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AUTHOR’S NOTE

I forgot to add this part – detective Jacobe Carnes was taken from the gallery and he was created by dogwerewolf.

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I knew it was a big risk going outside when the cops were so close on my tail, but I couldn’t stand to be cooped up in that damned underground headquarters for a minute longer. I needed fresh air, to feel the sun on my skin, the wind in my hair. And deep down, a small part of me hoped that I got caught because I’m so very tired of running, of hiding like a rat beneath the earth.

Whether fate, karma, or divine intervention, I got my wish.

His name is Jacobe Carnes, the leading detective that’s been heading the case against me for the past three years. Of all people, I just had to run into the person that knows me almost as well as I know myself.

At first, he seemed confused when his eyes met mine and I briefly considered the possibility that he wouldn’t recognize me, but I know I had changed little since I first broke out on his radar. Honestly, the only thing that’s changed about me is my weight and the fact that I’ve grown a whole inch in the past three years.

“Tori Hastings…” he muttered in disbelief.

I winced at the last name. It wasn’t my name, it was the one that was forced upon me. Though, I suppose my given name isn’t much better because it belongs to another man that ruined my life.

I scowled at the man, trying to keep my posture relaxed, but I knew my face reflected the anxiety and exhaustion that I felt. “Sorry, you got the wrong person.”

When I tried to push past him, he grabbed my upper arm in an iron-clad grip. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Hastings. Don’t make this difficult. You’ve been on the run for three years, isn’t it time to give it up?”

He’s right, of course. Three years of running from the cops and other criminals that want to use you as a stepping stone for their own activity definitely takes its toll on your mind and body. Even so, the criminal that had been pounded into me refused to go down without a fight.

And that’s exactly what happened.

I lunged at him, throwing my fist toward his face.

Despite catching him off guard, he was still stronger than me, both physically and mentally. Most of my training had been for reading people, learning to get into the enemy’s minds and sneak into places. Not that they hadn’t tried to train me for combat, but it just didn’t stick because of my lazy nature.

In the end, Carnes won the scuffle with ease and I was quickly handcuffed and loaded into the back of his police car. Despite the hard time I was facing, I breathed a sigh of relief, letting my head fall back against the leather seat.

I was freed from one prison…

Only to be dropped into another.

Which one is worse? I can’t even say, honestly. They both seem like pretty bad options, but at least in prison, I won’t be forced to do things like murder and steal. Maybe I can finally find some peace within myself again.

We reached the station and he pulled me from the car, taking me into the back where a female officer frisked me to insure I had no weapons or paraphernalia. After getting changed into a bright orange jumpsuit, I was led over to get my mugshot taken.

One of the officers was staring at me in disbelief, his mouth gaping like a fish.

I glared at him, “It’s rude to stare, you twat.”

“Behave, Hastings,” Carnes ordered, returning my glare ten-fold.

My mugshot was taken and my then my fingerprints, followed by a DNA sample which consisted of a long Q-tip being shoved into my mouth. I didn’t want to be completely complaisant, so I bit down, snapping the thin plastic stick in half and nearly scaring the female tech half to death when I growled at her.

If I had any humor left in me, I would have laughed.

Carnes rolled his eyes as his hand wrapped around my upper arm, nearly shoving me down the hallway toward a small, square room, in the center of which was a table, two chairs, and a lamp.

“Have a seat,”

I plopped down into the metal chair with a roll of my eyes. As if I had a choice in the matter. He took a seat across from me, taking a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I never thought this day would come,” he admitted softly, almost as if to himself. “The day I finally caught Tori Hastings, infamous crime lord.”

Give me a break. “You want a cookie? A gold star, maybe?” I smirked.

His gaze snapped to mine, full of anger. “How can you be so smug after everything you’ve done? You’ve killed so many innocent people, ruined so many lives. And for what? A quick buck?”

The smirk quickly dropped as my hands fisted around the orange material. “You don’t know jack shit. Besides, those guys were far from being innocent.”

“You’re making excuses now?” He scoffed. “I forgot, murder is perfectly acceptable as long as they’re not innocent!”

“That’s not what I said,”

“It’s what you meant,”

“Don’t tell me what the hell I meant,”

“You seem to be getting angry,”

“Now, who’s being smug, asshole?” I glowered at him.

“How can I not be? I just took one of the worst criminals off the streets! Without their boss around, your family will flounder and fall apart, and the San Myshuno PD will be there to pick up the pieces!”

“Are you naive or just stupid?”

“What?”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms across my chest. “Do you really think I’m the boss? Sorry to break this to you, but I’m not. I’m just the smokescreen to lure people into thinking our family is weak. People are less intimidated when they see me, more likely to let shit slip past their crusty lips. You know what they say, never trust a pretty face but people always do.”

Carnes seemed to process this information before hopping up from his seat. “You’re lying,”

“Believe what you want. I’m not here to convince you of the truth. It’s no skin off my back either way.

“Give me a name, then.”

“Hm?”

“If you’re telling the truth, give me a name. The name of the person who’s really in charge.”

“Nah,”

“‘Nah’? What do you mean, ‘nah’?!”

“I’m feeling kind of tired, you know?” I faked a yawn and he scowled.

“Get your ass up, Hastings.” He barked at me and I did as he requested, albeit quite slowly. I followed him back down the hallway toward a row of three cells, two of which were full of other prisoners, a couple of which I recognized.

“It’s Hastings!” One of the men growled, smooshing his face against the bars as he reached out to try and grab me.

“It’s about time that bitch got what was coming to her,” A woman huffed before tilting her nose toward the ceiling.

I rolled my eyes. It’s not like they’re in any better a situation than I am.

Carnes pulled open the metal door to the third cell and motioned for me to get inside. I faked another yawn as I slid past him and into the cell, watching him close the door behind me.

“Maybe some time in a cell will loosen up that tongue of yours, Hastings. Have a good night with them,” He nodded his head toward the other cells where the prisoners were still making comments and screaming profanities, promising to ‘get me’ and ‘make me pay’. With a smirk, the man turned and walked away.

It’s gonna be a long night…

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