The Detective and the Rockstar

Chapter 22

          She never realized how much she missed the station until she returned to the madhouse. She had missed the chaos and craziness.

          Four suspects were handcuffed to the chairs pushed up against the wall. The smell of coffee was heavy in the air. Telephones were ringing, and fingers were pounding on keyboards. Shouting and snippets of conversations flooded her ears. The excitement was buzzing. It filled her with an intense inkling to chase bad guys again.

         The sounds and the smells transported her back in time. For a minute, she was Annika again. She was not the emotionally defeated woman that she now was. She was free and happy, living life, believing that nothing ominous could ever happen to her.

         She knocked on the old door frame covered in nicks and scratches. The first time she saw Eric, he was sitting in this room. He looked up at her from one of those old armchairs with a smile that left her angry. A burst of air flew from her mouth as she realized how badly she missed that smile now.

         The man with the salt and pepper hair looked up at her with a look that reminded her why she was there. She pulled in a deep breath and exhaled to steady her nerves.

"Miss me?" She tried to act as casually as she could as she took two steps into the office that smelt of old books and coffee. Inside, she was a mess. She squeezed her pelvis as hard as she could manage as she prepared to deal with the ensuing combat.

"Have a seat."

She closed the door behind her and sat on the exact armchair she used when Matt sent her on leave.

"You know why you're here, Annika?"

A chuckle burst from her before she could contain it. "You subpoenaed the security footage from Rio's house. Yeah, he told me. I knew you were going to call."

He pulled in a deep breath and sat up straight. His eyes were judging Annika like she was on trial. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. She wished she was blessed with the ability to turn invisible. Her skin crawled, and her stomach felt heavy. She wished she could remember every detail of what unfolded between her and Rio that night. Unfortunately for her, alcohol had robbed her of many sordid details.

"What were you thinking?"

She probed her mind for the answer to his question. She had no clue what she was thinking about that night. She wanted Rio's love and attention. She gave in to her weaknesses and could honestly say she did not regret it. Making that mistake had led her down a path she felt was waiting for her. There was a lot to learn, and Annika never believed she was as naïve as she realized she was. This Annika, the person she was now, viewed the world through different eyes.

"If this gets out, you know how this will look, right? What people will think about you? This is going to be a scandal beyond scandals. What if the chief asks me to let you go?"

She shrugged. Her brain was trying to keep up. "It's not a crime!"

"You were drinking on the job! On top of that, you fraternized with someone you were supposed to be protecting. Rio was shot, by the way. Let me remind you!" He calmed himself with another deep breath. His chest expanded as he inhaled. "I'll deal with this tape myself. Try to cut out the filthy parts as best I can. I want you to stay away from Rio." He wagged a finger at her.

"Trust me, I tried."

Whether he believed her or not, she didn't care. The truth was that Annika tried to fight the emotions in her heart but was defeated. She knew how hard she battled with her feelings, enduring the pain of parting from the one person who made the world seem less dreary. What else could Annika do? As long as her heart was beating in her chest, she would love Rio.