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“We don’t know where Zoe is.” Detective Nelson explains, pulling out a clear sealed bag with something white in it. “But this was found at Chris Brooks’ house, in his pocket, where he lay in a pool of his own blood after being shot in the chest.”
Loud ringing fills my ear canal as lightheadedness makes me dizzy, yet I don’t take my eyes off what Detective Nelsonhas in her hands as she holds up what looks like tissue or toilet paper sealed in the bag and angles it toward us to see words written in something red.
“What the fuck!” I yell, lurching forward to grab it, but Nelson steps back, moving what appears to be a note in the bag, out of my reach.
“This is evidence. You can’t take it.”
“Show it to us again,” Alana snaps, and the detective does as she asks.
The message is clear.
It’s to the Cruz Kings, asking for help from the Reapers, and it’s signed by my princess.
Zoe.
Fuck.
Hope surges through me.
She’s still fucking alive.That’s fucking good.
“Oh, my god. She’s alive.” Alana starts to cry, slapping a hand over her mouth as her emotions get the better of her, and it fucking aches that she’s saying out loud what I thought.
I’m not the only one that considered Zoe might be dead.
The detectives had said Zoe went to see the trainer, but that didn’t mean shit until the evidence was right before my eyes.
“Look, I’ll level with you. The scene we found suggests there was a struggle. There was a broken picture frame on the floor. It has a photo of Leslie and Zoe Miller in it, and there’s a message on the back from Leslie to Zoe.” Caruso gets his phone out and keys something on the screen. “As far as we’ve been able to put together, we think Zoe went there to see Mr. Brooks, and he gave her a gift. We found torn wrapping paper at the scene and forensics have been working overtime for us and have been able to assess that it was wrapped around the picture frame. Something went wrong after that. We can’t be sure, but it’s obvious given the note, and other factors at the scene that Zoe wasn’t alone.” He holds his phone up for me, and I look at the image on the screen.
“You can see the broken glass and the pattern it’s in shows it’s not resting where it fell. You can also see a smear of blood. Forensics have determined the blood is not Mr. Brooks’ blood.”
My eyes dart up from the screen to lock on the detectives.
“It’s Zoe’s?”
“It’s still to be confirmed, but that’s the theory we are running with right now. She was clearly under duress. She managed to sneak a note to Mr. Brooks either before or after he was killed.”
Fuck.
I rake my hand through my hair seeing Alana still hovering in my peripheral. She’s just as worried about Zoe as I am, and it warms my heart to know that Zoe has built friendships within my circle.
I have to get her back.
“Do you know where the Reapers are?” I ask the detectives, and they both shake their heads.
“We were hoping you could help us with that.” Caruso suggests and I scoff.
“As if I’d tell you. Besides, don’t you think if I fucking knew, I’d already have my girl back?”
They share another look.
“Word on the street is that you’ve been kicking down enough doors. We’d hoped you would have found out more by now.” Nelson points out and fuck, I want to kill that bitch.
“Look. We know you guys like to handle things in house and have sworn an oath not to share with the police, but we can help, if you let us.”
Caruso’s words mean nothing. He can’t fucking help us. No one can. This is our war, and only we can win it.
I spin away for a moment, needing to compose my-fucking-self when Nelson’s words prick at my ears.
