The Wringer

It was a pretty day. It wasn’t going to be for much longer. 

“Where is Lucas?! He’s supposed to be setting up the explosives!”

“Sorry boss, his comms are static and his gps tracker is gone.”

“What do you mean he’s gone?! He is the backbone of this mission! Find him dammit or I’ll have all your heads on a stick!” 

Looks like the day is staying pretty.

I slumped into my desk chair and ran my fingers through my hair. I needed a new second-in-command. There was too much going on lately. Our ops were failing more often for some reason or another. Usually it was something simple like increased security or relocations. This was the first time one of my men had disappeared and I wasn’t foolish enough to believe he ran away. There’s no getting out once you’re in this world and traitors don’t last long and everyone knows it. I knew it was connected to the failed ops. 

I had a reputation of being one of the best. It wouldn’t do to have that sullied by inconveniences. I had another job lined up and this one wasn’t going to fail. A hit on some politician. Well damn. Time for a meeting and a drink… or three. 

***

“Alright, updates on Lucas? My men don’t disappear for any reason whatsoever.” I leveled a look at every single one of the four idiots sprawled over the room. They were practically family and worked directly with me. Lucas was a common member pulled in for the mission. 

Jax spoke up first. “There’s no body and he didn’t run away. He just vanished into thin air. We think he was kidnapped but there’s no reason to take him. I turned his room and his life upside down. There’s absolutely nothing suspicious.”

Lix butted in, “He didn’t do anything weird working under me either, boss. He wasn’t the best but he wasn’t the worst either. In fact, I dare say he was reliable in the way that average people are. No higher motivations and no reason to abscond.”

“Then what the hell happened on scene?”

“I really don’t know. I sent him to the control room in the basement to rig the building to implode. He was there one second the next he went dark. No one saw him leave. I was in the control room and had eyes on every possible camera.” Remy was in charge of this particular mission.

“Remy, honey, people don’t vanish. He had to have left some kind of trace. No one can just--”

“Jesse could.” I froze and pivoted to face Chris. Everyone tensed and avoided my eyes. Except Chris. “Don’t look at me that way. I know it’s a touchy thing but we all know that man was the only one who could make someone disappear. He could grab your nose from between your eyes if he was motivated enough to. I ain’t bringing this up to stab at barely healed wounds but y’all gotta face it. He was the best in the business. Hell he had his own level.”

I clenched my jaw then unclenched it. I collapsed onto the couch next to me. “He’s dead Chris. No matter how much I wish he was in this room right now. I can’t have hope. He was in that building when the Serpents blew it up. He’s dead.” My voice was nothing more than a soft whisper. 

“Listen boss. We know he’s dead but this is too much like him. Maybe this is someone with the same skillset who just joined our world.”

“No Lix. I know it’s either him or nobody. I know anyone worth knowing and there are plenty of people up for grabs but not a single one could take one of us without a trace. We’re too careful. But that makes absolutely no sense because he’s dead.” I rubbed my head in exasperation. “Okay let’s move on from Lucas and Jesse. We got a job. Some politician with a price on his head. Jax, tear apart his life. Lix and Chris, I want weapons and men ready to go. Remy, look into Lucas just one more time and once Jax has got all the info, we’ll debrief. Get thee gone. Also, Lix, toss me that bottle on the way out.”

A bottle of scotch came flying at my head along with a teasing comment, “Day drinking isn’t good for you boss!” 

I hummed, unbothered and took the top off, hiding a small smile. “I saw you take that wine Lix, so you might wanna shut your trap.” 

I leaned back and began to take a sip when I saw a file peeking out from behind the plant on the table. It looked like one of our but I was positive there weren’t any files in the room this morning and if one of the boys had brought it with them then they would have discussed it for sure. I frowned and picked it up. The file cover was one of ours but when I opened it the contents weren’t ours. 

I knew of every case, minor or major, that any of my gang took up and this certainly wasn’t one. I flipped to the last page and didn’t see either the approved stamp or the completed stamp. I examined the pictures and notes. They were typed. We never typed up case files, scanned them if we needed to digitize. Some preferred to take notes on devices but most of us took physical notes during briefings. And there were always more than one person’s notes in files. This was one person and everything was typed. They mentioned some “Wringer” and a whole list of names labelled “victims” along with some crime scene photos. My frown deepened as I downed another gulp of scotch then swept towards Jax’s room. 

***

“Yo! What’s this file about? I found it in the lounge and this definitely isn’t one of ours. Looks like some serial killer with tens and tens of victims. I have never even heard of him.” I passed the file into Jax’s outstretched arm.

“This isn’t ours for sure. I remember everything and I don’t remember this “Wringer” dude. Not even in the news or anything and most definitely not connected to the gang.” Jax stares at the pictures closely before spinning to his screens. “These pictures! I’ve seen them! This blonde woman died about a month back downtown. Lemme just pull up her police file… Okay her cause of death is excessive twisting force on her neck. So he wrung her neck and I’m going to assume that’s where the charming name “Wringer” comes from. The marks show her skin being stretched and twisted too far but there weren’t any fingerprints. There was a deep cut down her sternum. Other than that no bruises. She was left there in the clothes she went missing in. We’ve got no leads.”

I grabbed the file back. “No no no that’s not right. This file has a lead. I glanced at it. Out of so many, one of the victims’ names was circled. The names tell me this dude’s international. Run these names through every single database you can find for victims. Focus on this Anna Eldberg. Also try to figure out where the hell this came from. I’m gonna go grab the others.” 

***

Thirty minutes later all five of us were seated in a room facing a huge whiteboard. I curled up in my bean bag and rested my notepad in my lap before pointing a pen at the pictures stuck on the board. “Jax begin.”

“Okay I didn’t put up all the pictures and names but you can tell his MO is wringing necks and then carving a line into their sternum. I looked into it and his victims come from all over. 15 were from North America, 29 of them spread out through Europe, 16 through Asia, 8 from South America, and 5 from Africa. No one put them together because they were really spaced out and since no two bodies showed up in the same place, no one connected the crimes. For example, this woman here was killed in London but no other bodies killed in the same manner surfaced until 10 years later. The first woman was Emma Linns. She was his first kill according to this list. And he hasn’t killed anyone else in London until now with Anna Eldberg. In the file we received, Anna’s name was circled. It was the only thing that wasn’t typed and the only name that was circled. Whoever sent this to us wanted us to pay special--”

“Whoever? We don’t know where or who this is from?” Lix’s deep voice cut through. “How is that possible?”

Jax sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I don’t know Lix. I checked, rechecked, then checked the cameras again. They’re clean. Boss found this file in the lounge. No idea how it got there. Everyone in the gang knows that’s our place and the camera at the door didn’t show anyone going in.”

“...what about windows?” Chris’ voice was quiet but everyone heard him. 

“Nahh man they’re too high up and our alley cameras would have caught them” 

I silently chewed on the end of my pen. “It’s not impossible actually.” Everyone’s eyes shot towards me. “Jesse and I sneaked out once. He was worried about his little sister and we were on a high threat level so we couldn’t leave so we snuck out and back in through the lounge windows. We avoided the cameras by climbing onto the next building.”

“You snuck out while we were on high threat alert?!” Lix’s voice deepened scarily. 

“C’mon Lixie you can’t blame me. That little girl is the only family he had and the only family any of us have. I was scared for her too and you know that I would have left for any of you if we had anyone to leave for.” My voice got quieter and quieter as I went but held unmistakable conviction. 

I could feel tears brimming in my eyes as I remembered little Sara’s smile and how I haven’t had the heart to see her since her older brother was blown up keeping her safe. Guilt and sadness washed over me in waves and instantly I was surrounded by all of them hugging me tightly. They all mourned Jesse but I was the hardest hit by his loss. I put together this little family all on my own and Jesse was the first one I trusted completely. He was like a reliable older brother to all of us considering he was at least 3 years older than each of us. He was never out in the field. It was always our impulsive, danger-loving selves out there getting in fights and what not. He was the one who cleaned us up and sat there through our breakdowns and crises. He was our favorite medic, our best planner, our best spy, and our best fighter. We didn’t understand why he preferred to stay cooped up in the base but we didn’t question it. The rare times he went on a mission always went smoothly, no mistakes to cover up, no mouths to threaten or force shut, a good luck charm if you will. But that last time…

“Sorry boss. I didn’t mean to get you this upset.” Lix’s grip on me tightened one last time before all four of them slowly retreated to their previous places. Chris threw a chocolate at me then made a not so quiet remark about women and chocolate. I threw a pen at his chest in response before settling back and gesturing to Jax. 

“Okay so whoever put that file there may have used a similar path to yours. But that’s not really helping us figure out who this is.”

I shrugged. “Let’s focus on the case itself for now. What other information did you find?”

“For starters, there have only been 4 murders in this country. And they aren’t especially significant. I dug up every miniscule detail of their lives and the only thing similar was that they were killed right before a huge promotion or a unique opportunity. Basically something that would screw over another person. So I think these are hits and our man is a hitman. That being said Anna doesn’t have anything life changing. She was a vet with her private practice. No new opportunities, no upcoming awards, no promotions. Heck even all her online reviews are sparkling. I dug up every single mention of her or her practice on social media and while some people complained about waiting times and such, there was no actual hate directed at her. In short, there’s no reason to call a hit on this girl. Yet, she was found neck wrung and sternum slashed a week ago next to the Thames. The police have nothing more than an autopsy report, the clothes she was wearing when she washed up, and information that she was at a bar with her girlfriends before she left, fully sober since she was going to be one of the DDs. She claimed she wasn’t feeling well.”

“Is it possible there was some other reason?”

“The footage is grainy but shows her talking to a man. The encounter was short enough that I’m pretty sure he was hitting on her but she didn’t take him up on anything.” 

Remy piped up from a corner of the room, “Is she the type to go home with men? More importantly, is she the type to abandon her friends when she’s supposed to be DD?”

“We don’t have any of that kind of information. The police didn’t build any kind of personality profile, if they did it’s not in the files. They seem to have chalked it up to the wrong place at the wrong time as the case has already hit a dead end because of lack of evidence.”

“I guess we’re going to take the case. I’m very intrigued. Tell your second-in-commands to set up. They’re running point on the politician case. I’ll leave a preliminary outline. We’re going to be on the ground ourselves for this one.”

Remy leapt to his feet. “What if it’s a trap?!”

Lix and Chris jumped up at the exact same time and screamed, “Are we going to London then?!”

Jax and I locked eyes and shared a smile. Priorities. 

I stood up as well and turned to Remy. “I want an extensive threat assessment every time any of us leave the safe house. This is a case and it’s bad. We’re doing something about it but we’re not getting carelessly hurt either.” I pivoted to Chris and Felix and shouted, “And we’re going to London!”

Whoops erupted from the two Aussies as Remy nodded and Jax began to take down pictures to take to London.

***

I threw the door to the safe house open and tossed my suitcase in the general direction of the bedrooms. The place was dusty but neat. Jax would probably have it clean in ten minutes. The man hates uncleanliness and has a very specific way of keeping his space clean. At least we won’t have to labor with him. I pulled my phone and began to walk over to the back garden but not before addressing the fools behind me.

“I’m going to call Lily. We need her for this one. Pair up and claim a room. If I hear any squabbling, you’re sleeping on the couch.” I could sense the mischievous smiles on Lix and Chris’ faces behind me. How they have so much energy even with jet lag I’ll never know.

Lily picked up on the third try. “Wow thanks for picking up Lils! The boys and I are in London for a case. Drop by the safe house, will you? I’ll debrief you if you bring Chinese food otherwise I’ll hand you over to the Aussies.”

Laughter filtered through my phone’s speakers as Lily promised takeout and informed me she’ll be there around 8pm. We talked a little while more before exchanging goodbyes. I pocketed my phone and walked back in. 

In the ten or so minutes I’d been talking to Lily, they had dusted off the living room and kitchen where Jax was unloading various snacks. I turned to the family room. It was also clean but Lix and Chris were messing around near the flat screen. I stood there glaring suspiciously until they finally got off the floor and I spotted the Xbox sitting under the TV.

“You brought video games to a case?! Children!”

Both of them turned on the spot, face flushing dark red from embarrassment. Lix wrung his hands as he smiled wide and went, “Well you see. Jax is going to be busy with information. Remy is going to be busy planning. You and Lily will be investigating. Chrissie and I have nothing to do. So we brought our own tasks.”

“Who on Earth said you have nothing to do?! Lix, you and Chris are supposed to be working the Emma Linns angle. She was the first death and the only other person who died in London.”

Chris crossed his arms. “It was ten years ago. Will we even get anything?”

“That’s your job to find out isn’t it?” I pinched the bridge of my nose and looked at the two of them. Lix was giving me puppy dog eyes and I could instantly tell what he wanted. “But you can play right now.”

The two leapt over the couch, wrapped me in a quick group hug before crashing back onto the cushions with controllers. The next thing I knew, the music of the game and cursing filled the quiet air. I shook my head, smiling as I walked in the direction of the bedrooms. 

They always left the master bedroom empty for me by some unspoken rule. I set my suitcase down at the side of the room and walked into the bathroom to freshen up. Finally I tugged out a large t-shirt and sweatpants and went on the hunt for Remy and Jax. They were probably already holed up in the tech room going over the case again. I checked with them then wandered back to the kitchen for some chocolate. 

I hoisted myself onto the island and watched Lix and Chris shove each other as they played some sporty video game. I smirked as Lix stepped to the left, accidentally leaving an opening for Chris to score. Lix yelled out about the grace injustice of his loss as Chris leant back with a satisfied grin. Lix noticed me sitting there and was about to drag me into his rant when the bell rang. I smiled victoriously before running over to the door.

“Food! Gimme gimme gimme! Oh and hi Lily!” I smiled cheekily as I rooted through a take out bag. 

“The disrespect…” Lily returned my smile and screamed out, “Boys I have Chinese and a tiny hungry woman! Hurry!”

I playfully glared at her while opening a container. Lix and Chris were the first to slide across the counter to join us at the counter. I honestly don’t think those two know how to move about properly. Jax and Remy dashed in seconds after. We all ate and caught up. After dinner Lily followed me to my bedroom and jumped onto the bed. 

“Okay what’s the case?”

I briefed her on everything we knew and explained our plan. “We’re going to investigate it on our own. There is always information hidden in corners police officers can’t reach. You’re coming with me to Anna’s friends and family. Jax and Remy are going out to the crime scene and the bar. Lix and Chris will check into Emma to see if there are any leads there. We’ll go from there.”

‘Why are the five of you here? Couldn’t you have sent a unit?”

“There were special circumstances surrounding how we got this case.”

“What? Who gave it to you? How?”

“The issue is we have no idea who gave it to us. We found a file in the lounge back at HQ and we don’t have anything on cameras. It’s so frustrating. We’ve tightened security and all that. We only took the case because of the body count and the reach they have. Jax has already looked into everyone we’re meeting and their homes. They’re clean.”

“Alright then. You all have your fake IDs?” 

***

“Hi, we're officers Brooks and Livingston. We were wondering if we could ask a couple questions about Anna…”

Anna’s friend, Emily’s eyes widened and she stepped back to let us in. “I was already questioned. Did you find something new?”

“We’re just conducting a second round of interviews to see if we perhaps missed something.” We sat in the small living room. “For starters, was Anna the type to flake out like that?”

“Not at all. She never left us at a pub especially when she knew we were all buzzed. She was the mother hen of the group. That night she suddenly told us she was feeling dizzy and nauseous and Kimmy would drive us instead since she’d only had a pint or so of beer.”

“Was she the type to go home with men?”

“Not really but if someone was her type then she would occasionally say yes.”

“What’s her type?”

“Uhh… I don’t really have any details but bad boy-ish?”

“Did you see her with anyone that night?”

“I did. There was this dude with a leather jacket and dark hair.” Lily and I locked eyes and I nodded imperceptibly. The man on the camera. “He looked like he was flirting and since he looked her type and Anna had been whining about being lonely, I thought she would leave with him. I didn’t see how the rest of their conversation went but next thing I knew she was telling me she’s leaving. Now that I think about it, she didn’t exactly look pleased to be talking to that man.”  

“And you didn’t mention this earlier because…”

“I was in shock, okay!? I had just found out one of my best friends had been murdered. I was too upset to try to read and interpret a conversation I glanced at across the pub. No major bells went off in my brain so I let it slide.” Then her voice cracked. “Oh my god… Was it him? Did he kill her? Oh my god I’m so sorry Anna. I’m so so sorry. She burst into tears and Lily and I shot each other a look. 

I walked over to Emily and passed over a box of tissues while Lily fetched a glass of water. “Sweetie, it might not have been him. He may have just been someone who had a hard time taking a no then shoved off finally.” 

She nodded and sniffled but tears kept falling down her cheeks. Lily and I quickly wrapped up and rushed to the car outside. I dialed Jax quickly and told him to look into the man at the bar and then go back home to look through any exes Anna may have had. Remy could scour the crime scene himself. 

Lily and I had no luck with the other girls. Two of them were still too distraught to properly answer any more than the first few questions. The last one said she got drunk off her arse ten minutes after she walked in and didn’t remember anything that could help. She did give us cookies though so I guess we got something out of that visit. 

We were back in the safe house by nightfall and Chris was halfway through making pasta with groceries he picked up on the way. Lix was sitting on the counter next to the stove and annoying Chris as he cooked. Jax was tapping away on a laptop. Remy was lying on the couch reading. Just as Chris was about to shove Lix into the sink, I called out for a debrief. 

Chris went first. “We went and looked into the Emma angle but we didn’t find anything. It was too long ago for them to remember anything useful. They said she went about a normal day before she was killed. Old friends weren’t much help either considering they hadn’t seen her for a bit before the incident.”

“Nothing suspicious at all?”

Lix spoke this time. “There was a car there. It didn’t stand out or anything but it gave me bad vibes. I don’t know why… It was a black sedan, nothing special, but I don’t know… something.” Chris nodded affirmation. “We checked it out but nothing was wrong.” 

“Neither of you is convinced, are you?” 

“Nope.”

“Aight we’ll look into that. Remy?”

Remy rolled off the couch and made his way into the kitchen. “Nothing. It’s been too long since the murder and the crime scene wasn’t preserved after the police wrote off the case. No evidence lying around either. The bar didn’t give us anything. There weren’t any other recordings available and the bartender didn’t have a name nor did he remember the dude well enough for a sketch.”

“Wonderful. Jax please tell me you got something.”

Jax continued to tap away on his laptop till he hit a final button and smirked in victory. The rest of us exchanged a glance and crowded behind him. “I’ve got something. The cameras at the bar were shit as we know but… People’s cameras aren’t. Especially when they’re taking pictures for a bachelorette party. I saw this group of women on the tapes and one of them was in a crown and sash so I took a guess. I ran the name of the bar through Instagram then went through all the posts yesterday till I came upon the women. And voila! Look in the background of this picture. That’s him talking to Anna. And it’s a pretty good angle.” 

I suppressed a smile. “You stalked a bunch of women on Insta to find this?”

Jax pivoted and glared at me. “I’d be more than happy to get rid of the picture and let you scramble around for leads again.”

Everyone laughed as I returned the glare, except mine was brimming with amusement. Jax turned back to his computer and spoke again, “Okay so despite how unappreciated I am, I also ran a facial recognition software on the dude and came up with some stuff. He hasn’t got a criminal record, just a few tickets. He’s got a license saying he’s named Kent Louis. Unemployed. There are a couple weird things though. No social media at all. Dude’s off the internet. The license is long expired and the address on it belongs to some family. He doesn’t have a new address listed anywhere. His bank account is practically empty. He should be homeless and poor but the man in that picture is well groomed and the clothes aren’t Goodwill. Definitely suspicious. But--”

“We don’t have the ability to pick him up,” I finished. 

Lily spoke up, “Jax and Remy know but Emily, Anna’s friend who was at the pub with her that night says she didn’t look pleased to be speaking to the man.”

“So the general consensus now is that the Wringer is Kent. Great! How do we find him?”

We all stepped back from Jax and stood there for a while, thinking. Chris wandered back over to the pasta. It was going to be hard to track the dude down. We have the face and the name but we’ve literally got nothing else. He probably has everything registered under a different name, if at all. Suddenly I have an idea.

“Let’s go out after dinner.”

Lily looks at me blandly. “Out? Where?”

“To a bar. The same one Anna and this Kent person were at. Maybe he’ll come back.”

“Okay for real, I’m pretty sure the dude was at the bar only for Anna and he’s probably bailed by now if we’re being realistic with his movements.”

“Yes but look how close both Anna and Emma’s houses were to the bar. That’s probably their go to bar. Jax check the location of the address on the license you found. Is it close to the bar as well?” He nodded in the affirmative. “So here’s what I’m thinking. What if it is his go to bar as well? He hasn’t killed here in London in years so he probably uses it as a crash pad between jobs. He doesn’t have a house because he stays in shelters and such but he probably frequented the bar before he switched to this life.”

“Then another possible question is why did he switch? What did this Emma girl do?”

“I don’t know but this is all we’ve got. Also we didn’t bring drinks and I want some so we’re going.” I tilted my chin challengingly. Breathy chuckles followed as everyone nodded. 

Chris began serving the pasta before remarking, “You could have just led with ‘I don’t have a drink and this man is one annoying little shit’ y’know?”

“Shut up and hand me a plate Chris!” This prompted another round of giggles. “I have no respect around here.”

***

Lights flash all around me as I grip my drink and carefully scan the LED-lit room. No one at the bar resembles the man and the dance floor was too crowded for me to see much. Lily was sitting next to me calmly sipping her martini and occasionally glancing around. We circled the room earlier to familiarize ourselves with the space. Lix and Chris signal to me that they’re going to the bathrooms. I’ve given strict orders that everyone is supposed to go around in pairs. Jax and Remy are dancing somewhere in the crowd. I lean back into my chair and strike up a conversation with Lily. Neither of us is really listening to the other as we focus on the bar and the surroundings. An easy 15 minutes pass. 

Suddenly, Chris runs up to us, frantic and out of breath. His eyes are panicked and he’s on the verge of tears. I immediately stand and grab his hand, dragging him to the dark hallway near the employee entrance. Lily follows and stands at the opening of the hallway to keep an eye out. 

I turn to Chris and pin him to the wall. “What happened?!”

“Lixie-- I-- Lixie-- Boss--” I slap him across the face and he visibly pulls himself together to string together a coherent sentence. “I can’t find Lix. I left to grab a couple beers and when I got back he wasn’t where I’d left him. I have looked literally everywhere. He’s gone.”

I stumble back, eyes wide and panic slowly washing over me. “Lily! Grab Jax and Remy. Outside now!”

Two minutes later we’re all huddled in the alley outside. Chris is trembling softly as he recounts everything since we got to the bar. “We got here and immediately grabbed drinks and grabbed a seat across the dance floor from where Boss and Lily were sitting so we could keep an eye on that side of the bar. Then we went to the bathroom. We talked a little and got out okay. I left him at the table and went to get drinks. He wasn’t at the table when I got back. I checked the bathrooms, circled the entire bar, checked the hallway, even quickly peeked through the employees entrance but it was only an empty locker room. He’s gone. Oh my god. He’s gone.” 

I frowned as Lily tried to calm Chris down again. Chris wasn’t going to be much more help till we knew how to get Lix back. The two had always been extremely close even before they joined my little family, and I really didn’t know what either of us would do if we didn’t get Lix back. “Wait Chris what did you and Lix talk about in the bathroom?”

He lifted his glossy eyes from the ground. Confusion shined in them as he replied, “We were discussing the Wringer and coming up with possible theories and ways to find him.”

“Was the bathroom empty?”

Now pure, unadulterated fear raced across his face as he slouched into the wall, slowly whispering, “It wasn’t. There were a couple people in the stalls. What if he was one of them? What if he heard us and took Lix? Boss…”

My own mind was filled with panicky sirens and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. I took a deep breath and walked towards the car. “Lix isn’t going to be the next victim. Remy. That car Lix and Chris saw near Emma’s place. Take Jax’s phone and find it. Now! Jax. While Remy’s looking you’re gonna tear apart both Emma and Anna’s lives, devices, work histories, whatever. On and off line as far as you can go and you’re gonna look for this dude or any possible mentions of him. Lily, we’re gonna suit up. Chris… Screw your head back on straight or I’m leaving you at the house with Jax and Remy.”

Lily ducks into the driver’s seat as we all pile in. Jax is already tapping away on a tablet he had brought with him earlier. Remy is on Jax’s phone, presumably already running the plate number Chris had given him. Meanwhile Chris and I just tightly grip each other’s hands. I am supposed to be level headed but Lix is family and I’m scared. I can see the tension in the postures of everyone else in the car. There’s too much space without Lix squished in with us. I am whispering quiet reassurances to both Chris and myself as we pull into the driveway of the safe house. Lily, Chris, and I make a beeline for the gear room in the basement as Jax and Remy dash to the tech room. 

We brief Lily on the code names as we drag on bulletproof vests, grab guns and knives, and tucked earpieces in. Jax and Remy’s voices filter through a few seconds later as they test them and relay information. 

“Got a hit on the plate. They’re heading out of the city, you need to hurry.” We are back on the road before a minute is up. “Found the dude too. I didn’t pay attention to him earlier but he seemed to be dating Emma at some point. He also shows up in Anna’s photos from when she’s helping out at a homeless shelter. He was in his early twenties when he dated Emma. And judging by the timeline of his following kills, somehow got into the whole career criminal thing after Emma’s murder. Maybe he lost his mind at her and killed her then decided he liked it enough to do it over and over again. Maybe he asked Anna out or something and she said no and he got pissed. He did seem like he was asking for something at the bar. She probably left to avoid him.” 

A hush fell over the car as we digested this information before Remy’s voice crackled through, “Straight ahead. The car stopped at that abandoned warehouse over there.” The three of us in the car locked eyes, loaded our guns, and climbed out. 

We jogged to the door on the side of the building, leaning in to listen carefully for any movement. A scream rang out and we all flinched back. My hand shot out to grab Chris seeing as he was going to blindly rush in. I shook my head and shoved him behind me, once again taking the lead. I slowly nudged the door open and brought my gun up. Lily and Chris slipped in behind me, raising their own weapons. We crept towards the source of the noise as one. I could now hear someone’s voice shouting questions under the screams and sobs that were undoubtedly Lix’s. “How do you know who I am?! Tell me! Stop screaming and start talking damn it.” More screams followed. I looked over my shoulder at Chris and he looked positively murderous. I pushed my shoulders back, positioned myself, and kicked the door in. 

Kent Louis whirled around. I stepped aside and Chris literally lunged across the room to throw the man into a few empty crates lying around. Lily kept her gun high and eyes locked on Kent and Chris trading blows on the other end of the room. To interfere with Chris’ anger right now would simply get us shoved into another pile of crates. I quickly scanned the area for others and not finding any, turned to Lix. I could hear Chris’ fists slamming into Kent as I observed Lix’s bloody figure tied to a chair. I dropped to my knees and tore the red-soaked ropes off. I could see stab wounds through the torn fabric of his shirt. I dragged him to stand, but his legs immediately gave out and I noticed the blood stains on his black jeans. I carefully ran my hands down to his ankles and realized his ankle was broken alongside more gashes in his thighs. I stood up, cradling Lix to my torso, and assessed the situation around us. 

Chris was still hitting the already unconscious, maybe even dead, Kent. I nodded to Lily and she fired into the ceiling, breaking Chan’s murderous trance. His eyes instantly locked onto Lix leaning into me with a tired, relieved expression. He stalked towards me and I moved aside so Chris could look at Lix. 

“You need to pick up Lix. His legs are covered in stab wounds and his ankle is broken.”

Lily spoke up from the other side of the room. “The Wringer’s dead. I’ll dispose of him. You guys take Lix back, I’ll find my own way back.”

I nodded and Chris hooked his arms under Lix to pick up bridal style. I led the way out and both of the boys got into the back as I fired up the car, proceeding to break nearly every single traffic law on the way back. Lix wasn’t looking too good. He had lost a lot of blood and the mental stress of the torture was catching up to him. I spewed information and orders at Remy and Jax as I drove. They had stayed silent throughout the whole thing, waiting for an update from me. I could hear them rushing around gathering supplies and setting up a space for Lix. We got back to the house in at least half the time it took us to get to the warehouse. It truly was a miracle we got back in one piece considering my haphazard, frenetic driving. Chris was out of the car with Lix before I even came to a complete stop. I ran in to see Remy shoving Chris and Jax out of a spare bedroom. We all collapsed onto the couches in the family room, consumed with exhaustion and worry. 

We sat there for far too long for Chris and my frayed nerves. Jax had given me chocolate and a fidget toy to stop me from whirling into the bedroom and demanding Remy hurry up. Chris just sat there with his eyes locked onto the xBox he had set up with Lix earlier. That fun, easy night seems ages ago even though it was only last night. I studied Chris’ features carefully and noticed the pain and guilt set into his posture and grimace. I leaned forward and spoke for the first time since we got home. 

“Hey it’s not your fault. It’s Kent’s. He did this.”

Chris just shook his head and tears began to pool in his eyes. “I’m the one who didn’t check before starting the conversation about Kent and I’m the one who left Lix alone when you specifically said not to go anywhere alone.”

“You didn’t know Chris. We can blame around all night but right now you need to be strong for Lix and remember that Kent is dead and you avenged Lix. It wasn’t your fault. Kent did this and then you killed him for it. It’s over.”

The front door opened and Lily walked in, immediately asking, “What’s--” She was interrupted by Remy finally walking out of the bedroom. Chris was striding into the room before Remy could get a word out. The door slammed behind Chris and Remy walked into the kitchen while tugging off his bloodied shirt. 

“He’s alright. Needed like a million stitches and a cast but he’s gonna be okay.”

We all slumped back in relief. He’s gonna be okay. We’ll all make sure of it. I stood up, knocked on the bedroom door, and called out, “We’re leaving to go home tomorrow. Get some sleep Lix. We love you.” 

***

We sluggishly drag ourselves out of the elevator onto the circle of couches in the family room of our shared penthouse in the base. We were home. We got briefed on the success of the politician case’s success as soon as we walked into the base. Little sleep and another long flight had done a number on us. The boys dropped into their favorite spots and immediately reached for the snacks they left next to the couches. However, my eyes are drawn to the envelope on the table in the middle. I clear my throat and reach for it. The boys huddle up around me as I carefully observe the expensive cream stationery. I peel it open and pull the letter out. Same stationery with a short note. I drop the letter with a gasp as the boys jerk away. All our eyes stay locked on the piece of paper as it flutters down, dragged to the familiar handwriting over and over again. 

“Good job. 

- J”