PAINT IT RED (MikhAiah)

12: Battle Scars

"We have to do the best we can. This is our sacred human responsibility." —Albert Einstein

***

AIAH

I won't lie and say it's not hypocritical to hope she catches the sicko who raped and killed all these women. It's hypocritical because I'm also hoping she never catches me for torturing and killing a string of men.

But it also feels good to listen to her animatedly tell someone this amazing new lead. I'm worried and shocked when she tells Maloi it's me who inspired this new lead. She shouldn't tell them she let her girl give her that info on a case I was never supposed to see.

Maybe the fact she called me her anything has the butterflies stirring. It's definitely something. The fact she sounds proud of me also makes me feel...good. That word again.

My phone rings as she continues to talk to someone else, and I head outside to answer it when I see it's Colet. My eyes stay on the window, keeping up with Mikha.

"Hey. Any luck?"

"Lots of luck. I hate rushing this date the way we're going to, but I'm going to help you on these."

My eyebrows go up in surprise.

"Like in person? You're going to do this too?"

"Just this once, and only for the securing part."

"No. You can't. You threw up when I tried to give you details, Colet."

"You have no idea how much I wish I had your ability to kill without hesitance," she says quietly, an edge to her tone.

"But you don't," I remind her, still watching to make sure Mikha can't overhear me.

"Doesn't matter. I can't risk you taking on something like this alone."

"I can't talk about this right now," I say on almost a whisper when I see Mikha hanging up her phone and running a hand through her hair.

"Shit. You're with her? That's still a discussion we need to have."

"I moved my murder room in that secret room you built me years ago."

"You think that's enough to keep a profiler from figuring out you're slowly killing off a list of people?" she asks dryly.

I heave out a heavy breath as I continue to watch Mikha through the window. She looks around, then moves to grab a glass.

"You know how it's easy for me to do what I do?"

"Because of what they did to you two," she says, her voice barely above a broken whisper.

"No, Colet. It's because there's nothing but hatred inside of me that's been driving me since I was able to do something other than curl in a corner in fear of them finding me again. I never thought anything else would drive me. I thought after this was over...I had nothing to look forward to after I killed them all. Now... Now there's hope. I never realized the power of hope until she suddenly appeared in my life as though the universe was giving me a gift at the wrong time."

She exhales harshly, and I sag backwards a little.

"I'm glad to hear you have hope, Aiah. Really. I am. Just... Just couldn't you have found it with someone who couldn't toss your ass in prison?"

Her tone ends on a joking note, but the seriousness of the situation is still present.

"We'll cross that bridge when we have to. Trust me to be cautious."