Ari’s POVI didn’t realize how much my life was coming back together.The precinct was buzzing with energy by the time I arrived the next day. Officers clapped my back, voices overlapping in praise, and for once, I allowed myself to soak in the moment. "Damn, Walsh. You really pulled off a show back there!" one of the officers, Turner, whistled. "It was like something out of a damn movie."Gina grinned beside me. "You should've seen yourself, Ari. Flipping tables, dodging bullets, taking down those men like a goddamn superhero."I chuckled, shaking my head. "It wasn’t that dramatic."Turner scoffed. "Oh, please. You literally saved that guy—what’s his name? Derek? The one who kissed you?"I froze mid-step. Gina smirked. "Oh, we all saw it."I didn’t realize they were still hanging around that night.I groaned. "Great. So now my hero moment is overshadowed by that."Before anyone could continue their teasing, Lady Smith stepped in, arms crossed, a rare smirk tugging at her lips. "Det
Ari's Pov My days went back to normal. At least, as normal as they could be."Hey, Detective Walsh.""What are you doing after work today, Detective Walsh?""Have dinner with me, Detective Walsh."The guys from the station never gave up, and if I was being honest, their persistence was getting old.I shot them a tired smile. "Sorry. I have plans.""With Derek, I assume?" Turner said, his voice dripping with sarcasm."As a matter of fact, yes." I admitted, a small smile playing at the corner of my lips."Oooh, what do you guys have planned?" Gina perked up."He didn't say. Just that he wanted to see me." I shrugged. "And guys, no more questions okay? We've got work to do.""Whatever, Walsh." Turner chuckled. "Have fun on your date."I rolled my eyes. "It's not a date.""Whatever you say."I ignored him, focusing on the case file in front of me.As the day wore on, my curiosity grew even more. I wanted to know what Derek had planned? What surprised he was cooking this time, but as the
Ari’s POVI woke up to an empty bed.For a second, I thought I was dreaming. My hand stretched across the mattress, fingers grazing nothing but cold sheets. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim morning light seeping through my curtains. I sat up, blinking away the haze of sleep, scanning the room.Derek was gone.A strange feeling crept up my spine. I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened the night before. We had gone out for drinks, talked about everything and nothing at all, but beyond that?Again, it began to come together bit by bit - the surprise date, the beautiful dinner and then…Then…Did it happen? My memory was a blur. Not in a drunken, irresponsible way, but in a… murky kind of way. Like something was intentionally misplaced in my mind. I couldn’t exactly tell if we had done anything the previous night. Yes, Derek and I had history, but then…Things were different now.Anyway, I shook the thought away and got up, heading for the shower. ***At work, everything c
ARI’s POVCold rage spun through me at the sight I was witnessing.I'd just gone to the restroom for a break. It had been less than 10 freaking minutes since I left.Yet now, Jonathan, my boyfriend, was openly flirting with the waitress on our seat, ogling her while she accepted his advances.He was cheating on me so openly, and on my birthday dinner no less.I'd seen the flirtatious messages on his phone on occasion, heard his apologies time and time again, but this?This was the last straw. I was done.I strutted back to the table, receiving their startled looks. Jonathan looked stricken as if he'd forgotten I existed.“Baby-” I cut him off before he could say anything more. Staring at the number on the napkin, no doubt from the blonde waitress a bitter smirk crawled up my lips.“We're done.” I snapped. Grabbing my purse I stormed out of the restaurant, meeting the cold evening air.I didn't bother carrying a car here because he was driving me. Now I was left to walk the streets alo
ARI’s POVAs I rushed to my home, to change, the aches followed me. Heat rushed to my cheeks knowing the reason why.The memories of last night were fuzzy, but not gone. I was in control of my actions. The pleasure and aches that swam around me back then was something I'd never felt before.I shook my head frantically. I couldn't think about that right now. Not when there was something important going on.I quickly got dressed in my gear before leaving home. Terra Street wasn't too far from where I was and I wasted no time in getting there.The moment I was near I could already hear the gunshots from a distance.I moved into action, managing to tackle one of the thugs from behind and knock him out before anyone could notice. Sneaking in through the other side, I shot at them from behind, fighting the ones that came near before knocking them out. Any pains from before were numb as adrenaline pumped through me.By the time the rest of the team spotted me, I managed to take down a few o
ARI’s POVShocked was an understatement as I gaped at the man from last night.He looked calm and collected, like it was normal to be here. It made irritation and questions rise, the most visible one being;What was he doing here?His gaze seemed to rove over me before his lips quirked up into a smug looking smirk. It was like a kick to reality.Had I been staring this whole time?My heart hammered in my chest as I turned away. Maybe I'd gone far enough for today.“Going somewhere?” he said, stopping me before I could leave.I clenched my jaw defensively.“What are you doing here?” I demanded,“Is it a crime to relax in a back alley?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Irritation crawled up my veins.“It does when it involves stalking.” I said.Instead he leaned in, a smile on his face.“Very presumptuous of you…Detective,” he purred. A shiver ran through me at his words.“Maybe it's a coincidence that we met again. Maybe I am a stalker. Maybe I've gone crazy after the night we had.”A gas
ARI’S POV“You again?” I spoke incredulously, my heart hammering in shock.Once could have simply been a coincidence, but meeting him twice?“Hey, wait-”Uncaring of everything else, I tore my hand away from him and brought out my gun.“What the hell do you want from me?” I stood on guard.It would have been better if he'd gotten angry but all he did was chuckle.“I don't think such drastic measures are necessary cara,” he said. Again that word. I had taken basic Italian lessons to know what that meant.Darling.And the way it rolled off his tongue…‘No.’I couldn't lose my guard, no matter how attractive this man was, this was bordering on stalking.“Not when you've been stalking me.” I spat out.“Would you believe me if I really did say that I found your location through legal means?” he said, stepping forward.I backed away, still on guard as he pulled out something from his pocket.“You left this at the hotel.” he said,I looked down cautiously to find my office ID card. I'd never
ARI’s POVNever would I have imagined that one day I would end up in a situation like this.My gaze narrowed to the third one in view, the same man I recognized.Joe Kanner, one of the perps who had escaped my custody, punching and spitting on me before leaving.‘Karma is a bitch now,’I took one last look at the Stranger. He was propped on the other car end, gun raised.The moment we made eye contact I felt a synergy between us. It was an unspoken contact.I nodded in a silent signal before turning back.It was time.I stepped out of the other door of the car and didn't hesitate to start shooting.I was good at close combat but my best feature? My aim.Without hesitation I shot at everyone in my vicinity, starting with the man from before first along with two others.The other half scattered and tried to shoot, leaving me to run and duck down against the nearest building to avoid it. Another gunshot followed by the sight of Cross told me he'd taken another one down.‘Five more to go
Ari’s POVI woke up to an empty bed.For a second, I thought I was dreaming. My hand stretched across the mattress, fingers grazing nothing but cold sheets. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim morning light seeping through my curtains. I sat up, blinking away the haze of sleep, scanning the room.Derek was gone.A strange feeling crept up my spine. I wasn’t entirely sure what had happened the night before. We had gone out for drinks, talked about everything and nothing at all, but beyond that?Again, it began to come together bit by bit - the surprise date, the beautiful dinner and then…Then…Did it happen? My memory was a blur. Not in a drunken, irresponsible way, but in a… murky kind of way. Like something was intentionally misplaced in my mind. I couldn’t exactly tell if we had done anything the previous night. Yes, Derek and I had history, but then…Things were different now.Anyway, I shook the thought away and got up, heading for the shower. ***At work, everything c
Ari's Pov My days went back to normal. At least, as normal as they could be."Hey, Detective Walsh.""What are you doing after work today, Detective Walsh?""Have dinner with me, Detective Walsh."The guys from the station never gave up, and if I was being honest, their persistence was getting old.I shot them a tired smile. "Sorry. I have plans.""With Derek, I assume?" Turner said, his voice dripping with sarcasm."As a matter of fact, yes." I admitted, a small smile playing at the corner of my lips."Oooh, what do you guys have planned?" Gina perked up."He didn't say. Just that he wanted to see me." I shrugged. "And guys, no more questions okay? We've got work to do.""Whatever, Walsh." Turner chuckled. "Have fun on your date."I rolled my eyes. "It's not a date.""Whatever you say."I ignored him, focusing on the case file in front of me.As the day wore on, my curiosity grew even more. I wanted to know what Derek had planned? What surprised he was cooking this time, but as the
Ari’s POVI didn’t realize how much my life was coming back together.The precinct was buzzing with energy by the time I arrived the next day. Officers clapped my back, voices overlapping in praise, and for once, I allowed myself to soak in the moment. "Damn, Walsh. You really pulled off a show back there!" one of the officers, Turner, whistled. "It was like something out of a damn movie."Gina grinned beside me. "You should've seen yourself, Ari. Flipping tables, dodging bullets, taking down those men like a goddamn superhero."I chuckled, shaking my head. "It wasn’t that dramatic."Turner scoffed. "Oh, please. You literally saved that guy—what’s his name? Derek? The one who kissed you?"I froze mid-step. Gina smirked. "Oh, we all saw it."I didn’t realize they were still hanging around that night.I groaned. "Great. So now my hero moment is overshadowed by that."Before anyone could continue their teasing, Lady Smith stepped in, arms crossed, a rare smirk tugging at her lips. "Det
Ari’s POVI kept my breathing steady as I sat across from Derek, forcing a smile while my mind raced. Lady Smith’s voice had been firm in my earpiece—it’s time to move.I lifted my glass of wine, taking a slow sip, my heart pounding as I glanced at Derek. He was oblivious, still smiling, still thinking this was just another normal night. But I knew better.I had exactly one minute.Placing my glass down, I exhaled sharply. “I just need to use the restroom,” I said casually, already pushing my chair back.Derek raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”I nodded quickly. “Yeah. Just freshening up.”He didn’t seem convinced, but he nodded, returning his focus to his plate. I turned on my heels, making my way to the restroom, each step calculated. As soon as I stepped inside, I pressed my back against the door, inhaling sharply.Lady Smith’s voice came through my earpiece. “Five seconds.”I counted them down in my head.Then—chaos.Screams erupted. The unmistakable sound of tables being knocked over
Ari's POVI wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.Hi? Hello?I was never really such a social person. With my mood all damaged and my entire life still gluing itself bit by bit, I guess I was in a much worse state to relate with anyone.So, this was doomed to get awkward.I never expected to run into him again. The one-night stand from that wild, reckless night with Kaelie. Yet, there he was—standing before me, looking all casual, like we weren’t tangled up in something that should’ve been left in the past.“Didn’t think I’d see you again,” I said, folding my arms nervously. I forgot – that was the first rule of sparking conversations: don’t fold your arms to create a sense of security and blockage.He grinned, his deep brown eyes twinkling with amusement. “I was thinking the same thing.”We stood there for a moment, an odd silence stretching between us. Then he finally chuckled, breaking the tension. “So… how’ve you been?”I raised a brow. “You mean since that night?”He smirked. “
Ari's POVThe walkie-talkie went static, then it glitched. I clicked the button, took it closer to my mouth, then I spoke. “This is Ari reporting. I’m proceeding into the tunnels already.”I waited until a signal came again. “Copy that. After you.”I proceeded inwards. The tunnels were damp, the air thick with the stench of rusted metal and stagnant water. Shadows stretched long against the curved walls, flickering under the dim beams of our flashlights. My grip tightened around my gun as I moved ahead, signaling the team to stay close. We had been tracking this deal for weeks, waiting for the right moment to strike, and now—Now was the time.A whispered command crackled through my earpiece. "Stay sharp, Detective Walsh. We move when you signal."I barely acknowledged the voice. My focus was on the figures up ahead. Three men stood beneath a single hanging light, exchanging words in hushed tones. A briefcase sat between them, slightly ajar, revealing stacks of money notes. The de
Cross' POV I was breathless. Spent even. My body was limp and tired as I lay on the bed. The amount of willpower needed to hold back the urge to give in was tasking and after I did, I was still feeling the effect. I felt Mira's mouth coat my cock as she sucked and slurped hungrily on my cum. It had been way over a minute since she made me beg and since I came, and she was still sucking hard on my cock. Even though I was weak and tired, I felt my strength returning and I wasted no time in picking her up and falling her on the bed. "You'll pay for making me beg." I whispered as I leaned down to kiss her breasts and suck on her nipple. I didn't need to do much as my fingers trailed down her body and found her pussy. Bare, wet and dripping for me. I pushed a finger into her, causing her to gasp. She was so tight, and so wet, and the thought of fucking her made my cock stir. I moved my fingers slowl
Mira's POVI stiffened for a moment when Cross uttered those words. My heart raced with mixed feelings, each one sending new sensation through my body.He needed me, at this moment, at this point. And I would be here for him.I kissed his back hungrily, my hands pulling off his shirt and kissing down his chest, trailing my tongue along the outline of his muscles.Cross watched as I undressed him, his eyes filled with want and desire, his breaths ragged.I continued to kiss him, kiss his muscles and leave marks on his firm body. My back curved as I buried myself in his scent, inhaling deeply and exhaling over his skin.Cross tried to push me onto the bed, but I refused, holding him down. I wanted this, wanted to be top now, I wanted to make him feel good.Hell, I needed his cock in me, and I needed to ride it hard and fast, make him beg me to stop.I looked up at him and saw his gaze fixed on me, hungry and needy. I smiled, my hands reaching down into his trouser and pulling it off alo
Cross' POVAfter that day, I avoided Mira at every opportunity.I busied myself in the house, waking up early and returning late, spending the entire day outside if possible. Sometimes I would interact with the guards, ask them for some spar to keep my body in shape, help around with one or two little chores just so I wouldn't have to cross paths with her.And on occasions when I had no choice but to be in the same room as her, I kept my responses short, simple and indifferent.But regardless of how much distance I put between us, I could always feel her presence like a shadow stalking me.I knew she was frustrated.Most of the time I saw it in the way she clenched her fists whenever I walked away from a conversation or heard it in the sharpness of her voice when she spoke my name.But what was I supposed to do?Pretend that night meant nothing? Pretend that the moment I kissed her, the moment I touched her and had sex with her something inside me hadn’t cracked?I wouldn’t.And I sur