Chapter 7
SEVEN
LEO
I stormed after Alex, my veins on fire.
Reed tried to shout after me, but noticed the heat in the air, and decided to stay behind in Dahlia’s office to get the rest of our orders.
For once, he made the right call. Alex rushed forward, her hips swaying as she took quick strides toward the exit of the VIA headquarters.
I was brimming with… something. I wasn’t sure; all I knew was that I couldn’t let her walk away, and that I was furious.
“Alex,” I snarled as I reached her. “Get back here.”
She whipped around, that long black ponytail nearly slapping me in the face. “You didn’t want to enlighten me about the fact that this was the mission? Are you serious right now? You want me to help you take down Joon’s killers? After three years?”
I rolled my neck as the heat started to climb inside me. “We only need you to do the interrogations; you will not be on the field with us. Believe me, this wasn’t my intention.”
Alex threw up her arms as if I were the bane of her existence.
“Yeah, you’d never want me on the field with you.
I got that part. You could’ve given me a warning, though.
This is bullshit, and you know it. Why didn’t you contact me sooner?
I didn’t even know they were still out there!
I don’t even know what the fuck actually happened! ”
I grit my teeth. Agents and Heroes passed by, tilting their heads to get all the juicy details. I snatched her wrist, and barely listened to her protests as I dragged her away. We walked into a large meeting room, and I closed the door behind me, locking it as I turned back toward her.
“Listen, when I gave Dahlia your name, I only wanted her to check up on you. I wanted to make sure you were still alive, that you were doing alright—”
Her eyes blazed. “It was you? You put me back on their radar?! Idiot!”
She was screeching, and my ears started to ring. “I didn’t mean to! I thought Joon would’ve wanted me to make sure you were okay—”
Alex lifted her hand, showcasing the red scar on her skin. “Yeah, Joon definitely would’ve wanted you, of all people, to check on my wellbeing. How dense can you be?”
For once, I stopped running hot. Every ounce of fire was extinguished by the sight of that scar, of the way she weaponized it against me. I deserved it; I knew I did. But my chest tightened, my feet turned numb, and my mouth went dry. I didn’t taste ash—I tasted blood.
A metallic tang ran across my tongue as I bit my cheek and clenched my fists.
Stay calm, Leo. Stay cool. Apologize. Don’t be a jerk, don’t be a—
“What happened to you being third class?” I spat.
Those weren’t the words I wanted to say; it wasn’t the topic I wanted to harp on. But I was never good at talking, anyway. Fighting was more my speed.
“You weren’t supposed to be in the field, Alex. You were supposed to be safe,” the last word ground out like a curse.
Her jaw dropped before she started poking me in the chest with a single small finger. Each word was punctuated with a hard jab, as if she could stab me straight through the heart with her nails.
“Why do you even care about my class?! You don’t know shit about me. It’s none of your business, weirdo!”
I gaped. She thinks I’m weird?
But she continued on, as if she didn’t just throw me a gut punch.
“If you have to know, I’m a third class Hero, but first class in intelligence.
The top of the bottom of the barrel, exactly what you always thought I should be.
I get in, get the information, set the trap, and get the fuck out of dodge. It’s not a big deal.”
I let out a breath, and smoke filtered out of my nose. My insides were burning again, ignited by Alex’s flame. A cigarette was in my mouth and lit before I could even think, pulling a long drag in as I attempted to remain calm.
“Are you serious?” She scoffed. “You can’t smoke in here.”
I narrowed my eyes and gave her a hateful smile. “First class privileges, Sweetheart. Deal with it; blame it on that little brain of mine.”
Why did I even care? I must have lost my fucking mind. But Alex was here, giving me all her spite, refusing to back down even though she was half my size. And she didn’t look as broken anymore.
“You know what?” She sighed and held up her hands. “I can’t deal with this right now.”
She went to dodge around me, and when I reached for her, she spun around with that pointed finger, threatening to bruise my chest again.
“Don’t.”
I stared at her, openmouthed, with my cigarette hanging out of my lips, as she unlocked the door and stomped away.
I trailed behind, urgency buzzing through me as I watched her pull out her cell phone and press it against her ear.
Reed stood outside the door, his face red and lips pressed tight together.
“This…should work out well,” he chuckled nervously.
I shot him a glare before shouting, “Alex! We’re not done yet!”
She turned around, wrath on her face, as she pointed that damned finger at me again. “Shut it, asshole!” Alex sneered at me before turning her attention back to her phone. “Minnie, I’m sorry. Do you have an appointment available today? It’s…urgent.”
Reed cleared his throat as we watched her walk away, as everyone in the building watched her leave. I was left frozen, adrenaline pushing through my body.
“Maybe give her a day to cool off,” Reed shrugged. “Or, like, a week.”
I shook my head, still in a daze. “Who the fuck is Minnie?”
“You’re…so bad at this, man. Like, so terribly bad.”