Chapter 19 #2
Seeing Wyatt, although briefly as we stalk past the group of contestants and guards on the way to the Officers’ building, also does nothing to ease my mixed feelings over the human.
He was standing with Milo and Seffy this time. I’d wanted to march straight over and punch his face in. Or grab him by the gym clothes he was wearing and simply take off. Maybe putting two hundred feet between him and the ground would allow me to question him and get some truthful answers.
I’d also chanced a glance at Milo, just to make sure he was okay.
I could tell he was getting stressed when I kicked off earlier and looked positively stricken as I was being pulled away by Garrick.
He seemed calmer now, thankfully. Although, I now had reservations about the fact it was Wyatt there to protect him.
We arrive at Garrick’s office in silence, and don’t talk for a couple of minutes after either. The Head Officer moves about his desk, pulls out a phone and leaves. The only words he mutters are for me to stay put.
I remove my hood and mask before making myself comfortable in one of the chairs, putting my feet up on the wooden surface of the desk and leaning my head back, closing my eyes.
When did this start to get complicated?
Pulling the band out of my hair, I let the bun unravel as I run my fingers through the strands, putting some volume back into it after having to pin it up to hide my identity.
Instead of thinking through the murders, I stew in whatever is happening with Wyatt and Milo. And maybe, sort of, Garrick.
Playing on the same side with him today has made me all the more curious about who he really is.
On the surface, he is quick to fire barbs and is so abrasive I’m sure he’d be able to defend Hell all by himself, but I think it’s a front.
He’s damn good at his job, which I didn’t doubt as Hades is the one who gave him one of the leading positions in Elysium.
Urgh, someone end this pity party for one please.
My wish is granted as the door opens and Garrick walks back in with someone I’m not expecting. Jumping up, I’m releasing a shriek as I dive into his arms, and he’s just as excited to see me.
“Khaos, what are you doing here?” I exclaim, pulling back, my mood immediately lightening.
“Hades got pulled away elsewhere so he sent me to grab both of your reports on the latest victims,” he fills me in. “Fuck, it’s so good to see you, girl.”
He pulls me into another hug. He’s about the same height as me and we are similar in build too.
He’s got washboard abs that would make anyone jealous but he’s really not bulky.
And we have very similar tastes in most things, including bright hair.
His is currently blue with a strip of red mixed into the long fringe he has.
“It’s damn good to see you too.” I link my fingers with his, his nails a dark purple, and pull him over to the chairs. “Please tell me everything I’ve missed since I left. How is Cerberus, I hope you’ve been sneaking him those bacon things he loves.”
Khaos rolls his eyes so hard his head rolls with it too, but he chuckles. “Cerberus is missing you but is a few pounds lighter for not having you sneak him pastries.”
I tut. Cerberus is my favourite of their three Hellhounds. Shuck and Moddey are fun too, but me and Cerberus have a real bond.
“Can we get on with this please? I still have to debrief the guards and would like to get some sleep tonight,” Garrick interrupts.
“Yes, sorry Officer Zephyr.” Khaos shoots me a ‘what crawled up his ass?’ look and flicks his fringe back before offering Garrick his full attention.
I have to pull my lips between my teeth to stop from chuckling.
We run over the two murders again, Khaos asking questions when he thinks we’re skimming over key parts, or giving us something else to consider as he adds his own insight.
Despite his couldn’t-care-less persona, Khaos pays close attention to the details.
He is meticulous in everything he does and can read people with an accuracy I can only admire.
He sucks on his lip ring as he contemplates our list of suspects and asks for each one’s reason for being here.
I find myself waiting with baited breath as the discussion turns to Wyatt.
Khaos, however, is sceptical. “The MO of the killer doesn’t quite fit Wyatt’s record,” he surmises after Garrick recites it in more detail.
Wyatt’s death count is in the thousands.
It's a huge feat for his thirty-five years.
But from what Garrick says, he loved nothing more than making his victims know who was taking their life.
He boasted online–because of course he did–about how he fucked with a significant number of them before he made the killing shot.
That’s the other thing, his preference is guns. Only on request did he use a knife or his bare hands.
And we have seven other contracted killers alive amongst the contestants. The only strong link to Wyatt is the ability to break in and out of the rooms with seemingly never tripping the alarms or leaving a trace of entry.
It's the early hours before we’re done and Khaos gets up to leave.
Before he reaches the door, however, someone knocks from the other side.
Garrick jumps up to answer it, slipping out so they don’t see me without my disguise.
It’s a member of his team, needing his attention.
The door clicks shut as he deals with them, leaving me and Khaos alone.
“How are you doing? Really?” he asks me.
“I’m fine. This job is more than I anticipated but nothing I can’t handle.”
“I could feel the melancholy in the room when I came in, don’t lie to me, baby girl.
” His endearment pulls a smile from my lips.
We switch out the names we call each other, but there’s nothing romantic about it.
Khaos is like the brother I never had and I am like a sister to him.
It started as a joke to wind Hades up but it’s stuck.
“Oh, I’ve missed you, babe.” I pull him into my arms again, hugging him tight. Suddenly, the weight of the last few weeks lands heavy on my shoulders and I don’t want to let him go. “I wish we could go get drunk and do something stupid.”
He pulls back.
“Hey, what’s up?” he stares down into my eyes, trying to read me.
“It’ll shock you.”
“Try me.”
“I might be starting to care for some of the humans here,” I tell him. “Two, specifically. Maybe three.” I remember Seffy and include her as well, although there’s nothing more than friendship blossoming between us.
“Ha, is that all?” His face brightens, his eyes crinkling in the corners.
“It’s not funny. It’s messing with me a bit.”
“Sweetie, it’s about time someone got under your skin.”
“It’s draining.”
“Yes, it is.” He takes a deep breath and huffs it out as if remembering something. “But ride it out, you never know where it could lead.”
“Cryptic,” I deadpan.
“Try not to let it get you down, and if you need to talk, get Officer Grumpy-pants to give me a call.”
I chuckle as Khaos nicknames Garrick very similarly to how I’ve been thinking of him until the last couple of days. “Thank you. Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
“Me too. When this is over, we need a weekend together.”
“Please,” I tell him as the door opens and Garrick re-enters.
“I’ve dismissed the staff. Khaos, I’ll walk you out. Tacita, if you get changed, you can leave your stuff here, then wait until it's quiet before sneaking back to your room. I assume I can trust you to get out again.”
“Thought I was spending a night in the cells?” I quip.
“Changed my mind, pretend you figured out how to escape. I thought you could use a proper bed to sleep in, unless you’d rather the concrete floor?”
“No, bed sounds fantastic,” I say, then add, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Garrick looks slightly taken aback with my sincere gratitude but doesn’t say another word before leaving again with Khaos in tow.
He’ll need to be outside to open a portal, seeing as the Guards’ quarters have been magically locked to them–one thing I did learn from reading every document in Garrick’s desk.
Crossing the space, I open the bottom drawer to pull out my prison uniform from where I’d stashed it earlier. Hades had transported my assassin gear when Garrick had called to inform him about the latest murders.
Changing after I’ve shifted fully back to my human form, I hang around for a while longer until I’m sure I can sneak out without running into any of the guards.
I decide to go out through the tunnel where the cells are.
It takes me a while to get past the patrolling officers but eventually I’m clicking open the door to my room with my wristband and dropping down onto my bed.
I’m nearly asleep when the mattress dips and Milo’s scent washes over me as he sneaks into bed with me.
Not lucid enough to protest, or ask questions, I simply let him tuck himself around my body.
Nestling into the crook of my elbow, he comes to rest and his breathing evens out whilst I try to sort through the feelings rising in me at having him safe in my embrace.
His body heat is foreign against my side but it’s comforting on a level I’m not sure I’ve experienced before. I decide to let myself relax into whatever is happening here and sink into the deepest sleep I’ve had in weeks.