Chapter 5
Since she doesn't have court today, Makayla's not risking the return of the killer headache so she leaves her hair out and just does her edges. She's slipping one of her usual work dresses when Mateo returns. He's patient in letting her finish before escorting her to the precinct.
The station is busy though that seems a constant. Rather than being led to Mateo's desk he takes her further down through some hallways and into an interrogation room. She looks at him with surprise and guarded hurt when he offers her a seat.
"It's just quieter to speak in here. That's all," he explains and then instructs, "hold tight. I'll go get my files and be right with you."
With little other choice, Makayla takes a seat and notes how different it feels to be in the room alone. Normally when she's in an interrogation room, she's there with her claws out ready to defend her client. This time she has to actively keep them sheathed and remind herself, they're all on the same side here. Still, it's a little difficult to relax when sat in an interrogation room though that's probably the point.
She's not waiting long though. When he returns, he does so with the files he'd been talking about and also a colleague. She's in plain clothes so Makayla realises she's definitely equal to or of a higher rank than Detective but less than Captain. Her light brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail, her suit fairly ill-fitting and her expression blank. There's no doubt the woman's a cop.
They both take a seat across from her, Mateo opening up his file while his friend assess Makayla. She bristles at the stare from the other woman but returns it with equal intensity. She doesn't understand Mateo's play here and until she does, she's not giving an inch.
"Well, are you going to make introductions?" she drawls to him.
His head shoots up and hypnotic eyes fringed with dark lashes narrow.
"This is Sargent Andrea Morena. Andrea, Makayla Summers," he mutters.
The Sargent gives her a simply nod of acknowledgement which Makayla cautiously returns.
"I thought I was here to talk about last night's attack but you're passing off my case?" Makayla asks incredulously.
"No," counters Mateo, "yes we are going to talk about last night but also because of last night...Andrea's going to officially be the lead on your case now. I've given her a short brief already to get her up to date."
She stares at him a moment while the gears in her brain start turning to click the pieces together. Realisation hits her at his meaning. Right, they slept together and even though it was only sleeping, they also kissed this morning. Having him work her file could also get sticky. She understands that if something were to happen with catching the perpetrator and Mateo made a wrong move, the entire arrest could fall apart. Certainly, if she were the criminal defence attorney she'd use their non-relationship, relationship to dismiss evidence or create reasonable doubt.
Nodding her head in concession, Makayla clarifies, "so I'll be liaising with the Sargent from now on?"
Does this mean she has to stop calling for Mateo? Of course, she'd have no excuse except the desire to see him if she has to do that which means she probably won't contact him again. Or maybe she will but only once for one-night.
"Not a chance, chica," snorts Mateo with a tilt of his lips, "Andrea's agreed to be the lead in an official sense but I'm still staying on this. I don't care if the criminal is just a kid, we're going to catch him."
"Though it's quite an escalation for a teenager or young adult to go from vandalism to stalking to holding you at gunpoint," comments the Sargent.
Just what is that supposed to mean? Does the Sargent think she's just crying wolf? She knows what she's talking about. She knows what she heard and what her instincts are telling her. This was the same attacker.
Glaring at the woman, Makayla responds with utmost conviction, "it was him. I know it was him."
"How do you know that Makayla?" asks Mateo.
"Because of his actions. Because of what he said."
"What did he do? What did he say? Talk us through it."
Makayla tells them everything she can from leaving dinner that night to passing out in that stranger's arms. They don't interrupt while she's talking, just Mateo taking notes but after she's done, they both lean forward with plenty of questions.
"You believe it's the same person who graffitied over your house?" asks the Sargent.
"Yes. He called me a 'murderer'. That's also what he sprayed over my house."
Andrea shifts her gaze from her to Mateo before pointing out, "I hate to say this Ms Summers but that's probably a sentiment shared by many people. The clients you defend...they're not exactly up for sainthood."
Makayla gets that but it's never been like this.
"You're right and these people express their views on social media or send me emails or letters. They've never physically threatened me, Sargent, never held a gun to my back. Despite what you think this is not a common occurrence for me."
"Okay," states Mateo, "let's work on the assumption that this is the same person. I think it's safe to tie them together for now. Even if not, let's catch last night's guy first then worry about the vandalism."
"Alright, Lieutenant. Ms Summers, the witness who helped you yesterday didn't see the man's face. He estimated height but wasn't sure and said build was fairly slim. According to him, the attacker was wearing dark clothes consisting of jeans, sneakers and an oversized hoodie with the hood up. He also said the perpetrator was black. Can you corroborate any of this?"
"The clothes and built I agree. I didn't see his face either and I have no idea if he was black. I'm not sure about his height. Sorry, he was behind me most of the time."
"We can test for height now," Mateo tells her with a nod to Andrea.
"Stand up for me, Makayla," he instructs coming around the table to her.
He pushes her chair out of the way and stands behind her.
"Close your eyes Ms Summers. You're safe, we're right here with you but try to imagine you're back in that alley. The man has a gun against your back. Where on your back is it?"
As Andrea talks, Mateo drags his middle and pointer finger down her back. She concentrates on where she'd felt the gun being poked into her back and it's like as soon as she feels his fingers, the touch triggers that spot.
"There," she mutters.
"Okay great. Now tells us when the pressure is how it was," continues Andrea, while Mateo presses down from an angle that high and gradually going lower.
When it's about even, Makayla tells them that's it. With that Mateo lets his hands fall and returns to his seat.
"Around 6 foot," he nods to Andrea and catching Makayla questioning look he explains, "if he held you close to him then he held the gun at a right angle from his elbow. Judging by the position he placed it at your back, we can estimate for height. You said he was nervous and unsure. He didn't plan for this attack, he acted on emotion and he certainly doesn't have the skills for any countermeasures."
"We should look at her clients. It's got to be someone involved in one of her cases," mutters Andrea to Mateo.
Well gee, even Makayla can work that out. The problem is that list is very long and it could be anyone related to the victim or defendant.
"That's a long list Sargent," comments Makayla.
"It can be narrowed down. We know this person was likely an adolescent or child when the trail occurred. The woman he says you killed. They're probably a relative in that case. Do you keep any of these emails or letters?"
The emails go straight to junk but the letters. Yes, she has those.
"The letters yes. I keep them. I never thought I'd actually ever have to..."
"That's good. We can go through those and cross reference. It's highly probable he wrote to you. Also, we'll check to see if any of the suspects have a rap sheet. This guy is ghost when it comes to B&E. No way he got that good without some practice.," Mateo explains and then asks Andrea, "if I get you the letters, can you go through them? And run any names across the database for records involving burglary or B&E?"
The Sargent nods in agreement.
"Then I think we're done here. Thank you, Andrea. I'll be back, I'm going to escort Makayla to her office."
Andrea walks with them out, the folder of notes in her hands.
"Of course, catch you later Lieutenant. Ms Summers."
"Sargent," mumbles Makayla in response as she's lead out by Mateo.
"I have the letters at home but Mateo, it's still going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack," she mutters as the elevator doors shut.
"I'm finding that fucking needle," he grumbles.
*********
They stop by her place first where he walks her to the door and lets her dart in and out with the box of letters in hand. Placing that in his car, Mateo then takes her to work. He walks her straight up to her floor to the receptionist desk. He gives her the name of his friend's security company and tells her if she can't get a bodyguard today to call him before leaving work. She agrees to his overprotective commands but only because the situation calls for it.
When he's finished explaining, she lingers unsure how to say goodbye. He doesn't have the same issue though. With one hand loosely wrapping around her, he gives her a kiss on the lips and steps back. Flicking his forefinger and middle finger out in a salute, he heads for the elevator. Oh. Okay then.
When Makayla turns to the receptionist, she's pretty sure she's mirroring the young girl's astonishment. Shaking her head, Makayla mentally pulls up her professional, work persona and heads towards her desk.
Since Mateo's serious about her not leaving the office building, she heads down to the lobby where there's a small cafeteria. Buying a sandwich and drink, she returns to her desk prepared to eat it while researching this security company and to find a phone number.
That was the plan anyway. Until Frankie walks by and catches sight of her bruise.
"What the fuck? What the hell happened Summers?" he exclaims.
"Um..." she stalls getting caught off guard by him and therefore not having enough time to come up with a plausible lie.
"Nope. Lie. Come with me baby shark. Into the frying pan with you."
While his words are jovial, his tone has an ironclad nature to it and since he's the boss, she does sort of have to do what he says. With a groan, she rises and is immediately marched not into his office but Chris's. Chris gazes up in shock at the intrusion and that shock turns to quiet rage seeing the bruise on Makayla's face. Damn. Maybe should have used some foundation, except the thought of dragging a brush over the sore area had made her cringe.
"You took the morning off, got dropped off by a man and now you're here with a bruised face. What the hell's going on Makayla?" grits out Chris.
Her eyes widen at the implication of his statements. Jesus. Is that what everyone's been assuming? Her gaze drifts over to Frankie but he's leaning against Chris's desk, expression completely serious.
"It's not what it looks like. That man was a Lieutenant-"
Both Chris and Frankie exchange glances at that and Chris is already pulling out his phone so Makayla rushes to do some damage control.
"No! No, not like that!" she proclaims, "I'm not being abused. Look I just...I was involved in an incident yesterday but it's being handled."
That causes her two overly worrisome dads to calm down just a touch. Only there's a reason why they're amazing bosses and even better lawyers. They want the details.
"What incident?" asks Frankie.
"I.." she hesitates to tell them but ultimately decides they should probably know, "I was walking home after dinner with a friend and got um, held up."
"A mugging? In your neighbourhood?" questions Frankie.
"No. Not exactly," she confesses.
This time, Chris rises from his seat and round the desk, mirroring Frankie's posture on the opposite side. Both of them look to her with unyielding gazes, their brows low and jaws tight while posture is rigid.
"Then what exactly."
What can she tell them? That someone's after her? That the mugging wasn't actually a mugging but a ploy to scare her or kill her? That doesn't exactly sound like a reliable employee. The fact this person hasn't been caught yet makes her a liability. She has no doubt they'll support her though when it's all over there'll be a little voice in the back of their minds always reminding them that Makayla Summers is vulnerable and fragile. So, when the bigger cases arrive with powerful, wealthy people, there'll be something in them that holds back on letting her do her job. She worked hard to divulge not just them but so many others before them of the notion that she can't handle being in this field. She'll not go back now.
Straightening her back and meeting their gaze Makayla evenly replies, "I'm having some personal problems at the moment. The police are on it and I'm going to hire some security in the meantime so I can assure you both, I'm handling it. I'll make sure that any impact it has on my work or productivity will be minimal."
Their glares soften at her words but Chris is still relentless.
"That wasn't what I asked," he points out.
Frankie on the other hand takes another approach. Softening his tone he reassures her, "Makayla, this isn't about your work. Chris and I have no issues with that, we never have and I sincerely doubt we ever will. This is about your wellbeing and we're not talking to you as your employers. We're talking out of concern as your friends."
Okay that does tug a little at her frayed heart strings. Ugh, he's right. Makayla was there when Frankie needed to get his stuff back from ex-girlfriend number 5 and they'd both helped Chris decorating his apartment in something other than black or white. There'd been countless work social events too that they'd both hung out at. They are a little more than just colleagues and a little less than siblings. Still, professional lines have to be maintained and Makayla's still worried that this will come back to bite her in the ass later in her career.
Her deliberation makes the impatient Chris to threaten her by saying, "truth now or we put you on mandatory paid leave."
Dammit. She resists the urge to pout although doesn't do a very good job at it since Chris's eyebrow rises like some principal reprimanding a naughty schoolgirl. When she still doesn't answer, he reaches over and hits a button on his telephone machine that causes Chris and Frankie's joint secretary to answer.
"Madison, can you let HR know that-"
"Okay!" cries Makayla causing Chris to mutter 'nevermind' and hang up. With a half-hearted glare to her uptight boss, she relays all the details of her hellish past few weeks.
"Jesus, Summers. What the fuck?" exhales Frankie.
"It's not that bad," she mutters trying to do some damage control here, "yesterday was only the first time he actually made physical contact!"
That reminder was meant to act as reassurance but it has the opposite effect. Frankie bursts into more profanity whereas Chris grows even colder. His body tenses and freezes like he's some stone stature before finally his eyes shutter close and he inhales deeply. Makayla's never seen him like that before. Even with some of their most difficult cases, he's always remained in a placid state with complete confidence in his abilities.
As he rounds his desk and picks up his phone, Makayla jumps to her feet. Bastard. He promised her no HR.
"What are you doing?" she cries.
"Calling Stonewall Security," he retorts.
That had been the company Mateo had recommended to her.
She admits, "oh I was going to call them this evening. They're the company I was recommended by-uh, by a friend."
Green eyes flash to her as his fingers punch in the numbers.
"Really?" he grits out, "and is this friend the Lieutenant that's having personal relations with the person who's case he's handling?"
Normally, she wouldn't bother justifying her personal business to anyone but in this instance, she does owe Mateo a certain amount of respect especially for all he's doing for her.
"It's not like that," she groans, "he's doing his best. There's not a lot of leads at the moment."
"Stone will find one," responds back Chris as if she has any idea what that means.
Someone picks up on the other end of the line because suddenly he's done talking to her and murmurs something to the other person. The conversation is far too short for Makayla to have deciphered anything. Placing the phone down, Chris looks to Frankie first before they both turn to her.
"Makayla," says Frankie, "what the Lieutenant's name?"
She wants to ask why? What the hell is going on? And since when do they make the decisions for her? Some part of her senses this is beyond her expertise and she needs the help. That's the part of her that answers Frankie, "Rojas. His name is Lieutenant Mateo Rojas."
"I'll call him in too," mutters Chris to Frankie and then addressing her again says, "5 o'clock today, this office, Makayla. This is going to be resolved and soon."
********
Most of her colleagues are packing up to leave but Makayla's eye is on that clock. It's almost 5 and she'd wracked with nerves, even more than her before annual performance reviews. About 15 minutes ago, some guy in a suit and a woman in casual clothing walked through and went into Chris's office. Then Frankie had joined them. It's her turn now. With a sigh, Makayla rises and makes her way back over to where she'd lost control of her own situation.
Chris has the place rearranged so the office chairs now face the couch. Only Chris and Frankie are sat though as their two guests chose to remain standing.
"Makayla, good you're here," states Chris rising at her presence.
Both the brunette woman and the sandy blonde haired man look towards her. Despite her casual outfit, it's evident the woman is strong with well-defined muscles and a confident, upright posture. It doesn't take a genius to identify her as military. Her partner though...she's not so sure. He's wearing a suit but it isn't tailored to his body like Frankie's or Chris's is. His hair is trimmed and neat, no facial hair either, making his age difficult to determine though she puts him in his late 30s or early 40s. Everything about him screams plain except his eyes. A cloudy, grey-blue colour they're more like a wall than window to his emotions, the haze shifting constantly to disguise any of his own observations. Instantly, Makayla doesn't trust him.
"This is Eric and Aria Stone from Stonewall Security," introduces Chris.
At that Makayla gives them both a firm handshake.
Frankie chips in this time, "we're just waiting on one more and then we can get started."
Mateo guess Makayla taking a seat on the couch despite it never being offered to her. An oversight, she's sure.
"Do we really need to bring the Lieutenant in on this? I'm just looking for some personal protection for a short period of time, I hardly think the police need to be involved in that," points out Makayla.
"Stone's not here just to give you a bodyguard, Makayla," Chris tells her leaving Aria Stone to add.
"We also do private investigation work, Ms Summers. Of course, usually it's a lot more dangerous and uh, murderer-y than what we've been told so far."
Makayla's eyes widen at the brunette's casual, upbeat confession. Yeah, she's really hoping things don't get 'murderer-y' in this case.
"Do you not feel this person targeting you is dangerous, Ms Summers?" asks the male Stone. Makayla searches for undertones of patronisation or scepticism but it's so perfectly bland she struggles to determine if this man thinks her problems are worth his precious time or not.
She may as well answer honestly.
"I think that he is becoming so, yes. From my short encounter with him, it seems he's growing more unhinged. I'm under no illusion that that's going to bode well for me."
Whether he's satisfied with her reply or, she's not able to tell.
"That's not going to happen, Summers," reassures Frankie with a pat of her hand, "we're going to keep you safe, baby shark, so you can grow up to swim in the big ocean like us."
Without even knowing it, Frankie breaks the tension with his antics. Makayla gives him a snort of laughter and shakes her head. She's wondering when they're going to get to the heart of the matter and get this meeting going when Mateo turns up. He makes his greetings, only a nod of familiarity to the Stone siblings.
The slightly more jovial atmosphere Frankie had created dims back down into a serious one.
"Right, let's get started," mutters Chris as everyone takes a seat.
They all get the PIs updated with the case details with Chris and Frankie asking their own questions intermittently. Mateo shares how he's passed on the letters to the Sargent who's going to sort through them and flag any that may be the perpetrator. All the while, Makayla just starts to feel more and more exhausted. Honestly, if last night he hadn't pulled out the gun and accosted her, none of this would be so bad. She sincerely hopes he wises up and either turns himself in or just stops.
"You say you never found the method of entry into the house?" finally asks Eric.
Mateo shakes his head, "no visible tampering of the locks and no signs of any windows or doors being broken. Even if he knew her security alarm code, it's a mystery how he gets through the front door in the first place."
"Maybe he's a ghost. Or a spook. You know about that, don't you Eric?" insinuates Frankie.
A faint smile whispers across the other man's lips. Makayla wonders what Eric Stone could possibly have to do with ghosts when Frankie's choice use of the word 'spook' hits her. Of course. No wonder Mr Stone looks plain and boring. Being flashy and sexy isn't exactly the best disguise for a spy.
"Not at all Hanover. My previous employment was with the government yes, but only as an analyst."
Even Makayla's not buying that. With a huff and mutter of 'yeah right', Frankie miraculously lets it go.
"The simplest and most probable explanation would be he obtained the copies of your keys, Ms Summers. Do you keep a spare key somewhere? Have your keys been missing at all in the past few weeks?" asks Eric.
"One of my friend's has a set of spare keys but I asked her a few days ago and she said they're still at her house. My keys, they've not been missing, as far as I know."
Eric and Aria exchange glances before Aria says, "alright. Your friend, does she have a boyfriend or friend who's over often and would know that information?"
"No!" refutes Makayla, "no she has a husband. But we're friends, I known him for years. I would know if he was the one holding me at gunpoint."
"You're thinking this is someone she's close to? That she knows?" pipes up Mateo.
Makayla's thinking the same thing. Why would someone she know do this? No one close to her has ever accused her of being a murderer and they definitely wouldn't steal random stuff from her house.
"The stalking element to it makes it a possibility," explains Eric, "though that could just be an evolution of the man's desires. He starts off transferring the blame onto you from whatever this triggering event in his life was. Then unsure what to do with this hatred towards you starts by committing small acts of vandalism and misdemeanours, escalating that to confronting you when it doesn't have the desired effect. The stalking may be another way of making you fear for your safety or it may simply be that this focus has awakened a conflicting desire within him towards you."
She hears his words said in such a matter of fact way that she's able to distance herself from it so the implications of his statements don't penetrate through.
"So what's the play here?" asks Mateo.
"Aria here will be on Ms Summers," explains Eric, "Hannigan and Hanover have agreed to let us look into some of Ms Summers' previous cases. We'll narrow it down and contact Ms Summers if there's any further details we need. I want to find out how this man is getting in and out of her house too. Anything we find we're happy to share with the police department of course, provided the same curtesy is extended towards us. After all, we're all on the same side here."
Makayla's surprised Chris in particular agreed to that but she is grateful. Some of the information will likely be redacted but it'll be more than in the public court documents. Anything to get this over with quicker.
"Of course," nods Mateo, "if we get any leads on our end, we'll share what we can."
"That's all well and good Lieutenant but I do have to question how dedicated you really are to catching this man? After all, this is a perfect excuse for you to keep being involved with Makayla.-"
"Chris!" cries Makayla with embarrassment.
"I'm going to chalk that question down to your care for Makayla," grits out Mateo, "but don't think this isn't personal for me. I am completely dedicated to catching this bastard."
With one overprotective boss won over, the other one pipes up.
"Rojas, Stone. This case...it has to be sold. The evidence has to be irrefutable or you need a full confession."
Shit, Makayla hadn't even thought about that. Even if they catch this guy and arrest him, the DA's got it out for Chris and Frankie which means they'll take it out on her, so their normal cutthroat approach to prosecution is going to be blunt as a butterknife. Then there's the defence. Hannigan and Hanover is one of the best firms in the state, meaning they have plenty of competition and not all of those competitors like to play fair.
"I know," nods Mateo, "the i's are going to be dotted and the t's crossed. That's why, officially at least, Sargent Morena is taking charge of this case. There's going to be no doubt for the jury."
Satisfied, Chris and Frankie both nod. It wouldn't have mattered if they weren't since Mateo's phone starts ringing. Glancing down at the number he tosses out a regretful look and takes the call.
With a few noises of agreement to the other person he mutters, "be there soon," and hangs up.
"Got to go," he states to everyone. Catching her eye, Mateo makes the slightest movement of his head to the side, a clear question of asking her to walk him out.
Makayla raises and eyebrow and shifts her gaze away. Yeah, right. She's not his little woman. They've already been far too open about their 'relationship' already, she's not making it out to be anything more than it is especially not in public.
"Makayla?" he questions.
"Yes, I'll see you later Lieutenant," she evenly says.
Chris makes a weird, strangled noise but as she looks over to him in confusion his head in down hiding his expression. Frankie too simply smiles and concentrates on opening his bottle of water and even the new guys look away.
Before she can question their reactions, Mateo's already made the short strides over to where she sits and leans down to kiss her solidly. Makayla stiffens at the surprise gesture, then softens at the unyielding nature of his kiss before remembering where she is and resisting again. At that, Mateo pulls back just slightly. Enough to absorb her glare and respond with an amused quirk of his lips. He goes in for another kiss but this time makes it chaste and sweet, with barely any pressure placed to her lips. His dichotomy throws her off balance. That first kiss she could reason to him showing some macho sense of ownership but the second one she doesn't get.
"Stay safe," he whispers.
She bites her tongue to stop herself rolling her eyes and that's only because in his own commanding way he's actually being really nice.
With that parting instruction, Mateo gives a nod to the others in the room and leaves. She smooths down her skirt, figuring this meeting's coming to a close now anyway. Except there is one more matter left. The most important one. Money.
"You haven't said how much all this is going to cost, Mr Stone," states Makayla.
She's nowhere near as rich as Frankie or Chris but she's doing well and has plenty of savings. Each year she'd tell herself she's use her surplus for a nice vacation and each year she'd nix the idea of a vacation in lieu of working or some time at her mom's place. Point is, she has the means to afford these services of the Stone's. The length of time though, is another thing entirely.
Eric Stone's light up and she wrongly assumes money to be the cause of that.
"Oh no, Ms Summers. We don't want your money," he explains just as the female Stone sighs and flops down beside Makayla.
"You don't?" Makayla asks.
"Nope," sings Aria, "Hannigan called us in, he's the one who owes us."
She's not so sure she agrees with that logic. It doesn't seem to matter though since Chris and Eric lock in on each other.
"Pro bono cases. No questions asked, you have to take it. You or Hanover," negotiates Eric.
Chris doesn't even both looking to confirm with Frankie before stating, "agreed."
"Even if it's an out of state."
"Depends on the state but if it is out of state, Frankie or I will consult with whichever attorney we recommend."
"10 cases," states Eric.
"3," counters Frankie.
"8."
"5."
"8," stresses Eric with more force.
"6," declares Chris as a final offer.
Sensing that, Eric nods and confirms, "6."
The blonde man shakes both Chris's and Frankie's hands in a gentleman's agreement. With that Aria bumps shoulders with Makayla.
"That's that then. Looks like you and I are going to be spending a lot of quality time together, bestie."
Makayla looks to the woman who from her attire, she'd thought to be the quiet stoic type, only to now realise she is going to be far chattier than Makayla had hoped. God, save her.
**********
After their meeting, Eric leaves while Aria stays with Makayla. Her shadow takes a seat in the office chair beside her while Makayla finishes off the preparations for the last few documents she needs to get done today. It would have been finished sooner but the whole afternoon she'd been distracted with anticipation for the evening meeting. Now though, she's distracted by her bodyguard slash 'bestie'. The animated woman keeps up a stream of cheerful chatter, asking her all sorts of questions. When Makayla shoots her a look, Aria just points out she does need to know about her personal life. With a sigh, she distractedly answers the questions which means finishing her work takes a whole lot longer than she'd hoped.
Finally done, she packs up her things and is escorted out of there. Aria insists on driving which is a nightmare in the city so they spend most of their time stuck in traffic.
"What's the deal with you and this Lieutenant?"
Makayla huffs and retorts, "and this is related to the case how? He's not a suspect."
Aria simply shrugs and undeterred responds, "humour me. Come on, I held off this long! That's got to be a record!"
Despite Aria's insistence, they're not friends and even her actual friends she hasn't told them about Mateo yet.
Nonetheless, Makayla sighs and replies honestly, "if it's gossip you're after, there's not any. Mateo and I have started a somewhat physical relationship. He's been helping me with this um, problem of mine but it's not going to be much longer. Once the problem's gone, once we've had our fun, it'll be over."
No harm, no foul. He's a hero type. He likes to solve problems and right now, Makayla has a problem. Once that's resolved, the excitement will die out and the cracks will shine through and he'll learn she's not exactly the wifey type.
"Uh, so he's there to scratch an itch?" questions Aria.
"Yes," shrugs Makayla, "we're just temporary."
"Ah. Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Really? No feelings involved then?"
"No, no feelings," groans Makayla.
"Positive?"
Now she's getting annoyed and that leaks out into her tone, "absolutely positive. Why do you keep asking?"
"Oh, just thought you know he's cute and when you're done you could help a girl out. Unless that's stepping on your toes?"
"Really?" asks Makayla with scepticism, "seemed like he already knew you."
Aria grins and shrugs, "kind of. My other brother-Alex- was Mateo's former CO. Alex left before Mateo and became a shrink but they still kept in touch. So I guess I do kind of know him but only as my brother's hot buddy. But hey maybe this case will mean we can move past that if you know what I mean."
Makayla deflates at hearing that but she's hardly shocked. Mateo is a good looking guy with traits she supposes could be seen as desirable in a partner so she doesn't blame the other woman. Still, that doesn't stop the sense of a sickness twisting in her belly.
This time when she answers her voice is quieter as she sighs, "yeah, I know what you mean and no. No toe stepping at all."
*******
Eventually they make it to her place. Of course, they do end up having to park a few yards away from her house but Makayla's just glad to be home. Aria goes into work mode as Makayla inserts her key into the front door.
"We'll settle you in for the night and I'll stay over tonight. Tomorrow, Eric and I have arranged for the locks on your doors and windows to be replaced. I'll stake out the place tomorrow night but hopefully it should be enough to stop your ghost from entering," explains Aria.
Makayla exhales and agrees. It'll be nice to have her space again though she only wants it back if it's safe for her to have it. Truthfully it does make her feel better to have company for tonight as well.
She shuts the door after Aria enters and goes to disarm her security system. Only...it's not set in the first place. Makayla wracks her brain to remember if she set it after darting into the house earlier in the morning and grabbing the box of letters. She's sure she did. It's a habit for her, she wouldn't have broken it.
"Everything okay?" asks Aria from behind her as she's frozen.
"Uh...yeah, maybe. My alarm system's off," she explains in a daze.
Makayla hears clicking behind her and when she turns around, Aria has her gun out and is on full alert.
"Stay behind me," whispers the other woman pushing Makayla behind her. Makayla tiptoes behind the professional as she creeps along the hallway to Makayla's living area. Pushing open the door, Aria glances around then makes some sort of signal with her hand. Makayla has no idea what the hell that means but she figures she should just follow. They check the kitchen next and again nothing turns up. That only leaves the top floor.
Aria's footsteps are almost silent even on Makayla's creaky stairs. The same can't be said for Makayla. Her heels click against the hardwood and sink into the carpet. Again, they search each room, leaving her bedroom for last. By the time they get to her bedroom, Makayla's feeling more relaxed. She's such an idiot. Obviously, there's no one in her house, she just forgot to turn her alarm system on.
Except when Aria pushes open her bedroom door, Makayla's eyes widen and her stomach drops. Oh shit....
A/n Thank you guys so much for the love in the last chapter! I hope you're enjoying the ride. I'm trying to hold myself back from rushing this because I'm so excited to write this story. Next chapter in about 2 weeks (since these are long chapters!). xx