This novella contains mature language.
Jaime was so pissed off she was ready to lash out at anyone who approached. Being confined in Kevin's squad car was definitely not helping. How had this happened?
She got the call first thing that morning and they were on their way to the crime scene. A woman around twenty-seven was found brutally stabbed with the trademark bite on her face. She was described as of Asian descent and Jaime felt a literal growl rumbling in her chest.
On top of it all, she and Kevin had a ride along. Some rookie cop they were meant to tote around like an overeager guard dog. Their captain wanted results and they needed a fresh pair of eyes, sure, but did it have to be a doe-eyed rookie? However, he could've given them anyone else and Jaime would most likely still be upset. No, that was a lie and Jaime didn't lie.
Then again, there were a lot of things she didn't do that she found herself doing as of late.
The first was that Kevin had decided to stay home instead of visiting family and for that, Jaime was very thankful. However, this meant she could simply tell the Watanabe family she would be staying with him for the time being, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Something about what transpired last night just... Well, she just couldn't, despite what may have been best in the situation.
The second was sitting and grumbling to herself rather than just letting it out to Kevin. He'd asked several times what was eating at her, but there was no way she could say. Not only would she be booted off of the case, but she would also overcomplicate an already complicated situation.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Kevin to keep it to himself if she decided to tell him how much things had changed overnight, but she also would never ask him to keep it to himself. He was a by the book detective. Something she truly valued most of the time, but this time caused a small rift she couldn't even make known for fear he would catch onto her new feelings.
Which led to the third thing. Just what the fuck had happened last night with Yua? When she kind of kissed Jaime, and kind of was the only way she felt she could really describe that brush of her lips, Yua hadn't said much else the rest of the night. Jaime tried to take her place on her pallet once more as she realized they definitely needed some space, then was lambasted with Yua asking her to stay in the bed.
They'd spent the night sleeping next to each other. Never touching again. When Jaime woke from her alarm, Yua was already up and about in her office across the hall. The office she hadn't been back to in days. Either that was a good sign, or a sign of something particularly ominous.
Jaime had to expertly navigate their loft to get away from Yua's parents who weren't too ecstatic about their daughter's lack of interest in being with them. It hadn't been easy nor fun to get around. It must have been why Yua ran away so early in the morning, right? It wasn't because she was freaking out about the night before. That couldn't be it...
Jaime sighed and let her head fall back against her seat. What was she to say to Yua later on at the end of the day? More than that, how the hell was she going to sleep in the same bed with her again without holding her close? She really did need to just tell everyone she'd be staying at... But, I can't...
"Seriously, Schmidt. What crawled up your ass this morning? You look like shit, by the way. Didn't sleep well?" Kevin asked, breaking through her thoughts.
"Fuck off, bud. Not today." She turned toward him, fury distorting any clear, rational thought. "How the bloody hell did you manage to screw up last night? What? Too many coffees and not enough toilet paper? Too many hotdogs and not enough sleep? What combo should I fuckin' list next?"
"Oh, shut up, Jaime." He pulled into an area littered with Portland PD vehicles and scanned the many spectators just outside of the crime scene tape. "I get it. I wasn't even meant to be out last night, but when my family's plans changed, I still went out. I fucked up, but maybe cut me some slack."
"Slack? I think you had plenty of it last night."
"Look. I wasn't the only one who screwed up." He glanced her up and down, then raised an eyebrow. "Care to tell me why you personally wanted to keep an eye on your roommate? Or why you decided against canvassing with me when I called?" Jaime remained silent. "That's what I thought. When you do, then you can tear me a new one. Don't be a bitch to me. Bitch out anyone else but me. I'm in your goddamn corner."
Jaime rubbed her face with her hands and gritted her teeth. Kevin was right. She was taking it out on him and he deserved better. Especially after staying out all night long when other cops had turned in by a certain point. If anyone was to blame for letting Ryan get away, those cops were. There was a city-wide manhunt for Ryan and they'd gone home, leading to yet another victim whose family would feel her loss every day the rest of their lives.
"Sorry, brother. I'm just..."
"You get laid?"
Jaime let her hands fall away from her face and felt a bright blush creeping up to her ears. "The fuck are you going on about?"
"Just saying. You're usually only like this when," He glanced at the detective in the backseat, then whispered his next words. "You can't get a chick outta your mind. Who is it? She need a protective detail?"
"Don't worry about it. There's no one."
"I can actually hear you back here." The rookie chimed in, receiving glares from both Jaime and Kevin. "I'm just saying that if you meant to keep that last bit private, I heard everything."
"And? You want a damn reward for your keen observations?" Jaime defensively asked.
"What? They have those?" The rookie put her hand on her chest and faked choking up. "I'd like to thank my mother and--"
"Get outta the damn car, rookie."
"It's Gia."
"Get the fuck outta my trooper, Gia."
"I can't."
"Huh?"
"You have to open the back doors. God, and I thought I was getting saddled with the famous Detective Schmidt. Smart. Resilient." Gia sat back with ease. "I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed."
Kevin snorted from beside Jaime and got out of his seat in a scurry when she glared at him. "Having a rookie around may not be so bad after all, 'ey Schmidt?"
Jaime ignored him and got out, briskly walking toward the crime scene, wiping the sleep from her eyes as she heard Kevin and Gia carrying on behind herself. Not being able to touch Yua, but still laying next to her all night hadn't made for the best sleeping environment. She hadn't been able to get much rest and hadn't actually fallen asleep until just before dawn. Long enough for Yua to make her quick escape. Quick escape... Yeah, that's probably about right.
Jaime flashed her badge and was let in past the tape around the crime scene and away from the chattering reporters huddled nearby, but turned back toward the rookie. "Go get statements from everyone here. You know what you're looking for?"
"Yes." Gia didn't wait and marched off toward the crowd while pulling a notepad from her back pocket.
Jaime waited for Kevin to join her and they both marched over to the body. Definitely of East Asian descent, about five-foot-four, deep and silky hair. Jaime's blood churned and she spotted something familiar on the woman's right calf. She crouched down and put on some gloves, then ran her fingers along the long gash. It was exactly where Yua held a scar. A scar Jaime had noticed Yua actively trying to hide on more than one occasion and each time it sent Jaime's chest into worried panic. Whoever gave it to her, however she had obtained it, it was evident Yua wasn't willing to speak on the matter and that only added to Jaime's anxiety as she gently let the victim's leg go.
