by Daniel Gage
“I’m sorry, Emma. That must have been horrible.”
“But I was there at the end. I heard his last words. His eyes were glazed over as he said them, and I don’t think he was even aware we were by his side. I’m not even certain he knew he was dying.”
Cam let the silence linger. He knew he didn’t have to ask.
“He said that the Shifters know everything, and we can’t stop them.”
His skin crawled at the words, even though there was no breeze or drop in temperature.
“The Shifters? You mean … Dealer X mentioned them.”
“Exactly,” Emma said. “I thought he was insane, until I took this job. Then I realized that there might be something to his madness, and maybe, just maybe, he was taken from us, from me, too soon.”
There wasn’t a response to that, not one that felt decent. So Cam let it hang in the air. He didn’t think someone could be affected by the dealers and birthright theft who wasn’t accidentally involved in the transaction, or a victim of one. But her father clearly had stumbled into something that took over his mind, and left Emma to unravel the mystery.
“His words unraveled my family. I tried to believe him, I really did. Even fought with my aunts and uncles, while my mom stood by in silence. In shock, I think, but I only realized that later. I never saw reason, until the AFC job offer came, and I heard the word Shifter again.”
“He didn’t leave anything?” Cam asked. “No files, no information for you to follow, to prove anything about the Shifters?”
Emma shook her head. “Just what little I had in the file. There wasn’t much that he left about them.”
Again, Cam found himself without words, and let Emma continue the conversation. He understood enough about these situations to know that, sometimes, silence was the best response.
“Healing up okay?” she asked.
“Getting better every day,” Cam said. “So … I guess I owe you an apology for that stunt back at the tower.”
“I’ll slap you when you’re healthy,” she said. “But it worked. Got us close to Leonard. Good job there, by the way.”
“You too,” he said.
A comfortable silence hung between them as they sat there, watching the breeze gently sway the garden’s plants before Emma spoke.
“Any idea why Dealer X seemed to go down easier this time?” she asked.
“I believe his ability is like mine,” he said. “It wears you out. I think I slept so long because I pushed myself so hard, and it’s taking days for me to feel normal and not groggy. I think he hadn’t fully recovered from the airport.”
“Makes sense,” she said. “Just seemed unexpected. But in our favor.”
“Yeah, it does,” he said. “But it’s only a guess. I don’t completely understand what it means to be an Unborn, yet. I couldn’t even tell you if he’s dead. Or if any of them are.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Emma said. “It’s over. We stopped it. They missed their window.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m glad it worked out.”
“Leonard is talking like crazy,” she said. “We’re getting a ton of information from him. Some of it we suspected, but others … he’s a treasure chest of revelations. And he’ll probably be a target. Not to mention the harness he was wearing; we haven’t ever gotten our hands on one of those before now. Some of the royal techs think we could use it to track their signals.”
“Is your old agency going to take him into custody and protect him?” Cam asked.
“No,” Emma said. “I haven’t reached out to them. Not sure it’s a good idea if they’ve been compromised. Honestly, right now, there’s only one person I trust in this world.”
Cam almost asked who that was, until he realized she was looking at him. The compliment warmed his chest, and he allowed himself to graciously accept the kind words.
“Thank you, Emma.”
“It’s the truth,” she said.
“So who is going to make sure Leonard stays safe and talking?” Cam asked. “The Monaco Guard?”
“No,” she said. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Olivier said the royal family, and other powerful people, are very grateful for the work we did. They’re giving a significant bump in the compensation originally offered. On top of that, they’re offering the funds to open a new agency, run by me.”
“That’s incredible!” Cam said, beaming. “Congratulations, Emma. You earned it.”
“Thanks,” she said. “One of the things I’m going to ask for is an R&D department. These Unborn dealers are difficult to take down, and without Unborns of our own to fight back like you did, we need something to level the playing field. They have some pretty outrageous tech as well, like that harness.”
“Good idea,” Cam said. “Or maybe track down more Unborns. Recruit them.”
“I hope to do that too, but I’ll need to redesign that entire system,” she said. “Michael ruined it.”
“It found me; it can’t be all bad,” he said with a laugh.
“No,” Emma said. “It wasn’t a complete failure.”
Again silence took over, the serenity of their location becoming part of the conversation. Cam had never felt so at peace before, especially with another human being. There had always been some sort of tension, but now that everything about his life was starting to make sense, he may even be able to have normal friendships as well.
“But that’s also something I wanted to talk to you about,” Emma said. “Cam, I want to offer you a job.”
Cam turned his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
“The last time you said those words, we almost died,” he said. “More than once.”
Emma let out a belly laugh, and Cam joined her.
“Yes, but do you regret it?” she asked.
“Not for a moment,” Cam said.
“But I’m serious. I told them I wouldn’t do this unless you were with me, Cam. I can’t go at it alone, not again. Back at the AFC, Michael berated me and kept trying to sleep with me. I only saw my supervisor once a year, and the last time was to fire me. Everyone else is a subordinate.”
She turned to fully face him, her posture straight but her eyes wide. Cam could see she was pleading to him, and not out of desperation. Emma sincerely wanted him to work with her, to run an agency to stop birthright theft. To combat the still unknown agenda of the Shifters and their Unborn army of dealers.
It was the first time he was convinced Emma was being truthful with him.
“Emma, I—” Cam began, but she cut him off.
“You don’t have to answer me now, we have time,” Emma said. “Just please, think about it.”
“I—”
“Emma Jennings! Cameron Briggs!” a voice called in the distance, and the pair turned to see Olivier rushing toward them.
“What is it?” Emma said, jumping to her feet. “Is something wrong? Is the princess okay?”
“Come with me, please,” Olivier said. “There’s something you need to see.”
Cam and Emma exchanged a glance, and without saying another word, followed in Olivier’s footsteps.
**********
Olivier led them to a room where a woman was lying on a hospital bed. Doctors and nurses were all around her, and a man sat by the woman’s side. They all looked exhausted, but relieved and happy.
“Emma Jennings, Cameron Briggs,” Olivier said. “May I present to you Prince Louis the Third of Monaco, his wife Princess Regina, and their newborn son.”
“Oh, Olivier, you about gave me—Oh! Oh, I’m so sorry!” Emma said, realizing her manners after her instincts faded. She immediately began an attempt to curtsey, but the prince cut her off.
“Please, no need,” the prince said. “I owe you a great debt. You’re Emma Jennings, correct? And you must be Cameron Briggs.”
“Yes, your, uhh ...” Cam said.
“Prince Louis is sufficient,” the prince said. “But now is not a time for formality.”
; “No,” Regina said. “I wanted you to meet our son. To see what you gave us, what you protected for us.”
Emma tentatively stepped toward the princess. She glanced at Olivier as if she was asking permission, and the guard smiled and nodded. Once close enough, the princess lifted the infant and handed him to Emma.
She was so slow with her movements, Cam wanted to tell Emma to hurry it up, but considering the company, he felt it was best to bite his tongue. Emma held the child as if it was a priceless artifact, and in a sense, it was.
Once she was convinced she wasn’t going to break the infant, Emma’s look of concern grew into one of joy. She smiled as the baby opened its eyes, and let out a small coo.
“He’s a darling,” Emma said. “Cam?”
Emma turned toward him, offering him a turn at holding the child.
Cam gingerly took the infant, and suddenly realized why Emma acted how she did. He had never held anything so important in his life. The infant again opened its eyes, and there wasn’t a single hint of deceit or wisdom behind them. Only curiosity and happiness.
And slowly, the gravity of the situation fell over him like a tidal wave.
He was holding a child he had saved from birthright theft, the very thing he was a victim of.
It hadn’t taken him long to figure out the timelines, piecing together his conversations with Emma and Dealer X. He was three weeks premature due to birthright theft, and until now, he always thought it was his fault, that he had been the reason that caused the accident.
But now he knew different, that it wasn’t his fault.
No one had been around to save his soul from being forcefully shoved from his original mother’s womb, and into another poor, unsuspecting woman and her unborn child. The shock from that alone caused his mother severe pain, and panicked his father so much that he wrecked their car.
No one should have to suffer what he had suffered.
No family should ever have to be torn apart before it ever began.
Cam looked up from the tiny, blissful baby and looked Emma straight in the eye.
“I’m in,” he said.
After Emma realized what he meant, her grin grew wider.
“We accept your offer, Olivier,” Emma said. “Or should I thank you for the generosity, Prince Louis?”
The prince exchanged a glance with the princess, and both smiled coyly.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, Director Jennings,” the prince said.
Cam couldn’t help but let out a small chortle. He figured you couldn’t have a shadow agency if the people funding it went around talking about it.
But that was fine. He worked best in the shadows.
CHAPTER 40
Several weeks later…
Emma walked toward the country club, each stride an emphasis of her confidence. Her meeting today was more out of courtesy than necessity, which fueled her with a strength she rarely knew. And for the first time in perhaps ever, she intentionally arrived late.
It felt good to be in a position of power, especially considering who had reached out to her.
“Emma!” a familiar voice called as she walked in the front doors. “We about gave up on you and started.”
She slowly turned her head to see Director Barker, jovially waving to catch her attention. Just behind him was Senator Greenlee who, with his arms crossed over his chest, looked less pleased than the director.
“Director,” Emma greeted as they approached. “Senator.”
“You’re not dressed,” Director Barker said. “Didn’t my assistant tell you it was for golf?”
“Yes,” Emma said curtly. “But I’m here out of courtesy, Director. Not to play golf.”
“Told you she had no interest in our offer,” Senator Greenlee grumbled.
Emma wasn’t aware of any offer, or even the direct purpose of this meeting. But neither interested her. She had her own agenda.
“Well, we only talk over golf,” the director said. “Come, join us. Our tee time is coming up.”
It wasn’t missed that the request sounded more like an order, and Emma wasn’t about to budge.
“I apologize, but I’m very busy these days,” she said. “If you’ll excuse me.”
As she turned to leave, the director darted forward, faster than she would have given the hefty man credit for. His hand grabbed her wrist. Emma froze, her body tense. She looked down at the man’s hand, then again at his face.
“Remove your hand,” she said. Her body immediately tensed at the man’s action, but not in fear. She was ready to retaliate at any moment.
He abruptly let go and slowly pulled his arm back.
“Apologies,” the director said. “Emma, please, join us. There’s much I’d like to talk about with you. We parted poorly last time, and I’d hate for our professional relationship to end that way.”
She waited a moment, to make it seem like she was considering his words. But Emma never had any intention of leaving, at least not yet.
“I can spare some time,” Emma said. “As long as we get to the point.”
“Of course,” the director said. “Please, this way.”
Emma followed the director and senator, the latter who let out a very obvious sigh.
**********
“So what did you want to see me about?” Emma asked before they even arrived at the first hole.
“Won’t even let us start,” the director said.
She turned and looked at him, her face blank, but her eyes narrow.
“Right, you don’t have long,” the director said. “We heard about Paris. Well done.”
“What did you hear?” she asked.
“That you stopped a birthright theft,” the senator said.
“So you believe now?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I didn’t say that,” Senator Greenlee said. “Only heard that you stopped one.”
The director lined up his shot and prepared to swing, but turned and spoke first.
“Who was the client?” the director asked. “Those records were somehow expunged, and no one seems to recall this particular case. I’m launching an investigation, but those take time. Figured I could ask you.”
“That’s confidential,” Emma said, the corner of her mouth twitching up slightly.
It was close. Emma could hear the slight irritation in his voice, the frustration someone in power gets when a subordinate no longer has to listen.
The director took his swing, which his caddy immediately complimented.
“Emma, may I remind you that you were working for the agency when you took the case?” the director said. “You were contractually bound—”
“Which was void when you suspended me,” she said, cutting him off with a firm voice. “And now I have a new job, and a new contract. If you have any problem with that, take it up with my new employer.”
The director and senator exchanged a glance before the senator spoke.
“Isn’t that you?” Senator Greenlee asked. “Our sources said you’re the person in charge.”
“Correct,” Emma said. “Your sources are still good.”
The senator grumbled something incoherent as he set up his tee, and prepared to take his shot.
“We also heard there’s a witness,” Director Barker said. “The senator and I would like to speak with him.”
“Yes,” the senator added as he felt the weight of his golf club before picking a new one. “That may go a long way to getting aid from the government, Emma.”
She waited until the senator reached back with his swing before she answered.
“No,” she said.
Emma timed it perfectly. As she spoke, the senator started his stroke, but her response took the man off guard. She spent so long lobbying for his support that he must have expected her to jump for joy at the offer of an olive branch.
Senator Greenlee missed completely, and he wasn’t happy.
“No?” the director asked. “Emma,
surely—”
“No,” she snapped. “If we have a witness, he’s in extreme protective custody. If we had someone who has intimate knowledge of birthright theft, that person’s life would be in severe danger.”
The two men exchanged looks, as if they were trying to figure out what to say next.
So instead, Emma continued.
“If that was all you asked me out here for, then it’s time I go,” Emma said. “And it would behoove you to refer to me by my professional title from now on, Director Barker and Senator Greenlee.”
“Emma—” the director said, but Emma no longer cared.
She turned sharply and stormed off the green, back toward the clubhouse.
Emma had had enough of these men. She no longer needed them, for any reason.
And it felt good.
**********
“Yes, Cameron Briggs to see his mother, please,” Cam said to the receptionist.
The lady smiled back sweetly, almost as if she was surprised that someone had come to visit a family member.
“She’s back in her room; here’s a map,” she said as she placed a piece of paper on the counter. “Here we are, and here’s her room. There are signs for the room numbers, so you shouldn’t get lost.”
“Thank you,” Cam said, smiling.
He turned and headed down the wide corridor, his companion at his side. She was smiling bigger than the receptionist had, likely because she had several reasons to smile.
“Thanks for coming with me, Ba—I mean, Lizzy,” Cam said. “I’m sure my mom will love to see you again. She recognizes faces pretty well, even if she can’t remember where.”
“My pleasure,” Lizzy said. “It’s nice to, um, take a day off work. This almost feels like a real date.”
Cam laughed. It was probably the closest he’d had to a proper date in years as well.
The care home was extremely well kept, and everything looked fresh and clean. Vases filled with various flowers decorated the front room and hallway, and as the pair reached the first turn, Cam saw that it even opened up into a very pleasant garden.
His mom had to be happy here. Hopefully his new job meant he could afford the payments.