Chapter 6

“You know, you never said where you disappeared to,” Curtis says, turning onto the street of yet another crime scene.

“I did not,” Yulia agrees.

“Would you care to let me in on where you went?”

“You are not babysitter,” Yulia says smartly. “I am adult. I go where I wish, yes?”

“You got me there,” the man admits. “But if it has anything to do with this case, I need to know it. From what you’ve told me, and what has been happening, these murders are happening more often.”

“Yes, that is true,” she agrees. “Something is different. He is killing for fun.”

“Isn’t that why all killers kill?” Curtis asks almost off-handedly, throwing the car into park and cutting off the engine. “What’s the point of killing otherwise?”

“For survival,” she answers promptly and coldly.

“Ouch,” the man says with a flinch. “You sounded real cold just now.”

Yulia turns to regard him. Her green eyes pierce into him as if they too were as cold as ice. “It is our deep human need, yes? Kill or be killed?”

“Maybe if we weren’t living in a civilized world, sure,” he offers.

“What is so civilized?” she counters. “America, Russia ... both our countries seek power and control. Other countries want control. People want control and power. The world does not seem so civilized to me.”

“You got a point, I guess,” he reasons.

The scene is the same as the one yesterday. And again, the victim wasn’t mutilated, which made the medical examiner determine that it was the same copycat killer. Considering the details of the missing parts have never been made public, it is a good possibility. With the murders happening quite frequently too, the media has really jumped on anything they can get, which in turn has brought the people out in droves. Yesterday Yulia noticed a lot of on lookers, but really didn’t pay much heed to them. Today, she has no choice but to acknowledge them because the crowd is nearly triple in size.

As she is looking over the sea of faces being held back by a thin plastic film of police tape and several uniformed police officers spread out over intervals, a face catches her eye. She recognizes the face, but she cannot quite place it. “Give me second,” she says to Curtis and peels off from the scene toward the crowd.

“Where are you going?” he calls out, but he doesn’t get an answer. “Oh no, you’re not running off again.” The man is right on her heels, determined to not let her out of his sight. He quickly catches up, snagging Yulia by the upper arm and swinging her about. “Wait a damn second,” he growls. “Let me know what you’re doing.”

For a fleeting moment Yulia lets her anger boil up within her. But it is only for a moment and she quickly caps it off. “I recognize that girl over there,” she says, looking in the direction of the person she is talking about.

Curtis follows her line of sight and grins. “I doubt she has anything to do with this,” he says. “She doesn’t look like she can handle lifting a box of toys let alone take on a grown man.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Yulia warns. “Besides, I seen her before.”

“This is New York City,” Curtis muses. “There is always a chance you’ll see the same person twice.”

“I mean, I seen her in Moscow,” she explains.

“Moscow?” Curtis repeats softly before it dawns on him what she is talking about. “Officer!” he shouts, grabbing the attention of the closest uniformed officer. “Grab that girl for questioning,” he says, pointing at Yulia’s person of interest.

“What you doing?” Yulia shouts at him.

“Don’t worry. He’ll get her before...”

“You were saying?” Yulia spats. “Yeblya ... I’ve got her.” Yulia pulls free of the man’s grasp and gives chase.

The girl is fast, but not fast enough. After only about five minutes of running through throngs of people, cars and buildings, Yulia is tackling the girl to the ground.

“Get off of me!” the girl yells.

“Who are you?” Yulia asks, pinning the girl’s arms behind her back.

“I have done nothing wrong,” the girl protests, ignoring the question.

“I ask who you are.” Yulia repeats.

“He will not be happy,” the girl says.

“Who?”

“Him.”

“Erlos?” She flips the girl onto her back and stares down at a pretty face. “How you know him?”

The girl looks away for a split second before looking back up at Yulia. “Dragostea nu pretinde posesie, ci dă libertate.”

“What?” Yulia asks.

“You got her,” Curtis puffs as he draws up beside them.

The girl looks past Yulia again toward Curtis and says, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That what all the perps that run say,” he says grinning. “Come on. Maybe once you’re sitting in a cozy room you’ll change that statement.” He pulls the girl to her feet as Yulia climbs to hers. About this time he is handing her off to one of the officers that had given chase with him. “Take her in. Don’t let anyone talk to her.”

Yulia gives the man a puzzled look and says, “In America people get lawyers, yes?”

Curtis gives her a smirk. “She’ll have that right, only after she asks for one. We’ll let her sweat a bit. Let’s finish up at the crime scene.”

“I cannot right now,” Yulia says, suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness come over her. “I suddenly do not feel so good.”

Curtis steps in to help keep her balanced. “That was one hell of a chase you gave. Take a breather, we’re in no hurry.”

“I think walk will be good for me,” Yulia says. “You go back, I meet you there shortly.”

“Well, I suppose with that girl in custody you’re not going to go rogue on me,” he says. “Want me to leave an officer with you so you can get back?”

Yulia shakes her head. “New York big city, but so is Moscow. I am used to big city. I find way back.”

“Alright, suit yourself,” he says. “Oh, by the way, what was it she said before I got here?”

“Love does not proclaim possession, but gives it freedom,” she answers.

“What the hell does that mean?” he asks.

Yulia shrugs. “I do not know. Perhaps she trying to sound crazy.”

“Yeah ... we get a lot of those.”

Yulia waits until Curtis is out of sight and is certain that he hasn’t left any officers behind to keep an eye of her. The dizzy spell she had was real. It was as if a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. It had affected her in more than one way too. For just a few moments she was not in her right mind, otherwise she would have denied even knowing what the girl had said. Instead, and without thinking, she gave over the information too quickly. It couldn’t be because she is getting to like the man, nor his sudden kindness toward her. Yes, she is attracted to Curtis, but her duty prevents her from going beyond their superficial relationship as partners. And she certainly isn’t going to fall for his game of good cop. The daydream she had was just a fluke too.

Yulia really does need some fresh air, but instead of stepping out of the alley and back into the streets of New York City, she turns and goes deeper into its bowels. The sudden wetness between her legs is calling for a more immediate attention, one that cannot wait until she is back of his place of some place private. Right now the most private place she is going to have is the alley itself. She moves deeper between the buildings to seek out a dark corner while ensuring that she is alone.

Almost immediately upon finding a place beside the wall and a dumpster, her mind is greeted with the delectable sight of his long cock, extended fully for her attention. It is like a dream, Erlos stepping out of the shadows on the opposite side and moving toward her. His balls swing beneath the heavy purple prick until he is standing right before her. His sack hangs as if it is waiting for her fingers to brush across it. The velvet flesh beckons her lips and tongue, willing them to explore.

The woman bites down on her lower lip, gnawing on it gently, while imaging lowering herself to her knees and beginning a slow journey across the soft flesh as her pulse races. The alley is silent and she is alone. It is a challenge to not to slink back into the shadows. How she got to the middle of the alley she doesn’t remember. Yet she doesn’t move, allowing anyone passing by the opportunity to see her playing with herself. Yulia feels wicked and dirty. His cock and balls are hers.

Slowly the woman peels off her clothes, giving him an opportunity to drink in what he desires. Her nails skirt along the hem of the material and as it rises up, he sees her creamy skin and the promising curves of her body. Wickedly Yulia grins. She turns so that he can see her lift her shirt over her head. He gazes upon her, smiling at the knowledge that she isn’t wearing a bra or panties today. Yulia wonders if he would be surprised to know she done so because of him. She had determined that before leaving this morning she would touch herself any time she thought of him.