Living In Infamy

Chapter Nine- Colby

The wall against my back provided little support as I sat on the floor of the hallway (Y/n) had run down. I messed up. I couldn't protect her. I failed, and now she had a whole team of highly trained FBI agents after her because of me. I let my head thunk against the wall behind me, ignoring the dull pain. I messed everything up.

"You alright son?"

I opened my eyes to see an older man leaning heavily on a cane

"Oh, sorry, sir," I said while standing up. "Am I in your way?"

"You aren't in my way. But you do seem troubled, son."

"Oh, it's nothing big. Just some," I trailed off, not quite sure how much I should tell the man in front of me. "Just some problems with a girl."

"Ah," the old man chuckled. "The problem that plagues us all. What kind of trouble? Maybe I could offer you some advice."

I hesitated for a second. Sure, I couldn't tell him the actual problem, but I could definitely blur the truth.

"You see, I really like this girl. She saw me with someone else and thought we were dating. She ran off before I could explain things to her."

"Ah. The old misunderstanding. I've been on this earth a long time. I've seen it all."

I gave a saddened chuckle. "How am I supposed to fix this?"

"Don't let regret replace the dreams you have to chase. Go after her and explain everything."

"Thanks, sir."

"But, be careful. You might fall down on your face," the man confessed, "but you gotta roll the dice and have some faith. Now go after her."

"Thank you, sir." I smiled at him before running down the maze of halls. I could still find (Y/n). The only problem was I couldn't just sprint through the lobby. That would just scream to everyone hey, I don't have (Y/n) anymore, so she's up for grabs! Who knew what the gang would do to her if they found her before I did. Still, it would be worse for the FBI to get her before I do.

I did a sweep of the lobby, only to find Sam there. I mentally sighed and pushed on. I was so close to the doors when I made the mistake of locating Sam again. I locked eyes with him. He quirked his eyebrow, his movements almost imperceptible unless I was looking for them. I blinked rapidly twice and got a barely noticeable head nod in return. We broke eye contact as Sam turned toward the elevator (Y/n) and I rode in up to our floor while I continued out of the lobby to the darkening streets of Beverly Hills.

The first drops of rain fell when I saw my first clue. Or rather, I smelled my first clue. A dank alleyway leaked a chemical odor. After searching the area, nowhere else but one spot against a wall reeked of chemicals. Pepper spray. Despite the panic building in my chest, (Y/n) was here. The smile dropped when the part of my brain that wasn't running on high octane emotions kicked in. (Y/n) was here. And she clearly wasn't alone.

"Oh (Y/n), where did you go?"

My brain fired tons of possible moves I would do if I was in her situation. I forced my brain to stop. I swear I heard a record scratch. Maybe I was spending too much time online. This isn't something my training would help with. (Y/n) has no training, so I shouldn't rely on mine.

"Ok," I mumbled to myself as I walked back out of the alley, "if I was being chased by a gang and FBI agents, what would I do?"

I took a look at my surroundings and decided to head farther away from the Waldorf. If I weren't an operative, I would want to get as far away from the place I was attacked. And avoid people at all costs.

I blindly followed my instincts, hoping I could find (Y/n) in time. I trekked through the rain until I found a park. I wasn't too far into the park when I found footprints packed into the grass. Bending down, I mentally measured the length and distance between the footprints. They looked to be (Y/n)'s size, and the marks indicated a running motion. I was willing to bet the footprints did belong to (Y/n) since very few people would go running at night with a thunderstorm raging. I continued following the trail, the steps getting shorter and shorter before they ended. Two impressions in the dirt. She kneeled in the grass.

"Oh please be alright, (Y/n)."

Then I noticed the footprints leading away. Only one set, like the ones that lead me here. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief and followed them through the pouring rain. By this point, the rain had turned into a full blown storm.

The rain came down in heavy sheets. I pulled my soaked hood down to protect my eyes and moved forward. Where was she? Would I find her in time? Dark thoughts swirled through my head as I looked for her. Is the gang with her now? The FBI? Is she even still alive?

A dark shape against the bridge railing caught my eye when the lighting flashed. It was (Y/n). I rushed forward and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face me. I didn't know what I would say when I saw her again. If I saw her again. I didn't know what she would say to me. Water ran freely down her face, masking any of her tears. Her mouth opened to let out a cry, but when she saw it was me, her eyes broke me. If eyes are the window to the soul, her soul was in despair. A clap of thunder rolled across the city as she opened her mouth to speak. I couldn't hear her at all, but I knew what she meant. I only nodded and put my arm around her shoulders and gently pulled her to my side. Her hand rested against my chest, right over my heart. I inhaled deeply and steeled my resolve. I'd protect her. If it's the last thing I do. And first, that meant getting out of the rain.