Dawn of Danger (ONC Entry)

One

            Colin took a  half-step back and turned to Hudson. "Chief, you're not going to hire  her, are you? This is all some sort of joke."

            Hudson shook  his head, his thick eyebrows almost covering his eyes. "I wish it was a  joke, Everton. But you were my last resort...and you turned me down."

            "If I'd known you were going to get her, I wouldn't have!"

            Bonnie  slipped off the desk and walked straight up to Colin, narrowing her dark  eyes dangerously. "All right, Everton. What's your problem with me?  Besides the fact that I'm a woman - because I'm sure that's part of it."

            "You've never solved a case before!" Colin burst out.

            "Have you?"

            Colin tilted his head to one side and counted to ten. "As a matter of fact, I have."

            Bonnie drew  herself up, her lips parting in a knowing smile. "So Colin Everton  solves a case and thinks he's the next Sherlock."

            Stung by her remark, Colin retorted, "So Bonnie Taylor thinks she can become the next Sherlock by stealing a case."

            Hudson  stood, clearing his throat loudly. "Ahem! Ahem...Everton, you turned  down the case, so Miss Taylor here isn't stealing."

            "What!" Colin put his hands on Hudson's desk. "Chief, you're going to choose her over me?"

            "If you keep this act up, yes." Hudson crossed his arms like a disappointed father.

            Colin took a  step back from the desk and sucked in a breath. "All right...all right.  I'm sorry, Chief." He turned to Bonnie, running a hand through his hair  and not meeting her eyes. "Take the case, okay? You can have it." He  finally met her eyes and saw them gleaming with satisfaction.

            "Thank you,  Mr. Everton," Bonnie said coolly. She deliberately turned her back on  Colin, who was left staring at her glossy dark curls and the trenchcoat  that concealed whatever figure she might have had. Bonnie reached into  her pocket and pulled out a cigarette. "Do you have a light, Chief?"

            Hudson  raised an eyebrow. "A what? Oh, a light. Yes..." He dug in his pocket,  pulled out a lighter, and handed it to Bonnie.

            Colin shook  his head once and walked out, slamming the door behind him. He headed  for his flat, jamming his hands into the pockets of his coat. "Why  didn't you just take the case?" He muttered, kicking at a piece of trash  in his path.

            "Mr. Everton!"

            Colin glanced back and saw Bonnie hurrying after him. He kept walking.

            "Mr. Everton! Wait!"

            Colin heard the clicking of Bonnie's shoes on the ground and turned to face her. "What do you want?"

            Bonnie  walked up to him, her brows lowered. "Mr. Everton!" She stopped to catch  her breath and pulled her coat tighter around her waist. "I want to  talk to you." She looked down at the cigarette in her hand and dropped  it, crushing it under the heel of her shoe.

            "Then talk. I might be listening." Colin started to walk again.

            Bonnie's heels clicked again as she took quick steps to catch up with Colin, then grabbed his arm. "You are going to listen."

            Colin sighed and turned to face Bonnie once again. "Fine, I'm listening."

            She began with no introduction. "I'm new in this business. This is my first break." Oh, brother, here comes the sob story. "I know I won't be able to pull this off. People will make things difficult for me."

            Colin let his eyes close halfway. "Tough luck."

            Bonnie  pressed her lips together, forming a thin, bright red line. "I know that  Hudson wanted to work with you...and you wanted to work with him.  Though I don't understand why you turned him down..." She trailed off,  waved a hand in the air, and focused on Colin again. "I'm not passing  this opportunity up."

            "Fine, fine," Colin said, reaching out to pat her on the back. "Take control of your life and all that."

            Bonnie's  eyes narrowed and she grabbed Colin's hand. Her red-lacquered nails  pressed lightly into the top of his hand as she said in a low voice,  "Mr. Everton, please refrain from treating me like a child. I'm severely  tempted not to let you in on this."

            Now Colin's eyes were narrowed. "Let me in on what?"

            Bonnie watched him for a long moment, her eyes roving over his face. "Buy me dinner and I'll tell you."