The Midnight Crime - Chapter 13

Falcon nearly jumped out of his very skin. Autumn stood behind him, a full basket of dirty laundry under one arm while the other held a half full water bottle. Her expression was one of surprise and amusement, and Falcon wondered how long she had known he was there before deciding to come forward. This strange girl kept surprising him, turning up at the oddest moments and spitting words which made his heart stop beating for a few damn seconds.

‘Like I have said it before, you suck.’ She laughed, reminding him of her jab at his spying skills. ‘Though, I might be too good is a strong option too.’

Falcon wanted to wipe that smug smile off her face. It was annoying enough that she had managed to creep up behind him, let alone remind him about it.

Falcon jerked at a clattering noise coming up the stairs. It seemed like someone was clambering up the rickety steps without bothering to keep it low, despite the late hour. Falcon glanced at Autumn, who opened her mouth, as if she was about to yell. His breath quickened as he placed a hand over Autumn’s mouth and jerked her behind the snooker table, forcing her to stoop low and hide with him in the dark shadow cast on the ground by the old thing. Autumn didn’t struggle, though her features twisted in anger and she bit at his palm, forming teeth marks along the rough skin.

Falcon let her go with a faint yelp, glaring at her, as the feet of the newcomer became visible from underneath the table. They were dragging their feet and from their miscalculated steps sounded drunk and near unconsciousness. They opened the door to the room nearest them and Falcon heard the sound of them collapsing on the floor. Autumn grimaced, the person’s feet were halfway outside the door, making the probability of the next person coming up the stairs to trip over them very high. Realizing they wouldn’t hear anything even if she shouted in his ear, Autumn snapped,

‘If you touch me one more time, I will yell ‘trespasser’ at the top of my voice.’

Falcon felt something akin to guilt inside him, he had been unnecessarily harsh and Autumn wasn’t yelling before. Precautions are precautions, he reminded himself as an excuse to justify his behavior.

‘Which one’s your room?’ he asked instead, ignoring the fury on her face.

It was a quick gesture, the sharp turn of her head to the room farthest down the hall, before Autumn turned her head back just as quickly and sent him a murderous glare. Falcon hadn’t missed the turn of her head as he turned and stared at the ajar door.

She noticed his glance and snarled under her breath.

‘Get out.’

A single command spoken with a snap, but Falcon ignored it like her previous words.

‘Not without answers.’

Autumn picked up her laundry basket from the floor with a jerk, which had fallen when he had grabbed her, and headed for her room. Falcon followed at a quick pace, closing the door shut with a snap behind him as they both went through.

The small room was much like the one he had climbed in the broken window, a single bed and dresser occupying the small space. There was a small trunk resting at the foot of the bed, while a few clothes were scattered on the ground. The bathroom door was ajar, a steady dripping noise of the tap creating a hollow sound which resounded on the tiles.

‘You’ve come from somewhere.’ He stated, his eyes on the trunk. ‘Where?’

Autumn ignored him, slapping her hand at a button in the dark and a soft light filled the room. The room lit up, the ugliness of it more prominent in the glow. It was messier than he had thought, the clothes lying about in heaps, and a few wrappers discarded on the floor. The mess disgusted him, he liked to keep everything of his’ in order and organized.

There was a set of leather pants and a shirt lying on the bed, the leather sleek and dark as night. There was a belt around the waist, which was for holding weapons, he knew from a single glance at the suit. It was a suit for wearing in battle, the pockets for holding the vials necessary for the fight. It looked like some sort of fighter’s gear, which intrigued him more. What was a gear doing in the room of a girl in this god forsaken place?

Falcon cast his eyes around for the object that interested him, and saw the phone lying on the desk. It was a sleek, black thing, and from the looks of it, worth the price of the building they were in. Their eyes locked and they lunged for the device at the same time, which hit the floor with a crash.

Autumn had managed to grab the phone but one look at it and she let out a wail.

‘You broke the screen.’

‘It’s just the protector that cracked.’ He retorted.

She gave him a death glare and moved away, holding the phone behind her back.

‘Hand it over.’ Falcon said, as he extracted the small pistol from the waistband of his jeans.

Autumn eyed his hands cradling the weapon and let out a loud laugh.

‘Guns don’t scare me.’

Falcon chuckled. Autumn was truly mental.

‘They will, when you’d be hit by one.’

‘You don’t have it in you.’

‘You will be surprised at what I have in me, maid.’

‘Like the ability to break into houses and steal the most precious item inside them?’

‘How much do you know?’

There was a silence between them which stretched awkwardly, until Autumn spoke.

‘Name, Falcon. Age, Unknown. Job, hired to break-in and steal.’ She spoke as if reciting facts from a text book. ‘The most wanted criminal in the country. Carries a death sentence over his head for the murder of Senator Jaminah Blue and his family five years ago. Contacted by email, address untraceable.’ She finished.

She stared at him for a few seconds before she spoke. ‘I must say, I didn’t expect you to be so young.’

‘How did you find out?’ he gasped. ‘Who are you?’

‘Who are you? Apart from being a murderer, of course. Who’s your hirer? How did he know of the package?’ she asked several questions in one breath, chest heaving as the words fell from her mouth with a snap.

‘Who else knows about me except you? Who else has seen my face?’

‘Just me.’ She said, with a dart of her pupils, indicating her lie.

‘Cut the crap out and hand the phone over, before I tie you up and wring the answers out of you.’ He spoke in the tone he used with his victims.

But Autumn didn’t look scared. She was looking at him with curiosity in her eyes.

‘Why haven’t you shot me yet?’ she asked in an incredulous voice.

Falcon licked his lips. The gun suddenly felt a lot heavier in his hands than it did a minute ago.

‘I have a proposition.’ He said finally, staring at her face intensely for her reaction.

Just like he had expected, her mouth fell open, eyes surprised as she took in his words.

‘A deal? What kind of deal?’

‘Erase your phone’s memory card and destroy the device. Get rid of every evidence you have on me. In return, I will not speak a word about you to any of the Yarrows. You can keep faking your job at the manor and look for the package. None of us will come in each other’s way.’

He spoke with an air of finality.

‘How do I know you will keep your part of the deal?’

‘I will. Falcon never pulls out of an agreement first.’

Autumn slowly nodded her head, as if still contemplating the deal and searching for holes.

‘Deal.’