by Lily Luchesi
“You know who he is?” Frieda asked, almost sounding excited.
Danny nodded.
“Good. You said the SC has informants spying on you guys. He could be one. I mean, here’s a video. Look how suspicious he’s acting.”
Hermes was acting oddly, peeking around corners and darting back and forth with his unnatural speed. He looked like he was waiting for someone. The video cut out abruptly, not showing Danny who Hermes might have been waiting for.
“If anything, it’s worth taking a look into. Thank you, Frieda. Next time you have something or I need to see you, I’ll contact you the usual way.” The wheel came to a stop and Danny began to exit the car.
“Danny,” she called after him. “Is he a creature?”
Danny nodded. “And he’s got a nasty habit of not playing by the rules, too.” His phone beeped and he checked the message. Angelica.
“Hermy thinks he has something. Will be in tomorrow evening.”
He sighed and put his phone away. Angelica obviously trusted Hermes. Would she believe Danny and Frieda, or would she side with Hermes? At least with Hermes coming into the PID, Danny could question him personally.
One thing bothered him, however: if Frieda’s information panned out, how was Danny supposed to kill a god?
* * *
Angelica was waiting for Danny in their apartment, one of the only places she was certain they wouldn’t be spied on. She needed to research Josephine Pascuali, but someone had been fucking around inside the city’s public records and her name was nowhere to be found.
She was pissed, that’s for sure. She wasn’t used to being outsmarted. Everything she did, it seemed that the skin changer was two steps ahead of her. Just another reason she wanted to catch and kill the thing. No one made her look like a fool and lived to tell the tale.
She was exhausted from her anger by the time Danny came home to trade notes with her, and not in a very good mood. Then again, he didn't look particularly happy, either.
“I hope you got something good,” she called. “Because the SC already fucked up Hermy’s lead. I can't find a single thing online about the lady it turned into to avoid detection.”
Danny took his time removing his shoes and jacket, and Angelica knew there was something he didn’t want to tell her. These were classic stalling tactics.
“Danny? What is it?”
He sighed and sat down on the other end of the couch. “I think I know why.”
Arching an eyebrow she asked, “Why the skin changer screwed up the city records? Yeah, because it doesn’t want us getting closer to it.”
“Frieda found something. Footage. Of Hermes at all four crime scenes, looking suspicious as Hell,” Danny said, his voice cautious. “Are you sure Hermes is who he claims to be?”
Angelica’s mouth dropped. “He was there to get information. I sent him, you ass. Good try, but your informant got as little as mine did.”
“I still want to question him when he comes in tomorrow,” he said.
“Why?” Angelica asked, exasperated. “I told you why he was there. Is my word not good enough for you, or was Frieda’s case so convincing? If so, you’re going to have to get her to show me, because so far I’m not convinced.”
“Is it so bad that I think her magical cameras caught something and just want to interview a guy who will already be in our offices?” Danny asked.
Angelica huffed. “Yes! Because Hermy is who he says. Why don’t you believe me?”
“Why don't you believe me? And Frieda?” Danny asked.
“Because I don’t know Frieda. I do, however, know Hermes. I’m willing to reserve judgment for now, but I’m also fairly certain that he’s not working for the SC, either. But anyone can be. Fuck it, I half-wondered about Sean that day we were attacked in the office,” she said. “Why are you so keen on trusting her, but when I trust a friend of two centuries, you think I’m wrong?”
He didn't reply to that, just looked down at his hands, which were folded in his lap. That didn’t ease Angelica’s mind.
“Danny. Answer me,” she said, her voice low. She was trying not to snap at him. “Why do you trust her?”
He gave a halfhearted shrug. “She has an honest face.”
“Well, color me befuddled. You were a Chicago cop for thirty years! Don’t give me that line of bullshit,” she chided.
“She reminds me of someone I knew, long ago... While you were away,” he said pointedly.
Well, that hurt.
“I left to give you a normal life. I left because I loved you and your long, happy life meant more to me than having you by my side,” she said. “You know that, and yet you’re still going to throw it in my face? I asked an honest question. There was nothing for you to get defensive about.”
He was silent, staring a little too hard at the arrangement of lilies on the coffee table.
“Danny, who does she remind you of?” Angelica asked, trying to make her voice as sweet as possible. Because she already knew the answer, she just wanted him to say it out loud.
He leaned his head back on the couch and said, “Why are you doing this? You know I love you and only you. Always have, no matter my incarnation.”
Angelica scoffed. “It’s not that. I know you love me. The problem here is you’re believing the word of someone you don’t really know because she reminds you of your dead mortal wife. That’s an issue because it could get you killed, Danny.”
He stood up, pacing the short distance in front of the couch. “When you saw me, when you thought I was the man you once loved, you let your father — a mass murderer — get away to save me. How is this any different?”
“It’s different because you were the same man,” Angelica replied. “It wasn’t just a strong resemblance, it was you. And by letting yourself get swept away in emotion, you’re potentially sabotaging our case!”
Danny looked down at where she was sitting, his eyes sparking red just a little. “What is it? Are you jealous?”
That was the last straw for Angelica. She leapt up, face-to-face with Danny. She wasn’t sure how she looked, but it must’ve been bad, because he took a step backward. More than anything, though, she was upset because he hit the nail on the head. She was jealous, and she shouldn’t have been. She knew he loved her, but between this lady and Daniel, her emotions were in a muddle. And their argument wasn't helping matters.
Biting her tongue, because anything she said now would potentially end everything between them because she didn't know how to control her anger, she turned on her heel and stalked away to her coffin, locking herself inside until the sun disappeared.
Chapter Seven
“Oh shit. Someone give you O positive instead of AB negative this morning?” Sean asked when Angelica walked into the PID offices.
“Don’t push me today,” she replied.
“Where’s Detective Do-Right?” he continued. “You put some wolfsbane on his coffin?”
“Will you shut up?” Angelica snapped, instantly regretting it.
Sean had done nothing but be his usual asshole self, the self she usually loved. She just wasn't in the mood today, for him or Danny or anyone.
She’d acted like a jealous bitch, and that wasn't like her. This whole investigation was one big clusterfuck and she wanted it over. She wanted to go back to Sicily, maybe visit Greece. Just a simple, relaxing life as the Empress. Where vampires obeyed the law and there were no wife lookalikes to bother her.
She sat at her desk, but wasn’t alone. Sean followed, perching himself on the edge. “Okay, what gives? I know you’ve got a temper, but in all the years I traveled with you, never once did you tell me to shut up and actually mean it. What did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything,” she said. “I acted like an ass.”
“And he probably gave you a good reason to. So spill.”
Leaning her head back against the wall behind her, Angelica gave a simple, stilted explanation about what had happened the previous night.
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When she was done, Sean was chuckling. “The two of you love each other so much you want to kill each other. Angie, it was nostalgia Danny felt, that’s it. And his proud ass couldn’t admit to having emotions at all. He was wrong, but you were blind.”
“So what? I should forgive him for not believing me?” she asked.
Sean shook his head. “No, he needs to apologize. And so do you. Time to realize that you both bring out the passion in each other, and that sometimes gets expressed in...how should I put this? In asshole ways.”
“Hey!” she said.
“No, it’s true. You’re too proud to admit that you love him more than life, he’s too stubborn to let anything go. You drive each other meshugge, and then you come here and bug me with it. It’s a cycle of insanity.”
She smiled a little. Sean knew how to make her feel a little better by being so succinct. “I know I was too quick to judge.”
“And he should’ve listened to you,” Sean added. “Mancini lives half his life with his head up his ass, I swear.”
“Don’t I know it,” she muttered. “I have to wait here to meet my informant. Man the captain’s seat for me, will you?”
“You got it,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Daniel had a meeting with a couple witches earlier this afternoon. They gave a report, I left it for you to read.”
“Thanks.” The last thing Angelica wanted was to hear about Danny’s descendant, but she supposed she didn’t have a choice. They needed Daniel, whether or not she liked him. She found the report — written, not entered into the computer, as she’d requested — and flipped it open. It was short, to the point, detailing the extent of Daniel’s powers.
Unlike Danny, who had had just two flashbacks of his previous life until he hit his mid-forties, Daniel had developed and honed his powers from the age of eight. He was much further along with them, but they weren’t settled in his body. His visions came when they wanted. Unlike Danny had been taught by Brighton Sands, Daniel couldn’t get a vision whenever he wanted.
“Good thing we don’t need his visions, we need him to sense brain activity,” Angelica muttered.
The next page detailed his senses, which were much stronger. He could tell the differences between humans, werewolves, and vampires. He could get into the minds of all creatures except vampires, which a precog could never read no matter how hard they tried.
The witch wrote that they were going to start his mental training on werewolves, who were what psychics called ‘projectors’ because of their strong brain waves. Slowly, they’d work him up to train his brain to handle the strong signal that would be sent by the skin changer, but first he had to learn how to break down mental barriers and call up visions at his leisure.
“We’ll work with him as much as we can, but we will need time. If he gets anywhere near a skin changer now, he’ll surely die or lose his mind,” was how the report ended.
Fucking lovely, Angelica thought as she slapped the file closed. Time is the one thing we’ve always been short on here at the PID.
* * *
When Danny had finally deigned to exit his coffin the next evening, he saw that Angelica was already gone, not even a note left to say she’d left before him. He ran a hand through his reddish-brown curls and sighed heavily.
“I think I fucked up...again.” He microwaved a bag of blood as he got dressed, wondering how much he’d have to apologize to avoid her wrath. He had really hurt her feelings, and with a woman like Angelica, that was not only nearly impossible to do, but scary to see how she acted afterwards. He suddenly felt like a male praying mantis, ready to get his head ripped off by his wife...literally.
As he was just finishing his breakfast, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Frieda. Heaving another sigh, he answered.
“Please, please help!”
That set him on alert. “Frieda? What is it? Where are you?”
“I was at — at the shops near Wrigley Field. And I think I was followed!” She gasped for breath as though she’d been running. “I ducked into a restaurant and I think I lost him but…” She let out a shaky sob.
“Okay, which one are you in? I’ll come meet you and bring you back to the PID for a report, okay? Stay where you are. Lock yourself in the women’s bathroom if it’s a single stall, okay? I’ll be there in a minute or two,” Danny said, his heartbeat speeding up.
If the skin changer was there, he was screwed. Because he had no idea how to kill one. With all the planning, he and Angie still hadn’t discussed that all-important topic and he felt like an idiot. If Frieda died, that would be on his head.
Not sure if Angie would want to hear about Frieda from him, he called Sean and explained what had just happened.
“So I’m headed over there. Angie may want to come, and probably you, too,” he finished.
“Yeah, all right. I’ll go tell her. But it may be that Frieda got spooked by nothing, or just a human mugger,” Sean reminded him.
“You’re probably right, but I’ll call again when I’ve gotten there and assessed the situation firsthand,” Danny said, hanging up. He grabbed his jacket and flew out of the apartment, running at vampire speed till he got to Wrigleyville, his old home turf. He’d been on dozens of stakeouts and undercover missions. Now, as a vampire, his skills of detection, of being able to see every single individual and notice all movement, were exacerbated. He was able to see everyone as individuals, not just part of the pulsing, moving throng that was Chicago.
He spotted the restaurant Frieda said she was hiding in and cased it out for ten minutes. No one seemed to be hanging around without having a reason to be there, no one was acting nervous, and he couldn’t see anyone changing what they looked like. Finally, he text Frieda to come outside. Just as he sent that, Sean sent a text.
“I’m almost there. Angie wants to talk to the informant.”
“Fuck it,” Danny muttered, shoving the phone back into his pocket. Just as he said that, Frieda walked out of the restaurant, head down and face flaming.
“I hope you’re not mad at me,” she said to Danny, eyes wide.
“Oh, no. No, of course I’m not. It’s just...Angelica. She wants you at the PID and she’s sending the current director to come pick us both up,” Danny said. “She thinks you might be in danger. But she’s gonna grill you, and it’s not fair to you.” He lied, of course, about why she wanted the informant at the offices, but it was better than admitting the truth.
Frieda paled. “I heard rumors of her interrogations. Tell me you can get me out of that, please!”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “Okay, calm down. First of all, Angelica’s not going to hurt you whatsoever. Second, I’ll see if we can get a werewolf guard on you instead of you staying at the PID. Would that be better?”
Frieda nodded, still looking shaken.
“I’m going to put the order in now for the guard, all right? Just give me your address.”
She gave him the address, a six-apartment complex in Arlington Heights, and he sent the order in via text message.
“Done.” He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile and she gave him one back.
“Thank you for coming. I know he was just here, but he must have changed appearance or something before you showed,” she said.
“Who was here?” Danny asked.
“Hermes. I don’t think he is the skin changer, but he works for it, I’m positive. And now he knows I’m onto him and he’s going to kill me,” she said breathlessly.
Danny bit his lip. Angelica was going to hate this, but he needed to protect her from Hermes. “He can’t get you, I promise.”
She pulled him into a tight hug, which was surprising but not as unwelcome as he would have expected. He hugged her back, knowing she needed the comfort and, truth be told, he did, too. What broke them apart was the sound of a throat being cleared.
Over Frieda’s shoulder, Danny spotted Sean, clad in that silly coat he always wore a
nd leather pants from the year 2000.
“Am I ruining the mood?” he asked. “Do you need a room at the Ritz? I can book one for ya.” He stepped closer as Danny extricated himself from her embrace.
“Sean. Frieda, this is Sean Wireman, PID director. Sean, Frieda Lorenzo, my informant who is being tailed by Hermes, who’s pulling a Severus Snape on Angelica.”
“Excuse me?” Sean asked, eyebrow arching.
“He’s a double agent. He’s working for the skin changer,” Danny explained. “He was following Frieda.”
“When, exactly, did you see him?” Sean asked her.
Frieda paused and said, “Wait, I have a receipt from the juice bar right before I saw him... It was at seven-twenty-eight.”
Sean checked his watch, and Danny knew that it was seven-forty-three now. “Then it wasn’t him.”
“How the Hell do you know?” Danny asked.
“Because Hermes was at the PID offices fifteen minutes before I even left, I saw him myself. There’s no way he was here and made it there in just a few minutes. So you just mistook someone for him, Frieda,” Sean explained. “Which is good. Or the SC turned into him, which is bad. We’ll keep the werewolf guard on your place just in case, though. Better safe than sorry.”
Danny was relieved to hear that, maybe she was just overreacting due to stress.
“Thank you both. I — I’m really sorry to have been such a bother tonight,” she said.
“No, it’s fine. Danny loves being the hero,” Sean commented. “You should get home. Don’t leave unless you absolutely have to, all right? Just for a little while. I sent your picture to the guard, too, so he knows who you are when you get to your building.”
Frieda nodded. “I will. Thank you. And thank you, Danny. You’re so sweet to me.”
“I’ll bet,” Sean muttered as Frieda walked away.
Danny was fuming, and trying hard to control himself. They were in a public place, and while two guys arguing was nothing new, one of those guys having fangs and fiery red eyes was going to garner some unwanted attention.
