5. Ghosting is Foreplay
Ghosting is Foreplay
I head back to my desk but don’t take a seat. I lean over and grab the folder left in my top basket. The Captain promised to have something lined up for me to focus on when I returned. I open the folder and feel Rex lean against my leg.
I don’t know how Cathy could have enjoyed him being so close all the time.
As I gaze at the worn, dusty folder, a heavy sigh escapes my lips. It could be worse; Captain could have given me one of the cold cases. The Shepperd case isn’t something I expect to solve. There is always something with the Roman family.
“Did you read up on the Shepperd case yet?” I ask Killian, turning to face him at Cathy’s desk.
Guess it’s his desk now.
“Not yet.”
I roll my eyes toward James. “Please tell me ‘training’ means more than just riding around town and shooting at the range.”
“He knows how to write reports at the end of the shift,” James says with a wink before kissing the air.
I sigh, but my smile widens in a nod of appreciation. I fucking hate writing reports.
“Bring money for snacks,” I say, turning back toward Killian. “Stakeouts are boring.”
Killian stands, and I hold up the keys to the cruiser.
“I drive,” I reaffirm, ensuring this line is well-established.
“Whatever makes you happy, princess,” Killian laughs, but I know his tune will change once he sees her.
If Killian regretted his proclamation to let me drive once he saw the Hellcat, he didn’t show it. Then again, I couldn’t see anything past his glasses. He opens the passenger door and slides inside like this is our millionth trip together, rather than our first.
I open the back door for Rex before getting into the driver’s seat.
“You’re on navigation,” I say once the screen powers on while the car purrs in idle. “It’s just like using a smart ride.”
“I know,” Killian says. “Tommy showed me.”
“Oh, right.” I return to the screen and select the convenience store across the street from Bill Roman’s warehouse. Then I hit the self-driving button and allow the Hellcat to back out of the parking space.
I can take back manual control, but I have to admit it is nice to sit back and enjoy the ride sometimes.
Killian doesn’t comment about my trust in allowing the computer to drive, but not him.
The car pulls into an empty parking spot in front of the store’s glass window. Charles sits behind the counter, and I raise my hand and wave. After the first hour, he knows I will be in for a candy bar and a soda.
There isn’t any point in trying for discretion in this case.
Bill Roman knows precisely what we are doing. The same as we know he is the head of a whole plague of criminal activity in Arkadia. The problem is catching him and getting it to stick. Bill Roman isn’t mateless, and he owns half of the city.
“Here.” I grab the Shepperd folder and toss it into Killian’s lap. “Read this.”
Killian’s eyebrow rises above his glasses before he takes the folder between his hands and opens it. A blood-filled picture is clipped to the front, the last image of Victoria Shepperd.
“Fuck,” Killian breathes.
I look up, peering through Killian’s window at the warehouse across the street. Victoria Shepperd had been strung to a beam in the basement before being disemboweled. Her soulmate, Steven Shepperd, was tied to a chair opposite her the entire time.
All because he said no to Bill Roman.
It ended up being our lucky break when Steven had enough of a backbone to speak against Bill Roman’s name. Of course, it meant Steven was conveniently killed before the trial, and Roman walked. But it was a crack. And where there is one weak point, there are bound to be others.
“What are we looking for, exactly?” Killian asks, putting the folder down.
“If I can bring Roman in for jaywalking, I will.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, a thought prickles into my mind, making the back of my neck heat.
I could end Roman’s life with nothing more than a bit of blood.
No. Just because my soulmate is a psychopathic murderer doesn’t mean he could get into the same room as Roman. Let alone kill him.
“Kira?” Killian asks, grabbing my attention. He looks at me like he expects an answer.
“What?”
“I said, don’t you think we should try to build a case for something more severe than jaywalking?”
I laugh and look down at my lap. Part of me feels guilty knowing I will be here to observe the slow tainting of Killian’s soul.
The world is much darker and more complicated than people realize.
Most wouldn’t want to see it if they got the chance, preferring to live in blind bliss rather than see reality’s ugly truth.
“I’ll take every shot I can against someone like Roman,” I say, letting this be a lesson Killian learns in his own time. “If you can build a case, go for it.”
Killian smiles, like I have given him a challenge, reminding me of when I first joined the force. That sense of enthusiasm fades as the jaded strings of time continue to stalk forward. Killian still has that spark. I’ll let Roman be the one to snuff it.
After sitting in the cruiser for an hour, I am ready to enter Charles’ Convenience Store. My legs ache for the stretch, and my back cracks as I twist. Killian gets out as well but doesn’t stretch. He opens the door and stands in place, like a guard waiting for me to enter.
“Thanks,” I mutter as I walk past.
Killian nods, then follows.
“Kira! It’s good to see you. It’s been a while,” Charles says enthusiastically from behind the counter as I approach.
His hair is mostly gray and has been for as long as I have known him.
His familiar smile is crooked and nicotine-stained, but his heart of gold shines through the imperfections.
He slides a bar of dark chocolate on the counter. “Who’s the new partner?”
I take the candy bar, unwrapping it to pop a square into my mouth. It’s bitter, with chunks of salt embedded inside. My favorite.
“Killian,” I manage once I finish the first bite. I needed the minute to push down the fact that it wasn’t Cathy with me, and this question would come up.
I can see the question on the tip of Charles’ tongue as the tip flips from cheek to cheek inside his mouth. His mind warring between curiosity and politeness.
“She died,” I say before taking another bite from the bar.
Charles pales, his lower jaw slack, while his curious mind chastises him.
“I’m so sorry, Kira,” Charles breathes, flopping back into the padding of his chair. His hand comes up to rub the wrinkles on his forehead. “How?”
“Killed in the line of duty.” It’s void of emotion. I like Charles, but don’t like him enough to give him any more than that.
Charles isn’t mateless.
Charles nods with solemn respect, as if it is an acceptable fate considering the profession.
“She’s with her soulmate now,” Charles adds.
I close my eyes to take a deep, settling breath. An onlooker would assume it’s a moment of mourning, but in reality, I have to try hard not to punch anyone who utters those words.
“Do you want a coffee or something?” Killian asks, coming up next to me and placing two water bottles on the counter. Through Killian’s glasses, I see Charles’ concerned expression, and I struggle to keep from laughing, the urge to smile bubbling up inside me.
“I’ll take a cup. No sugar. Extra cream. And grab a Cola, please.”
“Anything else, princess?” Killian’s eyebrows rise above his glasses, and it’s all I can do not to reach out and knock them off.
Instead, I face the image of myself with a playful smirk. I look far too optimistic. My reflection frowns, and then a smile tips upward when I recognize myself better wearing a scowl.
“Why don’t you grab us some chips?” he suggests before heading toward the coffee machines.
I pick out a few bags and toss them onto the counter before looking back up at Charles. He has a smirk on his face, his eyebrow raised, while he looks like a frog failing to hold back a croak. A bubble of laughter comes out of me as I imagine Charles as an old bullfrog, catching Charles off guard.
“There’s something different about you, Kira,” Charles says as he rings up our snacks. “Everyone needs someone.”
My body feels like it’s been electrified, and I worry my soulmate chose this moment to draw a penis on my forehead.
“This enough cream?” Killian asks, producing a cup of coffee the color of cheesecake.
“That… is actually perfect,” I offer with a smirk. “Cathy used to say I liked a splash of coffee in my cream.” I picture her in my mind, too clearly, and my heart squeezes painfully in my chest at the memory.
“You looked like the type,” Killian says as he places the lid on the cup before putting it on the counter. The motion gives me enough time to take a deep breath and ignore the pangs.
“Yeah? What type is that?” I say, turning to the side, facing Killian directly.
He leans against the counter, standing with a casual confidence before handing his card to Charles. “You drink coffee for warm comfort, not caffeine. And I bet you have at least a dozen blankets floating around your house.”
Charles gives Killian back his card and pushes a bag full of our drinks and snacks toward us.
“I’ve got the next haul.” I gesture toward the stuff I didn’t get to pay for.
“Don’t worry about it.” Killian grabs the bag and heads for the door, opening it and waiting for me.
“Can I grab my key now?” I ask Charles, holding my hand out.
He places the extra key to the woman’s bathroom in my palm.
“You’re a lifesaver,” I breathe, pocketing it. Charles had made a key for Cathy and me to use whenever we used his parking lot, as long as we bought snacks from him.
It is a win-win situation.
“Should I have a man’s key made?” Charles asks, nodding toward Killian, still patiently waiting.
“Couldn’t hurt.” I shrug. “Thanks, Charles.” I grab my coffee from the counter and move toward Killian. “I think he likes you,” I whisper as I pass, motioning my head back to Charles.