Gone Too Soon (Police Officer/Delinquent Relationship) BOOK 2

Chapter 22

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"We often want everything to stay the same, but feelings fade and people change. There are people who we think will be in our lives forever that become distant memories of our past. Do not fret. Feelings fading, and people changing is a part of life, and if you are growing as a person, not everyone will grow with you. You don't have to forget your past, instead learn from it and use this wisdom to choose the people who will surround you in the future." – unknown

I opened the door to Levi's floor and walked in. Violet said he was up there and has been all day.

"Levingston," I called out. "You here?"

"Right over here," he said.

I walked further in and saw him sitting on his bed. With one hand he was browsing on his laptop, and in his other hand was a lit cigarette. Levi brought the cigarette to his lips; the cigarette perched between his fingers. He took a drag.

"—So you smoke now?" I asked, crossing my arms. "Weren't you an advocate for a smoke free Wake Forest?" I remember Levi told me that in order to get into Police Academy he had to meet some volunteer requirements. For about a month, he was handing out flyers around Wake Forest University in support of 'smoke free policy' at the school. He also said that he participated in a peaceful protest.

Can protests really be peaceful?

Sure there might not be violence or vandalism but the protestors still got to speak, you know? 'Preach the good word."

"I didn't before," he told me, blowing out smoke. "I never understood why people who smoke said it helped relieve their stress. I get it now." Levi tapped the cigarette ash in the tray at his side. Almost immediately after, the cigarette was at his lips again. "What are you doing here, Maisie?"

"Right umm, well I found something that I thought was interesting." I reached into my purse and pulled out the article I had printed off. I walked towards him, nearly choking on the fumes in the air and handed it to him.

"Deadly Cloud?" he asked, after skimming over the title.

A cloud that kills.

Kind of like the cigarette he's smoking.

"I think we may have someone out there who wants us to figure out the truth," I explained. "Someone left a note on Imogen's windshield yesterday and that's what it said." I watched him as he scanned over the article. "I know you've read up about incidents involving VX and Sarin separately but in the article I found, they were suggesting it's possible for them, both, to be released at the same time."

Levi let out a slow breath, blowing out smoke.

"VX is the most toxic and looks like an oily, brownish liquid. But when it evaporates, the vapor is heavier then air so when it's released, it covers more ground. If you want to take out an entire area, it's the chemical weapon you'd want to go for. Sarin is so potent that a single drop the size of the bulb of a push pin, is all it takes for someone's body to shut down rapidly. Put the two together, you got a rapid suffocation that leads to the heart failing and paralysis of the muscles." You're watching your body shut down so quickly that there is nothing you can do to stop it. You don't have enough time to register what is even happening.