NOTHING WE SAID, EVERYTHING WE MEANT ✸ the naturals

three. won't you stay?

003. CHAPTER THREE
"WON'T YOU STAY?"
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   𝖁allerie was sure she'd never made it through that house so quickly in her entire life. In ten seconds, she'd ripped through the halls and pushed through the front door.

She tore down the front steps with her phone still in hand and met Briggs as his car pulled in and parked in the driveway.

This could not happen. This could not be happening.

"The decision's already been made, Val," Briggs told her as he stepped out of the car. "Running out here like someone's chasing you isn't going to change that."

"This is ridiculous! You can't do this," She protested, watching him blatantly ignore her and circle around to the back door and pull it open.

"I can, actually," He grumbled, hauling a duffle bag out of the backseat and dropping it to the pavement at Vallerie's feet. "This is for your own good"

"I can take care of myself! Why haven't you accepted that yet?" She argued.

There was no way in hell she was going to let this happen without putting up a fight.

Ever since she'd heard the words through the phone, she knew she'd have to pull out all the stops she had to try and convince him otherwise.

You're staying there until the case is closed.

Absolutely not. This house wasn't hers anymore, it wasn't where she belonged. She couldn't stay there. She couldn't.

"And I'm not saying you can't," Briggs told her, voice calm and almost bored sounding. "But you're still apart of my team, and therefore my responsibility. Besides, you're young, Val, makes you more susceptible."

"Fourteenth amendment, fourteenth amendment!" Val exclaimed, following after Briggs as he picked her bag back up and toted it to the front porch steps.

The fourteenth amendment included a law about age-based discrimination. Vallerie had reminded Briggs of it about twice every week since she'd been employed at the bureau.

"Now is not the time for jokes," He reprimanded her, plopping the bag down once again. "Do you understand how serious this is? This is a threat on your life, Vallerie. Yours!"

Right. The threat.

In the first sweep of the crime scene they'd missed it. It wasn't necessarily hidden, but a scrap of paper in an old garage? Who would've expected that to be out of place? Which was the point exactly.

But it was there alright, and good heavens did it shake up the whole case even more.

The paper warned the FBI to "Keep a close eye on that kiddo of yours. Nineteen, right?"

Nineteen would be the next age in the pattern. Vallerie was nineteen, and she fit the victim profile to a tee.

"I know that!" She exclaimed. "But I'm not going to do anybody any good being locked up in this house!"

Briggs pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly losing his patience with her.

"I already told you, you'll still be able to work on the case, just remotely. You can work with the others like you used to."