The Secret Life of Emily Blu

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Emily, your Uncle James is at the front office. He's pulling you from class," Ms. Johnson says, coming over to my desk.

Hardy and I both glance up at her. We'd been pouring over the sheet music for our final project. Now that Hardy is speaking to me, things have been going a lot better.

"Is that the same Uncle James I met on Sunday?" Jack asks.

"It must be," I say. After Joanne had taken me to the hospital, she called Agent James and told him what had happened. By all accounts, he was at Jack's house within fifteen minutes. Considering he lives 30 minutes away, that's a bit impressive.

I'm not sure what they talked about, and Jack won't share, but Agent James was over there for over an hour. I'm not even sure what they told Kim—maybe she knew now, too.

I gather my things and say a quick goodbye before I make my way to the office.

Agent James is waiting for me in the hall and gives me a bright smile.

I'm always put off by his appearance. He's of medium build with boring brown hair and smile lines already forming on his tanned face. I'd put him in his late 30s, but honestly, I don't know. He has a kind of timeless quality to him that makes it impossible to guess.

"Hey, Uncle James," I say, giving him a one-armed hug.

"Hey, short stuff. Ready to go to your doctor's appointment?"

I lift an eyebrow at this but nod. When we get outside and into his nondescript Toyota, I ask, "Where are we actually going?"

James never loses his smile. "I'm feeling ice cream; how about you?"

"I could go for some ice cream," I admit.

"Perfect. I heard Sweet Noshings has some unusual flavors."

I'm quiet as he drives, fiddling with the strap on my backpack. I half expect Agent James to fill the silence, but he doesn't, not until we've gotten our ice cream and returned to his car.

"You know I have to give you the talk about telling someone you're in witness protection, right Sarah?"

"I know."

"Good. Then consider what you've done, don't do it again, and if the Bureau asks, we talked."

I blink and look at him with wide eyes. "That's it?"

"That's it," Agent James assures me.

"But..." I trail off.

Agent James turns in his seat to face me. "Look, Sarah, I know the rules are there to keep you safe. We both know what can happen. But Jack doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He's not going to tell anyone, and he's more than willing to protect you should the need arise. Of all the people you could have told, he's probably the best. Not to mention, you're still a kid. You deserve to have close relationships with people, and breaking the rules is part of growing up. All things considered, I'm going to call this a no-call, no-foul situation."

"Oh," I say, my eyes glued to the melting ice cream I hold. I clear my throat. "Did Joanne tell you about what happened with Jonas?"

Agent James clears his throat. "She did. I can't make you press charges, even if I wish you would. We both know it'd be a he-said she-said situation, which doesn't make it right, but I do get not reporting."

I make a quick decision. "I might not be reporting him for attempted sexual assault, but I can tell you that he's dealing drugs."

Agent James is quiet for a moment. "What kind of drugs?"

"Pot and LSD, at least."

Agent James smiles and it looks an awful lot like the Cheshire cat's grin. "I can work with that."

"I'm not saying I want him to go to jail forever, but he is almost 17. People get tried as adults for a lot less."

"That they do," Agent James agrees. After a moment, he adds, "I'm glad our self-defense lessons were used well."

"I learned from the best."

Agent James is silent for a moment, focusing solely on his ice cream.

"Would you like to know an update on your case?"

My blood chills, and I consider his question. "Yes."

"We've narrowed him down to Missouri, but we know he's on the state's Western half. We don't know anything else. Every time we get a lead, he's gone before we can catch up to him."

"He's very smart," I concede. "That's how he kept everything hidden for so long."

"We're going to catch him, Sarah, I promise."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Agent James, but it feels like I'll never get my old life back. Sometimes things can't be retrieved."

"Don't talk like that, Sarah. Someday soon, you'll be back in LA, acting and singing and doing whatever else you want to do. Or maybe you'll decide to retire. Who knows? But I PROMISE you I will get you that option again."

"You sound like Joanne."

"She's a smart woman." He blushes as he says it.

It's no secret to me that he has a crush on Joanne, but realistically, I don't know how they'd make it work. Joanne lives here with me; if I ever get out of witness protection, she'll live with someone else. Agent James is stationed wherever they need him. I'm not even sure he has a home base anymore. The idea of the two of them dating, though, is sweet, and I hope someday they'll be able to make it work.

"Have you written any songs lately?"

"I wrote one for class."

"Maybe you should work on that album you were making while you're here. The music you left behind will be very different from what you'll be making now. You've matured and lived life, even if parts of it have been horrible for you. It might be an excellent way to process some of the things that have happened to you.

I eye him critically. "Have you been speaking to my therapist?"

"Always. I have many cases, Sarah, but yours is special to me. I care about you a lot."

"Because I'm rich and famous?" I quip back. I don't mean the words, really.

"Because you remind me of my little sister. She was a spitfire and very musically talented, just like you."

"Was?"

"She was kidnapped and killed when she was in middle school. I'm only a year older than her, and I don't think I'll ever get over it."

"You won't," I say, thinking of my family. I'll never get over their deaths. "Is that why you work for the FBI?"

"Part of it," he grins at me, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"For what it's worth, I think you're a fantastic agent."

"Thanks, kid. Now, let's get you home so Joanne can talk my ear off about ruining your dinner."