His Mission

Detective Constable Jones.

I forget how to breathe. What is he doing here? How did he get inside the house? Did Tobias willingly let him inside not knowing who he was? Is my stalker impersonating a police officer? My eyes frantically drink in his uniform, his official badge and the officer sitting beside him. It suddenly dawns on me that he isn't impersonating a police officer at all. He is a police officer. I stand up abruptly before staring at him like a deer caught in headlights. "You," I say with a trembling voice. I step over the spilled tea on the floor before walking backward toward the door. The man stands to his feet before giving me a hard glare. He gestures in the direction of the couch.

"I'd like you to take a seat, Miss Wentworth. We have questions for you," he tells me. His voice sends chills through my entire body. Do I scream for help? Do I tell the other officer about his recent behaviour of stalking me? Pretending to be my dead father on the phone? Nausea swirls in my stomach. Will the officer believe me against her own work colleague? Her partner in fighting against crime?

I find myself lowering back down into the couch. The female officer looks confused at my reaction, but she doesn't question it. My hands shake in my lap and I wish Jake didn't leave me here to deal with this alone. The man's dark eyes flash with approval at my obedience. I hate that I'm obeying him, but my body feels like it doesn't belong to me. "Why are you here?" I whisper, trying to focus on the female officer instead. I can feel my stalker's dark eyes burning through my face, and I squirm uncomfortably under his stare. Being in the same room as him and breathing the same air as him makes it feel like my skin is crawling with bugs.

"There was an incident tonight, Emily. We would like to ask you a few questions about it," the female officer starts. I try to steady my breathing but it feels like the air is quickly escaping my lungs. I turn toward the female officer, needing to know as much information on my stalker. "Who am I speaking to? I want both of your names," I say firmly. From the corner of my eye, I notice my stalker's jaw turn rigid. He doesn't like the idea of me knowing his name.

"I'm detective Ashley, and this is Detective Constable Jones." She tells me. My eyes snap over in his direction and it's the first time I hold eye contact with him without looking away. "Jones." I say quietly, finally able to put a name to the face. His dark eyes gleam with mixed emotions. He looks both impressed and frustrated at me.

"There was an assault that took place today, Emily. It was incredibly serious," Jones tells me in a tight tone. I tilt my head at him with fake curiosity. "Oh, really? That's a shame. I don't know anything about that." I lie effortlessly to him. It's easier to lie when I'm faced with the man who's been stalking me for the past several weeks. I shouldn't have to follow the law if he chooses not to despite devoting his career to it. I soak in the sight of his tight jaw, the nervous jolt of his knee and the occasional dart of his eyes. I figure he doesn't want his colleague to discover the darker side to him. I'll keep his secret, for now.

"It was your step-father," DC Jones tells me. My face remains free of all emotion. "That's a shame." I say with no care to my voice at all. Does he want me to sit here and act remorseful for Trevor? "Do you know anything about that?" DC Jones asks me. He lifts a brow in my direction, almost as if he can't believe my reaction to his words. I stare directly into his cold eyes before responding with a blunt and uninterested tone. "No." My answer causes his jaw to sharpen with protest. "Where were you around six thirty tonight?"

"Right here, watching television with my boyfriend. I don't leave the house much. You never know what crazy person is waiting outside for me," I say through clenched teeth. How dare the stalker come to Jake's house, interrogating me about Trevor when he himself is guilty of a crime? His dark eyes brew deeper with emotion when my words threaten to uncover his secret.

"Can anybody verify your whereabouts?" DC Jones asks me. Disappointment floods through me. I don't have an alibi and Jake isn't here to confirm my lie to the police. The door swings open and Tobias enters the room before dropping down beside me. "I can. They were here all evening," Tobias says. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when he lies for Jake and I. I turn to give Tobias a confused look, but he avoids my gaze. He keeps his eyes trained on the two police officers and he looks completely at ease with lying to them.

"Witnesses described you and Jake Melvin at the scene." DC Jones says with frustration bubbling in his throat. He looks like he's desperate to win on this occasion, but I'm adamant for him to walk out of here with defeat. I shake my head with a blank look on my face. "No. It wasn't us. You have the wrong people."

"Is it a coincidence that your step-father was beaten straight after you accused him of –"

"My stepfather strikes me as the type of man with many enemies. You should talk to him, not me." I cut him off before folding my arms across my chest. I don't have the patience to sit here and listen to DC Jones act like he's a concerned officer looking after a member of the public. I glare between the two police officers, finally realising why Jake and Tobias are so against working with officers of the law. A proportion of them are just as corrupt as the criminals running the street.

"You have Jake and Emily's alibi. You don't have any evidence and you're not here to arrest them. You can leave." Tobias says before gesturing at the door. I hold a breath in anticipation. The female officer and DC Jones stand to their feet before heading for the exit. Without any evidence, they can't prosecute Jake or myself for Trevor's attack. I figure it's only a matter of time before they find video footage of Jake laying into Trevor.

"We'll be back," DC Jones tells me firmly. His words sound like a threat and I feel a cold shiver rippling down my spine. My confidence crumbles to the ground and I swallow the lump lodged in the back of my throat. Tobias stands up to show the officers to the door. When he comes back, he's holding a rag and he drops down to clean the spilled tea on the floor. Once he's done, he looks up at me from under his dark lashes. "Do you know that man?"

"Yes." I whisper before wrapping my arms around my frame. "Who is he?" Tobias asks me. His words are spoken in a softer tone than usual, almost as if he can sense the fear rolling off me. My eyes flicker up before they connect with his dark ones. "He was the man who followed me in the park. He's been stalking me for weeks," I whisper an explanation. Tobias' eyes grow wide at the news and he exhales a deep breath.

"Damn, Emily. Your life is incredibly complicated," Tobias tells me. I release a dry laugh of humour. "Yeah, you're telling me." Tobias drops down on the couch beside me. He drapes an arm across the back of it before turning to look at me. A silence falls in the room and I catch a whiff of his earthy yet clean scent. He may look exactly like Jake, but he doesn't smell like him. He doesn't smell bad either, just different. I close my eyes while wishing Jake was here. He'd know what to do about Jones.

"Why did you give us an alibi? I thought you hated me." He doesn't respond for a while and I figure he isn't going to give me an honest answer. "It's my way of apologising," Tobias says quietly. My brows shoot up in surprise and I turn to look at him. "You? An apology? I must be dreaming," I say to him. His lips flicker slightly, almost as if he's about to crack a smile. A smile from Tobias Melvin is a rare occurrence. He shifts in place before looking into my eyes. He looks pained for a second before he masks it over with his usual blank stare.

"I want you to know I regret it," he tells me quietly. His apology doesn't make me forgive him, but it does lessen the urge to punch him whenever I see his face. He threw Jake's ex-girlfriend in my face knowing I had no clue about her. He made me question mine and Jake's relationship and Jake's intentions with me. Even though his actions made my relationship with Jake stronger, it could have easily broken it apart. Tobias had no right to do what he did.

"I thought we were finally breaking the tension between us. I could see us becoming friends before you decided to blow it all up in my face." I don't hide the hurt or frustration in my voice. My words cause him to wince and he reaches up to run his fingers through his dark hair. "I know," Tobias says before falling silent.

"Your weird conflict with Jake needs to come to an end. I know you both care about each other, but you have an incredibly weird way of showing it. You need to talk and clear the air," I tell him firmly. "I know," Tobias repeats.

"Living with you and Jake feels like walking on eggshells. I can't imagine what it's been like for Ivory."

"I know," Tobias repeats for the third time. He isn't a man of many words. A distant look crosses his eyes and he suddenly looks like he's weighed down with the weight of the world's problems. He curses under his breath before standing to his feet. "Where are you going?" I ask him. "To smoke a cigarette. Do you want to join me?" Tobias asks from over his shoulder. I hate everything about smoking, so I don't know why I stand up and decide to follow after him. Maybe after the day I've had, I'm ready to do something out of the ordinary for a slither of relief.