Time felt as if it slowed down while the final hostages were being secured.
I didn't wait for the others.
The second Lily's voice cracked on the phone, the second I heard her broken sobs and the word Charlie, I was already moving, boots slamming against the wet pavement, the rain hitting my face like needles.
I didn't think.
I didn't let myself.
I just ran.
Past the blinking lights of patrol cars, past the quiet hum of the precinct's radio chatter, past Grant calling my name.
I ran.
The city blurred by, the rain turning everything into streaks of color and shadow, streetlights smearing like ghosts in my periphery. The cold air burned in my lungs, every breath sharp, every step pounding in my head like a drumbeat.
Charlie.
Hyena had Charlie.
The kid who had once asked me to help him find his mom with Camille. The kid who had brought seamless joy and peace to our apartment.
I'd told myself not to care. I needed to calm myself.
But I couldn't.
It took me twelve minutes.
