They took too much.
Left too little.
I had nothing to lose... until her.
TW: The following content includes themes of sex, sexual abuse, trauma, etc. Reader discretion is advised. If you are not comfortable with these topics, please consider skippin...
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." —Confucius
***
MIKHA
"All is quiet since that last kill two days ago," Jhoanna says, stating the obvious.
I nod, my mind buzzing a thousand miles a minute.
I've kept my promise, going back to see Aiah, even though I spend all the time sleeping. She stays cuddled against my side, strumming her fingers through my hair, as though she has nothing better to do.
"He's smart. Police presence has increased," I say numbly.
I've never felt so personal about a case.
"What does 'you can't' supposed to mean?" she asks, pensive as she studies the close-up of the writing on the body.
"I don't know. You can't stop me? I think he got interrupted."
"Then there could be a witness. I have that press conference coming up in three hours. I'll see if I can get anyone to come forward."
I nod absently, running my finger over my lips. The director has put all our other cases on hold. This is currently our only priority, and we're to treat it as though it's our only case.
"Forensics came back on those fibers we found on the last victim's body," Maloi says, dropping a file on my desk. "I looked into it, and you can only find that type of thing in an old factory that was closed down four years ago. Homeless people shack up in it fairly regularly. He could be there and blending in. It's about two hours from here. I'll send the address to your phone."
I'm out of my chair and grabbing my gun in the next breath, and Gwen races to catch up with me as I head out the door. Maloi stays behind, but Stacey and Sheena join us as we burst through the doors, practically jogging.
Gwen makes the calls for backup, and I pull up my phone to see the address Maloi has already sent. He'd need a vehicle to get from there to here, so I call Maloi.
"What's up?"
"You and Justin start sifting through any car thefts between here and there. He's got wheels. I doubt he's taking the bus after soaking in a blood bath."
"On it."
She ends the call, and I pocket my phone, rushing my steps. We better catch the son of a bitch.
Stacey and Sheena take the lead in their SUVs, and I follow behind them with Gwen at my side, both of us turning on our lights. "Fuck," I hiss, whipping into a gas station when my low fuel light pops on.
I call Sheena as Gwen hops out to hurriedly push some gas into the tank.
"You'll get there before us, but don't go in until we're on the scene. Got it?" I say the second Sheena answers.
"Got it. We'll have to wait for local PD to back us up anyway."
I hang up, tapping my fingers impatiently on the steering wheel as I wait for Gwen. Deciding I need to do something, I text Aiah.
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