I still had the guys in my sights and moved in even closer while I hugged the brick walls. As I deliberately stayed in the shadows, the phone in my pocket vibrated, momentarily distracting me.
“Damn it.” I checked the screen, and it was Renz. I shouldn’t have, but I answered anyway and whispered. “I can’t talk right now. I’m following Cole and Lucas on foot. Yeah, yeah, the cops are with me, but we split up, each a half block from the other. We have our phones to keep in touch and don’t intend to apprehend them until we’re all together again. We just need to see where they go. I have to hang up now.” I ended the call, pocketed my phone, rounded the corner of the building, and was instantly clocked in the face hard enough to knock me off my feet. Stars swirled in my head as I stumbled backward and fell to the ground, but it took only a second to regain my bearings and right myself. I pulled out my gun and peeked around the corner. Nobody was in sight, but I heard the sound of running in the distance. I could either make a foot pursuit or take the time to call the officers, but doing that meant holstering my gun to pull out my phone and dial. Carefully, I looked around the building and saw a flash of movement when someone turned the corner a block up the street. I holstered my weapon and made the call. “Brice, somebody just cold-cocked me, but I’m okay. I saw a person about a block north of my location, but they disappeared around a corner. Be ready for anything and be careful. I’m continuing on.” I hung up, pulled my Glock out again, and headed in the direction where I last saw the person.
The streetlights were few and far between, which didn’t help in our pursuit, but the lack of light helped us stay hidden. I must have been discovered during my short conversation with Renz. I had known better than to pick up, but I did anyway, and somebody, either Cole or Lucas, had heard my whispers and backtracked to my location. That told me they were as brazen and dangerous as Erik, and even though they were young, they were still a threat. I had to keep in mind that they didn’t hesitate to knock me—a federal agent—for a loop, and killing everyday citizens probably didn’t faze them either.
My eyes darted left and right as I searched the darkness in hopes of seeing more movement, but I didn’t. Connelly and Brice met up with me minutes later.
“Anything?” I asked.
They both said they’d lost the guys as they weaved in and out of alleyways and around vacant warehouses.
“Do you think they entered one of these buildings, or did they just use them to lose us in the darkness? They may have moved farther north where there’s actually a few houses,” I said.
Connelly pulled his flashlight from his pocket. “Close your eyes.”
I did as told while he assessed my facial injury.
“Yeah, you got clobbered good, and your nose is swelling up. Can you breathe okay?”
I swatted the air. “I’ll be fine. I’m just pissed that we lost them. Maybe we should check out the buildings anyway since we all have flashlights and those punks already know we’re here.”
“The problem is, we have no idea how many of them there are and, if they’re still here, what building they might be in.” Connelly took in our surroundings. “It’s damn dark outside, and you’d think if they went into a building, they’d need a light source. I’d suggest we stay out here but walk past the buildings. If anybody is inside, we’d likely see a bit of light, but in the dark like this, it’s too dangerous to pursue them since we don’t know if they’re armed or not. They could have those knives or garrotes with them—maybe even guns.”
Brice agreed. “But if you want, we could call for backup and go through all of these vacant warehouses.”
I groaned. “I’m sure if we got close, they’d scatter. Going through these buildings is probably wiser during daylight hours. We don’t know if the structures are even safe to enter. There is one thing I do know.”
“Yeah, what’s that?” Brice asked.
“There’s a reason those two came here. That tent city south of downtown and under the overpass is very similar to this area, with abandoned warehouses and factories. This type of place could be where the killers meet to make their plans. No normal citizen hangs out there, and the homeless aren’t going to question why they’re in the area. They’d probably be afraid to make waves.”
Brice huffed. “And maybe seeing those homeless people prompted the idea of using them for their practice murders.”
I knew Brice was on to something, and I needed to get Taft’s opinion on whether we should search the buildings, get more officers out to help, or leave it to the safer daylight hours.
“Let me talk to my supervisor and see what she wants us to do.” I made the call, and Taft said not to pursue, especially after I told her I’d been sucker punched. She said she would have the police departments send officers out there tomorrow when daylight made everything safer. She told me to thank the officers, go home, and get some sleep. An APB would go out for Cole Pratt and Lucas Freeman, too, and she’d have their duplex under constant surveillance beginning that night. Tomorrow, the faces of Erik, Lucas, and Cole would be broadcast on every news station. We would close in, force them out of hiding, and make the arrests. They’d give us the names of the people who were calling the shots, or all three would face murder charges as well as battery charges on a federal agent.