Chapter Three

Kiera's pounding head woke her.

The first thing she did was check the time. Her phone said 10:30. She hadn't expected to sleep till so late but she spent an unnecessarily long time looking up Mikael. She couldn't accept that there was nothing on him.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and made her way downstairs in her nightgown. Simone usually woke up at around eight so she already had breakfast, probably. Kiera would have to have her breakfast alone.

Simone was in the kitchen prepping lunch. She was sawing a kitchen in half and the sight made Kiera squirm. She looked up and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. "You look like you went to hell and back."

"I feel like it," she admitted. "Do we have ibuprofen? Advil?"

Simone shook her head in disapproval. "I'll fetch it. You just wait here. Do you want to have your breakfast now or later?"

"Now, please. I need to get started on work. I'm already behind." She looked around. From the kitchen, she had a full view of the sitting room and the dining room behind it. In the daylight, her home looked a lot older. But it was clean and so everything looked better. Simone had opened the windows and the place looked revived somehow, almost like how she felt after the shower and how excited she was to look Mikael up. Kane probably opened the windows. Simone used to do it a few years ago but since neither of them ever used the living room or the dining room, she stopped. It was pointless and closing all the windows before bedtime was a lot of work.

Simone placed a tall glass of water along with two little white pills in front of her and Kiera thanked her. She tilted her head (even that hurt) and chased the pills down with the water. She emptied the glass and Simone refilled it for her. She commented, "I saw Kane last night. I woke him when I arrived."

"He mentioned it," she said. "He said you looked different. Happy."

She nodded and chewed her lip. She didn't know if she should mention Mikael to her. Simone was a suspicious person; she didn't trust strangers. She didn't like Jared when she met him and even though Kiera dated him for six years, Simone never warmed up to him. It was just how she was. She didn't think he was trustworthy.

It turned out that she was right.

"Spit it out," Simone said when she saw the look on her face. "Did Jared call you, is that it? Were you with him last night?"

"Of course not," she replied with a frown. Simone scrutinized her with her Jade eyes. She wasn't convinced at all. So Kiera elaborated. "Nothing he says will make me take him back. He hurt me badly. All I ever did was love him."

"I hope that's true," she said. "I would hate to think that a pathetic weakling like him was turning you into a fool. You're Aaron Rogers' daughter, never forget that."

Kiera nodded even though she didn't necessarily agree with Simone's statement. Her father was a calm man. He collected old things and books. All sorts of things that had no value. He never raised his voice and he never left the house. He inherited his family's fortune which is why they lived so comfortably.

He wasn't a fighter and neither is she.

"But something must have happened," she said, placing a hand on her wide hip. "You met someone?"

Kiera placed her hands on either side of her head. "The strangest thing happened last night. You would—"

"What's this?" Simone said, grabbing her arm to inspect it. She looked at the scratches with a frown. "What happened, Kiera?"

"This is what I wanted to tell you," she said. She explained to her the whole story. Simone listened attentively but the frown never left her face even when she mentioned that Mikael saved her life. "And he was so dreamy. You wouldn't believe it."

"I don't like this," she said, picking up her knife. "People don't just attack others in the middle of the night where they can be seen. I don't like this one bit, Kiera."

She shrugged. "If they're crazy, then yes, that's exactly what they'll do. I'm just glad that nothing happened. And Mikael—"

"You're smitten with him, are you?" she asked, not looking up from the chicken. "Your eyes light up whenever you talk about him."

"No," she blushed. The lie was preposterous. She knew that Simone knew that she was blatantly lying to her. "He was nice, that's all. He said I should call him if I plan on going to the police."

"Will you?"

"I don't know. What do you think?"

"I think you should," she said. "They might be able to catch them. Troublemakers like them should be behind bars." She paused and then looked up. "I'm worried about you, Kiera. I don't want you jumping into a relationship with a man you barely know simply because you want to get back at Jared. Do you understand me?"

"I'm not going to get into a relationship with anyone," she said, annoyed. "I can take care of myself, Simone."

"I care about you," she said. "I'm just looking out for you. You're like a daughter to me. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, yes," she said, eager to leave the kitchen. She had lost her appetite. "I need to get started on work. I might have to go to the station today."

"What about breakfast?"

"Maybe later."

Once she was in her room, she closed the door and turned her laptop on. She sent an E-Mail to Daisy explaining that she needed an extension. She hadn't written the last of her chapters and she didn't think she'd be done by the end of the day. She wrote a bit but her head wasn't in the right place. She was thinking of Mikael and what Simone said. It wasn't that she didn't listen to Simone's advice. She was in a fragile emotional state and she needed a distraction, that was all. Mikael Samson was a handsome man and he had her full attention. She would try but maybe he was with someone. Maybe he was just being kind to her. The thought made her heart sink but she couldn't discard any possibility. She didn't know him and neither did the internet.

So she was preparing herself for any blow but she was also hopeful. She didn't know what it was about him that intrigued her so much. His scent was divine, to start with. She could smell him on his card, which she guiltily kept pressing to her nose. Simone would kill her if she saw her and the thought made her laugh out loud.

She checked the time. It was eleven on the dot. She told Simone that she might have to go to the station but that meant calling Mikael. It wasn't easy for her—she wasn't the chattiest person in the world and she had her insecurities. Perhaps she was a lunatic for thinking that he would find her interesting but she had a good feeling about him. And the way he looked at her the night before was...dare she say suggestive? It was dark. She couldn't be sure.

Kiera picked up her phone and stared at the card. She began typing the number and her heart beat faster with the addition of a new number. She was certain that she was sweating. Her armpit prickled. She stared at the number on her screen and took a deep, shuddering breath. It took her quite some time to muster the courage to tap the green call button.

It would take a lot more to keep a conversation going.

One hurdle at a time, she thought. She pressed the phone to her ear and listened to the ringing. She was so nervous. Her stomach churned and she placed a hand on it for no particular reason. When she heard his voice, she flinched. "Mikael Samson."

"Hi," she said pathetically. She leaned forward and rested her forehead on the edge of her desk. "It's Kiera. From last night." She remembered that she hadn't introduced herself the previous night. Or did she? She was so nervous she couldn't remember.

"Hello," he greeted pleasantly. "I was wondering when I'd hear your voice again."

Her heart skipped a beat. She bit her bottom lip and thought of something to say. "I hope I'm not disturbing you. Maybe I should have sent a message first."

"You're not disturbing me," he assured her. "I was actually expecting your call."

Kiera couldn't stop smiling. She knew that she should have trusted her instincts. He wanted to hear her voice. He was expecting her call. That was significant. That meant something. The feeling was mutual. She couldn't believe that something so great was happening to her. "You were?"

"Of course."

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Well, I was thinking of going to the station. I thought I should call you."

"Where do we meet? Do you need a ride?"

"No," she said, even though she probably would need one. She'd ask Kane. She didn't want to seem as desperate as she felt. "I'll meet you there. Thirty minutes?"

"I'll be there."