Jonah (Chicago Blaze 7)

I give my brother a surprised look, because like me, he’s focused on his work and doesn’t date much.

“Have at it, man,” I say.

“Not until later. We need to stay focused on the case for now.”

We reach the elevator doors, and he holds his hand out to shake mine. “Seriously Jonah, I really appreciate this. This is one of those cases that’s hit me hard, and I want to get this guy bad.”

“You got it,” I tell him. “But you really are gonna owe me for the next thirty years or so.”Chapter FiveReynaKai’s apartment is in the basement level of a sprawling, red brick complex on the North Side. I knock on the door, and when he answers, he welcomes me like we already know each other.

“Hey, Renee, come on in,” he says, standing aside. “What’s up, girl?”

He’s a couple inches shorter than I am, maybe 5’6” and built lean. His black hair is shaved short on the sides and back. The top is several inches long and combed back in a sleek look. But my gaze only lingers on his hair for a moment, because his face draws me in.

His skin is a beautiful olive shade, his makeup contoured perfectly. His big hazel eyes are enhanced with shades of green and gold eyeshadow with long, dramatic fake lashes. A pretty nude shade on his lips finishes the look.

“Wow,” I say, forgetting all my training about playing it cool. “You’re…stunning.”

Kai laughs lightly. “Aw, thank you. I just finished recording about thirty minutes ago. I got this new liquid shadow from Dior and it’s divine. I just had to play with it.”

“I’d love to see it,” I say, remembering that I’m supposed to be a beauty blogger.

“Perks of being roommates, we can share products,” he says, giving me a dazzling smile.

His clothes are the opposite of his makeup—nondescript black skinny pants and a gray V-neck T-shirt.

“Sounds perfect,” I say, looking around the apartment.

Like him, it’s not at all what I was expecting. Even though it’s at the basement level, the apartment is brightly lit, with warm wood floors. Bold, colorful art is displayed on the living room walls and the large room has a big leather sofa and several bright overstuffed chairs.

“Wow,” I murmur. “This place is amazing. So much bigger than I was expecting in the city.”

“Thank you. I bought both basement apartments and some storage space and had it all renovated into,” he gestures a hand around the room, “this.”

“How old are you?” I ask him, shaking my head with wonder.

“Twenty-six. But my business took off when I was twenty, so I feel like I’ve been around a while.” He shrugs. “Want to see the rest of the place?”

“Yes, please.”

Kai takes me into the kitchen, which is done in white and gray, with marble counters and commercial-grade stainless-steel appliances. It looks like a spread in a home decor magazine, every inch designed to perfection.

“This is where I microwave my ramen and store my Pellegrino,” Kai quips. “I’m a huge fan of carryout, but I wanted a great kitchen in case I ever decide to take up cooking.”

“It’s gorgeous,” I say, grinning.

I already know Kai and I are going to get along great. When I heard I’d be rooming with the son of a deputy police chief, I wasn’t expecting this. I assumed it would be a guy who either had women in and out of the apartment all the time or was a slob, or both.

But Kai already reminds me of myself. I can tell he’s a centered, independent person.

“This is my bedroom,” he says as he leads me down a hallway and opens a door.

The walls are painted a soft, buttery shade of yellow and portraits of people with both masculine and feminine characteristics hang on the walls. I stand in front of one showing the profile of a person with a neatly trimmed mustache, hoop earrings and long red curls.

Standing next to me, Kai blows out a breath. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”

“What?” I ask, turning to him.

“Having someone here. It’s not you, it’s me. I’m extremely private and I’ve only had like two other people in my apartment before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and showing you my kitchen is one thing, but my bedroom…”

My heart clenches as I instinctively put my hand on Kai’s arm. “Hey, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to let me anywhere you’re not comfortable with.”

He takes a deep breath and smiles. “No, I want to. I trust you because of…well, I’ll tell you later. But I just…”

“I understand,” I say softly.

“These portraits I commissioned are of people who are very special to me,” he says, clearing his throat. “Even though I’ve never met some of them.”

“Why are they special to you?”

His eyes glisten as he says, “They’re the first people who made me feel like it’s okay to be me. I’m non-binary, as you probably already guessed.”