“Lacey.” Six’s voice held an edge of urgency.
“Give me a minute.” There was as little information about the victim as was in ours, with the exception of the numerous detailed prior injuries both had sustained. “It’s not here.”
“What do you mean?” Six asked.
I turned back to them. “The toxicology report is missing.”
Six and Seven were both bearing down on Marissa. One of them was frightening enough, but combined they were literally the worst nightmare I could imagine.
“Where’s the toxicology report on John Doe?” Six asked Marissa.
She could only squeak, terrified out of her mind. I pushed my way between them and stepped up to her.
“Has it been run?”
My heart broke to look at her. Tears flowed down her face from her glassy green eyes, her muscles tensed so hard her shoulders were almost in line with her ears. She was able to nod.
I stepped forward and took her hands in mine, a tear slipping down my face. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
“Lacey.” Six stepped forward and grabbed my arm again, spinning me around.
“It’ll be back in the lab,” I said.
He looked up to Marissa. “Show us.”
Her eyes widened as Seven stepped forward and did the same he’d done earlier, and dragged her back down the hall.
I moved to follow, but Six held me tight.
“Is there going to be a problem?” he asked. I couldn’t look at him, couldn’t speak. Inside my torso was a tornado, twisting and tumbling my organs around. He made a growling sound. “Don’t make me shoot you tonight.”
I looked into his eyes. He meant it. He didn’t want to kill me right then. It was still going to happen, down the line, but what he said to me when he saved me still applied—he wasn’t ready to let me go. Whether that was due to feelings for me, or need for cover, I wasn’t sure.
My chest clenched, for unknown-to-my-rational-brain reasons. Did I really think what he said and how he said it and what it meant was sweet? In what world? In the fucked-up one I was residing in?
The longer I stayed with Six, the more deranged I became.
We made our way down the hall where Marissa was frantically searching through a stack of files.
It was a hard thing to do on a regular day, but under a literal gun, the pressure was worse.
“Come the fuck on,” Seven said with a sigh.
About two-thirds down, she was triumphant and handed the file to me.
There were so many questions in her eyes, so much confusion, but no fear of me. I wish I could tell her why I was there, but she was smart. Maybe she’d already figured it out.
I flipped open the file and scanned over the readings. Over and over I read the results, unbelieving the striking similarity.
“They’re the same,” I said. My memory was a little sketchy after so long away from the file, but they were close enough to where there was no denying it—whoever killed Three also killed Four.
“Shit.”
I turned to look at him, to say more, when Seven raised his gun at Marissa.
“No!” The file fell from my hands.
Six stormed forward and grabbed on to my neck again, then forced me backward, slamming me onto the floor. A shot rang out, reverberating through my ear, setting off a loud ringing.
My vision blurred for a moment and everything lost focus. Six’s hand was tight around my neck and I looked to my left to find a gun in his hand.
He shot. Not me, but a warning. Possibly the last one I would get. There was a turbulence and anger swirling in his eyes.
I craned my neck to the right…
Everything stopped.
Time. Breath. Heartbeat. Blood.
Empty green eyes stared at the wall, a bead of blood trickled down her forehead while a puddle formed beneath her.
“No! Marissa!”
Six squeezed hard, blocking me from screaming again.
I tried to calm down, but the tears wouldn’t stop.
She was my friend.
Seven aimed his gun at me, and I froze. Six snapped up to standing and pointed his gun straight at Seven.
“You need to let the stray go,” Seven said, eyes locking on Six’s.
“Not yet,” Six growled out.
Seven’s brow scrunched. “Don’t you see how it’s interfering and holding you back? It’s a helpless thing that’s only good to fuck. Pets are frowned upon.”
“I still need her. You’re going to need to get some cover as well.”
Seven cocked his head. “Why?”
“If it’s like Cincinnati, we’re going to have a firefight getting out of here.”
“Cleaned?” Seven asked, his eyes growing wide.
Six gave a nod. “That’s my thought.”
Seven lowered his gun. “Fuck that. Nobody is getting rid of me yet.”
I glanced over to where Marissa had been standing, to where she was lying.
Dead.
All the late nights at the library, being lab partners, and going to parties together flashed through my mind. Her smile, her laugh. The day she came over after she found her boyfriend cheating on her. Graduation day when we sat next to each other, got our diplomas seconds from each other.
Never again.