"I wish that was all that happened to me today," she sighed.
Liam stood and with a worried frown asked, "What else?"
"When I got home from the gym, the doorman was waiting with a police officer. Someone had broken into my apartment."
Liam's jaw clenched. Not a good sign, she decided. She didn't have to guess why he was out of sorts.
"And you're just now mentioning this?" he asked
She didn't care for his condescending tone. "Yes, I'm just now mentioning this."
"Do you think the home invasion and your road incident might be related?" Phillips asked. Like Liam's, his voice was also strained.
Allison was getting the feeling both of them wanted to yell at her. She tried to justify her actions. "Yes, I know I'm supposed to call you, Agent Phillips, if there are ever any problems, but nothing was taken from my apartment, and there was already a policeman taking a report, so I didn't think it was necessary to bother you. I'm pretty certain I know who it was. My aunt and uncle."
Her new announcement led to another round of questions, and by the time Liam finished with her, she felt like an imbecile. Just because Stamos guessed her aunt and uncle were responsible didn't make it so.
Liam rubbed his brow as if trying to wipe away a headache. "So you've figured it was your aunt and uncle at your apartment."
Feeling backed into a corner, she said, "Yes."
He nodded, then asked, "What reason do you have for being run off the road?"
"I was thinking it was probably road rage."
"Road rage." Phillips repeated her words and dropped into his chair. "What could you have done to make the driver come after you like that?" Frowning, he asked, "Were you texting?"
Was he blaming her? "Of course I was texting," she countered. "I always text while I drive. Oh, and I was putting on lipstick and mascara, so I had to adjust the mirror. . . ." She couldn't think of anything else outrageous to tell him.
Phillips didn't look amused. "This is a serious matter."
"Yes, it is," she agreed.
"I've taken care of the police report on your car," he said then.
"Thank you."
"It wasn't road rage," Liam said.
She stared at him for several seconds, letting the events of the last few hours sink in. "They're related, aren't they? But how? Do you have any theories?"
"Several, as a matter of fact," he said. "We'll find who did this," he added with a granite voice. "And when we do . . ."
Afraid he would say something crazy in front of Phillips, she stood and said, "We're finished, right? Do you want me to work or go home? I should go home." And before Phillips could answer, she said, "I'm going home. I need to go home."
She was beginning to feel a delayed reaction to the effects of her near miss. Her hands were still shaking so much she knew she wouldn't be able to type, and she felt weak. Liam saw how pale she'd become and grabbed her before she could fall.
She was walking out the door with Liam holding her arm when she turned back. "Where's my laptop?"
"The techs have it," Phillips said. "It was pretty banged up. They'll see what they can salvage."
"Thank you," she said.
-
The first she noticed that Liam had her backpack and phone was when he opened her apartment door for her. He must have gotten them out of the car, she thought, or maybe she'd held them when he pulled her through the window. She was too tired to figure it out now.
Liam led her to her bed and pulled the covers back. Within seconds of laying her head on the pillow, she was sound asleep.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked at her alarm clock and saw that several hours had passed. She could hear Liam's voice in the living room. He was on the phone. He was always on his phone, it seemed. His job didn't let up. She couldn't tell whom he was talking to, but she caught snippets of his conversation. She heard part of a question about an underground cell and another about an informer. He kept his voice low and she couldn't make out anything else. The minute he ended one call, another came in. She honestly didn't know how he could keep up with it all. She knew he was in a high-pressure job, one that was very important, but she also knew it was impossible for one person to handle so many responsibilities. Even Liam. He sounded tired. No matter how much stamina he had, he would eventually crash. Allison got scared thinking about it.
She got out of bed and stood in the doorway until he noticed her. "Liam, when did you get back from Berlin?" she asked.
