Chapter 3

At the sound of her ringtone, she sat up straight. Her hair flopped over her face as she looked around the unfamiliar room. Rustling under the sheets drew her attention to the man beside her with an arm over his face. Her cheeks bloomed a shade of pink as she recalled what she had done the night before. What was she thinking, taking a detour on the job? She grabbed her screaming phone and declined the incoming call. 

In a hurry, she pulled on her clothes and ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to look less-thoroughly-fucked and more professional. Charlie took one last look at the sexy man she managed to bed the night before and felt a shiver travel up her spine. As she slipped on her shoes, the bed covers rustled again. She looked up and met his gaze. Green eyes that seemed to bore into her soul and unmask her. 

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked. Keeping her gaze on his face, she tried not to be aware of the way the sheets slid down his chest as he sat up. 

"It's no problem." 

"So, are you free tonight?" She caught herself and frowned. Why was she asking him that? "I meant to ask you to dinner."

"This is only a one time thing, darling, no matter how impressive last night was."

"Right." She did sound desperate which was quite embarrassing. "But it's not a date, I swear. Dinner as friends, at least until I leave town."

He cocked his head to the side, regarding her with a look she could not name. "I apologize."

"I'm beginning to think you're terrified of me. It's just a harmless dinner. What's the worst that could happen?"

"I'm not looking to make friends."

"Do you mean friends in general or just female friends?" She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and the shrill of the electric guitar filled the air between them. 

"It's not like that. I just…"

"So, it is."

The corner of his lips curled up slightly. "Fine. Just one dinner."

"I'll pick you up at six. Not a moment later."

Rolling his eyes, he nodded and waved her off. "You should pick that up."

"See you tonight, Mr Black." Charlie grinned, digging out of her phone.  

Stepping out of the bedroom, she took the stairway down to the living room. Mr Black's home was much too grand for a stripper as she had assumed. His paycheck must be quite a lot to afford a penthouse, she mused, taking in the overview of the city through the large transparent walls. Who exactly was he? It itched her to search him up on the database but that would be an invasion of privacy. 

Making her way to the elevator, she pressed the receiver on the incoming call. "Hey, Jake."

"Where the hell are you? Do you know how worried I was?"

"Sorry," her voice echoed as she stepped into the elevator. She pressed the button to the ground floor. She sniffed herself, making a note to shower after. "Let's meet up and get coffee."

"Starbucks?" 

"Yup, with sandwiches." 

"God, I hate you right now."

The elevator doors opened as a silly grin spread across her face. Charlie stepped out and walked across the busy lobby to the swiveling doors. Looking up, she let out a low whistle, taking in the enormity of the building. It was huge and probably expensive. Living here would be quite nice…

She texted Jake her location and waited for him to arrive. An unmarked black Chevrolet Suburban pulled open a few minutes later. Charlie climbed in and buckled her seat belt. 

"Hello to you too," she mused, grabbing the. wrapped sandwich tucked away in the cup holder and food tray. 

"I got a hold of her boyfriend."

"Peters or Carlyle?"

"Carlyle."

"And the CCTV recordings in the area she was kidnapped?" 

"Should arrive in a few minutes." 

Diane Wilson got kidnapped in New York and was found dead on the borders of Philadelphia. They visited the site where her body was found and where she was presumably kidnapped. Charlie and Jake went on to Diane's apartment where they found that Diane had had several boyfriends but kept contact with two; Joel Peters and Noah Carlyle. Noah Carlyle frequented Sin City, which was Charlie was even that club in the first place. Before she got carried away by the man at the bar, before she decided to go to bed with him. And she was seeing him again tonight. 

A smile teased her lips as she bit into the sandwich Jake bought, thinking of Mr Black. There was that manly confident air about him that made her so attracted to him. She pictured his clean shaven face framed under the dark hair, and when he smiled, a little dimple peeks on his left cheek. Shaking herself, she brushed all thoughts of him away. 

They arrived the condo Noah Carlyle lived in and knocked on the door. The door opened a couple of moments later. A tall, black man gingerly pried the door open, holding the hand of a small girl. Charlie deemed the bright eyed girl to be between the ages of five and seven. She glanced at his fingers for a wedding ring and found none. 

"Noah Carlyle?" Jake said, drawing out his badge. "I'm Agent Spencer and this is Agent Brown."

"Yeah, that's me. You must be the guys who called earlier. Come in." He pushed the door open further and lifted the girl into his arms. 

Noah led Charlie and Jake into the living room where the kid show, SpongeBob SquarePants, played on the television. Charlie glanced around the home, noting how organised it was. The smell of pancakes wafted into the living room, tugging on Charlie's cravings. 

Charlie sat on the couch after Jake did, taken by the personal pictures and art paintings on the walls. So, this is the home of the rich boyfriend.

"The cops came to me the other day and told me about Diane," Noah began, setting the little girl in front of the television. "It's awful, what happened to her." 

Charlie met his steady gaze, noting the sadness in his eyes. "So, what can you tell us about Diane?"