Ten days later

Carson quirks an eyebrow, his playfulness dissolving for a moment. “You just asked me if I was in trouble. Do I have a sign on my back this morning or what?”

He lets her go and shakes his head, another grin surfacing. “Miss sass has turned into a worrywart. Better stop, or I’ll have to show you how well I’m doing… but then Rick would yell at me again.”

He rolls his eyes and gives her cheek a brush with the back of his hand. “Get to work and I’ll see you at noon.”


Wyatt leans against the wall, scanning the main floor, his eyes once again landing on Carson’s cubicle… it was empty…again. For a week, he’d been on time, holding regular hours, though hadn’t been reachable otherwise. But for the last few days, he’d started being late again. And there was more too it…Wyatt had noticed Carson starting to dodge people…he’d never been that sociable, but it was even less now.

Wyatt didn’t want to jump to conclusions or doubt Carson after everyone had emphasized trust in him…but something just wasn’t right, and Wyatt feared Agency involvement. He hadn’t voiced these fears to anyone…but today was the last straw. He was going to find out once and for all what was going on because something…something was. His gut instincts were too strong to deny.

Seeing Carson finally enter the building, Wyatt turns to head back to his own office.


Carson swaggers down through the cubicles, flopping down in his chair and stifling a yawn as he stretches. Wincing at the crick in his neck, he sighs and flips on his computer.

Glancing down, he sees the sticky note he’d left for himself the day before. He was supposed to take Misty out for lunch today – yesterday he’d bailed on her, so he had some making up to do.