Page 32 of Lethal Game

She let go of his arm as she sat back in her seat, thinking about what he'd told her. "This terrorist you’re after…I can’t believe he’s targeting me or my mom. We’ve never even been to Russia. We’ve barely left California. As a family, our biggest trip was to the Grand Canyon. My dad is a teacher. My mom is a librarian. Do they sound like people with terrorist connections?"

"No, but there is a connection."

"Maybe not," she argued. "Whatever is happening to my family could be completely unrelated." Even as she made that case, she wondered if that would be better or worse. Right now, she had Jason and the FBI's attention and protection because they thought she was connected to their case.If she wasn't, would she and her parents be on their own?

"Kashin and Novikov shared the same vehicle at some point on Tuesday evening after Novikov arrived in the US," Jason told her. "Kashin went after you. He's what links you to Novikov."

She tried to eat a few more bites, but she no longer felt hungry. She wiped her mouth and set down her fork. "Okay, so what happens now?"

"We finish eating and then check on your mother. You're going to tell me you can sleep in the chair next to your mother's bed, but that's not good enough. You have to be exhausted and probably in pain. I know my aches are getting worse as the day goes on. So, after we check on your mom, I'll take you to a safe house."

"I would like to take a shower and change my clothes at some point," she admitted. "But I also want to see how my mother's labs turn out. Her blood work should be back around seven thirty or eight. I don't want to leave before then."

He thought about that, then said, "That's fine. I need to go into my office. I'll walk you to her room, and then I'll come back in a couple of hours."

"You must be getting bored babysitting me."

He smiled. "Not at all. Life has been anything but boring since I met you."

"Well, that's true."

"I'm sure you'll want to take some clothes to the safe house. Why don't you give me your keys and I'll go by your apartment and pack you a bag?"

She looked at him in surprise. "You could just take me to my apartment on the way to the safe house, and I can run in and grab some things."

"I don't want you near your apartment. I don't know what we'll find there. I'd rather check it out on my own. If you don't feel comfortable with me going through your clothes, I can take Savannah with me."

She didn't like the idea of either of them going through her clothes. "Are you using this to get into my apartment and look around? Do you not believe me when I say I don't know what's going on?"

He met her gaze. "I believe you, Alisa. This is standard protocol. I'm doing everything I can to keep you safe. After what happened at your parents' house, I'd rather not expose you to anything at your apartment."

"I was there last night. It was fine."

"That was last night."

"Okay," she said, too tired to argue. And it wasn't like she was hiding anything, except maybe a messy underwear drawer. The idea of Jason going through her underwear drawer made her more than a little uncomfortable. It felt too intimate, although it probably wasn't as intimate as the kiss they'd exchanged earlier, and making a big deal out of it would make it too big of a deal. She reached into her bag and pulled out her keys. As she handed them to him, she said, "Do you know what happened to my car?"

"It was towed to a police yard, where it will be inspected by a forensics expert. But it's not salvageable. You'll have to get a new vehicle."

"I know. That's a problem for another day. I should get back upstairs."

"Do you want to eat your cookie?"

"I'd like to save it for later."

"Me, too." He wrapped both cookies in a napkin. "We'll take them to go."

They left the cafeteria and walked through the lobby, taking the elevator to the sixth floor. The security guard gave them both a nod and said everything was quiet. The nurse had been in to take some blood, but no one else had come near the room.

She was about to open the door when Jason got a text. His expression stiffened as he swore under his breath."

"What is it?" she asked, her stomach knotting. It couldn’t be more bad news…could it?

His gaze was hard and unhappy. "The vehicle transporting Victor Kashin to jail was in an accident. Kashin is dead. So is the guard who was in the back of the van with him. The driver is in critical condition."

Her stomach turned over. "Was it an accident?"

"I doubt it. Someone wanted to make sure Victor didn't talk."

---