CHAPTER 1

WREN

My view was of a beautiful estate for the elites, where silence was invaluable. The Buildings in the neighborhood have the same structure and design.

I marveled within me, my mouth opened but no words came out.

“So this is the house you will housekeep,” My employer, Mrs. Vaughn said.

She was a poised and elegant brunette in her late twenties maybe, and could pass for a runaway model, but she’s a ballet dancer.

On the glass table in the living room, I sighted a magazine and my breathing slowed, anxiety kicked in.

I glanced around probably to see who had dropped the paper here.

For the past three months since I left Australia, I have been conscious of the net, the media wasn’t my friend, thinking about it scares me.

The magazine reminds me of home, what I’d lost. My grandmother would probably be crying in her grave for my poor management of her matchmaking company.

“For the next few weeks,” she finished.

“It’s fine by me,” I replied with a wide smile.

It was what I needed, silence and hideout.

She frowned, proceeding to show me the kitchen, the bar room, and upstairs but not without putting a limit to my entry in some rooms.

Eve Vaughn directed me to the balcony, there was a small garden and a swimming pool. Perfect! I exclaimed in my head, I didn’t forget to bring a bikini.

A brown cat ran to rub its head on Eve’s leg, and she bent down to carry it, rubbing its head tenderly.

I raised my eyebrows at both gestures.

“You are to bathe fluffy and cater to her needs.”

So much for a housekeeping job, I’d gone to a restaurant to look for a job, but there was no space, luckily my supposed boss was friends with Eve Vaughn and here I am.

The compound was occupied by two buildings in it, demarcated by a short hedge and there was a courtyard between them.

I saw a Rolls Royce parked in the garage in the other building, wondering about the kind of neighbor that lives there. Probably a rich old fellow, I glanced at Eve, but a shadow caught my attention.

It was a man in all his masculine glory, bashing only God knows what on the phone. I felt pity for the other person. Then he turned and our eyes met, damn he’s beautiful, butterflies in my belly, his hard jaw matching his face.

“Wren!”

I turned to the oblivious Eve, and this time gave her an uncomfortable smile.

“I want everywhere to look the same when I come back.”

“Of course,” I replied.

When I looked back at the house, the man wasn’t there. How could I survive seeing him for the next month?

“I trust you are clean,” Eve asked, taking my full attention.

“Pardon ma?”

“No criminal record.” She looked at me, like I’m some shit.

“I’m clean,” I lied.

How do I tell this lady I have been branded by the media as a fraud in Australia, with a ruined matchmaking company because the last client I matched, Paige Williams, had gone missing on my watch.

******************************************

It’s been two days since Eve traveled for a choreography event. She is married, though it doesn’t look like it, there are no pictures of her husband, nothing.

I’d just finished watering the plants and decided to go for a swim to clear my head, but then my private investigator called, and I picked up without delay.

“Please tell me you’ve gotten something.” My desperation tone was obvious.

“Progress at least,” Mark replied, and I released a sigh. “We got a location, and it’s around the vicinity you are in.”

“Houston?” I’m surprised.

“Yes, and the fact we don’t know if our suspect is a male or female is killing.”

“Me too.”

After a minute of silence, I broke it with the rustling sound of my luggage looking for my bikini, triangle cups with adjustable ties and a v string panty.

“What about the cctv in the restroom?” I remind him.

“Nothing, some cameras weren't working that day.”

This wasn’t a coincidence, shit I don’t believe in that. Mark had traced our suspect seen with Paige to America, but it’s tighter than we thought.

I placed my phone against my ear while holding it with my shoulder, then carried some baked cookies and apple juice to the swimming pool.

I lied on the sun lounger, facing the pool, my knees high up.

Lovelink was a small company I inherited from my grandmother and I’d made a promise to fulfill her dream in making it a big business, but unfortunately, fate wasn’t on my good side.

Paige Williams hasn’t been found for a month now, we’d interrogated the man I matched her with and he was cleared, said she’d gone to the restroom and didn’t come out.

Many users in Lovelink had logged out, deleted their account in fear of the unknown. I’d gone bankrupt, and it was my responsibility to find out what happened.

To clear my grandmother’s name.

“Wren? Are you still alive?”

“Yes,” I said, shaking off my thought, the neighbor I saw this morning came out, holding a bottle of drink and two glasses. He has a guest?

Fluffy meow was heard from the garden separating the houses. Surprised it ran there, a few hours with her and she needed another bath for the fifth time.

I stood up from the chair in search of fluffy, conscious of the man close by.

“Here.”

The man's voice was deep and husky, I almost melted on my pants. I blinked at him, he had on a T-Shirt and casual jeans, no sign of fluffy.

“Hi, I think the cat went into your house.” I couldn’t recognize my voice anymore. His eyes are coffee colored, matching his dark slick hair.

He gave a quick rundown of my bikini, and I felt naked, my nipples were forcing its way out.

“Come in, we’d better look for her.” The man frowned, not a fan I think?

“If you don’t mind.”

“No,” he answered.

Coffee eyes man led me into his house, the interior was painted ash, different from Eve’s. Luckily I saw fluffy sitting on the couch, and I carried her, petting her body.

“No food for you tonight,” I teased at fluffy.

“Surely you won’t do that.”

“She deserves it, now I have no desire for a swim anymore,” I sounded like a baby right now. The man stared at me, with an unreadable look.

“Sorry I didn’t introduce myself,” I dropped fluffy back on the couch, and extended my hand to him. “I’m Wren Hastings, housekeeping for Eve.”

Are those three last words important? He must know Eve, at least they are neighbors.

“Right,” the man said and sat on the couch, but Fluffy wasn’t there. The man’s commanding eye’s were distracting my senses. I’m supposed to search for fluffy again but it felt like I was caught in a spell.

“Would you care for a drink?”

“Yes actually, you seemed like you needed someone to talk to.”

I was blabbering.

Correction, he looked like he needed a casual partner. Jesus what is wrong with me? Coffee eyes poured some little scotch on two glasses and passed one to me, our fingers touched for the first time and I couldn’t ignore the spark like an electric.

“Thank you,” I almost blush.

He kept shut, only nodding instead as if in deep thought. I didn’t know what to do or say.

 I watched him as he drank from his glass in one go, he kept the glass on the table, then looked at me.

His next six syllables came unexpectedly.

“I’d like to bang you Wren.”