ELENA
"Wake up, detective boss," Sarah whispers into my ear, holding a steaming cup of coffee close to my nose.
The rich aroma hits me instantly. Divine. It's nice to know she still remembers how I like my coffee—black, no sugar. Speaking of sugar…
"Did you put sugar?" I ask, taking the cup from her.
"Of course not," she says with a smirk.
"Gist me about last night!" Sarah blurts, suddenly changing the topic.
"Is that what the early morning coffee is all about?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Well, if you're good to me, there's more where that came from," she says, smiling sweetly.
"Geez! When did you become like this?" I laugh.
"Ever heard the saying, 'You've got to use what you have to get what you want'?" Sarah replies, looking pleased with herself.
I sigh, raising my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine… I'll tell you."
My smile fades as last night's events resurface. "It didn't go as I expected."
Sarah's smile falters. "Why?"
I hesitate, the bitter taste of disappointment settling on my tongue. "He was there."
"Who?" Sarah's brows knit in confusion.
" DeLuca Adrian."
Sarah gasps. "The murder suspect in your husband's death?"
I nod. "He's so full of himself. That cold, calculating look… like he could get anything he wanted with the snap of his fingers. I don't like men like that."
Sarah watches me closely, but I can't quite read the expression in her eyes.
To make matters worse, Dante showed up at the office earlier, insisting it wasn't safe for me to be there.
"That's thoughtful of him," Sarah said, clearly impressed. "Watching over his boss's wife even after his death — he's a loyal one."
But something about Dante's explanation still nags at me. He claimed he had come to my room to check on me, and when he couldn't find me, he immediately headed to the casino.
I'd asked him why not my father's place. He'd said he doubted I would go there — that I'd probably want to be close to my husband, at the casino where he'd spent most of his days. His reasoning made sense, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something.
"Hello?" Sarah's hand waved in front of my face, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Anyway," she said with a grin, "your second surprise of the morning is almost ready."
"Sarah," I said, my voice sharpening, "what time did you leave my room last night after I left?"
"About thirty minutes after you left."
Before she could say more, I pressed, "Did you lock the door when you left?"
"No," she said, looking confused.
There was no point asking if she'd seen Dante come to my room.
"Thanks. I'm ready for my surprise now," I said, forcing a smile.
Sarah shook her head, a look of disbelief on her face — probably wondering if I was starting to lose it.
"Oh my… you made my favorite!" I exclaimed as she uncovered the dishes in front of me.
"Surprise!" Sarah shouted with a wide grin.
I sat down immediately, wasting no time as I dug into the tortilla chips, eggs, and salsa. Sarah sat across from me in the elaborate dining room, just smiling.
"You remember when I used to say that eating this"—I gestured toward the food—"made me feel like I was in Mexico City?"
We both said it at the same time, laughing.
"How childish I was back then," I added, shaking my head.
"Aren't you eating too?" I asked Sarah between mouthfuls.
She shook her head. "This is the first time you've really eaten something since…" She trailed off, her voice faltering.
I knew what she was about to say, and I was glad she didn't say it out loud.
As I wiped my hands with a napkin, the room fell into silence when Dante approached. Just the sight of him made me uncomfortable these days.
After the usual polite greeting—which I acknowledged with a simple nod—he stretched an envelope toward me.
"I'd like to submit my resignation, ma'am," he said.
"Your what?" Sarah screamed from across the table.
I simply extended my hand and took the envelope, meeting his dark gaze without saying a word. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of begging him to stay.
Instead, I surprised us both by asking, "When will you be moving out of the quarters?" My voice was steady, almost cold.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah's shocked expression.
"Soon, ma'am," Dante replied. "But I'll be seeing you around."
He turned and walked away.
"Shit! What was that about?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide.
"What about?" I replied, feigning indifference.
"The tension between you two. Or was I the only one who noticed it?" Sarah muttered, half-talking to herself.
"El, you need to be careful," she said as the maid appeared to clear the table.
What was I missing? I couldn't shake the feeling that there was a piece of the puzzle I hadn't found yet.
And what did he mean by seeing me around?