News
Chad scooted the kitchen chair over and put his arm around Alyssa. “Do you want something to drink?”
She pulled on her ponytail and twisted the hair around her hand, keeping her gaze on the ground. “Only if you feel like making a mixed drink.”
“Is that what you want?” He studied her, trying to figure out if something was wrong beyond the obvious—one child missing and the other in the hospital.
“I don’t care.” She still wouldn’t make eye contact with him. It was really unlike her.
“Is there something else you want? We can order pizza if you’re hungry or just go to bed if you’re too tired.”
Alyssa sighed but didn’t respond.
Normally, this kind of thing would really irritate him but he wasn’t going to let the circumstances get the better of them. “We’re in the kitchen so we may as well have something to drink. I wouldn’t mind a margarita. How about you?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
“Margarita it is.” He kissed her cheek and gathered the ingredients, humming the tune of a song they’d claimed as ‘theirs’ years earlier.
If Alyssa noticed, she didn’t say anything. It was getting harder not to take it personally, but he knew from experience that they both handled stress differently. Though he wanted to talk, he’d have to wait since she clearly needed to process everything first.
Chad salted the glass rims, mixed the drinks, and brought them to the table. He gave Alyssa the slightly fuller one. “Just for you.”
“Thanks.” Her tone was flat, but she drank it. That was something, at least.
He continued studying her as they sipped the margaritas. She kept her gaze averted the whole time. He was puzzled by her behavior. They’d been through plenty of hard times over the years—far more than any couple deserved to suffer—but they’d always leaned on each other for support.
Maybe she was tired of fighting, of life being such a struggle. He could understand that.
His phone rang. It was Kenji.
“Kenji, is everything okay?” Chad answered.
“The news is covering another missing cadet.”
“Just one? Not all four of them?”
Alyssa actually glanced up at Chad.
“It’s not good. We wanted to warn you before you turn it on.”
The room spun around him. “What do you mean?”
“They found one of them—but he’s dead.”
Chad struggled to speak. “What… where… how… How did it happen?”
Alyssa’s eyes widened as she stared at him.
“They’re not saying a lot. Just that the body was found out on the road Alex would’ve taken to the Academy near the woods.”
Chad’s stomach twisted, and the margarita threatened to make a reappearance.
“What?” Alyssa asked.
“That doesn’t mean Alex is in the same position,” Kenji said. “There’s no reason to think Alex and the other two will be the same. Maybe there isn’t even a connection.”
“Chad, what?” Alyssa demanded.
He cleared his throat, his thoughts spinning out of control. “Okay, thanks for letting us know, Kenji.” Chad ended the call and tried to figure out how to tell Alyssa.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s something on the news about one of the other missing cadets.”
Her eyes widened. “Did they find him? What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything.” Chad waited, hoping she’d piece it together without him having to say it out loud.
“Why not?”
“He’s dead.”
Alyssa’s face paled. “No, he can’t be.”
“It’s not Alex. Some other guy. We don’t know that what happened to him has anything to do with Alex.”
“How could it not? What else do you know?”
“Nothing. They’re talking about it on the news.”
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Let’s watch it.”
“Maybe it’s best if we don’t. It’ll only give us more to worry about.”
Her eyes flew open. “I’ll worry a whole lot more if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Chad rose and held out his hand to her. “Okay, then. Let’s see what they have to say.”
She didn’t take his hand, but downed the rest of her drink.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Let’s go.” Alyssa rose and exited the kitchen.
He shook his head, finished his margarita, and followed her. When he got to the family room, the news was already on and Alyssa sat on the couch, completely entranced.
Chad sat next to her and put his arm around her. She stiffened at his touch.
“Okay, what’s going on?” he demanded.
She turned to him, her brows furrowed. “I’m trying to find out what happened—maybe they’ll say something about our son.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” Chad snapped. “Why are you freezing me out? We’re on the same team.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are we?”
“What the hell does that mean? Of course we are!”
She held his gaze for a moment before turning back to the screen. “I need to listen to this.”
“Fine.” He scooted away about six inches.
Alyssa kept her attention on the television. “Fine.”
Irritation, quickly turning into anger, twisted around in his gut. What was going on between them? If they didn’t stick together, they would spiral away from each other. It had happened before, and he wasn’t about to let that happen again.
He would fight for his marriage. If they didn’t have each other, what did they have?