GUN IN MY HAND

CHAPTER 26: EVIL GENIUS

'And the black keys

Never looked so beautiful

And a perfect rainbow never seemed so dull

And the lights out

Never had this bright a glow'

It was the only thing I hadn't given much attention to, and of course, my curious gaze had to peer, just a quick discreet glance, which ended in a staring frown when I caught sight of the lines and shapes.

A map?

"Yes, inspector."

I jumped, my hand, which had been hovering above the papers, stopping midair, as I realized I'd let out my thoughts in a whisper, and mostly, that he was close enough to hear my quiet murmur.

He was close enough to feel the skip of my heart rate.

Yet when I expected him to grow distant or throw a sharp comment, he just wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder, and as my heart started up again with fiercer energy, my fingers too, gently tracing the outlines that felt familiar.

"Subrose?"

He hummed against that fresh mark on the hollow of my neck, but I didn't lose my focus.

There was something intriguing me, almost calling a tickling in my guts as if it was like the secret maps the little girl from my dream had used to find the treasures. Though maybe it was just because it was part of Blade's life.

"Why?"

"Business. You don't wanna know... Let's go."

Even if I could already hear his lifted eyebrow and sly smirk, my head snapped towards him.

"Don't worry, it's not murder."

The thought hadn't crossed my mind in this long second, but I still let out a faint breath of relief. It was already a good thing, although it didn't ease the itch of curiosity, and I was still searching in the crystalline shades of his gaze for a clue, as if I'd ever pierced through the depths there without him letting me.

"It's a delivery."

I blinked, needing a moment to process he'd answered so easily, and maybe I was testing my luck when he pulled me by the waist and I slipped out of his embrace to turn back to the map.

"Drug?" It wasn't a question as my brain connected the dots as fast as my fingers grazed the drawings. "And it's the police?" I stopped on the red crosses, and it wasn't only my shaky fingers halting as I spotted the marks scattered near the area of the police station and all around the town.

"Yes." His voice was casual, his posture I could feel against my back as unaffected as always, then why a weight seemed to fall down in the small room?

Maybe it was just on my chest, making me hold my breath, as I once more took in the reality of the world, of his world because in mine, it only happened through kids' games. But here, it was adult matters with serious consequences.

"And you're the beer cap?" I approached softly the indented disc of metal, which was stuck on the outskirts of the Subrose map.

"The drug cargo. It's a truck, and we can't use our usual paths 'cause the cops 'mysteriously' spotted us last week."