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“Dodging questions is never a good sign.” She took another step back. Mel placed himself to stand in front of her, the energy around him shifting from the calm of the last few days to searing intensity. She took a deep breath. “How did you find me?”
“You used your phone again. I was wondering what happened after the call from your apartment wasn’t reported.”
“Wasn’t your precinct. If you don’t mind, I have a meeting with the captain I'm going to be late for.”
“You made progress on the case while you disappeared on us? Didn’t even let your partner in on it?” He moved to stop her from exiting the alleyway she had backed herself into. “Trying to take all the glory?”
“No, just trying to make sure the actual killer doesn’t get the glory while framing an innocent party.”
Knight stood quiet until a snicker bubbled in his throat, then he barked out in long bouts of laughter. “Dominic Deblous is anything but innocent.”
“He and his boys are innocent of Mel’s death. Sammy didn't have to die at all.”
“Oh? Then who’s the name on your suspect list, huh?” His snickering slowed and his hand went to his firearm at his hip.
“You ask like you don’t already know. Like you haven’t already tried to quiet me… twice.” She clutched at the bag at her side, taking another step away from Knight. Her mind blanked on any other action. “How’s Curtis, by the way? I heard he fell recently.”
“Coma, for now.” Knight glanced over her head.
Mel followed Knight’s glance and groaned. “We got more company. Jay’s here.”
Two opponents were going to be messier than just one.
“I’ll make sure it’s done right.” Knight pulled out his firearm, sneering at her. “As they say, if you want it done right…”
“Stacia!” Mel hollered, his energy blasting open the door at her side. The same doorway Mel died in.
Anastacia dodged into the dark building before Knight could shoot. He cursed, and both he and Jason ran into the building after her. Hiding among the boxes stacked haphazardly in the warehouse, she heard the two pursuers enter the room, the door clicking shut behind them. Dim light cut through the grimy skylights and bathed the room in a muddy color. Shadows draped heavily over the darkest corners, the fluorescent lights overhead devoid of life.
Mel knelt next to her and looked into her eyes. “You’re going to make it out of this. I promise.”
She gave him one firm nod and tried to follow the sounds coming from the two men. Mel peered over the boxes,following their movements as they walked deeper into the room. He squeezed her shoulder before climbing over the boxes.
“I’m sorry,cher,” Knight called into the space.
Sneaking a glimpse through a space between boxes, beneath the dim light of the skylights, Anastacia could see both living men picking through the room. Jason held his revolver pointed to the ceiling as Knight nodded for him to check the other half of the warehouse.
A stack of boxes teetered and crashed to the floor, Mel making it hard for them to find her, as both men rushed toward the distraction.
Knight kicked a box with a deep sigh before calling out again. “I am truly sorry. Maybe we can talk about this.You don’t have any proof I had anything to do with his death.”
Mel appeared across from her, encouraging her to slide behind another section of boxes closer to the door.
“Or, maybe, you do. Why else would you be hiding from me and meeting with Grindel?” Another stack of boxes crashed to the ground as Knight fumed, his voice rising in frustration. “You know, you would have made a fantastic detective. You catch on quickly, too quickly for your own good. My late partner, Quint, was the same way. He didn’t know what hit him. It was sad, really, but necessary. Witnesses are always such a pain in the ass.”
Another long pause followed by hushed whispers from one man to another. The shuffling of feet bounced off the walls too frequently making it hard for her to pinpoint their location.
“How about you give me all the evidence you've put together… tell me who it came from… and we get you out of this great city of ours, huh?” More boxes hit the ground. “Let you go on your merry little way and you can forget all aboutthis awful mess.”
“Knight, I don’t know about this. You already lost one partner.” A quiver shook Jason’s voice. Anastacia took a quick peek. Even from her hiding place, she could track the sweat dripping down his face. “How's it gonna look if you lose two?"
“It wasyouridea that got us into this mess. I’m just following through with it. Maybe you shouldn’t have planned a murder if you couldn’t get it done yourself,” Knight hissed. “I got away with killing my first partner, I can get away with this one, too."
Anastacia pushed her back against a large box, her hand covering her mouth to stop her heavy breathing from being heard.
“Ana?Cher?” Knight roared, slamming his palm against some sheet metal. “I’m real tired of playing hide and seek.”
“I got this. Get closer to the door.” Mel appeared at her side, kissing her on the forehead. “Go!”
