•••••

Jaiden was sitting on the rooftop again, watching the sunrise. There was a slight breeze that made the morning serene. He looked to the side and found Carlos sitting next to him with a cup of coffee.

Jaiden could feel the anticipation burning inside of him. "Tio, what if I don't make the cut."

Carlos chuckled. "You're the best damn cop I know. You're going to get detective."

Jaiden sighed. "I wish you could just tell me. I can't handle this anticipation bullshit."

"And if you don't get it, what are you going to do? Throw a pity party?"

Jaiden clenched his jaw. "No. I'll try harder, and I'll get it next year."

"Good, then you'll be an even better cop than you are now." Carlos smiled. "But I have never seen anyone try so hard for something before. You're not just shooting for detective because you hate the uniform. There's more to it now... a goal even."

Jaiden was silent for a moment. "I don't know when it happened, but I started to like my job, and suddenly detective became my future. I have never worked towards anything like this before. I really want this. And I want to make you proud."

"You can push papers all goddamn day, and I'll be proud of you. But you're going to get detective. You're good at your job, and I'm not the only one who sees it."

Jaiden released a heavy breath. "I hope so."

"Just know as a detective, shit's going to get hard real fast for you, son." Carlos said as he took a drink.

Jaiden smiled wryly. "It's not hard already? The anticipation alone is killing me."

Carlos chuckled. "You have survived more than others could endure. You can survive this too."

•••••

Jaiden felt his consciousness pulling at him again but kept his eyes closed. He wished he was back in the dream—the day he received news about making it as a detective. 

But reality was cruel, and the pain he felt completely pulled him out of the dream.  His chest felt tight, and it ached with each breath. His arm and shoulder kept throbbing with shooting pain. His head was in agony. He could feel the air hit the cuts from the bottle and fists, and it felt like it was on fire. The headache made him wish he was unconscious again. 

He was tempted to taunt Christopher again to get his wish.

But his mouth has gotten him in trouble how many times now? Perhaps he should try to keep his mouth shut, maybe act somewhat amicable. Christopher wasn't someone who was angered easily, but god knows what that would look like if he passed that threshold.

Jaiden kept his head hanging low, hoping that minimal movement would help avoid triggering additional pain.

Had Toni figured out where he was?

How long had it been?

He was tempted to call out and ask about how long they had him tied up, but he heard whispered arguing within the room.

"You're not answering me, Chris. Why was there evidence left? That pamphlet led them straight to you and Terrance!" Sierra said with a tremble in her voice.

"It was probably an accident. It happens." Christopher seemed unfazed by the confrontation. His voice reflected a heartless and uncaring attitude.

"Accident? You don't do accidents. You never slipped up!"

Sierra was right.  Christopher was usually calculating and cold. The crime scenes were precisely how he wanted them. There was no anger or rage. It was just a chessboard. There would have been more evidence if he genuinely acted out of anger. He would have been caught.

"It was a fucking game." Jaiden croaked out, interrupting their argument.

The room fell silent, and Jaiden could feel their stares on him.

"Why can't you just stay quiet?" Christopher's monotone voice hit him.

That was a good idea; just let them argue this out.  Jaiden released a long breath and didn't say anything. 

"I want to hear it." Sierra said, and Jaiden could hear her heels against the concrete as she walked toward him. "Tell me about the game."

Jaiden released a low laugh from his chest. It was too painful to look up at the moment. "Waiting 20 years was his idea, wasn't it?"

Sierra paused. "Yes."

"It was a good plan. Lie low while Terrance ran amuck." He sighed. "He let him because that's where our focus would be."

He took a struggled breath. "Perhaps the deaths of your foster parents started as revenge, but you liked it, didn't you, Christopher?"

"Liked what?"

"I'm not a profiler, so I'm guessing on this one—getting off on killing others doesn't seem to be your gig. That's too simple for you, so I assume you like the chase. You liked outsmarting us." Jaiden said quietly.

Christopher laughed coldly. "I hate the fact that I like you."

Jaiden grimaced. "This is what you do with people you like? It's obvious that you're shitty at expressing yourself."

Jaiden cursed inwardly. What did he say about controlling his words? Nate must have been a worse influence than he realized.

Christopher was about to walk away, but Jaiden's curiosity was stirred, so he called out after him. "I have nowhere to go. Can't you be the typical villain and tell me your master plan?"

"Hearing you speculate is more enjoyable." Christopher said.  His tone was flat, and it was hard to discern his emotion, but there was a slight inflection.  He was possibly intrigued or excited.

Jaiden sighed, slowly lifted his head, and opened his eyes. When the light hit him, he hissed a little, and his migraine pulsed. 

Jaiden tried to take in his surroundings and the weapons he was facing.  Billy was gone.  Sierra no longer had her gun. Instead, it was tucked in the waist of Christopher's jeans.  However, Christopher was not empty-handed; he held a pipe in one hand.

"Fine, you dick... let's break this shit down." More uncontrolled verbal vomit that could get him killed escaped him. But they didn't move, so he decided to keep going. "You killed your foster parents because they were assholes. It was retribution for the years of abuse and the death of Mary. The motive is there... it fits.

"But you're a miserable fuck, and not much excites you, not even murder. But amid the killing, you finally found something stimulating—the chase. It was like a game of tag, but you knew it would be over when you killed your last victim two years ago. It was a high you didn't want to come down from."

"The evidence? The pamphlet?" Sierra asked spitefully.

"Christopher left it to prolong the thrill. You were good, too good, and left no clues... but how boring it would have been if we never found you, right Christopher?" Jaiden asked.

"Why would I want to get caught?"

"Not caught. You wanted to push it and see how far you could take it." Jaiden answered. "And you set us all up."

Christopher tensed a little, and Sierra nervously glanced between them.

"You led us to the church, but there was only one person we suspected, which you were aware of because that's what you made us see. You made sure Terrance was in the church while you hid in the old confessional. Terrance was a hothead and unstable. So you let Terrance run loose because there would only be two results; he dies, or we die.

"If Terrance killed the both of us, you all run away, and a game of chase would begin. If we killed Terrance, you could play out your revenge scenario."

Jaiden tapped the chair with his finger. "Case and point."

Sierra was looking aghast, unable to believe that Christopher was the one who set Terrance up. She wanted revenge, not some sick game. But Christopher wasn't saying anything, just standing there with a light smile.

"That's why this new case, the Lady of Guadalupe murders, was such a bitch to investigate. There was no real motive, just you tasting your high. You used flimsy justifications. A marriage counselor who cheated on her husband, with you might I add... an ethics professor who took advantage of his students... a fucked up pastor. Hypocritical saps you picked up from the club while serving Lemon Drops and Margaritas spiked with sleeping pills. They all were doomed to be pawns in a game no one wanted to play.

"There was no rhyme or reason, just senseless murders... I don't even think the pastor got to you as you led on.  It was brutal as all hell, but you were still calculative.  By the way, where are his hands?"

Christopher had a strange glint in his eyes. "In the freezer here, waiting for the final person to die."

Jaiden felt a shiver down his spine because he knew who the final person was. "You wrote that message on the wall for me, right under that painting with Terrance's fingerprint."

Sierra's eyes widened. "What? Fingerprint?" She turned towards Christopher. "What is he talking about?

Jaiden carefully watched the interaction between the two of them. Christopher was nearly impossible to read, but Sierra was flustered and panicking.

"What else doesn't she know, Christopher? Did you string Sarah along with bullshit promises of being a vigilante? She is just your shield, just like Terrance was. She maintained the club persona, keeping an eye on who was looking for you, especially if it was me." Jaiden goaded.

"Why do you think it's about you?" Sierra asked, trying to sound angry, but her trembling voice betrayed her.

"I suspected the link between the two cases, but without the anniversary gift Christopher left me, I would never have a reason to tie the two together. By the way, fuck you for that."

Christopher released a mind-numbing laugh. "I expected you to die that night two years ago.  The fact that you survived was an unexpected present.  You made this all extremely enjoyable."

Jaiden sighed. "All the symbolism?"

Christopher shrugged. "It came from the church, Our Lady.  It was an ample inspiration for how we would pose the bodies. I wanted art, not just murder."

"What does Billy have to do with all of this?" He looked around but couldn't find him.

"As Sierra said, he knew how to locate you. It was convenient, and he was desperate." Christopher explained.

"And hitting me with the van?"

Christopher showed a flash of annoyance. "Billy was supposed to be watching you but became impatient. He almost ruined my plans."

Jaiden groaned. "Asshole. That fucking hurt... I suppose while you were paying me a visit in the hospital, Billy and Sierra fucked up my apartment to rattle me."

Christopher nodded.  "You are quite good at this.  I'm happy you have survived this long to keep this entertaining."

Jaiden sighed with annoyance and leaned his head backward until he looked up at the ceiling.

"You guessed most of it, but you sound disappointed." Christopher said, curiosity laced in his voice.

"I guess I am. It just seems lackluster. I've worked cases involving the cartel and murderers on a holy mission.  I just was expecting more from you, but it turns out that you're just an addict." Jaiden said discontentedly. 

"Lackluster? But you don't even know how it ends." Christopher growled. "All of this was to set up the final death—the closing curtain—the ultimate hypocrite. The death of the detective who swore to protect and serve, but all you did was kill your partner, my brother, and your ex-boyfriend."

"Ex-fling.  Besides, Billy's not dead." Jaiden said.

"Not yet."

Jaiden frowned a little. He truly was trapped in a dangerous game.

"We both know that it doesn't end with me... Are you going to wait another two years and then lure Toni in?  Start a new phase of murders so you can play with him next?" Jaiden asked, his blood running cold with the question. He tried hard to keep his words steady as he voiced his true fear.

The small smile on Christopher's face split into an eerie grin. Suddenly Jaiden wished he was untied. He wanted to beat the living shit out of Christopher for even contemplating targeting Toni.

Jaiden glared. "Leave him alone, Christopher." 

Christopher's laugh twisted into something monstrous. "Finally you showed something other than condescending pretentiousness. You cared nothing about your own life, but Toni is another matter."

"I care plenty about my life. I won't let that happen to either one of us." Jaidens voice was low and menacing.

"Arrogant words coming from a dead man." The smile was still plastered on Christopher's face.

Jaiden fell silent for a moment.  "Fuck.  I was wrong. It's not just the chase that gets you off... you actually enjoy killing people, don't you."

"Always have." Another cold laugh sounded from Christopher.

Jaiden studied him closely, a sick feeling churned inside of him.  Always have? How many people has he killed? When did it start?

A rush of cold air hit his lungs when he realized something.  "Oh... the fire in the church was because of you."

It was concluded that a toppled candle started the fire at the Our Lady Church. But it Christopher's wide grinned seemed to confirm that it wasn't an accident.

Sierra's chest was heaving, like she was trying to stop herself from hyperventilating. She was piecing it all together.  But she was in such a panicked state that she didn't realize that Christopher was staring her down with a pipe still in hand.

Jaiden cursed. "Sierra!" He yelled.  Her glassy eyes turned towards him but she quickly became  alarmed by the seriousness in his gaze.  "Run!"  

She paled and glanced back at Christopher.  She was distorted with emotion—pain, sorrow, fear, anger, betrayal.  She didn't know what to do.  But when Christopher stepped towards her, she was jostled out of her daze, turned, and ran.  The back door closed heavily behind her. Christopher watched her leave with a laugh.

"She won't get far." He said. He stalked towards Jaiden and set the pipe down next to his chair.  He wrapped his fingers in Jaiden's hair and roughly pulled his head back.  Jaiden clench his jaw to make sure no noise escaped him.  

"I'm going to have so much fun with you." He said quietly. 

He used his free hand and forced Jaiden to open his mouth and he stuck his thumb in, pressing down on his tongue.  

"I'm going to pierce a nail through that sharp tongue of yours." He pressed down harder and Jaiden fought against his urge to gag because of the intrusion.  The discomfort was apparent because his eyes were already watering and he felt bile rising in his throat. 

Christopher bent low, his lips just above Jaiden's eyes. Jaiden closed his eyes instinctually and was repulsed when he felt Christopher's lips brush against his eyelids.  Jaiden let out a mix between a growl and curse while his mouth was still being invaded by Christopher's thumb.

"I'll take those tantalizing and arrogant eyes.  Normally I destroy them, but I'll be careful with yours."

He pulled back a little and finally removed his thumb from Jaiden's mouth, but ran his wet finger down Jaiden's chin.  He then wrapped his hand tightly around Jaiden's neck, cutting off the air. Jaiden struggled against the ropes as he felt the pain from the grasp and the panic of not being able to breathe.  If Christopher didn't kill him know, then this pressure will definitely leave a bruise.

Christopher smiled, almost lovingly.  "The moments before death are the most beautiful.  I always thought so.  But when Carlos was dying, you displayed something so unique and new for me.  A complexity of death I never expected.  I couldn't get it out of mind.  It was art."  He let go of Jaiden's neck and hair, making Jaiden gasp when air finally hit his lungs.  "I will draw out your death and relish every moment.  But right now, I need to find my dear sister."

Jaiden coughed harshly and Christopher picked up the pipe again. He checked his gun before he stalked out the door, leaving Jaiden alone in the warehouse.