Cravings For Her

Agent Pierce

Louis' POV

I finished signing the last bit of paperwork I had left. I checked my watch to see that the clock had just struck seven. It was time to retire for the day. Today was different from the hollowness I had grown accustomed to. Today was interesting. It had not gone the way I had wanted it to go.

I pulled open my table drawer and took out her file. I opened it and scanned its contents. The résumé was impressive. I had always caught myself wondering where she disappeared to that night she had come to my doorstep. She had always been the type to never give up, but not even that could make me forget what her mother had done.

In a wheel, I had slammed the door in her face. On the tenth anniversary of my father's disappearance, my mum had a breakdown after seeing her again. I saw her too, in a car. I found out she had a good job and dared to be living well. She was the object of my anger after that. At least I had something to take my mind off Jennie and… No, they were never really mine. I should come to terms with that by now.

But Zoraya Pierce was mine now. She was mine to toy with as I pleased and to destroy once I was done. I would soon break down the walls of indifference that she was putting up. I knew her by now; she hated me just as I hated her. She had not forgotten me either; she even remembered that I liked cinnamon. It had been like that once when we were younger. It had taken a few sweet words to sway her. Words that, till now, I refused to believe were ever true.

I had a taste of the forbidden fruit once before. I was punished for it. This time around it would be different. I would make sure of it. I would use her as she had used me. She could lie all she wanted, but I would lure out that b***h, Agatha. In the end, I would win.

*****

As the elevator door began to slide open, I heard someone call out, "Please wait!" I pressed the button and gave her time to enter.

"Thank you," she muttered as the doors began to close again.

I said nothing and let silence reign as we waited for the elevator to take us down. A phone rang, and it turned out to be hers. She pulled it out of her bag and strangely put it back. The wait was not long, but it did not take long for her scent to be hitched into my memory all over again. She still carried a scent of vanilla; simple but sweet.

The elevator came to a stop, but before the doors opened, she asked, "Your bag, sir?"

I looked at her and then at the bag before giving it to her. Afterward, we stepped out when the doors finally opened.

"See you in the morning, Sir," Eloise greeted with a small wave.

I nodded to her in acknowledgment and walked on with Zoe at my tail. We got to my car, and I unlocked it with my remote. I collected the bag from her and placed it in the passenger's seat. I entered and let her slam the door closed. She did it with a bit more force than necessary. I smiled to myself a bit, seeing her mask slip just a little to reveal the anger hidden beneath the surface. She took a step back so that I could zoom off. I watched her through the mirror as she started toward her own car.

I got a phone call at that moment and picked it up, knowing who it would be. "The Viper is available, boss." I cut the call, not waiting for more, and took a U-turn to the other parking lot exit. I passed by Zoe as she picked up a call of her own.

"On my way, baby," she told the person, a pleasant smile spreading across her face.

*****

**Zoe's POV**

It was around midnight when I got back home from him, and I was still in a pretty good mood, but now it was time for business. After taking a quick shower and freshening up, I went to my desk and took a seat. I pulled out the top drawer and picked out what I needed. I put it in my ear. I looked up at my clock and counted down the seconds. 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The device beeped, and I pressed a button to accept the call.

"Agent Pierce?"

"Ma'am," I replied.

"How was your first day?"

"Uneventful," I answered shortly, as the commander liked.

"Anything you noticed?" she asked.

"No, nothing as of yet."

There was a pause. "Alright then, but remember who is at stake if you fail."

"I know."

"That will be all."

"Understood," the call was cut, leaving a beep as it did.

I rested on my chair, my head falling back, and I closed my eyes. So much was at stake; so many innocent lives. It was time that I stopped concentrating so much on Louis. This was not about revenge but about justice, and if at the end of the day I just so happen to have the satisfaction of seeing Louis Rodriguez behind bars...

I took out his case file and gave it another look. LOUIS RODRIGUEZ was the suspect in several tragedies. First is the murder of his first wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Sofia. The incident occurred months after their ugly divorce. Jennifer had accused Louis of being emotionally and physically abusive, which made Louis a suspect when she and the daughter she had won custody of mysteriously ended up in a ghastly car accident. The car was completely obliterated, but Jennifer had been paranoid beforehand, believing that her life was in danger. This brought to light the other incidents that involved the women in Louis' life.

His business partner and rumored lover, Antonia Sanchez, had been shot in the head at point-blank range in her Paris hotel one week after her company ended its partnership with Everett. And Sharon Bastille, who was his best friend Kyle Bastille's wife, had 'thrown herself' out of one of the windows of a seventy-story building. After investigation, it was revealed that Sharon and Louis had communicated way more than their relationship required. Phone calls up to three times a day and the last person she had spoken to before her 'suicide' was none other than Louis Rodriguez. But not once was he found anywhere near the crime scene, which gave the authorities reason to believe that he had help but not just any type of help. The DNA of the mercenary called 'The Viper' was found under Sharon's nails, which meant only one thing; the Mafia. Marcelo, Louis' father, had ties to the criminal underground until his disappearance. And who else would fill his shoes other than his son? Everett might deal in pharmaceuticals, but there were things shadier under the surface, and it was about time to unveil them.

The reason why Louis was so 'valuable' to the investigation was not just because of the murders but because of the increase in kidnapping cases over the past year without the discovery of any bodies. Most victims were women and children, which meant that human trafficking was involved, or at least that's what we thought until three people were found after six months of having gone missing. Two of them were dead with their bodies in peculiar conditions. The coroner revealed that they had begun to decompose long before they died, and they also had an unknown drug in their system. After further analysis, it was found to be a concentrated form of a new dangerous narcotic. The last victim, a thirty-nine-year-old man by the name of Will Stanley, had been alive long enough to murmur "Viper" before he flatlined. With the location of the rest still unknown, our best bet would be to investigate a possible member of the evil organization to get to the truth of the matter. If a man could call for the death of his ex-wife and his OWN CHILD, then it was better to assume he would have the stomach to do more atrocious things.