Cuffed on the First Date

My mom set me up on a blind date. Her selling point? He's got a rock-solid government job.
When I met him, he was a devastatingly handsome ice prince.
He slid a photograph across the table. Do you know him?
It was my scumbag ex-boyfriend.
A jolt of electricity shot through me. Know him? I seethed, my teeth clenched. "Even as dust and ashes, I'd know that bastard."
A cold smirk touched his lips. "Good," he murmured. "Then our goals are one and the same."
I thought he wanted to help me get revenge. My heart fluttered, ready to be his.
Until he pulled out a pair of gleaming steel handcuffs and snapped one around my wrist.
"I'm a cop..."

1.
"You must be Lia."
The man across from me spoke, his voice as flat and cool as his expression.
Just yesterday, my mom was screaming at me over the phone. "Lia, listen to me, you're thirty! How much longer are you going to be this picky? This one's a federal employee, a stable job for life! If you dare stand him up, I'll break your legs!"
So, here I was.
The man in front of me was named Ethan. He was undeniably good-looking, with deep-set eyes and a sharp, high-bridged nose. The cuffs of his crisp white shirt were rolled up, revealing strong, corded forearms.
But his presence was overwhelming. He sat there, perfectly still, yet I felt a nervous energy crackling in the air, making me squirm in my seat.
I managed a nod. "That's me."
He hummed in acknowledgment, and then… silence.
The waitress came to take our order. He asked for a black iced coffee, then his gaze shifted to me.
"I'll have the same," I said.
As the waitress left, the awkwardness thickened. I started to question everything. Was this really a blind date?
He finally spoke again. "So, Miss Reed, what do you do for fun?"
I pulled myself together. "Watch movies, shop, a bit of travel."
"I see."
And… silence again.
I decided to take the lead. "So, Mr. Cole, what exactly do you do? My mom just said you worked for the government."
He looked at me, his eyes so deep I couldn't read a single emotion in them.
"My work is classified."
Okay, then. This conversation was officially dead on arrival.
I picked up my glass of water, planning to sit for another ten minutes before making a polite excuse to leave.
But then he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a photograph.
"Do you know him?"
The face in the picture was one I could never forget.
Alex.
My ex-boyfriend. The con artist who had stolen my heart and my money before vanishing three years ago.
I froze. What was my mother thinking? Was this some kind of bizarre test to see if I still had feelings for him?
I slammed my glass down on the table.
"Know him? Of course, I know him." My voice was laced with venom. "Even as dust and ashes, I'd know that bastard!"
Ethan leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a low, intense murmur.
"Good."
"Then our goals are one and the same."
My heart gave a violent lurch.

2.
In that instant, my mind raced with a thousand a melodramatic soap opera plots.
Had Alex conned Ethan, too? Or maybe one of his relatives?
"You..." I asked, testing the waters. "Are you looking for him, too?"
Ethan took a slow, deliberate sip of his coffee.
"More than just looking."
He set the cup down, his gaze locking with mine. "I'm going to catch him."
Catch him!
The words sent a thrill through my entire body. Three years ago, Alex had vanished with the fifty thousand dollars I’d saved up to start my own business. I'd filed a police report, but it was like he’d ceased to exist. His ID, his phone number—everything led to a dead end. The police told me it was a common type of case, to wait for news, and then… nothing.
For three years, he had haunted my nightmares. I despised him, fantasizing about tearing him limb from limb.
And now, a man so handsome it was practically a crime was telling me he was going to catch Alex.
I looked at Ethan, my eyes shining.
"I can help you!" I blurted out. "I know so much about him! His habits, his old friends, the places he used to go!"
Ethan watched my excited outburst, and something new flickered in his eyes.
"Easy," he said, tucking the photo away. "That's all for today."
He stood, paid the bill, and turned to me.
"Give me your number. I'll call you when I need you."
I rattled off my digits instantly.
He saved the contact, gave me a curt nod, and walked away. Clean, efficient, no wasted motion.
I sat there, my heart still hammering against my ribs as I watched him disappear through the cafe door.
I pulled out my phone and texted my mom.
"Mom, about this guy… I'm very, very satisfied."
She replied in seconds: "Really?! That's wonderful! I told you he was a great catch!"
I smiled at the screen.
Oh, he was a catch, all right.
Handsome, driven, and we shared a common enemy.
I think… I was already starting to fall for him.

3.
A week passed, and Ethan didn't contact me.
I stared at my phone constantly, refreshing my messages, terrified I’d miss his call. My mom, on the other hand, was relentless, hounding me daily for updates.
"Lia, honey, you need to be more proactive! Men like it when a girl takes initiative."
"Ask him to a movie! Or dinner!"
Her nagging was giving me a headache, so I just mumbled, "I know, I know."
Just as I was about to break down and call him myself, my phone rang. It was Ethan.
"Are you free tonight?" His voice was as cool and crisp as ever.
"Yes! I'm free!" I nearly leaped off the sofa.
"Seven o'clock. I'll pick you up at this address."
He hung up. I stared at the address he'd texted—it was my own apartment building. I blinked. How did he know where I lived? Then again, for someone in his line of work, finding an address was probably child's play.
I shot into my bedroom and threw open my closet, a whirlwind of clothes and makeup.
At seven o'clock sharp, a black SUV pulled up in front of my building. Ethan was behind the wheel. He saw me and gave a slight nod.
I slid into the passenger seat. "Where are we going?" I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
"A place Alex used to frequent."
My heart sank. So, this wasn't a date. I'd just been getting ahead of myself.
He drove to an old strip of bars on the Southside, parking the car on a quiet street before killing the engine.
"He used to love a bar here called The Night Owl."
I nodded. "Yeah. He always said they had the cheapest drinks."
Ethan turned to look at me. "You still remember him so clearly."
"Of course," I sneered. "If a dog bites you, you make damn sure you remember what it looks like."
He didn't respond, just watched me. The silence stretched for a good ten seconds, making my skin prickle.
Finally, he spoke. "Besides this bar, any other places? Or any… unusual habits? Something most people wouldn't know."
I thought for a moment.
"He has a burn scar on the inside of his left wrist. From a cigarette. It's tiny, like a single, perfect period. He told me it was an accident from when he was a kid."
Ethan's eyes sharpened. He took out his phone, seeming to type something down.
"Anything else?"
"He had a gambling problem," I said. "The fifty thousand… he told me it was for an investment. I found out later he bet it all on sports. Lost everything."
Ethan’s fingers tapped a light rhythm on the steering wheel.
"Which betting site?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. He never let me near his phone."
Silence fell again, the atmosphere turning icy. I felt a wave of disappointment, like I hadn't been helpful at all.
"Um…" I said softly. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For still investigating him. For being willing to catch him."
Ethan started the car.
"Don't thank me," he said, his voice flat. "It's my job."
He turned the car around and headed back toward my place. As we neared my building, he asked an odd question. "Are you close with your parents?"
I was taken aback. "Yeah, they're great. My dad dotes on me."
"What does your father do?"
"He's in international trade."
"The company name?"
"Unity International," I answered. "Why?"
Ethan shook his head. "No reason. Just curious."
The car stopped in front of my building. I unbuckled my seatbelt, ready to get out.
"Ethan," I said, mustering all my courage.
"Yeah?"
"Can we… talk about something other than Alex sometime?"
He looked at me, his expression unreadable. After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Okay."

4.
That one word, "Okay," kept me walking on air for days.
I started asking him out.
"I know a new sushi place that's supposed to be amazing," I'd say.
"Okay."
"There's a new movie out with great reviews."
"Okay."
"The weather's going to be perfect this weekend. We could go for a hike outside the city."
"Okay."
He never said no.
But somehow, our dates always morphed into case briefings.
At the sushi restaurant, I'd just be lifting a piece of salmon to my lips when he’d ask, "Did Alex like raw fish?"
At the movies, halfway through the film, he'd lean in and whisper in my ear, "Do you remember the last four digits of his Social Security number?"
On a mountaintop, as I was admiring the breathtaking view, he'd casually drop, "Did he ever mention any countries he wanted to escape to?"
I was going crazy. But I couldn't bring myself to give up.
Because every now and then, I'd see a different side of him.
Once, at dinner, I choked on a fish bone. He was on his feet in a second, moving behind me and performing the Heimlich maneuver. His arms wrapped around my waist, his chest pressed against my back, his warm breath fanning against my ear. In that moment, my face was redder than it had been when I was choking.
Another time, we were leaving a restaurant when it started pouring. He took off his jacket and held it over my head, shielding me from the downpour. Half of his body was soaked, rain dripping from the ends of his short, dark hair. I looked up at him, and my heart hammered in my chest.
I was becoming more and more certain. I was falling for him.
And I even started to think he felt something for me, too. Why else would he agree to do all these things with me that were clearly outside of "work"? Why else would he have looked so panicked when I was choking?
I told my mom what I was thinking. She was ecstatic. "I knew it! A mother's intuition is never wrong! Lia, you've got to lock this one down!"
I decided to be even bolder.
We met for dinner again. Afterward, I didn't let him take me straight home.
"Let's go for a walk by the river," I suggested.
He glanced at me but didn't object.
The night air by the river was chilly. I'd deliberately underdressed, and now I was shivering. I thought he might offer me his jacket again, like last time.
He didn't.
He just looked at me and said, "If you're cold, we should go back."
My heart plummeted. I wasn't ready to give up.
I stopped walking and turned to face him directly. "Ethan."
"Hmm?"
"What… what exactly am I to you?" The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "Are you just using me for this case, or… do you actually like me, even a little?"
He fell silent. The river breeze whipped his jacket and tangled my hair. I waited, the silence stretching so long I thought he'd never answer.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low, nearly carried away by the wind.
"We're getting close to a breakthrough in Alex's case."
A flicker of hope ignited inside me. Did that mean once the case was over, we could finally…
He cut through my fantasy.
"When this is all over," he said, his eyes fixed on mine, "I'll give you an answer."

5.
When this is all over.
I clung to those words like a promise.
I dove headfirst into helping him, dredging up every memory I had of Alex. I dug through old chat logs, emails, photos—everything—and sent it all to him in organized folders. I even drew a map of Alex's hometown from memory, marking all the places he might be hiding.
Each time, Ethan’s reply was a simple "Received." It was curt, but for me, it was all the encouragement I needed. I felt like we were soldiers fighting side by side. No, more than that—partners on the verge of becoming something more.
One night, Ethan called me out of the blue.
"We've got a lead on Alex."
My heart leaped into my throat. "Where?"
"He's in an abandoned factory on the west side of town. We're moving in to apprehend him."
"That's fantastic!" I exclaimed.
"Lia," he said my name, his tone serious. "We need your help."
"Anything! Just tell me!"
"We need you to come to the site. To make a positive ID."
"Okay! I'm on my way!"
I hung up the phone. I grabbed my keys and bolted out the door, not even bothering with a jacket. The abandoned factory he mentioned was in a remote area, and it took me nearly an hour of following my GPS to get there.
A few unmarked cars were parked near the entrance.

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