Battlecry | Criminal Minds (gxg)

Chapter 23

~Present Day, June, 2010~

Carli's POV

There's been a third victim.

Not seven hours later.

Another woman with an eerie resemblance to me, my initial carved into her arm, my name on the note left behind.

I'll see you soon, Carli.

He's right, this time. I will be seeing him soon. And the moment I do I'm putting a bullet between his eyes.

I stand, looking towards the darkening sky instead of the splattering of blood before me. Morgan and Elle are talking to CSI and the police, leaving me alone for the moment. We've been chasing him all day, and we're no closer to finding him.

I know what I need to do.

I know how to draw him out.

And at this point, I'm furious enough to do what needs to be done.

One of the police officers arrived on a motorcycle, and was stupid enough to leave the keys dangling from the handlebars. I hop on, revving the engine once before taking off.

Distantly, I hear Elle calling after me, but I don't stop, or even slow down. If I can do this, it'll all be over. I hear the SUV on my tail, Morgan honking at me. Like they could stop me.

I quickly gain a lead on them, weaving the bike in and out of traffic. It feels good, the wind in my hair, my leather jacket tight on my arms, my surroundings blurred as they rush past me. I know exactly where I'm going.

The pier isn't too crowded despite the perfect hour to be walking along the water. I jump the curb and park the bike on the sidewalk before heading for the center of the boardwalk. There's a section of the pier that juts out over the water, a fountain in the center. I stop there now, scanning my surroundings, waiting for something, any sign of him.

"You shouldn't be here."

My gun is in my hand before I can blink, aimed at his chest. He stands thirty feet away, hands in his pockets and a frown on his lips.

"Get on your knees," I snarl, "and put your hands behind your head."

Murphy shakes his head, tsk tsking. "I don't think so."

"It's over, Sam."

"Not yet. I haven't gotten what I wanted."

"How many more?" I shout. "How many more until you give this up?"

"You know the answer, Carli." His expression turns vicious. "I won't stop. Never. Not until I have you."

"That's not happening."

"I can make it, I assure you. All I need to do is apply the right pressure. To the right person."

I almost pull the trigger, but I know where I am. Right in the middle of the city, surrounded by civilians. I could miss, though it's unlikely. The bigger issue is, he's just standing there. He's not hurting anyone. If I killed him like this, it would be in cold blood.

It's almost worth it.

"I told you what would happen if you so much as touched her," I respond.

He gives me a cold smile. "Too bad you'll be too dead to do anything about it."

In the distance, I hear sirens. "You're surrounded," I tell him. "I knew you couldn't help it, me in the open like this."

"Oh, they won't be chasing me," Murphy calls as he glances over his shoulder. I follow his gaze to a nearby building, high up along the side. Something flashes there. "There'll be too busy saving you," he finishes.