Shadow

05 | Unwanted Collaboration

"Well then, what are you waiting for? The table is all yours."

The switch in his demeanor almost unnerved Genevieve. Just this morning he ignored her existence, and now he was acting the complete opposite.

He smiled, for god's sake.

"I don't need your permission, Alec." She muttered, before breaking the intense eye contact. Her hand directed the light onto the table as she took her time to skim over each folder. There was an array of files on Shadow. Some held his background, while some held a list of his crimes. One of them even held a brief description of him.

Alec's gaze bore holes into the side of her head, and after a little while, she paused what she was doing to glance at him.

"What?" Genevieve snapped, and she never made an effort to hide her annoyance.

The grin had faded by now, but his intent look on her remained.

"I never told you my name."

Bloody hell.

Genevieve knew he was absolutely right. Thankfully, the room wasn't brightly lit to showcase her red ears. She gulped inaudibly, and her eyes darted around the room before they settled on him again.

"Don't flatter yourself. I heard someone call you that."
"Who?"

His question was immediate, almost as if he had read her mind. Alec had a hunch that the dispatcher informed her of his name, but that didn't really matter to him. What mattered was the flustered look on Genevieve, and her attempts to cover her slip up.

"Daron." And with that she looked away, her eyes fixating on the files once again. She picked one up and eyed it intently.

"You do need my permission, miss..." He paused momentarily for an effect.
"Assface. I'm leading the manhunt."

Genevieve's grip on the file tightened for a split second, and she closed her eyes to contain the newfound rage at his jab.

I can never live that down, can I?

"Genevieve."

"What?"

"My name. Is. Genevieve." She said slowly, as if she was talking to a little child. She suddenly preferred the cold attitude over his pestering one. But, she should have thought twice before manifesting his closed off demeanour.

As a wise person once said, be careful what you wish for.

"Genevieve. Got it." Silence ensued after that, giving her time to read over the things she wanted. Deep down, Alec's pronunciation of her name appealed to her for some unknown reason, but she shrugged the thought away. This was not the time.

Genevieve began with the file on Shadow's physical description, and only one word sprung up after she was done inspecting it.

Bullshit.

"Wow." She drawled out loud.

"You expect me to believe that this guy who managed to get away with so much shit, is..." Genevieve paused to go over the list again, before she continued.

"Look I'm not fat-shaming here, I genuinely believe that all shapes and sizes are beautiful, but... a forty year old stumpy man can not be the Shadow."

Before Alec could say something in response, she cut him off.

"The style in which these robberies were carried, they all need some sort of physical fitness. They need agility, Alec. It says on here-" She placed the flashlight on the table to pick up another file, her gaze shifting towards it momentarily.

"-that after proper investigation, the possibility of him having any sort of physical assistance in these crimes was ruled out. He may have gotten inside help, but no one helped him physically. So how can someone so unfit pull these stunts?"

Alec stayed quiet for a while. He pondered over the points that Genevieve brought up and in all honesty, they were valid.

"That leaves us with two possibilities; this sheet is a hoax, or Shadow is fooling us all." She nodded vigorously at his statement, because his thoughts aligned with hers. The file was then thrown halfway across the room.

"We won't be needing that." She added before grabbing another sheet.

It dawned upon her just a few seconds later, that she cooperated with him. She cooperated with Alec. Genevieve glanced in his direction quickly, and she averted her gaze before he could notice.

"Just so you know, we're not a team. I told you all that so you wouldn't go after the wrong guy."

A retort confirming Genevieve's statement reached the tip of his tongue, but he stopped it from coming out just in time. It would be a shame to lose someone so meticulous, and he knew that. Although the thought of working together irked him, he had no other option.

"For your information, I'm not exactly dying to work with you. If anything, I want to run far away from you." Alec began flatly, and his gaze flickered towards the files on the table.

"But for the sake of catching that bastard... we have to team up."

"No." Genevieve didn't miss a beat. She didn't even pause to think over what he had said, the answer left her lips almost immediately. Not only did the thought of collaborating with him repulse her, but his borderline insult before the statement of teaming up ignited her hate for him. His attitude had notably shifted back to the cold one, and Genevieve didn't know how to feel.

"Yes."
"No."

Alec sucked in a deep breath as he raked a hand through his hair to compose himself.

"Have it your way then. I'll take this to the commissioner, then maybe he'll be able to persuade you.

That was it. Genevieve slammed the file down on the table. She turned her head to glare at him. Her hatred was very much evident on her countenance, and Alec's bored expression only enraged her further.

"I am not working with you."

"And how else do you plan on 'hunting him down'? Hmm? You didn't even know of him until yesterday, and now you want to play detective and catch a notorious crook. Might I add that many failed to do so."

As much as she didn't want to admit, Genevieve knew Alec was right. She was on square one whereas he was without a doubt much further. With his help, the possibility of seizing Shadow was way stronger.

She stepped closer to him and tipped her head up to face him fully. Hostility was written all over her face and somehow, her glower intensified.

"Mess anything up, and I won't think twice before shooting you."

Funny, I was just thinking the same thing, Alec thought to himself.

He pursed his lips as his eyes scoured her face, and for a second he was amused at the rage that was nearly oozing off of Genevieve. But he never showed it.

"The feeling is mutual. Now if you're done trying to pick fights with me, we can start on the more important matters."