to descend. I wasn’t about to stop and argue with her. I took them as quickly as I could without the risk of dropping her. She felt light in my arms and I could tell her breathing was steady. The air was thick with humidity and it was warm for the time of night. We reached the suburban and another man opened the door for us. Conway went around to the other side and helped Alison as she took a seat between us. “Thank you.” Her voice was hoarse and soft all in the same breath. She looked at the man sitting next to her with curiosity. She took in his tall frame and adjusted her body closer to me. It would be crowded, but I didn’t mind being closer to her than necessary. I began to grab the seat belt across from her. She threw me an evil look that stopped me dead in my tracks. “I had an asthma attack, I am not an invalid!” She retorted as she proceeded to buckle herself in. I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of Conway smiling. There was no time like the present to introduce them. “Alison, this is Mike Conway” Alison nodded at the tall man next to her. “Where are we going again?” “A safe house close to here. You can eat and then get some sleep if you want.” The man shifted and handed my bag to me and Alison hers. “What I want is to go home.” Alison turned and looked at me as she said this. “How long do I have to stay here?” I looked at Conway for guidance and shrugged not knowing how to answer her question. Truth be told, I didn’t know the answer to her question, because I had not had a chance to talk to him completely, I had no idea what Conway’s plans for Alison were. I was sure the safe house was purely a precaution because of the circumstances. “Alison,” he said shifting to look at her. “I want to debrief you and Jack and then we will decide from there. Do you have the other processor with you?” Alison nodded her head no and Conway looked at me with concern and shock. I ignored his stares and shifted my body so Alison could lean against me. “You don’t?” Alison nodded again. His voice was filled with questions and I could tell some anger. “Jack?” Alison looked back and forth between the two of us. “Albuquerque,” she finally answered pressing her body against mine. “What,” Conway said in disbelief. “Albuquerque?” “It’s in Albuquerque. There was no reason to bring both of them. It’s at home. Again Conway looked at me for some direction. “Home?” I nodded, and repeated her words. “Home.” “Home,” Mike repeated unsure what to think of this revelation. “I was in such a hurry to leave; I grabbed the one off the line, packed it correctly and ran home to grab my bags.” Alison took a deep breath. I wasn’t sure if she had gotten a lung full of air. I gently touched her hand and she turned her head to look at me. I could tell by the look in her eyes her chest was beginning to tighten again. “You left it at home, unsecure?” Conway asked still in utter disbelief. “You didn’t tell Tom did you?” “Enough,” I said before she could open her mouth. I could tell her breathing was becoming labored again and I grabbed the inhaler from her other hand. “Puff,” I said shoving it into her mouth. A sudden need to protect her engulfed me. Her eyes grew wide as I pushed down on the inhaler forcing her to take another gulp of the medicine. The canister I held in my hand was almost empty, and based on the last hour, I knew she was going to need one again. “Let her rest Mike and you can ask her all the questions you want as soon as she’s breathing right.” Mike gave me a strange look and I could see the questions forming in his head. He was puzzled by my sudden interest in her and my sudden need to protect her. She was different than the rest and although I couldn’t put my finger on it, I didn’t care. I realized then that I wasn’t leaving her side until this fiasco