Dwyer, Dixie Lynn- Task Force One: Dani's Got a Gun [The Men of Five-0 #4] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever)

TASK FORCE ONE: DANI’S GOT A GUN

The Men of Five-0 #4

DIXIE LYNN DWYER

Copyright © 2012

Chapter 1

Daniella “Dani” Lynch was recently assigned to a murder investigation involving a potential serial killer. One look at the previous ten cases and it didn’t take her five years as a detective to figure out they were in fact after a serial killer. A very gruesome one, if you asked her. Every crime scene contained massive amounts of blood, destructive surroundings, and multiple bodies. The first few crime scenes contained single bodies. To her, it seemed their killer was getting more confident, cocky, and hopefully sloppy so she could catch him or her.

She had gotten a potential lead after questioning some local delivery guys who had practically interrupted one of the murders. They got a look at what they thought to be a very large, oddly shaped person who from their perspective, appeared to be wearing a mask of some sort and also had furry legs. That didn’t sit right with her at all. The other detectives hadn’t found any evidence left behind in regards to synthetic fur, plastic, material or anything indicating that a person in a costume was present at the scene. But in her experience, many odd things occur at a crime scene, and she wasn’t taking the men’s description lightly. Perhaps their killer dressed in costume to remain unidentifiable? She wasn’t certain, but the killer was last seen around a warehouse across the parking lot from where she’d parked her Mustang. It wasn’t that she expected the killer to be lingering around only a few blocks from his last killing spree, but she thought she would get a vibe for the area. Maybe something that could help her to track it down or gain a better understanding of the killer’s profile. She got out, checked her weapon, and headed toward the building. That was when she heard the screams and noises coming from somewhere in the large warehouse. She called it into the department as the alarms began to blare. She reached for the door, finding it unlocked, and was surprised that anyone would be around this time of night. Her gut clenched and she had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. Someone was in trouble.

Dani slowly reached under the handle of her Glock to click the button on the flashlight. It was freaking dark in the warehouse and the blaring siren from the alarm wasn’t helping her already splitting headache. She held her finger against the trigger. If anything moved, it was dead. She sniffed the air as the slight smell of smoke filtered through the building. This was the asshole’s MO. Kill whomever it wanted to kill then burn the evidence. Not tonight. Not with her hot on its trail and ready to put this case to an end and bring justice to ten devastated families.

Her luck in catching this asshole seemed to be getting better. Dani had just so happened to be in the right area at the right time when the call from dispatch came through. She’d listened to the radio dispatch knowing that if the surrounding neighbors heard the screams, then it was pretty bad. The alarm sirens must be drowning out the screams from where she stood in the building. Dani wasn’t sure if it was the dispatcher’s description from a caller about hearing screams or the location of the warehouse. Either way, it brought her here, and the killer was still in the vicinity.

She had heard a series of cries upon entering the building. She followed the direction she felt they came from until the sirens blared louder, indicating precisely where they were triggered to go off. She knew from investigating the other cases that this was the killer’s regular routine. The fact that he set fire to his victims after killing them told her that he was hiding something. But what? Rape, sodomy, his fingerprints and DNA? Or perhaps some remnants of his hairy costume the guys described. She snorted lightly. Anything was possible and her mind was in detective mode.

The victims were mostly female. She needed answers. As a detective, the unanswered questions drove her to investigate and capture the one responsible.

It’s so fucking dark in here. I hate this feeling.

Slowly she took a few steps, something sticky clung to the soles of her black boots. She didn’t like the instant uneasy feeling she had. She didn’t have a weak stomach. There was no room for one as a homicide investigator. Dead bodies, murder, suicide were all daily occurrences and exactly what her job was all about. She was a murder cop and damn good at solving crimes. She lifted her foot again and sensed that whatever she was stepping on was gooey. It was thick, and as she sniffed the air again, afraid to move the flashlight down to the floor in case the killer was still somewhere close by, she absorbed the sting of something metallic. She could almost taste it on her tongue.

A feeling inside of her suddenly came alive. It wasn’t a sensation she was familiar with. It almost made her forget where she was and that a killer hid in the vicinity around her.

She heard a gurgling sound and moved the flashlight slightly to the right. Her heart pounded inside of her chest. The last breaths of life. A victim, staring at her pleading for help. She raised her hand as if indicating that she would indeed help the dying woman, but everything Dani learned on the streets and from investigating murders told her that it was too late.

“Help is on the way,” she whispered, and she noticed the woman’s eyes change. They sparkled as they held Dani’s gaze. Again something deep within her pulled forward and seemed to touch the woman in front of her. The woman’s eyes widened as if she, too, sensed the strong feelings Dani had inside. Dani knew it wasn’t possible, but her gut tried to battle with her realistic mind. Was the sensation Dani had a coping mechanism as she faced death while on the hunt? She wasn’t certain.

“They’re on their way. Just hold on for me,” Dani whispered and the woman smiled, bowing her head to Dani. When she opened her eyes, they were glowing yellow.

Dani gasped as she took a step back. What the hell? How did she do that?

The fucking alarm still roared and the stench coming from the floor was making her belly quiver. She looked down, shone the flashlight across the floor where she stepped and she gasped in shock. It was a pool of blood. There were bodies everywhere.
Holy fuck!

She heard the deep growl and things banging around in the distance. Swinging her head in that direction and then her body, she remained holding her Glock and pointing it in the same direction. Her finger was steady despite the turmoil she felt and the multitude of emotions of the scene.

She turned the flashlight, pointed her gun, and holy fuck, what in the world?

Some hairy, enormous, wolflike creature standing on two feet held a man by his throat. The lifeless body swung back and forth as the wolf shook it like a rag doll.

“Stop! Police!” she yelled.

She was beyond scared. What the hell was that thing?

The way it looked toward her as if it understood English made her nearly take a step back. She held a gun. What the hell did it have to fight her with, the claws and sharp teeth? She realized rather quickly that she wasn’t willing to chance negotiating. Not against that.

It was some sort of massive animal or something. That was no costume but the real thing. The teeth were ferocious and huge. It stared right at her with dark black eyes that reached her soul.

She had a feeling it wasn’t human at all when suddenly the fire alarms began to blare even louder than the alarm system, indicating that the fire was moving in closer to the floor she was on. The smoke thickened around her, blocking her view. It was so freaky and almost magical how he disappeared from her vision. That sensation she hadn’t recognized earlier reemerged. She felt it deeply and acknowledged it. Her defenses were up, her need to protect and restore life invaded every other thought and even her law enforcement training. She knew with all her being that this killer was not like any other.

It roared again, and she could have sworn that it headed toward her. The sound of its roar vibrated against every part of her body, making her shake. But she fought to remain somewhat calm as she gripped the Glock tighter and slightly began to pull the trigger. If it came at her, she was going to kill it. As soon as she had a good shot, she was taking it. She turned right, felt the brush of air and its presence too close for comfort.

“Show yourself, asshole! I dare you!” Dani yelled as she gripped the Glock with both hands. Now her palm was under the handle as extra support. Her insides may be shaking, but her arms were steady, her finger on the trigger ready to apply the right pressure necessary to discharge her weapon. Keeping a steady hand took years of experience and dozens of incidents like this as a cop on the streets. But something told her that this case was different. This thing was not like any killer she hunted before.

It came back again, this time it brushed by her ever so slightly and she caught a glimpse of its face, not quite fully wolf but something else. Human?

It was messing with her. It was confident that it couldn’t be caught, and it looked at her as if she were nothing but another victim.
Fuck that.

She felt the challenge, the need to prove herself capable of its challenge if that was its intention. A moment later she felt it whiz by her again. She hadn’t a chance in hell to shoot. It was that quick, that good.

It roared a loud, ferocious roar, and she sensed it heading straight toward her this time. It was done playing games. Dani felt that sensation again deep inside of her. It was powerful and made her react more quickly than she thought possible.

She turned just as it approached, mouth wide, enormous teeth prepared to bite into her flesh and rip her apart like the others.

She pulled the trigger. One, two, three shots rang out and echoed in the distance. She twirled around, looking for it.
“Where the fuck did you go?” she screamed, her voice cracking as she circled around too fast, making herself feel dizzy. Her mind shouted numerous things.
You got it. It has to be injured or dead. What huge fucking teeth it had. Stop shaking. Focus, Dani, focus.

She began to cough. The smoke was getting worse. She was too late. That thing was responsible. That thing set the fires but how? It wasn’t human. It was some wild-looking beast.

She knew she had to head back down to safety, but she wanted to catch the killer. She was so close when suddenly the ferocious beast leaped across her path. She tried shooting again, but it knocked right into her. The hit sent her flying a few feet across the concrete floor and over the thick blood her boots had stuck to only moments ago.

Somehow she held on to her gun, and as she shifted left then right, she heard the glass from the window shatter. It leaped right through and disappeared into the night.

* * * *

“You been drinking or something, Detective?” the sergeant asked her as she tried to wipe the blood off of her neck and arms.

“No, sir,” she stated, trying to watch her tone and her attitude. Sergeant Ass Wipe would never change. He could never be a detective like she was. He was lazy and hadn’t an instinctive gene in his body.

“Wolves bigger than men and blood-soaked floors?” he teased as a few other officers stared at her.

Screw them and their chauvinistic attitudes. She earned her detective rank and not from spreading her legs to any brass either.

“Look at my clothes. I took a fucking bath in it. Why do you think forensics took samples of evidence from me? You know what, I don’t need to have this conversation with you.” She stood up, trying her hardest to ignore the burning sensation on her shoulder.

She needed a change of clothes, a nice, hot shower, and perhaps a beer. This killer was making her crazy. She wanted to catch him badly, and tonight she blew her chance.

“The commander wants to see you,” Sergeant Ass Wipe yelled to her.

“Tomorrow he can. I’m outta here.” She walked away from the police cars and to her own Mustang GT parked behind a large tree in the darkness. She hid it there earlier in the night.

She walked around toward the trunk and unlocked it. Pulling out a black duffle bag, she grabbed a new T-shirt. A quick glance around and she quickly removed the bloody one and replaced it with a clean one.

That burning sensation hit her shoulder again, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She turned around slowly, trying to take in any movement or bodies hiding between the trees.