Page 11 of Stripped

Chapter 7

Wraith caught up to Pim before she made it to the bus station. He had followed her into the studios, in hopes of trying to better understand the girl before throwing in the towel and walking away. No matter how much the colonel wanted him to get close to her, he refused to become the stalker she accused him of being. He was shocked to find out how poorly she had been treated and he was beginning to realize where the chip on her shoulder was coming from.

"Primrose, stop," he said behind her.

She whirled around. "For the love of God, what do you want?"

Her pale eyes, clear as spring water, glistened with tears and he resisted the urge to wipe them away. "Please, just hear me out."

She set her bag down on the wet concrete and crossed her arms. "What?"

"Not here. Let's go back to your place."

"I'm not getting in a fucking car with you. I don't even know your name."

"Fine. Then let me get you something to eat." He pointed to a French basserie down the block.

She picked up her bag, shaking her head. "Fine. But promise me, after this, you'll leave me alone." She walked ahead of him, crossing the street before she got to the actual marked pedestrian crossing. A driver in a car leaned on his horn, barely missing her. She held up two fingers, flipping him off. Wraith caught up to her. Christ, she was testing his patience. Not only was she completely reckless, it was like she was being negligent on purpose, calling out for trouble with a neon sign. He opened the door to the café, holding it for her as she entered.

"Table for two," he said to the hostess. She led them over to a place in the back. Wraith pulled Pim's chair out for her before sitting down himself.

"Can I get you something to drink?" the hostess asked.

"Coffee please."

Pim nodded in agreement, watching as she walked off. They sat in silence until a waiter brought them each steaming mugs, the deep nutty aroma filling the air, and took their orders.

"I'll have a poached egg with avocado on the side," Pim said, setting the menu down.

"And for you, sir?"

Wraith's stomach growled. He was thankful to be eating soon. "I'll have your full fry up."

The young man smiled at Pim, flirting, before leaving to put their order in. Wraith could understand why. Take away the foul language and bad attitude, and she had a natural, almost innocent beauty to her. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun, accentuating her high cheekbones and full lips, but it was her eyes that really stood out. Large and clear, they reminded him of a spring rain, neither green nor blue. Surrounded by long dark lashes and so pale, they appeared almost incandescent.

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot," he said. "My name is Wraith. Robert Wraith, but people call me Wraith."

* * *

Pim rolled her eyes. "Wraith." She took the business card he handed her. Robert Wraith, Private Investigator was embossed on the front along with a telephone number. She handed it back to him.

"Keep it."

She laid it on the table and took a shaky breath, frowning. "What do you want with me?" she finally asked, taking a sip of her black coffee.

"I want to find out who killed your grandfather."

"Why are you so sure he was murdered? I've heard nothing about that and I was with his solicitor all of yesterday. Surely, the police would have notified him if something had changed."

"Primrose, I'm not going to go into details, but I saw his body."

She stiffened. It was the same response her mother gave her when she asked about her father's murder. She wouldn't have ever known about the fractured skull or bludgeoning if she hadn't snooped through her mother's and grandfather's files or listened in on conversations. The images of the police pictures flashed in her mind like the reel on an old film. The swollen, puffy fingers on his hand, the awkward angle of his upper arm, bruised and engorged where the blood pooled and the jagged edge of his humerus bone protruded and, finally, the side of his head, depressed, his skull fractured to the point it exposed brain matter, and fluid drained from it. "I'm an adult. I think I can handle it."

"Please just trust me on this."

She let out a sardonic laugh. "Trust you? I don't even know you. Why in bloody hell would I trust you when you can't even be truthful?" She started to get up.

"Wait." Wraith rubbed his forehead. "His neck was snapped and not from the landing. Someone broke it before he fell."

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