Romantic Thriller: Only Time Will Tell – A Romantic Suspense and Romantic Mystery Book: (Thriller Romance, Suspense, Mystery Romance, Suspense Romance) Read Online Free Page A
wait.”
“Forever,” she said as she turned back to face him. His brown eyes locked with hers, and she wondered why he was being so persistent and trying so hard to be helpful.
Dean changed the conversation somewhat when he asked, “I find you and Pierce an odd team. He’s always bearish and you are so reserved. How does that work?”
She felt a little safer talking about work. “Pierce seems like that on the outside, but deep down, he is a warm, caring person. As for me, I don’t like being in the limelight. But over time, you’ll get used to Pierce.”
“Then what about you?””
“That’s not necessary.”
“I guess things are real different from the Drug Unit where you get close to the people you work with. Perhaps, because as an undercover cop, your life was always hanging in the balance.”
She wanted to be sure he understood Pierce a little better since they’d be working closely together.
“I think you should also know that Pierce is one of the best homicide cops, but right now, he is a bit exhausted because he has six-month old twins that keep him up at night.”
“Oh, I see. Then are you saying you’re not a good cop? From what I see, you’re just as good at your job as he is. But you always avoid the spotlight. It seems as if you are afraid of people.”
“I am not afraid, I just grew up learning to be invisible. It was how I survived.”
There was a brief silence, then Dean almost casually said, “I noticed that your name is not the same as your parents.”
Against her better judgment, Chelsea found herself explaining. “Because I changed it when I was eighteen. As far as I’m concerned, Chelsea Preston died then and I became a new person. I did not want to be known by that surname any longer.”
“And then you decided to become a cop,” he said slowly. “Do they even know you have a record?”
“Of course they do. Look I was bounced around from one foster home to the other. After my parents’ death I never mattered to anyone. I did some wrong things as a juvenile and I don’t expect people to understand, and to be honest, I really don’t care. But somehow, I did not want that record following me, so I changed my name and I managed to keep this concealed, and so I got into the force.”
She had never told this to anyone before, but somehow it just spilled out and she was beginning to feel a sense of relief.
“From my childhood, I have learned that the world is a very cruel place and that people can’t be trusted.”
“Not all people are bad, Chelsea.”
The gentleness in his voice was almost like a caress and brought fresh tears to her eyes and she blinked to keep them back. Her wounds had never healed, but she tried to conceal them as best she could. Now her hurt was being exposed to someone she hardly knew.
She felt Dean’s eyes on her and the next thing she knew, he had crossed the distance between them and had placed his arms around her in a comforting kind of way. Her first instinct was to move away, but somehow she did not. She breathed deeply in an attempt to relax even as her heart thudded away in her chest.
“I can help you in your search, if you wish. You deserve some answers after all these years.” His voice was soft and soothing.
Chelsea replied, “Everyone deserves answers, but it does not mean we’ll get them. It has been over a decade and no one knows anything. There was no evidence, no sign of forced entry into the house; nothing. All I have to wonder is why they left me alive. I lost an entire day and maybe if I remembered something, I could figure out who did this and maybe I could understand why.”
The tears burst forth like waters from a broken dam as she clung to Dean and wept. This was something she had not done for a very long time.
“I promise I’ll help you, if you’ll only let me,” Dean whispered in her ear.
She could only nod as a sign of her acceptance of his offer. While she was trying to figure out what was happening
“Forever,” she said as she turned back to face him. His brown eyes locked with hers, and she wondered why he was being so persistent and trying so hard to be helpful.
Dean changed the conversation somewhat when he asked, “I find you and Pierce an odd team. He’s always bearish and you are so reserved. How does that work?”
She felt a little safer talking about work. “Pierce seems like that on the outside, but deep down, he is a warm, caring person. As for me, I don’t like being in the limelight. But over time, you’ll get used to Pierce.”
“Then what about you?””
“That’s not necessary.”
“I guess things are real different from the Drug Unit where you get close to the people you work with. Perhaps, because as an undercover cop, your life was always hanging in the balance.”
She wanted to be sure he understood Pierce a little better since they’d be working closely together.
“I think you should also know that Pierce is one of the best homicide cops, but right now, he is a bit exhausted because he has six-month old twins that keep him up at night.”
“Oh, I see. Then are you saying you’re not a good cop? From what I see, you’re just as good at your job as he is. But you always avoid the spotlight. It seems as if you are afraid of people.”
“I am not afraid, I just grew up learning to be invisible. It was how I survived.”
There was a brief silence, then Dean almost casually said, “I noticed that your name is not the same as your parents.”
Against her better judgment, Chelsea found herself explaining. “Because I changed it when I was eighteen. As far as I’m concerned, Chelsea Preston died then and I became a new person. I did not want to be known by that surname any longer.”
“And then you decided to become a cop,” he said slowly. “Do they even know you have a record?”
“Of course they do. Look I was bounced around from one foster home to the other. After my parents’ death I never mattered to anyone. I did some wrong things as a juvenile and I don’t expect people to understand, and to be honest, I really don’t care. But somehow, I did not want that record following me, so I changed my name and I managed to keep this concealed, and so I got into the force.”
She had never told this to anyone before, but somehow it just spilled out and she was beginning to feel a sense of relief.
“From my childhood, I have learned that the world is a very cruel place and that people can’t be trusted.”
“Not all people are bad, Chelsea.”
The gentleness in his voice was almost like a caress and brought fresh tears to her eyes and she blinked to keep them back. Her wounds had never healed, but she tried to conceal them as best she could. Now her hurt was being exposed to someone she hardly knew.
She felt Dean’s eyes on her and the next thing she knew, he had crossed the distance between them and had placed his arms around her in a comforting kind of way. Her first instinct was to move away, but somehow she did not. She breathed deeply in an attempt to relax even as her heart thudded away in her chest.
“I can help you in your search, if you wish. You deserve some answers after all these years.” His voice was soft and soothing.
Chelsea replied, “Everyone deserves answers, but it does not mean we’ll get them. It has been over a decade and no one knows anything. There was no evidence, no sign of forced entry into the house; nothing. All I have to wonder is why they left me alive. I lost an entire day and maybe if I remembered something, I could figure out who did this and maybe I could understand why.”
The tears burst forth like waters from a broken dam as she clung to Dean and wept. This was something she had not done for a very long time.
“I promise I’ll help you, if you’ll only let me,” Dean whispered in her ear.
She could only nod as a sign of her acceptance of his offer. While she was trying to figure out what was happening
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