With a shake of my head, I start thinking about Stephen. He was completely different from Michael in every way. Stephen made me laugh, made me feel special and wanted. There was something about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He brought out the cheeky side of me that I didn’t even know I had. For some reason, I always found myself flirting with him, even when I didn’t really mean to. His grin and “I can get away with anything” attitude worked for him. He laid his cards on the table, told it how it was. I believe I knew how he felt about me. Now Michael? Well, he was dark, brooding, and a complete mystery that needed solving. Of course, Stephen was, too, but only because I couldn’t read him, couldn’t see his past or future. It still miffed me a little.
“Hmm, your hair smells fantastic.”
The sound of Stephen’s voice behind me made me jump out of my skin. Turning my head, I found he was right behind me. In fact, he was intimately right behind me.
“I’m sorry I scared you, Twinkles. You were off in a world of your own there. Thinking about me, were you?”
I immediately blushed and a wide, cheeky smile spread across his face. “Ah, you were, weren’t you?”
“No.” My answer was a bit too abrupt. I obviously sucked at hiding my feelings.
“Oh, come on, Twinkles. Don’t be shy. You can tell me.”
Pulling my hair away from my neck, Stephen traced a finger into the crevice. I didn’t will my body to do it, but I quivered.
“Do I really have that much of an effect on you, Twinkles?”
He smiled his impish grin and I couldn’t help but return it. I was a little pissed at my body, though. I certainly didn’t think it would give me away so easily.
“No, of course not. There must be a chill in the room or something.”
Who am I kidding?
He looked around the room and smiled. “All the windows are shut, and I believe the heat is on. Do you want to try and think of a better excuse?”
Turning around to face him, I found us inches apart. My heart rate kicked up a notch, thumping against my chest. My breathing became laboured as I stared into those penetrating eyes. “You’re not very fair, Stephen,” I mumbled, feeling the familiar tingles rising throughout my body.
“You know, you are the most beautiful, fascinating creature I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. You have this tough shell that makes me want to crack every piece of it off you until there is none of it left.”
My god, he had a way with words. What did he think he was trying to do to me? If he wanted me all flustered and practically at his feet in submission, it was working.
We stared at each other for a few seconds…until I heard the sound of someone clearing his throat. Peeking over Stephen’s shoulder, I found Michael glaring at us both. He looked angry—very angry.
“Oh, it’s you again.” Stephen stepped back, but didn’t look impressed.
“I just heard you were looking for me.” Michael stood rigid at the door, trying to smile.
I smiled back as Stephen moved away. The loss of contact almost felt like too much to take.
“Well, I better be off. I shall see you later, Twinkles.”
He winked at me and I smiled again—this time a little nervously. I had two men that I couldn’t stop thinking about in the same room. It all seemed a little too surreal.
Pretty soon, Stephen was out the door and it was just Michael and I left to stare at each other in awkward silence. “I have another witness statement for you to read.” I wanted to get straight down to business.
I thought he was going to huff and puff, demanding to see it. Instead, what he said next shocked me.
“What does Stephen want with you?” he asked, yet again.
“Excuse me?” This was getting weird. He shouldn’t even care.
“He keeps hanging around you and it looks like you’re enjoying it.”
Snapping the photocopier lid down a little more forcefully than I should have, I gathered my papers. “What is it to you, Michael? Why should you care who I talk to and who talks to me? So what if he likes me and I like him? I seem to remember a little something you revealed to me only this morning, or have you forgotten?”
He knew I was upset and angry. It was written all over my face. I couldn’t understand why he was having such a hard time figuring it out.
“You’ve seen me talk to men before. Why are you questioning me about him?”
“He’s different.”
“Different how, Michael? Please explain because I’m having a really hard time trying to figure you out.”
His expression was almost painful to watch. I wasn’t quite sure, but it seemed as though he was struggling with something. Well, that makes two of us, buddy!
“It looks like you like him, too.” His face fell as he hung his head.
“Why should you care?”
Snapping his head back up, he almost snarled, “I don’t like it.”
I very nearly gasped. Did I just hear him correctly?
Deciding I didn’t want to hear any more, I stomped towards the door and growled at him, “You have a girlfriend!”
Grabbing my arm, he pulled me towards him, forcing his lips on mine. All the papers I held immediately fell to the floor as I felt his hot mouth crush my own.
I reached my hands up to his neck and pulled his head in deeper to our kiss. He moaned and the sound made me whimper. My stomach felt like it was on fire. I never knew just kissing someone like this would have me feeling so alive, so full of desire.
His lips were warm and inviting. At first, the kiss was ferocious, but it soon turned to gentler, more seductive.
Placing his hand on my lower back, he pulled me to him. I felt how hard he was and the ache I felt burned hotter than ever. If we weren’t where we were, who knew what kind of trouble I would be getting myself into. I’ve never wanted someone as much as I wanted Michael right now. His sweet, tender kiss was an absolute joy to feel, and my emotions were running high. How easily it could be to fall in love with this mysterious, dark stranger. I knew nothing about him other than the fact that he was a complete twat who had a girlfriend.
That thought snapped me out of it. Pulling away, I slapped him across the face. He looked at me in complete shock as I bent down to collect my papers.
“You have a girlfriend!” was all I could shout. What more could I say?
He looked at me, frustration etched on his face. I didn’t want to stick around any longer. I felt ashamed of myself. I’m not one of those girls who steals other people’s boyfriends, and I never would be.
Storming back into the office, Michael following, I plonked myself in my seat. He was just standing there, hovering over me and rubbing his cheek.
“There.” I handed him the statement. He looked at me sadly and I very nearly melted. I didn’t know why I was suddenly feeling guilty. How dare he kiss me when he knew he was attached to someone else.
As I watched him, though, his expression fell when he read what it said. “Why was he targeting that poor kid?” I had to ask.
“That’s what I want to find out. At the time, nobody seemed to want to talk. That’s why I wanted to wait and see what the witnesses said. I knew they were both lying when I asked them if they saw anything. They looked scared so I asked if I could take their names and addresses down, and gave them my number to call if they thought of anything else. I’m going to have to bring Mark Richards in for questioning now.”
“When do you think you’ll do that?”
He looked at me, a little confused. I did have an agenda, but I obviously couldn’t divulge that to him. I wanted to know why he did this to a nine-year-old boy who was innocently playing with his friends.
“I’m going to organise a warrant for his arrest now. Can you dig out the whole file for me, please?”
It was the first file in my tray so I handed it to him.
“Thanks.” He smiled, somewhat timidly. “And I’m really sorry about what happened earlier. I didn’t mean to ups
et you.”
He walked off, leaving me feeling somewhat dazed. I didn’t know what to think anymore. We’ve quickly gone from him ignoring me all the time, to him grabbing me and kissing me. I don’t think I will see that room in the same light again.
“What was that all about?” Kali’s high voice broke my trance.
“Um…nothing. Just Michael being Michael, I guess.” I shrugged my shoulders and carried on working. I didn’t feel the need to explain myself to Kali. I wanted to dwell in the wonder of it alone.
I quickly found myself deep in thought over this poor nine-year-old boy. He wasn’t seriously hurt in the accident, just got a broken leg and some cuts and scrapes.
Thinking about Michael some more, I suddenly decided to do something rather naughty. Looking up Mark Richards on our database, I punched in the full name and date of birth. I needed to see what he looked like so I could try and spot him later.
The picture that came up was rather menacing. He was white, bald, with a tattoo running down the left side of his face. He lived in Shepherds Bush, and had priors for possession of drugs.
He certainly shouldn’t be too hard to spot, even in a crowd.
**********
I was preparing myself all day. I knew they were going to bring him in for questioning, but I didn’t know how long it would take. I decided that the best course of action was to find out where Michael was. Sure enough, he was in the interview room. I asked Trevor, the Station Officer, to call me the minute he came out of the room. I told him it was important and I needed to speak with him. Total lie, I know, but I needed to do this.
I started to panic a bit when it got to be almost five and I still hadn’t heard anything. I began drumming my fingers on the desk and fidgeting with my hair.
“Are you going home now?” Kali was sitting behind her desk still, but had her bag on the desk and her coat slung over her arm.
“I’m staying just a little bit longer. I’ve just got to make sure I have all the docs for this case. I’ll see you later tonight, yes?”
“Oh, yes. Can’t wait. I’ll meet you there around eight o’clock?”
“Sure thing. See you then.”
Just as Kali disappeared, the phone rang. “Cassie, it’s Trevor. He’s just come out now.”
“Thanks, Trevor.” I slammed my phone down and raced for the stairs.
I virtually ran out of the station in search of this man, but I couldn’t see anyone that fit his description. After all this, he’s not even here?
Just as I thought all was lost, the man came through the doors. You couldn’t miss the bald head and tattoo on one side of his face.
I had to think really quickly, so I let him pass and immediately tripped myself up, bashing into him and landing on the ground. It wasn’t the most gracious of falls, but it was worth it to make it seem genuine.
“I’m so sorry. I must have tripped on the pavement.”
He looked down at me and smiled. “No problem, darling. The council don’t do enough of a good job tidying up these pavements.”
He offered his hand, just as I had hoped. I reached out my own and grabbed his as he hauled me up. What I saw shocked me.
I saw his intention to run that poor boy over. It was a plan of his—a revenge tactic because the boy’s parents owed him money. This was his way of telling them that he doesn’t take no for an answer. I also saw that he was planning on following me home. That certainly wasn’t going to happen.
Starting to panic a bit, I wondered how I was going to get out of this situation.
“Cassie!” a sweet voice called from up the stairs.
It was Michael.
I saw the menacing look on Mark Richard’s face, and he quickly turned and left.
“Are you okay? He wasn’t bothering you, was he?”
“Drugs.” I was waffling. For some reason, I wasn’t thinking straight.
“What drugs? What’s the matter, Cassie? You look pale.”
Swallowing hard, I continued, “I think you need to investigate a link between him and the boy’s parents. I think you will find it has to do with money owed for drugs.” He looked at me in shock. I couldn’t blame him.
“What makes you think that, Cassie? Did he say something to you?”
I shook my head. How could I explain all this to him? I thought changing the subject would help. “Listen, is there any way you could take me home? He scared me a little and I think he wants to follow me.”
Seeing the panic in my face, he looked around us. “Of course. Come with me.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the station. “I will have to take one of the patrol cars as I only have my bike and one helmet.”
I timidly nod as he led the way to the garage at the back of the station.
Once in the car and on our way, Michael turned to look at me. “What did he say to you, Cassie? Did he threaten you? He’s obviously said something, or else you wouldn’t be in this state.”
I had to think fast as I was running out of excuses—and options, for that matter. “He wanted to sell me some drugs and asked where I lived. He was pushy and he scared me, that’s all.” I was lying through my teeth, but I didn’t know what else to say.
Gripping the steering wheel tightly, Michael gritted his teeth. “Is that really everything?”
“Yes, pretty much,” I replied.
I gave him directions to where I lived and the second he pulled up outside my flat, my seatbelt was undone and I was heading out the door.
“Cassie.” He reached out and grabbed my arm. “Why do I feel that you’re not telling me everything?”
“I did—I mean, I am,” I stuttered.
He looked at me quizzically and smiled. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for rescuing me.” I smiled sweetly. With that said, I quickly run off.
Chapter 6
At around 7:30pm, I was ready for my night out. The only thing I had to do was slip my little black number on. It was sexy, but not too revealing. It flowed down to just above my knees, something with which I felt more comfortable. I didn’t like things too revealing—or too short.
Once outside the trendy bar that the CID had hired out, I took my time and waited for Kali. I really didn’t want to walk in there on my own. It was really cold outside so it was madness to do it, but I didn’t want to leave Kali to come in on her own, either.
Luckily, I didn’t have to wait very long as I spied her dancing towards me. She had her hair in a mass of tight waves, and her red lipstick twinkled in the light. She smiled brightly when she spotted me and came in for a hug.
“Look at you, Miss Sexy. Nice dress.”
“You, too, Kali. You look fantastic in that little blue number.”
“Thanks. Are you ready to go in? Because it’s bloody freezing out here.”
“Sure am.” I raised my eyebrow, giggling.
We walked in and, immediately, all the guys turned their heads. There were a few wolf whistles, which made me blush. Kali, on the other hand, loved every minute of it.
Hanging our coats up in the cloak room, we made our way straight to the bar. Kali leaned in and whispered, “Play your cards right and we won’t have to pay for any of our drinks tonight.”
She looked at me and winked. I couldn’t help but laugh. She always seemed so confident and I was a little jealous of her for that.
“Ladies, ladies.” Daniel was eyeing us both with interest. “What can I get you two beautiful women this evening?”
Kali looked over at me and smirked. She was getting a rise out of this. I could tell.
“I’ll have a brandy and coke please, Daniel.” I gripped Daniel’s shoulder in appreciation as he looked over towards Kali.
“Oh, I’ll have the same.” Kali smiled sweetly, leaving Daniel to order the drinks.
From out of nowhere, a CID officer, Hamish, pulled Kali over for a chat, leaving me with the rest of the guys.
Taking my time, I looked around the room and saw a few group
s of men and women engrossed in conversation with each other. I was quite surprised to see our Chief Superintendent here, involved in all the fun.
I saw Michael brooding in the corner of the room. He spotted me and tried to smile, but I knew it was an effort for him. I didn’t want to wrap myself up in Michael’s issues tonight. I wanted to have some fun. He told me he was unavailable, so I just had to live with that.
Turning my attention back to Daniel, I reached out to retrieve my drink from him. “Thanks, Daniel.” I was a little too eager to smile as sweetly as possible now that Michael was in the room.
“No problem, Cassie. May I say that you’re looking rather tasty this evening.”
“Daniel, you can’t say things like that. You’re married.” I threw my head back slightly and laughed.
“I know, I know.” He held his hands up in front of his chest. “I may be married, but I’m not dead.”
All the men at the bar started laughing and I couldn’t help the rush of blood that rose to my cheeks.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Stephen?” Scott edged in a little closer to our group so he could get the gossip. “Are you together yet, or getting together?”
“No, it’s not like that. I already told you. We’re good friends, that’s all.”
“That’s impossible.” Daniel smirked, shaking his head. “There is no way a man and a woman can remain just friends. At some point, sex always gets in the way. Especially for men.” He winked at me. “He’s going to ask you out eventually. In fact, fellas, fancy a wager on this?”
Gasping, I reached out to grab his arm. “Daniel, there’s no need for this.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll keep it between us. I bet Stephen will ask you out by the end of the night.”
“Nah.” Scott shook his head. “I don’t think he will wait that long. I think it’ll be within fifteen minutes of him arriving.”