Chapter Seven - Turned Tables

Turns out Justin Vale, Roman's supervisor, agreed to letting me stick with the team after talking to the police chief. Kyle Wilson was certainly not happy to hear that I had somehow involved myself in the case but agreed that this is a good plan as I've been directly threatened.

But by the time we are halfway to the murder site a convoy of blacked out SUV's start tailing us out of nowhere. Roman curses under his breath just as a ringtone goes off in the car which he accepts quickly. I turn to see the SUV's surrounding us entirely while Mac talks to Roman about how to shake them off. We speed up but I notice the windows roll down and the sight of guns has my eyes narrowing.

"Rome...do you have a gun?"

"Yeah, in the storage compartment. Why?" He asks with a confused glance.

I ignore him before taking it out and rolling the window down. Leaning out slightly I aim for the vehicle's tires because there's no way I'm about to be haunted for the rest of my life for killing a human being. Roman curses furiously beside me as I start shooting and successfully get one of the SUV's to topple over to its side. I see Cleo, Briar and Payton doing the same from their car before ducking back inside when someone starts firing straight at me.

"Elena! Stop this before you get killed!" Roman yells as he drives like a madman on the highway.

"Just keep your eyes on the road!" I shout back before firing at another vehicle that tries getting closer to us.

Me and Cleo manage to take down another SUV before the other two ram into our cars. Yelping in surprise I lose my balance and stumble back into my seat as the SUV tries to push us towards the bridge's edge. Roman grumbles under his breath as he drives away from them before slamming our car straight into theirs. I watch as the SUV loses control and swerves harshly before hitting the edge of the bridge.

He accelerates and we speed ahead but I turn to see Mac's car being pushed onto an exit. I watch as he turns the car recklessly and races across the bridge on top of us. The remaining SUV turns back to us which makes Roman break the speed limit and hurry to get us to the next exit so that we can get them off our tail.

We eventually relax when there's no sign of anyone after us and I sigh in relief. I put the gun back into the storage compartment before rolling up the window. It's silent for a few moments as we try to process what just happened before Roman finally breaks it, like I knew he would.

"Where did you learn how to use a gun?" He asks quietly with a hint of curiosity.

"My brothers taught me. We used to live on the rougher side of town and they wanted me to be able to protect myself." I explain as I turn the heating up a little bit. "So...what now?"

"They're not picking up." He answers before running a hand through his hair in frustration. "We'll continue to the site –"

Just then a ringtone blares throughout the car and Roman quickly accepts the call. "Mac?"

"Yeah, fuckers are still after us so we've been forced off route." He curses loudly before I hear someone shout in surprise in the background.

"Do you need me?"

"We'll be alright." He grunts and I hear gunshots in the background. "Just get to the site and I'll see you there."

The call cuts just at the beginning of a loud yell and two gunshots before it becomes silent. I discreetly glance at Roman before relaxing in my seat as he drives on. We eventually get off the highway and make our way closer to the site. He parks some distance away from the abandoned cottage that's rotting from the inside out and is marked with bright yellow caution tape all around.

I stay behind a little bit while watching as he speaks with the forensics team and other officers crowded around who are investigating further. I can hear some of their conversation and it's the same facts and guesses I heard when I swung by two days ago. But one thing makes me perk up in interest.

"We've found a gold pendant with a picture of a girl." He shows it to Roman and opens it up. "It was sticking out of the dirt so we think he dropped it in a hurry. No fingerprints or anything on it though."

Their voices lower to soft murmurings as they talk between themselves for a long moment. My brain racks for a reason for D.S. having a locket with a picture of a girl in it. Sighing I look around and notice that Mac hasn't arrived yet with the others. It makes me worry that they've run into some trouble.

"They're not here." I point out when Roman eventually walks back to me.

He looks around before taking out his phone and calling them all. None of them pick up and apparently the tracker on the vehicle isn't working either. He sighs in frustration before looking back at me and shaking his head.

"I shouldn't have ignored Mac!"

"Has this happened before?" I ask anxiously as we get back into the car.

"Twice now. I'm going to call the headquarters and get them to find out where they are." He mutters distractedly as he calls another number.

I listen as he instructs someone to try and get a hold of Mac before giving them the details of the car. He explains what happened before hanging up and turning back to me. We're silent for a while before I finally blurt out what's on my mind.

"What's your theory about the girl in the pendant?"

He bites his bottom lip thoughtfully and I avert my eyes before I do or say something extremely embarrassing. "It wasn't his ex...so it doesn't make sense for him to carry around a picture of another girl. If somebody has taken her then why would they make D.S. kill people? If he's holding her hostage then again, what's the reason behind the killings?"

"Past lover? More serious than his recent ex?" I suggest with a halfhearted shrug. "Maybe she broke his heart first and is the reason why?"

"Maybe..." He murmurs as his eyes meet mine. "I'll request a background check of her. We might find something useful."

I open my mouth to reply but my stomach chooses to make a horrifically loud sound at that moment. Roman smirks in amusement while I blush fiercely before sighing. He puts on his seat belt and starts the car which makes me strap myself in too.

"Burger and fries okay?" He asks and can't help but to let a chuckle slip.

"Yeah." A smile blooms across my lips as I roll my eyes playfully.

Just then my phone rings and my mood lifts when I see that it's my mom calling. I pick it up and press it to my ear with a cheerful greeting. Her comforting voice filters through and I find myself relaxing at the sound. Oh, how I miss her terribly.

"Come stai? Come sta papa?" [How are you? How is dad?] I ask and notice Roman glance at me in surprise. Chuckling I cover the phone before whispering, "I'm Italian, remember?"

He nods with a small smile before I hear my mother reply and ask a question. "Hai già trovato un lavoro?" [Have you found a job yet?]

"Uh no, non ancora. Sto avendo dei colloqui di lavoro quindi augurami buona fortuna!" I laugh nervously as guilt rises within me for lying to her. [Uh no, not yet. I'm having interviews so wish me luck!]

"Certo, buona fortuna mia cara. Spero non ti stia mettento nei guai!" She replies with a stern voice which makes me scoff. [Of course, good luck my darling. You better not be getting yourself in trouble though!]

"Mamma, sono un angelo. Non cerco problemi, i problemi trovano mi!" I frown when she chuckles sarcastically. [Mom, I'm an angel. I don't look for trouble, trouble finds me!]

"Va bene, come dici tu tesoro. Oh no, devo andare. Tuo padre sta cercando di piantare più fiori e non sta facendo un ottimo lavoro!" She sighs heavily and just the thought alone makes me laugh. [Alright, whatever you say sweetheart. Oh no, I have to go. Your father is trying to plant more flowers and not doing a very good job!]

"Ok, ti ​​chiamo presto. Ti voglio bene, mamma." [Ok, I will call you soon. I love you, mama.]

"Ti voglio bene, Elena. Ciao!" [I love you, Elena. Bye!]

I bid her goodbye before a breath escapes me. I need to call her more because talking to her even for a few minutes makes me realize how much I miss her and her voice. I put my phone back in my pocket before settling down and notice Roman looking at me.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, that was my mom. She was just checking in like usual and warning me not to get in trouble." I smile as I lower the music a bit.

"Too late for that." He grins boyishly and I find myself smiling too.

I stare out at the passing scenery as he drives to the nearest restaurant. Thankfully it's not too far away because I did not want my stomach to emit any more embarrassing noises. We walk inside and are greeted by blaring music. A young waitress called Tara, seemingly around my age, looks Roman up and down before a wide smile makes its way onto her lips.

"Right this way, please." She all but purrs at him and I bite my lip to stifle a chuckle as Roman is more distracted by his phone rather than her actions.

We take a seat at the booth by the window and she hands us the menus after noting down our drinks. I flick through and quickly pick what I want. While Roman is choosing his order, I glance around and spot the waitresses shooting me dirty looks before their expressions become filled with longing if Roman so much as shifts in his seat.

When Tara returns with our drinks we order before I get comfortable. I snicker when she brushes her hand against Roman's while taking his menu and he quickly moves it away. Both look at me curiously before she huffs in realization and walks away with flaming cheeks.

"What?"

"She's interested in you." I muse as I play with the saltshaker.

"Who?" He frowns in confusion.

"The waitress."

"Her?" His eyes widen in mock fashion as he nods at the older looking woman at the counter. "Elena, she's like fifty!"

"Not her! The young one!"

"There's three of them." He deadpans which makes me glare at him.

"Roman!" I seethe and watch him chuckle at my anger.

He sits back in his seat as his gaze wanders to the scenery outside. "Well, I'm not interested."

"Because you have a girlfriend?" I wonder aloud and meet his eyes when he turns back to me.

"No." A small amused smile tugs at his lips as I nod.

We don't say much else, partly because I'm still thinking about the gold pendant and what the killer's next move will be. If only I can find another pattern or something else that will make this case a whole lot easier instead of us just playing a guessing game. Where will he run to next? I think to myself.

My mind isn't wandering for that long before a male waiter called Monty comes with our food and sets the plates on our table. I smile brightly and thank him as he places the cutlery near me. His cheeks become slightly red when he catches Roman's eyes before he quickly turns and walks away. I frown at the interaction before shrugging it off and popping some fries into my mouth.

"He's interested in you." Roman states after a quiet moment.

"Sure!" I snort unladylike as I take a sip of my drink.

"It was pretty obvious." He rolls his eyes playfully.

"Oh...well, that's too bad."

"Because you have a boyfriend?" He throws my question right back in my face with a mischievous smirk.

"No, but you can be mine?" I grin cheekily and his eyes widen momentarily before he laughs.

I love hearing his laugh. It's my favorite sound now. Because he's so quiet and serious most of the time managing to make him laugh feels like an accomplishment that makes me happy. I'm still staring at him as Tara swings by to make sure we're okay. He shakes his head before turning to me and arching a brow questionably as he takes a bite of his burger.

"You're cute."

"Shut up and eat." He shakes his head with a smile.

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- R.W. ♡