Page 35 of His Obsession

I was questioning everything I had come to understand about these men. Randall was nothing but kind via the e-mails and phone calls we exchanged during work, but he was cold and unemotional in person. Jake, who was always a jokester in the office, was now solemn, uptight, and didn’t want to give me the time of day. I bet if I was to ask him to explain about malware, he would tell me no.

Then, there was Alek. I had that one moment with him one year ago, and I didn’t even remember the conversation. How much did he change when I was around? Was it because of me being around that they acted differently, or were they not being real, to begin with?

“You never know when the FBI is going to chase you. I’m a hacker, they come after us all the time.” He made a somewhat convincing argument, but I wasn’t buying it. The FBI doesn’t come after you unless you’ve done something to get on their radar.

“What wicked things are you doing that would have you worrying about the FBI, Jake?” I crossed my fingers, hoping he’d spill his guts and I’d learn it all.

“Nice try.”

Was this a hint? I figured a person who wasn't guilty would say that they weren't doing anything wrong, but a person who had something to hide, deflected or said nothing at all. I was sure that was what they said on that TV show. I wish I was a human lie detector—that would make my life so much easier.

We pulled into a dark parking lot in front of a building with large block letters that readKrav Magaacross the door. Jake swung into a parking space and slammed on the brakes. My body pitched forward, coming to an immediate halt as my seatbelt locked up across my chest.

“Dammit, Jake, drive like a normal human, would you?” I yelled at him, my chest and neck hurt where the seatbelt made abrupt contact. I got out and tried rubbing the burn off my neck.

"Don't be such a sissy. You bitch like my sister," he said.

“What is going on with you lately? I thought you were the nice one?”

“I am nice. You haven’t seen me be mean.”

I made my way over to his side of the car. “I did, when you and Mr. Donovan spoke,” I said, lowering my voice so no one could hear me. “When Alek stabbed him, what did you say that made him want to shit his pants?” My face came within inches of his, but he wasn’t backing down.

Jake snickered. “Class is going to start. Let’s get in there.”

He turned away from me, heading towards the building when I grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face me. “Tell me, Jake. I want to know what your mean side said to make someone so afraid,” I taunted.

Jake put his hands on my shoulders and gently pushed me to the car, resting his hands on either side of my head. I could see the agitation on his face morph into a storm of fury. I provoked him on purpose to get answers, and judging by the look on his face, that wasn’t a good idea.

I didn’t have the same Jake from the office standing before me, and I should have known better.

“I told him the next time he disrespected me, I would gut him like a fish and feed his innards to his dog while his girlfriend watched.” He pushed away, grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the gym. “Next time you grab me like that, you won’t like the consequences, Liz.”

I got exactly what I asked for—he showed me what I wanted to see. Jake wasn’t the person he depicted in the office, and this was the evidence I needed. I shouldn’t have asked. I rubbed my face to compose myself, trying to avoid my cheek.

“I want you to sit right here,” he said, pointing at the bleachers. “You’ll be safe. No one would even think to mess with you in here.”

I took a seat, my body still trembling from his threats, as he walked away through scuffed-up doors. I tried to distract myself by watching the people stretch on the blue mats, but it wasn’t helping.

Me: Jake is a fucking psycho. Come get me.

I pocketed my phone as Jake strolled back out through the same doors a few moments later, changed into gym clothes. He made his way to the mats, refusing to look at me.

He looked incendiary.

Abuzzingvibration came from my pocket.

Alek: I trust him, you’re in excellent hands.

I scoffed at his reply. Trust the man that just threatened me with physical harm because I laid hands on him.Right.

Me: You don’t know what he said to me.

Alek: He told me.

Jake told Alek about the talk we had, and he still trusted him? What a fucked-up dynamic.

Jake sat down on the ground, bent over with his legs straight, and touched his toes, stretching his hamstrings. A man walked up to the front of the room, and everyone turned to face him. The brawny fellow started the class with a few warm-ups, making them run in place, and then, he broke everyone into pairs to practice disarming an assailant with a gun.