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9

ALEXIS

T aking a moment to gather myself, I peeled off my first layer of gloves, turning them inside out and dropping them in my duffel bag. Slinging the strap over my shoulder, I pulled out my phone from my pocket, unlocking the doors for my exit.

I stood in the doorway, taking one more glance at a very bloody, very dead Aaron, and scoffed. I quickly unsnapped his knife’s sheath from my belt and tossed it towards his body, landing in the large pool of blood underneath him.

During my short ride in the elevator to the ground floor, I caught my reflection in the polished steel of the elevator doors. It looks like I just stepped out of a horror movie; except, that movie was very, very real.

Tapping a button on my phone, the emergency room exit unlocked, and I stepped out into the crisp three in the morning air.

Taking a deep breath, the air felt… clearer, lighter. But the emptiness in my soul remained.

Opening the trunk of the SUV, I placed down my bag and peeled off my bloody clothes and headscarf, tossing them into the trunk. In my duffel, I pulled out a plastic bag with a fresh pair of leggings and a long sleeve shirt, and a pair of slip-on Vans.

I also opened a pack of wet wipes, wiping the blood off of my face.

I just need to get home. I’ll worry about getting properly cleaned up once I’m in the clear…

Before I destroyed my evidence here, I pulled my phone out, completely wiping all memory and deleting the programs for the cameras and rigged windowsills so nothing could be traced back to me. I remembered to disengage all locks as well, and shut off the electricity that I forced on, so nothing seemed out of place.

I added the duffel bag to the pile in the SUV and reached into the compartment with the spare tire. Ahead of time, I left a small container of gasoline and a Zippo lighter, ready to destroy this rental once I was done.

I took extra care to make sure the bloody clothing and bag were completely saturated with gasoline before tossing it around the rest of the interior. Once empty, I tossed the container into the car, lit the Zippo, and tossed it inside as well.

“Alright, two minutes,” I said to myself as the car became fully engulfed in flames.

Jogging around to the other side of the hospital, I had prepared for my Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R bike to be waiting for me, ready for a quick getaway. I pulled on the helmet I had waiting on the seat, and quickly straddled the bike, starting the engine.

I sped away into the night, focusing on getting home, hoping that my rest would come without nightmares of Dom and Aaron hurting Amara.

I have never slept so well in my life after ending Dom and Aaron. Returning home to the house I shared with Amara, I took an hour-long shower, sat on the bed to decompress, and fell asleep wrapped in my towel.

My cell phone vibrating on my nightstand woke me from my deep sleep.

“Hello?” I answered with a yawn and a shiver since I was uncovered.

“Hello, Alexis? This is Detective Catalina Wallace.”

“Good morning, Detective,” I yawned again.

“Good morning, Alexis. I was wondering if you were free for me to stop by? There has been a development in your fiancée’s case that I’d like to share with you,” Detective Wallace asked politely.

“Sure, I’ll be ready,” I said, sitting up to the edge of the bed.

“Alright, I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“Okay, see you soon.” I hung up the phone, dragging myself out of bed to throw on some clothes.

Opting for some workout leggings and a baggy sweater, I pulled them on, not even bothering to wear a bra. Pulling my longer brown hair into a messy bun, I made my way to the kitchen to prepare coffee for Catalina and I.

I’d gotten to know Detective Catalina Wallace pretty well these past two years. Even when Amara’s case went cold, we stayed in contact. She helped me get a job with the City of Los Angeles as a building inspector, and the company paid for my training. It was good timing when I got that job; it was a few months after Amara died, and I couldn’t step foot in a hospital after what happened…

Keeping Catalina Wallace close to me was important… Especially now.

She’s the lead detective on Amara’s case; and now I need to keep her close since I’m the one killing off the Davis Brothers. I need to stay one step ahead of her, and what better way than to insert myself into her life as a potential partner…?

I wasn’t even sure if she was into women, but over the past year, she’s given me subtle hints that she’s interested. The whole being the cop on my dead fiancée’s case, though, has been holding her back. It was time for me to make the first move.

Starting my single cup coffee maker, I prepared Catalina’s coffee just how she liked it: medium roast with enough vanilla creamer to make it a creamy tan color.

As I mixed the creamer in for her and started to brew my cup, a soft knock sounded on my front door.

“Hey, Wallace,” I greeted, opening the door for her.

“Good morning,” she replied, sounding a little down.

“I just finished your coffee; come on in.” I stepped aside, allowing her to enter before closing the door. She followed behind me politely and stood with her hands folded in front of her.

Fuck, just how I like my women. Submissive good girls…

A rush of arousal consumed me, soaking my panties. But I had to resist… Not yet.

“Please, sit. Let’s chat. You said you had some information?” I asked, handing Catalina her mug, guiding us to the couch. She smiled at the color and took a small sip before sitting next to me, a respectful distance between us.

“Yes, well…” she paused, placing her cup down on my coffee table. “I got a call last night about a car fire in the parking lot of Hope Center,” she explained. Taking a deep breath, I dug deep, masking all my emotions like I’m so used to doing, so I didn’t give anything away.

“At Hope Center? But it’s been closed and empty for a while now? That’s strange?” I asked, placing my mug down on the coffee table next to hers.

“A few officers that responded to the call did a quick scan of the inside of the building. Since it’s been vacant for so long. We regularly have officers sweep through the inside now and then, to make sure there’s no illegal activity going on; drugs, prostitution, squatting, those kinds of things,” she explained.

I listened to Catalina intently, ready to feign my surprise.

“At around four this morning, officers that responded to the car fire found a really… intense scene inside the building. One inside Amara’s office, and one on the second floor.”

“Oh?” I asked, forcing myself to play along.

“Do you remember us discussing the Davis Brothers as suspects in your fiancée’s murder?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yes, I’ll never forget what they did to her…” I said as Catalina placed her coffee back down, tucking her shoulder-length black hair behind her ear.

“Well, we found two of them murdered; Domino and Aaron,” she said bluntly.

“Wait, what?!”

“Yes, and what’s even more strange to me is that we found two weapons, one with each body, that are a possible match to what killed Amara.”

“That doesn’t make sense…” I said, trying to read her, studying her profile.

“It doesn’t, but I wanted to let you know, since now we have enough to re-open her case.” She lifted her bright sapphire eyes to meet mine, so full of empathy. “I hope it can bring you comfort and maybe some closure, knowing two of them are gone,” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

It was a friendly, comforting gesture, but why did I feel… something more when her soft skin touched mine…?

She didn’t let go of my hand right away, letting it linger as if she was testing the waters. Looking into her eyes, she was focused on our hands touching, and I couldn’t help but lift her chin to meet my gaze.

Her gentle, innocent eyes stirred something inside of me, something… familiar.

I can’t get attached to her. I need to use her to stay one step ahead of the LAPD since I have three more of those assholes to destroy. There’s no way anything can happen with us… no way…

Against everything my mind was screaming at me, ignoring every red flag, every consequence that could come of this… I did the one thing I should have never done; I kissed her.

She leaned into the kiss, wrapping her slender arms around my neck, whimpering into my mouth as our tongues explored each other.

Pulling her to straddle my lap, our kiss became more frenzied, hungry. Her hips rocking on me, made me want to finger fuck her needy little pussy, taste how sweet she is for me…

Catalina broke our kiss, resting her forehead against mine.

“This is… I’m so sorry, I…” she stammered.

“Cat…” I whispered, hoping she liked the nickname. “I want this too; I need this, need you.”

“But the case, Amara…”

“Shh,” I cooed, trying to calm her anxious mind. “Be a good girl for me, and calm that mind of yours,” I said, gauging if my intuition was right about her being more of a submissive personality.

Fuck, was I right.

“Yes, ma’am,” she said sweetly, playing with my hair in her fingertips.

“Kiss me, Cat,” I commanded, and she did. Her kiss was so full of love, so full of emotion and desire… My heart broke the moment our lips touched again, knowing that I would break her later. Forcing the thought out of my mind, I put on my best smile, pulling away and gazing into her eyes.

“Stay with me today; let’s try this.”

Catalina beamed at me; her smile was breathtaking. Grasping onto all hope that this would work, I kept repeating over and over in my mind…

Use her to stay ahead. Three more… Three more…