Chapter 12 Badger
TWELVE
BADGER
Zombie showed up in lightning speed with his intern, Toby. As they collected evidence, I sat on the sidewalk with my mind reeling. Machine sat next to me. I looked at him pleadingly.
“Before you say anything, I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
I didn’t want him here; I didn’t need someone who didn’t know me to see me break. But then again, his presence seemed to ground me in a way that I didn’t expect. I finally decided not to fight him. I didn’t have the energy.
I took out my phone and texted Chief, so Machine wouldn't hear what I said. When he glanced over, he looked confused. I knew I had to give him something to avoid too many questions.
“It’s my dad. Kinda… he’s the father figure in my life,” I spluttered.
Machine simply nodded.
“Can I know who the girl is?” he finally asked.
“My sister,” I whispered.
“By the look on your face, you haven’t seen your sister in some time,” Machine concluded.
“You could say that.” I paused. “It’s been three years.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Machine’s shocked expression. Before he could say anything, Chief pulled up in front of the shelter and walked toward us.
“Chief, this is Machine. Machine, this is Chief. He runs Dominos.” I gestured between them.
The men shook hands before Chief gave me a hug.
“I’ll go grab some lunch and bring it back,” Machine said, clearly understanding that I needed to talk to Chief in private.
I nodded and watched as Machine left before walking over to Zombie and Toby with Chief.
“How long will it take for you to process the evidence?” Chief asked Zombie.
Zombie placed the last bag of evidence, which contained the letter, into his bag.
“It will take about forty-eight hours. Hopefully, whoever left it left a print. Also, I just got a call from Aaron. A dead young girl turned up in an alley near Seventh Street. I need to head there next. I will let you know what the results say as soon as I get them, and I’ll keep you posted about the girl. ”
My heart sank into my stomach as I wondered if this would be the day that my sister would be found.
“Thanks, Z,” I said, placing my hand on his arm. He wasn’t into physical affection, but it was natural for me when it came to the people I loved. I loved Zombie like a brother.
“Toby, bring all of the stuff back to the truck,” Zombie instructed.
“Yes, sir,” Toby responded, overfilling his arms with equipment and hobbling toward the van.
As Zombie left to head to the next crime scene, Nellie walked out, confusion written all over her face.
Chief walked up to her and began questioning her about whether she knew who dropped off the letter and if she had seen anything suspicious.
Nellie knew my entire team, but didn’t know exactly what we did.
She knew that Chief worked for the government, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to ask questions.
When he’d come into my life, Nellie had undergone a background check and several security clearances to make sure that she wasn’t connected to Ricci.
When asked why she needed to answer Chief’s initial questions, he said it was because an investigation was underway.
She didn’t question it. She was good like that.
She followed orders and authority figures even though they had failed her girls and her many times.
Nellie’s rule of thumb was to treat others as you wanted to be treated, which meant showing respect.
After Chief finished his questions, Machine showed up with burgers and fries.
The gesture was sweet, but I craved our banter more than food; I craved the normalcy of our dynamic.
I wanted him to ignite the fire in me by calling me Bunny.
I wanted him to push back when I said something snarky.
I didn’t know how to navigate him being nice and considerate.
Aside from the time he’d played nursemaid in the locker room, our interactions had been filled with fire and rude comebacks.
I motioned for him and Chief to come upstairs to my apartment, not wanting the women in the shelter to be spooked by two large men. They followed as I opened my front door and walked up the stairs to the apartment Nellie and I shared.
The stairs led up to the small living room with a weathered tan couch and loveseat.
It wasn’t a large place, but it was perfect for two adults.
It wasn’t lavish by any means, but it was the first place that I could call home.
The room was accented with boho furniture and enough plants to fill a nursery.
I led the men to the kitchen, and motioned for them to sit at the small table there.
I grabbed a few waters from the fridge and set them on the table.
My mind was racing. Lily was alive. Alive!
And those sick fucks had her. I wanted to be reckless and demand that we go in guns blazing, but I had to be smart about this.
The men exchanged silent glances and opened up their food.
Chief’s phone rang. He answered it and went to the other room, leaving Machine and me alone.
“So, how are you doing, Bunny?” Machine asked after a few moments of silence.
Anger cut through my dread when I heard the nickname, but I ignored him. I needed to focus on what I knew now. Lily was alive, and nothing would stop me from finding her.