Luke's Faith by Samantha Potter Page B

peered inside. The apartment was dark, which is how he liked it. Nothing looked out of place so he continued forth into his home before shutting the door behind him.
    What on E arth is wrong with me today ? His emotions where heightened and out of control. He could sense something wasn’t right but he couldn’t pinpoint the problem. Luke continued into his study, the walls where covered with notes, plans, and order forms, all the things he needed to ensure New Year’s Eve went off without a hitch. Luke believed it was his duty to become familiar with everyone invited. A section of the wall contained thousands of profiles, one for each being, from druids to demons. Luke had spent countless hours sifting through the information but he had to hire an investigator to search for one woman in particular. He wasn’t able to gather any information on her or her family, all he had to go on was her name—Faith.
    Every time he thought this woman’s name his body shivered in response, his heart beat quickening. He was unsure why? Was she a threat to him or something completely different? He was determined to find out why this woman had such an effect on him. He had contemplated searching for himself, which was completely unheard of.
    Luke sat behind his desk picking up the pile of profiles he had yet to memorize. The New Year’s get-together had tripled in numbers this year and he was running out of time. There were only three days left. He was in deep thought when his phone began to buzz. Shutting his eyes for a moment he let out a loud sigh. He was almost certain it’d be his father again and the probability of the conversation being something he wouldn't want to deal with was high. He picked up his phone and looked at the number, a smirk formed on his face as his body relaxed. He was thankful it wasn’t his father, it was Ted, the investigator.
    “Ted, what have you found?” he answered in a semi-professional voice.
    “Luke, I’ve found her and I’m sending you the information now. My job is done and direct payment is now due,” he replied before hanging up.
    Luke was shocked at the way Ted announced his findings and demanded his money. He had known and worked with Ted for many years and never had an issue. He could only guess the information Ted had found about Faith wasn’t what he had expected or worse, someone had threatened him. He stared at his computer screen waiting impatiently for the email to arrive. His palms began to sweat with anticipation and he quickly wiped his hands on his pants as the familiar bing chimed to notify him of a new email. He quickly clicked on the link, opening the most current email.
     
    Luke,
     
    Please find attached the information you requested . I must warn you that this wasn’t easy to find and for a good reason . I ran into some complications and almost lost my life over this . Please do not contact me again . I will no longer be able to work as an investigator due to the injuries I have endured . As a friend , I warn you please only open if you must , as I have no idea what will happen if this information gets into the wrong hands.
     
    Kind regards,
    Ted
     
    Luke hovered the curser over the document contemplating whether or not to open the file. The man he considered a friend had warned him of its contents and the possibility of danger. Without further thought he took a deep breath and clicked on the link. Pages and pages of information popped up on his screen. Taking a quick look, he noticed the woman had no family and had no affiliations. It seemed Faith liked being alone and this could be an issue for New Year’s. Could he trust someone on their own? Why was she alone? What had she done? Many questions ran through his mind about this woman and the life of loneliness she’d chosen.
    As he continued to browse the file searching for answers, he noticed another attachment. He clicked it and a picture popped up on his screen mesmerizing him instantly. It was a picture of