Page 26 of Cursed by Death

Detective Rowans hadn’t given me grief for being a rich girl so I figured I shouldn't give him any for living on the wrong side of the tracks in poverty.

I opened my mouth to say something but shut it when two cars pulled up next to ours.

Hunter from the garage got out of the car closest to mine and waved cheekily at us before getting into the passenger seat of the other car.

They drove off as the Detective cursed colorfully. “That’s my goddamn car,” he told me.

Huh.

And it was in one piece and everything.

I was betting the BMW would be in my driveway when I got home. And I was happy to find out I wasn’t wrong.

Chapter 14

The next morning Detective Rowans showed up at my front door with coffee and donuts for the both of us. I might have appreciated this gesture if he’d have called ahead to let me know he was coming and if he hadn’t shown up at the ass crack of dawn.

At least this time when the police came a knocking I wasn’t hungover and rocking some scary bed head.

“What are you doing?” I grumbled as I let him in, closing the door behind him.

He looked around my house curiously. “Did you just move in here or something?”

I shook my head as I scowled at him. “No. I’ve lived here since I was eighteen. Why?”

“Your house is kind of… bare. It looks like you moved in but haven’t unpacked yet. What gives with that?”

This man was quickly becoming one of the most frustrating people I had ever met. “Did you come over at dawn to ask me about my decorating skills, or lack thereof? I didn’t have much in the way of personal items when I moved in here. I like clothes and I like weapons. I don’t need much else. Now, please, tell me what you’re doing here, Detective.”

“I take it you’re not a morning person?” he asked and the laughter in his voice made me want to throw something at him.

“You know you’re annoying, yes?”

Without him telling me the reasons behind him being here I knew why. I had a hard decision to make here and I wanted to stall for time so that I didn’t have to make it.

I didn’t invite people down into the basement. It was supposed to be my safe space and if everyone knew about it then that safety level went down with each person.

I knew with the Detective that he’d keep my secrets, that wasn’t the problem. It was opening up and sharing in the first place that I struggled with.

I was a loner and I liked it like that.

If you let people in and gave them the chance, in my experiences, all they did was disappoint you.

Did I want to give the Detective that chance? I thought I might be past the point of having an option.

I snatched one of the coffees out of his hand and took a sip. Surprisingly, it was very sweet and not how I usually drink my coffee. I wondered if that’s how he usually drank it or if he’d added extra creamer and sugar for my benefit.

“Follow me,” I told him as I made my way to the door that led to the basement. I shifted my body, hiding the keypad from his view as I punched in the code.

“Are you taking me to your secret lair?” he asked. “Or does this lead to your sex dungeon?”

I laughed. He had it right the first time. I didn’t have a sex dungeon in my house. Call me old fashioned but I did my dirty deeds in the bedroom.

Maybe I’d be too boring for a man like him.

And why did my mind always go straight to the gutter whenever he was around?

He followed me down the stairs and when we got to the bottom all of the lights had come to life and the wall of screens had begun flickering on.

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