Justice at Delphi - The Fall of Sibyl

Chapter 20

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.

-Sydney J. Harris

And I thought the prospect of an isolation cell was bad...

Kogami cast a bored gaze on the cracked concrete ceiling and its single bare bulb. The light it cast was poor, but there wasn't much worth seeing anyway. His room was a repurposed utility closet, barely large enough to accommodate a cot, a rusty sink, and an old metal cabinet. While he was grateful for a measure of privacy, he was starting to get claustrophobic.

For the last hour, he'd been trying to distract himself. His eyes traced the cracks in the ceilings and walls. It wasn't working. His body and mind were restless. He felt like a caged animal. Except a caged animal had room to pace. He could take maybe three strides and then have to turn around. He needed something constructive to do. Anything. The inaction was starting to drive him crazy.

Letting out a frustrated breath, Kogami closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. Sleep would come faster in her arms. Akane's smile drifted through the darkness of his mind. His heart thudded in his chest. His mind's eye traced her full lips. Red and pout-y from his kisses. The delicate line of her jaw. Her graceful neck. Her body, lean but softly curved in all the right places.

A new tension took the place of his restlessness. The memory of a trick he'd taught her in bed returned to torture him. He'd never forget that innocent expression in her eyes. Curious and eager. She'd been a quick learner. He bit his lip and gripped the sheets beneath him. He ached to touch her. To just be in her presence.

A knock on his door jerked him out of his fantasy. "Yeah?" His voice was rough even to his own ears.

"We've got company." Koji's gravelly voice sounded muffled on the other side of the door.

Kogami tensed. His body instantly ready for a fight. Who could possibly have found them down here?

"Your inspector is here." Koji continued, his voice teasing.

Kogami would have been irritated with Koji's ribbing. However, he was too preoccupied with thoughts of Akane to care. Rising quickly, he wrenched open the door. Koji was leaning against the wall grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Nodding briefly to him, Kogami stalked past.

Koji smothered a laugh. He doubted Kogami had much of a sense of humor at the moment. He'd been on edge all day. Their lovely inspector better get moving with her plans. Otherwise, her wolf was going to go stir crazy. Waiting was anathema to a man of action. He needed direction. However, with that determined stride, he suspected that Kogami already had a few ideas in mind. Not that he didn't blame him. Had he been 30 years younger he could easily see himself chasing her too. He just hoped Hasegawa minded his p's and q's. This operation would go down the tubes if they couldn't work as a team.

Kogami stopped himself from barreling into the main room. Coming around the corner slowly, his feet halted of their own accord. There she was. His heart convulsed in his chest. Somehow her presence here made him feel complete.

Akane chatted with Hasegawa, a smile on her face. Despite the smile, there was tension around her eyes. She looked tired, as if she had been putting on a front all day. It can't have been easy  going back to work and pretending everything was the same. Especially, when she was sure that Sibyl was watching.

It was that moment she chose to look up. Their eyes met from across the room. Relief, exhaustion, and need. He could see it plainly in her face. Everything and everyone else faded into the background as he focused on her.

Politely excusing herself, she walked straight for Kogami. Without preamble, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He embraced her. It felt so good to feel her in his arms.