The Shadows Lie

1- Not so far away

Jason's POV

"We can't just walk in there and demand her to tell us where she is. You know better than anyone how that would end for all of us."

Remy. The girl keeping us on our toes. Barely 25 and better than most of the guys on my team. I eye the men surrounding me and consider this for a moment. "We ask. Nicely." The tone of my voice leaves no room for negotiation, although I can tell by the hardness in my second's eyes that he does not agree. Tough shit.

"Jason, think about-" I press myself close to Kenneth before he can finish his sentence. His breathing remains slow and steady, barely inches from my face. Our eyes align with one another's.

"We ask. Nicely. Now let's move." He doesn't argue but he also doesn't back down entirely. His blue eyes only harden further. He gives me a quick nod and I fall back a bit. I can't be mad at him for his determination. It is why I picked him to be my second, after all.

"Follow my lead and stay quiet."

I make my way to the small cottage behind me. The porch light is on and by the looks of it, someone might be awake. The house is dark, aside from the porch light and a soft blue emanating through the large living room window. The hue of colors ricochet off my men, allowing their shadows to be seen on the sidewalk. The entire neighborhood is quiet, as it should be, considering it's 3:00 am. Our boots emitting a slight crunch as we trudge quietly through the wet lawn. I twist the door handle slowly once on the porch and am surprised when it clicks open. I motion quietly to my team to stay alert and follow my lead.

With my gun drawn, my team and I move swiftly into the house, checking the kitchen before moving into the living room.

The couch sits facing the back of the house. I walk around to the front to see if there is a sleeping body on it.

Sure enough, there's a body. But this body is dead. Not asleep.

I motion to my men to hold their positions then move to the hallway. The rooms all look empty. I swear silently to myself. She's already been here.

"All clear."

"Looks like she beat us here." Kenneth motions to the body on the couch, covered by a red quilt. My hands itch to cover the entire body with it.

"And she killed our one and only lead." Tom adds while moving to stand next to us.

I run my hand through my hair in frustration.

Everyone makes themselves useful by looking through items in the house that might give us a clue. I look around before shutting off the television with my gloved hand.

A phone rings in another room and Kenneth is already on the move to find it. His stride is quick and efficient as he makes his way back into the living room. He hands me the cellphone that must have been in the kitchen. I flip it open and smile.

"Hey baby-"

"Chad. Long time, no talk." A brief pause and then I hear him sigh.

"Jason, she isn't around anymore. You need to let this go."

I grit my teeth. "Really? Don't you want to know why I am at your house at 3 am? Or rather, why I answered the phone instead of Chloe?"

His breath catches; I refrain from smiling like a mad man. Kenneth's eyebrow hitches as he takes in my amused appearance. I turn the other way, my eyes falling on a picture of Chloe and Chad. Their hands are around each other as they grin at the camera.

I look away.

"You son of a bitch." I can tell he's moving quickly, as if I plan on being here when he shows up.

"Chloe is dead, Chad. Remy killed her."
.......

Fuck. Tonight set us back. I tip a glass of whiskey to my lips and feel the liquid burn nicely as it makes its way down my throat.

A sweet vanilla scent fills my nostrils as the bartender passes behind the bar, I wipe my face with my hand. My eyes wander to the bartender currently readying herself to leave, a scowl forms on my face.

I hate vanilla.

I drop my head back, lifting the glass to my lips again.

My men and I left shortly after Chad hung up. No response to my theory that Remy killed his girlfriend. I was hoping he would give me something, anything, to help the accusation. But not a damn thing. It's been that way for months. I'm grasping at straws. Anyone I find to question about Remy, gives me nothing.

I need to fucking find her!

I slam my glass down without registering what I'm doing. I expect the glass to shatter, instead, it slams into a pink manicured hand.

"Everyone comes here to drown their sorrows, loneliness, anger, whatever it may be, sugga. But we need glasses for all those sad folks to drink out of." The pretty blonde clicks her tongue and waves the glass at me. "Can I get you anything else? With a glass that will be returned unharmed?" She smirks. If I weren't so fucking pissed at life, I'd return her attempt at flirting.

Ignoring her, I continue to sulk in my failure.

"Whiskey neat." My head falls into my hands like dead-weight; I thread my hands through my hair, gripping it tightly.

"Coming up." She slides the glass to me. Lifting my head, I grab the glass and drain it in one swig- grateful for the extended numbness.

Kenneth sits down on the barstool next to me and places a hand on my shoulder.

"We will get her man. But you have to consider that you might be wrong. We have no concrete evidence. I just wish you'd listen to me instead of beating yourself up every time we come up empty." He doesn't stutter but I can tell he doesn't really want to see my reaction. He looks down into his own glass of whiskey, his jaw tight as he thinks about the words he just spoke to me.

I peer over my shoulder at him. Blonde hair, shaven military style. Piercing blue eyes. A very friendly face, despite the work he does for a living. He is my polar opposite in every way. I laugh a dry laugh and accept a new glass of whiskey the pretty blonde hands me. She winks and saunters to the end of the bar where the rest of my men sit.

"You don't think I haven't considered that? I just don't know who else could be doing this. All signs point to Remy." My teeth grind together after her name leaves my lips. I close my eyes, willing the image of her out of my grief stricken mind.

"I agree, they do." He wants to say more but holds his tongue.

When a lone guitarist begins to play, I immediately want to bail. The song the burly man begins to sing used to be music to my ears. It's bringing back so many unwanted memories. I drain my glass and stand, sliding a wad of cash on the bar. The bartender doesn't notice so I make sure to place my glass over it.

"See you tomorrow, Soldier." I nod over to Kenneth.

He nods slightly, almost apologetically. "See you tomorrow, Friend." He returns without looking at me.

20 years of friendship with this guy. Maybe things do last sometimes.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

How are we feeling about Jason? This was short and sweet but trust me, it will get better. Check the song. It's legit.

-T