Page 23 of The Editor’s Choice

He told me about this girl who owed a lot of money to Cain, a rival of ours, but he had a vested interest in her. She was the daughter of an old friend and he wanted to do everything in his power to keep her safe. The assignment was to bring her in so he could discuss her situation and let her know his plan. He wanted to help her.

Unfortunately, she was murdered first before any of that could come to fruition. Now, I’m stuck with the seemingly impossible task of figuring out who the fuck did it. I’ve often wondered if I should just tell James what’s been going on and seek his guidance on how to move forward. A pair of fresh eyes to look at the evidence I’ve managed to dig up so far.

But there’s this gnawing feeling in my stomach that keeps me from speaking the words. I need to unearth the truth on my own. He’ll know everything soon enough.

As I’m pulling out my laptop, my phone is buzzing again, pulling me from my thoughts. Sara’s name is flashing across the screen, and my thumb is sliding across it to pick up the call without a second of hesitation.

“Tell me something good,” I say, placing the laptop on the worn coffee table and easing onto the couch. I put the phone on speaker and lay it on the table next to the computer before sitting forward, forearms on my knees, hands steepled together. I haven’t been this uncomfortable or fidgety in a long time. It’s unnerving, but there’s a lot on the line here, so it’s understandable. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

“No such luck,” she says, voice strained. “I was hoping you had something for me.”

“Not really anything new,” I confirm, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I’m at a total loss as to how to continue from here. We have absolutely nothing to go on once that video feed cut out.

“I have a few things I’m still following up on,” she says, soothing some of the burn in my chest. “I should have the video in my email in about an hour if my acquaintance is able to retrieve anything after the cut off.”

A long groan escapes me, easing my annoyance slightly. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I cup my jaw and prop my elbow up on my leg. “Okay,” I force past my teeth. “Thank you again. Keep me updated. I’ll call if I hear anything else.”

The line clicks and the silence of the apartment is deafening. My ears ring from the sudden quiet, though the thoughts running in my mind are just as loud. I’ve never minded the chaos, never had trouble thinking during it. It’s always the quiet that gets me, when I have time with my own mind.

Currently, my mind is torturing me with endless thoughts of Jade. Thoughts of last night, how great things were, and how they suddenly changed. How my behavior must have seemed irrational and beyond aggressive, though I had my reasons.

My guilt is eating me alive as I make my way to the shower to wash away the day. As the steam builds in the bathroom, clouding the mirror, I step into the shower and feel the hot water roll over my body. Quickly, my thoughts turn to how different last night could have been. She was so eager, so ready. I stopped everything because we were both beyond inebriated, though I don’t think she would have denied me had we been sober. I didn’t want to take her like that.

Thoughts of her kissing me while her hands roamed my body greedily has my blood flow shifting to my cock. The bastard is getting harder to ignore. It’s been months since I’ve been with a woman, focusing on the task at hand instead. Once I saw Jade for the first time, I didn’t have any real interest in other women, although I’ve had trouble admitting that, even to myself, until recently.

As I circle my hand around my shaft, I imagine the smooth skin of her hands around me instead. Slowly moving my hand from base to tip, I picture her on her knees before me, mouth opened, eyes eager. It doesn’t take more than a minute before I’m coming undone, completely lost in the images dancing through my head.

I battle the frustration, realizing it didn’t release any of the pent-up tension I had hoped to alleviate. If anything, I feel worse, more tightly wound. I turn the water to cold before forcing myself through the motions to clean my body, begging my mind to quiet. As I step out of the shower, there’s a faint knock at the front door.

Wrapping a towel around my waist, I drip water through the apartment, praying to find her on the other side when I open that door.

Instead, there’s no one on the other side. Just the empty parking lot. Looking in both directions, I come up empty. As I turn to go back inside, something catches my eye to my left.

It’s a piece of paper, taped to my door. Pulling it off, I shut the door before opening it to find a quickly written out note.

Pick me up at 8. We can talk over dinner.

I don’t even attempt to hide the smile that spreads across my face as the words sink in. I’m sure it looks goofy as hell, but if she’s willing to go to dinner with me, maybe there’s a shot at salvaging whatever was going on between us last night.

Thoughts of my talk with James creep in but are quickly waved away. Having dinner with Jade won’t hurt anything, I decide. I’ll be right back to digging for the murderer first thing tomorrow morning. For now, I head to the bedroom to get dressed.

I go for some dark washed jeans with a black Avenged Sevenfold shirt and some Vans. Putting just a touch of gel in my hair to semi-tame the dark waves, I comb through it and double check my look in the mirror. I rub my hands together to calm the nerves, but it’s no use. I don’t have a clue how this dinner is about to go.

After a quick pep talk, I’m out the door, letting fate take the reins for the night.

I knock on her door at eight on the dot, determined to start this date on the right foot. The door opens slowly, revealing Jade on the other side, dressed casual but cute, and I swear I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight.

Her hair is tucked back into a high ponytail with pieces framing each side of her face. She’s gone for a very light makeup look; it makes her eyes pop beautifully. She’s chosen a light blue sweater with black leggings and boots, perfect for the crisp weather tonight.

I smile as she comes into view, lightening my mood considerably. It’s been rough lately, bringing out some of my less desirable qualities and moods. But just seeing her here changes that in an instant.

“You look divine,” I say, the compliment slipping easily from my tongue. I try like hell to keep my eyes from ravaging her body, but it’s nearly impossible. Her eyes light up, bringing a new life into her face. The tension that was in the air as she opened the door is now gone, replaced with a different tension altogether. The same one from last night, before I ruined everything.

“Thank you,” she says genuinely, rubbing the elbow of one arm with the other hand sheepishly. “Same to you though.”

“Why, thank you. Shall we?” I extend my arm to her and wait as she threads hers through it. “Anything specific in mind?”

“Actually, I was hoping we could go to that little old timey café down the road. If that’s okay, of course.” She sounds timid but hopeful.