16. Jax

Jax

T he remains of a dream where I'm walking in a park, holding the hand of an old man that I love, slips away as the knocks get louder. I groan and check my phone. No messages or missed calls.

The knocking suddenly makes sense in my brain, and I scramble up and walk to the front door.

I pull it open and freeze. The blood drains from my face, and I start to weave as the world falls apart, rebuilds, and falls apart again.

"Detective Descario, Detective Wayland, it's been a while." Brittle, that's what I am, brittle. I'm spun glass stretching too far.

Detective Maria Descario is one of the smartest and most ruthless women I've ever met, and she's had a hard-on for me since she met me. There is nothing this woman wants more in her life than to nail me for the murders of those twenty-one people. She's shorter than me, with thick, glossy black hair cut neatly, and deep brown eyes that see far too much. She fires questions like bullets, uncaring of the damage they leave.

I'm slightly terrified of her.

Detective Wayland is quiet, leaving it to Descario to do most of the speaking. He's a tall, bald man with shrewd blue eyes. He's that person who lets you talk until you screw yourself into a hole. Everything about him screams power and strength. I imagine you'd feel safe if he was working on a case for you.

To me, he's an unwelcome blast from the past, and there was never anything comforting about the cold look Detective Wayland would send me.

"Jackie Blackwell, or is it," Descario checks her notes, "Oh, yes, Jax Shade. I see you are living a life that you don't deserve."

I let out a soft sigh. "I didn't do it, Descario."

"So you have said, over and over, and yet the evidence doesn't lie."

"If you had enough evidence, you would have charged me and put me in a cell for the rest of my natural life," I snap back. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Wayland and Descario exchange a loaded look.

"Ah, Princess Blackwell, what's wrong? Did we interrupt your day?"

I shift my shoulders, cross my arms over my chest, and raise an eyebrow. I'm not speaking anymore.

Descario seems to feel the shift in me and moves closer.

"Where were you at eleven at night a week ago?"

I think back. "I think I was at home."

Wayland makes a sound like a buzzer. "Strike one."

I look between them, my skin is crawling, the edges of panic are starting to turn my vision black.

"I, uh, I don't know. Truly, I can't remember," I splutter. I scrape my hand over my hair, and my fingers get caught on a tangle. It hurts, and I wince.

Descario smiles, just a little, just enough for me to know she's pleased with how nervous I am.

"Well, you were at Red Shard, the local club. Does that jog your memory?" Descario says with wide eyes and a mocking grin.

I nod sharply, relieved. "I went there because I got a call that some friends might be in trouble."

"Friends." Descario looks over her shoulder at Wayland. "Lucky free bitch has friends." She looks back at me. "So, you saw these friends and helped them?"

I nod sharply. "I got them a ride home, and then I went outside with Titan, we talked, and I left via the car park."

"Uh, uh."

Wayland chuckles. "Strike two."

I look between them as the panic makes my hands start to shake.

They watch me for a minute, letting me stew in my own juices.

"We have you on camera having an altercation with Lisha."

"Lisha?" I remember River saying she vanished that night. A horrible yawning opens up beneath my feet.

It's starting again. I close my eyes for a long moment.

"Where was her body found?" My voice is empty, dead.

Descario's eyes flare with triumph. "How did you-"

"Don't be dense, Detective. I'm not going to be trapped that easily. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't him. So, you plus missing girl is a pretty obvious conclusion to come to. You think the Black Dahlia Killer is back."

She moves forward, and I see the holster under her jacket. I wonder how many nights she's thought about putting a bullet in me.

"You evil little bitch, I'm going to get you this time. Just wait and see. Alisha Veen didn't deserve to die like that. I'm going to be on you, one step behind, watching every single second for you to make just one mistake, and then I'm going to nail your ass."

I slam my hands in my pocket and lean back against the wall. "Nothing I can say will change it. You won't believe me. Keep wasting everyone's time, Detective." I sneer. "More people will die."

"A threat," Descario declares. "Catch that, Wayland?"

"Sure did, Desi."

I feign a yawn. "I really have a long day, and I need to get ready. Are we done or are you going to arrest me again?"

Descario hesitates, and my heart stutters. Is she going to do it? Will she arrest me? Wayland murmurs something, her face stiffens, and she nods.

"Not today, Miss Shade or Blackwell or whatever you want to call yourself."

I scowl. "Have a nice day, Detectives."

I knew I shouldn't have said it, I shouldn't have thrown it in. I should have kept my damn mouth shut. She turns back and raises an eyebrow.

"How is Edward Harmon…I was thinking the other day that he shares a certain resemblance to someone I knew, but I just couldn't put my finger on it."

I blanch. She knows I'm related to the Harmon's. Shit, is there no end to this hell?

"I wonder if he'd be up for a visit. Nice touch, too, leaving the body on your own doorstep." She turns to leave and gets down three steps before she turns back. "Oh, watch out for those camera crews."

As soon as they are gone, I slide along the wall back into my apartment and close the door.

It's started again.

The detectives.

The reporters.

The bodies.

The secrets and lies. Everyone digging into my past and trying to unearth all my secrets. An endless parade of eyes on me, watching my every move, judging and analysing.

I want to scream, but I don't make a sound. I rush to get dressed and check my phone. There's a single text from an unknown number. I open it up.

She just wasn't you. Xox

Bile races up my throat, but I swallow it down and stash my phone in its hole under the bed. I tread carefully down the stairs and spot the police tape and crowd of people standing just beyond the tape.

I turn quickly and climb the stairs and start making my way to the back of the apartment building. There are five exits to the building, and the one at the back shouldn't have anyone there as it's almost impossible to get to from the street unless you know about the alley and the hole in the fence.

Five exits, and only one way out. I'll take that chance. I run with all the ghosts and memories of the past chasing me.