Page 35 of Healing the Heart

“Rossi Security?” John asked.

Fiona looked from the card, also with brown smudges since she’d touched it, to him. “You’ve heard of them?”

“Who hasn’t?” her coworker replied. “They’re on the front page of the Times every other day.”

She didn’t have time to read. Besides, who got the newspaper anymore?

“I’ll do both first thing in the morning,” Fiona told the detective. “Thank you.”

“Come on, Fi,” John urged. “I’m sure you want to get home and into a hot shower.”

She looked down at someone else’s blood all over her and tried to keep the contents of her stomach from coming up. “I should get some trash bags from the clinic. I don’t want to get blood all over your seats.”

“I’ve got a pair of sweats in the trunk you can change into, and the dumpster is the only place for those pants.” He eyed them with a grimace and a shudder before leading her to the other end of the garage and his SUV.

Chapter 10

Stuck with me, Like It or Not

FIONA DIDN’T SLEEPall night. She kept tossing and turning, jumping at every little noise in her condo, and the wind in the trees had the branches brushing and tapping against her window. She was a worse wreck by morning and twice as sleep deprived as before. Since lying in bed not sleeping was a complete waste of time, she scheduled an Uber and was downtown bright and early. Her first stop for her peace of mind and safety—Rossi Security.

With palms sweating, and her heart racing—when had it stopped since leaving work last night?—Fiona punched the call button for the elevator. After yesterday, it was the last thing she wanted to do, but she barely had the energy to climb the front steps, much less several flights of stairs.

As she waited, she looked nervously around the lobby and out the plate-glass window to the busy city street. On the other side, she could see the gray walls of a familiar building. Wasn’t she shocked when her driver stopped right across from Club Decadence on Beverly Boulevard?

Did the private investigators at Rossi know they worked across the street from the most notorious and exclusive kink club in Southern California?

She huffed a little laugh. They weren’t very good at their jobs if they didn’t.

A phone ringing at the empty reception desk brought her attention back inside. Her gaze swept the lobby. It was empty, thank goodness, but she found it odd she could just walk right in. There wasno security guard on duty either, no one at all to ask about her business there today. But then, she’d never dealt with a security firm or had any need for an investigator before.

While she waited for the elevator, which was taking a really long time for an eight-story building, she perused the directory. Rossi Security, Inc was the only business listed on the entire fourth floor, and, oddly enough, there was no listing for the fifth at all. When she got in and hit button five out of curiosity, it made an obnoxious blaring noise. Deciding not to let her curiosity get her in more trouble than she was already in, she quickly hit four and was relieved when the doors slid shut without a sound.

When they opened a few seconds later into a small foyer, she peeked out to make sure she was in the right place.

“Look what rushing out got you yesterday,” she muttered to herself.

Directly ahead of her was a set of double doors with the firm’s name etched into the glass. Sunlight from a set of tall windows created a prism of color that reflected off the R in Rossi. Taking the rainbow as a positive sign, she stepped out. With the way her life had been going lately—heck, since she’d moved to LA—she needed a run of good luck, and for the sun to shine brightly for her again one day.Rossi Security offered hope she might live to see it.

Taking a deep breath, Fiona pulled open one of the heavy doors. The reception area stretched out before her, a vision of opulence and modern style with its black leather furniture, glass-and-chrome accents, and its polished marble floors.

Detective Owens had warned her they were pricey.

With her hope dimming a little, she moved to the reception desk, where a stunning brunette sat. The woman’s eyes flicked up from her work, locking with Fiona’s in a moment of connection. A warm smile graced her lips, instantly putting her at ease.

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