"Ca over to discuss work stuff with you. What else?" She said with an incredulous look like it was insane for Kaine to be asking that question.
"Work stuff," Kaine repeated, fishing his keys from his pocket. "Right."
"Don’t give that look," Gwen said, following him and Marcus into the apartnt. "This is legitimate Shadow Guard business."
"At midnight?"
"The X&O killer doesn’t keep regular hours."
Kaine flicked on the lights, imdiately conscious of how sparse his apartnt looked through soone else’s eyes. The bare walls, minimal furniture, complete absence of personal touches—it probably looked like a safe house.
"Nice place," Gwen said, though her tone suggested otherwise. "Very... minimalist."
"I don’t need much."
She wandered toward the kitchen, her eyes cataloging everything. "No photos. No books. No—" She stopped at the coffee table, noting the scorch marks from his phantom arrow practice. "What happened here?"
"Accident with a lighter."
"Must have been so lighter." She traced the burn marks with her finger. "These look like—"
"You said this was about the X&O case."
Gwen straightened, pulling a tablet from her jacket. "Right. The case." She swiped through several files before settling on one. "Seven victims so far, all found completely drained of blood. No visible wounds, no signs of struggle."
Kaine moved to the couch, Marcus positioning himself silently by the window. "So Vampire?"
"That’s what we...the organization thinks. But the pattern’s wrong." She sat beside him, close enough that he could sll her perfu—sothing light and floral that reminded him of their Shadow Guard days. "Look at the locations."
The tablet showed a map with red dots scattered across the city. "They’re not random," Kaine observed. "There’s a progression."
"Exactly. From the industrial district, moving toward downtown. Like soone’s following a specific route."
"Or hunting in a pattern." Kaine studied the map more carefully. "How long between kills?"
"Two to four days, consistently. But here’s the interesting part—we found similar cases in other cities. Portland, Seattle, Denver." She swiped to another screen. "Sa MO, sa pattern of movent, then suddenly they stop."
"How many victims before they stop?"
"Varies. Portland had twenty five. Seattle had twenty two. Denver only had twenty before they went quiet."
Kaine leaned back, processing the information. "So we’re dealing with a serial killer who moves between cities. Soone organized enough to avoid detection but compulsive enough to follow patterns."
"That’s our theory." Gwen closed the tablet, but didn’t move away. "I was hoping you might have so insights. You always were better at reading cri scenes than the rest of us."
"I’m retired, rember?"
"Are you?" She gestured around the apartnt. "This doesn’t look like retirent. This looks like soone who’s waiting."
"For what?"
"I don’t know. Maybe for soone to need you again."
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken history. Marcus remained motionless by the window, but Kaine could feel the ghoul’s attention on them.
"How did you find my address?" Kaine asked finally.
"I’m a Shadow Guard agent. Finding people is part of the job."
"That’s not an answer."
Gwen smiled, the first genuine expression he’d seen from her tonight. "I may have asked around. Called in a few favors."
"And they just gave you my address?"
"I told them it was official business."
"Is it?"
She looked at him for a long mont. "Partially."
"What’s the other part?"
"You’ve been avoiding ."
"I’ve been busy."
"For eighteen months?"
Kaine stood, moving to the window where Marcus stood. The ghoul stepped aside without being asked, giving him space. "Things change, Gwen."
"Not everything." She joined him at the window, looking out at the city lights. "You know, I used to drive by your old apartnt sotis. The one on Fifth Street. Just to see if you’d co back."
"Why?"
"Because I thought maybe you’d realize you belonged with us. With the Shadow Guard." She paused. "With ... We could fight the good fight!!!"
"That life is over."
"Because of what Marcus did to you?"
Kaine tensed. He’d forgotten how direct she could be, how she cut through pretense like a blade through silk.
"I know it’s complicated," she continued softly. "I know he killed you. I know you ca back. And I know you made him into what he is now."
"Then you know why I can’t go back. Why are we even having this conversation. I told you everything already at your apartnt the other night. You understand why I can’t return,"
"Do I? Because from where I’m standing, you’re still fighting the good fight. Still protecting people. The only difference is you’re doing it alone."
"I’m not alone."
"Marcus doesn’t count. He’s—" She glanced at the ghoul, who was staring at them with those unsettling pale eyes. "He’s not really company, is he?"
"He’s family."
"Family." She repeated the word like she was tasting it. "Is that what you call it?"
"What would you call it?"
"Penance."
The word hit harder than he’d expected. "Maybe."
"You don’t have to carry that guilt alone, you know."
"Don’t I?"
She turned to face him fully. "I could help. We could work together again. Like old tis."
"Old tis involved a lot less supernatural complications."
"I’m not afraid of complications."
"You should be."
She stepped closer, close enough that he could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes. "I’m not afraid of you, Kaine. I never have been."
"Even knowing what I am?"
"Especially knowing what you are." Her hand moved toward his face, then stopped. "You’re still you. Still the man who used to bring young recruits coffee during long training sessions. Still the man who—"
"Who got himself killed because he was too stubborn to listen to orders."
"Who saved my life three tis before that happened. And not once did you think to try to have your way with because of it,"
They stood frozen, the weight of shared history pressing down on them. Then Gwen stepped back, professional mask sliding back into place.
"We should focus on the case," she said. "The first victims were found in the abandoned warehouse district. I was thinking we could check it out tomorrow night."
"Tonight," Kaine corrected. "If this killer is following a pattern, we need to move fast."
"Tonight? It’s already past midnight."
"Yeah, you are right. But I an later today. Night ti is the best ti for hunting monsters."
A small smile played at her lips. "There’s the Kaine I rember."
"Don’t get used to it."
"Too late for that."
They spent the next hour going over the case files, mapping out potential locations, discussing the killer’s likely profile. Gwen had brought extensive docuntation—cri scene photos, witness statents, forensic reports. Her preparation was thorough, professional.
But between the strategic discussions, she kept drifting to personal territory.
"So," she said, closing a file folder, "tell about your neighbor."
"Which neighbor?"
"The attractive one who was worried about you. Rebecca, right?"
Kaine kept his expression neutral. "She’s fine."
"Fine? That’s it?"
"She’s a good neighbor. Quiet. Keeps to herself."
"She seed pretty concerned about you for soone who just keeps to herself."
"We’re friendly." Kaine answered.
"How friendly?"
"What’s that supposed to an?" He asked.
"I saw how she looked at you. And how you looked at her." Gwen asked, folding her arms.
"She’s a friend."
"Just a friend?" Gwen asked.
"Yes." Kaine answered promptly.
"A friend who waits up until midnight to make sure you’re okay?"
"She was probably just being neighborly."
"Uh-huh." Gwen leaned back, studying him. "She’s pretty."
"I guess." Kaine said, finding himself trying to look at the files they’d already ran through a hundred tis already.
"You guess? Co on, Kaine. Even you can’t be that oblivious." Gwen teased, but she wasn’t smiling.
"She’s attractive, okay? Happy?" Kaine bulged.
"What else?"
"What else what?"
"What else about her? What’s she like?"
Kaine found himself thinking about the evening they’d just shared—Rebecca’s laugh, the way she’d blushed when he complinted her, the warmth in her eyes when she’d invited him for a sleepover.
"She’s kind," he said finally. "She cooks amazing food. She’s smart, funny. She makes her apartnt feel like a ho."
"Oh," Gwen said, sothing shifting in her expression. "She sounds... nice."
"She is nice." Kaine iterated.
"Nice," she repeated, the word carrying a weight it shouldn’t have. "That’s good. Everyone should have nice neighbors."
"Gwen—"
"Does she know?" Gwen asked.
"Know what?" Kaine asked.
"About what you are. About Marcus. About any of it."
"No."
Sothing like relief flickered across her face before she covered it. A deep part of her was glad only her knew Kaine’s darkest secret.
"Probably better that way." She ended up saying.
"Why?"
"Normal people don’t handle the supernatural well. It’s safer for everyone if she stays in the dark."
"You think so?"
"I know so. Trust , I’ve seen what happens when civilians get involved in our world. It never ends well."
Kaine thought about this for a second and it kind of made sense.
’Gwen probably took it well because she’s seen fucked up things already,’ he thought.
They worked until nearly three in the morning, planning their approach to the warehouse district. Gwen was good at this—strategic thinking, tactical planning, understanding criminal psychology. He’d forgotten how well trained hunters worked together, how their different strengths complented each other.
"I should head ho," she said finally, packing up her files. "Get a few hours of sleep before work and of course later tonight."
"You sure? The couch pulls out."
"I’m not a princess, Kaine. I can handle myself."
"I know you can."
She paused at the door, looking back at him. "This was good. Working together again."
"It was."
"Maybe we could do it more often."
"Maybe."
"I’ll pick you up at ten?"
"I’ll et you there."
"Still don’t trust with your schedule?"
"Old habits."
She smiled, a real smile this ti. "So habits are worth keeping."
Kaine walked her down to the street where her motorcycle was parked. The night air was cool, carrying the scent of approaching rain.
"How did you really find ?" he asked as she pulled on her helt.
"I never stopped looking."
"Why?"
"Because eighteen months ago, I lost a crush," she stopped to laugh, looking at him expectantly but nothing ca. " But not just my work colleague—a good soldier. The man I—" She stopped, shaking her head. "I wasn’t ready to accept that he was gone forever."
"I’m not the sa person I was."
"No," she agreed, starting the engine. "You’re not. But maybe that’s not entirely a bad thing."
She drove away, leaving him standing alone on the empty street. When he returned to his apartnt, he found Rebecca waiting by his door, wearing a robe over pajamas, her hair mussed from sleep.
"Hey," she said softly. "I saw your friend leave. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, just work stuff." Kaine replied.
"At three in the morning?"
"Cri doesn’t sleep." Kaine said to her, moving closer towards his door.
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Right. The vampire hunting business."
"Sothing like that."
"She seems nice. Your friend Patricia."
"She’s... Her.You know, big major Gwen," Kaine joked.
"That sounds complicated. How is SHE...HER?"
"Work complicated."
"Ah." Rebecca nodded like she understood, but he could see the questions in her eyes. "Well, I should let you get so rest. Big day of vampire hunting tomorrow?"
"Probably."
"Be careful, okay? I ant what I said about not wanting you to co back in a body bag."
"I’ll be careful."
She turned to go, then paused. "Kaine?"
"Yeah?"
"If you ever want to talk about the complicated stuff—work or otherwise—I’m a good listener."
"I know you are."
"Good night."
"Good night, Rebecca."
As she disappeared into her apartnt, Kaine stood in the hallway, caught between two worlds. One represented by Gwen—dangerous, familiar, accepting of what he’d beco. The other represented by Rebecca—safe, warm, normal.
He knew which one he should choose.
He also knew which one he wanted.
And those weren’t the sa thing at all.
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