Disclaimer:
*"The Darkest Powers" are owned by Kelley Armstrong but borrowed by her fans on occasion to feed their guilty pleasures*
R&R
This is rushed and a little bit short, sorry, I'm so tired so there will be many mistakes my sleep deprived brain has missed. So forgive me for my slightly OCC characters and grievous mistakes.
This chapter and story is dedicated to my friend Nell, miss you. English isn't the same without you.
The wipers flicked frantically across the windscreen, barley clearing it in time for the next sheet of rain. Squinting in front of me I could make out a sign proclaiming "Welcome to Portland". We had been on the road for almost ten hours straight, all of which I had drove.
Simon and Tori had argued about it at first but Tori had let it drop when she realised I wasn't going to give in. Simon on the other hand hadn't fully conceded defeat, still offering to take over for me every hour or so.
I glanced quickly across at Simon dozing beside me; the road map perched precariously on his lap. Something he didn't seem to grasp was that at this moment I needed a distraction.
Something to do, anything to keep my mind occupied. The down side to driving is that it left you to much time to think, and every now and then my mind would prod and pick at the memories like a cut, wanting to see if it still hurt, at those moments I would turn up the radio and focus on the lyrics of what ever song was playing, clawing to keep my mind out of the abyss that waited.
Behind me the soft rhythmic tapping of Tori fingers on the keyboard of her notebook and the occasional muttered complaint on reception and memory space breaking the silence under the constant drone of the radio.
She had spent the last few hours, wiping the hard drive of her laptop in the apartment and downloading Kit's research to the notebook, hoping to rid all memory of evidence, before, she hoped, they searched it, hope being the word of choice.
Simon stirred beside me, the road map falling to the floor with a soft plop. He heaved a sigh and sat up, running a hand over his face.
"Are we there yet?"
"Almost," I strained my eyes against the darkness outside. The clock on the dashboard read five o'clock but the lack of sun made it seem closer to eight.
"Are we in the right place?"
I had begun to wonder that myself, the quite suburbia and Taco Bells had given way to Marina warehouses. Graffiti was scrawled across the buildings and bright shards of glass littered the street.
"Chloe, pull over for a second and we'll double check the address" Nodding, I stopped the car, the wheels gently crackling over debris as I slid up against the side walk. Simon placed the abandoned road map on his knee once more. Twisting awkwardly against his seatbelt, he grabbed the first aid kit Tori handed him, placing it gently on his other knee and flipped opened the lid.
On the underside of the cover read: LUCAS CORTEZ, 111 SW 5th AVENUE, MARINA DRIVE, PORTLAND
Simon bent over the map, his face pinched in concentration. "I don't see why it-
"Wait" Tori stretched through the front and twisted the volume up on the radio.
"The body of 42 year old Lauren Fellows was found today in an apartment in Salt Lake City. She had been last seen getting into her car on the 15th of June 2008 outside her place of residence, her niece Chloe Saunders went missing from a group home a few days later. Police are not treating the death as suspicious but asks for any information on a girl in her late teens with blond hair. That's all for now, we'll be back again at six."
I hit the radio and pushed the door open, vomiting violently on to the pavement. The rain had slowed down to a fine chilling mist; small droplets clung to my hair and jumper. I was shaking as I got back into the car. Tori silently handed me a bottle of lukewarm water from under the seat. I gulped it down, grateful to rid my mouth of the bitter, gritty residue left behind.
"Are you okay?" Simon's concern was mirrored on Tori's face. I closed my eyes and nodded mutely. Silence filled the car for a few minutes, before Tori said quietly,
"Cortez-Winterbourne Investigations, looks like we found him." I followed where Tori was staring at, an inconspicuous building the only difference from it and its neighbour was a small plaque beside the door and an intercom watched by a CCT camera.
Simon stepped out off the car, leading the way across the road to the door. Tori and I followed the cold September air that I hadn't noticed before chilling me. He hesitated for a moment before pressing down quickly on the buzzer and taking a step back.
"Hello, how can I help you?" A clear, voice chirped over
"Hi. We're looking for Lucas Cortez. Would you know if he was in?"
"Have you an appointment?"
"No, but it's urgent. Would you please tell him that Kit Bae sent us?"
"I don't think-"the voice wavered with uncertainty.
"It's of the utmost importance and we'd be very grateful if you would."
"Give me a moment."
Simon shift from one foot to another, gnawing on his lower lip.
"Chloe maybe you should stay in the car."
I blinked, "I'm going in with you."
Tori looked down the street not meeting my eye.
"Chloe, maybe Simon's right."
Annoyance flashed through me, "Do you really think if this was a trap that I would be safer on my own in the car?"
Simon sighed. "Chloe-"
"No, I'm going."
Suddenly the chirpy voice from the intercom spoke, "Mr Cortez will see you now."
The buzzer went off, and I pushed the door open, not waiting to see if Tori or Simon followed.
Some of you might know my friend Nell a.k.a xxNellyxx and her fanfictions "Choices" and "The Finding" sadly she is no longer writing fanfiction for personal reasons and I've missed her since she moved, she is one of the reasons I started writing fanfiction. We were discussing a few months ago about connections between Kelley Armstrong's two series and we came up with a theory that she was planning to use in later chapters in Choices, but since then she gave my her permission to use it here in Troubles. So I've dedicated this chapter, and well this story to her.
I'm Irish, so the addresses and the time in would take to get from Utah to Oregon might be wrong, and since my friend won't give me back my Industrial Magic or Waking the Witch (two of many) books there probably is a mistake with the office. Sorry, if there is a mistake please tell me.
And remember the plot and characters will unfold with time, I'm not going to dump all my eggs in one basket and throw it over the bridge, so patience. :)
Inspiration for a Chlerek Valentine One-shot hit me but frustratingly I can't write it until the midterm. *facepalm* So I'll be posting it a week late, but I will write it.
I.N.O xxx
And if you've question or if you like it, review. It's amazing to get. I get a little paranoid on occasion that everyone is simply too polite to say it sucks.
