Page 17 of The Rose and the Hound (Ashes and Roses #2)

Holding the bag of Thai food and a bottle of chilled white wine, I juggled my armful to knock on her door.

As with the last time I was here, the front door to the building was jammed open with a brick.

Between Glenn Maxwell’s weakness for beer-and-cash bribes and the constantly open door, this place wasn’t safe enough for my Zahra.

Rose swung the door open energetically and then composed herself.

“Mr. Edison, please come in.” Kalb, Mr. Edison, and Ace. She swung between all three names, though I didn’t expect her to use Kalb. We were still playing the game, after all.

I entered and loaded my bounty onto the counter.

I’m an investigator, which means I’m observant.

Rose’s apartment was slightly untidy. It looked like it had been staged.

The mugs on her bench were clean, and the last time I was here, her meagre possessions were tucked away.

Tonight, she had books on the coffee table, something on her bed, and mugs on the counter.

Part of the game to show that she was unaffected by me.

Oh, beautiful Zahra. You can’t fool me.

“I got some Thai. I hope that’s okay.”

“I love Thai,” she enthused grabbing out some plates and drinking glasses. Either Rose didn’t usually drink wine, or this was also part of the game. We tucked into our food, and I gave her more details about my meeting with Paul. She was genuinely excited; our game was temporarily forgotten.

“I’m so pleased, Ace! I’m not surprised though. You are a very resourceful man.”

“Yeah, I’m like a bloodhound,” I said in a low voice, watching for her reaction. She was good. She was very good. She just smiled and kept eating.

She asked me about DNA tests, and we discussed the best way to go about things.

Hopefully, Paul’s wife was supportive. He didn’t have to meet Rose, but it would mean so much to her to know who her father was and that he hadn’t willingly abandoned her.

I wondered if Loretta even knew who the father was or if she simply pinned it on Colin because he was the wealthiest contender.

“So, about your secret admirer Rose. I’ve started digging but can’t find anything.”

“That’s a shame. Well, keep looking and I’m sure something will show up,” she chirped.

“Your dress is beautiful.”

“Yes, I think my stalker has good taste,” she agreed.

Stalker. It was the first time she’d used the word in reference to me, but it didn’t feel insulting or accusatory. It felt cheeky.

“Today when I came home, there was a sticky note on my door. He’s very thoughtful.”

What the fuck? I hadn’t left anything on her door.

“Can I see please? It might help the investigation.” I kept my voice steady.

She rose and retrieved something from her kitchen drawer, sticking it on the coffee table before she sat down. It was a bright yellow sticky note with bold, black print on it. Whoever it was had used a heavy marker.

Rose, I know the real you.

I can see why she thought it was something from me. If it had been from me, it would have been meant in a sweet way. But the bold marker? The words? They oozed hostility. This was a threat. This wasn’t admiration or something I’d do.

I didn’t want to scare her. Now, I actually would begin investigating.

The only person with the right to stalk this woman was me.

Who could it be? Glenn Maxwell? He had pervert written all over him, but this was a bit obvious for a super and the slow-and-steady stalker game seemed beyond his intelligence and patience level.

There were only cameras in the parking lot, so there would be no footage of the door.

I’d talk to the corrupt pervert and ask if he'd noticed anyone around the building. The writing was scratchy and in all capitals, unlike my careful script. Rose obviously hadn’t noticed or thought I was injecting a new tone into our game.

“I think you should talk to the super about the building door. It isn’t safe to leave it wedged open like that.”

“Yeah, it isn’t great, but the rent is cheap, and the drawbacks are that the place is falling apart. Nothing works here!” she said with good humor.

“Well, just make sure you always have your door locked. You could probably do with a better lock. That one is pretty flimsy.”

She eyed me with a confused look on her face. To her, I wasn’t playing along with our game, and she didn’t know what was going on. Did she think I was becoming threatening?

“I just mean that this area is a bit rough. Look out for yourself, Rose,” I clarified.

I had to find this guy quickly, or I’d have to watch her carefully and let her know she was in danger.

I’m sure with Rose’s history, she’d pissed a lot of people off.

Who could the real stalker be? I always name my suspects, and this guy, I’d already labelled as 'The Shadow. '

Who was The Shadow? A former victim? A family member of a former victim? Rose had meddled in marriages, so she was bound to have a few enemies. Had there been others? Men who weren’t mentioned in the official reports?

Tomorrow, I’d get straight onto this. Tonight, I’d play the game and keep my sweet Zahra safe and happy.