unpacking, Addison was finally alone again. Emily had long since gone to bed and Addison had retired to her room.

She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth and hair. She was ready to go to sleep but she still had one thing she needed to do.

She pulled a throw blanket off the end of her bed and rolled it into a long tube shape before walking over to her door and placing it at the bottom. She then flicked the light switch off and walked over to her window and closed the blinds. Now in darkness, she reached under her mattress and removed her cellphone.

She flipped it open and began punching in a number she knew by heart. She heard the dial tone as she pulled it up to her ear, the line rang once, then twice. She frowned; they should have answered by now. On the third ring, the line opened.

In the background, she could hear cars passing on a busy street and the faint sound of passerby chatter. The man on the other end grumbled to himself before greeting her with an exasperated "Hello."

Addison chuckled to herself scornfully. "I expected a more pleasant greeting but I'll take it."

"Are you alone?" he asked dryly. He'd made it well known that he wasn't a fan of working with the boss's daughter but there was nothing Addison could do to change his opinion.

"Yes, but make it quick," Addison replied demandingly.

He grumbled again, not liking the fact that she was giving the orders. "There are Interpol agents sniffing around," he informed her.

"Is there any reason that I should be concerned?" she asked.

"No. They have only found what we want them to," he assured.

Addison nodded to herself as she stood from her spot on the bed. "Good. What's the next move?"

"You need to lay low for a while. We will make contact when it's time."

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We're handling things on this end," he said sharply. Addison could tell that she was getting on his nerves. "Just be ready."

"It's going to be difficult for me to get away. The agent assigned to my protection detail is keeping me on a tight leash."

"Can you trust them?" he asked and Addison paused.

"No." she scoffed. "She's looking for information."

"Then you know what to do," he said harshly before handing up.

Just like that, the line went dead. Addison turned the phone off and shoved it under her mattress once again. She then climbed under her covers and got comfortable laying on her back. She stared at the ceiling and considered her options.

He was right, she knew what she had to do, but that didn't mean she liked it.