by Kay Gordon
Evan
I stared down at the scene in front of me and let out a long sigh.
The girl couldn’t have been more than eighteen-years-old, although we hadn’t found her identification yet to confirm one way or another.
We were at the park where a runner had called nine-one-one after finding her body in the grass, under a tree. Dominic and I had been called in because next to her, for the entire world to see, was everything you needed to shoot up heroin. I had no idea if what she used was Sludge but I was willing to bet an insane amount of money that it was.
“Doesn’t look like she was a long time user,” our medical examiner, Manuel, said as he inspected the young girl. “Very few puncture wounds on her arms and nothing on her feet. I’ll have to get back to my lab to see if there are any others. Judging by that and her complexion, though, I’d say her drug use was sporadic or new.”
It’d been a month since we made the arrests at the warehouse and since the fire in California. In that month, we hadn’t made any headway and I was frustrated. Clayton Jarvis was still missing and we weren’t any closer to figuring out who Zero was than we had been when we first learned of his existence.
“She’s just a kid,” Dominic muttered as he stood up. “I’m so sick of this shit.”
“Detectives,” someone called out and both of us turned to watch a patrol cop jog towards us from where we’d set up a perimeter. “Just got a missing persons call. Sixteen-year-old Cherise Tarver was reported missing by her father.” He held out a phone with a picture on it and I stared at it for a moment before looking away.
“That’s her. We’ll make notification and bring him to the ME’s office so he can identify the body.”
“We need to figure out where she bought this,” Dom grumbled twenty minutes later when we left the park. “I’ll call Detective Robertson to see if she has any new intel at the high school.”
The two of us drove out to an apartment complex that was only about a mile from the high school. When we got there, the parents had no idea that we’d already found her. In fact, both of them looked hopeful. It wasn’t until they let us inside that the mother read the atmosphere.
“No,” she whispered, taking a step back away from us. The anguish in that small whisper was nothing to the cries she released when we broke the news.
We ended up over at the high school, talking to friends of Cherise’s. Most of them told us about how she had been acting strangely for a few weeks. She’d become withdrawn and disappeared from their social circles.
Cherise’s ex-boyfriend had been the most helpful. He told us that he’d seen her in the parking lot of a grocery store a week before. She’d been by a van talking to a guy. When I showed him a photo array that included a photo of Clayton Jarvis, he said none of them were the guy from the parking lot but that he had seen her talking to Jarvis once or twice over the past month.
He described the guy in the parking lot as a big guy, muscular, with shaggy light hair. His description matched absolutely nobody on our radar and I began to wonder if we finally had our first look at Zero. I sat the kid down with a sketch artist and sent a plea to the universe that we could end up with something.
“Do you ever wish that you’d done something else?” Dominic asked me quietly a few hours later. When I looked up, he was staring at the crime scene photos that were in front of him. He shook his head sadly. “Sometimes I wish I’d picked a happier profession.”
“I don’t think there’s a job out there with constant sunshine and rainbows, Dom.”
He glanced up and met my eyes with a shrug. “But plenty that don’t end up with a dead kid in front of you.”
I couldn’t argue that. “How many kids don’t end up dead because of the work we do, brother?”
“Yeah.” A small smile hit his lips. “That’s true.”
The two of us left not too long after that, our moods still somber. We didn’t say anything other than mumbled parting phrases as we got into our own vehicles.
I drove the few miles to Victoria’s house and used the remote she’d given me to open the garage. Once I parked my truck on the side that had become my own at some point, I grabbed my stuff and walked into the house.
The smell of something delicious hit me as soon as I was inside and I smiled when I saw the takeout containers on the counter. My beautiful girlfriend was just pulling down plates and she offered me a blinding grin.
“Hey, Ev.”
She was everything I needed after the shitty day I had. I didn’t say a word as I dropped my stuff on the table and moved to wrap her in my arms. I buried my face into her fragrant hair and held her to me, absorbing her happiness.
She returned my embrace with a tight one of her own. Without me saying anything, she knew how much I needed her.
We stood like that for a few long minutes before I pulled back slightly and gave her a soft kiss.
“Hi, baby. How was your day?”
“It was okay. I got a lot of stuff done.” She smiled at me with a blush on her cheeks. “I went to the doctor.”
I couldn’t contain the grin that hit my face. “Yeah? And?”
“And she said to give the IUD seven days but we’re good after that.”
“That’s amazing.” Just the thought of having sex with my girlfriend without a condom had my dick coming to life. I ignored him and kissed her again before she turned to plate up food. “He said everything else is okay?”
She let out a snort of laughter and nodded. “Yeah. My vagina and uterus are both very healthy.”
“Smartass.” I used my hand to smack the ass I loved so much and ran upstairs to get rid of my work supplies and attire.
The two of us sat down on the couch and ate with the TV on the E! network that Tori loved so much. We didn’t really watch it, though. Instead, she talked about everything she’d done that day, even the mundane little details that didn’t matter. That was on one of the reasons we were so perfect for each other… We knew when to talk, when to be quiet, and when to push.
We were just cleaning up everything from dinner when her cell phone rang on the counter. She picked it up and shrugged when she saw the display.
“This is Tori Jones.” I watched as she listened to what the person was saying. Her green eyes met mine and her brows went up to her hairline. “Really? Wow. Okay. What happens now?” She reached out for me hand and I laced my fingers with hers while she thanked the person and ended the call.
“That was one of the detectives from Las Vegas. They traced who released the video. It ended up being one of my old co-workers and he said Tristan paid him ten grand to do it. They’re arresting your brother in the morning. They wanted to give me a head’s up.”
“I knew it was him.” I shook my head and tugged her closer to me. “I’m sorry that my family keeps fucking with your life.”
She shrugged and kissed the underside of my chin. “I don’t even care anymore. I’m so happy, Evan- happier than I ever thought I’d be.”
This woman was going to be the death of me.
“Me too, Tor.” I crashed my mouth against hers and kissed her furiously, feeling the stress of my day and the power of my feelings for her crest.
Shirts went flying, shorts were yanked down, and after a frantic search for a condom, I made love to my girlfriend on the kitchen floor. Everything melted away when I was connected with her. I forgot how crappy the world could be, how shitty my family was, and any other problems. The only thing that mattered was us.
“Megan and Owens found out the sex of their baby,” Tori told me the next morning as we both dressed for work. She had to be in at seven and although I didn’t have to be to the station by nine, I got up to get ready with her. “They’re having a girl.”
I chuckled and stood in front of the bathroom mirror so I could tie my tie. “Good luck, Simon Owens. The thought of having a daughter is scary.”
“For real.”
Once we were both
dressed and ready, we headed downstairs. Tori made the coffee, since that was all she could do, and I toasted us some bagels. With a quick kiss and a murmur of our love, we both headed to work.
When my phone rang at ten that morning, I wasn’t surprised to see my mother’s name. I had anticipated them calling me the second Tristan’s arrest warrant was executed.
I ignored it and the subsequent repeat calls from her and Lewis. I had actual work to do and couldn’t deal with their drama. I did send off a quick text to Victoria, warning to her keep an eye out for their numbers or even them showing at her station house.
I was just reading over a report of a death in Las Vegas that was likely linked to Sludge when my desk phone rang. I picked it up and settled back in my chair.
“Detective Coleman.”
“How dare you turn your back on this family?” Lewis roared before I’d finished speaking my name. “I forgave you for the part you played seven years ago but if you help this woman ruin your brother’s life a second time, you can consider yourself out of our family.”
“Family,” I scoffed and leaned back in the chair. “I’m ashamed to have any part of this family, Lewis. But while we’re dishing out threats, hear me on this- If Tristan comes near my girlfriend or even breathes her name, I will make sure every past indiscretion comes back to bite him in the ass.”
My stepfather was quiet for a moment. “Is that a threat, Evan?”
“Threat, promise, warning, I don’t know. You pick, Lewis. All I know if that you raised a despicable human being and you should’ve spent more time teaching right and wrong and less time cleaning up his messes. Don’t bother calling me again.”
I hung up the phone with more force than I meant to but it felt good. I was almost positive that I wouldn’t hear from my mom or stepfather again but the thought didn’t cause me any heartbreak. I had people who I loved like parents, people I loved like siblings, and a woman that I loved completely.
What more could I ask for?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tori
“You and Evan are going to make such pretty babies,” Kelly commented on the elliptical next to me. I rolled my eyes and glanced around to make sure no one was listening to us.
“Not for a while, at least. I just had an IUD placed a couple of days ago.”
She sucked down some of her water before letting out a whistle. “It’s definitely getting serious, then. I’m so happy for you, Tor. You’re not even close to the same woman you were when I first met you.”
The first time I’d really interacted with Kelly had been after a baseball game two summers before. She was drunk and because I was my usual bitchy self, I thought she was annoying. I mean, she still could be annoying but in the best way. She was just one of those people who saw the positive in everything.
“I’m glad you all forced yourselves into my life,” I told her with a teasing grin and she laughed heartily.
We continued working out for a bit, moving to the weight machines when we were done. Kelly was strong and a great spotting partner. She was willing to work as hard as I was, maybe even harder, so I always left our gym days feeling really good.
“You and Evan should come for dinner tomorrow night,” Kelly told me after we grabbed our bags from the locker room without showering since we were both heading home.
I scrunched up my nose when we stopped at the front desk. “You’re not going to make some tofu dish, are you?”
“For you, I’ll stick to something less weird.” She grinned and turned to look at the girl working the desk. “Can I see the schedule? I forgot which days I’m teaching yoga next week.”
We stood at the desk for a few minutes before Kelly thanked the girl and we both turned to head out of the gym.
“Six tomorrow?” she asked when we stopped near our cars and I nodded.
“We’ll be there. Thanks, Kel.”
She gave me a long, tight hug before heading to her car. I turned to my SUV and unlocked the doors so I could throw my gym bag in front passenger seat. I slid in behind my steering wheel and pulled out my phone so I could send a quick text to Evan.
Me: Kelly invited us for dinner tomorrow at six. That okay with you?
I tossed my phone onto the seat next to me and got ready to start the car but paused when something on the windshield caught my eye. Pushing out of the door, I walked around the front of the car and pulled the small slip of paper out from under the wiper blade.
Written in block letters was the word “GOTCHA.”
I stared at the paper for a moment, unsure of what the hell it even meant. An unease settled over me and despite being in the broad daylight in a full parking lot, I knew that getting out of the car was a mistake.
I glanced around as I headed back toward my door, trying to decide if I was being paranoid. I went to grab the handle to open it when something sharp suddenly stabbed me in the neck. A burning sensation in my skin told me that I’d been injected with something just as an arm came around my waist.
I opened my mouth to yell but my attacker dropped the syringe and used that hand to cover my mouth, jerking my head back against their chest. I kicked back my leg in an attempt to get them in the shin but missed.
A woozy feeling hit my head and I tried to ignore it as I elbowed the person in the gut. They let out a grunt but didn’t loosen their hold. I thrust my head back to try and hit their face but I was too disorientated and the movement was sloppy. My eyes felt heavy and I kept trying to blink away the drowsiness.
With my body feeling weaker and weaker with each second, I made a last ditch attempt to claw at the hand covering my mouth but it was no use. It felt like I’d been fighting them for an hour when my eyes shut and I passed out.
–––
A rocking motion was the first thing I registered when I regained consciousness. It felt like I was being swayed back and forth. I slowly managed to get my eyes to open but all I could see was black. As my vision started to clear, I realized I was laying down in the cargo hold of a van. There wasn’t any windows and the only light was coming in through the windshield.
I moved to rub the sore spot on my neck but my arm wouldn’t work. I glanced down and saw that my wrists were bound with something that looked like duct tape.
When I tried to open my mouth to scream, yell, or something, I realized it had been taped up, too.
And that’s when the gravity of the situation really hit me.
I’d been drugged, bound, gagged, and abducted. How was this actually my life?
Whatever drugs I’d been given left me feeling sick to my stomach and I had no idea how long I’d been out. The van stunk like garbage and chemicals and I couldn’t see the driver. Whoever it was had the music on low and was whistling along with the tune, like it was no big deal that he had a woman in the back.
Bringing my conjoined arms up, I grabbed the edge of the tape that was covering my mouth and slowly pulled it off. It stung a bit but I didn’t even care. I dropped it on the floor of the van and sucked in a long, deep breath.
As quietly as I could, I started scooting to the rear of the van. My body was still pretty weak but I made myself move. I need to get the hell out of there.
I made it to the double doors at the back and carefully got on my knees, using one the side of the van as leverage. Just as I was about the reach for the door latch, we turned and my body went tumbling. I let out a surprised yelp and heard a laugh from up front just as we stopped.
“Think you’re clever, little lady?”
The driver climbed between the seats and was on top of me before I had a chance to even flinch away. He leaned in so our faces were inches apart and when he smiled, his disgusting teeth made me want to vomit almost as much as his nasty breath.
“You’re a looker. We’re going to have fun with you.”
Without thinking, I spit in his face and his fist hit the side of mine almost instantly. I moaned in pain and didn’t put up a fi
ght when he covered my mouth with more tape, wrapping it around the back of my head that time.
The doors to the van opened and sunlight invaded my vision, causing me to slam my eyes shut. That didn’t stop me from struggling when I was heaved over the guy’s shoulder, though, but he managed to hold onto me pretty easily.
I looked around as we moved and it looked like we might have been at a motel but it was just a few quick steps before we were out of the sunlight and a door was being slammed shut. I was unceremoniously dropped onto a bed and I bounced just once before flipping over and preparing myself to fight.
It looked like we were in a basic, dingy motel room. The walls were some burnt orange color with a few pieces of crappy artwork. I was on one of two double beds with disgusting bedspreads and there was an old tube TV on a small stand facing both of them. A tall dresser was next to the TV and a door to the bathroom across from it.
The guy who had dumped me on the bed must have been in the bathroom because I could hear the water running. I fought against the tape on my hands while swinging my legs over the side of the bed at the same time. If I could move fast enough, I could be out the door and running towards help before he realized it.
I stood, feeling stronger by the minute, and started moving towards the front door. The nasty brown carpet was barely thick enough to muffle my footsteps and I glanced over my shoulder halfway there to see that no one had come out of the bathroom. I’d just put my joined hands on the door handle when a hand wrapped around my ponytail and jerked me back.
With a small, muffled cry, I fell backwards and I got one good kick in before I was shoved back onto the bed face first.
I rolled over, not willing to keep my back to the guy, and my eyes widened when I realized it was someone different than who had grabbed me.
He grinned at my recognition and nodded while casually leaning against the tall dresser.
“Tori Jones. Long time, no see.”
Time had been kind to Morgan Widener. My former lieutenant was wearing a simple blue t-shirt and a pair of denim jeans but it was obvious he was in good shape, especially for a man in his late-thirties.
