Broken ties

02: Vows of vengeance

"Six stabs around her stomach and chest. Nine shots. Four around her chest, three on her stomach, and one on each of her legs. Whoever did that—"

The officer's voice became a distant hum. My mind shut him out, refusing to absorb the horror he was detailing.

Collin, Caleb, Mateo, and Jack had taken care of everything. They hid the guns, Caleb called the police, and for the last two hours, he had been working "officially" with his colleagues. We all played our parts, pretending we weren't childhood best friends. I didn't need to pretend—I was drowning in my own turmoil.

They took Mira's body. They took her from me, and now they were looking for DNA or evidence like her lifeless body was some case to solve.

"Zayn?" Mateo's voice pierced through the numbness.

I didn't look at him. My eyes were glued to the spot where Mira had lain. My mind began replaying what her last moments must have been like. I could almost hear her—her desperate screams for help, the cries that echoed for me, her big brother.

But I wasn't there.

"Bro, your mom's been calling—like, twenty times." Caleb's voice was low, gentle. He sank down beside me.

I felt the weight of his words, but the tears wouldn't come. I was hollow. My chest tightened with a grief so powerful it felt like I couldn't breathe. How was I supposed to face my mother? Right now, she was home, waiting for us both. I hadn't shattered her world yet.

She lost her daughter.

Sofia lost her big sister.

And me? I'd lost the one thing my father had entrusted me with. I promised to protect my sisters with my life, and I failed.

Caleb handed me my phone, and I stared at the screen, seeing my mother's messages blur before my eyes.

"Zayn, where are you?"

"Is Mira with you?"

"Why aren't you answering? I feel like you're hiding something!"

"I'm waiting until you're both home!"

"Zayn, we can come with you. You don't have to tell her alone," Mateo broke the silence, his voice soft yet firm. I looked at him, my throat tightening, and I nodded, too tired to argue.

"Yeah, we're all here for you," Jack and Caleb chimed in. Collin, barely looking at us, stood stiffly by the car. His colleagues were still around, but I knew once they were gone, he wouldn't leave my side.

"Mr. El Din, again, we're sorry for your loss. We'll call you tomorrow to—"

The officer's words seared through my brain like a blade. Sorry for your loss. I took a step forward, fists clenched, ready to grab him by the collar.

"Don't. Say. That," I growled. My entire body trembled. Caleb and Mateo immediately held me back.

"Alright, officer, are we done here? Can we take him home?" Caleb asked, his tone steady, though I felt his grip tighten around my arm.

The officer's lips moved, mouthing more nonsense about "doing their best." I couldn't hear anything beyond the pounding in my ears. It was all bullshit. They weren't going to find her killer. They'd forget her. She'd just be another body on a file.

"Come on, bro," Mateo murmured, guiding me back to Caleb's car. I slid into the back seat, numb, Mateo beside me. Jack followed in his own car.

The city's neon lights blurred outside the window, streaks of color against the darkness. When I finally looked down at my lap, I noticed Mira's blood smeared across my grey sweatpants. My fingers absentmindedly twisted a necklace around them—Mira's necklace. I hadn't even realized I'd taken it.