“What’s going on?” I ask
Her eyes dart around, and I give her arm a squeeze. “A detective was just found murdered. They found her body while on patrol, and from what I’m told, it was gruesome to say theleast.” She makes to walk away, but I continue to hold her in place.
“Her?” I ask. Anxiety has a vise grip on my throat as I wait for her to respond.
“Detective Waters. She’s dead,” she replies bluntly, and my hand drops from her arm like I’ve been burned. She hurries over to the captain.
Shock renders me frozen. I just saw her the other day and she wasfine. And now she’s been murdered?
Captain Barnes walks past, and I hurry to catch up with him.
“Sir,” I call after him. “Is it true about Detective Waters?” I’ve never seen the man walk so fast, and I struggle to keep pace.
“Ava,” he greets briskly and thankfully pauses. “Unfortunately, it’s true.” He scrubs a hand over his tired-looking face. His eyes boast shadows beneath. He looks haunted. “I thought we had put these murders behind us, but now they’ve taken one of our own. I never thought it would come to this.”
The department is still correlating recent murders with the Mayhem Murderer even though I know for a fact Zavier isn’t committingthesecrimes. Zav might be a lot of things, but he’s not a liar.
“Are you sure? In past cases, didn’t they kill multiple people at once? The few one-offs always had the telltale signature too,” I reason, not really sure why I’m defending my serial killer neighbor. “Was there a smiley face left behind?”
The captain makes his way back to his office after barking orders at a few coworkers. And I hurry after him. “Who knows with these sick bastards.” He sits down with a sigh and rubs his shaved head with a heavy hand. “What I do know is we’ve lost a fantastic detective, and she didn’t deserve to go out like that.” He swallows thickly. “We’re going to catch thisasshole once and for all, or I’ll die trying.” His phone rings, and he motions for me to close the door behind me as I walk out.
“I think I need to take another day, sir,” I manage to squeak out before I shut the door. He gives me a sympathetic nod and answers his call.
“We can handle this,” he assures me.
I feel like shit for abandoning my job, but I know I’m on the verge of a panic attack, and I desperately need to talk to Jade.
Not knowing what else to do in my panicked state, I call Valen.
“Hello?” He answers in one ring.
“Valen,” I whimper, the weight of everything caving in on me as I step outside onto the street and inhale a lungful of air. “Can you please come get me?” Normally I’d try to tough it out and not be a wuss, but it’s all too much this time. I could always get an Uber or walk, but I need my mate right now. “I need you.”
Not a moment later, a gust of wind blows my hair and he’s standing in front of me.
“How did you…?” I wonder but answer my own question when I see the car still parked out front but down a way from where he dropped me off.
“Right after you walked in, I overheard a lot of commotion and didn’t want to leave just in case. I’m glad I did not.” The deep timbre of his voice helps to soothe me.
“Shit,” I curse, pressing a hand to my forehead. “I forgot my stuff.”
“Don’t worry,” he assures and reaches past me for the door into the precinct. In moments, he’s back and handing me my things.
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll tell you more in the car.” I grab his bicep and make a beeline for the car.
Once I’m strapped in and safe, he turns to me expectantly. Ilay my head back against the headrest and try to organize the thoughts flying around a mile a minute in my head.
I wasn’t particularly close with Detective Waters, but her murder reminds me all too much of when Celine went missing. I thought I’d dealt with my feelings on all of that, but now I’m not so sure.
It so easily could’ve been my best friend.
“A detective was murdered, and I guess it opened up old wounds.” I stretch my fingers out in front of me. “When Celine was taken, I didn’t for a minute believe she was dead, but I think it just hit me how easily she could’ve been.” I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye. “And just how crazy all of this is.” I gesture around us. “All of this, the supernatural stuff, it’s all so much.”
Valen’s eyes widen in surprise. He smooths back an errant hair of mine, his touch gentle. “It is okay to feel upset, Ava.”
Another few tears slip out. “I know, but deep down, I think I should be stronger than this. I’ve always been the happy, bubbly one, and all of this…” I shrug. “It’s a lot.”
“I’m sorry.” He grips my hand, entwining our fingers. “Shall we go home?”
