Page 21 of Diamonds in the Mud

Suddenly, I wished it was winter and it was one of those freezing Chicago snow days I’d hated so much growing up. Everything was too hot. My body was on fire and, for the first time in years, I knew there wouldn’t be any relief until I had just a sample of Detective Rayne.

I climbed on my hog and rode the few blocks to the apartment I’d been set up in. The massive loft fit the profile I needed along with my needs for the time being. The fact that there was a safe room that held my guns, computers, and a secure phone was a huge bonus.

The massive two thousand square foot, two-bedroom loft was open concept, and my bedroom overlooked the kitchen and living space. I’d turned the second bedroom into a gym to prevent any of the Reapers who just needed a place to crash from doing so.

Most of the furniture in the place was secondhand, but I didn’t care. I hardly spent time there except when I needed to reset, eat, or sleep.

The loft sat directly above a café and next to a theater in the old part of town.

Not wasting any time, I let myself into my safe room, which was hidden behind the fireplace in the brick wall that ran on either side of the loft, and sat down at my unregistered computer. Logging into the VPN, I searched for Rayne’s information in every database I had access to.

After half an hour, I grew very frustrated at the lack of information. I hadn’t even turned up a birth certificate or a social security number. So, I turned to social media sites to see if I could learn details about her personal life.

She had a basic presence there. A photo of her and Aria laughing at what appeared to be a local water hole. The friends sitting on top of a tree branch with a rope swing in hand as if they were ready to jump in. Sure enough, a few photos later, the duo were flying through the air, laughing as they hit the water.

Her profile stated she worked for the local PD. Investigations lieutenant.

Impressive. From what I could tell, she’d held the job for a few years now. Before that, she appeared to be a beat cop in town.

The further back I went on her profiles, the less there was. One thing was obvious, the woman didn’t like telling the world every little detail about herself.

But I’d already figured out that she didn’t like talking about herself.

Since it had been a few months since I’d checked in, I pulled out my business phone, turned it on, and called Jasmine.

She answered on the second ring. “Hey. Updates?”

“None so far,” I answered, leaning back in the chair.

“Why the call?” she asked.

“I need you to pull some info on someone,” I said.

“Shoot,” Jasmine said, and I heard her shifting around.

“Rayne.” Then I spelled the name out.

“First or last name?” Jasmine asked.

“No last name. Just Rayne. She’s the investigations lieutenant for Gemsville,” I said as my eyes ran over the attractive picture of her smiling into the camera. This picture was of her and Aria at the local gun range. Aria had a bright pink gun in her hands, while Rayne held a black 35.

“Think she’s dirty?” Jasmine asked.

“No, this one’s… personal,” I added.

“Ohh.” Jasmine chuckled. “Damn, Jameson does have a libido.”

“Shut up.” I groaned. “Just let me know what you can find on her, will you?”

“Sure, just as long as it doesn’t interfere with why you’re there. I doubt the Reapers will take too kindly to you shaking up with a cop. One they probably know and avoid themselves.”

“Yeah, I know,” I admitted. “Still, there’s something…” I dropped off.

“She got under your skin?” Jasmine said with a sigh. “Jameson, you know the story of how I met my husband Stephen,”

“Yeah,” I said quickly, remembering how she’d arrested Stephen for solicitation only to discover he’d been undercover himself to snag her.

“Good, then let that be a warning.” She laughed. “Now, get me real names. Real progress. We aren’t paying you to shack up with some lieutenant.”