Caiden was writing a few details in his notepad when Emma found him. Even with the chaotic nature of the situation, his appearance was impeccable. He had a spotless white collared shirt underneath his black suit and a royal blue tie. She wondered how many bottles of poor and helpless hair gel had met their end at the hands of this narcissistic young man. Regardless of her true feelings for the man, she couldn't deny what was right in front of her. Caiden McDouglas was a clear picture of masculine perfection.

"I just got off the phone with my contacts at the airport." Caiden began speaking as soon as he spotted her close by.

"Let me guess. They spotted a red flag." She replied.

"Aaron Rustle. Flight records show him coming into Detroit about six weeks ago. The guy had been literally non-existent before then."

"I'd look into it." Emma replied. 

If Aaron's return was more than just a coincidence, she was going to be the first one to find out.

"I'm already on it. Running a location check on the guy as we speak." Caiden countered.

"Okay. I'd look into Simon Cullen then. It turns out he spent some time in jail for battery. An unfortunate young lady was unlucky enough to piss him off." Emma replied.

"I see you spent some extra time on the case file. Good job, Em." 

Emma couldn't believe what she just heard. Did Caiden McDouglas just compliment her? Was he even capable of complimenting anyone other than himself? Did he just refer to her with a shortened version of her name? Does he think they are buddies or something now? She didn't have to ponder over the questions for too long. Caiden reverted to his normal obnoxious self almost immediately.

"Don't just stand there gawking. I know I'm hot but this is the part where you say 'thank you' and walk away. We have a killer to find."

"Get over yourself!" The words left Emma's mouth before she could apply her mental filters.

"Why in the world would I want to do that?" 

His smile conveyed the true intentions of his heart. He wanted to ruffle her feathers and there was no way in heaven or hell she was going to give him the satisfaction of doing so. She simply rolled her eyes and walked off. It was going to be a long night and the earlier she got to work, the better.

As she walked, she wondered why she was getting upset at Caiden. He was only having fun with her. There shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

"No, there is. He's a conceited bastard who basks in the glory of others. Who does that?"

Emma knew she was overreacting. What Caiden did was over twelve months ago. It was time to forgive him and move on. The only problem was she couldn't.