The Worth of a Coin (BxB)

Chapter 15

-Ruarc Brennan-

Quan was pale and his eyes wandered around aimlessly. He looked terrified, but that was only because I knew what to look for. He was a generally inexpressive person, which meant that I had to look for other indicators of emotion from him. He was ignoring most of my questions, but I wasn't sure that he heard a few of them. His heart pounded loudly, skipping a beat every now and again.

"What did you find?" I asked in a whisper. Candice didn't follow us inside the building, but I knew she could hear us perfectly fine if we used a normal volume.

Quan swallowed. "Well, let's just say we both have secrets," he said in the same volume I had used. "I guess we also both have cases on our hands which shouldn't be investigated."

I scoffed. "I think mine is a little different to a police station being broken into."

Quan shrugged. "Either way, I don't think that the person meant to hurt anyone else here. It's safe for people to come back in." He rocked on his heels a few times. "I should take some time off."

My eyes widened and I had to reposition my feet to stop myself from letting my surprise show. "Time off?" I repeated. "I heard that you hadn't taken a day off since you practically started. What caused the change of heart?" Worry started to creep through me. Was Quan in danger? What exactly did he see? Did he not trust me enough to protect him? "Quan?" I said, as he hadn't responded to my questions.

He blinked a few times before clearing his throat and walking around me. "I'm fine, I just want to take some time away from the office."

I followed him quickly, keeping up with him effortlessly. "Okay, I know enough to know that when anyone says 'I'm fine' they really aren't fine." It had been a small annoyance for me over the past few decades, as I had also started to develop the habit. "Why can't you tell me what's going on?"

Quan spun around to face me, nearly falling forwards if it weren't for my hands gripping onto his upper arms. "Ruarc, just shut up!" he yelled. His eyes were full of fire and tears. The regular mist looked like smoke from a campfire. "I don't need you to get involved, I don't need anyone to get involved." He pulled out of my grip and sprinted towards the entrance, dropping his glove and cane in the process.

I sighed and picked the objects up. I would need to be hot on his heels and make sure he didn't get into any danger, but his words stung. I knew that he was a closed-off person, and I thought that I was making steady progress getting to know him better. I suppose I was wrong.

When I exited the building, Candice stood waiting for me, her arms crossed, and an eyebrow raised.

I shrugged my shoulders. "He said that the station is safe, and he's taking a few days off."

Candice's expression reflected how I felt, worried and surprised. "Did he now?" She tapped her chin, her glossy black nails reflecting the light. "Right, I don't have time to dwell on this now. Chop chop everybody, back to work." She clapped her hands, gaining everyone's attention and a few groans of disappointment. She then took hold of my wrist and pulled me to the side. "You make sure he's okay, alright? I don't want anything happening to him."

I nodded my head quickly. "That's my job," I reminded her.

She scoffed and shook her head, but otherwise pushed me in the direction of my house. "Go and do it."

I didn't need to be told twice. I sprinted down the road, ignoring the strange looks I received from Jade, William, and Kenji. They were the only three people who I had really interacted with at the station, that I hadn't really known before coming here.