Chapter Eighty Three: Bleeding Out

So I bear my skin
And I count my sins
And I close my eyes
And I take it in
And I'm bleeding out
I'm bleeding out for you

Imagine Dragons - Bleeding Out

He was an opportunist at heart, he always had been and always would be. It was how he made his money. He saw an opportunity, he took it. If that opportunity was conning suckers out of their hard earned cash then that was the job and he always came off better for it. It had been years since anyone had caught up with him, he'd learned to work smarter not harder. So when he saw Detective Antonio Dawson's woman leaving that church dance all on her lonesome he knew that once again opportunity had come knocking.

Everything else had been set up and he'd been sitting in the church parking lot for hours biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike, he had convinced himself it had to be tonight. There was only so long their guard would be down, so he had very limited window to strike. He was already outside of the van, his toned body tucked into the shadows between the vehicle's body and the wall side of him. She could have stared right at him and she wouldn't have known he was there, he'd had a lot of practice over the years in this kind of pursuit. Hiding was nothing new to him, he had his technique down to a fine art.

He had to admit Dawson had decent taste in women, although this one looked better out of the uniform than in it. The dress she was wearing gave her a more feminine edge but she was far too athletic for him, he liked his women with curves.

Still that dress...

It was violet with white flowers embroidered into it, falling just above her knee. He could see it billowing under the long black coat she was wearing to ward off the winter chill as she ambled towards her car, her fingertips tapping out a text message on her phone as she went. Her chestnut colored hair was wavy and loose, it blew in the wind as she crossed the quiet parking lot, the sound of her low heels clicking on the concrete as she walked.

She was the perfect prey, distracted and unprepared.

This was exactly what he wanted.

The gun was tucked into one of the pockets of his black combat trousers along with the other items he had brought along. He planned to use his hands for this one, he wanted to make it hurt just a little, enough to scare the hell right out of her before he got to the main event. He crept along the back of the van, staying out of her sight line as she paused for a second alongside her car before she slipped the phone into her pocket and patted herself down.

"Keys." she muttered to herself.

She didn't hear him step up behind her. She was too invested in the hunt for her keys, he waited for her hands to delve into the pockets of the black overcoat she was wearing before he made his move.

His gloved hand tangled into her hair, gripping the back of her head before he smashed her forehead against the glass of the car window. She cried out as she hit it, the impact dazing her momentarily as she fought to get her hands out of her pockets. He wasn't taking any chances, she was CPD and she would give him a hell of a fight if he let her. He drove her head forward once again, so hard that he heard the thud vibrate through the parking lot as she collided with the glass pane causing a spider web of cracks to form from the sheer force of the blow.

The fight went right out of her, her knees buckled as her entire body sagged against him. He smiled to himself. He knew the second one would do the trick. He dragged her unconscious form back towards his van, one of her violet shoes slipping off in the process. He ignored it, she wouldn't need shoes where was going. It took him a couple of minutes to tuck her into the back of van, his firm hands removed the metal handcuffs from one of his pockets before he locked them around her wrists as tightly as possible, allowing no room for her to even consider escaping them. He knew both her and Dawson were resourceful. He had made it his mission not to underestimate the pair of them and that would pay off later tonight.

Finally he removed the phone from her pocket. He knew there were all sort of clever ways that you could track a cellphone even if you had taken the care to turn it off so it made sense to just get rid of the thing completely. It was only when he turned around to toss it did he see the other woman standing there, keys laced between her knuckles as she advanced upon him. Her doe brown eyes were fixed upon him as she moved. There was a rage in them, a savage protective instinct that he could identify with all too well. She was quick but he was quicker, the 22. Caliber pistol was already in his hand by the time the cold steel of the keys raked across his left cheek. The explosion of pain was immense causing him to curse as he turned his head away from the blow. His right arm surged forward as he drove the gun up and right into her sternum before pulling the trigger.

The gunshot pierced the air like a loud crack, echoing through the cold night like a banshee. She clutched onto him, her fist balling up in his black jacket as she collapsed against him maintaining her grasp. He shoved at her shoulders, her fingers slipping from his clothing as he pushed her as hard as he could. She hit the ground with a whimper, that rasping noise of her breathes invading his ears as the snow around her fallen form began to turn red. He stared down at her for a moment, feeling nothing but the crushing numbness that had become his constant companion over the past week, ever since his brother had died in that jail cell.

"That was for Paul." he whispered before climbing into the van and speeding off into the night.

Hey guys, I'm having a great birthday so I thought I would treat you to this early chapter. :)

Anime: I thought the change in perspective would be interesting to see and Maggie is a huge fan of Roman and Kayla and she would help them through anything. When I think about it it's more like one to two secrets which you will learn in quick succession.

Lauren: I absolutely love Maggie and Gabe's relationship, Gabe became one of my fav chars to write in the end due to the unique set of challenges he presents with his feelings and position. I think after this chapter that convo will be out on hold.

Nat: I bet that this wasn't what you expected in terms of what happened next. You'll have to keep an eye on the text chapters for Brett. The new story kind if has some plot issues I'm trying to work out. The chemistry is there but the plot is a problem.

Western: Gabe is always wise and that's one of the things I love about him. Proposal maybe on pause after this chapter.