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She was right, and I could tell I wasn't the first to ever ask her that question. It took me a moment to decide how to respond. If she ran from me, I would do exactly as her friend wanted and chase her. I would do anything to feel her come around me one more time, to breathe in her warm vanilla and sandalwood scent.
Me: I’d like to do that eventually, but I’m happy with starting small. Coffee?
Another pause that felt like an eternity.
Chaser: When and where?
She didn’t seem excited with her short and clipped reply, but it was better than a “no.”
Me: Tomorrow morning, the coffee shop across from the sculpture garden. Does nine work for you?
She didn't reply, and after a few more minutes of waiting, I gave up and put my phone in my pocket. Then, I headed back to my apartment. Once I returned, I took a long, hot shower to soothe my muscles and unwind.
After last night's events and this morning's run, I was feeling more tired than usual. After showering and brushing my teeth, I went to my closet and picked out my work clothes: dark jeans and a black T-shirt. I then styled my hair as usual and went to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
Leaning over the kitchen counter, I read a news article on my phone while eating a bowl of cereal when a notification popped up on the screen. It was a message from Chaser. Without hesitating, I quickly opened her message.
Chaser: I’ll see you tomorrow at nine.
She confirmed our coffee date, and I couldn’t help but grin. It wasn’t dinner, but at this point, I would take what I could get and consider it a win. Taking Stella out for coffee was all I needed right now—just the ability to spend more time with her and get her to want me as badly as I wanted her.
I was going to make her beg for me.
I was going to claim her for myself.
Shrugging on my black leather jacket, I grabbed my keys and wallet and left for the office with a smug smile on my face and thoughts of all the things I wanted to do to her.
Stepping off the elevator, I headed directly to my office; Derek and Dean flanked me as I entered the room and walked behind my desk. I turned to face them, and they both had grim looks on their faces. This already wasn’t going well.
I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers and sighed.
“I’m assuming from the looks on your faces that we have no good news from last night?” Not how I had intended to start my day.
“The vehicle they were driving was just a standard SUV; nothing from the tire prints left behind that could possibly give us anything to narrow it down to a specific make or model. They were just standard, generic tires.” Dean shrugged, handing me the report.
“And the footprints?” I looked back up at him after reading the paper he handed me.
“Nothing back on those yet, but it looked like at least one of them was wearing heels. It was an odd choice of footwear for what they were doing. Do you think they were prosti—”
“I reached out to the security company to get footage of their vehicle, maybe even a glimpse of their license plate, but they were smart enough to park out of range of the cameras. Also, Conrad wants to see us in his office—all of us. He has questions regarding last night.” Derek cut Dean off, running a hand through his hair. He looked just as exhausted as I felt.
“Great.” I sighed. “Well, let’s go share all of the information we don’t have with Conrad then,” I mumbled. At least I had my date to look forward to tomorrow. I was going to need it after today.
Derek and Dean both turned to leave my office. I took off my jacket and tossed it on my desk, rolling my shoulders and neck; I stepped around it and followed them out and down the hall to Conrad’s office.
We entered the room to find Marcus already seated in front of Conrad’s desk. Derek took the empty seat beside him while Dean and I stood between the two.
“You guys want to explain to me what happened last night?” Conrad was composed and collected, but there was an authoritative quality to his tone.
“We got an alert from the warehouse security camera that motion had been detected. When I checked the feed, it showed the three suspects dragging a man out of a black SUV and into the warehouse. The four of us made our way there immediately after confirming it was who we were looking for.” I answered, detailing the event that led us to the warehouse.
“Upon arrival, we searched the area’s perimeter, but they were too quick and too prepared. By the time we busted through the doors, they were gone; just the body was left behind.” Derek added.
“Do we know who the deceased was?” Conrad gave me a pointed look.
“Tyler Florentine. He was a lab technician for Atwater and was working closely with his new drug, Ataraxia. I’m still trying to get a hold of someone who was in his suite last night.” Marcus answered.
“Damnit, what is it with this group and these lab technicians,” Conrad grumbled, rubbing his hand over his face. “Do we have any leads? Developments? Anything to point us in the right direction here?” His tone was growing impatient.
