Rania Algafari never asked to be different, and when she escaped the war in Syria and moved to the UK, her only goal was to live her life in peace. Get up, go to work, avoid talking to the dead - that sort of thing.
But not everyone dies quietly, an...
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Now we had Marshall to question, Aiden to find, Arthur's murder to solve, and the small matter of a lunatic with a fetish for matches on the loose. I was definitely getting used to waking up next to Will, but this morning, I'd only got one quick kiss before he stumbled out of bed and into the shower.
"Are you sure you don't need me?" I called after him. "I don't mind getting up to help."
A muffled thunk followed by cursing made me jackknife up off the bed. I'd got one foot out into the early-morning chill when Will poked his head around the door.
"Stubbed my fucking toe."
"Shall I get some ice?"
"Nah." His eyes dropped to the tent in his boxers. "I've got to take a cold shower anyway. And no, you stay here and rest."
He didn't mean to make me feel inadequate, and even if I had been able to stomach the more my body wanted but my head didn't, we wouldn't have had time, but still... I felt like half a woman. A child whose innocence had been stolen by circumstances. By bombs and bullets and mortars and men.
I burrowed back under the covers as the water shooshed out, doing my best not to think about the fledgling relationship I desperately didn't want to screw up. Despite the circumstances, Will had shovelled a thin layer of hope into the empty chasm of my chest, and I craved being whole again. Or at least, something more than nothing.
Will showered fast, in and out in less than two minutes, and I peeked from under the duvet as he dropped his towel to pull on a pair of boxer shorts. I only caught the rear view, but that was enough to make my mouth go dry in a good way. Could he hear my heart racing?
I watched him surreptitiously until he perched on the edge of the bed and pulled the duvet back. Please, say my cheeks hadn't gone too red.
"Wish I could stay with you all day, but the guy I need to speak to walks his dog at six every morning.
"Who is he?"
"A cop. I've still got a few friends on the force. Albie's two years off retirement, coasting along, but he keeps his ear to the ground and if Marshall's been doing business with ladies of the night, Albie would know about it."
"Be careful."
"Always am." He leaned forward to brush his lips against mine. "I'll be back in time to take you to work."
Another opportunity to converse with Helene. "I can hardly wait."
***
Shannon arrived home grumpy after her shift, her pretty face marred by a scowl as she stomped into the living room where I was watching cartoons with Aisling.
"What's wrong?" Aside from the obvious problem with the flat. "Did something happen at work?"
"No, after work. I told RJ I'd catch the bus home, but when I got out of work, there was a car waiting for me. Not even a cab. Some fancy Mercedes with blacked-out windows."
