The Best Intentions

Chapter Fourteen

I paced the room, pulling my hood down so I could run my hands through my hair. "She's gone. Why didn't we just apprehend her?! Where's Green Light? She should be here by now. Where are the twins?"

Head Rush was pacing too but stopped when he saw me start to panic. "Hey, Sabrina. It's going to be okay. We just have to keep calm. We'll find her."

I shook my head. "She could be dead. Her estate is burned to the ground. What if it's our fault? Mendoza must have found out."

Head Rush inhaled shakily. "I don't know. Will your dad be here soon?"

I nodded, trying to calm down. "Detective Flynn and Detective Burke should be arriving shortly." As soon as I said that, I heard the engine of a car and the sound of tires on gravel. The engine stopped, followed by two car doors slamming. The detectives walked inside and glanced around, both looking unimpressed.

Not everybody was as dramatic as Coldfront when it came to what their headquarters looked like.

Burke crossed his arms. "Would you two care to explain why Katherine's house is burned to the ground? Her whole security team was burned to death in there."

My heart skipped a beat. "They're dead? We...We knocked them out and confronted Katherine. She said she'd give us evidence on Mendoza if we dropped the evidence we had on her. We left. I-I can't believe all those people are dead."

"It had to have been Mendoza," Head Rush said.

"We don't have any proof yet," Detective Flynn said with a sigh. "Katherine is missing, but we still-"

Burke's phone rang, cutting his partner off. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stepped outside to answer it. I heard him say, "Hey, Aubrey."

"I'm sorry I let you down, Detective," I said, looking down. "I thought my plan would work."

"You had the best intentions," Detective Flynn stated. "You were just trying to make the city safer. I can't fault you for that. You're young, and you're going to make a lot of mistakes. As long as you can make it right, you'll be fine. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

I suddenly felt a little better. "Thanks, Da-Detective Flynn. I'm sorry I wasted your time."

Detective Flynn narrowed his eyes. "Right. Uh, don't worry about that. It wasn't a waste of time. We have a better chance of finding evidence against Mendoza now. One day, maybe if we can start working together, we make the city less corrupt."

I nodded, the grimness of the situation returning.

"I have to get back to the station, Detective Flynn said as he turned towards the door.

"Thank you!" I called out.

Head Rush added, "We'll always have your back, Detective."

Detective Flynn glanced back at us. "I just hope we make a difference. I do have a question, though. How could you afford to pay off the judges?"

Head Rush stepped in. "Maybe another time, Detective. Have a nice day."

When my father left, I turned to Head Rush. "Do you think he knows?"

Head Rush shrugged. "I've got no clue. Let's hope we don't get grounded."

***

Green Light stumbled inside two hours later. Her eyes were puffy and red. There was a piece of paper in her hand that she clutched like her life depended on it. "The twins are gone. I went to their house this morning. We know each other out of costume. They took some of their belongings."

Head Rush was silent for a moment before he asked, "Do you know why?"

Green Light sighed and looked away as she handed him the note.

He read it out loud. "Sorry we had to leave. Things came up. We can't help Night anymore. You're on your own."

Green Light clenched her fists. "I can't contact them. It goes straight to voicemail. They're really gone."

I sighed. "I don't understand why they would just leave. This puts us at a huge disadvantage."

"Mendoza has to be behind this," Green Light practically snarled. "We need to make her think we're giving up on her so she doesn't keep blackmailing us."

"What do we do, then?" I asked.

Green Light stared at me, her usually bright eyes dark. "We go after someone else. Dark Skies."

***

"Hello, Kieran," my father said, holding his hand out.

I narrowed my eyes, watching my father like a hawk. Did he know? I just wanted to know. This was torture. When would he confront me?

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Detective," Kieran said. He froze, his eyes widening. "I-I mean Mr. Flynn." Kieran hurried to shake his hand.

My father chuckled, glancing over at my grandfather. "How formal. So, Kieran, you know Sabrina from school?"

Kieran nodded. "My mother kicked me out so she could save money. Sabrina was kind enough to offer me a place to stay when she found out. You raised a hero."

I could have kicked Kieran, but the joke did make me want to snicker.

"It's a pleasure to have you staying with us. I'm sorry about what happened with your mother. I'm glad you ran into Sabrina."

Kieran smiled softly. "I am too."

I excused us and pulled Kieran into the hallway. "Be careful."

"Your father seems nice," Kieran commented. "He doesn't seem suspicious."

"I hope he doesn't think you're my boyfriend," I said, then forced my voice to a higher pitch. "We do usually sneak off. I wouldn't want to tarnish my perfect image."

Kieran gasped, placing a hand over his mouth. "Maybe the staff gossips about us! They must think we're scandalous."

I tried to comment, but shook my head, trying not to laugh. "Wow, Kieran."

Kieran placed a hand on his stomach. "I'm hungry, BB."

"When aren't you?" I asked, jabbing him in the stomach.

"When aren't you?" Kieran countered. "I watched you devour eight boxes of pizza."

"You have twelve!" I exclaimed.

"Fair point," Kieran muttered, followed by a shrug.

We made our way to the kitchen when we bumped into my grandfather.

"Sabrina, remember to pick up a dress for the party," my grandfather said. "Kieran, you'll need a suit."

"We'll go shopping tomorrow," I said, though shopping was the bane of my existence.

My grandfather kissed my cheek. "Goodnight, Sabrina." He turned to Kieran and gave him a pat on the head. "Goodnight, Kieran."

I coughed to hide my laughter as my grandfather walked away. When he was out of sight, I patted Kieran's head. He caught my wrist and gave me a devious smirk before putting me a headlock.

I don't think friendship can be defined on how long you've known somebody. I think it's about how much you care about or trust that person. Even if Aubrey had been my best friend, and I wasn't trying to replace her, Kieran was quickly filling the lonely void I had felt almost my entire life. It was a void she never filled, I realized.

I was sure of it. Friendship couldn't be defined on time, because Kieran was my best friend.