His name is Jacob Berello. He had been indicted on a dozen charges of rape but never convictedthere wasn’t enough evidence against him and his victims died shortly after charges were brought against him. The trend was clear but it was only a trend, which meant circumstantial evidence at best and not enough to lock him up. Yeah, this guy was a real piece of work…

His latest victim’s mother put up the money for this job. To tell the truth he was on my to-do list, this just made sure he stayed right at the top. Lindsey Turner is her mother; Ashley was the victim’s name. They had reported him not more than a week ago when she was found missing in the morning. Her bedroom window was opened; the glass was cut so it could be unlocked. There was no evidence of a struggle, but police did find traces of tranquilizers in the sheets. Seems he liked to drug them and take them somewhere more private to do his dirty work.

Usually it takes some skill to get past a lapine’s keen sense of hearing, although considering that he is feline I suppose nature did gift him with being silent when stalking his prey. I hate to say it but it’s the felines who seem to make the worst predators; worst being the best at their job. I try to keep thoughts like that out of my mind; prejudices are bad and I don’t want to form any. It’s hard though, my sister was raped by one and now there’s another cougar who’s a rapist as well. I want to think that maybe it’s just a few sick fucks who like to do these things but when two pop up as the same species, and four within the same animal family… No, I know that all felines aren’t the same. If they were all the same then Dave wouldn’t be helping me with the chemicals he makes me.

My M3 BMW coasts down the empty road towards the ghetto part of downtown. Call me crazy but this car just doesn’t fit in with this part of the neighborhood; I’m better off on foot right now, it’d draw less attention to me. I slip my MK23 into my shoulder holster and throw my trench coat on before stepping outside. I make sure that the car has been locked and secured before making my way quietly down the street to the house that I had scouted Jacob staying at. Makes sense, an old apartment complex where people who have enough troubles of their own stay at. No one wants to know what anyone else does; urban apathy at its best.

It’s easy enough getting in; the way I’m dressed people think I’m a dealer or an enforcer. They don’t give me a second look except to ask if I have something they might need. A curt no sends them away or a flash of my teeth for the more stubborn ones. It’s easy enough finding his apartment. I pull out my lockpick kit and make quick work of the tumblers, opening the door quietly and slipping in. Thankfully the TV is blasting a soccer game, which makes my sneaking in much easier. The difficult part is moving around and not getting noticed.

I stick to the walls where the shadows are, slinking around and peeking into the rooms. Jacob steps out of the far room in the hallway just as I duck into first room on the right, an empty bedroom. I can smell another scent, Ashley’s; I recognize it from when I looked around her room. I let Jacob pass by the room before peering out the hallway to see if the coast was clear. Jacob was sitting in front of the TV watching the game, so I decided to check the room he was just in.

It was her, and she was still alive and breathing. She was stripped naked and tied down to the frame of the bed; seemed the ropes were too tight and were cutting into her flesh beneath her snow white fur. I loosened them a little and whispered for her to keep quiet and that she’d be free in a minute. She gave a slight nod, body starting to relax a little when she realized that I wasn’t here to rape her. I think draping my coat over her helped some, letting her know I really wasn’t going to hurt her.

I drew my gun and padded quietly towards the TV room. I just stepped into the hallway when I saw Jacob. I guess he wanted to have some fun between commercials because he was heading towards me. He paused when he spotted me, shocked at first, hair bristling in an instant and his teeth bared. I didn’t have time for fun though, and raised my weapon, squeezing off two rounds into his chest, knocking him to the floor. I stepped towards him, weapon still trained; he was still breathing and moving around. Another round into the side of his skull finished him off. Normally I’d like to have more of a challenge, but I don’t want to risk anything at the moment; I hadn’t gotten Ashley to safety yet to be able to have time for fun.

I holstered my weapon and went back for her. I gently untied her and went to get a clean rag to clean off her cuts. Thankfully they weren’t too deep and would heal up soon if she kept them clean. A few quick bandages and I started taking her for the door, my coat still draped over her small frame, dragging on the ground. It’s ok, I can always get a new coat.

People heard the gunshots; there were some unfriendly faces waiting. I pushed Ashley back inside just as they started dumping rounds at me and her. She curled up into the fetal position while I kept myself on top of her to shield her. We were well out of the line of fire though, not a single round went near us. I got up, told her to go to the corner and stay there.

You know those moments where time seems to freeze and everything stands still? That’s what it was like as I threw the flashbang out the door and into the hallway. Seconds seem to tick by in centuries waiting for the bright flash and the loud bang. Everything was still as I walked out the door, weapon ready, and gave each thug a round in the chest and a final one to the head. After the commotion died down four men were dead on the ground. I walked back to Ashley and helped her up, going for the door again, peeking out quickly to make sure it was clear.

The walk back to the car was quiet; no one wanted any more trouble than there already had been. I dropped her off at her home with a smile, saying not to worry anymore, that she would be alright. She seemed sad to part with my coat, but was happy to give me a hug and a thank you before she slipped inside. I was gone before she could turn around and ask who I was.

I spoke with her mom a couple times to check up on the family since then. Ashley was still having nightmares but was getting over them slowly. People at school would sometimes ask, an occasional bully would tease her about it, but otherwise things were well. I said I may stop by sometime to say hi and maybe take care of whoever was bothering her at school. I did have some business coming up nearby anyway, and I did have a present in mind for Ashley. Oddly, Lindsey was actually happy to hear that proposal and said to drop by anytime I was able to. I’ll have to take her up on that offer next time I’m around the area.