𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 (𝟏𝟖+) 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐃 ✓

Chapter 9

I put my hand on the doorknob, slowly turning it to find it's already open. I open the door and walk inside, I can already see the mess lying around the apartment. Books are thrown around, broken glass ground, and it's not hard to miss the drops of blood on the floor. My footsteps quicken as I run past the living room to where I hear noises in the bedroom. I go straight to the first open bedroom and find a man standing in the room and see Julia's immobile body lying on the floor. 

He turns when he sees me at the doorway and I don't give him a chance to move as I run and tackle him down head-on, he yells as both our bodies fall onto the floor. He struggles to throw me off of him but I keep him pinned down with my knees as I hear yells and footsteps running into the house.

"Natalia!" Nash shouts.

"Bedroom," I shout back as I look down at the man below me, his face strained as he tries to push me off. Nash materializes at the doorway and takes one look at the scene before rushing to Julia. "How is she and where's Jade?" 

"I left Jade in the car and called for backup, she has my phone with her," he answers as he turns Julia over. "Oh shit," I hear him mutter and then watch him grab the bedsheets hanging off the bed and press them against her body.

"What did he do? Is she alive?" I ask looking at him. 

"Multiple stab wounds and her breathing is a little shallow, I don't know how much blood she's lost," he says pressing the sheets as it soaks up the blood. We hear sirens going on outside and I watch Nash grab whatever pieces of clothing are on the floor and continue pressing it against the wounds. Two minutes later voices enter the apartment and my view is blocked off when the EMT's walk in and make quick work on Julia with Nash still assisting. I feel a hand on my arm and I turn to see Jax standing behind me with handcuffs in his hand.

"Thanks," I tell him as I take it from him. "You're under arrest," I tell the man as I clip the handcuffs in place and get off of him while Jax pulls him to stand. I take one look at the man, he doesn't look that much older than Julia but he looks so dirty and scruffy. "Find out what his connection is to Julia."

"Got it, we'll let you know what we find," he tells me as he leads the man out of the bedroom. I turn my attention back to Julia and the EMT's are just finishing loading her up onto the gurney. I quickly walk up to them one thought just crossing my mind.

"Could you guys take care when you're taking her out? Her daughter is waiting outside in the parking lot and I don't want her seeing her mom like this," I tell them as they start rolling the gurney out.

"Will do," the male EMT tells me before walking out of the apartment. I look over at Nash and see the blood covering his hands and on his sweater. I walk over to him, take his hand and lead him to the bathroom to rinse his hands.

"We need to get to the hospital and call CPS plus make sure Jade is alright, we can't tell her everything, she'll be traumatized," I say in one breath and I'm brought back to reality when hands squeeze my shoulders tightly. 

"One thing at a time beautiful. First, we go to the hospital and we tell Jade her mom got injured but she's getting treated. Before Jax left he told me he came with a partner and that he's with Jade so I'm pretty sure he's been in contact with CPS, we'll most likely see them at the hospital," Nash says looking in my eyes. "Everything will be okay so we should get going so everyone else can start their work here." I nod my head in agreement and I quickly button his coat to cover the blood on his clothes. We take the stairs back down to the ground floor and we see a officer from our precinct waiting outside of Nash's car with Jade standing next to him. 

"Jade," I call out to her as we run out of the building.

"Natalia, what happened to my mom? Is she okay?" she asks looking at the two of us.