Chereads / The last stand of the fallen / Chapter 5 - The man in the dark

Chapter 5 - The man in the dark

Leonard and hazel walked side by side down the subway stairs in silence. After they'd walked down the stairs, they stopped to wait for the next train. Hazel looked left and right as though she was expecting to see someone. Leonard stood focused with both palms in his pocket. The blaring of horn to signal the arrival of a train was soon heard but they soon noticed someone pushing his way towards the crowd, heading towards them. As soon as he got to Leonard, he pushed him harshly and made for the run. Leonard in attempt to secure his stance lost balance and got caught immediately by hazel who held him by his jacket. She pulled him up just in time as the train zoomed past his face. The mixture of fear and curiosity filled Leonard's emotions. His heart raced and his legs shook. Hazel helped him into the train while he sat down isolated and in thoughts.

He couldn't help but wonder who could be after his life. He had every right to place miss Wonder as a suspect but there was no way she'd know he wouldn't be using his car. Even if he wanted to blame hazel, she was the one who saved him. One sigh after the other, Leonard kept swimming deeper into his thoughts and was jolted to reality by a short tap from hazel. They alighted from the train and walked carefully out of the subway. They boarded a taxi and spent the rest of the ride in silence.

Hazel slowly pushed open the door and they both walked in. Leonard quickly threw himself on the chair and slowly took off the first layer of his suit. While slowly taking off the final layer of his upper wear, he noticed hazel was trying her possible best to avoid gaze with him. After trying to figure out, he soon realized she was trying not to look at him undress. He gave a short smile before heading upstairs with the two clothes he'd taken off on his arm.

Hazel had a little peek to confirm he was gone. She sighed and walked to the refrigerator. She opened it and took out a bottle of water and a glass cup. She poured a little water and took a small sip. She returned the bottle of water and the cup back and shut the refrigerator.

She walked to the centre of the living room and sat down with her legs crossed and the back of her palm on her laps. She inhaled first and when she exhaled she shut her eyes.

"What are we eating for dinner?" Leonard's call interrupted her ki flow and she angrily turned back staring daggers at him but he didn't quite understand so he sat on the sofa facing her directly.

She was quite surprised since he'd gotten over a near death situation this quickly. All the humans she'd come across were fragilehearted and were prone to being traumatized.

"I'd say steak but there isn't much steak to fill both of us. So what? Should we try veggies?" He asked with a smile on his face. For the first time since the death of Leonard's mother, he'd given a bright smile to someone.

"I don't think I may get the chance again so__." He said and paused for a while.

"Thank you for saving my life." He said and hazel turned back and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I know you have your reasons for being quiet and I won't try to figure that out, let's get along as house mates." He said and stretched out his hand indicating the need for a handshake but hazel gave him a questioning look. He seemed to have forgotten that she wouldn't want to touch him.

He soon realized and dropped his arm holding a bright smile. He stood up and she followed him to the kitchen. She gave her distance while she watched Leonard cut the vegetables neatly.

Monday,

Leonard walked through the hallway of the company leading to Dom's office with Olivia behind him trying to keep up with his speed. He pushed the office door open and walked in alongside Olivia who walked ahead of him and dropped the files she was holding on the table. Dom soon spotted them and walked to them. He bowed briefly and picked up the file. He looked through them and a smile crept on his face while Leonard sat down and crossed his legs.

"Our company thrives." Dom said and sat down opposite Leonard.

"On Saturday, miss Wonder paid me a visit. She gave me leaked information from the Pentagon about a test subject escapee." Leonard said.

"Sounds cocky, why do you think she specifically told you?" Dom said.

"I'd hold on to the information for future purposes, if it benefits our company later, we'll air the information."

"And in return?" Dom asked and Leonard relaxed back.

"You have a message from miss Wonder." Olivia said and walked to Leonard putting her phone in front of him.

"The devil strikes." Leonard said and stood up immediately.

"Cancel all appointments of mine today." He said and walked away.

Leonard hurriedly pushed open the entrance door and walked in. Miss Wonder was seated adjacent to hazel and was holding a cup of wine. She smiled as soon as she saw him.

"At this point, you're unable to send me out of your house like you always do." She said giving a rather cocky smile. He folded his arms and began staring at both of them.

"We've been having fun, although she seems to less conversational."she said and stood up to meet him.

"You're uninvited, she's here to stay for a few days after which she would return home, I'm feeling uncomfortable having two girls over at my house." He said looking away making sure not to lock gaze with her.

"You didn't even ask why I called you over." She said and held his arms but he shrugged her off and she smiled while walking towards the door.

"In exchange for information, you'll have to be my partner..." She said and stared at Leonard for a while expecting him to say something but instead he held a dumbfounded look.

"Obviously for a day." She rolled her eyes.

"There's a banquet at rolls n' doughs. Invites are only shared to important persons." She teased.

"I'm sure you'd do this for a friend." She said before walking out. He on the other hand was already getting sick of being called out of something important just to attend to her. This wouldn't have been a problem if his dad hadn't done a deal behind his back. In return for an alliance, they made her his acquaintance for marriage which he politely declined but the gap in power was just different and he had to succumb.