“Ahem, Davina,” August cleared her throat to get the younger woman’s attention.

“Yeah?” Davina asked without lifting her gaze from the young child she was playing with on the floor.

“Why is there a kid here?” August asked, annoyed at the woman’s lack of proper acknowledgement.

“This is Logan.” She ruffled the child’s short blond hair before finally meeting August’s gaze. “My son.”

“I don’t care whose kid it is, why is it here?”

“Because my mum has chemo today and she can’t look after him, and it’s not his usual daycare day.”

“So you brought him into the office?” She sniffed the air. Was that a poopy diaper she could smell?

“I had nowhere else for him to go. He won’t be any trouble. Will you Logan?” Davina’s voice pitched higher when she spoke to the child.

August hated how people did that. Surely children hated it too? Logan laughed and reached for his mother’s face, snatching the arm of her glasses and pulling them down her nose. “Now, don’t do that. You know mummy doesn’t like it,” she scolded.

August watched on, not amused. “You know the office is no place for a child, Davina?” Her voice took on a sternness and she sounded like her own mother for a moment. God help her.

“He won’t be in the way. You won’t even know he’s here.” Davina scowled at her and flopped angrily into her office chair, grumbling something under her breath.

“Does Mercy know about this?” August demanded, thinking her boss would be just as upset by the interloper as she was.

“Yes, of course, she does. She was the one who suggested I bring him into work.” Davina stared back at August over the dark rim of her glasses that now sat slightly to the left of her face.

“Whatever,” August huffed. It wasn’t any of her business really. She just hoped Davina kept the kid quiet as she had a tonne of work to do and a screaming kid was not going to help the headache she could already feel developing at the edge of her temples.

Making her way into her office, she pushed the door closed; at least that would give her somewhat of a buffer from the noise in the reception area.

The morning passed by uneventfully and as promised, Davina kept the noise from the kid mostly in check, although a few times he had let out a high-pitched squeal that seemed to shoot right through her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like children, she just felt there was a time and place for them, and an investigator's office was neither of those.

This latest case was doing her head in; she was sure the wife must have it wrong. Either that or the husband was really good at hiding his affairs. As she sifted through the phone records, there was nothing that wasn’t on the list the wife had given her. None of his accounts appeared to have any transactions out of the ordinary, and unless he was sneaking out the back door of the bathroom at the gym, her surveillance had shown nothing either.

It was a rare occurrence not to find any dirt on a client. By the time their spouse suspected enough to call in an investigator, there was almost always something untoward going on. But this guy... nothing. Not that August could find, anyway.

Staring hard at her computer screen, August rubbed her eyes. She knew she must get her eyes checked soon. She suspected eye strain was the cause of her headaches. It was only vanity holding her back, she supposed, and maybe having to finally admit she was getting older. She hated being in her mid-thirties. Where had her twenties gone? She was working her life away.

“I’m here to see Mercy Belle.”

The male voice she heard in the foyer was familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. With curiosity getting the better of her, she rose from her seat, reasoning that she needed to tear her eyes from the screen for a bit anyway.

“There’s my boy,” she heard Mercy squeal with delight.

“Blue!” The man responded with equal excitement as she rounded the corner to see Mercy fall into the arms of Reese Tucker.

“I didn't know you were coming by,” Mercy gushed in her usual loud voice.

“I was just in the area and thought I’d drop by,” Reese explained as he extricated himself from Mercy’s bear hug.

Mercy grasped both of his hands in hers and took a step back, nodding her head up and down. “You’re looking good. I’m so happy to see you. Phone calls just aren’t the same. You’ve been out with my girl, August, but I haven’t laid eyes on you in the longest time.”

August groaned inwardly to herself as she slinked back to her office, hoping not to be noticed.

“Well, hello there. Who’s this little guy?” She heard Reese’s voice pitch in that familiar I’m talking to a child way.

“This is Logan,” Davina blurted and then continued babbling to her child like she had earlier when introducing him to her.

August pushed her door closed as she couldn’t stand to hear it any longer. It was so grating. Glancing at the clock on the edge of her desk, she figured now was probably a good time to get out of the office for a bit, anyway. She would take herself for a walk downtown and grab a salad. At least that way she could convince herself she was doing something healthy, for a change.

Making sure the coast was clear before she left the office, she darted for the elevator, reaching it just as it was closing. She quickly reached out and tapped the button hard, hoping to trigger the doors to reopen.

“Oh, hey there. I thought I’d missed you,” she heard and looked up, straight into those deep brown eyes she had been trying to avoid. “Going down?” he asked with a smirk.

Why did men always think they were so funny when they said something with a sexual overture?

“Ah, no, actually. I, ah, forgot my purse,” she fumbled, taking a step back.

Reese took a step forward, blocking the doors from closing.

“What’s that then?” he asked, nodding to the offending leather item in her hand.

A blush crept up her cheeks. Why had she said that? She could have come up with a much better excuse. Now he knew she was trying to avoid him.

“Oh, ah, yeah. Right,” she nodded before laughing, trying to appear nonchalant. “I’d forget my head if it weren't screwed on.”

“Well?” Reese moved aside sweeping his hand in an entering gesture.

Against her better judgement she took a step forward, this whole situation was already awkward, there was little point making it worse. Moving into the corner of the elevator, she clutched her purse close to her, it would only be a minute at most, and then they could go their separate ways. No biggie.

The doors closed and Reese turned toward her, a small smile played across his handsome face. “So, here we are together in a confined space.”

“Not for long,” she mumbled, wondering what his point might be.

“We could always grab some lunch together,” he offered. “You are going for lunch, yes?”

Before she could tell him no, she would not like to “grab some lunch” the elevator jerked to an abrupt halt.

“No, no, no, no! You have got to be kidding me.” She slammed the control panel with the palm of her hand.

“Hey, calm down,” Reese soothed, altogether too patiently, as if this weren't a huge disaster. “I’m sure it will be fine in just a minute, yeah? It will be just a glitch.”

Moving back from the panel, August folded her arms across her chest and stared at the ceiling, as if she might see it move when the carriage began working again.

Several minutes of silence ticked by and still no movement. “Maybe we should call for help,” Reese said pulling his mobile phone from his pocket.

“I knew I should have taken the stairs,” August muttered, reaching for her own phone and realising she had left it on her desk. That ought to teach her for being in such a rush to get out of the building. She could picture it, too, sitting atop a pile of files. It was no use to her there.

August watched on as Reese waved his hands in the air while he spoke on the phone as if the person on the other end could see him. She laughed quietly to herself, it always amused her when people did this. She was adept to watching and learning people’s mannerisms. Much of her job was about watching people.

“Well?” she asked as he tucked his phone back in his pocket.

“They said it might be a while. They have to get a technician out.”

“So what are we meant to do? Can we force the doors open?” She gripped the seam of the doors, hoping they might move.

“We just need to be patient,” Reese explained calmly. “It might be a while, but they are aware of the situation.”

“Aware of the situation?” August fumed. “I haven’t got time to be in this situation.”

“Maybe it’s not always about you, August,” his words were bitter as he spat them at her and she recoiled. Was she really that much of a bitch? “We all have things to do. Places to go.”

“So I have to be stuck here with you? Mr. My-life-is-terrible-but-look-at-me-I’m-cute-so-feel-sorry-for-me?”

Reese huffed and shook his head. “I know people like you, August. You think you are the only ones who have ever been touched by personal tragedy and you wear it like a badge.” He held his arms out in front of himself, linking his fingers together. “Don’t come near me. I’m too tough. You can’t penetrate my tough exterior. Do you really think no one knows? Do you honestly think no one can see that? It shines out of you like a flashing beacon in the night, August. It is that obvious.

But it’s not all about you. Other people hurt, too. You’re not the only one that something bad has happened to.”

His words hit her like a sledgehammer, and her back hit the wall of the elevator. Her legs gave way beneath her and she allowed herself to sink to the floor. Tears welled at the edges of her eyes, tears she would never allow to fall. No one had ever spoken to her like that. He was right; she had allowed herself to believe no one could see through her tough exterior. She guarded and protected it with her life. Who even was this man who could see right through her? How had they come to this point in such a short amount of time? How could this perfect stranger see her, when so many others before him never could? Maybe it was just that. Maybe he was a little too perfect.

“And what makes you hurt, Constable Fucker?” she ground out, as she focused her attention at the seam of the closed doors. She wanted to hurt him in return. Why should she be the only one made to feel uncomfortable?

Without looking, she sensed his presence as he slid down to the floor and seated himself beside her.

“Loss makes me hurt. Losing people I love. Seeing their hurt and not being able to fix it.”

She allowed her head to flop to the side and took in Reese’s profile. He was a handsome man. Strong features. Skin she almost couldn’t resist touching. There was just something about a clean-shaven face. But she also saw hurt. His eyes were full of hurt. She had seen that same look in the eyes of many a betrayed partner. Other people’s sadness and hurt had allowed her heart to harden. Once upon a time, she felt empathy towards these people, but the years had worn her down. Now where once she felt sympathy only bitterness remained.

Mercy had eluded to Reese’s “pain.” She’d known he had a story. She just wasn’t so sure she needed to know it, but here they were stuck in this stupid broken-down elevator, for God only knew how long and he apparently wanted to talk. There was little she could do to get away. The can of worms she was happy to keep a lid on was about to be opened, and those slippery little suckers were going to make their way out.

“So, I guess this is where you share your story with me,” she sighed.

“Well, I’d hate to bore you with the woeful tale of my life,” he snapped back to her surprise.

She opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. What could she say? She had been a bitch, and she knew it. Dropping her eyes to the floor in front of her, she began talking.

“My stepfather was a cruel, abusive asshole. You were right about why I hate police so much. His idea of punishment was locking us kids out of the house.

One time when I was a teenager, he decided he didn’t like the way I was dressed so he tore my clothes off and left me to stand outside for hours in my underwear.” She shuddered at the memory. She had huddled, humiliated and cold in the corner of the garage behind the car for hours, trying to avoid the bitterly cold wind that accompanied the winter night. Terrified someone might see her, more than anything else. Even now it was something she loathed to share with anyone.

“My mum would hear nothing of it. She thought he was wonderful. She would say I needed disciplining and if I behaved then Roger wouldn’t need to punish me.

I ran away when I was fifteen. I hitched a ride to the other side of the city where I knew some kids from school hung out. Roger had his cronies, including your mate, Sergeant Truman, come looking for me. They dragged me home and sat me handcuffed at the kitchen table while they berated me with stories of hitchhikers that had been taken and murdered. Explaining in graphic detail all the terrible things that might happen to me.”

Beside her, she felt Reese’s body stiffen slightly, but she went on.

“As soon as I was old enough, I left home and never went back. When he died, my mum tried to get me to go to his funeral. She rang and rang. She even came into the office here. Tried to tell me what a good man Roger was, how he never meant to be so cruel, that he loved me and Trina, my younger sister.

I wouldn’t care if he went on to become a born-again Christian, I would not grace that man with my presence even at his funeral. Unless it was to piss on his grave.”

“Woah,” Reese blew out. “I’m really sorry that happened to you. I never worked with Garrison personally, but others always said he was a good cop. I guess you don’t know what goes on behind closed doors.”

“So, what’s your story?” she asked. Feeling that now she had shared, it was only right to listen to his story.

“Well, it’s nothing like that.” He plunged a hand into his hair and dropped his elbow down to rest on his crooked knee.

“I grew up in the burbs. My ol’ man was a cop, and I always knew I would be one when I grew up too. I married my high-school sweetheart, bought a house, and had a baby; the whole kit and caboodle.”

August leaned back and took him in, her eyes widening. This was not the story she had expected, far from it.

“Kelsey hated my job. She hated my life. She wanted me home. Wanted me to give up my career. It was something I had always wanted. Know what I mean?” he asked her rhetorically as he went on. “She knew when we met I wanted to be a cop. It wasn’t as if I had ever told her she couldn’t be a barista.”

“When Danica was born, I took time off to help her out. She very quickly spiralled into postnatal depression. I tried everything I could. I took her to see the best doctors in town.

She doted on Danica but had no time for me. It was really hard.”

A sickening feeling began to settle in the pit of August’s stomach. She had heard the excuses before, the justifications men used for their cheating, lying ways.

“When Danica died, she blamed it on me. I know it was not my fault, but I blamed myself too. What if I had been home? Maybe if I had helped out more. Maybe she wouldn’t have fallen asleep,” his voice began to crack as he spoke. It sounded like he was holding back tears. “Maybe things would have turned out different. Maybe Danica would still be with us. Kelsey would have gotten better. Eventually.”

“Ah, hang on a minute. Back up. Danica died? As is in Danica, your baby daughter?” The sickening feeling in her stomach was abruptly turning into a churning ache.

Reese nodded his head slowly. “Yes, my baby daughter. It was ruled a sudden infant death of unknown cause, but Kelsey knew the risks. She should never have had her in our bed. I was working night shift when the call came through. I thought it must have been some kind of sick joke. Some kind of attention-seeking thing.”

“Did she usually play games like that?” August asked aghast.

“I could have taken a day job,” Reese continued without answering her. “She had pleaded with me, but I didn’t listen.”

“This isn’t your fault, Reese. How can you blame yourself?” She placed a comforting hand on his upper arm.

He stared obliviously at the elevator doors, lost in his own thoughts. August wasn’t sure if he even knew she was there. His grief was raw. It was a pain she could only imagine.

Every day, she saw relationships broken and spouses’ lives shattered, but the pain she saw on this man’s face was nothing she had encountered before.

“Kelsey refused to speak to me after that day. We got through the funeral. I stayed behind at the funeral parlour to sign the paperwork and when I arrived home, she was gone. Not only had I lost my daughter, but I lost my wife, too.”

August felt her breath catch in the back of her throat.

“So, you see, August. Without taking away from the atrocities that happened to you, you are not the only one who has ever known pain. I have been through hell and back. That doesn’t mean that I get to go around with a chip on my shoulder expecting everyone to move out of my way.”

“Do you think that’s what I’m like?” she asked softly.

“You?” he let out a sharp laugh. “I think you don’t want people to like you. I think it suits you just fine for everyone to think you’re a total bitch. I think it’s easier for you not to let anyone get close to you.”

August smiled to herself. He was right, even if she didn’t like to admit it.

A sudden jarring of the car brought her attention back to the elevator doors as they slid open revealing Mercy and a small group of workmen. A small cheer filled the air as Mercy thanked the men for freeing them.

Reese jumped to his feet and held a hand out to help her up.

“Are you okay?” Mercy asked them both, appearing to hold back her amusement at their predicament.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Hungry.” She shot Reese a look before pushing past him. His words rang in her ears. You don’t want people to like you. Yet something inside of her longed for him to like her.