Chapter 5: Mack

I was dreaming about Charlotte touching me. She was tracing the muscles of my arms, smiling at me, humming our favourite tune. It was bliss. I groaned, remembering our intimate moments together. Then I shook myself awake, moving on the bed. It took me a few seconds to realise that I was holding a warm petite body in my arms and I wasn't dreaming anymore. I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, inhaling the soft smell of amber and vanilla. My morning wood was rubbing itself over her ass. I took a deep breath, remembering last night quite clearly. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I should have left after she was out, snoring next to me. Eventually I managed to wriggle myself off the dark-haired woman that I fucked last night. She muttered something in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Lucky me.

I had an urge to kiss her soft, slightly tanned skin like I used to caress Charlotte's, but instead I dismissed that thought. That would be a mistake. One night, that's all there was to it. This woman was beautiful. And obedient. It had been a while since I had someone so gentle in my bed, someone who made me stiff and ready for more. I didn't know her name and that was all right. What might have mattered was that she lived two doors away from me. But it looked like Lurkin wasn't moving in after all, so one night with her didn't matter. I'd be relocating, abandoning this part of Scotland and starting over somewhere else. That bastard was getting away again.

I found my clothes around the bed, put my boxers and trousers on, and headed out. For a split second I wondered if I could slip back to her bed and just wait until she woke up, but I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. My cock was hard again and that wasn't good. I dragged my hand through my hair, seeing flashes of her on top of me. It was supposed to be just one night. I didn't need to leave my number. I couldn't anyway.

Her heavy panting, her soft mouth, everything about this woman felt right. It was a shame that yesterday was my last and final night in the Grange.

I had been working as an undercover detective for over ten years and I was one of the best. Always driven and committed to get the job done. I'd been assigned to live in the complex for over a week, waiting and preparing for another operation, but something had happened yesterday. Rob Pollock, the powerful drug supplier, had changed his mind. Someone must have spooked him. It was time to move on and report at the headquarters in Glasgow.

I unlocked the door to my apartment and walked inside. It was 7:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. In a couple of hours I could forget about the past week, move on. It was a real shame. After years of preparation, I nearly had him. Adrian Lurkin, that was the name that he was using these days. He was the biggest supplier of heroin and cocaine in Scotland and I knew that I should have put him behind bars years ago.

Last night I managed to empty the frustration and anger the past eighteen months had seeded in me. Now I was back to my usual self: a miserable, fucked-up thirty-something guy with anger management issues. My thoughts escaped to the woman two doors down and I clenched my fists, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me. I had had one-night stands before, years ago before everything went to shit, but this time everything felt different. The sex was better, mind-blowing, more intense, and I wanted to sink my cock inside her tight heat again.

My phone started ringing, and my stomach twisted with nervous energy. It hadn't rung for a week, so why now and why so early in the morning? I cursed under my breath and picked it up.

"Hello."

"Stanley, there has been a shift in the operation. The sale went through as planned just this morning. A large sum of money has been transferred to the landowner. You're staying and we are back in the game," said the gruff voice on the other end of the line that belonged to Superintendent Colman, my superior. I looked down at the phone, thinking that he couldn't be serious. Yesterday I had different instructions; I was being transferred.

"You're kidding," I snarled, although I knew that my boss never joked around when it came to the job.

"We don't know what's happened, but we know for a fact that the suspect is going to be there this afternoon, so get ready. In a couple of minutes you'll get an envelope with more details. Stephanie has broken her foot, so I'm pulling her off the case, but Claire has volunteered to replace her."

I shut down, blood stopped circulating through my body.

"Claire?" I questioned, losing my breath. I hoped this was a joke. "I would rather be here on my own. Without a wife, I can bond with him quicker."

"We have discussed this before, Stanley. You will be more believable as a married couple. I'm not cutting her off just because of some kind of misunderstanding that should have been settled years ago," Colman stated, not taking any shit from me as usual.

"Fine, but she better stick to the plan."

"Be respectful. I've got enough on my back as it is. She's a good detective."

I gripped the phone so tightly that my knuckles went white. Fucking Claire, why did she have to get involved? Of course, she would be excited at the idea of seeing me again. We had worked together in the past, and she knew me better than anyone else. My wife Charlotte had trusted her and she had paid for that trust with her own life.

A moment later there was a thick white envelope pushed under my door. I picked it up and tore it apart. Inside were the newest pictures of Rob Pollock. He hadn't changed much, but he'd probably gotten richer. I had to gain his trust and get close to him so he would offer me a job. That meant that I had to stay in the Grange for longer than I originally anticipated. So there was another problem. The woman a couple doors down the hall could complicate things. I should have listened to the voice of reason. Shit.

I needed to get to the shower and clear my head, think about how things were going to pan out for the next couple of weeks. I kept reminding myself that it had been five years since my wife had passed away. I had begun living a normal life again; at least I'd been attempting it. I took on any and all assignments because I enjoyed the buzz, deep down hoping that I would die as I always wanted to: by serving my country. Some days I wondered why God let me live. I didn't deserve it. While the danger and adrenaline kept me going, I tried not to think about that day. Charlotte was gone and there was nothing that I could do about it.

While the warm water surged over my body, my mind kept flashing through images of last night-the woman's moans, her soaking pussy and the face she made when she came. Fuck, it was like I couldn't get her out of my head. I should've felt guilty, but I didn't. Maybe our paths crossed because she was letting me know that there was life beyond death, beyond love. No one had ever made me feel this way, so maybe I still had a chance to pull away from the grief that was slowly consuming me.

Half an hour later, with a towel around my waist, I stepped back into the living room, still pretty pissed off, wondering how I was supposed to behave around Claire now. I didn't even notice that I wasn't alone anymore. She was sitting on the sofa looking at the pictures in the envelope. She lifted her head and smiled when she saw me.

"I think we've been avoiding each other long enough. It's time, Tobias. Time to start over."