It took me longer than usual to make it to my apartment because my mind was in another universe, thinking about a certain FBI agent. Thank god, I didn't get hit by a car. When I got in, I found Eric sitting on the couch, typing something on his laptop. I walked to the couch and sat next to him without uttering a word.

"Oh, this is not good," Eric said as he put his laptop on the table, and turned his gaze to me. "What happened, Em?"

"What?" I questioned, trying to look clueless.

"Obviously, something is wrong with you. I know that look," he argued. "Unfortunately, I know you well enough."

I wasn't really sure what to tell him. "Well, I met someone while I was in the coffee shop."

Eric gave me the 'go on' look. "Well, it happened to be no one but the FBI agent who almost arrested me yesterday," I told him, nonchalantly as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Eric's eyes widened and he looked at me in disbelief. "What!" he exasperated. "Did he recognize you?" I shook my head, and he let out a breath of relief.

"So, what happened?" he asked again, a little bit calmer.

"Well, he came and sat with me; we had a polite conversation; he flirted with me, then he gave me his number so I can give him a call and we could meet again. Oh, and I didn't have a heart attack," I said, laughing at the irony of what happened.

Eric's eyes widened again and he seemed speechless this time. There was an awkward silence before he broke it. "Please tell me you didn't tell him your real name."

Oh, he definitely knew me too well.

I didn't say anything so he knew the answer and slapped his forehead. "You are an idiot, you know that, right?"

"Well, I really had no time to think. Put yourself in my shoes, please," I argued, trying to defend myself. "Oh, and it was just my first name."

He narrowed his eyes at me before he said. "You have to disappear for a while."

"No, running and disappearing won't do me any good. I think it will just make him feel suspicious," I said, a plan starting to be formed in my mind.

"Emma, don't even think about it," Eric warned me, reading what was going on in my mind.

As I mentioned, he knew me too well.

"Think about it, Eric. I can get close to him and know everything I need to know about the Met's case. I need to know if I did any mistake there that would lead the FBI to me and fix things up," I explained my plan to Eric. "And when I know that it's totally safe, I will come up with something and walk away from him."

"This is far too dangerous, Sis," Eric warned. "I know you're doing it for another reason. You're too curious about him yourself. But this isn't a game, you will be playing with fire and it may end up burning your hands."

His words made me tense and I swallowed hard. "I know, and I will be careful."

Eric gave me a soft look. "What about your retirement plans?"

"I think they have to wait for a while," I mumbled as I stood up and headed toward my room.

><><><><><

I was laying on my bed looking at the paper that had Jake's number on it. Maybe I was just overreacting. Maybe if I just disappeared for a while and forgot everything that happened, it would be fine. But a part of me really wanted to do this; maybe I was really curious or thrilled about the challenge like Eric said. But he was right, I would be playing with fire, and I could end up in an orange jumpsuit and a prison cell if things went wrong.

Oh god, just the thought of what I was going to put myself into made me sick. But I really don't think that I have a lot of choices. He was still working on the case and if I had done any minor mistake there, I would be doomed. Maybe getting close to him and figuring out what he was up to would really be a good idea.

I let out a deep breath and ran my fingers through my hair multiple times, thinking about what I should do. The sound of my phone cut my thoughts off.

I found out that it was my mother and that made my heart warmer. "Hey, Mom," I answered with a smile.

"Hey there, Em." My mother's warm voice came through the phone. "I missed you so much, love."

"I missed you too, Mom." I smiled.

"How're things going?" Mom asked and I knew exactly what she meant. She was talking about the heist.

"Well, I'm sure Eric had told you everything about what happened," I said.

"Yes, he actually did," she started to say. "He also told me some other things."

Eric was so dead, I knew exactly what he told her. My plans to quit our lovely life of crime. "Well, about that," I started, not knowing what to say exactly. "I was just thinking about starting over and getting a normal life. I mean, we already have everything we have ever wanted, so there's no need for the risk anymore."

"Well, I have discussed it with your dad. It's absolutely your choice, Emma," my mother said in a warm tone. "And actually, we were giving this matter a thought a while ago, too."

"Really?" I asked her, enthusiastically.

"Yeah. Well, as you just said, we do have everything we ever wanted, after all," Mom replied.

The idea of my parents also thinking about quitting made me really happy. But then the smile was gone from my face when I remembered the thing with the hot FBI agent.

"I'm so glad to hear about that, Mom. But I think I would still have to wait for a little bit more," I said, bitterly.

"Why? Is everything okay, Em?" my mom asked in concern.

"Yeah, everything is fine," I lied. I really hated lying to her, but I just couldn't tell her my plans right now. "I will do it when I'm totally ready for it," I continued. Then I asked. "So, how's dad?" I wanted to change the subject.

"He says hi," my mom said, chuckling.

"Kiss him for me," I told her.

"Sure, I will." She gave out a little laugh. "I have to go now, I will talk to you later."

"Okay, bye, Mom," I said before I hung up.

My mother's words made me genuinely happy and it made me want to go on with the plan more. I couldn't run or disappear. I have to finish everything related to that heist, and then I would finally have the life I always wanted.

Making my choice, I grabbed my phone and typed Jake's number, deciding to send him a text.

'Hey, Jake. It's me, Emma. We met at the coffee shop today. I was wondering if you want to go out soon, that would be great.'

I looked at the message for the last time before I pressed send. There was no going back now.