Page 26 of Deadline for Love

“I specifically told you I didn’t want to see any bodies. And you just showed me that!”

“Be glad you didn’t see a floater,” Nia said. I threw her a glare.

“Nia, you really didn’t have to do that!” I reprimanded her, as Amara retched into the bushes next to her car, which made Nia shake her head. “It’s not my fault. She’s just simply not tough enough yet.”

Once Amara calmed down, I helped her settle into the passenger seat. Nia climbed into the back of the car, and I drove straight to Amara’s house.

I assisted her into her flat, encouraged her to lie down, and prepared a warm cup of tea there.

When I handed it to her, she held my hand. “Come over when you're done. You should just plan to stay here for a while.’’

I put my other hand on top of hers and looked at her sternly. “Amara, did something happen between you and Justin?”

She looked as if she were about to cry for a moment, but she quickly shook her head and closed her eyes. “I just want to stay with you, especially after everything that’s happened. I’m worried about you.”

My gaze remained severe, I knew Amara far too well to recognize when she was hiding something, but I also knew she didn’t want to talk about it right now, so I didn’t want to push her.

With a heavy heart, I let go of her hand and gave her a quick hug. “I’ll be back after work. Now, you lie down, drink tea, and binge some bad TV.”

She tightened the hug and didn’t want to let go, but when she heard Nia calling for me, she released me.

Again, I gave her a weak smile and promised to return until I left the flat, but my smile faded. I walked over to Nia and sighed.

“Are we taking the bus to Enzo’s?” she asked.

“No, Amara is letting us borrow her car.’’

“Well, at least she's good for that,’’ she said and I shot her another glare.

“Oh, come on. Amara's too sensitive, at least now she can rest and we can actually get things done.’’

I couldn’t raise any objections, so I simply gestured for her to follow me.

As we drove, Nia told me about the new horror movie she watched last night, and I informed her about the incident that had happened to me.

“Show me the pictures you took!” she ordered. I pushed my phone into her hand, and she zoomed in on every detail.

“Oh shit!” she muttered, her eyes widening as she looked at the hair strands. “That’s not good.”

I agreed, “I don’t understand what this person wants from me.”

“You mentioned that the new poem contained a mention that he was disappointed with the article?”

“That’s just a guess; it didn’t explicitly say.”

She lifted her arm and placed it under her chin, then squeezed her eyes shut, humming loudly before speaking again, “Maybe the police officer isn’t entirely wrong. What if he really is a secret admirer?”

“Then it’s a bizarre way to confess your love.” A chill ran down my spine at the thought. Even Nia shuddered when she realized what she was saying.

“That’s just creepy, but unfortunately, he will write again. I just hope he doesn’t hurt you. I’m sure his messages have a hidden meaning.”

I bit my lower lip but stopped, remembering Nathan preventing me from doing this. His cool hand gently brushed over my mouth, his strong arms holding me...

Wait—Why did I consider this when discussing such a serious topic? This wasn't like me.

Nia skimmed through comments under the online police news and read some comments aloud from concerned citizens.

“This is really dangerous! All the chemicals are hanging in the air. We were asked to close all the windows late at night, but that doesn’t help. What if something explodes in the factory? Then the whole city is in danger.”

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