Chapter 1.
Will be updated every Tuesday at 1:00 pm 🖤
The light patter of the rain taps against the one window looking over the city, and I neatly organize the supplies on my desk. Everything had a place, and everything will always be in its place. Not a single pencil was crooked, and the schedule on the computer was perfectly color coded. Green was a light case, yellow was a middle-ground case, and red was any type of felony. I had worked for him for six months, and only ever saw five red cases. The one case appointment scheduled for today was red, which meant he would be engulfed in this case and I wouldn't see him for another two weeks.
These people would pay Mr. Gonzalez thousands of dollars to find the truth of their lives. Women and men alike rushed in here to prove their spouse was cheating, businessmen ran in here asking who was embezzling money from their company, and few people threw reports in his face on a murder the police couldn't solve. He didn't have a lot of cases, but he was the best detective I'd ever met...well, he's the only detective I've ever met. Not one case of his was unsolved, he left no rock unturned.
Damien Gonzalez was amazing, smart, and generous...
I feel my cheeks rush with heat as I think about him, but I quickly brush the feeling away as I focus back on the computer. I shouldn't think about him that way, but I did. Theresa has told me many times to review why I liked someone. Was it because he was a nice person? Or did he flash me a pinch of attention?
Damien was different. This was like a crush back in middle school. Each time you see them, you smiled and blushed in hopes you would have a conversation. Practiced how you would say hi, but deep down you knew it wouldn't happen. He never spoke of a relationship, but even if he did I'm sure he had women he wanted to be with. Someone who doesn't mind the clutter of his office, someone who is just as cool, calm, and collected as he was. I had to get away from these thoughts, luckily I had a date tonight and this guy seemed genuine. I'm sure I would forget about this crush, and find a new one. Then again...I would also need a session with Theresa to make sure.
His door opens and I flinch as if he could read my thoughts. With his talent, I wouldn't be surprised if he could read my every thought. He went to school for psychology, so he knew how to read my body language. I'm sure he knew I had a stupid crush on him.
"Val, what time is the appointment? For Linda Green." He asks as he emerges from the door with an open folder.
His eyes are glued to the paper, and my eyes quickly dart to the computer screen.
"She will be here at 4:00 pm, in about twenty minutes," I inform before looking back toward him.
His jet-black hair was shoulder length, but most of the time he pulled it up showing his strong cheekbones. His skin was a dull brown, and his dark eyes complimented his straight black brows. He was like the embodiment of a raven, his aura, the color of his hair, and how he carried himself. Instead of a business suit, he wore a casual black t-shirt with some nice matching slacks. He was tall and lean. Not too muscular but he was toned enough to assume he belonged to a gym.
"Cool." He says plainly, and his eyes finally travel to me. "Thanks for your work, leave at 5:00 and I'll worry about the paperwork tomorrow."
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay until you get done with the client?" I ask.
He shakes his head, and his straight lips don't even twitch.
"No, it's a red case. I'll probably be here for a while, I know you told me you had something fun planned after work."
I chuckle, "Oh yeah...thank you, I appreciate it."
"What do you have planned?" He asks and steps forward before taking a seat on the edge of my desk.
He's so close, I'm afraid he can hear how fast my heart beats in my chest. His asking about my plans was out of character, and it was insane to think he stepped so close. As I stare he looks at me with a plain face, and my lips break into a smile before my eyes drop.
"Oh, I'm going out on a date," I say, as the words leave my lips the tension in the room grows.
I didn't know what I expected him to say, but his pause of silence causes my eyes to remain on the ground.
"I hope you have a good time." He says with a softer tone, "If you need me, call me."
I let out a snicker, "Thank you, but I don't want to bother you."
He removes his weight from the desk and pushes himself toward his office door.
"You won't be a bother." He assures, "Not to scare you, but I looked into this case. Three girls around your age have been found dead, they haven't released much but this killer could have a pattern."
My brows raise, "Jesus Christ."
"Yeah, I've seen the girls but from what I can see they have nothing in common." He explains, "I would just rather you be safe, so please, call me if you need help getting out of a situation. I don't want to ruin your date, just be careful."
I nod trying to swallow the information he laid across the table. He always told me everyone was a suspect, and the thought of my date grew into fear instead of excitement.
"I appreciate that." I smile, "If he tries anything funny, I'll...try to fight him off or use my taser my dad gave me."
A slight smirk grows on his face followed by the smallest laugh.
"Forget the taser, what a lot of people forget is that you have to get close to use a taser plus you run the risk of your attacker using it against you. If you are under attack, you should want to get as far away from him as possible. Not closer."
My mind brews with the many scenarios that could play out tonight.
"So, what do you recommend?" I ask.
He doesn't answer my question but walks back into his office. I hear him rummage through his desk before his footsteps echo back into the front. He hands me a small bottle of pepper spray.
"Try to aim as fast as you can, but it will temporarily blind the person so you have a chance to run."
"Thank you. Let's just hope I never have to use this." I say before glancing back into his eyes.
"I hope so too." He says before the door opens.
A woman with pale white skin and puffy red eyes steps through the door. Her light caramel brown hair hangs in soft curls to her collarbone, and she wears a deep brown jacket over some jeans and a black blouse. She holds a stack of folders with a dripping wet umbrella.
"Hello." I smile, "Can I take your umbrella for you?"
She nods yes while trying to keep a smile. I quickly rush to her, taking her umbrella before hanging it on the coat rack next to the desk.
"Thank you for seeing me." She says in a raspy voice.
He reaches out his hand and smiles before gently shaking her frail hand. "Damien Gonzalez, nice to meet you."
"Linda Green." She says softly, "Nice to meet you."
"Come in, can I get you something to drink?" He asks before leading her toward his office. "We have soda, juice, sweet tea, or water."
"Yes, tea would be fine." She says as she enters the messy space he calls his office.
I walk to the mini fridge behind my desk and open it up before grabbing a can of sweet tea. As I pull it out, I nudge the cans beside it and I quickly rush to center it once more. I hear his office door close, and turn to see he stepped once again closer than I had thought. It was two feet away, but still, it surprised me he didn't let me take her the drink.
"I could've gotten it." He says.
I shake my head, "No, because you would've messed up my system."
"There's a system for the mini-fridge?" One brow raises while the other remains straight.
"Yes, it's color-coded and organized perfectly," I inform.
"You would flip if you saw my desk drawers." He says quietly to block the sound from his client.
"If it works for you that's great, but looking at your desk makes me want to set it on fire," I say through a chuckle.
When he doesn't give me a laugh, I hand him the tea to skip the awkward moment.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't set my desk on fire." He says finally letting a slight smile pulled on his lips, "I'll see you tomorrow."
I nod, "I'll see you tomorrow."
I immediately regret locking eyes with him when I notice how mesmerizing his eyes are. So many secrets looked like they hid behind those dark brown eyes. He was quiet, dark, and mysterious. The three things that should send me running for the hills. Luckily I am running in the opposite direction, I just hope I can forget how intriguing he is soon. Plenty of other men were emotionally available and would have an attraction to me.
He was only a fantasy, someone who would be the love interest in a thriller-romance novel.
