Chapter 2 Asher Please help me

Asher's POV

I gripped the steering wheel of my car, my knuckles turning white as I slammed on the brakes. Minutes later, I finally pulled up to Jace’s house. The line had cut off before he could even finish his sentence, and my heart was thumping so loudly against my ribs it actually hurt.

The moment I bolted out of the car, the first thing I saw were the police officers already swarming the yard, pointing flashlights into the dark corners.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I didn’t even know why, but my legs just froze as I watched them coming out of Jace’s front door.

"He's here."

The man in front of me turned around. It was Connor. He took a few slow steps toward me, a heavy, sad expression on his face. "It's a really long, sad night," he said.

His voice finally snapped me out of my shock. I bolted past him, running straight into the house.

There was some drops of blood on the floor. In the middle of the living room, a body lay flat....completely covered by a white sheet. A couple of men stood around it, jotting things down in their notebooks.

"Asher, you should be outside." Mr Connor came in right behind me, grabbing my hand to try and escort me out.

I forced my hand out of his grip and leaned down over the body, my chest hurt like it was being prickled by a thousand needles. I reached out and pulled the sheet back.

It was Jace. His eyes were shut. He wasn't breathing.

"Why is he not breathing?" I asked, looking up at Connor.

"Hey, come on, you shouldn't be in here," Connor said, reaching down to pull me away.

"Let me go!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "Why is he not breathing? What happened to him?!"

Two other police officers rushed over, grabbing my arms and dragging me backward. "Hey! Why is Jace not breathing?!" I thrashed against them, tearing at their clothes, trying as hard as I could to pull out of their grip, but they were too strong.

They shoved me into the back of a police car, and Connor immediately slid in after me.

"Jace is dead, okay?" Connor said coldly, staring right at me. "Now I need you to snap out of it and help me find who did this to him!"

My brain started short circuiting. Dead? He couldn't be dead. I hadn't seen him in five years, I literally just got here today, and now he’s dead?

"No... no," I gasped, gripping the detective's jacket. "Jace can't be dead."

"He is dead, boy. Your friend is gone... he was murdered!" Connor yelled.

A cold chill settled straight down my spine as I tried to grasp it.

Connor looked at me. "What brought you to Jace’s house this late, though?"

I was silent for a second, my mind racing. Then I turned to him. "Jace called me on the phone. He said... he said something was in his house."

"Something?" Connor asked.

"Yes," I stammered. "He sounded completely terrified."

"How did you find him?" I asked.

"He managed to call the station, too," Connor said. "We were just patrolling nearby. Our men are still searching the area for any trace of a suspect, but we haven't found anything yet."

Something is in my house. Jace’s voice rang in my head again, sending a sharp headache right through my temples.

"Does his body have bite marks?" I asked.

Connor nodded. "It's strange. No wounds....just a pale body and a bite mark. If it's an animal...what kind of animal targets only a tiny spot on the skin?" He heaved a tired sigh, resting his head back against the headrest.

"Can I get down?" I asked.

"Are you calm now? I heard you two were best friends for a long time."

"Yes I am fine," I lied quickly.

He unlocked the doors, and I stepped out of the car. My head was spinning badly. Jace, dead? I let out a breathless, empty laugh.. my eyes darting to the neighbors who were all standing around watching in horror.

“You should sleep over in my house...” Jace’s voice echoed in my head again. He had begged me. He wanted me to stay with him, but what did I do? I snapped at him, rolled up my window, and left him alone. Now something murdered him.

I staggered back. The paramedics finally rolled the stretcher past me. A sudden breeze caught the edge of the sheet, blowing it off his face for a split second.

The first thing I saw were the tiny, dark bite marks on his neck. It was horrifying. I never could have imagined the next dead body I would see would be my own best friend's.

I looked around at the crowd, the crying neighbors, and the flashing blue lights of the police cars.

I turned back toward the car and noticed Connor bowing his head respectfully to a guy standing in the shadows. It was dark, but the stranger had this heavy, undeniable presence.

He was dressed in an all black suit, with metallic silver hair that practically screamed for attention, and his face...I could only see a side of it...he had very sharp jawlines.

The way Connor greeted him was weird. The stranger looked to be around my age, and Connor was a detective in his late fifties. Even if the guy was built broad and looked important, a literal bow felt like way too much.

I waited, watching as the stranger finally walked over to a flashy, black luxury car.

Guards dressed in expensive suits rushed to open and close the door for him, and they quickly zoomed off into the dark.

I immediately walked over to Connor. "Sir, who was that?"

"Oh, you should have come over and greeted him," Connor said. "He’s a Constantine." He looked at me like the name should have made me jump. "His family... let's just say they basically own this town."

"Own it?" I muttered, watching the empty road where the car had disappeared.

Suddenly, the police radio inside the cruiser started beeping loudly, static cutting through the air.

"Attention all units, this is dispatch. We have a suspect running northbound along Ivory Lane. He is highly dangerous. I repeat, suspect is dangerous. Proceed with extreme caution."

"Let's go!" Connor yelled.

I didn't even think. I jumped right into the passenger seat with him, closing the door as the tires screeched.