Page 51 of Nyx

"Thanks again for helping," Andrea says as she cracks eggs into a glass bowl like a professional. "I can't believe I was speeding this morning. I'm usually very attentive to traffic laws."

"How much?" I ask, holding up the bottle of vanilla.

Andrea leans over, looking into the bowl. "About two teaspoons should work."

I measure out the vanilla, recapping the bottle, then stir the mixture again.

"Did you get a ticket?" I ask.

I also obey all traffic laws. I don't know what would happen if I got stopped by a cop with a fake identity. I'd probably end up in jail and would sit there forever if I refused to provide my real identity. That would throw a huge kink in my mission of not being on any government documentation.

"I got a warning and a phone number," she says, her eyes locked on the eggs she's working with. I watch as a crimson blush travels up her neck and into her cheeks.

"Really?" I ask with a laugh. "Was he good-looking?"

The blush grows deeper, but she shrugs. "He wasn't ugly."

"Do you plan on calling him?"

She tosses an eggshell into the bowl she's using for trash and looks over at me.

"Probably not," she says, looking a little sad.

I don't say anything. I'm not going to try to encourage her to call him if that's something she has already decided she doesn't want to do.

"Law enforcement has one of the highest rates of domestic assault," she says as she heads to the sink to wash her hands. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Understandable," I say.

"I wonder if Cerberus would do a background check on him," she says, reaching for a dish towel.

"They might," I offer. "But it's likely he doesn't have a record. He wouldn't be able to be a cop if he did."

"True," she mutters. "And a clean record doesn't mean he doesn't have a history."

"Exactly," I say without offering my own story.

I never even considered reporting Graham's outbursts. What were the cops going to do with a hole in the wall of a house he owned, broken dishes he paid for himself, and a man who manipulated his wife?

Nothing.

Just when I think she has made her decision, Andrea speaks again.

"Colton Matthews is still a detective with the police department. I bet he'd know if this guy is safe or not," she says.

"Sounds like you're interested," I say, offering her the bowl of pancake batter. "I'd better leave this up to you. I don't think Dean would be happy with burned pancakes."

She takes the bowl with a smile. "He was very good-looking."

"Doesn't hurt to ask around," I say with a shrug before heading to the cabinet to pull out dishes for breakfast.

"I'll think about it," she says, but there's already another hint of doubt in her voice.

"Take your time," I say as I place the plates around the dining room table.

She gives me a weak smile as she pulls a skillet from the cabinet under the stove.

Dating is so hard for women who have been victims of domestic abuse. We know exactly what men are capable of. Some date soon after leaving an abusive relationship. Some, like me, never plan to date ever again.