Shadow

02 | Second Impressions

"You're lying to me."
"Hmm."

Genevieve's hands clutched the armrests of the chair out of sheer astonishment. Her gaze lingered on him for a few seconds, as if she was waiting for him to burst out with a 'just kidding' any second now.

"So you're saying- wait a damn minute."
She sprung out of the seat and onto her feet. Her palms rested flat against the desk of her colleague. Said colleague continued to scroll through an article, completely unfazed by the way she stared at him with a disbelieving look.

"This man is convicted of endless first degree murders, several robberies, and four homicides. And because of me, he escaped. Is that what you're trying to say?" Genevieve's voice cracked by the time her rant finished.

"Five homicides... and he's also a big drug lord." Daron corrected, his bored gaze flickering towards Genevieve for a split second.

"But yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Her stare of bewilderment lingered on him for a moment, still out of the belief that he'd say he wasn't serious any minute now. He didn't. Genevieve pushed herself off of the desk to stand up straighter, and a sharp exhale slipped from her lips. She began to stroll back and forth absentmindedly, with her hands resting on her hips while she pondered.

No wonder he looked at me as though I murdered his parents, she thought to herself.

"Also-" She stopped her restless pacing to voice another question. It was trivial, but valid nonetheless.
"What's with the nickname? Shadow. I mean, really?" Genevieve scoffed, and she shifted in her spot so she could face Daron.

"A pretty baller nickname, if you ask me." He replied, his amused tone contradicting his unamused countenance.

"The guy never leaves a trace. It's like he disappears into thin air after committing these crimes, so no one has a proper lead on him yet. Hell, they don't even know his real name."

The sound of a soft click emanated from Daron's grip on the mouse, before he let go of it. He laced his fingers together and shifted his attention from the monitor to an antsy Genevieve.

"I'd be surprised if the Alec Walliams didn't despise your existence at this point."

"That's very reassuring, Daron. Thanks." She snipped, and he sent a dramatic flying kiss her way.

The more alarming part to her was the fact that she hadn't heard of such a man up until last night. If he had truly pulled these heinous acts, why weren't several teams assigned to this case? And was he doing all this alone? She chewed on her bottom lip as the questions piled up, one by one.

A small rush of wind grazed Genevieve which pulled her out of her trance. She whipped her head around just in time to see Alec stroll past her. Not even a glance in her direction. He simply breezed right past her. The stoic expression was still plastered over his features as he made his way to somewhere in particular.

Genevieve raised a questioning brow. Her eyes were trained on his back while she watched his form disappear into a corner of the corridor. Needless to say, her existing dislike towards him doubled.

"...I think he hates you."

♣♧♣

"I won't tolerate such slander. Especially when it's aimed at someone very respectable."

Useless old geezer, Alec mused internally. He wouldn't know a traitor, even if it killed him.

"You mean to say... that you sent her just to make things harder for me?" He didn't care for the coldness that tainted his words. Alec suddenly regretted disclosing his location with the dense dinosaur in front of him, and made a mental note right there and then to work quietly from now on.

"No, I sent her because she's arguably just as skilled as you are. When you dress up like a hoodlum and hide in an abandoned building, anyone in her position would do the same." The commissioner explained, completely glossing over Alec's evident irritation.

What part of undercover does he not-

"That woman is on Shadow's payroll, and she's fooling you all with her facade." He declared as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The chief's words always entered one ear and exited from his other one.

"I almost had him. But then she appeared out of nowhere and aimed a gun at me, when she could have come across me before or after I nearly caught him. This timing is too convenient to be a mere coincidence."

The commissioner watched Alec for a second or two before sucking in a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he even had the opportunity to say something.

"She makes one wrong move from today and onwards, and I'll shoot her. I can't tolerate obstacles, just like you can't tolerate the truth."

Alec didn't wait to see or hear a reaction to his statement. He simply dismissed himself and walked out of the office, with the objective of carrying out his assigned task which was so rudely disrupted. Well, it was more that he had taken it upon himself to catch the seemingly invincible outlaw, after hearing endless tales of how everyone else failed.

It was obvious that he didn't care about how impolite he came off to the chief of police. Alec's importance surpassed the ones of both the commissioner and miss Assface combined, so something more than a mere sharp tone would be required for him to get fired. He knew that himself.

On his way towards the main doors of the station, he spotted the dispatcher he walked past just a few moments ago. This time she wasn't standing in front of the desk, which led him to wonder where she had gone off to. It didn't concern him too much, after all, the day had just begun.

And she was a police officer too. Surely, she had important things to take care of.