Dead Presidents (An Aria Raymond Thriller Book 3) by Thomas Ransom (that summer book txt) 📕

it off because he knew Jake would get difficult. However, he also knew that he shouldn’t ignore this any longer. He did care about his partner and wanted to make sure he stays out of trouble. He stood up, grabbed his coat, and tossed Jake’s coat to him.

“Come on,” he simply nodded towards the door.

“What the hell? What do you want?” came the retort.

Sanjay took a deep breath, “We are heading out to cool down a bit. You are coming with me. Hurry up.”

“I am in no mood to go anywhere. Don’t you see what we are dealing with? You guys are of no use. And you call yourselves detectives! Is this what I have trained you for? You can’t even figure out who was inside Whitney Fox’s house. We took so many prints, and what? Nothing! You guys couldn’t even find a partial print. How the hell is that even possible?! Did a ghost murder her? Huh? Strangled her and then made it look like suicide. Tell me, Janice, why would a ghost possibly want to create that scene? It’s a ghost. It can get away with it rather easily, don’t you think?”

Janice, another detective who was putting her paperwork on a desk, froze. Her eyes were wide. She looked at Jake and quickly at Sanjay with a pleading look. Sanjay simply nodded at her to indicate it’s okay to ignore him. He walked towards Jake. “Buddy, you need a break. You are burning out. Just do as I say. I have something to tell you. So, grab your jacket and come along.”

“About the case?! Did you find anything?”

“Come along, and you will find out,” Sanjay turned to leave. Fortunately, Jake followed him. It was indeed a difficult case, and Sanjay knew it was hard on Jake. It must be killing him to be leading a similar case that he messed up earlier. There was a lot of pressure on him. He felt it would be better for him to leave this case. He was too close to this and might mess it up even more. Sanjay sighed. This was going to be a hell of a conversation. He knew it wouldn’t end well, but he also knew he had to at least give it a try.

Diaz stared at the person sleeping on her couch. Never in her wildest imagination did she think she would see him again. What on earth was he doing here? What did he want? Most importantly, how the hell did he find her?! Her heart was exploding with too many emotions. She could feel the hurt, the panic, the betrayal, the love, the care, and so much more. It was complete chaos. Her mind was screaming. There were warning signals, but then there was also the wretched thing – hope. She was feeling hopeful. Hopeful! How could she! There was a war raging inside of her. It felt like there was a battle going on between her mind and heart. The emotions and memories she had buried deep inside had now taken over. Thought after thought after thought. They just kept coming.

She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. “Stop. Stop.” She whispered to herself. Diaz took a few deep breaths. However, she was feeling the effects already. The suffocation, the shaking, the heart palpitations… she knew she had to do something fast. There was no way she was going to have an anxiety attack in front of him. The moment this thought crossed her mind, she could feel her throat closing in. No! She closed her eyes. She started getting flashes of memories that she had long ago locked in the back of her mind. “Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.” She kept repeating. Her eyes tightly shut, her hands grabbing her head.

Suddenly she could feel strong hands engulfing her in a comforting embrace. He was up. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” He whispered in her ear and held her tightly. “I am here. Don’t worry. Breathe. Just breathe. You are okay. I’m here.”

Diaz focused on his voice and his touch; her eyes still tightly closed. He held her close. She could feel her heartbeat slowing down. Her breathing was getting back to normal. The fear and panic ebbing away. She took a deep breath. He still had that effect on her. After all those years, he could still make her feel things – the intense emotions and then the sudden calm. “It’s okay.” He repeated. Her heart was filled again with hope and gratitude. He held on for a few more minutes. She felt the sense of peace. She wanted to stay like that. “Nicole…”

Just then, her phone started ringing. The spell was broken. She immediately pulled herself away from him. He held on to her arm, “Nicole … wait…”

She shook her head and grabbed her phone. It was Sanjay. “I have to take this. I am sorry.” She went back into her room and took the call.

“Hey! I hope I am not disturbing you.”

“No. No. You are not. What is it?”

“We have to meet. I need to talk to you, but not on the phone.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Umm… yeah. It is. Don’t worry. I just felt we should discuss it in person. Much safer that way.”

Intrigued, Diaz told him she would meet him at their usual café in half an hour. She took a quick shower got dressed and took a deep breath before heading out. He was waiting for her.

“Nicole…” he stood up from the couch.

“I really have to go to work. It’s urgent. I am so sorry. We will talk later. I might be late. Help yourself to anything in the fridge.” She raced out of the apartment, like it was on fire before he had the chance to say anything.

Sanjay leaned back in the chair and looked at Jake, who was giving him a look. “What?” Sanjay