Chapter 4

"Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't blow your brains out."

The voice was deep and deadly calm. Hostility dripped from the person's tone, and for a second Genevieve thought she could recognize the owner of that voice.

She was at a slight disadvantage here, since the startling attack made her drop her phone. Flash side down. She had no chance of seeing the person's face, but in the end, it wasn't of much importance when her life was being threatened. Her entire form was caged against the wall so she couldn't even bring a leg up to potentially defend herself.

Had the circumstances been different and someone's wrist wasn't nearly suffocating her, Genevieve would have found the situation quite attractive. Her heart would have sped up from excitement, not because of a situation where she could possibly die.

'Shit'.

A hand of hers had silently crept towards her waistband, but the firearm was nowhere to be found. It couldn't have disappeared. The coldness of the object digging into her temple suddenly reminded Genevieve of its presence, and that's when she realized.

'Bastard. He's using my own gun against me'.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the area, and she could see the silhouette of a face just a hand's length away from hers. Using that as a silent encouragement, Genevieve tried to headbutt the assaulter, but he moved his face away just in time.

"Get your filthy hands off of me." Despite her helpless state, she never failed to voice her hatred towards the individual. The trick worked because he let go of her in an instant. It was more out of shock at her voice than the harshness of her words, but she didn't know that.

"Why ar-"

Genevieve wasted not one second after being released. She exerted the force of her entire body to her elbow as it connected with the person, and he staggered backwards with a grunt. Using the opportunity to reach for her phone, she shot towards the floor and clutched it tightly.

While she did get the chance to shine a light on the perpetrator's face and have a look, it wasn't long before she got pinned to the wall once more. A hand of his grasped onto one of her wrists in a deathly grip, and a forearm pressed her other wrist against the flat surface since his hand was busy pointing a gun on her face.

"What... in the hell, are you doing here?"

Dumbfounded would be one way to put Genevieve's reaction, when she learned that it was none other than Alec standing before her. What were the odds that they stumble upon each other in an abandoned structure, twice?

"I could ask you the same question." He muttered, sounding more annoyed than surprised that Genevieve was here.

"You couldn't get enough of me, huh?"

"Says the one who's practically smothering me." She fired back, but Alec still didn't release his grip. The beam of light from her phone managed to illuminate his features, and an emotionless expression adorned it.

'I bet he entered this world with that blank face', Genevieve mused. 'He probably didn't even cry, he just glared the midwife down'.

"Get that out of my face." She seethed, and her line of sight flickered gingerly towards the barrel of the gun.

Alec disregarded every word she said and simply moved the pistol closer to her, before he pressed it on her neck just below her jaw. His eyes scanned her face in contemplation, and Genevieve gazed back with loathing eyes. Just when she thought he couldn't possibly increase her hate for him, he proved her wrong yet again.

After a moment that was agonizing for Genevieve, Alec stepped away and freed her but his eyes were still trained on her out of caution.

And he was right to be cautious.

A leg of hers flew upwards and her foot connected with his groin. There was so much force in the kick, that he fell to his knees and let out a pained groan through clenched teeth. Perhaps his hatred for her doubled as well.

"I'll take that, thank you very much." Genevieve snatched her gun from his hand and tucked it into her waistband. She strutted towards the records room rather casually, as if she didn't potentially render him infertile.

'Eh, he'll be fine'.

Upon entering the room itself, a look of confusion took over Genevieve's face.

"How long have you been here?" She glanced behind her to see Alec, who was still doubled over in pain. He didn't respond, so she continued her venture deeper into the room.

The records room was exactly what you'd expect it to be. Countless racks and shelves stood aimlessly, nearly overflowing with stacks of worn out files. The dustiness of the room tickled Genevieve's nose which resulted in a small sneeze from her. She fanned her face as she walked in further, and her eyes wandered all over the place. The phone in her hand moved about as well to lighten up the spots she wanted to see.

In the very center of the room stood a table. A large cluster of folders littered the top and after a closer inspection, she realized that they all belonged to one person.

Shadow.

'Daron, you are the love of my life. Platonically'.

Genevieve closed her phone and used the flashlight resting on a corner of the table. She had reached out to grab one of the files, but Alec's threat stopped her.

"Touch them, and you die."

"Touch me, and your manhood dies." She remarked, not bothering to look in his direction. That statement was enough to slow his pace. But when the sounds of his steps didn't stop altogether, Genevieve finally looked up. She flashed the beam of light in his eyes deliberately to keep him from approaching her. If it managed to blind him, that would just be an additional benefit.

"What. Are you doing here?" Alec gritted out as he brought a hand up to shield his face from the flashlight.

"What does it look like?" Genevieve rested a hand on her waist and continued to torture his eyes with a bored look. Her sympathetic side kicked in after a little while, so she redirected the beam elsewhere.

"I'm here for information on Shadow."

Alec blinked a couple times, more so out of bewilderment than from the effects of the bright light on his orbs. He approached her and stopped a step away, with his palm resting on the table while the other hand mirrored Genevieve and clutched his waist.

"Why?" His eyebrow arched in suspicion. Alec wondered why she'd go through all this trouble just to get information on the criminal. For a second, he speculated that she was working on the case too.

'Maybe I'm overestimating her', he thought to himself.

"Oh my god, are you always this dense?" She huffed, with a faint look of annoyance crossing her face. Genevieve hated how he towered over her, and she had to tilt her head up in order to maintain eye contact.

"I want to hunt him down."

What he did next caught her off guard. For the first time, Alec smiled. It wasn't warm or friendly. Not even the charming one. It was simply a grin of amusement. He dipped to lean in a little, with his wry smirk still plastered on his lips.

"You want to hunt him down." It wasn't an inquiry, it was blatant mockery. Not only was he waiting for her to confirm her words, but he was also mocking her. Genevieve knew that but she chose to ignore it. Instead, she continued to gaze back with determination in her eyes.

"I want to hunt him down." She repeated firmly in return, all the while struggling to hide her awe. Even though he was indirectly taunting her which was undoubtedly infuriating, Genevieve noticed how the smile complimented his features. She wasn't ashamed to admit that he was dashing.

On the other hand, Alec's smirk grew wider when he caught her subtle astonishment. He stayed in that position, and his eyes dropped from Genevieve's to graze over her other features.

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