What Lies Beneath

Chapter 18

Beats of sweat were forming at the base of her skull–Olivia has shrugged off her jacket on the second step she took on the sidewalk. Her car is still in the shop–apparently Olivia had done quite a number on the poor old thing. The excess payment alone was enough to make her swear a blue streak. Not even thinking about the hike her insurance premium was going to take with that little stunt.

And of course, the bus was running late.

She was just about to get a bottle of cold water from the convenience store across the road when the black Mustang pulled up to the sidewalk in front of her. With the day she has had, she wasn’t sure what to expect when Mason got out and stood in front of her.

“I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.

Nodding, “Me too.”

He gave her a little half smile and motioned to the car. “Can I offer you a ride?”

Olivia looked at the people, who in moments, would press their sweat-slicked bodies against hers.

“Yes! Please.” Olivia sighed in contentment when the crisp air from Mustang’s air-con hit her face. Yes, Olivia decided, this was a good idea. She tilted her head up so the air could cool her neck, her eyes closed in utter bliss.

Mason chuckled at her reaction. “It’s a scorcher today.”

“Thank you for the lift.” She opened just one eye to look at him, her head still tilted backward.

Nodding, “Have you had dinner yet?”

“No.”

The diner was quaint and smelled of grease. Olivia’s mouth watered as a server glided past them with juicy burgers and thick milkshakes.

“I want that,” she said, pointing to the food on the tray.

With his eyes still following the food, Mason said. “Come on, let’s get a table before the dinner rush hits.” He led them to a quiet booth in the back. Olivia placed her jacket on the bench next to her and slid in. Appearing out of nowhere, a tiny brunette beamed at them “Welcome to Macy’s. My name is Angela, and I’ll be your server.”

Without picking up the menu, Olivia placed her order. “I’ll have a burger, medium, and a bubblegum shake, thank you.” Olivia handed the server her menu. She looked over at Mason, who held up his. “I’ll have the same, but with a Stella.”

“Coming up.” She said before she turned to place their orders.

“An apology and a burger. You must really feel bad,” she teased.

He gave her a lopsided grin that was sure to become a favorite. “Turns out I wasn’t actually mad at you.”

“Yeah?” Olivia took a little too much satisfaction from that–she was heading down a slippery slope.

“Kat had told me what happened at The Bar on Friday, so I was already annoyed with the asshole. When I saw his hands on you this morning, I just saw red.”

Her mind was racing. Was Mason really into her? Before she could respond, he continued. “Truth is, I’ve been annoyed with him for some time now.”

“Why is that?”

“A while back, he slept with a girl I’d been seeing.”

“What? That’s awful.”

He shrugged “It wasn’t serious between us or anything but still…” he trailed off.

“But still, d**k move,” Olivia finished.

“Yeah.”

Their drinks arrived. “Your food will be ready in a few.”

Olivia almost felt like a kid again with the first sip of the sickly sweet shake. She couldn’t recall the last time she had a milkshake.

“Good?” Mason asked.

“Mmm. It’s been a long time.” She grinned. “Any news on the Weser case?”

“Have an interview booked with that nurse for tomorrow. How’s the Holden case shaping up?”

Olivia groaned.

“That good?” He chuckled.

“I’m telling you, that prick of a lawyer is going to give me an ulcer. He refuses any interviews until Finley’s DNA results get back.”

“And Suzie’s sister? Was she any help?”

“Not really, she’s still sticking to her original statement. Not to mention that Edwards is conveniently representing her as well. Until that DNA comes back, I’m sitting on my hands.”

He opened his mouth to say something reassuring, but juicy burgers and crispy fries had effectively put a hold on their conversation.

Stuffed, nauseatingly stuffed. Olivia looked up at Mason. She wanted to praise his brilliant idea but caught him staring at her, intently.

“You should eat better, Olivia,” he said.

“What?”

Shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts he said. “Never mind. You did?”

“Yes.” Reaching for her jacket, Olivia pulled out her wallet.

“It’s on me.”

“I can pay for myself.”

“I know, but this is part of my apology.”

“Thank you, Mason.”

“You’re welcome.”

The entire ride home took less than ten minutes. They didn’t say much, and Olivia’s thoughts were far too occupied with what this really meant. Was it just an apology? New friends sharing a meal? She knew she was being a hypocrite; telling Daniels that she didn’t date coworkers all the while sitting here hoping for more from Mason. She has never wanted more from someone, but Mason was different somehow. With every quick conversation or glance in his direction, she relived a feeling she hasn’t known in a very long time.

Warmth.

When they came to a stop in front of her building, Mason broke the silence. “Do you want me to walk you up?” There was no suggestiveness to his offer - he was merely being polite.

“No, I’ll manage. I had a pleasant time. Thank you.”

The crooked smile strikes again. “Me too. Good night, Olivia.”

If she was smart, she’d stay away from Mason - preoccupied with that thought, and all the logistics that went along with it, she mechanically went through the motions of walking, pulling her keys from her pocket, unlocking the door and dropping the keys back into her jacket pocket. She paused the moment she opened the door to her dark apartment - she had the strangest feeling, a tickling sensation at the base of her skull.

A shiver ran down her spine when she identified the feeling for what it was.

She wasn’t alone.

On high alert, she stood rooted with only one foot over the threshold. Lowering into a crouch, she soundlessly placed her jacket on the floor, and reached for her g*n, slowly and deliberately not to make any noise. Her hands were calm and sure while her insides quivered.

Her eyes swept across the shadowed room, taking in the shapes and lines of the apartment. Everything seemed to be in its proper place. She had sympathy for the person who had the misfortune to break into her apartment - except for clothes and alcohol. There really wasn’t much more to make a decent buck on. The space was eerily quiet - they might have realized they picked the wrong apartment and left already. A few minutes will be all a person needs to realize the break-in would not be profitable–however, she doesn’t experiment with buts and maybes. Suppressing the urge to switch on all the lights in the room, she took a deep, shaky breath to suppress it. A sense of vulnerability accompanied her next step - that one little movement had dissolved the false sense of security she had felt before.

Olivia could not stop the startled scream when a voice broke through the darkness. “Hello, Olivia.” Her arms swung into the direction of the voice. Living room. “You can put that away, Love. I’m not looking to die today.”

Her heart was hammering in her chest. “Who are you?” She was pleased to hear her steady voice. Because Lord knew Olivia didn’t feel as steady right about now.

“Now, what fun would that be if I just told you?” Inching closer with her g*n still pointed, she saw the outline of a man sitting in her one-seater.

“Are you armed?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Come on, Detective. If I wanted to kill you, you’d have been dead the moment you stepped through that door.”

“Why are you sitting in the dark?”

The outline shrugged its shoulders “Element of surprise. Dramatic effect.”

Now that she knew where he was, Olivia retraced her steps - keeping him in sight. She held the g*n with one hand while the other fumbled along the wall, searching for the light switch. The light blinded her for a split second before her eyes recovered from the sudden assault.

In her chair, a very familiar face sat grinning at her stunned expression.

“Finley?”