Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.
Characters thoughts in italics
Thanks to my beta, Lena!
Chapter 1
Vicki was finishing an invoice from her latest case when she heard a knock at the outer door.
"Hello," a male voice said.
"Just a minute. I'll be right with you. Just have a seat."
The blond haired private investigator placed her pencil on her desk and sauntered into Coreen's area.
A silver haired man with green eyes and dressed in a light blue dress shirt and tan slacks rose from the chair. "Hello, Vicki."
"Do I know you?" Vicki studied his face for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice raised an octave. "On second thought, I don't want to know. Just leave." She turned away and began walking back to her office.
"Vicki, I…"
The former homicide detective swiveled around. "You what? Want to spend some quality time? I think you're about twenty years too late for that."
"I understand why you're upset with me. Maybe I can come back another time and we can talk," the older man pleaded.
"I don't want to talk to you. You've been gone all this time. Why don't you stay gone?"
The man raised his arms in defeat. "You win, Vicki. I'll leave. I'm in town for a week."
The man reached into his dress pants and pulled a business card from his wallet. "Here's my cell number."
He tried handing the card to Vicki but she refused to take it so he placed the card on an empty chair. "Call me if you change your mind."
"I won't," Vicki insisted.
"Goodbye, Vicki."
As soon as he stepped out of the office, she slammed the door in his face. She watched his distorted image through the opaque glass until he retreated.