10 Commandments

by Dark Angel

  “Dude, you’re related to her.” Bobbi breaks threw my thoughts and says the thing I should be thinking about.

  “Not really,” I say, distractedly. I can’t take my eyes off of her now. A passion’s arising in me with force. "No, my brother Barry still wants nothing to do with me, and you know what? I couldn’t really care less."

  I'm done trying with Barry. He's been such a disappointment to me as a brother. But right now I'm wondering where the hell he is and what's going on. Why is Elena standing by herself outside? If I find out he’s had the negligence to leave her alone and that something happened on his watch, I’m gonna be so pissed.

  “So, why is she alone then?” Bobbi’s got the same question in mind as me.

  “I have no idea. But we’re about to find out.”

  I'm judging Barry in my mind for not being here to defend her. What kind of guy leaves a woman like that alone for even a second? She looks so beautiful, but scared sitting there alone on her porch. I instantly feel like I want to protect her. This case suddenly got a lot more serious for me. I’m actually nervous to go see Elena. I wonder if she’ll recognize me or not? If she doesn’t, I wonder if I should say something? This might not be my case anymore if she feels it’s awkward or a conflict of interest for me to be working on it. Fuck. What am I going to say to her when I see her?

  Elena

  I’m seated outside my home in the dusky light of twilight as the sun sets and into the darkness. I’m just waiting for the cops to arrive, terrified of what’s gone on. Thankfully Gerri convinced me to call them because somebody definitely broke into the garage. She’s on her way here too, and that makes me feel better, but I still wish I wasn't alone right now.

  I'm so relieved to see the squad car pull up. The police linger in the car just a moment before a woman gets out, and then a man. He looks handsome in the distance. I'm so grateful they're finally here. When something like this happens, time seems to stretch and minutes feel like an eternity, waiting for help to arrive.

  God, that male cop is really sexy. He must be six-feet-five with a strong stature and a chiseled face. My mind is definitely off the crime now, and I didn't think that was possible. The closer they get, however, the more surprised I become.

  "Is that Leo?" I ask myself; it can’t be. I haven't seen him since the wedding. He came to support Barry, but they're in some kind of fight and Leo didn't stay long. He was fucking hot back then, and he still is hot now. Damn. Now he is the kind of man I could date. If only I had met him before Barry, maybe things would've turned out differently.

  I feel anxious as they walk up my path. What am I going to say to Leo? I haven’t seen him in ages, and what if he doesn’t remember me? That would be so uncomfortable to have to tell him that, “Hi, I’m Elena, I used to be your sister-in-law but now I’m not, so...” What if he judges me? What if Barry’s told him everything and Leo is on his side, and he holds that against me? Not only has a crime happened here, but I have to talk to my ex-brother-in-law about it? Awkward.

  "Hi, Elena," he greets as he walks up to me confidently. "It is you, isn't it?"

  Okay, he definitely remembers me. I can hardly answer because I'm just gazing into his dreamy eyes. They are dark and full of mystery. I never realized he was so… what's the word? Handsome? Tall? Fuckable? Perfect? The hottest man I've ever seen? I was definitely not expecting this and it's hard to get words out. Leo and his partner are staring at me, waiting for an answer.

  "Um, hi. Leo? I thought that was you. It’s been, like, forever since we saw each other; at my wedding, right?"

  "Yeah. That was it. So how is Barry? And where is he?”

  Doesn't he know? Why would Barry not even tell his own brother that we are splitting up? They really must hate each other.

  "Didn't Barry tell you? We separated like six months ago. I moved out, and we're getting a divorce. This is just my place. I live alone."

  Leo can't help but grin. “Wow, that’s too bad.” He says this with almost no sincerity in his voice, and it makes me think he’s happy that we broke up.

  "Hi, I'm Bobbi, Leo's partner.” She diffuses the awkwardness and shakes my hand. “So, why don't you tell me what's happened here?"

  Oh right, back to the crime.

  “So, I was just on the phone with my friend, and I heard some noises coming from the garage. I haven't even gone in to check it out. It sounded like maybe somebody was trying to break in, or maybe they did. I just called you guys."

  "I'm glad you did," Leo says. He looks right into my eyes, and it's kind of intimidating.

  "Let's go check it out," Bobbi says calmly. "You lead the way."

  I show them to the garage, and just walking next to Leo gives me butterflies. He uses his strong arms to open the garage door and there to my absolute horror are the words, "YOU'RE MINE," keyed into my car.

  My body begins shaking out of fear as tears spring from my eyes. I'm trying to process what's just happened. Someone is after me, and I feel so afraid. The cops are here, but basically it’s just me by myself. How can I stay here alone now? What is happening to my life?

  Just then, thankfully, I see Gerri's car pull up. She's finally here. I'm so glad to have a friend. She comes into the horrifying scene, and she holds me as I sob into her shoulder. When I see her I just remember how scared I was and I totally fall apart for a second. She introduces herself to Leo and Bobbi while holding me.

  "Hi, officers; I'm Gerri, Elena's friend and boss."

  Leo has barely taken his eyes off of me. But he jumps into action, calling for backup. More cops arrive and they take the fingerprints off the car and collect evidence. Gerri meanwhile, takes me inside and puts the kettle on. I'm so worked up and worried.

  "It's okay, Elena. See, I told you to call the cops."

  "Yes, you were right. You were so right."

  Leo comes into the house. "I need to ask you some questions, okay? Do you feel well enough to talk to me?"

  Being near him gives me a strange sense of comfort, like I'm in the right hands. I'm glad I got him as an officer.

  "Do you have any idea who this could be from? Have you had any bad dates or boyfriends lately that would want to do this?"

  "No, none. I mean, there was this one bad Tinder date. But it was nothing; like, we barely even knew each other."

  "Alright, what was his name?"

  "It was Darius . . . Darius somebody."

  "We'll find him. Anybody else?"

  "No. Not that I know of. I’ve barely been out on a date since moving in here."

  That statement seems to have pleased Leo, like he's happy to hear that I'm single and living alone.

  Leo

  It’s getting to be evening and the dragonflies are out and the air is crisp, making my emotions all the more heightened. I’ve been here for a while inspecting Elena’s case, and I don’t want to make her uncomfortable so I think I’m going to offer to recuse myself from it. God knows I don’t want to give up this case. I want to be as close to Elena as possible. For some reason, I feel protective over her. This has never happened with any of my other cases. I’m always objective, but something about her just makes me want to solve this. An angel like her doesn’t deserve to be afraid, and I can feel her vulnerability and it turns me on. She’s different than the other girls I’ve had. I saw that immediately. It’s like I want to fuck her brains out and put my stamp on her, never allowing her to leave my side. I want to be the only one she ever has.

  Wow. That’s fucking new for me.

  “You know, Elena, if this brother-in-law thing makes you uncomfortable, I can definitely remove myself from the case,” I say, carefully checking her response. I want to know if she’s into me.

  Even if she says yes, there’s no fucking way I’m leaving this alone. I’ll still investigate it, only without her knowing. There’s no way I’m going to leave this in the hands of some incapable rookie. I’m the best there is and that’s what she deserves, in more than one sense.

  “N
o,” she says, staring up at me with those beautiful wide eyes. “No, please. You were here first, and now I’m trusting you with this. It’s okay. There’s no conflict of interest. Besides, Barry’s in my past.”

  I’m glad to hear it. She seems to have made a point of letting me know that Barry means nothing to her. I hope that’s true. I want to move in on her so bad, but first I’ll have to let her get to know me. She’s not some woman you fuck and then leave. I will never forget her name. And at this point, I never want to leave her side either. No matter what, I will make this girl mine. I have to have her. And if that means protecting her until the day I die, then that’s what it’ll be. She’s going to be all mine, and this perp will never get away with what he’s done to her. This I also know for sure. I’m going to make the bastard pay double-time for what he did. He’ll be behind bars for an eternity with all my connections going against him. He messed with the wrong girl, because apparently the only stalker around here is me. I should cool down but instead I let my thoughts race with the instinctive urge to protect Elena.

  “All right, Elena, can you answer a few more questions for me please?” I ask gently. I can tell she’s still shaken up.

  “Sure. I mean, anything you need.”

  “Do you have the ability to get more locks on your doors and windows?”

  “Yes. I’ll hire someone.”

  I pause and look into her eyes. “I have a guy. I’ll send him over.”

  “Okay—” She looks up at me again, this time with gratitude, and I feel my passion rising.

  I’m staring into her eyes, unflinchingly. “You have my number, right? I want you to call me with anything. Understand? Anything you want, you can call me no matter what time it is. And I want you to communicate with me directly about everything. No one else.”

  With this, I take her phone and enter my private number into it. “And,” I say, “even if you just want to talk, I’ll be there, okay?”

  This seems to brighten her mood.

  “I mean it. I’m there for you. You’re not alone in this.”

  “Thanks,” she says. “I might take you up on that.”

  God, I hope she does. I have to see her more. I wish I could just take her in my arms right now, into the house, and fuck her. I want her to know me. I want her to know that I would never hurt her and that I’m the man who deserves to have her beautiful body. In fact, at this point, I’m feeling downright possessive. Fuck, I’m getting in deep.

  Bobbi is staring at us, and I know she thinks this is funny. We were just talking about settling down, and here I am practically confessing my undying devotion to this girl. Bobbi knows I never talk to people on our cases like this. She’s going to give me a hard time about this, I know it.

  I ignore Bobbi, but take my cue to leave. I don’t want to overstay my welcome. “Okay, Elena, we’re going to take off. I want you to stay in close contact with me. Don’t forget, anytime you need to talk I’m there.”

  She looks into my eyes with sincerity, and waves of passion fill my entire body. “I can’t thank you enough for all that you did, Leo. You, just having been here, was so helpful.”

  I hate to admit, but my heart skips a beat when she says that. I have to see this girl again . . . soon.

  Back in the car, Bobbi starts ribbing me. “Wow, you’ve got it bad.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say gruffly.

  “Come on, who could deny those sparks flying? I guess our conversation really sunk in.” She laughs like this is so funny.

  “Shut up, Bobbi. I just want to... help her. I would do the same for anyone.”

  She’s cracking up now. “Yeah right! That was so obvious. You love that girl.”

  “Shut up!”

  Bobbi’s just rolling in laughter. She thinks this is the funniest damn thing. She says, “I think Elena married the wrong brother!”

  “God, Bobbi, give me a break,” I say flatly. “And you better not mention this to anyone.”

  My admission makes her laugh louder. This is going to be a long ride back to the station.

  Elena

  I look out of the shutters in anxious anticipation of Gerri showing up. I’m so glad she's going to stay the night with me. She headed out to grab a few things and is coming right back. Truly, I am so lucky to have a boss like her! A real friend. Not only is it getting windy and possibly stormy, but I'm too nervous about everything and if she didn't stay with me, I'd probably be up pacing all night. I wouldn't get an ounce of sleep. Gerri is a great friend, and I'm not sure what I would do without her.

  As I look out upon the darkened night sky, I think about Leo. The darkness of the night matches the darkness I see in his eyes, a dark abyss I want to fall into. He’s so freaking hot. I've never met a guy like that. Not only is he totally shredded, gorgeous, striking, and kind, but something about him makes me feel more sure of myself, more sure of my life. Not to mention his package has got to be huge. I mean, if hands and feet are any marker, then Leo has to be packing a giant cock and I’m not gonna lie, girl, I thought about that too. I remember how he gave me butterflies in my stomach the first time I met him, but at that time I was marrying Barry and put those thoughts aside. But no girl can forget Leo. Hmmm, he probably knows it too.

  I see headlights, and I’m distracted from my reverie. Thank God Gerri is here. Now we can get the night started.

  She honks the horn of her black on black Range Rover. It's as if she's trying to tell the neighborhood that she's here, my protector for the night, and that nobody should mess with us.

  I look around to see that no one noticed Gerri's display as I open the door of my cozy, little house and am excited to invite Gerri in. I’ve already put the kettle on so that we can have some girl talk. God knows I need it after everything I've been through lately. Gerri will calm me down.

  "Hey, you're here!" I say excitedly.

  "Yep, I wasn't going to let you do this alone."

  I jump down from the porch to grab her bag; it's the least I can do.

  "I hope you like chamomile," I say.

  "Of course. I'll be glad to get inside. It's getting gusty out here."

  Once we're in, I help Gerri get settled. She curls up on the couch as I deliver a tray of tea and English cookies.

  "So, we've gotta talk," she says to me. "What is going on with Barry?"

  I sigh into the couch. How do I even begin to describe this? How can Gerri ever understand what it's like to be married to a man like that? My marriage was a sham. I wasn't happy being married, and yet I wanted so bad for it to work out. I gave it my all, and I sacrificed so much. The thought of all those years wasted on a man like Barry makes me feel sad, like I've given my life and my love to somebody who didn't even appreciate it.

  "I don't know," I respond to her. “It's hard to understand what's happening with him. You know when we got married, I was so hopeful when I thought about my future. I thought I would be with this man forever. I thought we would have children and the white picket fence, and everything would work out. Now I'm all confused. I didn't even know that his brother was a cop. I mean, what does that say about our marriage?"

  "Well, I don't know what it is you see in marriage," Gerri says. "Being single is the greatest thing on the planet. You get to do what you want, be who you want, and you never have to answer to anybody. I love being single."

  "Haha, I wish I were more like you," I say. "I know what you mean about being single. It's just that you can't really have a family by yourself. I want a family. And knowing the dating pool and what's out there, it makes me question if I'll ever have it."

  She takes a long, thoughtful sip of her tea before she says, "You know who isn't a bad catch? Leo . . . don’tcha think."

  I can tell she's egging me on, dying for a response and to know what I think about Leo. Obviously, he is a catch. Of course, it's hard to know if he's a playboy or not given those looks. He could have any woman he wants. In fact, he probably does.

  "L
eo?" I say, getting ready to cover my feelings. "Why would you even bring him up?"

  Her eyes are smiling now as she says the words, "Maybe he's the brother you should've married?

  My heart flutters a little bit for reasons I can't explain, except that she mentioned Leo. Why would she even mention him? We're talking about my failed marriage, not some super sexy detective who I don't even know very well.

  "Gerri! Shhhhh. How could you say that?"

  It's almost as if I think he's listening in and I don't want him to hear. Only, if he was anywhere near my house right now, I would feel better.

  "Oh come on, like you haven't noticed how fine he is. He is hot! I think you just got the wrong brother."

  She's laughing now, laughing at my pain. But this makes me laugh too, and I have to give it to her, she did cheer me up. Just thinking about Leo cheers me up.

  I admit to her, "Leo is very handsome. I'll give you that."

  "Handsome? He's on fire," Gerri observes. "You deserve a man like that."

  God, Leo. Now I'm thinking about him and feeling all steamed up. There’s a wetness in my panties that I ignore.

  "He does make me feel safe," I say trying to end the conversation on Leo, "but for now, I've got you!"

  Elena

  Thankfully Gerri has been an amazing boss, and she let me take two days off work after the incident in my garage. She really is a cool boss and makes work a fun place to be, not someplace I have to be. But now I’m back at it trying to play catch up. I can't believe I've let that guy, whoever he is, take me off my game at work. I love my job, and I love being able to prove that I’m competent and trustworthy, so having to take time to recuperate because of this scandal has me feeling guilty. I don't ever want Gerri or anyone else to think I’m not qualified to be here. And having forced time off only underpins the idea that I have personal problems that are seeping into my work life.

  My office is beautiful, decorated by Gerri in that eco-friendly, modern way. I love being here. It's so bright and sunny, and it reminds me of why I got into this business in the first place. Our motto is that green is clean, and working for a company with a moral high ground makes me feel like I’m making a difference in the world.