But I could only stare into my mug and wonder what time it was. Two a.m.? Three? Had morning come already, shining a light on my failures? I’d wasted everyone's time.
“Get out,” someone breathed.
I barely noticed the shuffling of footsteps or the click of the door. My chair spun, and suddenly I was face to face with a permanent frown.
“Where are you right now?” Leo leveled his eyes with mine, and I had to blink to brush away the fog that edged into my vision.
“Nightmyre PD, unless I’m hallucinating again.”
His scowl was ferocious. Leo never showed joy, not that I’d seen, anyway. But this look was pointed, the way it always was; a clear disappointment in me, in what I could do. Maybe he was right. I wasn’t meant to be a Hero; I’d made the right choice in quitting.
“You’re doubting yourself,” he said finally.
I scoffed before taking a sip of the sludge from my cup; police department coffee had a specific taste. Despair, and car oil.
“I can keep going,” I lied.
He leaned in, placing both hands on my chair. “You need to take a break. It’s beentwelve hours, Alex. This is too much.”
“I can do it.”
Leo rolled his eyes before letting out a long sigh. I hadn’t noticed he’d lit a cigarette, hadn’t noticed the ashtray beside me that was filled with them. The smoke wafted up, and I took a deep inhale, almost willing the nicotine to enter my lungs and give me a power up.
“I know you can do it,” he said, and my heart stopped.
Leo always said no. Always claimed Icouldn’t,that I wasn’t strong enough. But here he was, giving me his full attention, and telling me Icould.I didn’t know how to take that, didn’t know how to decipher why it brought me a sense of comfort.
He rolled his neck before glancing at the two-way mirror that divided us from the interrogation room. I took breaks in between—fifteen minutes at most — while they prepared the prisoners. The next one was ready for me; a bald man covered in tattoos, glaring straight through the mirror as if he could see us.
“I’m not saying youcan’t,Alex. I’m saying youshouldn’t. Heroes aren’t invincible; you know that. What happens when you get stuck? When these fucking salts can’t bring you back?” He waved his hand toward the vials placed on the table, a strange assortment that screamed we should be the ones behind bars.
“I’ll keep going,” I said, monotone.
Flames started to crawl along his forearms, and I reared back on instinct. His face contorted, and smoke pushed through his teeth before they disappeared.
“We all have limits,” he growled, before reaching over to snatch a tissue from a box I hadn’t even realized was there. “We can start again tomorrow. Get some rest, reorganize.”
I opened my mouth to protest as he pressed the tissue against my nose, and his frown softened. When he pulled it away, the white had been blotted with crimson. Ammonia tended to have that effect after extended use. I’d overdone it for sure.
“Those salts are gonna rot your brain, you know,” he huffed.
“I won’t die of a nosebleed,” I murmured before snatching the tissue back. “Stop acting worried. I just need some more time, and then we’ll be done.”
“It’s five a.m. which isinsane, and you’re exhausted. Forget the nosebleed—we all need tosleep.”
I froze. I didn’t realize how long it’d been, and my body finally cried out for mercy. I wanted to sleep, wanted to dream my own dreams. But the VIA was waiting, the organization wouldn’t stop, and weneededanswers. Joon deserved justice.
“One more,” I breathed before throwing back the rest of the sludge in my cup. “One more, and then we’ll start again tomorrow, I promise. I won’t waste your time.”
Leo cocked his head. “Is that what this is? You think you’re wasting my time?”
I didn’t respond.
His brows pinched together as he watched me. “We’ve been at this for three years. Four, if you count the time before Joon died. He and I worked on this mission for ayeartogether, and didn’t get anywhere. We couldn’t figure out what the fuck these guys were planning, where they’re coming from, any of it. I’ll give you more than twelve hours, Alex. I can give you that much, at least.”
A cigarette hung out of his mouth as dark circles framed his eyes, and I nodded. “One more.”
He tensed, and I was sure he would reject me. But slowly, he softened, and the red glow behind his brown eyes faded.
