by Lesley Davis
Daryl’s huffed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“So who was driving the car when the other one got tagged?”
“Excuse me?” Daryl was confused.
“I spotted demon residue on the front of your car the night we came over. One of you had a close encounter with a demon. Its glitter trail was still visible on your hood.”
“I’ll ask Blythe. God, how much have we been keeping from each other for fear of sounding crazy?” She reached for her cell phone. “And today we both started receiving these.” She held the phone out for Ashley to read the text.
There’s no child for you here. Look elsewhere.
“So there’s no child for you here? Someone obviously knows you’re in line for one. As for the ‘look elsewhere’ part, there’s a nice little warning if ever I read one. You get attacked, Blythe apparently has a run-in while out driving, and now texts.” Ashley seemed to deliberate for a moment then said, “Get your tech girl to try and trace these. But you might want to leave out the details of the hit and run and you being attacked from your DDU guys just yet.” Ashley got a look on her face Daryl couldn’t decipher. “Curious. I wonder why you two are being targeted. This wouldn’t fit the kidnapper’s M.O. She needs to pull you in, not push you away.”
“But would it fit the demon’s?”
Ashley grinned. “Oh, you are smart. I like that in a fellow angel host.”
“It’s the only explanation. Someone also tried to break into our car last night but the alarm went off. When we checked the security footage, all we saw was a black figure. I think we’re being targeted.”
“So why is she trying to scare you off? That’s an intriguing development.”
“Damned if I know. But Blythe and I are both on edge. These are personal attacks, directed at us both. And they started once we were accepted for adopting a specific baby.”
“Let me ponder that for a while.” Ashley was silent for a time until Daryl couldn’t take the quiet any longer.
“What’s it like to be able to shape shift?” Daryl didn’t mean to change the subject quite so obviously, but she didn’t want to think about being attacked by a demon any more.
“It helps me get the job done. I’ve shifted since I was a baby. It’s as natural as breathing is to me. What was weirder to me was having Rafe see right through my glamour. God, that was bizarre. But it was nice too. To know that finally there was someone who could see me and only me.” She nudged Daryl gently in her side. “I bet Blythe makes you feel that way.”
“She’s not fazed by the whole angel thing at all. I’m still having a hard time believing, and she’s so matter-of-fact about it. Like every detective from Vermont comes armed with an angel.” Daryl tried not to sound aggravated about it, but finding out about Virgil had really thrown her life into disarray. Yet Blythe had taken the news a lot more calmly.
“She’s a cop. They’re like that.”
“I’m a cop too,” Daryl argued.
“Yeah, but you’re a cop who’s had angelic Impressor influences in your life. That kind of takes you off the usual ‘just the facts, ma’am’ list and places you higher on the weird and whacky column.” Ashley just shrugged at Daryl’s aggrieved look. “It makes you mysterious. Girls love a woman with a bit of mystery.”
Daryl mused over Ashley’s words. Her mind went back to the scene at the barbeque right at the start of their investigation. “Are Eli and Virgil here?”
“Just like American Express, can never leave home without them!”
“The day of the barbeque….” She stopped as she watched Ashley take on the familiar look of hearing a comment from someone else.
“You saved a kid? That’s cool.” Ashley listened some more. “Oh, you want to know how in the hell you managed to get to the baby in time before he took a header into the pool?”
“I was like everyone else. I wasn’t aware of him until a split second when I focused in. Was that Virgil?”
Ashley nodded. “He did something new that day too. He loaned you his wings.”
Daryl’s jaw dropped. “No wonder I shot across the yard like a bullet.” She couldn’t get her head around the implications. “Well, fuck me.”
Ashley chuckled. “You’re going to have to tell me what that felt like. Eli has never blessed me with that trick.”
“Virgil got me to the pool in time to stop Matthew from falling in. Wow. That’s really something.”
“I like you, Daryl Chandler,” Ashley said. “You are so less confrontational about how your world has changed.”
Daryl didn’t know how to answer.
“Rafe was a major pain in the ass. Actually, she still is, bless her. But she fought and clawed her way around the whole heaven and hell thing until I finally wore her down.” Ashley gave Daryl a saucy grin. “It was worth every minute too. But you’re much calmer, even though I’m sure your brain is still firing off wild neuron firework displays in shock and disbelief.”
Daryl liked that analogy; it was very close to how she felt. Mentally, there was a whole Fourth of July explosion going off in her head.
“And I like that I have finally met someone else with an angel. It’s kind of lonely being the only one.” Ashley’s voice sounded so wistful that Daryl unconsciously moved closer. “And you haven’t done what Rafe would have done had she found out she had an angel. She’d have been compelled to do the whole my angel is bigger than your angel thing. That’s why I think you’re the perfect person for an Impressor. You’re calm. You have a very restful soul, Daryl.”
“Thank you. I wish I felt it at the moment.”
“It will return once you’ve gotten your head around all the angel malarkey, and then it will be back to business.” Ashley peered over the side of the roof. “This demon has two women in her sights picked out for you and Blythe. From what I’ve witnessed, I guess she figured it was easier to look for Blythe’s coloring than yours.”
Daryl pulled at the edges of her lightweight coat and shivered a little. “Is it just me or is it oddly cold around here?” She caught the swift look Ashley gave her. “What?”
“Have you always been sensitive to areas?”
Daryl thought about it. “Not that I’m aware of. Why?”
“It’s cooler here because there is a demon in residence. You’re sensing it. Maybe you’ve never noticed it before because you’ve not been in contact with demons much.”
“I wouldn’t really know one way or another would I? I can’t see my angel, so I certainly won’t see a demon. And whoever hit me seemed very human but with a strength I’ve never seen before. Come to think of it, I did get cold right before they popped out in front of me.”
“I think you’re going to become more sensitive now because you’ve opened your mind to the possibilities of what is really occurring on good ol’ planet Earth.”
“I can see why ignorance can be seen as bliss.”
“You’ve got an angelic guide and a rudimentary knowledge of demonology. You’re way past the ignorance stage.”
“And the bliss?”
“You get that with Blythe I’m sure. What more could you wish for?”
Daryl couldn’t help the smile that escaped her lips and she laughed even while Ashley kept prudently quiet for once.
“By the way, Virgil wasn’t with you when you got jumped, otherwise he’d have protected you. I’m reliably told he’s going to stick a little closer to you now that he’s aware you’re being singled out.”
“I’d rather he watch over Blythe. She’s more precious to me.”
Ashley grinned at something she was told. “He says his wings are big enough for the two of you.”
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Daryl said.
“Here she is,” Ashley announced suddenly, pointing down to the street below.
Daryl squinted in the darkness and tried to sort out Lailah from the few other bodies milling about on the street below. “Let me guess, you can see her sparkling.”
“She’s
got a shimmer that is shinier than the Christmas tree on Rockefeller Plaza.”
Daryl brought the binoculars up to get a closer look. She zoomed in on Lailah and followed her path as she walked right past the agency’s main door and instead disappeared into a side door. “Strange she doesn’t use the main entrance.”
“I don’t think they know she lives there. I’d wager she has a nest in the basement.”
“A nest? Like a bird or something?”
“More like a snake. Some demons shed their skins like a reptile. Mostly the lesser demons that have to swap their forms. Some who can remain in character keep their flesh but don’t want the sense of human normality like a home and stuff. Some have a different purpose coming up from hell.” Ashley’s eyes never left the building, and Daryl wondered what she could see that Daryl just couldn’t. “Looks like this Lailah is specifically stealing children for some purpose we just can’t see yet.”
“You think there’s something more to it than her fulfilling Miller’s need to place children with ones she sees more deserving of a child?”
“Demons always have a purpose that is purely selfish. It’s in their nature. I don’t see what Lailah is gaining that is for her own satisfaction in this act. And believe me, demons are all about the satisfaction they receive.”
“So demons are just as hard to figure out as human criminals. I’m not entirely comforted by that thought.”
“Take comfort in the fact you probably won’t have to deal with many demons in your line of work. After all, you don’t appear to have been involved with them before now. Otherwise, I’m sure our paths would have crossed at some point.”
“So Blythe and I get to go back to our own world knowing all this is out there? While you and Rafe do what?”
“We continue seeking out the demons and sending them back where they belong.”
Daryl was uneasy with the knowledge that she was supposed to just go back to her life and pretend everything was normal. Nothing felt normal now. “The New York DDU is pissed at the Chicago involvement.”
Ashley laughed. “And they don’t know the half of it.”
“I just want all the lost children found. I know they are here. I guess I just need Virgil to help me find them.”
“Well, while he’s looking into that, this is for you.” Ashley rummaged in her pocket and handed over a USB stick. “You’re going to need this for your staff meeting tomorrow.”
Daryl held the small USB between her fingers. “What’s on here?”
“Pictures of Lailah in action at the Baby Aid clinics. It’s amazing how easy it is to get candid shots of her eyeing potential victims. I watched her today. Like I said, she’s got two women she’s hovering around like a demonic mother hen. I think one of them will be her target for you two.”
“I hope we get the call soon. I want this brought to a close. She can’t keep taking children.”
“Just this one last time and then we can stop her. Then I can send her back to hell where she belongs.”
“I like the sound of that. Even though I don’t quite know what that will entail or even look like.”
“It will look like a blessed relief to all expectant mothers out there who won’t have Lailah preying on their children.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Blythe was sitting up in bed watching the TV when Daryl padded into the bedroom quietly. Her attention was diverted from the screen by Daryl disrobing before her. Daryl unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it to a chair. Blythe greedily took in Daryl’s taut stomach and strong arms. Her eyes dropped as Daryl’s hand lowered to unbuckle her belt.
“Did you have a productive night?” Blythe managed to ask while listening to the soft popping noise of Daryl unfastening her button fly jeans.
“We’ve established Lailah has a nest at the agency.”
“A nest?” One part of Blythe’s brain was able to follow Daryl’s answer while the other was engrossed in watching her gather up her sleep clothes and wander into the bathroom they now shared. She had left the bathroom door open enough to continue talking so Blythe was afforded tantalizing flashes of Daryl as she prepared to join her in bed.
“Believe me, when Ashley talks nests, you don’t want to know.” The sound of running water could faintly be heard over the sound of the TV show Blythe was no longer interested in. “What are you watching? It’s late.”
“A Fringe rerun. I like the leading lady.” She smiled as Daryl wandered back into the room dressed in a soft sleep shirt and shorts. Blythe knew those wouldn’t stay on long.
Daryl looked up at the TV. “The blonde?”
Blythe grinned. “Yes, but she’s not as blond as you, my love.” She reached out to pull Daryl down beside her. Blythe pressed a kiss to Daryl’s forehead. “I missed you tonight.”
“I missed you too, but I learned some things and have come home armed with a USB full of faces for your team to investigate for us.”
“Ashley has some potential candidates for our baby mama?”
Daryl grinned at Blythe’s comment and Blythe was once again taken by how gorgeous she was. She kissed her again.
“She does indeed. According to Ashley, we’re likely to get a baby with your coloring, as opposed to mine.”
“You’re one in a million, sweetheart. I can see why it would be difficult to match you.”
Daryl laughed. “Yeah, right. Anyway, Ashley has been trailing Lailah all day, switching characters so Lailah would never see the same face twice.” Daryl looked up at Blythe. “Can you imagine how amazing it would be for surveillance teams to have that gift? Anyway, she has two women down as the potential kidnap victims and she got us addresses and everything she could gather from the Baby Aid station and from her own investigation.” Daryl burrowed into Blythe’s side. “I’ll say this for her, she’s a marvelous investigator.”
“Especially when you consider what she investigates.”
“Do you think you can honestly go back to the DDU with what you know now and not say anything?”
“Well, firstly, I’d like to keep my job and not be pensioned out early after a psych evaluation. But I don’t honestly think my world is going to ever be the same after what we have learned. Can I take that back to the DDU? I honestly have no idea.”
“I don’t think I can, in good conscience, not do something more now that I know I have…” Daryl faltered.
“Angelic interference?”
“Exactly.”
“So…you’ll do what? Team up with Rafe and Ashley and take on Gotham?”
Daryl’s surprised laughter sounded good to Blythe’s ears. “I don’t see myself as a caped vigilante, Blythe. But you’d look amazing in a Catwoman suit.”
Blythe groaned and captured Daryl’s mouth in a ravenous kiss. The heat simmered between them as they explored each other’s mouths with teasing flicks of their tongues and soft nibbles until they both finally had to pull back for air. “So what’s your plan? Solve this case then see what other demons need to be sought?”
Daryl shook her head. “I don’t know. But if Virgil can help me find children and there’s a demon connection, I might want to be involved. I think I need to be.” Daryl pressed her lips to Blythe’s cleavage
“I agree now that we know what else is out there that we need to be aware of it.” Blythe moved wantonly under the hot kisses Daryl was ghosting over her breast.
“I’m more aware of you at the moment.” Daryl began tugging at the nightshirt that was stopping her from exploring Blythe’s body further. Blythe lifted her arms so that Daryl could get it off and out of the way.
“No more talk of demons in the marital bed,” she whispered as she pulled Daryl’s shirt off and flung it to the floor.
“You’re so bossy. I like that.” Daryl let out a gasp as Blythe’s fingers captured her nipples and squeezed. Her face flushed, Daryl surrendered to Blythe’s touch. “God, I do love you.”
“Good,” Blythe said as she plucked at the tightening nubs. “Now come
here and make it up to me that you spent most of the night in the company of another woman.”
Daryl stripped off her shorts in haste and shoved aside the sheets to reveal Blythe’s nakedness. “I thought of you the whole time,” she whispered as she ran her hands over Blythe’s curves.
Blythe tugged gently at the flesh she had still captured between her fingers. Daryl’s hips jerked with each pull. “And what were you thinking?”
“How much I wanted to come home and make love to you.” Daryl trailed her hand up Blythe’s thigh and rested it on the soft curls that covered her sex.
Blythe opened her legs wider to invite Daryl’s touch. “Then enough talk about the outside world. In here, it’s just you and me.” She released Daryl’s flesh and took Daryl’s hand, moving it to where she wanted it to be. She relished the sound that escaped Daryl’s chest.
“You’re so wet,” Daryl groaned, slipping two fingers deep inside Blythe and pressing in hard.
Back bowing, Blythe surrendered to her love. “I’ve been thinking about you all night too.”
*
“Waiting for a woman to give birth to a dark-haired baby so a demon can snatch it apparently takes longer than I had envisioned,” Blythe said as she cleared up her paperwork off her desk.
Daryl sat in a chair opposite, a frown marring her forehead.
“What’s got your attention so bad?” Blythe filed her papers away and shifted to peer over Daryl’s shoulder. She recognized the papers in Daryl’s grasp. “Oh, honey, you can’t keep going over the maps like this. You know as well as I do, when Virgil finds the other children, he’ll impress it upon you.”
“But I still need to look too. I’ve been out every day jogging around the Heights, even though I’m terrified of being knocked off my feet again. But if they’re here I need to find them. I can’t leave any loose ends. These children all have to be returned home.”
“You will do that. I know you will, but please remember what Ashley told you Virgil said.”
“That he couldn’t see the last ones because they weren’t being revealed to him either.”