Page 31 of Secrets

Before she can answer, the lights flicker once before turning off completely, another voice coming over the intercom. A spray of bright stars light up the dome above and cast Elena’s face in a radiant glow.

For a solid ten seconds, I’m stuck, admiring her beauty like one would priceless art. Every small curve and sharp line is ingrained into my mind until my chest squeezes and twists, the need to kiss her so overwhelming I just about give in.

But then she smirks, her eyes shifting to look at me in her periphery. “Surprise me.”

Completely disarmed and stupefied, words slip from my frazzled mind, leaving me with only euphoria and a lopsided smile. When I do grab the semblance of a sentence, the guide begins his presentation as if on cue.

As difficult as it is, I turn to focus on the demonstration, and it isn’t until I feel soft fingers thread through mine, that I finally breathe.

* * *

I takeanother shot in hopes of easing my nerves as the plane shakes with one another bout of turbulence. The entire ride has sucked, courtesy of a storm spanning over half the damn U.S., and not even the file in front of me is enough of a distraction.

“You alright?” Agent Fikes appears next to me, a dozen folds in his forehead, showcasing his concern. “I’m not sure if I should tell you that drinking while on the clock isn’t exactly protocol.”

Rolling my eyes, I let my head fall onto the less than comfortable headrest. I haven’t quite figured this guy out yet, but there’s little tells he unknowingly gives off, that say he’s not as innocent as he comes across. “Fikesy Fikes. Let me make one thing clear. When it comes to me training you, there is one crucial thing you should always remember; do as I say and not as I do.”

The kid nods before sitting next to me. “Hey look, I’m nervous, too.”

I try not to let my eyes roll again in fear of them falling out. “It’s just a meeting to pick up files. Nothing to be nervous about.”

My uncle informed us this morning that not only were there files collected by nearly all the bordering cities in South Carolina, but that they didn’t have the personnel to send them over in person and would need to be picked up at a central location. Because we needed them sooner than later, he sent us over by jet to grab them, hoping I could start working on them during the flight.

“I meant, flying.”

“Oh.” I stifle a laugh. “I’m not worried about that in the slightest.”

Between wanting to date a woman who is likely going to smash my heart to smithereens, find two serial killers that may be hiding under the veil of the cartel to murder dozens, and knowing I’m going in completely alone to survey said gang, the flight is the least of my worries.

“I’m fine. And if not,” I lift my glass “the whiskey will take care of it.”

Thankfully, he lifts his hands in surrender and instead nods toward the open file on the narrow table in front of me. “Learn anything?”

I huff, threading my finger through my hair.Only that no one knows who the hell this guy is, and everyone is terrified to talk. Whoever the cartel leader is, he’s both smart, dangerous, and got one hell of a loyal gang.

Unfortunately, when I worked with the late mayor, he never gave me a name. In fact, he lied on more than one occasion and made it seem likehewas the leader, which we both know was bullshit.

But since I’m only supposed to be working on the river murders, my lips thin. “Just that the unsubs have serious childhood trauma, but clearly have different strength profiles and killing MO’s.”

“That’s not very helpful in narrowing down suspects.” Fikes grunts.

“It’s fucking annoying,” I lie.

In truth, I have a pretty good profile building, and only need the extra files to solidify my findings. It’s the cartel, that in the last thirty-six hours, has become more of a pain in my ass than Alexi. Granted, I still want his dick on a stick, but at least my known nemesis doesn’t hide behind a wall. In fact, as much as I hate Alexi, at least his arrogance makes him easy to predict. He lets everyone know well in advance his intentions. The cartel, on the other hand, is one big ass mystery. They’re like ghosts with fangs.

Out of all the drugs we’ve confiscated over the years, more than half were laced with traces of fentanyl. From the few drug runners we’ve apprehended, they’ve all been teens—those without family or housing—who’ve been promised a better life. None of them knew any names beyond “boss” or “capo.” After all three ended up dead when released from custody, we decided to hold off rounding up anymore until we had something more concrete. However, doing so has meant the cartel has expanded in Georgia and the kids’ deaths have become a relatively cold case. Until now.

After looking at all the reports and evidence, I can see why my uncle and the others wanted this hush hush. There are literally earseverywhere.

“Well, at least this will serve as a brief break,” Fikes says before standing. “Then we can start fresh when we get back. Add these files to the others and really form something.”

“Yeah, let’s hope,” I tell him as I gather up all the papers and shove them not-so-neatly back into the file folder. My stomach rolls with a horrible grumble, and I make a mental note to grab some antacids when we land. Because between the cartel, Alexi, and the additional serial killer, I’m on my way to a fucking ulcer.

Luckily, I have Elena.

My pulse thrums with the mere thought of her name. Our date the other night was perfection.Sheis perfection. Throughout the entire evening, her focus was on nothing but me. And not like everyone else. Like I’m only here for entertainment but as if sheactuallywants to get to know me. She hung on every word and story, asked questions, and even smiled a handful of times. Her shell—though thick and seemingly made of fucking steel—seemed to crack, and in those moments, I saw smidges of the softness she tries so hard to hide.

Naturally, I tried to pivot the conversation from me to her, but every time I did, that damn shield would rise. And I so desperately, and selfishly, wanted to keep seeing that side of her, that I kept talking about myself.

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