Chapter Three
Mariska
“Hey, Riss,” Zeke says gently, almost cautiously.
“Uh… Hey,” I say. “Kevin, I’m sorry. I had no idea he worked here, or I wouldn’t have applied.”
“Shut up,” Levi says. “Girl, you earned this job. You have busted your ass to get here. So, yeah, your partner is your ex-boyfriend. You don’t hate him, and he doesn’t hate you. Just get along and keep drama out of the office.”
“I just… I didn't expect it. I would have been fine if I had known,” I say.
“Well, he’s still your partner,” Kevin says. “Can you two get along and no one shoot anyone?”
“Yes,” I say.
“I feel it’s important that we clear the air now, because this will come up,” Zeke tells me.
“Go ahead,” I say.
“I’m married to Meghan…” he says slowly. “We started dating shortly after you left and got married about a year ago.”
“I know,” I say. “She sent me a video two days after I left of her riding your dick, so I kinda figured you two ended up together. She was always obsessed with you.”
“Levi, did you know?” Zeke asks.
“I suspected, but I wanted her to come work here. You are a good guy with a piece of shit wife; even despite all that, so maybe this will send her over the edge, and she will fuck off,” Levi says.
“I don’t really care what Meghan has to say about it. She’s too preoccupied with her dick of the week anyway,” Zeke says.
“Oh? Not a happy marriage? Can’t say I feel bad for you, considering…
well… all of that,” I say, not wanting to mention she knew I was half dead in the hospital.
Does he know I got hurt? Fuck, he is still sexy as hell.
Even more so now. He has a full beard, huge muscles, and is at least six foot three.
“No, she was convenient,” he says simply. “You seeing anyone?”
“No,” I say. “Well, Levi, but…”
“No buts; she’s with me,” Levi says, making Kevin chuckle.
“Can we get along?” Kevin asks.
“Yes,” I say. “I apologize for freaking out. I… It uh… just brought up some unrelated memories.”
“Oh, honey,” Levi says softly.
“I’m good. It won’t happen again,” I say.
“So…” Kevin says. “I’m only saying this with Zeke here because he is your partner, and they will all see this soon anyhow, because open cases of detectives are flagged.”
“Ah shit,” I sigh. “Can we just… So it doesn’t have to be repeated.”
“What’s going on?” Zeke asks.
“Come on, and you’ll find out,” Kevin says. “Levi, thank you.”
“Anything for my girl,” Levi says, looking at Zeke.
“I know,” Zeke says. “Pain. Blood. Missing appendages. Funeral. I get it.”
“Good,” Levi says simply.
We take the stairs up, and both Geno and Parker are waiting for us. “To the conference room, guys,” Kevin says. They follow as we keep walking. We go into a room with a massive round table, but we all stay standing as the doors shut.
“Did she hit you? I hope she did,” Parker says, glaring at Zeke.
“Her best friend, dude?” Geno asks.
“We can just call it a punishment for letting her get away,” Zeke says bluntly, not looking at me. That hurts because if he had known I was hurt, he would have come to me, no matter how badly we fought. Meghan made sure he didn’t by distracting him.
“Alright. First, we are going to get to know Mariska a bit, but then we have something important to cover that you will see as soon as you log in,” Kevin says. “Tell us about yourself, Mariska.”
“Ah… Well… I have a master’s in criminal psychology,” I say.
“When I was twenty-one, I got my basic law enforcement training and did part-time patrol for experience. When I graduated, I went full-time until I got this position. I specialize in criminal profiling and trauma-informed tactical de-escalation.”
“She graduated in the top one percent of her graduating class,” Kevin says. “She also interned as a criminal therapist in a prison throughout college.”
“I’m not surprised. She’s always been brilliant.” Zeke says, looking at me.
“Now…” Kevin says. I pull my attention away from Zeke to look at Kevin. “Do you want to explain?”
“Please,” I say.
“Go ahead. And everyone… no talking, please.”
“Ah. So, uh… I am involved in an open criminal case,” I say. “When I was eighteen, I was attacked and violently raped.”
“What?” Zeke asks, sitting up.
“Zeke,” Kevin says softly.
“No. Fuck no. When, Riss?”
“The night I was supposed to meet you,” I say honestly before looking at Geno and Parker instead.
“A masked man broke into my parents’ home where I lived and attacked me.
They were at work, so I was alone… Anyway, I was raped and then stabbed.
I spent two weeks in the hospital, but the man has never been found.
It’s still an open case, and I guess it will flag for everyone now because I am an employee. ”
“Christ,” Geno says. “You’re twenty-eight, yes? I think I remember that case coming through. He twisted the knife or something.”
“Yeah, my parents getting home scared him off. My mother was a nurse, so she was able to control the bleeding well enough, so I didn’t die.
“Do they have any leads at all?” Parker asks me.
“No. They have his DNA from the rape kit, so if he ever shows up in the system, they will know,” I say. “It has to be someone I knew, but the only person I could think of that would have had a reason to prevent me from leaving to meet Zeke was a woman.”
“I will be locking the case so no one else will see it, but you all,” Kevin says. “Remember, if you investigate, she cannot be involved at all. You will ruin her chance of them seeing jail time if you fuck up. So if you can’t separate emotion, leave it alone.”
“You got it,” Geno says.
“Alright. So, right now, Mariska, we are working on an unsolved serial case. We have essentially no leads whatsoever, so new eyes on this will be good. I’ll get you all the files digitally on your tablet that is on your desk.”
“Thank you. I’ll start a document for my take on the profile, if you don’t mind,” I say. “I can add everyone so you can see.”
“Looking forward to seeing it,” Geno says.
“I need to make a call,” Zeke says, looking like he is a million miles away.
“Take it out back if you are going to be yelling on the phone with Meghan,” Kevin says, as if this is a regular occurrence.
Why does it make me so happy that his relationship with her is shit? Also, if I had a chance, I’d absolutely let that man fuck me. I don’t care if he is married to Meghan or not. I will tie that bitch up and make her watch me fuck him. I must look amused, because Geno and Parker smirk at me.
“Come on, new girl. I’ll show you where the good coffee is,” Geno says.
“Oh! I do love coffee!” I say happily.