Rahul

“I told her.” Rhea’s voice cut cleanly through the silence.

“She called me this morning,” Rhea explained quietly, glancing toward Selena. “She was panicking and asking where Arjun was. I figured she deserved to know.”

Selena nodded weakly beside the patrol car, still visibly shaken. I told Arjun's brother, Rahul. He should be here soon.

"I'm here, Selena." Rahul cuts through the crowd and Selena rushes to him, hugging him tight.

Quinn thought about the coincidence... "Rahul... what if Arjun was trying to say Rahul is involved? He did try writing R."

Rahul gave Quinn a small nod and they left those two alone.

The atmosphere shifted after that. Officers moved around the alley collecting evidence while the early morning crowd outside the police tape slowly grew larger, whispers spreading faster than Quinn could process. Another body. Another connection to the school.

Damian moved closer beside her, lowering his voice slightly. “You okay?”

“No,” Quinn answered honestly.

That surprised both of them.

For once, she didn’t try to hide it.

Damian’s expression softened almost immediately, but before he could say anything else, Mark approached again with his usual controlled urgency.

“We’re done here for now,” he said. “Forensics is taking over.”

Quinn rubbed tiredly at her temple. “I need air before I look at another body.”

“That makes two of us,” Damian muttered.

Mark’s eyes flicked briefly between them, noticing the closeness neither of them had fully acknowledged out loud yet. “Just don’t disappear too far. I want both of you back later.”

Quinn nodded absently before walking away from the alley, Damian following close behind.

The rain from earlier had left the streets damp and shining beneath the grey morning sky. Quinn slowed near the quieter side of town, finally stopping beside an old bookstore she vaguely remembered from years ago.

For a minute neither of them spoke.

Then Damian glanced sideways at her. “You know, normal people usually deal with emotional trauma by sleeping.”

Quinn crossed her arms lightly. “And normal people usually don’t follow detectives into murder investigations.”

She looked exhausted now. Damian could see it in the way her shoulders had started drooping slightly beneath the weight she kept trying to carry alone.

“You should rest for a few hours,” he said more quietly this time.

Quinn gave him a look. “You just want to nap, don't you?”

“No! Sort of?”

That finally pulled a small laugh out of her. God, he loved that sound more than he should.

“You know,” Damian continued carefully, stepping a little closer, “for someone who acts emotionally unavailable, you spend a surprising amount of time kissing me.”

The tension shifted again after that.

Quinn hated how easily he affected her lately. Every stupid smile. Every lingering glance. Every accidental touch that stopped feeling accidental days ago.

Damian reached toward her slowly this time, fingers brushing lightly against the sleeve of her jacket before sliding down to her hand. He gave her plenty of time to pull away. She didn’t.

Something unreadable flickered across his face at that. “Come with me somewhere,” he said suddenly.

Quinn narrowed her eyes immediately. “That sentence has never ended well in human history.”

“I’m serious.” His expression softened slightly. “You need one hour without blood, suspects, or dead bodies.”

“And where exactly are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

Thirty minutes later, Quinn found herself driving with Damian through the quieter outskirts of town while rain clouds gathered heavily overhead again. The rain started shortly after.

By the time they reached the old lakeside road Damian had apparently been aiming for, the storm had become almost impossible to drive through properly. Wind rattled against the windows while thunder cracked somewhere overhead.

“Well,” Damian sighed dramatically, “this feels targeted.”

Quinn glanced toward the small motel glowing faintly near the road ahead. “We’re stopping there before we die.”

“Finally,” Damian said, placing a hand against his chest. “A woman who understands romance.”

"I need fresh air. Go to the room, I'll be there.' Quinn walked towards the hotel as Damian went to book a room.

The terrace upstairs was empty. At least, she thought it was empty.

“If it isn't my favourite lady..."

Quinn froze instantly.

A man stood near the far railing, cigarette smoke curling slowly around him as city lights reflected faintly against familiar dark eyes.

Leon.