Page 37 of Submission

“You can’t rush things? I own a piece of the lab.”

“Just because you are an investor in a bio lab doesn’t make science magically work faster for you. It’s fucking science.”

Christian is in my office with us as well, lounging on the couch, working on something on his laptop, when he suddenly looks at me. “What’s with the obsession with the new girl?”

“It’s a long story,” I say, not wanting to explain my whole theory about Lacy.

“Listen, man, I know you have a lot going on, but I actually came by the club to tell you that I found out something about that nurse, Rose Grant.”

“Jonathan’s ex?”

Damn, I almost forgot about the nurse.

“It seems that someone did list her as a missing person, and even after all this time, there’s still an active search. Accordingto the detective I talked to, every few months, someone whom he assumed was her brother calls him to ask for updates.”

Christian sets his laptop aside, interested in this new piece of news. “I wonder why Jonathan would risk exposing himself by looking for her?”

“Assuming it’s him,” I say.

“Oh, it’s definitely him,” Vaughn adds. “I’ve done a deep dive into the nurse’s background, and I guarantee you that there’s no one else alive who would care enough to keep checking on her whereabouts.”

“But if Jonathan’s looking for her, that means she isn’t with him, which could mean that she’s in some serious danger.”

“That could also be a possibility,” I muse.

“Right, he could still be the rich boyfriend her coworkers mentioned Rose having, but they also could have had a falling out once she realized how demented Jonathan is.”

“Another possibility,” I agree. “But we just don’t know enough yet to draw any definitive conclusions. Are there any other concrete leads, Vaughn?”

“A woman matching her description was seen around a few homeless shelters.” He frowns. “The only reason she stood out to those who were questioned is that she traded her clean clothes with those of a homeless person who was in a nearby tent community. The woman remembered her because she thought it was odd.”

“So, Rose was actively trying to avoid detection,” I say. “What else do we know?”

“I’m the best in the city.” Vaughn shakes his head. “But you know how long these things take. The wider the information network, the longer it takes. This Rose person is determined to hide, which means she could literally be anywhere right now. I need more time.”

“I’m losing patience, Vaughn. If it was indeed Jonathan who tried to kill me, he needs to be neutralized sooner than later. I can’t have the streets thinking I’m weak.”

“I know, and I’m on it, but there’s one more thing I didn’t tell you. Rose’s mother stopped showing up to work a few months after Rose disappeared. When the police found her body, she had been tortured, and the dead body was fresh. My suspicion is that Jonathon was trying to draw Rose in by using her mother, and that failed.”

Something churns inside of my stomach upon hearing that. Torturing and killing an innocent woman to use as bait? I know I’ve done some very illegal things myself, but there are limits to what I will do, and if this is true, Jonathan’s gone too far.

“Find him, Vaughn,” I tell him, frustrated with our lack of progress in finding one damn man.

“I’m on it.”

After Vaughn leaves, Christian looks at me warily. “There’s something else you should know.”

“What the hell else?” I explode.

“Don’t shoot the messenger, man.”

“Just say whatever it is you’re going to say.”

“Chinatown is completely being taken over,” he says grimly. “Some of our contacts there were attacked by an unknown group of gang members. Three are three fatalities, but one managed to escape. The Eastside Riders and Blood Nation both said that they have nothing to do with it, but our man who escaped said differently. He says it was a joint effort from both gangs.”

“What’s our guy’s name?”

“Pike.”

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