Fractured Lies (MAC Security 1)

“Make sure you write down how long he was in there” I pulled my pad out and wrote the time. I’d had to put down every place that he had stopped, the time he arrived and the time he departed.

I was just pushing it back in when I felt a vibration from my pocket. I lifted my butt up off the seat and pulled my phone out, not looking at the screen before I’d answered it.

“Hello?”

“Hi, is that Miss Anderson?”

“Speaking?” I asked, my eyes wandered to Ty who tilted his head a little with his eyes still on the road.

“Oh hi, this is Miss Cooper, from Eli’s preschool.” My heart hammered in my chest.

“Yes, hi,” I croaked.

“Eli seems to have become unwell, would it be possible for you to come and pick him up?” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. I hated it when he was sick, all I wanted to do was wave a magic wand and make it all go away.

“Yes, I’ll come and get him.” I pressed the end call button and pushed it back into my pocket.

The look on my face must have alerted Ty that something was wrong because he pulled off to the side of the road.

“Can you take me back to the compound?” I asked, my hands clutched together.

I didn’t know what to do, there was nothing worse than not being able to get there right away.

“Why?”

“Eli’s sick I need to go and get him.” Ty pulled back out onto the road.

“Did she say what was wrong?”

“No.” I shook my head, why hadn’t I thought to ask that?

I stayed silent as I stared out the passenger window not really seeing anything as we drove past houses and shops.

“Kay?” I turned to Ty, only now realizing that we were parked outside of the preschool.

I pulled off my vest and belt, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention. I jumped out of the car and ran inside, my eyes scanning the reception area for Eli.

He sat with a bowl next to him, his face ashen. How had he got so sick in the space of a couple of hours?

“Sweetie?” I bent down next to him and held my hand to his forehead. He was burning up.

I picked him up and stood, his head flopped into the space between my neck and shoulder as I held him tight.

He mumbled something that sounded like ‘I don’t feel well’ and pressed his face into my neck.

“He was fine one minute, then the next…” Miss Cooper grimaced as she stood from the seat.

“I’m sorry. He was fine this morning.” I readjusted Eli.

“I know,” she said then placed her hand on Eli’s back. “Get better soon.”

I turned and walked to the door. Ty was on the other side, he opened it as I approached.

“You okay? You need me to take him?” he said as we walked to the car.

“No, I got it” I said and waited next to the back door. Ty opened it and I placed Eli on the seat then went around to the other side.

“Fuck, he’s burning up”