Little Things (Second Chances 1)

A few minutes later, I hop in the truck and make my way into the city with Melanie and Rob following close behind me. Once we arrive at the loft, we start unloading, one box at a time. With two bedrooms, a den, a sizable living room, and walk-in closets, I found a pretty good deal with this loft.

Melanie tours the loft and gasps, “Duke, how did you find this place? It’s huge!”

I place a box on the floor, “I just saw the ad on the window and called the number. The owner had the ‘for rent’ sign up for a few days and I was the lucky caller.”

Rob slaps me on the back, “You lucky son of a bitch. I would kill for this apartment. And look at the view.”

I shake my head, “Stop exaggerating. It’s not a penthouse or anything.”

We finish loading all of my boxes and furniture into the apartment and chill out for a quick rest before we head out to grab a bite to eat. Today’s been a smooth day, no hiccups. Just hanging out with my best friends and starting my new life.

Now I need to focus on this job and hopefully find some new leads with finding her. Ever since the visit at the Auburn, I haven’t been back. But now that I’ve gained a little more knowledge and insight, it might be the perfect time for the next visit.

It’s been six months at the firm and so far, I love it. I’ve learned so much and everyone is great. A few of the top investigators have even taken me under their wing and shown me a few ropes around the city. Now, we technically aren’t law enforcement, but I admit, I like to think of myself that way. On Wednesday nights, we all meet at the gym and work on our cardio and even do a few reps with the weights.

I’m not yet licensed to carry a concealed weapon, but that doesn’t stop me from visiting the shooting range. When I’m there, I imagine my target to be one person—Craig. He’s always my target. I fire shot after shot into his chest and head, perfecting my aim, because if I ever need to, I want to be prepared and focused on the task at hand.

As I’m about to finish up at the range, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. I fire off the last rounds into the target, clean up my station, check the pistol back in with the clerk, and head back to the loft.

Melanie left me a voicemail saying she’s on her way with Rob and should be here in thirty minutes. The tone is her voice was not upbeat as usual; it was heavy and a little distant. Hmm, something must be wrong.

I jet to the loft and hop in the shower for a quick rinse. I get dressed quickly and await the arrival of Melanie and Rob. A few minutes later, the front door buzzes and I let them in.

Rob goes straight to the kitchen, opens the refrigerator, and grabs whatever he can find.

I yell toward the kitchen, “Hi to you, too, and I think there’s some leftover pizza in there!”

Rob yells back, “Yup, found it!”

Melanie laughs as she strolls into the living room and plops onto the sofa. I sit next to her and smile.

“So, anything new at the hospital?”

She sighs, “Just the usual. I’ve been working double shifts, and of course, we’ve been loaded with trauma victims all week. I had a gunshot wound victim brought in around two in the morning. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it.”

I lay my hand on her knee, “I’m sorry to hear that. It must be tough for you to lose people.”

Her saddened face looks to the ground, “It sucks, but then there are those days when we do save someone and it’s the most exhilarating feeling in the world. To bring someone back…I don’t even know how to describe it. It feels…powerful.”

Rob walks into the living and sits on the couch, eating my leftover pizza.

“So, what’s up? You sounded all worried on the phone.”

Rob takes his final bite of the pizza and clears his throat.

“I heard something about the dick in jail.”

My eyes go wide, “Craig? What about him?”

“They are transferring him to another facility. Somewhere in Michigan I think.”

“Transferring, why? Can they do that? And how do you know?”

“Duke, I asked my boss to keep tabs on him for you. He told me last night that he was getting transferred. I don’t know why.”

“When is the transfer?”

“In thirty days.”