Breaking Midnight (Il Paradosso Series Book One)

Chapter six

"OK, Miss Bennett. Let’s go through this one more time, shall we?" The officer leaned further against his chair as he stared at me with the slightest sign of concern on his chubby face.

I was clearly shaking because he offered to bring me a blanket, which I declined for the second time. The thin jumpsuit I wore was exposing half of my body and it wasn't helping to reduce the hysterical jitters.

"You were going about your night shift, taking out the trash, when you witnessed your boss getting murdered?" He skimmed through his notes again, raising his hand up to scratch his head with the pen.

"―and his wife," I reminded.

He hesitated for a second, glancing up shortly to make eye contact.

"And then, you were kidnapped and held captive for forty-eight hours?"

I nodded, rubbing the goosebumps on the outsides of my arms.

"By people whose names you can't remember or don't know of?"

This was what I had dreaded before, and it was all becoming a reality. He didn't seem to believe a word I was saying.

"I don't know any of their names because they never told me them."

"What about their voices, do you remember what they sounded like?" the officer questioned, while crossing his arms over his chest.

"You need to believe me; they murdered my boss and his wife, and then drugged me. I was blindfolded and my hands were tied behind my back."

"Were they held with rope or in handcuffs?"

"In handcuffs, just like I stated the first time."

Was he kidding me? I had just spent the last hour-and-a-half describing every little detail―well, almost every detail―to him and it was like my words were bouncing off the walls.

The officer frowned, the lines on his forehead scrunching together. "OK, stay seated while I step out for a minute and I'll get right back to you."

I nodded, leaning my elbows to rest them on the table. I closed my eyes, placing my head in my hands.

What now, Adriana? You should have told him about the woman. Now you can't fix this because he's only going to think you're making this entire thing up.

I lost track of time in the small room, waiting for the officer to return. The sinking feeling in my stomach grew stronger by every minute.

The door finally opened and my head jerked up. A tall man in a navy tailored suit walked in. His figure was lean, the air around him demanding as he unbuttoned his blazer and lowered himself into the chair across from me. His piercing green eyes made the tiny hairs rise on the back of my arms when he slowly leaned in and they scanned me downwards, stopping at my wrists.

My arms instinctively lowered under the table, feeling self-conscious of his attention lingering on my chest.

This skimpy outfit wasn’t the smartest choice of clothing. In fact, it was perfect for attracting sharp-eyed predators.

I shifted awkwardly in my chair, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny.  

"Good evening, Miss Bennett," the hawk-eyed stranger began, his voice smooth as silk but unsurprisingly, eerie as fuck, to match his appearance. It resonated confidence and his slicked back hair reminded me of the movie Mad men.