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

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too late for that?”

“I know. I know. I just…”

“Come on!! Stop this. I don’t want this. I have moved on. I am doing well in my life and honestly, I don’t give a crap anymore.”

“Please, Nicole. Let me explain. Hear me out, why don’t you?”

Diaz could feel her resolve wavering. She scolded herself. Stop it! Haven’t you had enough already? You were doing so well. Don’t let him get to you again. She closed her eyes. This was her problem. She was too nice for her own good. She would always focus on the positive side of people; she would always try making excuses for people’s shitty behavior. That always came to bite her in the end. She promised she would make herself a priority. She would never again weaken herself for anyone. She had her own back. She knew that. She had to protect herself.

“Listen,” he started.

“No.”

“Love, come on.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I know it was my fault, but you know it was never intentional. I realize my mistakes now. I am not the same anymore. I have changed. I promise. I did a lot of thinking and I know I have hurt you and many others…”

Diaz sighed, “I honestly don’t want to do this right now. I am working on a case and I need to focus on that. I am really tired. It was a long day.”

“Just a few minutes. That’s all I am asking, Nicole.”

“Later.” She started moving towards her room, but she could hear him starting to walk behind her.

“Nicole…”

“LATER!” she said, hurrying inside her room and slamming the door shut.

Diaz locked the door before sliding down against it. Suddenly, her room felt smaller than ever before. It was suffocating her. She felt her throat closing up, and she tried to calm herself. Not again. Not again. She kept repeating. This was ridiculous. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was doing so well. Why is this happening? Her hands were shaking. She could feel that panicky feeling emerging from her heart and spreading like wildfire throughout her body. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. She told herself. It’s okay. You are okay. You will be okay. She reminded herself. Her head was pounding, so was her heart. It was getting more difficult to breath.

Diaz shook her head and tried to think of something happy. She touched the floor and started tracing the pattern to divert her mind. She focused on how the smooth surface felt against her skin. she tapped on the floor with her finger and focused on the sound it made. It worked a little. Her heart wasn’t beating as fast as it was before. She could breathe a little easier. Diaz kept doing what she was doing.

She sat there hugging her knees and trying to breathe. Why did he still have that effect on her? Why did she always want to believe everything he said to her? Even after all these years, it felt like things hadn’t changed at all. She thought she was over him. She thought she was stronger and more in control. All it took was a few minutes of his presence and she was once again that timid, naïve, and scared girl she was a decade ago. Diaz was angry at herself. She was a strong woman. She had spent years helping people, fighting in court, arguing viciously for her clients, and saving them. Stop being stupid. She told herself. She knew she had to look after herself. She had a lot to do the next day and she couldn’t let him get to her head like this. Aria was depending on her, and she had goals to achieve. She didn’t have time for this. She was going after a group of evil geniuses and she needed her wits about her. She can’t fall apart like this.

Diaz stood up, stripped down and went into the bathroom. She took a long hot shower to calm her nerves and wrapped herself in the softest bath towel she owned. She made her way back to the bedroom, checked the lock and dived into her bed. She tried to empty her mind and gradually fell asleep.

“Just keep an open mind, Aria,” Diaz started. She had practically run out of the house in the early hours of morning. She went on a walk and had breakfast at a café and asked Aria to meet up with her. She spent another hour or so enjoying her coffee and taking in the view. She needed this time to clear her head. Things were getting a bit too much at her home. She never thought she would ever feel this uncomfortable in her own home. It was supposed to be a safe place for her.

“What do you mean?” asked Aria. They had had just finished their coffee and Aria had told her about when she was moving into the apartment and how excited she was.

“Just think about it and don’t be mad,” replied Diaz.

“What is it? What happened? Is something wrong?” Aria instantly asked.

“Oh! No, no. Everything is fine. Don’t worry. I didn’t mean it like that. Relax. It is actually good for us.”

“Phew! So, tell me; what’s up?”

“So, I met with Sanjay last night and …Jake.”

“Who is that?”

“The sergeant who was sure that you were the murderer.”

“Oh! Him.”

“Yeah. I know it might not be a big deal, but I still wanted to run it past you. So. He wants to help us. He seemed rather down and apologized about whatever happened. He admitted his mistake and said he should have investigated further. Jake is sorry about everything and wants to make amends.”

Aria was quiet. Diaz continued, “I thought it would be very helpful to have more police officers and detectives on our side. He said since there seems to be