Whoa.

When I wake up the next morning, in my own bed, I’m amazed as I realize what happened last night. I spin over onto my side and see the most beautiful woman in the world lying next to me. It makes me giddy. Of course, I know this is bad. I’m not fucking stupid, but it feels so good being next to her

Maybe I shouldn’t keep beating myself up about it. I know mixing business with pleasure, but this job has turned out to be more than a little unusual. Doesn’t that at least kind of excuse it?

I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that Nadia has started to fill the hole in my heart. Oddly, she makes me feel complete, and I don't know what is going to happen with that.

This isn’t the time to be thinking about the two of us. I need to focus on the case and what to do about it.

With that in mind, I slip from the bed and into the shower. I need a moment alone to try and figure things out. Hot water pours over my head, opening up my brain and letting me think. This is the place where I’m most content in the world, and where I get all of my best thinking done. When I’m in here, locked away with only my thoughts for company, I can become a criminal mastermind—and today I need that more than ever.

Before long, I realize what we need to do.

As concerned as I am about the person who tried to pin this on Nadia, I don't know where to start finding them. How the hell do you hunt for a needle in a haystack? So I figure the best place to begin with is the evidence. One, because it might lead me to the culprit. It might give me a clue, and two because I don't want the cops to have anything on Nadia. I think I got rid of it all, but of course I can’t be a hundred percent certain and that scares me. One of my biggest jobs is to keep her out of trouble, and I’ll do whatever I can to achieve that.

I might not be relishing the idea of going to the police station, and stealing evidence, but I think that I might have to. There won’t be anything left at the house, of that I can be sure. The cops will have cleared the whole place out—so this is the only way. It won’t be the first time that I’ve done something this dangerous at a police station, and honestly it doesn’t get any easier.

Now I’ve got to tell Nadia the plan...

I sigh deeply as I towel dry my body, and for a brief second my mind flickers back to last night. Nadia’s body arching against mine, pressed up against me, buckling under the sheer intensity of her orgasm racing through her…that was the sexiest damn thing that I’ve ever seen, and I hope more than anything that I’ll get to see it again.

I don't know what it is about Nadia, why she seems to be different than every other chick, but she is. I don't think that it’s just because she’s either. II really feel like there’s more to it, but I’m not totally ready to deal with any of that just yet.

I make my way back into the bedroom and find her stirring, slowly waking up, and I can’t help but smile to myself. Even in the morning when she first wakes up, she’s the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen.

“Morning beautiful.” I move towards her. “Did you sleep well?”

“Better than ever,” she replies, leaning up to kiss me. As her lips meet mine, I realize that in a way we’re already acting kind of couple-y... and that I actually don't mind it.

What the hell has happened to me?

“How about you?” she asks.

“Yeah, good, thanks,” I reply. “I’ve just been thinking about what we should do next, and I think we need to head back to the police station.”

“What? Why?” She gasps, pulling back away from me. “Do I have to turn myself in? Oh my God, what the hell am I going to do?”

“No, no, no,” I do my best to reassure her before her panic gets out of control, and she grips tightly to my hands, staring at me, her face a mask of fear. “Nothing like that. What I need to do is get hold of the evidence that the cops have, I need to know what they’ve got to see how much they actually have proving that it could be you... and I also want some clues as to who it might have actually been.”

“Okay,” she replies slowly.

“Do you have any ideas?” I ask her once more, knowing that it’s fruitless. “Can you think of anyone who might have a grudge against you?”

I’m not ruling out that it might be someone against me yet, but I figure that I might as well cover every single angle. She simply shakes her head, looking totally bewildered.

“Okay, just thought I’d check. You want to get dressed? The sooner we get this accomplished, the better.”

* * *

When we arrive at the police station, I sense Nadia trembling next to me. I slip my hand in hers, entwining our fingers, hoping I can reassure her. She looks up at me, shooting me that lovely smile. Even though she’s trying to be brave, I can tell that she’s scared.

“Don't worry,” I whisper, kissing her cheek. “This will only be a short while and everything will be okay, I promise.” Of course I’m not positive I can keep that promise, but I’m confident enough in my abilities to say it aloud.

As we walk through the door, I see a clerk sitting at the desk, one I’ve dealt with before. The guy’s a dirtbag. He likes to think of himself as above anyone else, and he also assumes that he’s completely irresistible to women, which gives me an idea.

“Hey Nadia, go and flirt with that guy.” I point to him, and she gives me an odd look.

“Just enough to distract him. I need to get past him, that’s all. Do you think you can manage that?”

She doesn’t look convinced, but she nods, and I’m going to have to accept that as an okay. I only need her to do it for a few moments.

I hang back as she makes her way over to him, and though I can’t hear what’s being said, I can already tell from his body language that he’s captivated by her..

To be fair, Nadia is so beautiful that she doesn’t really need to do a lot to grab his attention. Her eyes, her face, that body... it all does the hard work for her. All she needs to do is stand there and look good.

While she talks, I do my best to ignore the irrational stab of jealousy that pierces my heart, and I make my way into the next room. I don't know why I’m feeling bad, after all I told Nadia to go flirt with the guy. It’s not like she wanted to, and it isn’t like I have any right to feel that way anyway... so what the hell is wrong with me? A question I seem to be asking myself more and more frequently since Nadia has come into my life.

It doesn’t take long to find the box of stuff I’m looking for, the items relating to this case. Since it’s so new and they have no answers, it’s all left in plain view making it incredibly easy for me to go through.

I rifle through the evidence, grabbing at bits randomly, but luckily it looks like I did a good job of getting rid of anything that linked the murder to Nadia, because I can’t see anything that would pin it on her...

Wait! What’s that?

My eyes suddenly notice an odd looking tape, one that looks like it’s come from a traffic cam, and I can’t help but be intrigued. Not only is this unusual, but it’s also marked ‘inconclusive’, which suggests it might have something on it. Since Nadia was driven along to the property in a van, I have a feeling that this might be able to lead me to whoever is responsible...

This is more useful to me than it is to the police, so I have no qualms with slipping it into my jacket pocket. I also grab a couple of other things that might prove useful and rapidly make my exit. I cannot stay here too long. Best not to push my luck. I don’t want to get caught in there. That wouldn’t help Nadia one bit.

I walk out of the room with confidence, so that if I do get caught I can act like I’m supposed to be here, then I brush past Nadia as I go, hoping that she’ll get the hint that it’s time to leave.

“Okay, well, thanks for all your help,” I hear her say with a lilt to her voice, one that suggests she’s committing to the role well. Then she sidles up next to me, and I sense she’s as eager as I am to get the hell out of there.

“Mrs. Novikov,” we suddenly hear a distinctive voice call out from behind us, and my heart sinks. I was hoping that we would be able to get in and out of here undetected... especially by her. “Mr. Smith.”

I spin around with a big, fake grin on my face to greet her. “Officer Whitfield, how nice to see you again. I’m here with my client to try and find out what’s going on. We haven’t heard anything yet and we’d like to have all the information.”

“Well, I’m glad that you’re here, because I have some news for you.” I can hear Nadia suck in a deep breath of air, which I force myself to ignore. I need to remain professional and distant from her if this story is going to be believed. Any hint that we’ve overstepped a boundary will blow our cover totally. “Mrs. Novikov, your husband’s body has been released by the forensics team so you can now move on with funeral arrangements, etc. In fact, the team is here right now if you would like to go ahead and set things up with them?”

“Oh... erm okay...” I can tell that she’s totally unprepared for this, but fortunately she manages to pull herself together and agree.

I watch in dismay as someone leads her away, hoping that she can get through this in one piece without me, but for the purposes of keeping up appearances I have to stay behind. Unfortunately, Officer Whitfield stays with me.

“So how is she?” She asks, nudging me as if we’re friends, which makes me feel very uncomfortable. “Is she holding up okay?”

“I think so,” I reply sharply, trying to give her the hint that I really don't want to speak to her, but she doesn’t take it. “I don't get involved in my client’s personal life, Officer Whitfield.”

“Please, call me Karen,” she smiles widely at me, causing the hairs on my arm to stand on end. “I’ve been doing a bit of background research on you, Alexi Smith,” as she speaks, I feel like she might know more than she’s letting on. “And I feel like your qualifications are more for the sort of man who kills people for a living... not a lawyer.”

My heart races frantically in my chest, and I have to gulp down a mass of emotion, but I do what I can to keep all of that inside. She might know too much, or she might just suspect, but whatever it is I need to act like she’s just trying to rile me up.

“I’m a man of many talents,” I reply through a thin smile. “Jack of all trades, and all that.”.”

Luckily, before she can ask me any further, Nadia returns back to my side and we quickly make our escape, but the thought doesn’t leave me for even one second that Karen Whitfield is someone I need to keep an eye on...