🗝️Detective Ryker Viltarin must uncover dark secrets before he loses not only his heart but also his life.🗝️
You're on your own, far from home
The wind is blowing in the top of the pines
A gloomy sky where the sun never shines
Deep...
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There was silence between them for a few minutes. They both leaned against the weathered wood of the small bench and took their time to breathe. Their agitated hearts needed to calm down. In the distance, a lone bird dared to sing a song. The wind, tugging at them, was undeterred in its play, and the reeds bent like a humble servant. The lake's water rippled idyllically as it lapped against the stones of the shore. Small pebbles of varying sizes, from tiny lumps to thumb-sized stones, adorned the shore between the clear water and greenish algae.
Ryker glanced at Eve out of the corner of his eye. He saw her fiddling restlessly with her fingers and staring at the lake, also lost in thought, before she sighed softly and timidly.
"I failed," he finally heard her murmur quietly beside him and turned his head in her direction.
"This was my chance ... the chance for a fresh start, and I couldn't take it because ..." Her lips trembled almost imperceptibly as she broke off and lowered her head. The young woman next to him looked sad and broken.
'It couldn't just be because she had lost the store. ' There's more at stake here. The way she clawed her hands into the dark fabric of her skirt, causing it to form tiny but tight folds, confirmed his suspicions.
"So you didn't win the bid," he murmured softly, saying what he already knew through Sally. But there was more. He was sure of it. The whole thing was much more complicated than he had suspected. And he needed to know what was going on. Not just the obvious. But also what was hidden behind doors that had remained closed to him all this time.
"What next?" he asked. His voice remained calm and composed, although he would have liked to speak more forcefully. But he didn't want to offend her either. They had only known each other for a few days; they were still strangers, and he had to be careful how much baggage he placed on this young trust, especially in moments like these.
Next to him, the blonde's gaze suddenly turned back to him. Had he stirred up a vesper's nest or a bleeding wound? It was a tricky balancing act to nudge her enough to make her come out of her shell and be considerate sufficiently at the same time. Besides... he wanted to distract her so she didn't lose herself in her sadness. He didn't want to see her cry anymore.
