Paragon

⊰❉⊱ 16 ⊰❉⊱

I pulled up outside Henley & Bloom when the rush had seemed to pick up in the surrounding buildings. Mortals in expensive suits and key cards flitted in and out of the glass towers.

Quinn got out the car swiftly and turned to my passenger side which I descended the window of. She wore an easy smile like we had talked of no more than our weekend plans for the last hour and not the death of her boss or my icy touch. But there was still that lingering question in those bright green eyes.

"Thanks for taking the time... again." She emphasised, putting her hands into her winter jacket and drawing her shoulders up from the cold.

"Not at all. I know its been a lot to deal with. For anyone." I clarified, glancing behind her to see some movers shift new office furniture onto the street from a large truck.

"I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder." She smirked, "And if you were still up for it–"

I opened the door rapidly before she could finish and put myself between her and the car in a matter of seconds before one of the moving crews shouted across the street. She sucked in a breath.

A thick shelving unit had come crashing out of its bindings and stopped dead at my hand. A small dent appeared around my hand. I heard Quinn gasp behind me before I realised my mistake and set another hand on it to appear to at least be struggling to hold it.

"KARL! Get the other side now!" A worker in high vis shouted and appeared at my side to take the weight I already had. Another one pulled from the other side and the three of us set it back against the trolly loaded with more metal shelves.

The man in the hard hat turned to me too apologetic to even realise a young mortal woman shouldn't have been able to catch it with a hand like it was nothing... His grey eyes under the hard hat were wide and panicked.

"It's alright, try to secure them a little tighter next time." I remarked, casting him a cool look.

He shook his head and apologised again before pushing off with the trolly and relaying angered orders at more of his workers.

Quinn was still pressed against the car behind me with a rapidly beating heart. I turned to her slowly while she carefully pulled off the car. She shook her head stiffly.

"How the hell..." She trailed off before staring at me still not believing it. "You moved. In less time it took me to turn and lifted that like–" She dragged a hand through her hair.

"Honestly I just saw it fall and stopped–"

"No–no you can't give me a bullshit excuse this time." She stated curtly. "I wasn't drunk and I know what I just saw."

I stilled into a piece of stone. "And what exactly was that?"

"I–I don't know. Steroids? Red Bull?" She laughed without humour. "Fletcher I'm going to start asking more questions unless you start giving me some straight answers." She levelled me with her unbreakable stare.

I watched her back. Calculating. Deciding on what the hell I was going to do about this. I couldn't have just let her get crushed. A hit to the back of the head was enough to permanently damage mortals. Now I was stood before one that had seen me move like an immortal. Stop a tall metal shelf like it weighed nothing more than a bag of sugar and took two men to move.

"Fine." I cut out.

"Come with me." She cut back just as starkly.

When she turned to her building I sighed deeply at the pavement. Maybe it was time for a new city and a new passport, I mused seriously as I trailed the long legs of the Lawyer finding out too much about me.