Paragon - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

The night had the quiet of midwinter in the streets when we left. The distant rumble of tracks overhead and the ocean-like rush of traffic in the distance that never seemed to pause. I matched the stride of the mortal with the warm heart and intoxicating scent beside me.
"What's on the agenda for the rest of your night?" Quinn asked. We walked slower under the dark archway.
I glanced at her. "Probably finding a book and a dark corner." I smirked.
She smiled with an eye roll. "This is exactly why I dragged you out in the first place."
"Why is that?" I inquired, with no small amusement.
"Because I learnt enough from your friends to know that you don't get out much."
I spotted her car waiting under a street light and scanned the surrounding shadows instinctively. Ever since that first night I had the urge to protect the woman from such shadows. A silly thought since she had looked after herself in this city long before me–
"Hey, I didn't mean to offend–" she started, concerned by my silence but I smiled her off.
"No, Quinn. You didn't. I know exactly what you mean. I am a little... different." I remarked, glancing at her bright eyes that lights bounced off. She smiled back at me, her hood down past her loose hair now.
"At least you're not boring." She shrugged as we got closer to her car.
I smiled ahead, taking note of the plate and driver that glanced our way. I was again glad a trustworthy mortal could escort her home.
"I think that's accurate." I noted, moving to the door a little more swiftly than a mortal should and opening it for her. "I think I can say the same of you." She was briefly shocked at the move before nodding slightly flustered.
"Thanks... detective. If you want to come back... for a session some time–"
"I know who to message." I finished for her, meeting those slightly dazed green eyes before closing the door between us.
In honesty I needed to clear my head. Her scent had been driving me crazy all night and I had to grit my teeth on a number of occasions when she had got too close or the air con was a little too efficient in our direction.
Her car took off down the empty street and back to where ever she lived. I took my phone out and left a note of the number plate. Then slid it back into my pocket and took in a huge gulp of clean air. I let it go without any cloud and closed my eyes briefly.
It was about time I stopped this fleeting interest. It's not like it ended anywhere good. More interest. More discovery. My life would never add up and it would only become more obvious the longer she knew me. The benefit of work colleagues in this country were that they all knew boundaries beyond work. The personal life was an out of bounds section. But to a quick witted mortal like Quinn Adams... The woman had my contact number, work address and coworkers known in days.
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I frowned at it. Pulling it out with a glare.
Will: "Hope you have your sharpshooting on point for tomorrow. Starts at 8:30."
I swore to the sky. The firearms training tomorrow morning had been so far from my mind this week. It was always Will's favourite time of the month and he made it his personal mission to score top tier in the station. This time it was teams of two.
I quickly typed back. "Remind me to use you as future target training."
Will: "That's the spirit. Seriously though Fletcher, I'm not coming second especially with my own damn partner."
I wanted to crack the glass in my hand. "We don't need to compete with the people we work with simpleton."
Will: "You're right. We need to annihilate them tomorrow. See you soon."
I didn't even bother to respond. I had half a mind to miss every target possible tomorrow. Utterly make top score impossible for him... but it would only make my life harder when his constant complaining surfaced after it.
I hugged the shadows of the building I walked near. Maybe I would keep walking. Cross through the East and keep going until my mind ripped itself away from the mortal that filled my mind. But that was the issue with immortality. We had so much damn time. Time to explore and work through anything that picked our interest.
Mortals all thought they would choose it in a heartbeat. That it had no consequence or price. Surely they had lived long enough to know everything had a price.
A splash caught my attention as a cat quickly clawed away in pursuit of a rat. Even their tiny heartbeats had a noticeable pulse. But nothing in their veins would quench an immortal. Only our genetic mortal counterparts could fill that need. I kept up a brisk pace under the clouded moon.
I turned many ideas over in my head regarding how to cut ties with the mortal. The simplest seemed to be freezing communication entirely and letting her interest wane. It did not take long for them to move on after all. I'd seen Will's relationship strained if he even worked a night later than 9 o'clock. I smirked ahead as I crossed another road closer to the city centre.
The need. The utter reliance for closeness and connection was damn right amusing.
A single late night and that let insecurity and annoyance run rampant in the mind of his significant other. Maybe a late text. A blunt phone call. They would have it out in a heated argument and later conclude that was progress and they could grow from it.
Honestly.
A car horn blared as a driver swerved late into the wrong lane and a mortal cursed out a window. So crass and spontaneous. Emotion and then action. But Quinn wasn't quite like that... maybe that is why she held and wouldn't let go of my interest. She was more than impulsive behaviour. She had reason and control of her actions. A reserved intellect that analysed and concluded before throwing words into the air. She had deduced things of me before any other had. Even the way I speak...
My phone vibrated again and I resisted the urge to throw it into a moving car.
The Lawyer:
My heart froze over and I stared at the contact before reading the text.
"Try to look less like killing everyone in the room next time..."
Then an image appeared of me in front of a mirror with Quinn, glaring in the direction of the mortal, Jack. I kept staring at it. Taking in every detail she saw and thought to suddenly take a picture on her phone–something I had missed.
There she was in perfect position, slim toned form and her high ponytail swept to the side and her bright green eyes filled with amusement as they watched my expression in the mirror.
I ran a hand through my hair and finally lowered the phone. Well. This made life harder. I had a damn picture of the mortal now. Perfect. I raised the screen again. Catching the perfect eyes that were never as good as the real thing.
"Adams, if you don't delete that evidence I'm going to confiscate that phone."
Not only did it make my blood run so cold, it made me feel exposed and present. People didn't photograph me. I didn't have a digital footprint for a reason. Now here she was archiving my being on her phone for god knew how long. If it appeared on any form of social media I could have Paragon remove it but she didn't strike me as one for such things...
She was imposing, charismatic but not vain. No she didn't seek attention but she drew it.
Her response came back, "Fletcher, has anyone ever told you your glare is adorable?"
I gripped the phone metal for an entirely different reason now.
"You'll find this funny until you realise I can hack your phone." I responded, unable to keep the cold in my veins at bay and having no intention following through with the threat.
"I don't need to be a lawyer to know that is breaking laws."
"And you'd have no evidence to back your claim when I wipe its data." I typed back, staring at the white font that was her.
"Be my guest... There are better pictures on it anyway ;)"
I stared at the words. At the screen and what they meant. I'm sure if I had hot blood it would have warmed my entire face. Even in the brisk air. God damn this woman to any hell.
"Quinn. That's not funny."
"It's a good thing I'm not joking then."
I sighed through my nose avoiding thinking about any pictures of that woman at all. Did lawyers endlessly flirt like this with every unsuspecting human? She hadn't passed her card onto Jamie or Will. As far as I knew the lack of signals towards that gym owner meant the same thing.
I wasn't naive enough to know she had no interest but I had to wonder how much... why did I keep questions turning in her eyes so much? Here I was concerned with how much she learned and documented of myself when I had her driver's number plate on my phone. I shook my head and looked to the bright glass towers around me now.
I was way downtown. Closer to the East of Hyde Park than before. I glanced down at my phone again and decided I couldn't not reply to this mortal.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and continue my walk."
Her reply was quick and her curiosity an irresistible thing to her. "You're still walking?! I know they don't pay police enough but really detective I can get you a lift next time."
I glared at the text and her grin that was practically staring me through the phone.
"Your concern for my income is charming. But some people like to walk."
"In the middle of winter... Fletcher you're weird."
That was the second time she'd told me that now. I chuckled shaking my head. She didn't know the half of it.
"I know."
"I like it."
My entire being froze over and I tripped on the sidewalk. I tripped.
I stared at the ground in confusion before staring at the message again thinking I'd misread the words. I like it.
I like it.
* * * * *
Will waved a hand in front of my face.
"Fletcher! We're up in ten don't tell me you need sleep now."
I met his eyes quickly and dragged a strand of hair from my face that had slipped out.
"I'm good." I confirmed, checking my own gun and sliding the hammer back.
The other officers were collected in pairs around us and checking arms or adjusting kevlar vests into place. The indoor range mocked the inside of an extensive building with windows, doors and pop out targets. They had directional arrows on the floors.
In honesty I was just distracted again. Rereading that text message. Analysing every detail of that photograph. None of it was case related... It was Quinn related. Now she was burned into my damn memory and refused to leave.
The red lights outside the combat entrance flashed from red to green and Will dropped me a quick nod–I could practically hear the excitement and anticipation beating out of his body. I rolled my eyes as he almost ran into the room and ducked behind a wall. It was darkened to simulate a night raid. We switched on the torches under our barrels.
A signal sounded. I let him pick the first target that popped left. Another took right and I paused before landing one in the shoulder and chest.
He signalled me with two fingers indicating a split down two paths.
I ducked to the side and hopped a window before popping another two targets in the chest. I heard the clangs of Will's bullets landing somewhere off to the right. He tended to aim for the head which wasn't necessary but it still scored you high for accuracy... if you landed it. You were only allowed 3 magazines.
We worked through the corners and checked our flanks in methodical swiftness. Our score looming high above in red writing. It taunted my partner but just made me roll my eyes.
"Come on, Fletch. 35 to clear." Will murmured beside me.
We loaded new magazines in and clicked them ready. Another ping to the right and two more to the left. I raised from my position and took the right target in the central chest before Will clipped two more in the side and shoulder.
"Fuck sake." He muttered.
I glanced at the score above us. "Maybe top score next month." I teased.
He growled and stepped to the side of the wall rushing two more shots and earning him more arm shots to the metal targets that popped down again. I sighed and watched the hallway. We had 28 targets left to clear and a point difference that was very wide.
If we didn't land top three my partner would have me in this discussion for the rest of the damn month. I snapped up from the wall and landed a bullet in the target's forehead. It flew down and caused two more to pop through windows. I flicked to the left picking a head and dropped into a crouch before picking the one on the right.
Will was rushing off to the right somewhere while I moved faster.
Ping. Through the head. Another sound I twisted and only bothered to use one hand making me faster still. For any mortal aim it would greatly impact accuracy but to me... The machine increased the target pace to keep up with me. I slid a new mag out, catching and switching in less time than it took for the next set.
Four targets flew high and I snapped off shots with lethal precision ending them all in the same way. Perfect shots. Perfect scores–
I quickly checked the red score above us that was dangerously close to topping the lead. Shit. That was too fast. Better just... I shot off three rounds missing all targets and letting them disappear. I watched the score adjust and took a breath.
I heard Will popping off more shots and decided to let more go down with shots to the arm. Three targets remained. I heard two more shots go off before I levelled the last one in a window and sunk a bullet in the centre of the head. I rolled my shoulders and released the magazine.
Will came rushing over to my sector.
"Fletch, Fletch we were so damn close! Look!" He threw his hand up as our red numbers stared us down. I nodded. Second highest was good enough to avoid complaints.
"We must have landed more accurately towards the end." I acknowledged lamely.
He nodded focused and snapped his gun up in a mock aim. "I was clearing quicker and thought it would compromise my aim but our score says differently." He smirked, nudging my arm.
"C'mon top gun lets return these." I told him, moving to the edge of the combat range.
We exited and a few pairs gave us nods and compliments. Scoring top three in the station without being in the firearms squad was admirable. In fact the trained unit pairs started grinning our way. Jamie then shouldered his way past his coworkers with a wide grin.
"You've got to be kidding me!" His thick Irish voice broke above the rest. "Look at you two showing up the big boys."
Will smirked and crossed his arms. "I could have sworn firearms squads were meant to land top tier in the station."
"We've not gone yet, Harrison. Just you wait." He promised as he checked his loaded gun. His rather built partner was tilting his neck and looking over us curiously.
"Not bad." He nodded, glancing at our score. "I thought you were middle tier for sure but your score started flying up." He said in confusion.
"There can be a delay sometimes." I supplied, glancing at Will who shrugged.
"Me and Fletch just turned up the heat. Good luck boys." He grinned at them and Jamie slapped his shoulder before turning away. His partner still eyed the score with a look that didn't quite believe it before shaking his head and following the Irish.
It was not an impossible score to beat... I had made fully sure of that. Definitely above average for a pair that rarely engaged in open gun fights or training. But enough to keep Will quiet for a while.
I dumped the kevlar vest and firearm off at the armoury before grabbing my phone and badge. It was only nearing midday now and the Inspector had cut us a break given the recent drug bust our department had landed. I found Will and shrugged on my overcoat.
"I'm taking the rest of the day." I stated, while he nodded with a smile.
"No issue, Fletch. Solid work out there. If Jamie doesn't land our score he will never live this one down."
I shook my head in exasperation. "He will never live it down or you won't let him?"
Will only gave me a fake look of innocence as he passed his equipment over to the armoury. So much for having him shut the hell up about this one. I turned for the door.
I called Pearson and he answered on the first ring.