Anxious Jeopardies

Chapter One

Okay, so her day didn't start out so great. It wouldn't finish so great either.

"You're kidding me. After all of the work I've done for you, you tell me to track down an amber alert?" She walked out of a pitch black building casually swinging a gun in one hand. There was going to be a nasty bruise on her back where she had been slammed against the wall. It didn't matter. She'd learned to ignore it.

"Ana, listen to me. We've had four other people try to save this kid. Their kidnappers are good. It's serious."

"Fine. Whatever you say. I'm on my way, Derek."

"Did you finish the job?" Ana unlocked her car and moved a stray piece of red hair out of her face. She dropped the gun in the passenger's seat on top of the stack of papers.

"Yes," she said, offended. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"No."

"Good."

"You're the best one of us."

"I know."

"So why would I doubt you?"

"Relax! I was just asking."

"See you later?"

"Yes."

"Okay. Bye, Ana."

"Bye," she muttered, annoyed. She started the car and backed out of the alley where she had parked. Ana was in a secret service agency. They dealt with situations too advanced or dangerous for the police to handle.

She was tall and had long red hair and piercing blue eyes. She knew was beautiful, and it was a trait she worked to her advantage. She had a perfect figure and usually wore all black. When she was on the job, she wore a black jumpsuit. When she wasn't working, which wasn't often, she wore black anything else. She might as well have been in permanent mourning. She drove a black car and lived in an apartment alone. Most of the furniture there was ironically white.

A half hour later, she pulled into a tall building's parking lot in the city. It had black tinted windows, but for the area that wasn't very suspicious. She locked the car and slowly entered the building, checking herself and making sure she didn't look injured. The guard in the front asked her for her I.D.

"Max, it's me."

"Ana, give me the card," he answered similarly. She rolled her eyes. She was tired.

"You just want to stare at me," she teased.

"I can do that right here," he said, still looking at her. "Why would I need a card?"

"I don't know. Why do you need the card?"

"You forgot it, didn't you?"

"Maybe." She turned her head away. "I was busy this morning! And it's not like you don't know me," she pointed out.

"Busy with what? Derek?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I'm pretty sure he hates me at this point," she laughed.

"You really can't tell?"

"What?" She lowered her eyes. "Oh." She could tell. She'd known for a while. She just didn't like to talk about it. He wasn't very subtle. "It's not like he means it."

"Stop being so modest! You deserve a guy who will treat you well." The redhead looked up at him angrily.

"I don't deserve anyone! I will never love anyone. I can't. It distracts me from important things."

"How would you know if you've never been in love?" He asked exasperatedly. Her already sullen face fell into a glare. "Ana, I didn't mean it like that..."