I looked down at my hands and picked at the skin around my fingernails, pulling it off and watching the blood form tiny beads.
She let out a heavy sigh before standing and coming around to sit next to me. Her hand wrapped around mine, the warmth of her skin making me shiver.
“We’ve identified who the hand belongs to,” she said, her voice calm. “His name was Brendon Walters. Does that name mean anything to you?”
I shook my head and bit my lip, trying to place the name, but it was unfamiliar.
“No. I don’t know anyone by that name,” I sighed.
She reached forward and pulled a file off her desk, opening it to the second page.
“He was involved in a fight at a local club the other night. Club Ghost. Have you ever been there?”
My breath caught in my throat as I remembered the night at the club and the man who'd rushed to my rescue.Jasonwas his name.
“Yeah. I was there when it happened,” I murmured.
A chill ran down my spine at the memory, and I shook my head, trying to put my focus back on Detective Pearson's questions.
“There was a man. He groped me at the bar. I didn’t even have time to react before some guy came up and pulled him off me.”
“Do you remember what the other man looked like? The one who pulled him off you?”
“I… I followed him out of the club. I wasn’t really in the mood for dancing after that, so I called Casey to come get me. He sat with me until Casey got there.”
Bile rose in my throat as I remembered the hand, wondering if Jason really could have done that.
“He told me his name was Jason. He was tall. Maybe six four or six five. Jet black hair down to his chin. He had green eyes, like the color of emeralds. I… didn’t notice much else. I’m sorry.”
Detective Pearson wrote it all down, her hand working frantically to take it all in.
“There’s something else…” she whispered, placing her hand on top of mine.
I looked into her eyes, sadness creeping in, and took in a shuddering breath.
“What is it?”
She gripped my hand tightly, her eyes searching my face.
“We… found Brendon’s body. Just outside a bar not too far from Club Ghost. He'd been murdered.”
The world tilted on its axis as I took in her words, letting them sink in. Fear gripped my chest, a slow ache building just under my ribcage. Before I could stand, I vomited this morning's contents all over the floor, the reality of it all finally hitting me.
“I’m… sorry,” I moaned, my head swirling with dizziness.
“It’s okay, Lila. We’re going to find him.”
But would they find him in time?
Lilasatonabench outside the police station, trembling from the chill in the air. Her legs bounced with anxiety as her head darted back and forth, scanning the street. She started biting her fingernails, a nervous habit I knew she had.
The warmth of my breath formed a mist in the air as I sat on a park bench near the station. My heartbeat hummed steadily in my ears as adrenaline surged through my veins. The look of fear in her eyes sent a jolt of excitement through me, causing me to smile. I watched from a distance as she continued to look up and down the street, her body going still and her eyes narrowing every time a man walked by.
She finally relaxed as Casey pulled up, parking in my line of sight. I saw Lila’s head pop up then disappear inside the car. Anger rolled through my stomach as I watched them drive away, no doubt going to Casey’s apartment.
I got up from the bench and turned left, heading back to Lila’s apartment. My cock twitched at the thought of being in her bed again, surrounded by her scent. Decaying leaves crunched under my boots, and I quickened my pace, my body urging me to move faster.
When I arrived back at her apartment, I made myself comfortable in her bed, wrapping my body in her sheets. I groaned softly into them and clutched them between my hands, the smell of her completely intoxicating. My mindswirled with images of her and the hardness of my cock pressed tightly against my jeans. I reached my hand into my back pocket, pulling her dirty panties free, and pressed them to my nose. As I reached down to free myself, the sound of Lila’s voice broke through my lust-filled haze.
