All Chapters of Strip to Kill : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Skye yanked her arm out of my grip with force, her eyes flashing with irritation. She cleared her throat, picked up the call and immediately put it on loudspeaker.“Hello?” she answered.Instantly, Brad’s deep voice boomed through the phone.“What the fuck, Skye? I’ve been calling you for like forever!”Skye’s eyes darted to my face for a split second before dropping back to the phone. She gripped it tightly with both hands.“Brad, talk to me. Is everything okay?”“Everything was okay until it wasn’t,” Brad replied, voice tense. “I just uncovered a strong lead on Miss Lin’s murder case.”Skye’s eyes widened. She immediately turned away from me, her tone shifting to pure urgency.“What is it? Tell me.”“It’s not a phone conversation. You need to see this for yourself.” Brad’s voice dropped. “I’ve been up all night working and suddenly every missing dot started connecting. But the major lead… it’s wild. You’re not gonna believe it.”Skye’s voice was sharp. “What is it, Brad?”“It has to

I slowly lowered the bat and took a proper look around the room. It was an old storage room, full of dusty cardboard boxes stacked against the walls, some broken furniture covered with old sheets, and a pile of forgotten toys that had spilled from an overturned box in the corner. Soft early morning light came in through the small window and the gaps in the wooden shutters.I stepped inside carefully, eyes scanning every corner. Then I heard a faint rustling sound coming from behind the old wooden shelves.I raised the bat again and glanced back at Zara. She was still shivering, her face pale. I signaled for her to stay where she was. She nodded and pressed herself against the wall.I moved toward the sound slowly, heart still beating fast. When I rounded the corner of the shelves, ready to swing, I froze.The bat stayed up for a second, then I lowered it.“Zara,” I whispered, “come see this.”She hesitated, still clearly scared, but I waved her over gently and put a finger to my lips.

I rounded the back of the white Mercedes, my heart still racing from the near miss.The driver’s door suddenly swung open.Aiden almost fell out of the car.He was panting hard, chest heaving, and coughing violently. His face looked pale and covered in sweat. His eyes were wide and wild.“Aiden?” I rushed over. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?”He didn’t answer. He just kept muttering the same thing between coughs.“Sorry… sorry… I’m so sorry, Zane…”He tried to steady himself against the car and took one shaky step forward. Then his legs gave out.I lunged and caught him before he hit the ground. His body felt burning hot and he was shaking badly.“Help!” I shouted as loud as I could. “Somebody help me!”A nurse who had just come out the side entrance saw us. Her eyes went wide.“Oh my God!” She spun around and ran back inside. “Code blue outside! I need hands right now!”Seconds later, two more nurses and a security guard came running out with a stretcher. They took Aiden from me a

I turned onto my side on the bed and clutched my stomach as another wave of pain hit me. The tears I thought had dried up came rushing back. Loud, ugly sobs shook my whole body.I glanced at the toys still scattered on the sheets and angrily swept them off. They clattered loudly to the floor.“Why?” I cried out, my voice cracking. “Why would he reject me like that? I was standing right there, completely naked, offering myself to him… and he just walked away?”The hurt burned deeper with every second. I curled into a tight ball, hugging my knees as the tears kept falling. My mind kept going back to the first time I met Zane. Back when everything still felt possible. Back when he looked at me like I mattered.It was a sunny Tuesday morning in high school. The sky was a perfect bright blue, and a gentle breeze carried the sweet smell of freshly cut grass across the compound. Students filled the hallways, laughing, gossiping, and slamming lockers. Some couples stood in corners making out

I stayed on the bed a little longer, completely naked, just staring at the ceiling. After a while I pushed myself up, wiped my face with the back of my hand, and stood. My body felt heavy. I picked up the toys scattered on the floor, put them neatly inside their box, and pushed the whole thing to the back of my closet.I looked around my room. Clothes were everywhere—on the chair, the floor, even hanging halfway out of drawers. I let out a deep sigh and dropped back onto the bed.“This was not the plan I had for my off day,” I muttered to myself.I started thinking about the quickest way to clean up the mess when the doorbell rang. The sound cut through the quiet apartment. I got up again, grabbed the robe I had thrown earlier, and slipped it on. I tied the belt loosely around my waist and walked out of my room.The doorbell rang again, this time over and over, impatient.“Just a minute!” I called out, walking faster toward the door. Who could it be this early?When I opened the door,