Chicago Love ✔️

Chapter 25: Returning to Chicago

Hailey walks up the steps, scanning her palm on the scanner as she hears the door unlock. She makes her way up into the Intelligence Unit offices, smile fixated on her face. 

It had been a great weekend in Kansas. She had enjoyed every single moment she got to spend with Alex. The teammates may have been a little annoying at times, but she had to admit that William, Kyle and Chase were all great together. 

When it came time to leave and head back home, she admitted being a little disappointed - wanting to spend more time with Alex. She worried when they would see each other again. What if months went by? What if they weren't able to make it happen together again?

"Somebody must have had fun in Kansas," Kim comments as she watches Hailey take a seat at her desk across from hers. Hailey wasn't about to deny that, despite the nerves about the possible future ahead. "She had so much damn fun that she didn't bother to send me updates or anything as she originally stated that she would." 

"Do you know how much Kim worried about you while you were gone?" Adam questions as he comes out of the break room, placing a cup of coffee on Kim's desk, before retreating back to his own. Hailey did not know whether he was serious or not with the comment as she kept her eyes locked on the brunette. This was probably not the best place to be having this conversation. 

"I got busy and forgot about sending you a message so I am very sorry," Hailey offers as she flips open the file that lied on her desk. It was obvious the Intelligence Unit had picked up on another case while she was away, and she didn't want to be left behind on the details. "We can go for lunch and I can tell you just how much fun it was being at the race track." 

"The only question that matters - well, wait, there are two questions that matter. Will you be seeing him again? Will you be making a trip to another race? Are you going to keep disappearing on weekends?" Hailey wished that could be the case. She would be able to see Alex very regularly and spend the time she wanted with him as she was missing so much already and it hadn't even been 24 hours apart. However, she knew that was not possible in her line of work. She could not expect victims of crimes to go 48 hours without work being done on their cases. That was not fair as criminals should not get that leeway. Then again, that was why she was with a team - and a break here and there would be nice. "Are we going to be seeing Alex anytime soon? We've all met him, but it'd be nice to see him after this latest development." 

"I thought you only had one question to ask...." Kim chuckles as that seemed to be a theme with Adam in always saying more than he intended. It was something she had gotten used to with him at home. It became even more fun when it was both him and Makayla bringing her questions at the same time. 

"What can I say? You've got me very curious. We've got to look out for you....." Hailey instinctively rolls her eyes in response as while she appreciated the big brother approach, she wouldn't mind space right now. There were so many thoughts to think about in regards to it that she did not want to address immediately. However, she knew one thing - she had to find some way to see Alex again, and hopefully sooner than it took before. Why did she miss him so much right now? 

"How about you just focus on the case for now?" Kim suggests, having seen the glance on Hailey's face. It was obvious she did not want to go in the details any further right now. "We need to find this guy before he hurts someone else. I thought you said you had a lead....." 

Hailey takes a deep breath, eyes focusing on the file on her desk and she began to read through the notes that were left. She found out about the victim and his background. She found out about the suspect, and crew they were looking into. She found herself a bit surprised in some details, but knew it was nothing new - they always were chasing the craziest people around. Now it was finding a way or someone to get into the group, and take them down. Just like any other case they had, right?

She heard her phone go off as she was reading the final details, glancing over in seeing a familiar name as a smile formed on her face. Her hand reached to unlock it and read the message, but yet she somehow found a way to stop herself. She wanted more than anything to read what he had to say. She wanted more than anything to reply back with a message of her own. It was just like before - getting lost in his messages, his connection and everything about him. 

She couldn't do it, though. She couldn't allow herself to continue to fall more for him and want him at every grasp. She couldn't allow herself to let the emotions take over every part of her. What if it was for nothing? What if it was just because she was looking for something right now? What if they formed a big connection, and couldn't make it work together? As she said to him, there was no way they could do this long distance - but yet that is what she would be allowing herself to do if she kept giving into these emotions at every drop of a message.

"Gotta focus on work," she tells herself as she tries to bury herself back in the folder that sat before her on the desk. She began to read through the list of known associates, seeing if any of them names rang any bells for her. What if she had crossed paths with one of them recently? What if one of them was a known CI of her own? "Gotta find this guy...."