Casanova

Liam Hendrik

The detective division and the first-arriving officers convened in the white-walled conference room to examine the particulars of the infamous "seven" case. This extensive congregation was not usual, but with the already burdensome number of cases we had, we required everyone on the team.

Xandra took the chair beside me, without glancing my way. Just perfect. I thought I had breached the barricade she had put up around her heart, only for Riley to crash in and ruin everything. We were back to where we began. Fantastic, she was going to overlook me for the duration of this gathering.

Much obliged to you, you prick!

I glared at him. He returned the look. Then Somers joined in; the testosterone levels were through the roof, and everyone in this room was cognizant of it. Why had these two dunces decided to sit opposite us at the meeting table, when they generally sat farther away?

To torment me.

Somers hated me. Quite frankly, I didn't give a shit anymore. Yeah, I fucked his ex-wife, Marietta. She pursued me. It wasn't the other way around. Persistently, if I might add; and eventually I caved. Obviously, her needs weren't being met at home. I was lonely. She was there—hot and ready for the taking. So, I fucked her, fucked her good; she loved it and kept coming back for more.

Let's get one thing straight though, I was a lot of things before I met Xandra, but I wasn't the type of guy who got his kicks out of breaking up marriages. I made a mistake, a huge one. One I couldn't take back.

Xandra can never know what I did. It’s been hard enough trying to rope her in. The woman was a wild animal, refusing to be tamed.

We've been secretly involved for almost a year now, and things were going fabulous until DeMarco tried to kill me. I figured that was the reason she'd distanced herself. She felt guilty. Traumatized. She doesn't deal with grief or emotions well, so she chose not to deal with them at all. No one else could see her pain, but I did. Even seven years after her mother's murder, she was still grieving her loss like it happened yesterday. And she was not alone; I was also grieving a great loss. We all were.

Waiting for the meeting to start, my mind drifted back to when my former partner and best friend, Reynaldo Grant died in a horrific plane crash, three years ago – coming back from Atlanta. He was like an older brother to me, and my younger brother, Gavin. And after his passing, I was reluctant to accept another partner, until Detective Riley promoted Xandra to a homicide detective and assigned her as my new partner. She'd just taken her exam and passed with flying colors, with Grant's help of course; he was a wonderful mentor to her when she was just starting out.

Unfortunately, the excitement wasn't mutual; she hated me.

Seems to be a growing trend around here.

When she was just a rookie cop, she had gone out of her way to avoid me. I guess I couldn't blame her; I wasn't exactly boyfriend material at the time. My old motto used to be, “hit it and quit it.”

I sure regret that decision now...

When Xandra came into my life, suddenly it seemed like the world around me shifted. I knew she was different. A woman I could see myself spending the rest of my life with. And coming from me, that was saying a lot. I wasn't the type of man who did relationships. Ever.

From the moment I'd seen the drive behind those gorgeous green eyes equaling mine. I knew she was the woman who would change me. The woman who would make a better man out of me. A five-foot-four, ball of fire, with determination radiating off her light-brown skin, stood in my doorway, looking amazing as ever...and she was my partner. Mine.

She will always be mine, I thought, looking at her from the corner of my eye. I smirked as she took a sip from the thermos that everyone knew I'd bought her for Christmas.

She never brings that thermos to work. She wants me.

I hated the distance between us. We were sitting next to one another, yet it felt like we were on two different planets. I just wanted to hold her close to me, feel her warmth against my skin. She was maddening, most of the time, but I knew underneath that tough exterior was someone with a desiring need for my affection and understanding. Her eyes were the gateway to her soul, and no matter how hard she tried to resist me, her eyes would always deceive her. I just hoped I didn't have to put up with these games much longer. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but I was too scared. I knew that if I made a move, she would run away again. So I just watched her from the corner of my eye, hoping that one day she'd come back to me for good.  Plus, all this sexual frustration is starting to fuck with my mode. Not being able to connect with her on a physical level made me feel as though I was deteriorating away on the inside.

Lieutenant Oxford headed the meeting with questions about the new evidence surrounding the seven missing girls. With the lack of evidence at each crime scene thanks to Mother Nature, one thing was clear...they were all virgins.

We debated over what kind of suspect we were dealing with and agreed on the potential of an organized serial kidnapper: someone with the level of intelligence to plan the kidnapping of each victim, without leaving any incriminating evidence behind.

We circled on a map where each girl was last seen to identify a pattern, and the location of the disappearances happened to resemble the shape of an equilateral triangle. Coincidence or not, the lake where Xandra's mother's body was found was smack dab in the center of it all. When I had looked over, Xandra seemed uneasy by the revelation, but pressed on diligently and brought up that the triangle may be associated with an occult group.

You could be onto something, babe...

I glanced over the girls' missing reports again, and my eyes were automatically drawn to their birthdates .6,7...4,9...2,11...5,8...3,10...12,1...7,6...

My respiratory rate accelerated, and my stomach twisted into a knot when I discovered the clue.

Holy shit, all seven girls' birth months and days, all add up to the number thirteen!

Xandra turned to me; her mouth was in the shape of a large “O” as if she had come to the same conclusion. We stared at each other for a few moments before she spoke. "It has to be connected to the occult group," she said, her voice hushed. "The number thirteen is a powerful and significant number in many cultures. It could be a sign that this group is involved."

I nodded in agreement, feeling a chill run down my spine. We had finally stumbled upon a clue that could lead us to the truth.

The division had never caught a case like this. I felt overwhelmed by the fact that this was out of our level of expertise. I blurted out what I had discovered, and Xandra backed me up. The color seemed to drain from Lieutenant Oxford's face as he stared at us in sheer horror. He then turned his attention to the reports posted on the bulletin board in the center of the room. After he had regained his composure, Lieutenant Oxford delegated duties between everyone and demanded all other cases be put on the back burner.

I've never seen Lieutenant Oxford so troubled by a case before...

After the meeting had finished, Detective Riley requested to speak with me in private. Xandra of course stepped out without saying a word to me, and Somers purposely knocked me with his shoulder as he walked past. He was my superior, so I did nothing.

I headed over to Detective Riley's office and sat down in the chair across from him. He glared at me, rubbing his chin. I waited anxiously for him to speak as my palms became moist with sweat.

He spoke in a direct tone, “Care to elaborate on what I witnessed in Detective Kallan's office this morning?”

I remained calm. "Detective Kallan is feeling a little under the weather today, sir,” I explained.

His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed into a tight line. "Bullshit," he yelled and slammed his fist down onto the desk. The action didn't create the desired effect, which I believed infuriated him even more. I knew Detective Riley considered Xandra to be like a daughter, but his behavior was unnecessary. “Listen here, dick, I know how you are with women, and I would appreciate it if you were to leave Detective Kallan out of your sexual escapades,” he said, pointing a sturdy finger at me.

I swallowed hard to push down the anger building up inside me. “I reassure you, sir, the relationship between Detective Kallan and I, is strictly professional. Yes, I do care about her as a person; a friend, but that's as far as it goes.”

He looked at me, his eyes burning with intensity. “Right, you must think I'm an idiot, but let's get one thing clear...If you hurt Detective Kallan in any way, your ass will be out of here so fast—”

“Yes, I got it,” I said, cutting him off. I had heard enough. He didn't need to threaten me; I knew the consequences of my actions if I crossed the line.

I don't got time for your bullshit; I have work to do!

As I opened the door to leave, his voice stopped me in my tracks.

“Umm...Excellent work by the way. I believe we are headed in the right direction with this case now,” he said, clearing his throat and adjusting his sorry-ass excuse for a tie.

“Oh...I appreciate your acknowledgment, sir.” I was unsure why he even bothered to compliment me after his ridiculous display of anger.

I decided against going to Xandra's office after the meeting with Detective Riley. Instead, I decided to go to my office to do some research before heading out to retrace areas near the crime scenes. Detective Riley and Somers's orders were to head to the lake and notify Xandra and me if they had found anything.

My equilibrium was thrown off balance when I saw Xandra. She stood in the middle of my office, staring out of the window. I walked in, quietly closed the door behind me, and approached slowly, giving her space. From her disdained look, I could tell she was going to war with the demons inside her. From experience, I knew just to stand by in silence and wait for her signal to intervene, which never came.

Through the window, we watched Detectives Riley, and Somers jump into a white Impala and drive off. In an instant, she turned to face me with her arms crossed, eyes a hurricane of emotion. It was destroying me inside seeing her going through this.

“I'll drive,” she murmured, grabbed her jacket off my desk, and dodged past me.

I blow out a breath, ran my hand through my hair, and walked out of the door behind her. I knew she had to go through this in her own way, and I was there to support her in any way I could.

We drove in silence for miles, her hands tight around the steering wheel. I fought the urge to touch her; she was so tense, and it was driving me mad. I wished I had the ability to take all her pain away.

I was shaken from my thoughts as the ground began to shake violently, sending everyone driving on the interstate into a panicked frenzy. People swerved left and right to avoid collisions; some were not successful. However, Xandra switched over to beast mode to maneuver in and out of the chaos like an expert wheelman.

You never cease to amaze me, babe!

She pulled over onto the side, out of harm’s way, and witnessing all the mass hysteria happening north of us sent a flood of dread through my body.

Since when did we have earthquakes?

Screams roaring from the masses caused us to swing open our doors and sprint toward the commotion. We stopped dead in our tracks when the bridge going into uptown collapsed, just in front of us; cars on the bridge plunged into the watery depths below. One car was teetering on the edge - my immediate reaction was to grab Xandra's hand and furiously run toward the car, jumping over gigantic cracks in the highway. As we reached the tail end of the green sedan, I could see an elderly woman in the driver's seat, tears pouring from her eyes. Her voice was shaky, screaming, “please help me,” over and over.

After a slight nod in Xandra's direction, she was at the back of the car, pushing down on the trunk with all her might while I slowly approached the edge of what was the cliff of death. I yelled into the crack of the driver's window, “Hi ma'am, I'm Detective Hendrik. I'm going to retrieve you from the vehicle. For me to do that, I need you to trust me and follow my directions precisely.”

She slowly nodded.

“Just focus on the sound of my voice and no matter what, do not look down. Okay, ma'am, I need you to slowly and carefully, undo your seat belt.”

Her hands shakily removed the seat belt.

“Okay...now, carefully turn your body toward the driver door and open it very slowly.” She hesitated, taking a long breath. I glanced back to Xandra; her face was red with strain; we didn't have much more time before she lost her grip on the car.

“Okay, ma'am. I need you to jump toward me with all your strength. Use the car to push off of.”

“No, no. I can't jump; I'm too scared. Please don't make me jump,” she cried.

I added more bass to my voice. “You have to jump; that's the only way I can save you. You have to trust me. It's your only hope.” I took my stance in preparation to catch her. “On the count of three...ready?”

She braced herself, trying her best not to look down.

“One...Two...Three.”

She jumped in my direction; I caught her mid-air, and we both fell backward onto the ground. Right then, Xandra let up her hold on the car, and it went sliding off the bridge. Relieved, I helped the frail lady to her feet. She was sobbing uncontrollably in my arms as she thanked me.

Seconds later, she let go, to hug Xandra. As I watched from afar, I noticed the old lady whisper something into Xandra's ear. When her jaw hung open, and her skin paled a shade lighter, I became increasingly overprotective. Clearly, whatever the lady had said disturbed her, and the thought pissed me off.

She's been through enough today!

I stomped over but was interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pants pocket.

Irritated as fuck, I groaned into the phone, “Detective Hendrik speaking.”

“It's Detective Somers. The lake ASAP,” he said, before hanging up.

And I thought today couldn't get any worse...

After notifying the station about the bridge collapse, I motioned to Xandra that we needed to leave. I could see she was searching for the lady who just vanished into nowhere.

Where did she go?

***

When we arrived at the lake ten minutes later, the forensic and coroner units were already on site.

This can't be good.

Detective Somers waved us in his direction with a disgusted look on his face, his blue eyes revealing despair and his blond hair in disarray. As Xandra and I approached the rocky edge of the lake surrounded by yellow tape, she gasped and tightly gripped my suit jacket for support. Pulling her in close to me, I blinked. My eyes were not prepared for a sight like this. I swallowed hard several times to prevent the accumulation of vomit from flying out of my mouth. The crime scene was the most grotesque, revolting sight I’d ever seen. Situations like this made being a detective difficult.

The lake level had somehow dwindled, exposing seven, naked, female corpses. The stench of decomposed flesh lingered in the air, and it started to burn the inside of my nostrils. If that wasn't disturbing enough, they all appeared to be skin and bone. Literally. They looked as though their essence had been sucked right out of them. Their eyes: were sunken into the back of their skulls with lips the palest shade of blue I'd ever seen. The scene made me question the kind of world we really did live in. What, or who could do something like this to innocent girls?

The mere thought of what instead of who made my heart pace faster, ready to explode through my chest. Xandra began to dry heave as she let go of my suit jacket to walk back to the car. I watched her from where I stood. In the distance, I could see her double over with her hands on her knees. I ran to be by her side, and gently massaged the small of her back in a circular motion. I’d prayed my efforts would take the edge off.

The sound of snapping twigs made me look back, to find Detective Riley walking toward us concerned, his brown eyes infused with worry.

“Hey, detectives...” At the sound of his voice, she quickly pulled herself together like nothing was even wrong.

She always did this. I think to her, being the only female detective meant she was never allowed to show any weakness. Maybe, she thought we men wouldn't take her seriously anymore if she did. Which certainly wasn't the case. She had proven herself time and time again, but she acted as if what she'd already done wasn't good enough. Maybe the absence of her father was to blame; I had no clue.

“Hi, sir. How were the bodies discovered? Did the forensic unit extract any evidence from the site?”

Xandra, you’re so tough! I couldn't talk about the case if my mother's body was found in the same location.

Detective Riley sighed, explaining that after what seemed to be an earthquake, the bodies suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The forensic unit was re-canvassing the area, and we wouldn't know more until the bodies were fully examined. However, from what they could tell, the corpses matched the descriptions of the missing seven.

Xandra spoke, “And the girls' families?” Her eyes revealed empathy. Her sincere ability to empathize was one of the qualities I loved about her. With that said, it also was her worst enemy when it came to situations like this. Sometimes the pain of others would send her on an emotional roller coaster.

Detective Riley answered, “Don't worry about it. Detective Somers and I will notify the families once they are officially identified as our missing girls. You two should head home and relax; we'll take it from here.” He touched her shoulder and nodded before joining the rest of the squad back to the gruesome crime scene.

She kicked dirt into the air, headed back to the car, and slammed the door. I was left standing there underneath the clouded sky, completely beside myself. She had poured her heart and soul into this case; no one wanted to find those girls more than her, and for it to just turn out like this...was devastating.

We drove off the lot in the direction of the station to retrieve our personal vehicles. Once at the station, she waved goodbye. I reluctantly returned the wave. Not talking about all that had occurred today left an unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't going to push the subject though, knowing she was a thread away from unraveling. From the corner of my eye, I noticed her stop halfway to her car. She turned back toward me; her eyes heavy with anguish.

“Hendrik, will you stay with me tonight? I could use some company other than my sister.”

“Of course, anything you need,” I smiled.

“Thanks, I'll see you soon.” A faint grin appeared over her troubled face before she turned back to her car.

Folding my lips inward, I watched her walk away, admiring the view of her hips swaying from side to side. Nothing but naughty thoughts swarmed my brain. I haven't spent a night at her house since the last time we had mind-blowing sex. However, the chances of that happening tonight were slim to none.

***

In the driveway of Xandra's two-story, brick townhouse with blue shutters, I parked behind her car. The door opened to Sasha; she greeted me wearing a floral, red, and white sundress.

“Hey, come on in, I'm surprised to see you here. Xandra didn't mention you coming over but no worries. I made plenty of food for all three of us,” she smiled, touching my arm.

“Where is Xandra by the way,” I asked as I walked in and set my overnight bag on the black leather couch.

“She's taking a shower. Seems like you two had a rough day on top of that mysterious earthquake. It was insane. I spent the entire afternoon cleaning up everything that broke. Anyway, come and have a seat. Dinner is almost ready.”

I took my suit jacket off, laid it over my bag, and headed to the wine cabinet. “Yes, a very rough day. Trust me, we're going to need some wine with dinner,” I said, searching through the collection of imported wines.

“That bad? I figured since she walked in without saying anything. She was pale as a ghost; I hope she's okay,” she said, pushing out her bottom lip.

“She's just going to need time to process everything.”

The next thing I knew, Sasha was inches away from me, giving me eyes full of lust. Her breathing was heavy. “And... how are you doing?” She bit her bottom lip, looking hungrier as she massaged my arm up and down.

Is she seriously coming on to me knowing her sister is hurting?

I couldn’t figure out what the hell was up with Sasha, but she’d been acting strange ever since we got into town; she was her sweet, respectful self at the airport, going on and on about how excited she was to surprise Xandra.

Sasha in her right mind would never hit on me behind Xandra’s back.

I cleared my throat, “I am holding up.” I avoided eye contact as I poured three glasses of Nostros Argentinian red wine.

Our favorite.

She reached for my manhood, but I quickly slapped her hand away, slamming the wine bottle down onto the counter.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Your sister is upstairs, for heaven's sake,” I yelled, turning toward her with my eyes darting into hers. Unable to control my anger, I could feel my face flush with heat as I balled up my hands into tight fists even though I had no intention of hitting her.

She backed up a few steps startled by my reaction. “I'm so sorry Hendrik, I didn't mean to upset you. I just—”

“Just what,” I yelled.

“I just sense all your sexual frustration, and I wanted to relieve you of it.”

“Don't think for a second, I would ever cheat on Xandra. Especially with you. I don't care how sexually frustrated you think I am; it's never going to fucking happen. Is that understood?” I pointed, “What the hell is wrong with you, girl?” I backed her into a corner.

“I don't know what came over me; I'm so sorry. Please don't tell Xandra, I promise, I'll never come on to you again,” her voice lowered by the end, as tears fell from her eyes.

Our heads turned towards the stairs when we heard Xandra's voice in the background.

Oh, Shit!

I prayed she hadn't overheard our argument. Biting her nails, Sasha walked over to the stove to check on the food, as I met Xandra at the bottom of the stairs to hand her a glass of wine.

“Oh, you’re too sweet. Thank you.” She grinned, looking back and forth between us, sensing the tension, but choosing not to say a word.

A wave of relief rushed over me, softening my rigid posture.

I pulled a chair out for her; she sat down, and I sat in the seat across from her. Xandra looked amazing in anything she wore but seeing her in her element of comfort was my favorite. Her damp, wavy hair partially covered her white, tank top, which nicely showed off her cleavage. Her light-blue shorts revealed her silky, toned legs. I let my mind wander, thinking of all the things I wanted to do to her; bending her over this dining table and taking her from behind, as I pulled her hair, was one of them. Immersed in my fantasy world, I licked my lips. Right then, she kicked me in the shin, and a tint of red rose upon her cheeks.

Sasha placed our dinner plates in front of us. I spoke calmly to break her from her nervousness.

“Dinner looks wonderful. Thank you, Sasha.” She smiled and seemed to relax a little. I immediately dug into the medium-well flank steak, accompanied by a bed of steamed asparagus; the tenderness of the meat made my mouth water.

Sasha can throw down in the kitchen!

The rest of the night went great; we polished off two bottles of wine while reminiscing about old times.

After dinner, I jogged upstairs to Xandra's bedroom to get ready for bed. I went into her walk-in closet to pull out the air mattress, but she stopped me by placing her hand on my arm. Her simple touch made me melt every time.

“You can sleep in the bed with me if you promise to behave,” she said, with a smirk.

I'm definitely going to need a cold shower before bed.

“I promise.”

I hopped into her frameless, sliding, glass-door shower with multi-colored tile, reveling in the flow of water spraying over me from the oversized showerhead. A few minutes later, I heard the door open; a distorted silhouette of a woman appeared in the doorway. Wiping the water from my face I tried to clear my vision, but before I knew it, Xandra was in the shower with me fully clothed. My erection throbbed as I watched the waterfall from her delicate skin.

Oh! This is so not helping me.

She looked up at me, lips quivering. Tears were falling from her eyes.

“Baby, what's wrong?” I pulled her into me and kissed her forehead. My hard-on was pressed firmly against her abdomen, but she didn't seem to mind.

Her tears began to roll down her chest along with the water. “The date my mother died adds up to thirteen.” She cried harder after the words left her lips. The thought that this all could be related knocked the air out of me. My heart felt like it was twisting inside my chest.

“Baby, I'm so sorry this is happening. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do it. I promise I will catch the sick bastard responsible for all this shit.”

The image of the old lady on the bridge entered my mind. I still wondered what she had said to Xandra. She answered me on the spot as if she were reading my thoughts.

“Umm...the lady from earlier today, whispered something disturbing in my ear. She said, “after the seven, he will rise.”

“What...who will rise?”

“I don't know; I'm just as confused by the words as you. We should find a name and address to question her further.”

“Good idea,” I agreed, turning off the blissful stream of running water. When we stepped out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around my hips before I gently took off her wet clothes, appreciating every inch of her naked body with my eyes before wrapping her in a towel also.

We got dressed and slid underneath her silk sheets. And without coaxing her, she curled up inside the nook I had created with my arm. We lay there peacefully, enjoying each other's company. It was nice having her against me like this. She'd allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of me. This was a pivotal point in our relationship. Being here for her in this way, meant more to me than being physical.

Eventually, she moved her head up to look deep into my eyes. “Thank you, Liam,” she whispered.

Her words were electric.

She never calls me by my first name!

I smiled at her. “Anything for you, baby.”

We stayed like that for a while, holding each other and sharing silent moments together. I felt so close to her. I had never felt this way about anyone before and I could feel the love between us growing stronger with every passing second. I knew that no matter what happened in the future, I would always have this moment to look back on.

She exhaled a breath and within minutes, she was sound asleep. I stayed up watching over her, making sure she was safe and comfortable until the morning light. I knew that this moment had changed us both, and I was thankful for it.