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Chapter 918 A Sudden Start

"Fine, I\'ll work on it. Make it a new year, a new me, and all that, alright?" I said to them, wanting nothing more than to cut this interrogation short. "Save all this sleuthing and snooping of yours for some actual police work instead." 

Blue challenged that statement with a look, her brows mockingly furrowed. "Got no clue what you\'re talking about. Far as we know, we already have an open ongoing investigation standing here right in front of us. Biggest case yet." 

"Go on, just spill it already," goaded Green. "Them helmets sitting on your bike ain\'t just for show, clearly. You\'re off somewhere. And I\'m betting you\'re more lying than you are clueless. Got a long history of hiding incriminating evidence, after all." 

"I\'m not lying," I said, blinking hard and wishing that split-second darkness would spirit me off somewhere far, peaceful, and hopefully monochrome. "And even if I were, even if you somehow manage to squeeze the truth out of me, what\'s it matter to you? Gonna stalk us?"

"Nothing so drastic…" Red kindly reassured. "But also not too unlikely…" 

Walking, talking paradoxes. All of \'em. 

I felt ensnared, trapped, and with no attorney on speed dial to exercise my rights for me. But just as I was beginning to think hope was nowhere in sight, I found it… distress instantly turning to relief. 

"Not getting anything out of me," I told them simply. 

"Unfortunate," once again, Blue boldly stepped up to the plate, a fire in her eyes. "Care to explain why\'s that?" 

I swung my leg around, and mounted my bike, helmet already raised an inch above my head. 

"Because my date\'s just arrived." 

It was like a dark, malignant just suddenly began looming over them. And that wasn\'t far off the imagination. Irene slowly made her way through the gap between them, the clack of her heels heightening the deafening silence that accompanied her every step. 

"Dismissed," her voice echoed deep and sharp, a flimsy silver of restraint barely holding back her full wrath. "Or didn\'t you hear me the first time I said it?" 

"Shit."

"Fuck."

"Bye…"

Red scampered off first, evidently wiser beyond her peers. The rest of the two took after her cue and rushed off after their missing whole. But not before Blue threw me another look, one of frustration and a sliver of resolve. 

Guess that means I\'m off the hook, for now at least. 

"No cloak today?" she pointed out, her gaze searching me thoroughly and mildly surprised not to see a single thing ruffling and fluttering about me. 

"Not cold today," I answered.

For a moment, she seemed to be considering something, before, with a blink, that looked vanished and her eyes grew sharper again. Great, here comes the reprimand.

"I told you to wait somewhere further," she said. "Or, what is it—you actually enjoy the attention you get from them? That\'s quite the hubris you\'ve developed." 

"Relax, not cocky. Just considerate, alright?" I said, picking up and handing her the spare helmet. "I know you wear heels to work, didn\'t want you to walk. Have a heart for me having a heart, would you?" 

"Sweet of you, but heels don\'t annoy me," she said, clasping the big, plastic dome around her head, a faint scowl piercing through the visor. "Office gossip on the other hand…" 

"You\'ll live," I assured her, giving her my most confident smile. Besides, gossip isn\'t all bad. For example, just the other day, I learned about a certain detective\'s favorite song. Apparently, she has it on repeat in her office all day—" 

"Okay, that\'s enough out of you." 

Irene hastily climbed onto the back. I took a second to collect myself, a single second that tested every constraint and restraint known to mankind. Her hands on my shoulders felt a billion tiny jolts of electricity running through me, The chills on my nape feeling the slightest gust of her breath, and her smell seemingly permeating from everywhere. 

God, I\'m supposed to drive like this?

"Start the engine," she ordered. "Get us out of here." 

I slowly turned toward her, breathing, whiffing as little as I could of her. "Still haven\'t said where we\'re headed. Or why you even called me here for that matter." 

"Promise we\'d talk this morning, didn\'t I? Here we are." 

"I remember that, yeah. But I guess the part where you said I\'d be taking you somewhere on my bike must have slipped my mind." 

"Happens to the best of us," she said dryly. "Don\'t worry, I forgive you."

"Jokes aside, Irene. What are we—?" 

"Decided I changed my mind," she said before I could finish. "Today\'s the day we start on your lessons." 

"Huh? What?" I spun further back, probably disjointing a couple of vertebrae in my spine as I did. "So suddenly?" 

"Yes, so suddenly," Irene affirmed. "Now hurry and go. Some colleagues are starting to recognize me." 

With a sputter and roar, I kicked us off the curb and wheeled us into the nearest lane of traffic all the while struggling to rip my focus from this turn of events before I inadvertently drive past a red light or something. 

"No, but seriously," I said over the heavy rustle of wind. "So suddenly? I mean, what changed your mind?" 

"Reasons," she replied, her tone ending with a rather sour note. "Not very good reasons in hindsight." 

"Plan to elaborate on that?" 

"Later," Her eyes then peeked over my shoulder, and I saw her briefly scouring the approaching junction. "Take a right here, there\'ll be an exit, it\'ll bring us to the outskirts of the city. Somewhere quiet, secluded. We can begin your lessons there." 

I turned as commanded, swerving a hard right after a short pause at a light. I was still thinking, still reeling. Was planning to tell her about the dream I had as soon as I got the chance, but now it seems that discussion was gonna have to wait in line for a bit longer.

Not to mention the big, hulking elephant occupying the inch between us. It\'s still only been a couple of days since New Year\'s happened, and we haven\'t exactly given that time the aftermath and gravitas it oughta deserve. And I\'m not really sure where I\'m supposed to start with that.

"These lessons of yours," I began to inquire. "Like, what exactly are you planning to have me do?" 

At that, I heard Irene chuckle. And it was the weary, exasperated sort of half-groan you give when you genuinely have nothing else to offer. 

"Just keep driving for now," she finally answered. "I\'m still trying to figure that out myself." 

"No plan? Really?" I said in disbelief. "I mean, then… this seriously couldn\'t have waited \'till you had one? Tomorrow, perhaps?" 

"Today\'s the only day we got." 

"Why?" 

"Reasons," she said again with that same weary breath. "Not very good reasons, like I said." 

"Starting to see that," I sighed back. "And I\'m starting to get real curious what those reasons might be." 

"Later," I heard her say once more, feeling another jolt as her hands readjusted their hold, tightened them. "For now, eyes on the road, please."