Page 15 of Deadline for Love

I paused after this threat, and my eyes grew wide.

Aicha, Eric, Amara, Stacy, and Nia jumped to defend me, which only made him angrier.

“We aren’t some trash gossip rag. And if you're going to fire her for having integrity, then we’ll all resign.”

“What are you doing? What’s wrong with you! I’m thinking about your future; if we don’t eliminate our competition, we’ll all be out of a job.’’

He was dead serious. James had been quite tense in his demeanor for the last few weeks, but today, he was literally bursting.

I returned to my desk and started typing, but I noticed everyone staring at me from the corner of my eye. Then James piped up, “Right on! I want you to make the headline as big as possible. I want it to shock and arouse curiosity.Insight NewsandSentinel Publishingcan’t compete.” My colleagues dropped into their seats and gave me a few words of encouragement, but I thanked them and concentrated on drafting an article that was shocking enough to please James but also respectful of the dead and their families.

All of us remained in the office until two am.

“Breaking news: Three corpses staged as macabre works of art—Anonymous letters reveal gruesome messages from the killer.’’ He chuckled to himself as we all presented our drafts. “These are perfect. This is great.’’

Everyone around me sighed with relief, and with that, we were dismissed...

So, we headed to the office to collect our belongings before locking up.

We parted at the parking lot, and Eric stopped briefly before me. His three-day beard adorned his somewhat round face, and his hair was cut short and black, like the night. He wore black trousers and a tight black shirt. His hands tucked in his pockets.

“Bella, you had quite a day. If you need to escape, you're more than welcome to come stay with us. A change of scenery might take your mind off all this chaos.’’

The cool night air breezed around us, and the streetlights illuminated our heads. I took a deep breath and gave a grateful shake of my head until I found my voice again.

“That’s very kind of you, but your wife needs rest, not another guest.”

He sighed, “At least Nia isn’t home alone, but I’m worried about you. She told us someone rang your doorbell at night and left this creepy message...”

I resumed shaking my head. “The police know about it, and I don’t think he’ll come back... hopefully.”

Before he could say anything, I suddenly felt an arm around my shoulder, the sweet, familiar vanilla scent instantly making me realize it was Amara.

“You’re sleeping over tonight, no arguments,” she simply said and hugged close—and then she sobbed.

“I saw the pictures; you're not staying home alone until this creep gets caught.’’

“Okay, I’ll sleep over tonight. I just need to run home and get my clothes,” I said quickly, then I looked at Eric and gave him a little smile. “Say hi to your wife; get home safely and enjoy your day off.”

He nodded and gave us both another comforting pat on the shoulders before he went to his car.

I hugged the crying Amara in my arms and started to cry with her.

Chapter 6

The drive home and then to Amara's was a blur. I'm not even sure I remember getting to bed, but I slept like the dead… no pun intended. The next day, I received a call from Eric asking me to do a few interviews for him, since his very pregnant wife wasn't feeling well.

After showering, I put on a knee-length skirt and a white blouse. I left my hair loose and glared at the heels I knew I'd regret wearing later, then jumped into Blueberry and headed to the city’s heart,Steel Valley Industries, famous for producing high-quality steel for the construction, automotive, and engineering industries.

I parked my car before heading to the revolving gates, as the factory was secured against unauthorized entry.

In the visitor area, I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and taken to a car that drove me through the factory to the building where the interviews would occur.

The buildings were huge and barely let the sun through.

Trucks and small motor vehicles were crisscrossing in their own order. People in protective clothing or simple work clothesdecorated with the respective companies’ logos could be seen working outside.

Eventually, we arrived in front of a state-of-the-art building with large glass windows.

---