Chapter 1 - The ''skip''

I leisurely flipped the corner of the page of the book I read quietly on the small café’s exterior terrace. The last rays of the sun shone brightly on what was a perfectly normal day for me. I had ordered my usual—a strong cup of coffee and a croissant. I came to this particular café every day for the last month, and the server didn’t even have to ask me what I wanted since I always got the same thing. Hence, the usual.

I was lost in my book when the young man brought my coffee with a smile and quickly dashed to another table to take a customer’s order. Without taking my eyes off the book, I searched for the handle of my mug, and when I found it, I brought the cup to my lips and sipped on the delicious hot liquid. I hummed in delight, then set it back on the table and raised my eyes to survey the terrace. I was technically on duty, waiting for my target to arrive.

The sun was setting, and I didn’t want to stay here longer than necessary. I checked my watch and encouraged myself to give my target a few more minutes before giving up for the day. If they didn’t show up, I would try again tomorrow.

I returned to reading, ignoring the curious stares of men glancing my way. I didn’t understand what warranted their attention in me. I dressed in what I felt were comfortable clothes—I had a pair of stretchy black jeans and a white T-shirt under a brown leather jacket. I wore ankle-high military-styled boots with the top of my socks sticking out. I had done my hair in a messy bun, a couple of wisps of black strands falling close to my face. I hadn’t even bothered to put makeup on. I didn’t think of myself as a particularly beautiful woman. I wasn’t like most girls in the city, who were graceful and slender. I was small in height but had a toned body that could pack a punch and bring down a brick wall. I was often considered too tomboyish by other girls, and guys found me intimidating. I was mysterious enough to approach yet too threatening to have a relationship with. But I didn’t mind being different, and finding a decent guy in my line of work was rare.

As I continued reading my book, a man’s gruff voice interrupted my thoughts. “Now, what’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone in a pretty place like this?” he said.

I internally groaned and rolled my eyes, having heard that line too many times before. Seriously, guys needed to have better pickup lines. I ignored him and resumed reading, hoping he would leave me alone. However, the man wasn’t easily deterred. He came closer and pulled out the chair in front of me.

“Are you waiting for someone, sweetheart?”

“Not interested, Guy. I’m just here to enjoy my coffee and my book, which, coincidentally, you’re ruining for me. Why don’t you go bother some other poor girl? I’m sure plenty of women here are desperate for male attention,” I replied curtly, hoping he would take the hint and leave.

Despite my uninviting response, the man still didn’t want to leave. I sighed in frustration and closed my book, ready to give him a piece of my mind. But when I looked up at the bothersome person, I was surprised to see that it was the guy I was there to meet.

Well, this would be interesting.

He stood tall, at least six feet, with dark brown hair and a chiselled jawline that looked like a Greek God sculpted it. His skin was perfectly tanned, and his deep-set blue eyes had a magnetic quality that could make any girl swoon. However, his arrogant smirk and ladies’ man demeanour were a complete turnoff for me. Not forgetting to mention he had broken parole and missed his court date for embezzling ten million dollars from Harrington and Leigh Corporation, where he used to work as a financial analyst. In addition to that, he had sold private information from the company on the black market for a large sum of money.

Yeah, that guy was a sleaze, and I was here to bring him to the nearest police station.

I mustered the sweetest smile I could and pretended to be surprised at being in the presence of such a good-looking man. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” I said, trying to sound shy. “I didn’t catch your name.”

He ran his eyes over my body, lingering a little too long at my breasts, before flashing me a flirtatious smile. “My name’s Mike, darling. But you didn’t answer my question,” he winked.

“I was waiting for you,” I said, seeking confirmation before proceeding. “Mike, is that short for Michael, by any chance?”

“Michael Umbridge,” he said, extending his hand.

Gotcha.

I shook his hand and licked my lips. “I’m Max. It’s nice to meet you.”

Mike chuckled at my introduction and moved closer to me, brushing against my side. “Would that be short for Maxine?” he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

“Not quite, but close. My name is Maxime, actually. It’s French,” I replied with a smile, ignoring his sudden proximity.

“Hmm, sounds exotic,” Mike remarked, his eyes lingering on me. “Are you free tonight? I’d like to take you out,” he added with a suggestive grin.

Yeah, not going to happen. You’ll be behind bars before you know it, I thought.

I looked briefly into Mike’s eyes, letting his offer sink in. When I didn’t reply, he continued to coax me. “It’ll be a night you won’t soon forget,” he added, his voice low and seductive.

I grinned. Mike’s proposition intrigued me—not that it mattered since I wouldn’t be going out with him, but I was still curious about what he thought would make it worth my wild.

“And what would that look like?” I asked tentatively as I swirled my finger over the rim of my coffee cup. I bit my lower lip and looked at him under my long lashes.

“I’ll take you to a pleasant restaurant, drink some wine, then maybe a walk in the park and after, we could go back to my place…” Mike placed his hand over my thigh and slowly slid it upward.

Wine, dine, and sex. Wow, that guy was really straightforward. Either he thought I was easy, or he really thought highly of himself.

I looked across the table at Michael, and I felt a tinge of regret. We had been fooling around for a little while, and I was starting to enjoy it. It made me nostalgic for the days when I was carefree and could date whoever I wanted. But, I knew I had to cut to the chase.

“Sounds dreamy,” I said, “but I’m afraid I have a strict policy against dating felons. You’ve been a bad boy, Michael. I’m going to have to bring you in.” I placed his bail papers on the table, and as soon as he saw them, Mike shot up from his chair and jumped over the small fence that separated the terrace from the sidewalk.

I let out a groan. I never liked it when they ran. “Why can’t they just come with me without resistance?” I mumbled to myself as I threw some money on the table and followed my target. Mike was fast, but I was faster.

He turned left into an alley, which I knew was a dead end. I had done my research before my monthly stakeout and had laid out the entire sector in case this happened. He had just unknowingly cornered himself.

Mike was approximately five feet away from me. I turned the corner and dashed forward, tackling him to the ground. He fought back, elbowing me in the face, and I recoiled a little from the pain and surprise. It was rare for a guy to get the better of me. I preferred to be in charge. I felt my lip split from the blow, and blood was dripping from my chin.

I didn’t want him to slip out of my grip, so I snaked up behind him and placed his head in a headlock. He lifted himself up, me hanging from his back like a backpack. Mike quickly backed into the brick wall behind us, hitting me in the process.

“You sure know how to show a girl a good time,” I grunted as I recovered from the hit. My back throbbed with pain, but I couldn’t let him go. “You’re coming with me whether or not you like it.”

“I’ll double… no, triple the amount you’ll get for bringing me in. You know I have the money if you read my file,” Mike croaked as I put more pressure on his neck. “You don’t understand… if they find me… I’m as good as dead… I’m fighting for something bigger than all of us…”

That was what they always said. None of my “skips” ever wanted to go to jail. They always had good reasons not to show up at their court dates, and they almost sounded like a broken record. If they didn’t want to be in this situation, they should’ve been good citizens and followed the law.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, darling.”

I used my legs to push off the wall and made Mike take a nosedive toward the ground once more. I twisted one of his flailing arms in his back and pulled it up. I knew the pressure it was creating was painful, but when he didn’t calm down and stopped wiggling, I repositioned myself on top, grabbed one of his legs, and pulled it up, immobilizing him.

“How are you so strong? You’re tiny!” Mike breathed out, his cheek against the asphalt.

“Why thank you. Now, I’m going to cuff you, and you’ll come with me to the station.”

“Please, you can’t! Believe me… They’re vampires! They’ve created synthetic blood and are marketing it as something else! The information I sold was about blood production and its use. I have a list of names. If you bring me to jail, they’ll find me and kill me!”

I had to hand it to him. I had never heard a story like that before. I gave Mike points for creativity.

“You expect me to believe you stole ten million dollars from a vampire organization?” I asked, skeptical. “I mean, I’m not saying I believe you, but really, why would you steal from them if you knew they were vampires?”

I didn’t believe in vampires, and if such creatures existed, I wouldn’t have stuck around, much less stolen from them unless I had a death wish.

“Harrington and Leigh Corporation deals with a lot of eccentric things, I’ll give you that. It’s a multi-billion dollar empire, but that’s hardly any proof of them being vampires. The only thing they suck is rich people’s money. I’ll ask that you get checked by a doctor. You may have hit your head when I pushed you down, which would explain the nonsense you’re spewing.”

After placing the cuffs on him, I helped Mike up and pushed him toward the alley exit. I had had enough for the day and was looking forward to bringing Mike to the station, getting my paperwork signed by the police, and collecting my bounty back at the shop. However, my plans were interrupted when two black SUVs flanked my car as we neared my old VW Beetle. My heart raced as I quickly shoved Mike into the back seat and hurriedly closed the door. As I turned around, I was met with an extremely tall man dressed in a black two-piece suit, sunglasses, and an earpiece. More people poured out of the cars, all dressed in the same fashion.

Now what?