The Detective and the Rockstar

Chapter 16

It felt great to be back in her element. The smell of the cold concrete deep in the guts of the building brought back fond memories. Outside the locker doors, the clamor of people's urgent shouting and music from the overhead speakers drifted into the cold room.

            She sat on the bench, wrapping her hand in elastic tape. She ignored the women around her and their conversations. She had spent the week training with her coach. It was a welcomed distraction from the chaos that was her life. It was good to pretend that everything was alright.

            Rio had been discharged from the hospital two days earlier. Alice had told her. Knowing this, she ignored the unknown number that kept trying to call her. Annika concentrated on her training and hadn't touched a beer since emptying the ones in her fridge down the sink. Things were looking brighter, and she didn't want to risk it by inviting trouble back into her life.

            Rio's publicists had given several statements to the media. According to them, a stalker had attacked the singer in his house, and everything had been taken care of. A severe backlash had been avoided.

She wanted to call him, to hear his voice, but every time she felt the temptation rising, she reminded herself that she was hurting her sister. Annika supposed that Rio would be okay. He had his staff to watch out for him; he didn't need her.

            Her cell phone started ringing beside her. She looked at Alice's photo and smiled. Without any hesitation, she picked it up and pressed the answer icon. Things between her and Alice had begun to return to normal. The guilt she felt had slowly dissipated. She could look her in the eyes again. She decided that maybe she needed the reckless adventure with Rio to help her back on the right path.

"Hey."

"Hey. I'm sorry I can't make it tonight." She sighed heavily on the line. "I still have a few errands to run for Rio. Boss Ling is not happy about canceling the show. She's not giving him an easy time."

"The date was only pushed back. They aren't losing money, so why is she mad?"

Her words startled her. Why did it suddenly sound like she belonged in that world?

"I guess it's because everything is now off schedule."

"Hmm..." She hesitated before asking her next question. "How's Rio?"

Flashes of the night she made her grave mistake replayed in her mind. Her heart skipped a beat. She wished she could forget the way she melted when he touched her. She was ashamed that she had been so weak and vulnerable, falling for the tricks of her broken heart that was desperately trying to heal itself.

"He's good. He's resting at home. His mother is there with him, so I don't have to worry about if he's taking care of himself. I'm free to get as much work done. He can be a handful. Anyway, enough about that. Are you ready for the fight?"

She was dismissive. Alice would jump at the slightest opportunity to talk about Rio. Annika wondered if it was because Alice didn't want to distract her before the fight or because she did not want to talk about Rio. Her heart couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She couldn't stop replaying the night Rio was shot in her mind. It seemed odd that Alice did not fall to pieces when she heard the news.

"More ready than I've ever been. I have a lot of pent-up aggression to let out."

"Yeah, the poor dumpster." She laughed, and Annika smirked. "Anyway, good luck. I'll come and see you tomorrow. I'll be free."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Annika...you know I love you, don't you?"

"Yeah. I love you too."