Chapter One
My entire life, I knew I wanted to be a detective. I always dreamed of being in the big city, solving horrid murders to bring justice to victims who can’t speak.
Never in my wildest dreams did I go from being a cop in New York City to a detective in a small town. I came here because there was no more growth for me in NYC. I would have had to wait years to be a detective, and I didn’t want to, so I applied to jobs all around the country.
When Sheriff Jake Holland called to offer me the job, I knew I couldn’t turn it down. Something inside my soul told me to pack up and give this small town a try.
“Detective Sanchez. Are you ready for your first official day?” Sheriff Holland stops in front of my desk, handing me a cup of coffee that does not smell like it has been sitting in the pot all night.
I can get used to this.
“Yes, sir. I’m ready to tackle anything you can give me.”
He hooks his left hand on his belt, taking a small sip of his coffee.
“Typically, it’s pretty quiet, but over the last few years, we have seen an uptick in crimes.
I want to emphasize again that this is a small town, Detective.
There might not be much for you to do all the time.
This typically isn’t the first place a detective would come.
You are sure this is where you want to be?
If not, I can make a few calls and see if I can’t get you into a bigger town—maybe even a city.
I don’t have a lot of pull, but being a sheriff helps. ”
“I’m here for a reason. I believe that. The universe wouldn’t guide me here if I wasn’t meant to be here. I’m going to give it a chance.”
He showcases his handsome smile. “That’s what I like to hear. Let me introduce you to the rest of the force.”
If he weren’t my boss, I would ask him out for a drink, but I never mix business with pleasure.
That’s too messy. I’ve seen what happens when you combine work and personal relationships.
They are career killers, and I’ve worked too hard and have come too far to let a man—of any caliber—ruin what I have rightfully earned.
“Zig. Waylon. Jenkins. Come meet our detective!” Sheriff Holland shouts into the only room of the police station.
A few old desks sit in the middle with stacks of paperwork that file clerks are currently organizing. Unlike the city, there isn’t a front desk here. If anyone has a problem here, they can walk in and speak to anyone they want.
Waylon, Zig, and Jenkins stand next to their boss. Waylon is the biggest of the crew. His khaki uniform sleeves stretch over his bulging biceps, which are bigger than my head. He is definitely the muscle on the team. He wears a scowl, seeming pissed off at anything and everything.
“Fellas, I want you to meet Lula Sanchez, our lead detective. She’s come from New York City, so please, don’t chase her off. And please, no rude comments. I better not see any sexual harassment paperwork on my desk. That goes for you too, Sanchez.”
“You won’t have to worry about that with me, sir,” I state, taking a casual sip of my coffee. I eye the men up and down, showing my distaste. “Respectfully, none of them are my type.”
A scoff from the man in the middle has me quirking a brow. “I’m everyone’s type. I’m Zig.” He flashes a naturally flirtatious smirk, showcasing his dimples. “Well, they call me Zig. My full name is Audacto Zayas.” He points to his nametag. “But still, Zig is the only thing I go by.”
“Audacto?” I don’t know why I sound surprised. “?Hablas espanol?”
“Sí. Sí.” He nods, fluttering his long lashes that curl. His eyes are feminine in a way. His irises are light green, pairing beautifully with his skin tone. “You like me now, don’t you?”
I snort, coffee going up my nose. “No, no, Zig. I don’t. I don’t fuck where I work. I’m making that clear now.”
Zig’s eyes twinkle more somehow since turning him down.
Sheriff Holland smacks Zig on the back of the head. “That’s what I’m talking about. It’s been a while since we have had a lady in the office. You’ll have to excuse my officers.”
“I didn’t do anything. I’m being respectful.” Waylon sounds bored and unamused. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ll be a great asset to the team. I’m Waylon.” He holds out his giant hand for me to shake.
My hand completely disappears in his. “Nice to meet you, Waylon.”
“I’m Jenkins.” The third officer gives an awkward wave. “Glad to have you here. The last few years have been odd in this town.”
I sit on the corner of my desk. “Oh? How?”
“Just weird murders we haven’t been able to figure out. Our last sheriff quit over it,” Zig informs. “It has been a while though so maybe the guy is gone.”
My gaze slides to Jake, and he is looking away as if he knows something that no one else does.
“Sheriff, what do you think?” I blow the steam rising from my cup and take a long swig of my coffee, loving how rich it is.
“Don’t know. I think our killer is gone. We just have to remain vigilant.”
He’s lying. He has answers and doesn’t want to share them. I have always been great at being able to tell when people lie. From the time I was young, I could recognize the ‘tell’ when someone was evading the truth.
The Sheriff’s? He doesn’t like to make eye contact. He is an assertive man. He likes to be in control, and when he isn’t, he is lost, which shows in the way his gaze drifts around the room.
I’ll be keeping an eye on that.
“Well, I’m here now. We can land this son of a bitch together if he is still here.” My phone dings, interrupting my train of thought to see my brother’s name flashing across the screen.
My family is furious at me for leaving the city to come here. They have told me a hundred times that they think I am making a mistake. No one was on my side. They didn’t care that I wanted to be a detective now. My brother, mother, and father wanted me to wait for a job to open up in the city.
I couldn’t risk waiting for a maybe. Maybes don’t make dreams come true, and neither does waiting around.
I’m not the waiting type.
I chase after what I want. I don’t wait for opportunities to come to me—I make them.
My family can be upset with me all they want, but I had to do what is best for me, not them.
I love and miss them, of course. They are my family.
At the end of the day, I have to do what brings me happiness and peace.
We get one life, and I fully believe we as people need to start living for ourselves instead of others.
Even if it means disappointing family.
“Nice kicks.” Waylon points to my shoes. “What made you wear those instead of high heels?”
I can’t help but raise my brows again as I inhale another gulp of coffee. I have to know where the sheriff got it from because this might be the best I’ve ever had.
Jake slaps Waylon on the chest. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? You don’t ask women that, Waylon.”
“I didn’t mean any harm,” he growls.
“Don’t mind this cute grump.” Zig throws his arm across Waylon’s shoulders. “He means well.”
Waylon shrugs Zig off with a snarl.
“It’s fine. I get the stereotype. A lot of women wear high heels in a professional setting, but I prefer comfort and the ability to actually chase and catch a suspect.
I can’t do that in heels. The shows on TV are lying to you.
” I lift my pant leg to show off my Converse.
“I have them in a bunch of different colors to match all of my pantsuits.”
My stomach grumbles, interrupting this riveting conversation. “I haven’t had a chance to tour the town. Where is a good place to get breakfast?”
“Demi’s Diner,” the four men say in unison.
Jake lifts the coffee. “It’s where I got the coffee. You’ll love it there. Minus her husband. He is a pain in the ass, but you’ll get used to him.”
“I guess,” Waylon mumbles. “If you consider warts something to get used to. The guy gives me the creeps. I don’t know why. He is crazy about Demi, which, at the end of the day, is all we care about.”
“Loco.” Zig twirls his finger next to his head and whistles.
“He causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up, and so does his friend, Rhett,” Jake says.
“Don’t forget about Holly, Fitz’s wife.” Jenkins snaps his fingers as if he is just remembering her.
“Are these people a problem?” I question with concern, double-checking that I have my gun attached to my hip.
“A problem? No. I don’t think so,” Zig states, running his hand over his short-cropped hair. “You’ll know what we mean when you meet them. Let’s head over now and introduce Sanchez to Demi. It’s time you know the lay of the land.”
I pat the deep pocket of my plum-colored trench coat to check and see if my money clip is there. I don’t typically carry a purse. It isn’t beneficial on the job, so I’ve learned to consolidate my needs the best I can.
“Let’s go, then.” Waylon is already out the door. “I want the smash burger.”
“It’s eight in the morning, Waylon.”
“So?” The big guy huffs. “Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served twenty-four-seven.”
“That actually sounds delicious. I’m in.” I hop off the desk and throw my trench coat on. I have my gun on my hip, and my badge is settled right next to it.
“You too? You eat dinner for breakfast? Hay, Dios mío.” Zig shakes his head. “Can’t believe there are two of you now.”
I roll my eyes, grinning as I follow Waylon outside the station. I think I’m going to like it here. They seem like a solid group of officers.
“Demi’s Diner isn’t far at all. It’s just down the street here. Oh, that ice cream shop to the left? You’ll love it. It’s all homemade. You’ll have to check it out sometime.” Jake points to a cute red brick building across the street.
The shop has an arched door with matching windows. Black iron tables and chairs are outside for people to enjoy the day while they snack on delicious ice cream.
I will definitely be stopping there after I get off work to celebrate getting through my first day.
Jake opens the diner’s door to allow me to enter first. It is packed. Waiters and waitresses are practically jogging from one side of the room to the other. A girl with bright pink hair finally looks up from her order pad and gives Jake the biggest smile.
“Sheriff! It’s good to see you again.” She leans against the hostess podium. “Waylon. Zig. Jenkins.” Her big blue eyes land on me, and nothing but kindness shines from them.
“Demi. This is our new lead detective, Lula Sanchez. Today is her first day, and I wanted to treat her to the best breakfast in town. Lula, this is Demi. She owns this diner.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”
“This is amazing! A detective! In our town? It feels like we are going in a good way, Jake. It’s so nice to meet you, Detective.”
To my surprise, she gives me a hug, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around me.
I don’t typically do hugs. I’m not a touchy-feely person. I like to keep to myself. With all the bad I have seen, it ends up numbing the part of you that craves love and turns you into a person you don’t recognize.
There’s also a very dark part of myself that I haven’t shared with anyone. It’s a secret I plan to take to my grave. A symptom of being on the job.
I crave a thrill. I love being afraid. When I’m in the dark and I can’t see, my heart beats faster as fear begins to set in.
My body comes to life. The unknown of what could happen to me, the random noises echoing in the shadows I can’t see, and goosebumps spread across my skin to warn me that danger is near.
I’m addicted to the terror.
“Oh no,” Jake exhales the weight of the world from his chest.
“Here we go,” Zig groans.
“You’re about to meet the bane of Jake’s existence,” Jenkins whispers into my ear.
“Oh, stop it guys. He isn’t so bad.” Demi winks at me as if I’m supposed to know what that means.
“What’s going on?” I finally ask.
Waylon juts his chin out. “He is what is going on.”
I follow everyone’s line of sight, and my breath catches. I can’t remember how to breathe. My heart begins to race. My palms become sweaty. The excitement and thrill take over my body.
I have a gift that not many have. This ability is passed down to all the women in the Sanchez family. My mami, my mamita, and so on and so forth have all possessed this. It first manifested inside me when I was just a child. I must have been around four or five years old.
At first, I thought I had imaginary friends, and when I asked my mami about it, she explained that all the women in our Colombian familia had this gift.
I’ll never forget when she sat me on her lap. She began to comb my hair to relax me. I was scared by what I saw.
She said, “Mi Corazón, el mundo se verá diferente ahora. Verás y experimentarás rostros que nunca entenderás, pero que aún así amarás. Nos acercan a lo desconocido, y lo que no conocemos, debemos explorarlo.”
Which translates to, “My heart, the world is going to look different now. You’ll see and experience faces you will never understand, but love them anyway. They bring us closer to the unknown, and what we don’t know, we must explore.”
Jake sighs again, gesturing his arm out lazily before it falls to his side with a hard slap. “Meet Creed. Demi’s husband.”
Creed possessively wraps his arm around Demi. He curls his lip at me, flashing his fang. “Who are you?”
“I’m the new detective in town. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I don’t care.” Creed presses a kiss to Demi’s cheek, whispering words into her hair that cause her to blush.
My gift?
I’m able to see the truth that creatures try to hide so they can blend in.
I can see the unknown.
And I see Creed for exactly who he is.
A monster.