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I nodded, memories of the conversation lingering between us. "Anytime, Mandy."
We headed to our respective rooms, the emotional exhaustion from the day and our late-night chat weighing heavy. As I lay in bed, I pondered the unexpected layers I'd discovered in Mandy. My admiration for her resilience and spirit had deepened, but the feelings remained firmly platonic. Still, the bond we'd forged tonight was undeniable, and I was grateful for the unexpected friendship that had blossomed in the most trying of times.
Chapter Six
KAYLA
The clock on the wall ticked the early morning hours away, a soft counterpoint to the hum of the overhead fluorescent lights. I'd come in early, deliberately so. The empty room provided a quiet solitude that allowed my mind to wander. The metal chair was hard against my back, but I barely noticed, lost in thought.
Ten years. A whole damn decade since I last saw him before he was assigned as my partner. I’d managed to avoid him almost completely by moving to the next town, but now there was no escaping contact with him. The memories of Jake in high school still felt so fresh, they might have been yesterday. How he'd made me feel so special, so cherished. Then, just like that, he shattered everything, leaving me broken and vulnerable.
I remember the nights I cried into my pillow, the days when seeing a couple laughing together felt like a dagger to my heart. I'd tried to move on, gone on countless dates, but the walls I'd erected to protect my heart were insurmountable. I could never let anyone get too close, not after Jake. Hell, I hadn't even let anyone touch me in that intimate way. The idea of being vulnerable again, of opening myself up to that kind of pain... it was unbearable.
And now? Fate had thrown him back into my life. Every day. His smile, his voice, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed– it was all so familiar. Those damn feelings, the ones I'd buried deep, were resurfacing. It was infuriating. I had to constantly remind myself: he broke you once. Remember how that felt?
Lost in my thoughts, the sound of the door creaking open jerked me back to reality. The rush of cool air that accompanied his entrance caused a shiver to run down my spine. I looked up, finding those all-too-familiar eyes.
There he was, Jake, looking every bit the guy I'd fallen so hard for. My heart did that stupid fluttery thing, betraying the strict pep talk I'd just given myself.
He offered a soft smile, the kind that reached his eyes, making them shine just a bit brighter.
"Good morning, Kayla."
"Morning," I replied, trying to sound more casual than I felt. The fluttering in my chest was just a stupid, vestigial response to seeing him. It meant nothing.
Chief Daniels, an older man with a stern face that belied a much gentler nature, stepped out of his office. "Kayla," he started, nodding in acknowledgment as his gaze shifted between Jake and me, "could you take a look at these?" He pushed a thick stack of files across the counter.
"Of course, chief," I said, pulling the first folder towards me. I glanced at Jake, who was watching with a curious expression.
The familiar weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders. Everyone always said I had a knack for spotting connections others missed. Being dubbed the station's "best detective" was both an honor and a curse.
As I leafed through the files, one by one, something started to nag at me. Various reports detailed break-ins at the city hall, specifically targeting files connected to the Barrows family.
Pages were missing from some files, the paper edges left jagged from being torn out in a hurry.
An unexpected detail caught my eye: smudges of ink on the corner of one of the reports. It wasn't ballpoint or printer ink, but the kind you'd find in old typewriters. That detail was odd enough to stand out. Lexi's stalker had sent letters before, and the type of ink used to write them was notable.
A chill crept up my spine. The implications of what I was seeing made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Someone was digging deep, trying to unearth secrets about the Barrows, and it seemed they were doing it with an almost obsessive thoroughness.
"Jake," I said, turning my eyes to meet his. I could see the concern and interest mirrored in his own gaze. "Coffee? I think we need to talk about this."
He nodded, "Sounds good."
We left the files on the counter, promising the chief we'd return shortly. As we headed towards the exit, I felt a renewed sense of determination. Whoever was after Lexi, whoever was trying to dig up the past, they were leaving behind clues. And I was hell-bent on following them to the end.
The diner's soft hum of chatter and clinking dishes served as a familiar backdrop to our intense conversation. It was the kind of place that felt like home, with the smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee in the air. And for a while, our conversation was all about the case, throwing ideas and theories back and forth.
Jake sipped his black coffee, the heat seemingly not bothering him. His eyes met mine, and my breath hitched, just as it always had, even after all these years. Time had only honed his features, adding an air of maturity that made him even more striking. His dark hair, once always slightly too long and rebellious, was now neatly trimmed, giving him a more distinguished look. Those piercing green eyes, which I remembered all too well, still had that intense, searching quality, as if he could see right through to your soul.
He had filled out since high school, the lanky frame now replaced by broad shoulders and a physique that spoke of regular visits to the gym, or maybe it was just the demands of his job as a officer. The uniform he wore seemed tailor-made for him, accentuating his athletic build. And there was something in the way he carried himself—a confidence, a certain gravitas—that wasn't there before.
"This whole situation with Lexi is fucked up," he began, his voice laced with concern. “I mean, whoever's stalking her has some serious issues."
I nodded, stirring sugar into my cup. "The break-ins at city hall, the missing pages about the Barrows family, and now that typewriter ink. It's like this person is trying to piece together a puzzle about Lexi or...or maybe even you."
Jake ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, it's unsettling. But why go through all that trouble just to get info on us? There's got to be a reason."
"We need to find out what they're after," I mused. "The sooner we do, the sooner we can put an end to this madness."
