Page 2 of Drowning in Darkness

“Nope.” What’s the point when I have to temper what I say?

She turns up the heat and watches the empty streets roll past.

“Did you just come for a drive, or are you going to spit it out?” I ask. I’m tired and need to bed down while I can before the pain lessens.

“I believe Christopher is hunting for a new one to take.”

My lip curls. He’s at the top of my list after pursuing my sister across the country. He put his greasy fingers on her, and that alone means his days are numbered. But my hands have been tied by the FBI. I am out in this world to serve them, to deliver all the evil to their door at their discretion. No one has figured out that their leader is tangled with the authorities. If they did, it would be a death sentence. That’s where I’m heading, anyway.

“What do you need from me?”

“I’m sending you the latest list of his usual hunting grounds, and I need you to examine it and tell me if anything else should be included.”

“Sure, but that could have been handled over the phone, Agent Sinclair.”

“Camryn,” she corrects. “I think we’re past formalities after a year.”

“Plus, it helps your cover.”

She points to a parking lot at a closed gas station. I pull in and put the brake on as she pulls out a manila folder from her coat. She flips it open, drawing my gaze to the horror I force myself to face. I don’t get to look away, not when I’ve been a part of the world that has gifted these people with the belief they are untouchable.

There’s a girl crumpled inside a dumpster, surrounded by black bags and garbage. Cast aside like trash, a waste of a life, a future cut short for the pleasure of a man who needs to meet his maker. I recognize Christopher’s handiwork from the bruises around her throat to her half-shaved head of dark hair. I swallow the lump in my throat. That could have been my sister, Eleanor.

“Harriet Ivy Green,” she whispers with a shake of her head. Camryn’s strength and weakness is her empathy. She carries every victim home with her. Alone with her demons, she lets them settle beneath her skin until justice is the only thing keeping her upright. “She went missing seven months ago while backpacking across Europe. Her last passport entry was France. Then she vanished.” She drums her bitten fingernails on the photo. “It wasn’t unusual for her not to check in for a month at a time, so when her parents raised the alarm, the trail was already cold.”

“Typical pattern for anyone in the ring,” I agree. Christopher enjoys taking strong, vibrant women in their prime and breaking them down until their entire world becomes him and the pain he inflicts. He also enjoys taking risks with girls who would be missed. It makes him feel powerful, but it also makes him unpredictable. Harriet Ivy Green is the perfect victim for him—out of touch enough for him to be secure in the knowledge he’d get away with it, but still dancing close to the edge of danger. “When did you find her?”

“Two weeks ago,” she grumbles. “She wasn’t flagged at first. There are four and a half thousand unidentified bodies found in our country every year, and it takes time for the authorities to identify the parameters I’m looking for.”

I grind my teeth. It’s a travesty that in a world where we can send people to the moon, we haven’t figured out how to stop these horrific crimes. Even worse is that people are delivered to a mortuary slab, and no one has a clue who they are. It’s a small relief to work beside someone as determined to destroy these people as I am. Someone who still believes justice matters. Working with Camryn feels like penance, but this work never ends. Men like me don’t get clean exits, and I’ve made my peace with it.

“I’ll make contact and arrange a meet,” I decide.

She snaps the folder closed and leans her head against the seat. Agent Camryn Sinclair is a beautiful yet intimidating woman, but I suspect most give her a wide berth to preserve their superiority. She has few opportunities to meet people outside of her workplace, and that’s where the patriarchy is still thriving. “I want this asshole next,” she murmurs.

“I agree.”

“But every time I make noises about him, one of two things happens.”

“Going to share with the class?”

Her eyes flick open, and she levels me with a glare. “Either a more urgent target is thrown in front of me, or someone up high declares we don’t have enough on him.”

We’re aware the ring has people in positions of power, both in government and in law enforcement. It’s like the deadliest game of chess. Very few folks in the FBI know about my double-cross for this reason.

“We’ll either nail him, or I’ll end him.” I swipe a hand through my hair.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

My lips twitch. That’s Camryn’s biggest endorsement.

She’s coming to terms with the fact that justice doesn’t always come through a conviction. Sometimes, evil must be eradicated for the good of society. We have to stop Christopher before he destroys another girl, and we both know it.

TWO

STEPHANIE

Breathing isn’t enough for a romantic heart. I need to sing into the night and dance into the morning.