Heterodox (BOOK 2)

Chapter 3

~Finley~

I'm home, in my humble abode, treating myself to a stress free day. Today I have decided not to bother about anything.

Don't bother about getting a raise. Don't bother about U.N.O.
Don't worry about paying the rent.

I am gonna lounge on my couch, drink tea, and watch some Chicago PD that I've had no time to catch up on. I deserve it, right? I need a break.

A break.

I sigh. Okay, I'll admit this wasn't my idea. Sadly, I can't stay in the office and work on U.N.O's case during the weekend. Something I'd rather do than lay idle in my apartment watching a box.

Mathias said I needed some me-time where I can leave of the stress and act like I'm not a workaholic robot.

Pshh. Yeah right.

I don't need rest. Leave that to the four-night hours I can't help being unconscious. I work, do my assigned job and catch the eye of Chief. My goal for this year, the next year and year after.

Cutting the weak act of leisure, I take off the TV, rise from my couch and dump the tea in the kitchen sink. Coffee is better. Coffee is life.

U.N.O has been making a guppy of the police department for two months. Too long. They have caused enough trouble for us. The public wants answers. The media craves answers. Everyone wants answers.

Answers we can't provide.

Ethan thinks that it isn't truly U.N.O who did the last stunt. He thinks it's someone else. I was close to believing that yesterday. Now...

I call it a lie.

The phone rings, interrupting my thoughts. Call me psychic if you want, but I know who it is. Someone so persistent, that they call me every damn day. I've ignored it yesterday.

What's stopping me today?

A word called annoyance.

"What do you want Crocus?"

I can almost hear the smile in her voice. "I'm fine, thank you," my sister chirps through the phone, "How about you?"

"I've had better days before you called."

"Interesting," she muses, "What about work? A little bird told me you're working on a gang mystery."

"Twitter?"

"Yeah. It seems to be this month's hot cake." I hear her chuckle through the line. "Saw your picture up. Alongside 100 Degrees."

I roll my eyes at her coded speech and slump over the cool kitchen counter. Maybe she actually wants to talk about something besides herself. This is good. "His name is Ethan, Crow."

"I know. His name is in the article," Crocus replies, deadpanned. "Like I said; the guy's hot!"

"You already have a man, Crow."

"I know Ms. Obvious. But what about you?" she snaps, "It's high time you settle yo butt down."

I can't believe we are having this talk. Intrusive as usual, Crocus always wants to play Cupid in my life. In high school, she tried to set me up with Mathias. We just ended up being friends. No sparks. No love any further than friendship; the ship that sank her hopes of getting us together. Yeah, she cared but too much for my liking. Or at least she pretends to. Maybe she has changed. I haven't seen her since last year. "I'm just thirty. There is lots of time for that."

"Time waits for no one, Finn. And don't even lie; you can't be working with that hunk and not feel a bit gooey inside."

"I'm not a mozzarella stick, Crow. And ... maybe, yeah. I kinda like him."