Valen: Chapter 6

Liam & Valen get to know each other

Six

Liam

It was extremely hard for me to concentrate on the case knowing that the green-eyed, dark haired angel is on the opposite side of the same building. I started to make up a reason to need to go over to the squad side just so I could see her, but then decided against it. I need to stay focused on the case. I owe it to the four young women whose lives ended early at the hands of a ruthless killer. 

I was sitting at my desk going over the forensics of the case again. The last victim had been identified, and was only twenty-two. She was in the process of working her way through medical school because her parents couldn't afford to pay and she couldn't get enough student loans to cover all of the expenses.

Ivan suddenly broke my concentration. "Have a good evening. I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

I looked up from the file on my desk to look at the wall clock. "It's five-thirty already?"

"Yeah, and I've got to go. I promised Sydney I would be home for dinner tonight."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Tell Sydney I said hello." I told him.

After five minutes, I decided to call it a night and go home as well. I grabbed my suit jacket from the back of my chair and headed for the door. As I approached my car, I noticed there was a red Toyota Corolla three spaces over with the hood raised, and someone was standing under it. It looked as though the person was female. 

"Do you need some help?" I asked as I approached her.

It took her a moment to answer. "Thanks, but I think I can manage," she said without looking up.

"Are you sure? I can give you a ride if you'd like."

Her body seemed to freeze in place before she slowly raised her head up to look at me, and my heart skipped a couple of beats when I saw that she was my green-eyed angel. 

"I-I'll get it started in a minute, but thanks anyway," she said before putting her attention back on the engine.

"I can wait. I would rather not leave you stranded," I said as I leaned against the car that was parked next to hers.

I watched intently as she worked on the engine. The grey slacks she was wearing hugged her body perfectly. I couldn't help but notice her sexy curves, and I immediately felt a physical ache in the lowest pit of my stomach.

Two minutes later she rose back up again. "There! That should do it," she walked toward her car door, and I moved quickly to open it up for her.

She turned the key, but the engine still wouldn't turn over. 

"You sure you don't need that ride?" I asked again.

She slid back out of the car with her cell phone in hand. "I don't want to be a burden. I can call my mom to pick me up."

"Nonsense. That would just be a burden on your mom. My car's just right over here."

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." She grabbed her purse from the car, locked it up, and followed me to my Taurus. I opened the door for her, and she reluctantly slid into the passenger seat. I almost feel that she's afraid of me or something.

"So, where to?" I asked her once I was behind the wheel.

"Fairview," she answered.

Neither of us said anything for a few minutes. I briefly glanced at her a couple of times, but she only stared out the passenger window. I wondered what was going on inside of that beautiful head of hers. 

I just couldn't stand the awkward silence any longer. "So what made you want to be a cop?" I asked, finally breaking the ice.

"My father."

"Is he a cop too?"

"No. He used to beat on my mother."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." I thought maybe it was time for a quick subject change. "So have you lived in Camden all of your life?"

"Yep. Born and raised."

"You're not much of a talker, are you?"

She snapped her head in my direction. "Look. I don't mean to be rude or anything, I just don't think we need to get to know each other that well. It's not like we're going to end up best friends or anything, so why bother. If it's the silence you don't like, then I don't mind if you turn on the radio."

Her words threw me completely off guard. "Well, what if I do want to get to know you better Valen?"

"Then you may not like what you find out."

"I knew there was some mysteriousness to you." It was only supposed to be a thought, but the words slipped out before I knew it.

She tilted her head. "Really? What makes you think that?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward."

"Well, just about everyone has a skeleton or two in their closet," she said defensively. 

"I'm not that concerned about the skeletons in your closet. If there was anything that bad in your past, then you wouldn't have made it on the police force."

"My house is right up there." She pointed to a small, one-story brick house with dark green shutters. The yard was small and plain with a walkway connecting the sidewalk to the front door. There was a short driveway in the front left corner of the house that could only fit two cars.

I pulled over to the sidewalk, and stopped on the street in front of the house. "Do you need a ride in the morning?" I asked.

"No thanks, I'll get a way," she said as she got out of my car. She then leaned back down to look at me. "And Fitzgerald, you should be concerned." Without another word she closed the car door, and quickly walked to the front door of her house and disappeared inside. 

Something ached inside me, and I wanted nothing more than to go after her, to talk to her, but I didn't. I drove away instead. 

I was almost home when I noticed something shiny stuck between the console and the passenger seat. I reached my hand down there to get it, and pulled out a cell phone. It was her cell phone.

Copyright © 2016, R.J. Snow