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My heart pounds and my muscles are jelly. Javier Campos is nothing more than a suspect to keep an eye on. I cannot let this happen again. I cannot think of him when I’m alone. I cannot think of him as someone to give me something that’s been missing. I cannot.

9

HARVEY

The door opens and bartender Den greets me with a wide smile. I haven’t had a roommate since university and even then, none of us socialised with each other and spent so much time out with our own friends, we were all just passing ships in the night. Den and I are kind of working together, so I guess this will be different.

“Come on in, man.” He steps to one side, holding his arm out in a welcoming gesture.

I only have one large suitcase and a duffle as I’m putting most of the limited furniture I have in my tiny flat into storage. I honestly don’t plan on being here for long because as soon as I have enough on Annika Wolfe to appease the powers that be, I’m going back to my actual job and will get my own place again. But I don’t want Den to know that, so I decided to bring enough to make it look like I’m staying for a while.

“Cheers.” I walk into the flat that opens straight into the lounge. It’s nice, the décor is modern and fresh with grey and white walls and dark furnishings. There’s a sleek black kitchen to one side and three doors at the far end, which I presume are to the bedrooms and bathroom. “This place is nice.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “Sometimes I’m tempted to pretend the work to my building is delayed so I don’t have to move out.”

“Couldn’t you ask about staying?” I ask, dropping my duffle and looking around more.

“Pay at The Dozen may be good, but no bartender could afford a place this nice in the city.” He heads to the kitchen and pulls a couple beers from the fridge, handing me one. We clink bottles and each take a swig,

Setting my drink on the counter, I ask which room is mine and when he points to the one on the right, I take my bags through just as there’s a knock at the door.

Den’s cheeks pink slightly. “Hope you don’t mind; I asked a friend over to watch a movie.”

“Course not.” I smile at him and head to my room without waiting to see who his guest is.

My bedroom is bigger than anticipated and fully furnished. The bed is already made up with soft and luxurious bedding and I wonder if that’s standard, or if Den did that for me. It feels more like a hotel than a temporary rental, which reminds me, I wasn’t given any details about how to pay rent while I’m here. I gather from what Den said the rent is subsidised, but because I’m not thinking of this as a proper job, I didn’t ask Stuart about salary so I have no idea if I can actually afford it. There seems to be too much in my head that shouldn’t be there and not enough thatshouldbe there.

It takes me almost no time to unpack and I decide to head back to the lounge to collect my beer and either sit and watch a movie with Den and his friend for an impromptu guy’s night, or come back to my room and sit alone. Tough choice. If I was still an official detective, I’d be spending tonight at the cop bar my colleagues and I usually frequent. We usually play darts or pool, drink and talk shit. Whoever isn’t working is there on a Friday night and it’s usually the highlight of my week.

I most certainly am not expecting to find a curvaceous and familiar body bent over the breakfast bar in tight fitting jeans and a strappy top that does nothing to conceal the fact that she’s not wearing a bra. But when I open my door, that’s exactly what I’m greeted with.

“Javier.” Candy smirks at me when she sees me emerging from my room.

“Hi,” I say, cautiously. Has she stalked me here?

“I forgot you two already know each other.” Den smiles, rubbing the back of his neck.

Candy shrugs, bringing her own bottle to her pouty lips. “Not really.”

I pick up my abandoned beer and dart my gaze between the two of them, wondering if I’m intruding on some kind of date. “I’ll uh, leave you two to it then.”

“No plans tonight?” Candy asks and I shake my head. “You should join us.” She looks to Den for confirmation, and he smiles kindly nodding in agreement.

“Oh, I don’t want to third wheel,” I say awkwardly.

Candy snorts. “Relax, we’re only watching a movie. We’re just friends, Den isn’t interested in little ol’ me, are you?” she asks with wide, falsely innocent eyes.

Den lets out an all too shrill laugh before clearing his throat and gesturing to the couches, I’m guessing to distract us from how insanely pink his cheeks have gone. “Take a seat.”

“What are we watching?” I ask, slumping into the only armchair as Candy digs herself into the corner of the couch in a way that suggests she’s been here many times before and is completely comfortable in this environment. She tucks her bare feet under her and surrounds herself with scatter cushions.

“The Greatest Show on Earth,” she answers.

Den comes to sit on the opposite end of the couch, closer to me than to his ‘friend.’ “It’s the 1953 Academy Award winner for Best Motion Picture.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“We’re trying to watch all the Oscar winners for best picture,” Candy explains.