RED ROCK SHIFTERS

Chapter seven

(Jace’s POV)

The thrill of the chase kept me going.

Adrenaline rushed through me and I could sense that we were close.

I had been hunting this killer son of a bitch for two weeks and every time he had managed to slip away right before we got there. This time though I could sense that we were close. He wouldn’t have had time to pack his shit up and disappear, I was sure of it.

This killer was smarter than the usual ones I hunted. He hadn’t hidden in small towns and woods, no this one had hidden in crowds. It was always harder to hunt someone when you risked someone seeing you rip their heart out at the crucial moment. It had also made it harder to track him, as his scent was easier to lose in a crowd.

I had been trailing this guy on foot for over an hour before he finally showed signs of stopping. I watched him from a distance as he disappeared in to a plain, unassuming building in the middle of a quieter street. My enhanced eyesight meant that when I concentrated I could see the small weathered sign attached to the side of the building. When I could work out what it said I rolled my eyes and snorted in disgust. A strip club? This guy knew we were hunting him and he had chosen to pay a visit here to get his rocks off?

“What do you want us to do boss?”

I turned to my second in command and hitched a thumb towards the decrepit old building our mark had gone in to.

“I doubt he’ll be out of there before the sun goes down,” I said and Mike gave the building the once over before grunting in agreement. It was less than an hour before sunset and I highly doubted whether our killer would have the sense to leave before dark. It gave us the advantage though because by that time all the sensible people would have taken their kids and gone home to the safety of their warm houses. That left fewer witnesses to what would go down. I was eager to get this finished and get home.

“What’s the play?” Graeme asked. He was the third member of our select team and was as eager to get home as I was. He had a better reason though, what with his third kid on the way any day now.

“I doubt this guy will come out anytime soon but just in case we’ll split up. Mike, you take the front. Graeme take the back,” I ordered.

“Where you gonna be boss?” Mike asked and a satisfied grin crossed my face.

“I’m gonna go in and keep an eye on him. Don’t want him slipping away again. Make sure you keep the others informed and tell them we don’t need backup yet,” I said and then before they could argue I headed to the club.

As soon as I entered the building the smell of old smoke, sex and piss assaulted my senses and I wrinkled my nose in distaste. I’d been to plenty of strip clubs, what fella hasn’t? None of them had been like this shithole though. This was definitely the kind of place for someone on the run. I bet that half the girls who worked here weren’t even legal citizens.

I followed the sound of faint music down the long corridor until I found the door to the club. As soon as I opened the door the music blared out at me and the heat and smell of the place wrapped around me making me wish that I could back straight out. Hell, how could the killer stand it? But then I guess when you’re desperate you’ll take whatever you can get.

I saw him almost immediately; he had found himself a seat without trouble and already had one of the girls gyrating on his lap. I was surprised at how busy the place was considering what a shit location it was in but these guys probably enjoyed the more relaxed attitude of the club owner. I doubted whether they would lift a finger to protect any of these girls and they wouldn’t exactly be able to go and report anything to anyone higher.