Between them little things began to build upunseen and unheard in the background as they both tried to pretend they werehappy. On their first day together, she wanted to lounge and enjoy theirprivate bungalow. She had hoped they could stare out at the water in theoverwater hammock, or lounge in their infinity plunge pool and finally open up.Maybe they could get back to a place where they used to be, she thought. Maybethey could both roll the weight of guilt and built-up resentment off theirshoulders and truly start over again. Yet it was becoming apparent that wasn'tgoing to happen. Where she wanted to relax and enjoy the spa-like amenities ofthe bungalow for a few days, Victor wanted to explore and join the resort'sactivities. He had wanted to stay up late and sleep in late, forcing her toabide by his schedule or risk getting another argument of her abandoning himwhile he slept. Nothing was working out between them.
Looking out at the dark ocean and the night sky,Maritzia felt the truth beat a slow war drum against her heart—this wasn'tworking and it never would.
~*~
"Hey, Cade," Officer Bilks called tohim, leaning in the doorway of the detective's unit.
"What?" Cade barked angrily, notbothering to look at the man as he picked up a manila folder stuffed withpapers and slammed it on a pile of other case files at the edge of his desk.
"Chief wants to see you," Bilksinformed him, disappearing around the door's frame an escaping Cade’s glare.
Growling in annoyance, Cade sat back in his chairand stared at the empty desk across from him. He could feel the mildly curiousstares of other detectives in the room as he glared at the empty chair in frontof him. Looking at his computer, he frowned at the weather website he pulled upearlier. Sunny with highs of eighty degrees and lows of seventy-one for theremaining week in Jamaica, Cade could just imagine Ritz frolicking on the beachin her swimsuit with Victor. His body couldn’t decide if it wanted to be ill atthe thought or settle into the familiar burn of violence.
Pushing angrily away from his desk, Cade walkedout of the giant shared office and down the hall to the elevators. Within a fewminutes, Cade was standing in Andres DeLeon's bright sun-filled office, staringdown at the man's stony face.
Normally, Andres would demand that anyonestanding on the other side of his desk take a seat, but today he allowed Cadeto stand. Even seated and looking up, anyone would be able feel the rollingtide of authority the man held. Cade knew that just because of their positions,Andres DeLeon’s power was not in any way diminished.
Leaning back in his chair, the chief gave Cade anappraising look. "It's only been a few days since she left, and this ishow you’re going to act? Like an angry petulant child stomping around theprecinct and snapping at anyone that talks to you?" the chief finallyasked.
Feeling extra petulant, Cade crossed his arms andstared down at the man. "Yep."
Nodding, Andres steepled his fingers and restedhis chin at the top of his fingers. Looking out towards the window for a momentin consideration before flicking his gaze back to Cade. "Enlighten me. Areyou angry she’s not by your side? Or are you angry she just might work thingsout with Victor and the pair come back stronger and happier in theirrelationship?" he asked casually.
Cade shot his chief a dark look. Both of thosequestions felt like hot pokers to the gut.
"I…" Cade opened his mouth to speak,but his words were lost as he thought of the questions. He couldn’t answereither one. He honestly didn't know. He didn’t want to wish ruin on Ritz'srelationship; he loved her too much for that, even if he hated Victor withevery cell in his body. "I don't know…I'm just pissed, okay?" Hefinally settled, swiping a hand angrily through his dry hair. Normally, he gotup and took the time to run a bit of moisturizer through his dense curls, buttoday he didn’t see the point.
"Fine." Andres shrugged and sat back upstraight at his desk, reaching for a pen as if resuming a task he had paused."Be pissed, be angry even, but you will be professional to yourco-workers," he gave Cade a warning look that brooked no argument.
Knowing the man was deadly serious, Cade nodded."Yes, sir."
Andres's eyes softened for a moment and Cadethought the man was going to say something more, maybe something encouraging,but his chief's eyes hardened once more and he gestured to the door in cleardismissal. "You may go."
Feeling slightly disappointed, Cade turnedtowards the door. Just what in the hell his mother found so appealing about thehard-ass, he would never know.
~*~
Standing in front of the mirror, Cade lowered thefree weight in his right arm, watching as his bicep stretched at the extensionbefore curling his arm back up to watch the muscle bunch again.
The gym door creaked behind him and Cade lookedup and saw Carlos's reflection in the large wall mirror as he walked into thepolice gym.
Not bothering to stop his workout, Cade switchedto hammer curls, targeting his outer bicep. "How did you get inhere?"
Carlos gave him an arrogant look as he camearound to sit down on the empty weight bench next to him. "My uncle is thechief here, everyone knows me, and you're my roommate. I would be offended if Icouldn’t get in," Carlos scoffed, looking around the empty gym with mildinterest before getting up to saunter to the large windows looking down ontothe street below. "Besides, I called Uncle and he told me you were stillhere," Carlos added, not bothering to look back at him.
Cade didn't say anything. He was too annoyed tospeak right now, he had been for the past few days. Words were useless at thispoint. Nothing he said could change the fact that Maritzia was gone with thatfucking piece of shit loser.
Realizing Cade had no intentions of speaking,Carlos sighed and turned from the window, coming back over to the empty weightbench to sit down with a groan. "So, this is what you're going to do untilshe comes back, huh? Work all day, sign up for overtime, and work out all nightuntil you eventually give out…or you can no longer find shirts that fit."
Cade's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.Jokes about his too-tight shirts was something Maritzia had started with him.If it was her making the joke, he would grin and tell her that it was hissexiness that was making the shirts smaller or comment on her lustful gazetaking notice, but she wasn't here and Cade wasn't in the fucking mood.
Exasperated, Carlos stood up. "Oh my God,bro, are you serious right now? If you’rethismad then why don’t youstop fucking lying to yourself and just take her from that dipshit?"
Cade nearly dropped the dumbbell in his hand.Turning to look directly at Carlos instead of his reflection, Cade stared athim in shock.
"Don’t look at me like that. Hey, if he waswith anybody else in my family I could possibly like the guy more, but I can'tbecause he is with Ritz and I know she is fucking miserable trying to convinceherself she loves him and not you. And you're just as fucking bad." Carloswaved a hand at him. "You sit here brooding while you watch some loser bewith the woman you should've been with from jump."
Cade opened his mouth, but he couldn’t speak. Allthese words were forbidden, things he only ever dared to think never voice.
