Page 95 of His Ruthless Match

“This is Jareth,” Eva began, her tone as flat as a pancake. “He’s…” Her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes silently daring me not to embarrass her.

I stepped in smoothly, flashing a grin that I knew would irritate her. “A private detective. Jareth Smith. Pleasure to meet you all.”

Walter, a graying guy with a loosened tie and a round face, perked up. “Detective? Like a real detective?”

“The realest,” I said, letting the grin linger. “I’m solo. I work homicides mostly, but every now and then, I get pulled into more… unusual cases.”

A warning flashed in Eva’s eyes. She didn’t need to say a word. Her glare was loud enough. I winked at her and turned my attention to the group.

The drinks came fast, and the introductions flowed, the buzz of good spirits contagious. Theo leaned forward eagerly, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. “So, Jareth, tell us… what’s the craziest case you’ve ever worked on?”

I leaned back, swirling the whiskey in my glass to play up the suspense. “Craziest case? Let’s see…” I glanced at Eva, whose lips were pressed so tightly together she looked like she might explode. “There was this one time a rich heiress went missing. Big-time tech family, billions in the bank. The media went nuts. Her parents offered a huge reward, and the cops were running around in circles.”

Eva groaned softly. “This better not be another one of your creative interpretations of reality.”

I shot her an innocent look. “I don’t know what you mean, Delgado. I would never lie.”

Her glare intensified, but her colleagues were eating it up.

“Anyway,” I continued, letting the group hang on my every word, “the case didn’t add up. No ransom note, no credible sightings, just a lot of noise and no real leads. Everyone thought she’d been kidnapped, but me? I trusted my instincts.”

“What did you find?” Nadia asked, her eyes wide.

“An email,” I said, lowering my voice like I was sharing a dark secret. “Sent from a burner phone to an offshore account. It led me to a safe house deep in the woods.”

Walter leaned forward, practically perched on the edge of his seat. “And she was there?”

“She was,” I confirmed. “Alive and well. Playing house with her boyfriend.”

Everyone around the table erupted in disbelief and laughter. Theo’s jaw dropped. “No way. She faked her own kidnapping?”

“Rich people, man.” I shook my head in mock dismay. “Turns out, she wanted to stick it to her parents. Get their attention. But here’s the kicker. Her boyfriend had a plan of his own. He was going to take the ransom money and vanish.”

“What happened next?” one of the female attorneys asked a little breathlessly.

“She figured it out before he could pull it off,” I said. “When I showed up, she’d already locked him in the basement. Smart girl. But then she needed me to clean up the mess.”

Eva laughed softly. “Of course, she did.”

“I called her parents, laid out the facts, and brokered a deal. No press, no mess.” I took a sip of my whiskey, letting the room hang on the pause. “Except for the boyfriend.”

“What happened to him?” Walter asked, intrigued.

I smirked. “He tripped.”

“Tripped?” Theo echoed.

“On my fist. Repeatedly.” I grinned wider as the table burst into laughter again.

“You broke his ribs, didn’t you?” Theo asked, his grin matching mine.

I shrugged, unapologetic. “He deserved it.”

The group eased into more casual chatter after that, though Theo kept sneaking questions about my detective work. When Walter suggested a game of pool, the energy shifted again, everyone moving toward the back of the bar.

As we passed the pool table, Eva groaned under her breath. “I’m terrible at pool.”

I couldn’t resist. “Perfect. Let’s make it interesting. Twenty bucks says you can’t sink three balls before I do.”