Chapter 3: The Chase

Adam Florenz's POV

I winced as Fauna closed the door of her bedroom. I did not know that a woman has so many tempers to herself. I think I would love to uncover that myself.

"so, you have taken a liking with my daughter?" Scott's voice was filling the hallway as I was turning around to look at him. He had his Scotch with him as he was eyeing me up and down. I straightened my backbone as I went to him.

"yes, sir. I would love to get to know her better. besides, I think she hates me and that is because she did not know me yet," I said as I was walking with him back to the painting room where my parents and her parents were talking to catch up. Scott patted on my shoulder.

"I just wanted to say that Fauna might be a wild child when she was growing up. She never had many friends in school and she just does her own thing. I think I can trust you to keep her safe," he said as he went inside the room. I blinked a few times as I was trying to digest the information that just been given to me.

Wild child?

no friends?

Oh, I think I just found Fauna's weaknesses. She was shutting everyone out because she never had anyone close before. From that night, I was determined to get into her personal life and maybe even more.

my thought was being interrupted by my phone. I looked at the number and grimaced. It was my captain's back in Spain and I had to answer it because she never called me unless it was important.

"Florenz," I said in Spanish. I might not be good in Italian but I could go by with Portuguese and Spanish as well as English.

"listen, Florenz, there has been a chase in the city and I just got a hint it was that woman, Lucia Ricci. I need you to check it out because apparently, your new captain cannot contact you as you did not report yourself to him yet," she said as she was gritting her teeth. I bit my lower lips as I was trying to explain to her.

"look, cap—"

"no matter, it was still Sunday over there. so, maybe you did not go to the station just yet. Just get a look in that, please," she said as she was sighing.

"Okay, I'm on it," I said before I hung up the phone and I went to talk to my parents.

"mum, dad, I have to—"

"oh, for god sake, can you not thinking about work right now?!" My mum said in Portuguese but I can see that Kents were looking at us like we were in soap opera.

"mum—"

"you know what, I don't care. You do what you want, Adam. Just be safe, okay?" She said as she went to take a seat. Stacy went to her side before I looked at my father.

"I'm sorry—"

"it's fine, son. It's your job. Just go," he said as he turned to look at Scott. He explained that I was an Interpol detective and Scott nodded at that.

"I will come back as soon as I can,"

"don't bother, I will have my driver to send them home," Scott said as he patted my back. I thanked him before I was running toward the front door. And frankly, I know where it was, considering that I don't even know where the bathroom was.

I got inside the car, my parents' anyway, it was a BMW R-i series and it was black. I cannot go to the crime in this, they will think I was a show-off but I don't have time to change it. I have to get there as soon as possible.

I started the car and sped off to the crime scene. It was a short ride but the traffic on Sunday night was killing me. I got there in 30 minutes at the latest before I went to the crime scene.

"Sir, this is police business. Civilians are not to be—" I shut that officer up as I showed him my badge.

"Mr. Florenz, I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," he replied as I put my badge out of the way again.

"well, I was supposed to report tomorrow but I was instructed to take a look at this case tonight, so lucky me," I said as I went under the yellow tape and I was looking at the crime scene. It was horrible as the person that was laying down was not a person anymore. It was a mass of gooey thing now.

"what happened?" I asked the officer before he got the witness' statements.

"the man was walking down, drunk, before he was attacked by a strange creature. They did not know what it was but the creature was a woman," he read as he looked at me. I scratched my nose before I looked around the victim. My breath was misty as it was a chilly night and I took out my gloves to inspect the victim.

his face was broken, cannot be recognized before I looked under his hand. He was holding something, a vial. I went to mention to the forensic to take that to the lab and examined the chemical composition in them.

"Sir?" The officer asked me. I was looking around the area as we were in an abandoned alley near the bad side of the downtown. She liked to get the test on the bad side of the town. I sighed before I looked at the police.

"I want the patrol to round the area in the 10-kilometer block. The serial killer will be lurking around tonight. If anything of suspicion, you call me and get it to the jail for further questions. I will be at the office for the time being. Wrap this up!" I shouted as I looked at the forensics and medics that were on the scene. It was not so discreet anymore. I have to get her before she can do any more damage.

I went to my parents' car as I got in and sped off to the station. I know I was not officially reporting myself to the captain but this crime has been worse than it ever was in Europe. I need to get her and I need to end this torture, once and for all.

I startled as I was looking around me. I was at my desk, well one of the unoccupied desks that I just started to doze off quite quickly when I sat down. I was looking around as there was no one here yet. I looked at the time and it was 5 AM. I don't know if the captain will be here but when I turned around, I saw someone was staring at me.

"Sir!" I said as I was standing up from the seat that I occupied last night. It was a hot mess that I did not have the time to wash my face or maybe check my breath.

"I assume you're the new transfer?" He asked me as he was eyeing me up and down. I nodded my head.

"good job on the work last night, by the way, Officer Dean has told me everything," he said as he motioned me to go inside his office. He opened the door and ushered me in before he closed it and went to take a seat. I stood up as he did not instruct me to sit.

"well, excellent results, good work performance and even fluent in 3 languages. surely, you can be better than a detective," he said as he was looking at me. I shrugged as I never thought about it.

"well, what do you say to a promotion?" He asked me. My eyes were wide as a saucer.

"promotion, sir? But I just got here," I said as I was trying to argue with him. I was to get this maniac and out of the States. A promotion means I need to stay here more than I should.

"my lieutenant, Mr. Drum, was out cold during one of the chasings. I can say that because he was 120 pounds heavier than you are," he said as he was eyeing me up and down again.

"I think we need a new lieutenant that was young, slim and fit. And you, Adam Florenz, fit the criteria," he said as he was smiling at me. I blinked a few times at him.

"But, sir, I assure you that—"

"yes, you're a foreigner and taking this promotion would means that you were getting over your head. But do not worry, I discuss it with Interpol and they let me borrow you for a year, or maybe more.

Oh, mercy!

I cleared my throat as I was trying to reason with him. He held his hand.

"I also hear that your fiancée was an American woman, was that true?" He asked me as he was looking at me. I nodded at him as I was wondering how he knew about this.

"well, Leonor told me," he said like it was the most casual thing to say. Of course, my parents will have anything to do with this. seriously, how influential were they?

"don't worry, brat.i will not tell anyone but I think you might want to stay a little longer if you will be marrying this young woman," he said as he looked at me. I closed my eyes as I was trying to control my anger.

My parents were so dead!