I've Still Got A Lot of Fight Left In Me

“Yes, I am. I’d really like to be a lawyer one day.” She took  a sip of her drink.

“That’s good, we could use more of them here. You going the defense attorney route?” she wondered as she leaned back in her chair. 

“I’m off the clock right now. I’d appreciate some privacy right now.” Vincent declared taking a sip of his drink, not bothering to look up to see who it was.  

“Don’t worry, I’m not here about work. I guess we just had the same idea,” she sighed and took a seat anyways, setting her drink down after taking another sip. “How’re things at home? Sorry...probably not a better topic than work.”

“No problem, I’m Olivia. And yeah, I am.” She smiled. She couldn’t believe that Roxy had remembered.

“So where are you planning on taking that? Can I expect you to be my new partner one day?” she smiled, always hoping for good people to join the police.

‘I would never.” The young girl smiled as she joined the other women. Becca turned to the bartender ordering herself a drink.

“Perfect. So you’re in Criminal Justice, right?” she guessed, taking another sip. “I’ve always thought we needed more law people in town, it’s nice to see those majors filling up.”

“Maybe things’ll get better this year.” Olivia offered. “But for now, I say we grab some more drinks and ring in the new year properly.”

“Glad I can spend it with someone who’s understanding. I’m Roxy,” she introduced herself. “You’re in criminology, right?”

“Sounds like you need another drink.”

“Oh I can always use another drink. You going to make me drink alone?”

“There has to be something.  Someone who knows a name.  Who’s seen his face.  If this motherfucker thinks he can do this to our town, just get away from it.  He has another thing coming.”

“We’ll catch them, don’t worry Maya. This asshole is going to pay for what they’ve done. I had an idea, but it’s hard to know who to trust anymore.”

Task 3 - Bucket List

Carter seethed a painful sigh through his teeth when the woman rebuttled, hands acting as whatever they could do rid his face of the beads of sweat that wouldn’t stop harassing him. His stomach churned with a battery acid that carried no anecdote and his sinuses ached for a temporary cure. The woman in front of him would provide neither. “Oh, so you come here to gloat? Come here to make me feel bad? Well you can fucking save it.”

“I told them I didn’t want visitors–” Slurred from behind bars, Carter wrung his hands back through his hair. He wanted to pull it out, wanted to hunch over in a ball until his stomach stopped torturing him with pleas for its sweet narcotic relief. Every muscle in his body was tightened, from his jaw to his shoulders to the ones strung from his jiggling knees. His migraine flared and fought him with every slamming of cell doors down the block, each buzz another excuse to clench his fists and wish for some sweet, painless relief. 

There was no time to think, no time to have logic enter into the this little, miniature hell the pair of them had created for each other.  She was lunging, trying to push away this little piece of the puzzle.  It was the item of power, a weapon.  But she wasn’t fast enough, not nearly.  He swung his arm in her direction, his eyes wide and hers going to match his.  

She looked into him then, staring into each other for what felt like an eternity, in reality hardly more than fractions of a moment.  A trigger was pulled, shattering the silence once more.  

The bullet hit Maya just below her left breast.  It tore through her uniform and slammed into her kevlar vest.  Unfortunately for her, the bulletproof vest is a false moniker.  Its true title should he bulletresistant vest.  Because when a piece of metal flies through the air towards you, from less than a meter away, and is traveling faster than the speed of sound.  In truth, there isn’t much that can truly stop it.  The round hit her vest with enough force to break three of her ribs outright, the ones immediately impacted by the shot.  It then tore through her vest, through her undershirt and wedged itself between her now broken bones.

The woman was sent backward with enough force for her head to crack against the wall on the opposite side of the ally, then slump over into the snow, her eyes half lidded, lips slightly parted.  The world dark to her now, slipping away rapidly.  The last thing she saw before passing into unconsciousness was his feet.  And then, she was gone.

Roxy had been out on patrol, she knew Maya was out somewhere but she didn’t know specifics. Her former partner was still her closest friend, but the thought of either of them doing police work alone would probably send the detective up the wall. She was walking through the streets when she heard the gun shot, immediately sending her into a sprint towards the sound. 

As soon as she got there, she saw the scene. Carter was standing there and Maya on the ground, clearly shot. Roxy took no time to think, her instincts took over and she ran towards the armed man and tackled him to the ground. Using more force than probably necessary, the brunette pulled the man’s arms back and instantly cuffed them, leaving him there long enough to go check on Maya.

All she could do was radio for an ambulance and backup.

“And, we know there’s been no sign of sexual assault, no sign of long term care or… tampering with the bodies.”  Maya rested her face in her hands for a moment, taking in a deep breath and then sitting up, looking at the other woman.  “Anything in that line could point to him being.. sick or mentally.. fucked, I don’t know.  Something.  But this guy seems to know exactly what he’s doing.”

Roxy nodded along, agreeing to each statement. “If Hades is even a guy. Sure, male kidnappers are probably the most likely to go after these girls and women, but we’re assuming Hades got Reid to do their dirty work to throw off suspicion. It could also be a woman who wants us thinking we need to find a man. Hades definitely knows exactly what they’re doing.”

“Some guy just grabbed my ass as I walked by. Can you believe that shit?”