Priceless

up in the far corner tracking my movements. I waved at it and Kyle called to me from his workroom.
    “Come on in, Rylee.” I followed his voice through the kitchen full of unwashed plates, open chip bags and empty root beer cans into the workroom, what had once been a living room. Computers, at least four that I could see, two laptops, multiple cameras, a crazy amount of wires, and other pieces of electronics I couldn’t identify were set up throughout. I touched nothing, hung back from the equipment. The thing was, the closer I got, the more the technology would act up and I needed it to work.
    I made my way to the “client’s” chair and eased myself into it. It had started life as a La-Z-Boy recliner. Now, the handle was broken and the seat tried to suck you in and eat you if you sat down too hard. I’d found that out the first time I’d come for a visit.
    “You want a beer?” He held out a can of root beer to me. His blond hair hung just past his pale blue eyes encased in big glasses. He was a cute kid, but looked closer to thirteen than the eighteen he was.
    I shrugged, “Sure, pass one over.” I cracked it open, took a sip, and damn near choked. “No wonder you have so much energy, kid.” The sugar rush was immediate, lighting up my adrenaline. I was more than a tad bit sensitive to the stuff, but once in a while I liked to indulge. I put the can on the floor at my feet. There was no way I’d be able to finish it.
    Kyle laughed and clicked a button on his mouse. The screen lit up. “The usual, going through police files?”
    “Yeah, but I have a tail today so they may be trying to trace your work.”
    He spun back to me. “What kind of tail?”
    “FBI.”
    His eyes widened, and he half choked on a mouthful of pop. “What?” He squeaked out.
    I nodded, confirming what I’d already said.
    “And you came here? Man, I could get so busted for the hacking I do!” He was close to shouting, his eyes even wider behind the glasses.
    I shushed him with a wave of my hand. “Have you ever been caught?” I already knew the answer.
    “No, but it’s because I’m careful.” Frowning, he stared down at the keyboard. “This could mean jail time, easy. I don’t think I can do this. Not today.”
    From past experience, I knew getting angry was a last resort with him. He could be intimidated, but that would make it harder to work with him later on. “Listen, the little girl I’m looking for, she was stolen from the same park as another child.” I paused, debating how much to tell him. Licking my lips, I held my breath, then slowly let it out. “She’s gone missing from the same park as my little sister, same date, same situation. I need this info, Kyle. Please.” I lifted my eyes to his, hoping he could see how important this was. “I have to find her, I can’t lose her after not being able to find . . . .” I swallowed hard, the sudden lump in my throat making it difficult to breathe. Reaching for the can of root beer, I took a swig, wishing it was alcohol and not pop.
    His chair squeaked. “So that’s why you do this, huh? I’ve always wondered.”
    “My past is not a required discussion for my contacts. You told me cash was all I had to give you.” Putting the can of pop back down at my feet, I spread my hands in front of me. “Are you going to help me?”
    Fingers flew across the keyboard. He pulled up surveillance cameras even I didn’t know he had of the whole street and the next one over. Sure enough, at the end of his street sat the SUV, two dark suits inside. I felt like waving to them, knowing it was more than likely O’Shea was one of said dark suits.
    Kyle turned back to me. “I thought maybe you were joking. Okay, I guess I was hoping you were messing with me.” His eyes suddenly looked far older than they had just a moment before.
    I shook my head. “No, I wasn’t. What will it be? Helping me find this kid, or sending me out on my own?”
    He snorted and ran a hand through his straw-coloured hair. “Okay, I can get you in, but as always, we don’t know each other if you get picked up.”
    I smiled, relief coursing through me. I put two fingers in the air. “Scouts’ honour.”
    I gave him India’s information and within a few minutes he had it pulled up. There in black ‘and white and colour was what I was worried about.
    There was always a small chance something got left behind by the kidnappers, even supernaturals fucked up from time to time. But in this