Page 41 of Outrun The Devil
As Olivia made her way back to the kitchen to find solace in a bottle of wine, she knew that she was running from something bigger than herself.
And she couldn’t get Xavier Knight out of her head. Olivia needed to do something. It didn’t matter that they had no factual proof he’d taken the woman, or that he was the murderer at all. No, she needed to act on instinct that there was something entirely off with him.
As the weight of their limitations pressed upon Olivia, she grappled with a dangerous idea that began to take hold in her mind. The realization that the law was tied, their hands bound by the lack of hard evidence, fueled her desperation to find a resolution. She couldn't stand idle while the killer continued to prey upon innocent women, and now with a missing woman in the mix, time was running out.
But what could she do? The notion that flickered in Olivia's thoughts was daring, reckless even. It whispered of taking matters into her own hands, stepping outside the confines of the law, and venturing into the realm of the forbidden. It was a path fraught with risks, consequences, and the potential loss of everything she held dear.
Yet, the gravity of the situation compelled her to consider this dangerous course of action. The fire in her gut, the nagging intuition that whispered the identity of the killer, pushed her towards a precipice where rationality clashed with an unyielding determination.
Olivia knew that what she contemplated was foolish, that it could jeopardize her career, her relationships, and even her life.
But the thought of allowing the murderer to continue his reign of terror, to let another life be stolen without doing everything in her power to prevent it, ignited a fierce resolve within her.
Chapter Fourteen
Olivia didn’t know what she expected to find. Leaving the comfort and safety of her apartment, the detective headed back to Tolleson – to The Hive. If Xavier had the young woman, Olivia was going to confront him about it.
A figure emerged from the club, and she instantly recognized it as Xavier. Her eyes never left him as his figure blended into the nightlife. Olivia, concealed across the street, observed his every move, her gaze unwavering.
As Knight veered off the main road and disappeared into the dimly lit alley, a block away from the club, Olivia's determination surged. She knew she had to follow him, to uncover the secrets that lay in the shadows. Without hesitation, she stealthily crossed the street and entered the alley, her senses heightened and adrenaline coursing through her veins.
Olivia didn't dare breathe as she stepped into the alley, fear running rampant through her veins. The darkness seeped around her like a fog and every single instinct in her body screamed for her to turn back. But she couldn't. Not if there was even the slightest chance of finding the missing woman who was nothing more than a face without a name and a daughter without a mother.
The sound of her heart pounding against her chest seemed to echo off the walls with each step that brought her closer to Xavier Knight. No matter how much she wished it, Olivia couldn't outrun him - not when his hand suddenly appeared from the shadows and latched onto her neck, pushing her roughly against the brick wall. Her head pounded from the impact, stars appearing before her eyes as Xavier's voice purred away the noise inside her skull.
“Well aren't you a little siren,” he sneered, tightening his grip on her throat. “Let me go,” Olivia choked out, determined not to show him just how terrified she truly was.
He tilted his head, squinting with confusion. His expression suddenly shifted into one of delight.
“You truly do not recall me, do you love?” He asked.
Olivia's eyes scanned every inch of him, trying to pull on some thread within her memory of where they had met before. But it was to no avail, like before.
“Clearly, you weren’t that memorable,” she snapped back at him.
“Perhaps you need a little reminder,” he grinned, and there she saw two fangs sticking out. The tips looked sharp enough to slit her throat. Before she could process anything, he was sinking those two fangs right into her neck, the sensation sending a chill through her spine.
Pain shot through her body as she felt a coldness spreading from the bite. The man's face blurred out of focus as she began to feel faint.
As everything went dark around her, Olivia realized that vampires were more than just creatures of legend after all. And that could mean only one thing.
Detective Olivia Collins awoke in a daze, gasping for air as she scrambled to her feet. Panic flooded her veins and every instinct screamed at her to flee, but Xavier's cruel laughter blocked the doorway leading to freedom.
She searched desperately for her weapon until her eyes fell on him, narrowing. “Where is my gun?” She said as she scrambled to find a new weapon, any weapon.
“I hid it so you wouldn’t shoot me again,” Xavier sneered.
And then the memories unfolded like a nightmare - she had shot him while he was feeding from her.
“You deserved it,” she spat at him, her anger palpable. “Fair enough,” he replied simply, his voice neutral and expressionless.
“What are you anyways?” she asked, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“We both know you are anything but dumb. But fine, your brain can’t process it without hearing the words. I’m a vampire. There was silence. “Ask what you want to ask, detective,” Xavier said, his expression taunting as he watched her struggle with conflicting emotions.
“Did you kill those young women?” she blurted out nervously.
“I didn't. But I may know someone who might have. You are looking for a wolf, no?” Xavier replied, puzzling her further with an enigmatic smile.