Hunter Hunted by Jack Gatland (best romantic books to read .TXT) 📕

answering the call as he walked past the graves. ‘I’ve been worried sick! Is she alright? Tell me she’s alright!’

‘Of course she is!’ Lizzie replied, far calmer than she had been the night before. ‘She was a little shaken though, because someone stole her bag in the cafe so she couldn’t call home. Had to get a lift from a friend, and after they searched for the bag and tried to call her number and all that sort of thing, she eventually got back just before eleven in a bit of a state. And then my phone died, and I forgot to turn it back on.’

‘Someone called me,’ Declan was approaching the crime scene now, Anjli breaking off from a conversation, now walking towards him. ‘Using her phone.’

‘Probably kids, screwing around,’ Lizzie replied. ‘She’s fine. Honest.’

‘Gotta go. I’ll call you later,’ Declan turned off the call, looking at Anjli’s concerned face. If it wasn’t Jessica, who was it?’

‘Why so secret?’ he asked. Anjli pulled him to the side.

‘I didn’t want you crashing or anything,’ she said. ‘They found the body when they opened up. Doctor Marcos reckons it’s been about twelve hours, so around eight pm last night since she died, and they brought her here post-death.’

‘She?’ Declan’s gut churned again. ‘Who is it, Anjli?’

‘I’m sorry, Declan,’ Anjli looked away as she spoke. ‘It’s Kendis Taylor.’

Declan stared at Anjli silently for a moment and then, without even realising it, he ran towards the crime tent. Billy, standing near the tent and talking to some officers, saw this and hurried to intercept him.

‘Suit up first, sir,’ he said calmly. ‘I know she meant a lot to you, but you have to be police right now.’

Declan stared at the tent. This wasn’t happening. This was a dream.

‘How did she die?’ he asked woodenly. Everything was fading; the colour was seeping out of the scene in front of him, the sound being replaced by a whooshing sound that filled his ears. He wanted to sit on the floor, to cut the string above his head that held him standing and just collapse to the ground.

But he didn’t.

Billy was right. He had to be police right now.

Robotically, he gathered his white PPE suit, pulling it on, pulling the white boots over the bottom and the blue gloves over his wrists as Billy joined him.

‘I hate these things,’ Billy muttered. ‘They always make me sweat in the worst places.’

‘That’s because you’re always wearing tweed,’ Declan replied in an emotionless monotone as they entered the tent. It was nothing more than a gazebo with sidings, and Declan saw that Doctor Marcos was standing by a gravestone, something that you didn’t expect to see under the tarpaulin.

Next to the stone however was a body.

Declan knew it was Kendis the moment he saw it; she hadn’t changed from the clothes she’d met him in earlier that day. He turned away, taking a deep breath. Doctor Marcos walked to him.

‘You don’t need to be in here,’ she said soothingly. ‘I can send you a report.’

‘What do you have?’ Declan’s voice was still emotionless, even if his expression wasn’t. Doctor Marcos looked back to the body, still being examined by one of the onsite CSI officers.

‘Defensive wounds on her hands and arms, bruising around her neck, as if she was throttled.’

‘She was strangled to death?’

‘No, sorry. She was arm-barred during the struggle, I think. Forearm pressed against the throat. There are taser marks on her upper chest, so I think she tried to fight whatever was happening, and then was zapped. There’s a cut to her head where she fell, struck it on something.’

‘And then?’

‘Declan, we don’t need to—‘

‘And then?’ Declan’s voice had risen in volume now, and the other CSIs stopped momentarily to glance back at him. Doctor Marcos sighed.

‘They stabbed her in the chest,’ she replied. ‘Small, thin blade into the lung. It would have caused an injury-related pneumothorax, a collapse of the lung itself. She would have passed out most likely, suffocated eventually.’

‘She was killed here?’

Doctor Marcos shook her head. ‘There’s not enough blood,’ she said. ‘She was killed elsewhere but dumped here. God knows why. And weirdly, they left her possessions too, purse and phones still in her jacket.’

‘Phones, plural?’

‘Yes, two of them. Not that uncommon these days.’

Declan moved past Doctor Marcos, past the forensic team who, realising that this was an important moment for him, stepped back to allow him some space.

Kendis was lying on her back, arms crossed, as if in repose. She had a blood covered chest wound, but her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful. Declan knew though that this death had been far from peaceful, and he was going to make someone pay for this.

kissing in the living room as Kendis pulls back for air

pulling at his tie, sliding it out of his collar

tossing it to the carpet

Rising back to his feet, Declan backed away from the body. ‘Anything that connects this to Monroe’s attack?’

‘Nothing as yet,’ Doctor Marcos replied. ‘Joanna’s with Monroe right now.’

Declan nodded, feeling hot. The walls of the tent were moving in on him.

pushing Kendis against the bed

fumbling for the clasp of her bra

laughing as they move together

‘I need some fresh air,’ he muttered.

‘In case you hadn’t realised, we’re still in the fresh—‘ Doctor Marcos stopped herself. ‘Of course. Let’s move outside.’

Walking back out into the cemetery, Declan pulled off the PPE suit, gasping for air. The world was slowly and lazily spinning. He staggered across The Avenue, making his way towards a waste bin.

Kendis smiles as she says she loves me

‘Guv?’ It was Anjli, her hand on his back as he started vomiting into the bin. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’

No dammit, don’t you dare pass out. Declan nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin that she passed him. Looking up, he saw she had a bottle of water ready as well.

‘We’ll find the bastard,’ she said. ‘But we need you at your best right now.’

‘Why?’ Declan felt that there was more to