by Lia Davis
"Regardless," Serena continued. "This is proof she hasn't changed as much as you seem to think she has. Why would Fagin, a known blitz distributor, care about one time blitz addict if they had no ties."
Nik lost his patience. "One: she was never an addict. She got caught at a frat party where blitz was present. The judge laughed the prosecutor out of the courtroom when she tried to prosecute Dani's case. Two: Her research is provocative. If she can stop blitz addiction cold — that's a damn good reason for someone like Fagin to target her."
He could see he'd caught Serena off guard.
"I didn't know about her research."
Nik hoped Serena's change of tone meant she would leave the argument alone. "She only published one paper, right before she left Star Haven. If you were really interested in learning about what Daniella has been up to, you would have read it."
"Which raises more questions. Why did she leave so suddenly? She could have gotten an assistant professorship. She could have gotten tenure. Why head back to Thunder City for the private sector? Why now?"
He should have known Serena wouldn't back down, but instead change tactics. It didn't matter. He was done. "You'll have to ask her, Serena. I'm not going to."
"Don't force me to start a formal investigation, Nik."
"Then don't." Nik only had enough emotional energy to shrug at Serena's threat. "You have nothing to investigate. T-CASS won't allow you to investigate my personal life based on your jealousy. The whole purpose of T-CASS is to allow alternative humans our right to live, work, and form personal relationships just like normal humans."
"All of our personal relationships are being scrutinized, Nik. Hannah Quinn's insistence on maintaining a relationship with Scott Grey..."
"Cory. His name is Cory Blackwood." He put strong emphasis on Blackwood.
"Whatever he's calling himself this week." She waved her hand as if she were dismissing a fly and not Nik's brother. "Their relationship cannot continue without oversight, yet she's threatening to walk away from us...from Thunder City, from T-CASS, if she's not allowed to continue to see him. It's causing havoc in the Alt community. She's creating dissent between T-CASS and the Neuts. Neutrals have always challenged the security protocols we put in place to keep untrained Alts from causing harm to themselves and to others. You dating Daniella is only going to create more scrutiny. People will start questioning our integrity."
"Norms, you mean. You're worried Daniella will create a scandal that will lend support to the Neuts who want to tear down the safety protocols and tear down T-CASS along with them. That will give the Norms more power every time an Alt causes an accident with their powers."
"Yes."
Nik counted to ten in hopes of finding a polite way to counter Serena's argument. He couldn't. "You're a fool, Serena. If a Norm like Daniella and an Alt like me can't fall in love without creating havoc for T-CASS, then maybe T-CASS should be torn down."
Serena choked on his words, her brown eyes widening at the horror of what he had said. "You don't mean that."
Nik turned and walked away.
Chapter 6
Dani set the alarm on her house before she stepped outside. As sophisticated as the system was, it didn't take the place of personal caution. She gave her front yard and the yards of her neighbors a careful visual and auditory scan with the small jack that had come with her security system. Her heightened awareness made every sound, every shadow a potential threat, but she had to be sure. Even in the black of night, Carraro's system would tell her if something was amiss.
Something was definitely out of place. Underneath the green SUV next door someone watched her. Good. She slipped the device and her phone into her pocket and jogged down her driveway. At the end, she turned left, trying not to trip over the hem of the oversized track suit she wore. In her pocket, the device vibrated once. She was being followed, but she didn't hit the alarm just yet.
While she had showered, she'd also listened for telltale signs of Nik leaving, but she hadn't heard anything. He must have phased through the house to get outside. Did he sneak upstairs to get a peek of her in the shower before he left? Probably not. Straight-laced Nik Blackwood would never do anything so crass. He didn't have to because he'd already seen her naked. Why, just this afternoon he'd chased her naked through his penthouse and into his bed before bringing her home. What a merry time that had been, but thinking about it distracted her from keeping her pursuer close, but not too close.
Dani hadn't expected Fagin would come after her. Dodger, yes. The damage Dodger had inflicted on Fagin's operation, after the judge released her, had sent Fagin to jail and disrupted if not destroyed his network. She had assumed Fagin's need for vengeance would override everything else, but she'd been wrong. His need to reestablish his network took priority over vengeance. At least until he could find Dodger.
In Star Haven, hiding Dodger had served to keep Dani safe in a community that hated Alts. Her first year in Star Haven had woken her up to how much Thunder City Alts owed Catherine Blackwood and her fight to create a safe city for Alts to live in, a city where Alts didn't have to hide their abilities or wear masks to use them.
It also hadn't taken long for her to realize that by never shifting, never allowing the male side of herself out to play, she had created an emotional black hole. For all of her feminine traits, a part of Daniella enjoyed being a male. All of the traits other people remarked on about Daniella — her confidence, her passion, her driven attitude — all remained unremarked on by others when they met her as a male.
That was why she created Daniel. Daniel was her compromise. Whereas Dodger reached six foot seven and possessed the muscles of a professional bodybuilder, Daniel was about six foot two with big enough muscles to win a fist fight if he had to — not that Daniel ever started them. Daniel looked like your sexy next door neighbor who would be happy to take your dog out for a walk. Dodger would scare the dog.
Now she had to try and get Fagin to chase Dodger and not Daniella. If she could keep Fagin on the chase for Dodger, a man who had no real identity, maybe he would leave Daniella alone. At least until she could get past her kidney donation to Robby.
Cat and mouse never had it so tough. Time to make a left turn.
Behind her, she could hear the light flop-flop of sneakers following her. Her S&W rested in a shoulder holster and flopped against her chest since she had to keep the strap loose.
One more mile to go. The Fargrounds had its share of police patrols this late at night, but if anyone wondered why a single, tiny woman was out jogging this late, they didn't stop to ask.
Up ahead, the Mystic Bay Health Recovery Center loomed. Unlike the rest of the Fargrounds, the building had sufficient lighting and security despite its bland, brick exterior. Dani needed the light, but she didn't need the attention.
She picked up speed just long enough to lose her tail at the next right turn down the alley between the building and the gas station next door. It took her a full twenty seconds for her to change enough to make her follower see what she wanted him to see. She couldn't wait to complete the change to Dodger and still time this operation to her advantage, so she shifted to Daniel instead.
Now that her track suit fit properly, she sauntered out to the corner of the building and leaned back, chin up and balls out. The tail ran right past Daniel. He stopped short at the corner of the gas station, his stance confused as he craned his neck around.
"Looking for someone?" Daniel asked, hoping his voice didn't squeak as his vocal cords continued to shift.
"Yeah." The tail approached Daniel without hesitation. "A girl. She just jogged past here."
Daniel flexed his muscles, a gesture of indifference as well strength. While he stretched, he stepped off the curb. The street lights now made his face visible as well as his height.
Daniel could now see the tail's face. He was one of the boys who had tried to kidnap Daniella from Gen Med's parking lot.
"Saw her. She headed north." Daniel jerke
d his chin that general direction.
The tail squinted at Daniel, taking in the long brown hair, pulled back into a man bun, his firm jaw, his better than average size. There were only two reasons why a man like Daniel would be standing outside a drug treatment clinic so late at night: either the clinic had hired him to supplement their security, or he was a dealer looking for stragglers he could hook before they made it inside the clinic's walls. Those in the midst of treatment made the best customers if a dealer could play on their insecurities.
"Thanks, man." The kid didn't back away. "Do I know you?"
"You're one of Fagin's boys?" Daniel made it clear it wasn't really a question.
"I ain't no boy."
Typical youth - all bluster, no brains. "My apologies. Tell Fagin, Dodger sends his love."
Daniel almost laughed as the tail's eyes went wide with recognition. Either Dodger's reputation remained intact after all of these years, or Fagin was talking about him to his new crew. Daniel doubted Fagin had anything pleasant to say about his former lover.
The tail backed away toward the corner, then turned and ran in the direction Daniel had sent him. Daniel waited until the tail crossed the street and disappeared around the next building. By morning, Fagin would know Dodger was still in town.
At best, he would forget about Daniella and start chasing Dodger. More than likely, Daniel had managed to split Fagin's attention. The more Daniel/Daniella could split Fagin's attention, the more mistakes Fagin would make. Mistakes Daniella could take advantage of before Fagin caught her.
And then what? The only way to end this is to kill him.
Daniel shifted back to Daniella before she reached her front yard. If she killed Fagin, the problem would go away, never to return, but it could create an even bigger problem. Nik would have to know the truth about her past. She would have to tell him about her ability to shift. He would have to report what he knew about her to T-CASS. T-CASS would demand that she register with Thunder City. T-CASS would also demand she prove her ability to control her shift.
She had gone to school with at least half the members of the current T-CASS roster. They would remember the rumors, some true, but most not. She had no interest in working with those people. She had no interest in T-CASS beyond Nik. Upstairs, she stripped off the oversized sweat shirt and pants and collapsed into bed.
Dani wished Nik occupied her bed so she could curl up next to his warm body and feel safe in his arms. Given the opportunity, she would have stayed curled up next to him in his bed until morning. Nik's bed was much bigger and far more luxurious than her own and would have made for an easy rest before she headed to work. Unfortunately, sleeping — really sleeping — in a bed with a man wasn't as easy for her as it was for others. The last time she'd loved a man enough to spend the night, she'd shifted in her sleep. Even though she'd warned her fiancé at the time that it might happen, he still freaked and broke off their engagement.
Just as well. Her ex would never have agreed to leave Star Haven because of the Alt ban. He loved her, but not enough to disrupt his life for her. Four pints of ice cream and a three day movie marathon in her apartment had dulled the pain of rejection, if not cured it. Maybe after Generation Med released her blitz addiction cure on the world, she could work on a vaccine for heartache.
If Nik loves you, you won't need it.
Oh, what a lovely thought. If Nik loved her, she wouldn't need a lot of things, but first she'd have to tell him about Daniel and Dodger. Having to explain to the man she loved about her shift was hard enough. Having to explain to the man she loved that the man he had hunted all through high school, the man whom he had held responsible for releasing blitz into the Thunder City school system, who had destroyed lives, and started a murderous drug war, was actually the women he was bedding — that took moxy even she didn't have right now.
No one would believe, much less understand, the depth of her regret about her actions back then. Dodger was born out her own desperate need to be loved. Fagin found Dodger attractive, and Dodger never told Fagin about Daniella. The fact that Fagin never asked Dodger for his real name should have been Daniella's first clue to Fagin's indifference. Instead, the newly dubbed "Dodger" fell for Fagin's charm. The drug lord took the brazen young man under his wing, nurtured him in a way her parents should have, but didn't. He guided Dodger, in his own twisted way. He gave Dodger confidence. He gave Dodger an outlet for Daniella's rage. Through Fagin's unbridled violence, the vain and wicked girl could always win the day.
Fagin turned Dodger into the best dealer in Thunder City, then abandoned him at the time Dodger needed him the most. Daniella had used her rapid shift during the frat party raid to prevent the cops from connecting Dodger to Fagin. Better to have them think the spoiled debutante was slumming with the frat boys, rather than trying to become just like them — doing normal stuff young men do in college. She never forgot those long days she spent in jail waiting for someone to bail her out. She ended up having to call her parents because Fagin had already replaced Dodger. Dodger, it seemed, had grown too old to hold Fagin's interest.
Thunder City would never forgive her for what she had done. Nik...she could only hope that Nik would forgive her when she told him the truth, and she would tell him.
Dani flopped over and clutched her pillow closer, holding tight onto her wish.
I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight.
She promised to tell Nik soon, if only he would love her back as much as she loved him. She continued to sing to herself as she fell into a deep sleep.
Nik did Detective Trell the courtesy of knocking on his car window before he phased into the passenger seat. He'd learned the hard way not to surprise an armed cop back when he was still a Goob in training. The first ever Goob in training, in fact. Only luck had saved Nik from Officer Trell's bullet, but the police car window had needed to be replaced. The two had worked together often since then.
"I figured you'd phase your way here at some point," Trell said, not even turning his eyes away from the building he surveilled. The years had thinned the man's slicked back brown hair, but he still looked like he could handle whatever threat the Fargrounds tossed at him.
"Isn't staking out a building overnight beneath your pay grade?" Nik snarked back. He'd already had an early morning start getting Dani to work. She'd insisted on driving and drove just like she danced — with wild abandon. Nik tried relax now that she was safe inside the walls of Generation Med. The early morning sun attempted to brighten the downtrodden tenement, but it did nothing to ease Nik's fear for Dani.
"Not staking anything out," Trell said. "I'm waiting for Claire to pack up the last of her art supplies. T-CASS found her a nicer place uptown. Now that she's on the payroll, she can afford better than this. I'm giving her a ride."
Claire the clairvoyant, as she was informally known. She wouldn't get a moniker until the public bestowed one on her. T-CASS was carefully handling how they rolled out their newest member to the public. Between Hannah, Cory, and Claire, the abilities harnessed by T-CASS made the organization more powerful than ever before. Claire was still in training, however, and Hannah... Nik bit back Serena's criticisms. If Hannah continued to play a high-stakes game of chicken with T-CASS it wouldn't end well for any of them. After Nik dealt with Fagin, he'd sit down and have a serious off-the-record conversation with both Hannah and Cory. Separately, if necessary.
"I'm glad you're keeping an eye on Claire," Nik said.
Trell nodded. "Because of our history together, she's more comfortable working with the police department than with T-CASS, but the more exposure she has to other Alts, the better off she'll be. But, you're not here to talk about Claire, are you?"
Nik leaned back, letting the rising sun warm his face. "No. I'm here to ask if you've had any hits on Fagin's whereabouts."
"So far, nothing." Trell sipped his coffee. "I pulled a list of the places he used for his operation prior to his arrest, but he appears to be avoiding his
past haunts. He's gathering the usual around him. A whole new crew. His old guard is either still in prison or dead. Except for the incident with Daniella Rose, we have nothing. Any chance you can talk her into filing a report?"
"Nope," Nik said. "Not for lack of trying."
Trell laughed. "I'll bet you did."
Crap. Trell, and probably the entire police force, had seen the Tattler and News-Journal reports.
"If what you told me is true," Nik swallowed back his annoyance over the gossip, "and Fagin wants to shut down Doctor Rose's research before he sets up his new network, then we're going to be in for a long wait. Rose hired Carraro's security company. She's locked in tight — at least when she's at home."
"I don't know about that." Trell rolled down his window and waved. The front door to the building had opened and a blond woman walked toward the car with a canvas, stretched and primed for painting, under one arm and a small tote bag in the other. "Fagin has cash. Dodger may have stolen all of Fagin's money, but crews don't work on credit. Maybe Dodger missed something. Fagin's getting support from somewhere or someone."
Yes, but from whom? Nik didn't answer Trell out loud. Instead he phased out of the car and reappeared right next to Claire. "Let me take that for you."
Though they hadn't formally met, Claire must have recognized Nik even though he wasn't in uniform. She relinquished the tote to Nik as Trell walked over to take the canvas.
"I popped the trunk. You can put everything back there," Trell said.
Follow the money. Nik helped Claire secure her belongings. He refused Trell's offer to talk more while he drove Claire to her new apartment and waved good-bye to the two of them. The less Claire knew at this point, the better. Until she'd worked a few T-CASS assignments, Nik didn't want her anywhere near the Fagin case. Which, according to Serena, wasn't even a case at this point. Fagin had paid his dues, served his time, and was a free man.