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“He’s not my boss, he’s my supervisor. And that key doesn’t give access to my work.” She sniffed and pulled her coat more tightly around herself. “This is ridiculous. I’m going to talk to Chris tomorrow and get you taken off this case. I can’t live like this.”
“You need to stop worrying about it. We’ll both survive this. I promise.”
“You really have a way with words. Has anyone ever told you that?”
He laughed. “I’ve been putting my foot in it a fair bit lately. Maybe I should become a monk for a while. Take a vow of silence.”
His phone dinged and he pulled it out of his pocket to check the message. He didn’t frown with his mouth, but his whole face said it was a message he didn’t want. He needed some space to compose himself.
“Excuse me for a second. I’m going to check the perimeter. Wait here.”
Sydney chewed on her bottom lip while she watched Aaron walk stiffly to the side of the building. She wondered if he needed some space from her after what must have been a killer day of boredom and now, whatever news he just got on his phone, didn’t help. Maybe it was his boss telling him he was stuck with her for the long term.
She squeezed her car keys into her fist. She couldn’t stand the thought of making someone else’s life a misery.
If Aaron needed space, she’d give it to him. He would get in trouble if he left her, but it wasn’t his fault if she was the one who did the ditching.
She hurried toward the street. She’d go home and he could follow at his leisure. Or maybe he’d let her go and she could just meet up with the night shift agents on her own. The only upside to this was that he wasn’t stuck with her twenty-four seven.
As she neared the street, the screech of tires drew her attention toward an approaching van. She flinched as the driver slammed on the brakes and bumped up on the curb beside her. After a quick grumble about poor driving, she was ready to hurry on her way, but the side door slid open and the men who got out were wearing masks.
She choked at the weapons that were pointed at her. One man maneuvered behind her, and before she could even think how to respond, he grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the van.
Sydney wasn’t a screamer. After years of being trained to keep quiet while she watched her dad beat up her mom, she’d learned to be silent in her fear. But as she was dragged toward the van, a rare shriek erupted from her lungs. “Aaron!”
Chapter7
A sick pithad opened up in Aaron’s stomach when he read the text that had come from his mom. He had to get some breathing space from Sydney to processes the latest update on his dad.
Six months ago, doctors gave his dad less than twelve months to live. Aaron had come to terms with the imminent death of his father, but last week he got a call from his mom saying there had been a miracle and his dad’s tumor had shrunk unexpectedly. Now his dad was at home recovering and his mom insisted he come visit.
He processed a list of excuses why he couldn’t visit, but that was all forgotten when he heard the van.
With his thoughts distracted, his body reacted to the sound out of reflex, flinching at the sound of screeching tires. Before he could consciously process the scene in front of him, he was running.
At Sydney’s scream, he put his head down and picked up speed, focusing on his movement. He knew how hard he could push himself.
Before he reached the curb, the van pulled onto the street, but Aaron’s body and mind followed and shifted into the next action, changing momentum as he swung between cars and pedestrians. He leaped over a crate and pumped his arms when his feet touched the ground. He would not lose Sydney. He was now completely committed to catching that van. There was nothing else.
The vehicle careened around the corner, but Aaron had done enough due diligence while he waited out the long day today and had gathered information on the surrounding streets. He had a map in his mind of the street grid and traffic scenarios within several blocks.
At the time, the map study had been an instinctive move based on years on the job, but even as his mind focused on his current task, he couldn’t ignore the possibility that he’d been prompted by a higher power to educate himself. He pushed the thought away as he sprinted up to the corner.
The streets weren’t as busy now as they would have been at rush hour, but they were nestled into the city far enough to warrant traffic lights at every intersection. They lined the surrounding streets and should make a slow escape for the van.
Please, God, let there be a red light. Let there be a red light.
His request to God was unintended, and while it was perhaps initiated by his thoughts of supernatural intervention, he didn’t have time to examine the motive or the reason behind it.
He rounded the corner and the barest blink acknowledged the red light that had stopped the van that was now only five cars ahead.
When he was three cars away, a gun appeared out one of the side windows and he dove behind a pillar before the shot was fired.
Screaming erupted along the street as the light turned green and the ensuing confusion was enough to stop the traffic from edging forward.
The driver of the van, realizing they were being pursued, edged up on the sidewalk and turned onto the first side street. Aaron left his refuge and raced after it.
The narrower street meant the van couldn’t pick up the speed it needed for a quick escape. Aaron was close and jumped onto the back bumper, his fingers groping for a handhold.
