Adrenaline

Chapter 73

It'd been three weeks since my dad was buried. I'd thought about him every morning and especially whenever any of us went to work. Time was not healing me; it was making me all the more paranoid. If my mom, Matthew, Chris, Luke or Jason went off without me, a feeling of dread consumed me. It clamped over my heart, squeezing it until they returned safely. Why was the dread coming at me now? The first few days it didn't. Maybe it was because of what had happened last week. My mom came home having been stabbed too close to the main artery.

My stomach curled into a knot just at the thought that my mom could have most recently been killed too. At first they tried to keep it from me, but I lifted her blouse seeing the freshly dressed wound. They were lying to me and that bothered me. They couldn't lie to me about this stuff. Now I worried whenever they went out because they were probably not going to tell me when they did get hurt.

I rubbed my face with water before going out to get dressed for work. It was getting hotter, but I put on a pair of denim jeans.

My mom had left me a warm breakfast on the counter which I gladly ate and went out to the car. I slowly pulled into the parking garage, going through identification. Jason was leaned up against the wall next to the elevator holding two coffee cups. He heard my heels coming his way and looked up. A smile spread across his face as he pushed himself off the wall with his foot and walked to me. I kissed him hello, taking the coffee cup from him. I thanked him, immediately taking a drink.

"You look nice today." I said, as he pushed the button for the elevator.

"Thank you." He grinned.

I zeroed in on a red cut just under his chin.

"What happened?" I asked, timidly reaching for it.

"I was shaving this morning and my hand slipped. It just nicked the bottom of my chin, don't worry." He assured.

"No, I was just... yeah."

The elevator opened to the 56th floor. This time we were going to meet in Scott's office. I took the first chair, enjoying another drink of my coffee. Lydia entered apologizing for arriving late then handed out the first order of the day.

"Today we have several orders that are each going to take some time, so, in order for you to finish them, we're going to be splitting them between the two of you. Jason, you're going to Sacramento and Alyssa, you're going to New York. Get ready because your flights leave in 20 minutes."

She gave us our folders and ushered us back out to the main room. I looked at Jason's first file squeaking at the details. This man was a notorious killer. Dread began to secrete from my veins. We were going to have an entire country between us in the event that he needed help. I looked up at him creasing my forehead in worry.

"Jason I-"

Wait no, drop it Winters; drop it!

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, um, you should go."

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

"No, tell me Alyssa, there is something wrong in the way you looked at me."

"... I'm worried about you. Sacramento and New York are across the country from each other. I don't want anything to happen to you." I confessed.

"We've worked apart before." Jason reminded.

"Yeah, but the last time you were very far from me and—"

I cut myself off, shaking my head and telling him once again to just go get ready for the flight. He grabbed my arms by the elbows with a gentle grip.