Under Different Circumstances

Chapter 6

After we'd obliged, he started talking. "We haven't been able to locate Wright yet. He's in the wind once again. You two have been through a lot tonight, so you should head home and get some rest. To make sure nothing else happens tonight, I'd like to either post a patrol car in front of your house or have someone stay with you," he said, directing the last statement at me. "I don't know the exact nature of the relationship between the two of you, so..." he trailed off.

"I don't think all that trouble is necessary. I'm sure Wright doesn't even know who I am," I tried to reason, but Jay quickly spoke up.

"No, Hailey, Sarge is right. Wright is more cunning and connected than you might think. The last thing I want to happen is that he hurts you to get back at me."

I picked up on the apprehension in his voice and sighed in defeat, "Alright, I get it. But there's no need for a patrol car. You can stay at my place tonight, Jay."

"Good. I'm glad that's settled," Voight stood up. "We've sent out a BOLO matching Wright's description as well as the car's, so all available units are on the lookout for him," Voight said and walked over to his door, addressing his entire unit as he continued. "In the meantime, we should all go home. We'll pick up the search first thing in the morning."

Everyone nodded, accepting that there weren't going to be any major breaks in the search that night, and began packing away their belongings and pulling on their jackets.

Jay quickly headed to the locker rooms to fetch his bag that he kept stashed there with a change of clothes and toiletries for emergencies or unusual situations like this. Adam followed him, and Kevin talked to Voight in his office while I waited by the stairs with Kim and Vanessa.

"You two were probably home, enjoying your evening when you had to come back in to work this case. I'm sorry about that," I struck up a conversation with the two women.

"Eh, it happens more often than you'd think," Vanessa explained. "I had to learn that very quickly when I started this job."

"And I was just watching Netflix and eating way too much greasy food. So you may have saved me from a heart attack," Kim added.

I chuckled and saw Jay and Adam walk back into the room while talking quietly amongst each other. Adam said something I couldn't hear and playfully punched Jay's shoulder after which both men quickly glanced up at me.

"What was that about?" Kim wondered and raised her eyebrows before the guys came into earshot of us.

I shrugged and stuffed my shoes and clutch into Jay's bag which he was holding open for me. He zipped the bag shut, and I turned to walk down the stairs. Everyone else followed behind.

"Wait up," Kevin yelled and caught up with us.

As we passed the front desk and exited the building, I listened to the unit's friendly banter, once again astounded by how well everyone got along.

The group broke apart in the parking lot, and everyone said their goodbyes before getting in their cars. Jay and I climbed into his truck which Adam had driven to the precinct earlier.

As soon as I had buckled my seat belt, the exhaustion hit me. Suddenly, I struggled to keep my eyes open and drifted off to sleep before we even left the parking lot.

I felt something brush against my cheek and heard a voice but couldn't catch the words it was saying. Slowly, the haze lifted, and I realised that I was still sitting in Jay's truck.

"Hails, wake up," he said softly, grazing his fingers along my cheek again. "Wake up, we're home."

His use of the word 'home' made a little butterfly flutter through my stomach. Shaking my head, I sat up trying to force the sleepiness away and climbed out of the truck. Jay handed me my bag so I could get out my keys. Together, we walked up the steps to my door, and I let us in. I panicked for a second, trying to remember in what state I had left my apartment but remembered that I had cleaned it just the day before.