I looked around casually, just to hide my slowly rising tension. I didn't like people thinking I was scared.
"Are you okay, Unit Circle? You look a little tense," he said.
Despite his teasing expression, I shrugged and smiled with fake sweetness.
"Oh, I'm fine. Why would I be tense? Worst case, we get caught. And if that happens, I'll blame it on you, clear myself, and finally get rid of you for a while."
"If your friend wasn't involved, I'm sure you would." He nodded. "Alright. Let's go over the plan."
I nodded, unbuckled my seatbelt, and turned fully toward him. He handed me a Bluetooth earpiece from his pocket and put another one in his own ear.
"We need to stay in contact so I can guide you properly. Also, in an emergency, this will be your only chance to warn me. You go in first and distract the officer at the entrance. I'll come in right behind you. The archive is downstairs, so I'll head straight for the stairs. Once you're inside, act like you're going upstairs first. When you're sure no one is watching you, come to the stairs where I am. Any problems?"
"Let's say you get inside, Demir. This is a whole police headquarters. Forget there being cops everywhere. There are cameras all over the place. How are you going to get the file without raising suspicion?"
He grinned smugly, reached back, grabbed a vest from the back seat, and showed it to me. I looked at the vest covered in police emblems and nodded.
"Okay. Next question. What am I supposed to say to get the officer at the entrance to let me go upstairs?"
"Tell him you came to see Mehmet Arslan about an incident you witnessed. Then no one will stop you from going up."
"Okay. I'm ready."
"Let's go."
We both got out of the car and started walking toward the main street. Demir pulled the cap over his head and put on the vest. I put in the earpiece.
As we approached the entrance of the station, I accepted Demir's call and headed for the stairs.
As I passed the officers smoking and chatting by the side, I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. But damn those stairs were so long that reaching the door without catching someone's suspicion felt impossible.
"Aylin, relax a little or you're going to draw attention. Even I can see you shaking."
I flinched at the voice suddenly filling my ear. In my excitement, I'd forgotten about Demir. I cursed myself internally and kept walking, hoping no one around me noticed.
"That doesn't help at all."
"How about this: from this angle, your butt looks bigger."
"If you don't want to hear a long poem that starts with your mom and ends with your entire bloodline, shut up, Demir!"
"I find girls who swear really sexy, but I don't think it works on you. You'll have to do a lot more if you want to drag me into bed."
Even if I tried to speak in a whisper, if he kept pushing me like this, I wouldn't be able to say another word without screaming at the top of my lungs.
"God, give me patience! Can your brain work on anything else?"
"Have you ever kissed anyone, Unit Circle?"
"No way! What kind of pervert are you?"
"I'll take that as a no."
"What do you care if I've kissed anyone!"
"Did you know you puff up like Jigglypuff when you get mad? Hmm… I think I'm going to call you Jigglypuff from now on."
He shared his new discovery with such childish pride that it was impossible not to laugh at that idiot.
By the time I reached the officer at the entrance, I actually felt a lot calmer. He was an idiot, sure, but his random comments had managed to scatter my negative thoughts.
"Good evening, Officer. I came to see Mehmet Arslan."
He lifted his head and absentmindedly pointed behind him.
"Go up to the second floor and turn left. Last room at the end of the corridor. The guys there will help you."
No reason, no ID check?
Wow. I honestly hadn't expected it to be this easy.
"Thank you. Have a good shift."
His eyes were practically closing from exhaustion, so he just nodded and went back to what he was doing. I walked toward the stairs with calm steps.
"You're welcome, Jigglypuff."
"Don't get cocky. You were useful for once, that's all."
"Commissioner, welcome. This lady is here to see you."
I froze mid-step at the voice behind me. In my ear, Demir's tense voice echoed.
"Now we're screwed!"