Page 35 of For Rage

Most of them shook their heads, confused and bewildered.

But one student, a young man with curly hair and glasses, pointed toward the end of the hall. "Yeah, he was heading toward the exit just a minute ago. I think he was in a hurry."

Morgan thanked him and rushed toward the exit, her heart racing with adrenaline. She was getting closer. She could feel it.

As she burst through the doors of the university, she saw him. Johnson was walking away, his back to her, his hands shoved in his pockets. He was wearing a dark trench coat that flapped in the wind. His hair was tousled, and he looked like he was in a hurry as he made his way into the parking lot.

Morgan sprinted after him, closing the distance between them. "Professor Johnson!" she called out.

He turned around, his eyes widening in surprise.Before Morgan could stop him, he dashed toward the red car right in front of him, fumbling for his keys.

"Stop!" Morgan shouted.

But it was too late. Johnson had already unlocked the car and hopped in, starting the engine with a roar. Morgan watched helplessly as he slammed down his foot on the accelerator and drove off, tires squealing in protest. She cursed under her breath as she ran after him, but it was too late. He was gone.

No, not gone—just driving away. Morgan dashed across the parking lot toward her own car. Pain shot up her leg, but she kept pushing on. She had to. She couldn't let him get away.

Morgan fished out her car keys from her pocket and fumbled with them to unlock the door. Once she was inside, she started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot in hot pursuit. She was determined to catch up with Johnson and put an end to his killing spree once and for all.

As Morgan raced down the road after Johnson, her mind raced with thoughts of all the victims he had claimed. Nelly, Steven, and all those other girls who had been sexually harassed by their own professor. Johnson was a monster, and he needed to be stopped.

As she chased him down, Morgan couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration. This was what she had been trained for—to go after the bad guys and catch them, no matter what it took. And she was damn good at it. She'd been off the road for too long. But even with her burning determination, Johnson had a good head start, and soon, Morgan lost sight of the back of his red car in the sea of traffic.

Morgan's heart sank as she lost sight of Johnson's car. She had to catch up, and fast. She swerved in and out of traffic, her sirens blaring, as she tried to catch a glimpse of Johnson's car. Finally, she caught a glimpse of it farther down the road, turning a corner. Morgan gritted her teeth and pushed her car to its limits, determined not to let him get away.

Morgan cursed under her breath as she weaved in and out of traffic, trying to catch a glimpse of Johnson's car. She couldn't let him get away—not now, not after everything she had learned.

She was about to give up when she saw a flash of red up ahead. Her heart leapt in excitement as she realized it was Johnson's car stopped at a red light. Morgan pulled up behind him, her tires screeching as she came to a halt.

But the person in the driver's seat looked up in shock, and it wasn't Johnson at all—it was a woman.

Wrong car.

"Damn it!" Morgan slammed her fist on the wheel, looking ahead for any sign of Johnson. But he was nowhere to be found.

She'd let him escape.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"For god's sake, Cross, you should've just waited for backup," Derik chastised as Morgan stood in the university parking lot, leaning against the hood of her car. Derik's car was parked next to hers, and they were both standing there to reconvene and get a hold on the situation.

She hated Derik's tone. She hated even more that she'd let Johnson get away. It was her one job to apprehend him, but she'd let him escape. Maybe Derik was right; maybe if Morgan hadn't been so overt, Johnson would have been lulled into a false sense of safety. Maybe he would have gone home to pack his things before he fled, but they'd sent a team right there, and they hadn't received a call yet.

"Yeah, I know I messed up," Morgan said. "You don't have to bust my ass about it."

Derik sighed. "Really, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that this guy's almost certainly our killer, and I had to catch him."

Derik shook his head. "You're too impulsive, Morgan. You have to learn to take a step back and assess the situation."

Morgan rolled her eyes. "I know that, Derik. But we can't just sit around and wait for Johnson to make his next move. We have to be proactive."

"Proactive, sure." Derik gave her a wry smile. "But not reckless."

Morgan opened her mouth to retort, but Derik held up a hand to stop her. "I'm not trying to lecture you, Morgan. I just want you to be safe. And I want us to catch this guy."

Morgan nodded. "I know, I know. I messed up. But we can still catch him. We've got the APB out and everything. He shouldn't be able to get far."

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