Falling Into Ruin.

Old Friends

[Briar’s POV]

The next morning, I stand in front of the precinct, my adrenaline pumping and my determination rising. This was it; this was the step I worked so hard to take, and now that I was here, I wasn't going to let anything stop me.

Appear in front of me again and I'll f**k you.

That dangerous man's voice pops into my head unbidden as I realize that once I’ve stepped foot through those doors, the possibility of us meeting was highly likely.

“Oh well,” I mutter, pushing that handsome bastard’s face and voice aside. “You’re the one that appeared in front of me to begin with.”

Settling on this, I begin to move, heading inside and up to the reception desk where a young man with slicked-back brown hair sits.

“Yes, ma’am,” he says, eyeing me, his gaze slowly trailing up and down my body. “How can I help you?”

“I’m here to meet with Detective Miles.” I respond, giving a smile. “I’ve got an appointment with him at nine.”

Nodding, the man checks his computer, and when I’m certain he finds that what I’ve said is true, he gets up and heads through a door. When he reappears, he motions for me to come.

Smiling, I do as told and silently follow behind him until we reach a door with Detective Miles written in gold on the door.

Fancy, I think inwardly as the man in front of me knocks on the door and then steps aside.

“Come in,” a voice calls from the inside.

“Good luck.” The man nods before heading away.

For a moment, I don’t move as I watch him move away, and only when I hear an annoyed cough from inside do I head into the tidy office where the man I’m after sits behind his desk with a pleasant smile on his handsome face.

Even after all these years, he hasn’t changed except that his once long blonde hair is chopped short and styled neatly on his head. And maybe his body has gotten bigger and more toned, and those eyes. Well, they still leave me thinking of the ocean.

“You just going to stand there and stare?” He asks, smirking. “I know that I’m handsome, but…”

“Don’t be so full of yourself.” I sigh, moving forward and taking a seat in front of him. “And here I thought that maybe you matured a bit after all these years.”

“You’re talking like it has been a decade or so since the last time we saw each other.” Miles chuckles. “It has only been three years or so.”

“Yeah,” I sigh, not missing the hint of curiosity in his voice. “Sorry about that.”

Mile and I went way back to academy days. Where he was always top in the class, I was second, and we grew close because of that. He was the only person who knew about my brother, and when he became a somebody in the police force, he gave me a call to come and work under him. However, I didn’t want to have to depend on him or feel indebted to him. That’s why I took the stripping job and hoped to get the answers I needed there, but since I couldn’t go back anymore, I finally caved and came here.

“Did you manage to achieve anything in a place like that?” He asks, his voice holding a hint of annoyance.

“Not at all,” I sigh, leaning back in my seat. “The most I discovered was the leaders of a few drug and weapon trafficking rings, but nothing in regards to the ones who run everything. Anytime I thought that I may have been getting somewhere, my leads disappeared.”

“I see,” Miles murmurs, considering. “And do you think that was a coincidence?”

“Of course not,” I laugh. “It’s obvious that they keep a close eye on their people, and if they talk too much, they get rid of them.”

“Then don’t you think that they’re aware of you?” Miles asks worriedly.

“Who knows?” I respond.

Honestly, there was a chance that they knew that I was asking around, but since I didn’t get any answers, I wasn’t necessarily a threat. But now… Well, now that I ran into that dangerous bastard, were the odds officially against me?

“Dammit,” I grumble, realizing that I may have taken quite a few steps back in my investigation.

“What is it?” Miles asks, eyeing me curiously. “What’s got our Briar so upset?”

“That,” I begin, wondering if I can tell Miles about what happened. “Well, there was an incident at the club last night.” I admit, remembering Jeffrey turning into that terrifying beast and then the psycho easily smashing his head in. “Do you believe that there may be monsters walking amongst us?”

In the past, I told Miles everything except for the circumstances that led me down this path. I never opened up to him about the marks on my brother's body or my suspicions that monsters may actually exist and they stayed hidden from the rest of us in the underworld.

“Monsters,” Miles repeats, frowning. “You mean like the ones in movies?”

“Something like that,” I admit, wondering if I should just stay quiet.

“I’ve never really thought about it.” He admits. “Personally, I think that humans are monsters. They’re monsters that can kill, steal, and destroy others without blinking an eye.”

Yeah, he had a point there. Since my brother's disappearance, the only type of people I found myself surrounded by were the worst of the worst. I watched many people kill, hurt, and do much worse to others and turned a blind eye, because that was how things went. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and only the strongest survived. Even I found myself in many situations where I had to fight for my life, but despite all that, I couldn’t seem to find it in me to fight against Jeffrey when he started to transform.

Was that the human in me realizing that whatever he was was something that I just couldn’t stand up to?

I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to think too hard on it because I knew if I did, I would start to feel the fear that I let go of long ago about really getting myself killed before I avenged my brother.

“Why are you asking such a thing?” Miles asks now, snapping me out of my head. “Don’t tell me that you believe that fictional creatures walk amongst us?”

“That,” I begin, realizing that I still can’t tell him. “Of course not,” I sigh. “I was just asking to make sure that the person I was going to be working with was competent.”

“I’m offended,” Miles gasps, feigning hurt as he clutches his chest. “After all our years together in the academy, I thought that you knew me.”

“I do,” I confirm, smiling. “And that’s the reason I decided to come here and work with you.”

That and the fact I could use the police database to research those involved with the leader of the underworld. Once I got their names and faces, I would be able to find them and make them answer me.

“Then I hope you’re ready.” Miles announces, leaning forward. “Because your first assignment is a doozy.”

“What is it?” I ask curiously.

“The thing is,” he begins, growing serious. “Recently, we’ve been working on gaining connections with the black market, and after months of gaining their trust, they have finally agreed to meet with us to discuss a possible partnership.”

“And by us you mean…” I push, though I have a general idea.

“You and me,” he smirks. “In a few days time we will be going to meet with the lead arms dealer to discuss a collaboration.”

“Exciting.” I chirp. “Who knew that I would get close so soon after joining the force?”

“Just because you are being given this opportunity, it doesn’t mean that you can make any dumb moves.”

“Ouch,” I hiss. “Are you saying that I would do such a thing?”

“I’m not saying you wouldn’t.” He chuckles. “You’re known for being spontaneous, and that spontaneity could end up being your undoing.”

“Don’t worry, Miles.” I say. “I don’t intend on letting your precious gift to me go to waste.”

“Great,” he grins. “Then, that’s it for now; you’re free to leave, but before you go, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“What is it?” I ask curiously.

“Would you like to grab a drink with me after I get off? To catch up and discuss this a bit more.”

“Sure,” I respond. “I’d like that.”

“Then, I’ll see you later.”