Arrested (Book 1 of the Arrested Trilogy) {malec au}

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Isn't this.....no it can't be. Is it? Alec? Isn't this the mayor's office?" Magnus craned his neck up to look at the building. "The call came from here? But it's the mayor's office."

"I only went where the signal is, Magnus. If the signal came from here, that's where I went. If the signal came from California, that's where I'd go." Alec approached the door and tried to push them open. "Locked. Strange. Usually there's guards out here. Two big guys dressed in black."

Magnus snorted. "Move out of the way. Let an expert handle this."

Alec watched as Magnus whipped out two silver tools from his jacket pocket. Carefully placing them inside the keyhole, he wiggled them around while humming the tune to "Jeopardy". The lock suddenly clicked open after a few moments, causing Magnus to beam proudly at his work.

"Since when did you know how to pick locks?" Alec asked.

"You do what you have to do, when you're 10 and your father kept the food padlocked in the fridge and wouldn't let you touch it. You learn. You adapt. Circle of life, Alexander," he pat Alec on the shoulder and went inside, the detective following close behind.

The building appeared to be empty. Even the young lady who greeted Alec at the front desk wasn't even there anymore. When Magnus whistled, they could both hear the echo throughout the entire floor. The entire building was probably abandoned.

Alec pressed the button for the elevator doors. "What are the chances the elevator will even be working?"

"Guess we'll just have to find out," Magnus pressed the button again. "I realize that pressing it again won't make it come any faster."

"We all want to believe that but yet we do it anyway," Alec paced as he wait for the elevator. "Why did you come with me? You could've stayed behind at the precinct where it was safe."

Magnus chuckled. "Who would cover your stubborn ass? Someone's got to make sure you don't get yourself killed."

"I'd be fine. I'm a trained professional."

"And even trained professionals can get hurt. Hence the reason why I'm here."

Alec clenched his jaw. He hated being treated like a baby. Or incapable. "I can handle myself. Besides, you don't even have a gun-" He stopped when Magnus pulled a gun out from is jacket and loaded it like a pro. "Where the fuck did you get a gun?"

"Hmm? Oh this is mine. I have more than one, you know. Protective purposes. Plus I have a license for this one. Wanna see it?"

Alec waved a hand. "No. It's fine. What else do you have in that jacket of yours?"

Magnus grinned. "Why don't you frisk me and find out?"

Alec was about to retort when the elevator doors finally opened....only to reveal no elevator inside.

"Well then. Unless you want to climb the elevator shaft?" Magnus looked up and down the empty elevator conveyor.

Alec shook his head. "No thanks. I'll take the stairs. But feel free to start climbing now, if you'd like. I'll meet you in the basement."

Magnus snorted, the sound echoing in the elevator shaft. "I'm taking the stairs too. I'm not wearing my 'climbing down rusty elevator shaft' outfit. Plus my shoes are practically brand new. Only wore them once."

Alec quickly glanced down at Magnus' shoes them back up again. "Right. Whatever."

The basement was cold and wet. Alec's hands had gone numb after only a few minutes of being down there and it felt like the gun in his hands was frozen onto his skin. Even their breaths were visible down here.