Page 78 of Shadowed Obsession

Doe

Very bored, but at least I have a snack.

Thanks for removing the pits.

Cherries are one of few fruits I’ve seen her eat. Her fragrance even smells like them, with hints of amber and vanilla. A scent that lingers in the air and in my mind. Kinda like her. A craving that cannot be fulfilled.

Anything to stay in your good graces.

Doe

Lie again.

There’s something about her that unnerves me in a way that makes me feel out of control. Almost as if I’m the one in front of the camera instead of her, and that makes me question my sanity. I’m long overdue for a couch session and should get on booking one right away.

A pulse check with my therapist may help me sort out some of these warring feelings between Deirdre and my career as of late. I’ve always felt rewarded by my work and prideful for the opportunities it’s granted me. I’m grateful to be able to provide for my family in ways I never saw possible.

I spend more time with my work than I do with my family, and now that my subject has become more of a fascination than simply a task to check off my list, I’m second-guessing myself.

I’ll break the law within my bounds for the right case and price point, but how does that make me any better than my clients? Or the subjects I’m hired to provide intel on?

Not one time have I sat in on a debriefing and willingly withheld information necessary to propel the case forward. But every time I sit down with the Hales since the meeting that went awry, I find myself rehearsing in my head what to share and what not to.

I’m simply a mortal compared to the beguiling and destructive Deirdre Klarke. She’s threatening to dismantleeverything I’ve worked so hard to achieve in a matter of weeks, and doesn’t even know it.

You don't have to believe me, but I’ll let you get back to work.

Doe

Alright.

Will I see you around later?

Maybe.

I’ll remember to whistle.

Doe

I appreciate it.

I looked up the coquí and they are so cute!

They really are.

I stop my hands from typing anything further. I nearly suggest bringing her to Puerto Rico someday to see them in person, but I can’t say things like that. She doesn’t deserve to be lied to any more than she already has been and will be hurt enough when the job is done.

“He’s justgonna stand there all night?” I ask, swirling my rocks glass as the ice mingles with my whiskey. Divin, of course.

“That’s what he’s paid to do,” Emiliano confirms, his hand on his own glass. Of course, this fancypendejosuggested this swanky bar, not too far from his office. This place is too quiet for me to lose myself in, which I guess is a good thing. But the urgeto whip out my phone and watch the woman on my mind has me swallowing down more liquor. The shitsgood.

“Feel free to start talking,” he nudges, glancing at his watch. It easily costs more than what the bartender will make in a year, but he’s otherwise dressed like just another stuffy asshole.

“Like you’ve got anywhere to be,” I mutter. I clear my throat and throw caution to the wind. “Remember that I told you I’ve sort of become intrigued by my latest assignment?”

“Which never happens, so this woman must be something.” His words oddly comfort me after weeks of second-guessing myself. I’m not hurting for pussy, I don’t need to find connections through work, and I’ve never jeopardized my career for infatuation.

Still, I swallow, preparing for our worlds to collide in a way it never has. Even when his older brother—who happens to be the head of the largest Cartel division in America—outsources me to find people, it’s never gotten as messy as this has the potential to be.

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