Danny wandered through the halls, his eyes flicking between the room numbers and the schedule on his phone. He'd been at this for what felt like ages, poking his head into different classrooms, only to find them either empty or full of unfamiliar faces.
"Bloody hell," he muttered under his breath, his frustration mounting. "Where is this sodding room?"
Just as he was about to give up and ask for directions, he spotted it. Room 221B. His first lecture of the day. Danny heaved a sigh of relief, shouldering his backpack and making a beeline for the door.
But just as he reached for the handle, a familiar figure rounded the corner. Danny blinked, taking a moment to place the face without the pulsing lights and pounding music of the club.
It was Taji, the bartender from last night. But she looked different in the harsh fluorescent light of the hallway. Her green curls pulled back, revealing the intricate tattoos that snaked up her neck and down her arms. She wore baggy combat pants and a loose shirt that fell almost to her knees, a stark contrast to the tight tank top she'd had on behind the bar.
Taji spotted him, a grin spreading across her face. "Hey, kid," she called, raising a hand in greeting.
Danny smiled back, taking a few steps towards her. "Taji, right? Didn't expect to see you here. You a student to?"
Taji shrugged, hiking her backpack higher on her shoulder. "Nah, not me. Just here to see my sister. She's got a class in this building."
As if on cue, another girl appeared behind Taji. Danny felt his breath catch in his throat. If Taji was attractive in a tough, edgy sort of way, this girl was downright stunning.
She had the same olive skin and dark eyes as Taji, but that's where the similarities ended. Her hair was a cascade of golden curls, pulled back in a high ponytail that bounced as she walked. She wore a tank top that hugged her curves and a mini skirt that showed off miles of toned leg.
"Hi," Danny managed, his voice coming out a bit strangled.
Taji pulled the girl into a hug, then turned to Danny with a smile. "Danny, this is my sister, Lexi. Lex, this is Danny. Met him at the club last night."
Lexi offered her hand, her smile warm and inviting. "Nice to meet you, Danny."
Danny shook her hand, hoping she couldn't feel the way his palm had gone suddenly sweaty. "You too. Guess we're in the same class, huh?"
Lexi's smile widened. "Guess so. It's nice to see a familiar face. Well, sort of familiar, anyway."
Taji rummaged in her bag, pulling out a small parcel. She handed it to Lexi, leaning in to whisper something in her ear. Lexi nodded, slipping the package into her own bag.
Danny watched the exchange, curiosity prickling at the back of his neck. But he pushed it aside. It wasn't any of his business.
Taji turned to him, holding out a colorful flyer. "Here. This is the bar I work at, just off campus. You should come by sometime, when you're not busy with..." She waved a hand at the classroom door. "All this."
Danny took the flyer, glancing down at the stylized logo and address. "Yeah, maybe I will. Thanks."
Taji grinned, giving Lexi a final hug before turning to go. "Catch you later, kids. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
With a wink and a wave, she was gone, disappearing back around the corner.
Danny and Lexi stood there for a moment, an awkward silence settling between them. Without Taji as a buffer, Danny suddenly felt tongue-tied, unsure of what to say.
They both reached for the door handle at the same time, their hands bumping. They laughed, the tension breaking.
"After you," Danny said, holding the door open.
Lexi ducked her head, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks. "Thanks."
As she brushed past him into the classroom, Danny couldn't help but notice the subtle floral scent of her perfume. It made him think of springtime, of new beginnings.
He followed her in, his heart beating just a little bit faster. Maybe, just maybe, this class wouldn't be so bad after all.
_____
Detective Inspector Victoria Sinclair sat in her office, the bustle of the police station muffled by the closed door. She spun idly in her chair, her attention focused on the device in her hands. It was a phone, sleek and modern, but frustratingly silent.
She turned it over, her keen eyes searching for any detail she might have overlooked. A scratch, a scuff, anything that might give her a clue. But the phone remained stubbornly mute, its secrets locked away behind a password screen.
With a groan of frustration, Sinclair jabbed at the power button one last time. Nothing. She tossed the phone onto her desk, watching it skitter across the surface.
The phone had come in last night, brought in by an officer who'd had a run-in with a kid from Manchester Student University. MSU. The name kept cropping up in her investigations, tantalizing threads that never quite led anywhere.
Sinclair stood, pacing the small confines of her office. The kid had been a runner, according to the report. He'd risked his neck to protect whatever was in that bag he was carrying. Even took a bullet for it. That kind of crazy, you didn't see every day.
A sharp knock at the door broke her reverie. "Come in," she called, turning to face the entrance.
The door swung open, revealing a grinning face framed by close-cropped brown hair. Sergeant Jack Townsend, her right-hand man and occasional pain in the arse.
"Got something for you, boss," he said, striding in and tossing a file onto her desk. "Details on our mystery kid from last night."
Sinclair raised an eyebrow, flipping open the file. "He's MSU, then?"
Jack nodded, dropping into the chair opposite her desk. "Spot on. Couldn't get a proper photo, but I had the lads down in Imaging work up a sketch based on the officer's description."
He leaned over, flipping to the back of the file. A hand-drawn face stared up at Sinclair, all sharp angles and wary eyes. Young, but with a hardness to his features that spoke of a life lived on the edges.
"Right," Sinclair said, studying the sketch. "So we need to match this face to a student. If we can find him, maybe we can finally get a look at what's really going on at that bloody university."
Jack drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, his expression turning serious. "You know what's at stake here, Vic. If we don't make progress on this case by the end of the month..."
"I know," Sinclair snapped, cutting him off. "You don't need to remind me."
Jack held up his hands in surrender. "Easy, boss. Just making sure we're on the same page, yeah? I know how much this means to you."
Sinclair rubbed a hand over her face, feeling the weight of exhaustion pulling at her bones. This case, this endless chase... it was wearing her down. But she couldn't stop. Not now, not when she was so close.
Jack stood, straightening his jacket. "One more thing. I got in touch with that contact of yours. The one you think can help."
Sinclair's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "And? What did he say?"
A slow smile spread across Jack's face. "He's coming in. Said he's doing it for you."
Sinclair felt a flutter of something in her chest. Hope, maybe. Or something else, something she didn't want to examine too closely.
"Cheers, Jack," she said, her voice softer than usual. "I owe you one."
Jack waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, you don't owe me nothing. Just doing my job." He paused at the door, his hand on the knob. "You know, for someone with such a way with men, you can be right oblivious sometimes."
With that parting shot, he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.
Sinclair stared at the closed door for a long moment, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. Then, with a shake of her head, she turned back to the phone on her desk.
"Right then," she murmured, picking it up once more. "Let's see what secrets you're hiding, shall we?"
The game, as they said, was on.
***
Danny settled into his seat, the hard plastic digging into his back. The lecture hall was one of those old-fashioned ones, with rows of seats ascending steeply towards the back of the room. He'd managed to snag a spot near the top, with a good view of the front.Lexi slid into the seat beside him, her floral perfume wafting over him like a tantalizing breeze. Danny inhaled deeply, feeling a little light-headed. God, she smelled good. Like springtime and sunshine and everything nice.He was just this close to lean over and ask her what scent she was wearing when more students began to file in. They came in groups and pairs, chattering and laughing as they found their seats. Danny couldn't help but notice the vibe in the room - it was different.Everyone seemed so... relaxed. Carefree, even. There were girls in flowy sundresses and guys in paint-splattered jeans. Colourful tattoos peeked out from under sleeves and collar edges. Piercings glinted in ears and eyebrows and noses.Danny gri
Alex walked out of the Royal Manchester Golf Club, his caddy uniform traded for a simple black t-shirt and jeans. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the car park as he made his way towards the exit, his mind still churning with the events of the day.The DCI's offer of an internship lingered in his thoughts, a tantalizing opportunity, not what he had been aiming for, but this was better.Lost in thought, he almost didn't notice the figure that fell into step beside him. But then he caught a flash of blonde hair, the intricate tattoos snaking up one arm, and he knew.Jade.He didn't acknowledge her, didn't break his stride. But as he veered towards the restroom building, she followed, her presence a silent shadow at his back.Inside, Alex went straight to the sinks, turning on the tap and splashing cold water on his face. In the mirror, he could see Jade behind him, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable.For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was th
Danny and Lexi were walking down the street, weaving through the vendors and the crowds. Danny was in the middle of a rant, his hands waving wildly as he spoke."I swear, my sister still thinks the Earth is flat. Like, genuinely believes it. I go completely mad when she starts on about it. But over the years, I've learned it's not worth the argument. I can never change her mind. Stubborn as a mule, she is."Lexi laughed, bumping her shoulder against his. "I don't blame her. Did you see your face just now? It was cute. I can imagine what you must look like during those arguments."Danny felt a blush creep up his neck. This gorgeous girl thought he was cute. Somehow, the idea made something flutter in his chest."She must love seeing that face," Lexi added, grinning.Danny smiled. She wasn't wrong. Every time he and Jenna argued, especially when he was getting riled up, she wouldn't take it seriously. She'd just sit there, making him look like a fool. Those were the moments he'd come cl
Alex brought the sleek, black Audi R8 to a stop near the mini stadium just outside MSU. The engine's snarl died, leaving an eerie stillness broken only by distant traffic. The late hour and the location's seclusion made it feel almost deserted.In the passenger seat, Ethan fumbled with a piece of fabric in the dim light. The car's neon-infused dashboard cast a faint glow, just enough to outline his hulking frame and the bulging vein on his temple. His frustration was palpable, punctuated by the occasional low grunt.Alex shifted, about to reach over, but thought better of it. He leaned back with a sigh and a quiet chuckle.After a few more moments of wrestling with the dark, glossy material, Ethan's patience snapped. He let out a roar of annoyance and flung the offending item into the back seat.He turned to Alex, his eyes flashing. "Why the fuck do I have to wear that?"His tone dripped with irritation. "The mask is bad enough. Now you want me looking like a fucking clown just to mee
Content Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of injury and medical trauma.He had begged for every single moment of his life, every perfection, every single turn that made him who he was. But somehow, one way or another, it all found a way to screw him over. It was almost laughable. Danny could just picture it: some high and mighty bastard up there, looking down with those all-knowing eyes, always on the hunt for the next poor sod to fuck over. And once again, lucky him, it was Danny's turn.The automatic doors of the Manchester Royal Infirmary barely had time to open before Danny was barging through, his heart slamming against his ribs, his eyes wild. He scanned the chaos of the lobby, zeroing in on anyone in scrubs or a white coat. The first one he saw, he was going to grab them, shake them until they told him what he needed to know.A siren shrieked, the sound like a knife to his skull. He flinched, his whole body wound tight as a piano cord. Lexi grabbed his arm, he
The door to Danny and Tariq's dorm room burst open, the sound harsh in the stillness of the night. A figure stumbled in, his breathing ragged, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. He fumbled for the light switch, his hands shaking.The room flooded with harsh fluorescent light, revealing Tariq. His hoodie was disheveled, a dark, damp patch staining the fabric near his chest. He clawed at the garment, his fingers scrabbling at the zipper."Fuckin' hell, it's hot as balls in here," he muttered, his voice thick and shaky.He finally managed to yank the hoodie off, tossing it aside. His skin was slick with sweat, his curls plastered to his forehead. His eyes darted around the room, wide and wild, like a cornered animal.The distant wail of a siren made him freeze, his whole body going rigid. "Shit, shit, shit," he chanted under his breath, lunging for the window. He grabbed the blinds, yanking them closed with enough force to rattle the frame.He spun around, his gaze landing on his des
The black van rolled to a stop, its tinted windows revealing nothing of the occupants inside. Alex and Ethan stood their ground, their postures tense beneath the concealing bulk of their disguises. The van's door slid open, and three figures emerged.In the lead was Vince Gallo, known as Wormhole. A renowned underworld's premier broker, a man known for facilitating the impossible. He was flanked by two heavies, their frames bristling with barely concealed weapons and body armor.Gallo himself wore a mask, a sleek, featureless thing that glinted dully in the dim light. His men were similarly disguised, their faces hidden behind balaclavas and dark glasses.He approached the twins with a measured stride, his movements cool and unhurried. This was a man accustomed to being in control, to bending the wills of the criminal elite to his own ends.Alex felt Ethan's gaze boring into him from behind his own mask, a silent warning. But Alex brushed it off, stepping forward to meet Gallo halfway
The chilly autumn wind whipped through the streets of Manchester, carrying with it the first crisp hints of the approaching winter. The city's famous red brick buildings loomed in the darkness, their windows glowing like scattered constellations.In the heart of this sprawling metropolis, the Manchester Royal Infirmary stood as a beacon of hope and healing. Its automatic doors swished open as a tall, broad-shouldered man rushed in, his arms cradling a woman who writhed and moaned in pain. Her long, dark hair was plastered to her face with sweat, her eyes wide and unfocused."Please, someone help!" the man shouted, his deep voice, tinged with a distinct Mancunian accent, booming through the bustling hospital lobby. "She's in labor, an' she's in a right state!"The night shift nurses at the reception desk leapt into action, their professionalism overriding any initial surprise. Sarah, a petite blonde with kind blue eyes, grabbed a wheelchair and hurried over. She had been working in the