wade was raised in a family of cops. he was fourteen when his father was shot off-duty and though he survived, he retired due to his injuries.
in need of a fresh start, his family moved from england to siesta key. during this transitional period, wade began acting out. with his father always home, on meds and alcohol, he was angry and would often take his frustrations out on his family.
at fifteen, wade began experimenting with his father’s medications, and offering them to his friends. when one of his friends overdosed at a sleepover, wade was sent to a rehabilitation camp for troubled teens and after his release, he was a changed person. wade decided he wanted to become a cop and carry on the legacy of his father despite him no longer being a man he looked up to. he told himself, he would be better. that he would restore some dignity into their family.
after obtaining a college degree in criminal justice, wade enrolled in the police academy where trained on the streets. he realized how much he loved being an officer, but wanted more. so after some time, he was promoted to detective. his father couldn’t have been more proud and he turned his life around before his passing.
the death of his father left wade depressed and with feelings of unfulfillment. he wished he would have spent more time with him instead of trying to be better than him. this is when wade began falling back into rebellion. he started drinking more, sleeping around, and picked up an unhealthy addiction to gambling at casinos. his addiction went beyond that though. he’d make bets on the job, set up challenges, do anything risky to feed the kick.
extremely competitive, wade has become overly eager on many cases, causing him to blur the line between right and wrong. he needs another reality check, but he’s too stubborn to hear anyone out this time.
WANTED CONNECTIONS
coworkers at the police station
informants
friends
exes / flings
enemies (this could be at the police station, people he butt heads with, or people on the streets who he arrested or abused his power with)
“Probably because usually young people do a lot of drugs, it was never my thing though. I honestly never even tried it,” he disliked the idea of not being able to control his actions since a young age, so the idea of being high, was terrifying. It was honestly not because it could be terrible for you, since he ate and drunk things that were unhealthy, not as much as drugs, of course, but still, “Not much, just that he lost his dad and that he throws really big parties,” he wouldn’t ever be able to do it, because it would be far too stressful. You have to come up with everything, and make sure it all go as planned. He was not a fan of being in charge of anything.
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As admirable as it was, he couldn’t relate. Drugs, partying, and alcohol were the ABC’s of his teenage adolescence. If it weren’t for the police academy, he never would’ve turned his life around. It wasn’t all bad though. He was able to learn from his mistakes and now possesses the unique ability to connect with criminals because he used to be one. “Yeah, I don’t do much. But won’t turn down free drinks.” he raised his glass in cheers before finishing off the overpriced scotch. It was strange, most of the alcohol laid out were from an expensive collection. It was like Jaxon was getting rid of everything behind his father’s bar. “Yeah, that’s all I really know too. Hasn’t been acting weird or anything? I mean, this scotch alone is worth a few hundred dollars. I would’ve just bought a few kegs, put out a few 20 dollar bottles and been done with it.”
“Holly.” She would’ve offered him her hand but both were full as she stuffed her phone back in her bag, along with her sunglasses. “I actually don’t know them. The guys who took your stuff. But hang on,” she actually caught one of them on camera. They were in the background of one of her tik toks. “I did get a shot of one. Idiots.” Implying that both were stupid for robbing someone in broad daylight. “Here,” Holly handed him her phone after pulling up her tik tok account, allowing him to scroll through her last few videos until he found the clip that would help him find his culprits. “I don’t know if you can disclose anything but, any word on Mr. Jameson? Have you found him yet?” Holly was only asking because maybe some news would appease Jaxon.
-
He couldn’t believe how helpful she was being. Most heirs and heiresses of Siesta Key were ignorant and arrogant. They only cared about their wealth and vanity, and though he knew nothing about Holly’s background, she at least checked off one of those two boxes. She was vain. That was the perception he received when she handed over her phone full of videos of herself. Upon going through the most current ones, he could tell there was more to her. Some of them were actually funny. Then there were others of her ice-skating and dancing. She had real talent. With an apologetic smile, he handed her phone back after taking a screenshot of the idiot in question before sending himself a text of it. Fortunately, he left his phone in his car, not with his clothes. He already ruined way too many phones at the beach and learned his lesson. “Thank you. I’ll run the image through my face recognition software and see what comes up. I owe you.” He meant that as a figure of speech yet there was something she wanted — details on the case. Or at the very least an update. “That’s why I’m out here, actually. I’ve hit a dead-end. One of Mr. Jameson’s cars is missing along with a hefty sum of money withdrawn from his bank account, but the trail leads nowhere. We’re aware he has private jets and his own pilots... But none of it makes sense. I shouldn’t even be telling you this...” Lighting up a cigarette, he offered her one as a courtesy. “You’re close to Jaxon, aren’t you? I remember seeing a few pictures of you in his room. You have anything that could help move the process along?”
Holly was annoyed not blind. She could see the rips of muscle, the ink that adorned them, and the pretty face that matched all the above. This guy looked familiar but, she couldn’t place why until her cell phone buzzed with a text from Jaxon. Jax. As many times as he’s complained to her about Wade butting into his family business, you’d think she’d have the detective’s face engraved into her memory by now. As Holly told Jax (every time he was brought up), this man was just doing his job and actively arguing with him out in public was only making the whole investigation ten times harder, not to mention - it made Jax and Alesia look ten times more guiltier. “Cargo shorts?” She hated to be the bearer of bad news but…… “Two guys just came and took them over an hour ago. They left in a hurry.” And now, she knows why. They’d completely stolen his wallet, his phone, maybe even his badge. “You’re Detective Malval, right? I’ve seen you on the news.” And, he was definitely hotter in person.
-
This was clearly a part of the domino effect that he’d been suffering from since his first encounter with Alesia. Ever since that night, things have been coming undone. It was like he pulled on the wrong thread and now everything’s unraveling. His partner was upset with him because of all the drinking and arguing. He lost 25k at the casino. And now his keys and badge were stolen. “Two guys? Around your age? Can you tell me what they look like?” If Jeffery’s son was behind this, he’d bring the hammer down on him. Thinking about Jaxon managed to connect a few dots. He thought she looked familiar. The night he was searching the Jameson Estate with his partner, he came across a few Polaroid pictures of the blonde. “Detective Wade Malval, that’s right. And you are—?” he decided to take a seat next to her so she wouldn’t have to stare up at the sun to meet his eyes. He thought she was cute, sexy, and if he wasn’t careful he’d add another domino to the collision.
It didn’t matter where she went… there was no escaping the gossip mill. Everyone couldn’t get over Jaxon’s raging house party last week that rained pharmaceuticals for hours. Luckily for Holly, she escaped the crime-event just in time to visit her grandmother back home. Far enough away from Siesta Key that she got away with not attending. However, there were questions about why she didn’t show. For the most part, she was dodging everything and everyone while laying out on the beach, soaking up the sun and occasionally snapping clips of herself to upload to her snapchat. She was in the middle of filming one when someone she recognized completely photobombed her latest story, inevitably startling her so that she dropped her phone in the sand. “Don’t you know better than to sneak up on someone?”
-
Time management was one of the most challenging things about working on a high-profile case. Hours, days, weeks were flying by and the detective wasn’t making headway. He was at a dead-end. Jeffery Jameson, according to his son, packed a bag, took a Porsche from the dealership, and high-tailed it out of Siesta Key, assumingly with a new mistress. Is that what he should put in the file? Case closed? It would certainly make him feel less guilty for hooking up with Alesia: the potential widow. One thing was for certain: the beach, the water, it was still the most calming thing in the world. His therapist suggested surfing one session when he was sixteen. The waves, the current, the challenge, it helped him channel his energy into something good. Something better than the trouble he was getting into. His therapist called it: Sublimation — a defense mechanism that involves channeling unwanted or unacceptable urges into an admissible or productive outlet. It seemed crazy at first, but after trying so many different things, surfing worked. And still does. But instead of coming back to his beach towel with a clear head, all he saw was a tanning blonde who clearly didn’t need the filters she was messing around with on Snapchat. “Sorry... I swore I left my towel and clothes here?” He wouldn’t be able to drive home because his keys were in his pocket and his shorts were left with his things. Before he got in the water, he changed into his wetsuit, which he had rolled down his torso, sitting below the curvature of his hips. There were tattoos he didn’t like showing off, but with the hot sun beating down, he wasn’t thinking about professionalism, or who this girl might be.
the apology had his lips twitch in amusement, though it took hunter only a few seconds to realize the man look all out of sorts - almost jittery. that he could understand, he was found in that manner quite often but he did try to reign it in a little. especially when he had to be out flying, flying jittery was definitely not ideal. he’d done it once and vowed not to do so again. “glad yours isn’t broken. oh, they do, annoying little things, i’ve broken one too many, probably more times than I’d like to admit.” hunter remarked, his lips curved into a half smile. honestly, the man look as haggard as hunter felt since last night. “you definitely look like you’d been through a ringer. work or personal reasons?” he inquired curiously, but not in a tone that would make the male think he was prying, “but i know that feeling all too well.” when he felt that way, hunter would promptly leave his place before he got way too over in his head. “i’m a pilot, with a rather unhealthy addiction to caffeine. what do you do?” most would call hunter anti-social but there were days like these where he didn’t mind speaking to people, it certainly helped distract hunter from his own thoughts.
-
“fuck, man, what’s the difference these days?” work was personal. there was no way for him to separate the two anymore. being a detective and working on this case has taken over his life. from the time he wakes up to the time he goes to bed, it’s all he thinks about. maybe that’s the problem? he’s too close to it. it’s best to take a step back in order to see the bigger picture. yet, wade was doing the opposite. it doesn’t help that he finds the potential widow extremely attractive. some days, he’ll find any excuse to show up at the jameson estate just to hear that cuban drawl and admire the way her eyes make love to every moment. depression never looked so good on someone. she could make a fashion line out of it. “i’m a homicide detective, i’ve been working on the disappearances of jeffery jameson and lisa sinclair. siesta is small, tight-knit community, yet no one knows anything about either one. just that they vanished into thin air a week apart. what is that a coincidence? or am i missing something?” he knew hunter wouldn’t have the answers he’s looking for, but it was nice to vent.
working at odd hours of the day and night, and not following a normal schedule like most people did, it was no surprise that hunter had become a full-on coffee addict. it was probably unhealthy to consume the amount of coffee he did but it didn’t look like he would do anything to change this somewhat bad habit of his. on his days off, like today, in the mornings, hunter enjoyed starting his day with a steaming cup of coffee and a few pastries from clever cup. he swore if he had any other occupation that didn’t have him jetting around the world, he’d settled his work right in this coffee shop. honestly, he just liked getting out of his house because when he was alone, too many unwanted thoughts consumed his mind and before he knew it, his feet carried him to the one place he could find some small form of solace. the night before had been particularly rough with a mix up in flight schedules, he was running on three hours of sleep. he’d been momentarily lost in his head, until a sharp thud snapped him out of his trance. “you dropped your phone.” hunter spoke as the person near him sat down and he spotted what looked like a phone facing on the ground.
working on one of the biggest cases in siesta key, wade was having a rough time sleeping, too. pulling all-nighters and drinking pots of coffee wasn’t enough for the young detective. he’d become reliant on alcohol and poured a little too much into his mug, which might’ve had something to do with him fumbling his phone. if hunter wasn’t an honest person, he could’ve wrapped his fingers around the one thing wade couldn’t afford to lose. “ah, sorry.” he wasn’t sure why he was apologizing as he bends down to pick it up. luckily the screen wasn’t shattered. “these things break so easily... but i’m all good.” he chuckled, traces of exhaustion were heavily marked in his voice and expression. “it’s been a long month. sometimes i think i’d lose my head if it wasn’t attached to my neck.” he continued to laugh. if his partner could see him now, he’d pull him away by his shirt. “i see you in here a lot. are you a writer or something?”
Drinking was fun, eating was fun, dancing was fun, which was why he enjoyed to party. For it to be perfect it couldn’t miss two of those things, food and music, the latter never happened before, but the former did, and he disliked parties that didn’t have anything to eat, what kind of party was that? It couldn’t even be called a party. He didn’t mind when there were no alcoholic drinks though, which never happened before, but he wouldn’t mind as much if it did. That one was fun, but the drugs were never really his thing, so he just focused on the drinks and the music, “I guess so, yeah,” he shrugged lightly, “Not usually the kind of party I go to though, never had to go to a party where we had to take a pill to get in,” he was lucky and ended up getting a pain killer, a harmless thing, which he was glad.
-
“Yeah, I don’t understand the point? I guess I do. This family seems to have a lot of heat on them. Guess he’s making sure everyone who walks through the door becomes an accomplice to drug dealing.” Leaning back against a wall with a cup of beer, Wade exhales the smoke of a cigarette. He wasn’t big on smoking, not since he was a teenager, but it helped with discomfort. Everyone here was drunk and drugged out of their mind, grinding, snorting, swimming, and fucking. If it weren’t for the other male’s company, he would have felt like there was a giant neon sign above his head blinking with the words: I do not belong here. “What do you know about Jax? We used to be friends, but we haven’t talked since he went off to college. Feel like I don’t know him anymore.” This was his way in. The reason he was here. To sus people out and see if he can find any new clues on what might have happened to Jeffery Jameson.
after hearing about the big jameson party, wade decided to crash it. from what he could gather it was open invitation as long as you take a pill at the door. he could have busted the party for that alone, but opted on a different approach. at the door, he offered a laxative, and pretended to pick a random drug from the bowl, but swallowed a smartie he brought, in which he held tucked between his fingers. these stoned, drunk 20-something-year-olds weren’t as clever as a veteran. so why not exploit that? pretend to be 10 years younger with a shaven face and popular name-brand clothes. 21 jump street the party and see if he can get any additional information on the jameson family. it was dirty and underhanded but effective. drunk party-goers love to gossip. “sick party huh? jaxon never disappoints.” he says to the first person he came across. surely this will work.
A tired groan leaves the seductress’ lips. “No?” Alesia would beg to differ. She’d spent the last few weeks studying Wade, figuring out all the ways she could bend him to her will. He always liked it when she kissed his neck or nibbled on his ear, which is what she did as he helped himself to the coffee she brought him in bed. “You sure I can’t convince you to stay?”
He can’t help but to smile with her persuasions. If this case wasn’t so important, so monumental to his job, he would stay in bed with her all day. How could he deny those dimply cheeks and gorgeous green eyes? They don’t make protective vests for girls with a killer smile like hers. She could puncture his heart with one Cuban drawl. Girls like her get guys like him killed every day. He would know, he’s made a career out of it. This was bad. She was mourning. And he was supposed to be helping find her husband, not bang her in their bed. God forbid Sebastian ever finds out. “I’ll try to swing by tomorrow night. Can’t promise I won’t be with my partner, though.” He gives her a pat on the butt, completely mesmerized. If only he could do as he said and get the fuck up.
“I figured you could use a cup,” of coffee “after the night we had.” Which consisted of take out, sex, and more sex. Anything to keep Wade’s mind busy for awhile, so he wouldn’t have time to question her or anyone else about her missing dead husband’s disappearance. There was only so much fake crying she could handle before the act started to show. “Got any plans today?”
“Coffee, alcohol, more coffee.” He added playfully. His exhaustion was lingering behind his boyish grin. The same one that he thought swept Alesia off her feet and into each other’s beds. Little did he know, this was all a ruse. A way for her to keep him off her trail. He hadn’t been fooled like this by a girl since high school. He swore pretty faces off when he decided he wanted to be a detective. Work, work, work— it took over his life, but then Alesia surprised him. He knew it was wrong, but there was something about her he couldn’t deny. “Yeah, I actually have to touch ground with my partner. You can’t keep me in bed all day, belle fille.”