Circuit City

Chapter 10

I hadn't even noticed that he had parked outside of my apartment block until he tapped me on my tightly clasped hands and made me look up at his tilted head. "Are you okay, ma'm?"

"I'll be in a minute, just let me...," I mumbled as I hopped off the bike, my legs nearly doubling over but I managed to steady myself in the last minute by holding onto the bike's rear side, "...feel the ground under my feet again."

It didn't help, it felt like the ground was moving on its own and I let myself hold on a little longer while taking a deep breath. After a few seconds, I straightened up and handed the helmet over it over to him, with my eyes on the ground. "Thank you for the ride."

He nodded without a word while stuffing away the black headgear in the compartment under the passenger seat, preparing himself for takeoff. I pulled the hood over my head and turned away to open the entrance gate to the building.

"Wait."

A low scramble was heard as I dropped the lock back onto the metal bars to turn around. Keeping my eyes on his foot that rested on the bike's pedal, I walked until I was standing in front of him again. "Sorry?"

My eyes snapped up at the sudden sound of the helmet's windshield popping open and I blinked as I found myself staring into a pair of dark blue eyes. A small crease appeared between the dark eyebrows as he contemplated on how to phrase his next sentence and then his eyes were back on me again, with full force. "Do me a favor, please."

Now that the thick glass was no longer isolating him from the world, I was able to hear his real voice again and his peculiar accent made itself even more noticeable than before. Confused, I did the only thing I was capable of doing with incoherent thoughts swirling around in my head- I nodded.

"Stay inside," he ordered, his eyes boring into mine, "since that decreases the risk of you being attacked and for me to have to come and get you again."

"I will." My eyes fell onto the ground and I felt myself frown as well. "You don't have to tell me that every five seconds..."

"It appears that warnings leave your head as often as it enters," he retaliated and continued quickly as he saw me gape. "And remember the contract of confidentiality."

I shut my mouth before nodding again, my mind traveling back to the interrogation room I'd just come from. "I won't tell anyone," I finally snapped.

He didn't seem to trust my word. "If other people get involved because information has been leaked it will be your fault by law."

My frown deepened and I glowered at the ground. "I wouldn't tell a soul. I'm not going to risk the lives of the people that I care about!"

Ehren stayed quiet and after a couple of seconds, I dared myself to sneak a small glance at him but looked down at the ground again as soon as my gaze met his scrutinizing one. "What if I get attacked anyway? Am I allowed to contact you guys again or not?"

The mapper was silent for a moment. "You won't."

That earned him a dubious look from me. "How can you be so sure?"

"If you follow my orders you'd," he sighed impatiently,"... you'd be safe for now."

"For now?" I echoed, bewildered. "I don't understand-"

All of a sudden a familiar sounding voice echoed out in the empty street. "Dispatch to 591, we got an armed robbery at ninth street, Area two of Humport."

"ED 591 to Dispatch, taking a ten- eight," Ehren quickly responded, his tired gaze quickly turning alert as he listened to what the dispatcher was telling him.