Reese

“Wise move. You saw how Vega was with me. You knew he wanted me. And I know you knew how much I crushed on him back in the day. So you made your move first, banking on the fact that the rules of friendship would kick in. Shit like, thou shalt not covet your best friend’s girl. News flash, Blink. We’re not friends anymore. The boy I knew wouldn’t pull shit like that, and the woman I’ve become wants to throat punch you for it.”

“Do I get a free pass, too, if I promise to be a good boy?”

I shake my head, looking at Vega. I expect him to be pissed about what I just revealed, but he’s grinning at me like a loon.

“Oh come on, you don’t need to worry about picking one of us over the other. We’re not even really that close. If I have to pick between the two of you, I’m choosing you. Like, Vega who?”

Vega punches Blink clean off the chair. I jump to my feet, but Blink is laughing his head off, and Vega is grinning down at him, holding his hand out to help him up.

Hank chooses that moment to walk through the door. He pauses, taking in the scene before looking at me.

“What’s going on?”

“Boys are stupid, that’s all. You find the cop?”

The man in question steps into the room with a smirk on his face.

“Aw, did you miss me? Admit it, you like me, sweet cheeks.”

“About as much as I like getting a pap smear.”

“Is that your way of saying you’re thinking about my fingers inside your—” Hank slaps him upside his head.

I sit back down in my seat with a grunt. “Like I said, boys are stupid.”

“They really are. That’s why I’m a lesbian.” Law laughs.

I drop my head and bounce it on the desk.

“Alright, motherfuckers. If you can’t keep your dicks in your pants and your tongues in your mouth until Mal here is finished, I’m gonna cut them off. You feel me?” Hank snaps.

All three wisely don’t answer beyond nodding.

I blow Hank a kiss and stand, offering him the chair so I can pace.

Law leans against the door, so I stick near the window while I put my thoughts into order.

“Come on, girly. Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad,” Law throws out.

“If you sweetheart or girly me once more, I’m going to cut off your cock and feed it to Charlie.”

I blow out a breath and look at Hank, who nods.

“I’m here because I’m investigating a series of deaths and disappearances.”

“Deaths? As in more than one. Who? Where?” Blink fires off.

“Back when we believed it started, nobody was safe. Teenagers, housewives, bankers, and teachers all made the list. Now, though, it’s mostly vagrants disappearing.”

“What’s your theory? Drugs, gangs?” Vega asks, but it’s Law that answers, all serious now, not a trace of the comic from a second ago.

“A serial killer.”

I nod. “That’s our theory, yeah. Two years ago, the victims he chose drew a lot of attention in the media. But once the bodies stopped turning up, the media coverage died down, and people forgot about them.”

“Vagrants won’t get the same kind of media coverage. They draw less attention. They fall into the high-risk category because it’s harder to declare someone missing when they are already lost,” Law adds.

“Exactly.”