Possibly four?
That was going to be harder to keep under wraps.
We potentially had a fucking serial killer on our hands. Of course, we couldn’t confirm anything yet, not until we saw the new victim, but from the way Chief was acting, he was pretty sure it was our guy.
“Fucking hell,” Victoria said as she leafed through the file.
“Travers and Nash caught it a few hours ago. They just handed me this,” he said, indicating the file with the preliminary notes and a few pictures that had been printed out.
I let out a low whistle. From the bruising around the guy’s neck and the setting of the scene, he definitely looked like he could be linked to our other two cases.
Fucking hell.
I wasn’t sure if I was excited or scared shitless. Serial killer cases could be career-ending or career-making cases. Only time would tell which way the chips would fall for Victoria and me. But I had a feeling nothing was going to be the same after this case was over.
“I need the two of you to get your asses down to the crime scene and see what you can find. Not that I think they missed anything, but you’ll be looking for different things—for similarities to the other scenes and victims.” He gave us a stern look that clearly saidDon’t fuck this up.
“Unfortunately, the vic is already in the morgue, so you can’t see him at the scene to examine him, but I told Jefferies not to touch him until after you were able to stop by and take a look.”
“On it, Chief.” I nodded at the Chief and ushered a grinningVictoria out of the office. It wasn’t ideal to get handed a case after the body had been moved from the crime scene, but it wasn’t the first time we had to deal with a situation like that. There were still procedures we would all still have to follow.
The thought of dealing with my first serial killer had my stomach all in knots. If the press got wind of the possibility, they’d have a field day and there would be panic. That was the last thing we needed.
We needed to maintain control of the situation so we could control the narrative.
“Do you have to look so giddy?” I muttered as I grabbed what I needed from my desk before we set out to the crime scene.
Victoria grinned wider and shrugged. “It’s just good to be back.”
I let out a long-suffering sigh. Some days, I wondered what I had done in a previous life to be her partner. Other times, I counted my lucky stars that we had been paired together.
For this case, I had a feeling I would need her strength and moxie.
Fucking serial killers.
10
NATHAN
Ihated going to The Docks. The place was loud and always so crowded I could hardly move without accosting someone—or being accosted. I didn’t like to be touched unless I initiated it, which was rare in a place like this.
Too many people wanted too many things. Especially with the way I dressed in custom-tailored suits and the air of confidence that surrounded me. Apparently, it gave offDaddyvibes. But I had no interest in taking care of the needs of another person, not even for a night.
Unless that person was Aiden, apparently.
When I noticed the GPS tracker I’d put on his car had shown he was at The Docks, I thought there had to be a mistake. But twenty minutes later, he was still there.
I couldn’t let my boy in a place like that, unprotected. Too many men would think they could touch what didn’t belong to them. But it was okay. He’d figure out the rules soon enough. I’d help him.
The bouncer stopped me at the door and collected the cover charge, which was an insane amount. Thankfully, money didn’t mean anything, so I handed it over without batting aneye and made my way over to the bar. I glanced around at the barstools, expecting to see him there, but after a quick assessment of the bar and nearby tables, I didn’t see him anywhere.
My heart raced and my palms started to sweat. That wasn’t something I thought people actually did outside of books or movies. But my nerves were getting the better of me.
Where the hell is he?
Thoughts bombarded me as I tried to figure out what had happened. He could have broken down and I wouldn’t have known it. Or maybe he was somewhere nearby and not actually at the club. He could have let a friend borrow the car.
Possibilities were endless.
