Secrets.
For a moment, he was intoxicated. She smelled of freesia -- clean and kempt, with an underlying tone of rust.
Nothing unusual, he noted. They had found her at a barren, abandoned junkyard.
Her skin was soft under the rough callouses on his hands, and he relished in the touch, completely captivated by his seemingly ideal image of perfection that was in his grip.
His thoughts were broken as the dainty appendage in his grip was roughly taken away, and he caught a glimpse of dark hair before the beauty was shoved into the back off the police car, breathing seeming much easier once she was out of sight.
"You alright Officer Flynn?" The voice of his partner echoed in his ear, and he glanced over at the man that seemed only a bit older than himself.
At the call of his title, Sebastian swallowed thickly, nodding as the hairs on the back of his neck prickled as he felt two pairs of eyes roaming over his body, one with curiosity, the other calm and malicious.
The unnamed officer gave Sebastian a strange look, before shrugging, moving from his place next to him to to the drivers side, slipping in quietly. Sebastian followed suit, sliding in and strapping on his seat-belt, all the while not letting his eyes drift to the rear-view mirror in order to satiate his curiosity.
As the car started up, and they were moving away from the landfill area littered with trash and broken metal, Sebastian glanced down at his hand, where pure gold adorned his ring finger. He played with it idly, twisting it around his digit in thought.
Til death do we part.
"You know, Harlow..."
Sebastian blinked, and glanced over to his partner, reclined in the drivers seat, steering the car with little care.
"How does it feel? Knowing you're a big pain in the ass to almost everyone in this town?" The comment was nonchalant, but the intent to hurt was there. It went ignored though, by the little devil in the backseat who laughed softly -- the sound sending shivers down Sebastian's back.
"I don't know," She offered calmly. "How does it feel to cheat on your wife with a minor?"
The comment had both men in the front seat freezing, one out of fear, the other out of shock.
Sweat broke out on Sebastian's skin, the tension in the car too high for his taste, his head hurting from the thoughts spinning through it; his breath left his mouth silently -- relieved, when Harlow continued. "...Officer Cain?"
Officer Cain's expression was one of annoyance fueled with panic, and Sebastian found himself tearing his gaze away from that sight, to stupidly look up into the rear-view mirror.
His throat tightened, and dark green hues tinged with honey were gazing back at him.
"You know, Harlow?" Officer Cain grounded out through tight lips. "That's a personal question, one of which is completely false--"
"That's not what I heard~" Her laugh was louder this time, completely mocking. "Oh I wonder how dear Caroline would take it, knowing her husbands a dirty, filthy cheat who likes to chase young church girls around?"
"Goddamnit Harlow!" He snapped, and Sebastian panicked as something flickered infront of the street, his voice breaking out from his mouth in a shout. "Watch the road!"
The car surged forward as Officer Cain slammed on the break, loud and screeching -- skidding to a stop on the road as all three bodies lurched forward, dropping back against the leather as the car finally stopped.
Everyone was silent, nothing being heard other than the harsh breathing and their palpitating hearts.
The first to move was Officer Cain, whom unlocked the doors and moved to get out, earning a light scoff from Harlow.
"I need some air. Watch the girl for me, would you, Sebastian?"
He didn't wait for an answer, slamming the door closed as he moved out of sight from Sebastian's view, causing the man to frown and shift uncomfortably.
"He's probably going to call Caroline and tell her how much he loves her." Sebastian glanced at the mirror where Harlow's eyes met his easily. She smiled slowly, white teeth peeking out from her lips. "The poor girl. I'd pity her if she weren't so stupid for thinking everything's flowers and rainbows."
Sebastian watched her for a moment, thinking over words he could say -- words that were appropriate and weren't from the dark, sinful corners of his mind. "Are you sure he's cheating?" He said slowly, taking careful precision in his words. "You could be misunderstanding something."
Harlow's small smile widened to that of a smirk, her eyes glinting as she let out a tinkling laugh. "I misunderstand nothing. I know everything that goes on in this town. Every little thing. There are no secrets."
She paused, leaning forward, her face inches from the fence separating the back and front seats.
Sebastian tensed as he felt her breath on his ear, and fought the urge to turn around and gaze straight at her face, and not through the mirror.
"Your secrets too -- your sins and desires and everything you want to keep locked inside? They'll be let out, and you won't be able to stop it." She reached a hand up, and gripped onto the metal casing, entwining her fingers through the holes. "That's what this place does to you. It'll use everything you have against you, and soon enough -- they'll kill you."
Sebastian stiffened, and his throat went dry as a tongue peeked out from her mouth and darted quickly over chapped lips.
He couldn't keep a coherent thought, much less figure out if that was more of a threat or an honest warning.