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Thomas, seated on the Lawson residence's front step, heard laughter inside and smiled quietly to himself. It was good that they could resolve their problems without fighting. He shook his head as the smile began to turn sad and rested his back against the door with a sigh. Looking up at the night sky, he felt a stab of lonely appreciation; a full moon hung amongst the stars, bright and beautiful. On the empty street, Thomas could almost believe that the display was solely for his eyes and the sad smile he had chased away slid quietly into its intended place without his noticing.
"That's quite the expression you're wearing. I can't quite decide if you look more like a lonely coyote about to howl at the moon, or a stargazer appreciating the view."
Thomas' gaze was brought suddenly back to earth and he saw a man standing at the end of the Lawson's front walk. Caught off-guard, he fielded a response to buy himself some time to determine what the stranger wanted. "A little bit of both, maybe."
The man chuckled, taking a barely noticeable, black policeman's cap off of his head to reveal a head of dark brown hair. His hazel eyes studied Thomas for a moment and Thomas felt himself bristle slightly at the amusement in the visitor's expression. "Is there something I can do for you, Mr...?"
The man's grin widened. "Black. You can call me Black." Thomas felt his blood run cold, despite the man's flippant attitude. "And since you're offering, yes, there is. Your girlfriend has made herself quite a nuisance to me, so it's only right you help her make amends. I need Burgess gone. He's laying low, now, but he's got powerful friends making excuses for him and it won't be long before he's back to being the schoolyard bully."
Thomas' eyes narrowed. "We're not going to kill anyone, if that's what you're after."
Black guffawed loudly, before abruptly returning to a business tone. "Aha... no, nothing like that. I want you to expose those helping Burgess for the crooks they are. Once their lawyers are tied up defending their own reputation, Burgess will be thrown to the law like a piece of meat and that will accomplish the results I want just fine."
Still wary, Thomas frowned. "I don't suppose you could tell us who these friends are?"
Black smiled widely and not a little mockingly. "But that would make it so dreadfully easy for you, wouldn't it? I've given you the idea; put some work in for yourself."
Feeling his temper rise, Thomas stood. "Look, the last time we put a little trust into a criminal's word, I was thrashed to within an inch of my life. Why should we listen to you? Especially you, for that matter. I can't decide if you're serious about this or just screwing with me."
Black's smile faded, leaving an icy and calculating expression. "Oh, I'm serious, Carmichael. Don't you doubt it. I'm not asking you to go into a back alley with strangers, or confront Burgess' friends alone. All you need to do is work out for yourself who his allies are and deal with them in a lawful manner. If your girlfriend can't even manage that, she's quite a washout as a reporter, wouldn't you agree?"
Thomas bristled again. "Shut up!" Hearing himself shout, he took a deep breath. "Nadia's no washout, she'll find out who Burgess' allies are, but so we can make sure they're held accountable, not for your sake."
Black placed the policeman's cap back onto his head and tipped the brim with a mocking smile. "That's all I ask. Good night, Carmichael."
Thomas watched him go, still growling to himself. Why does everyone keep assuming that Nadia and I are a couple, anyway? He sighed quietly into the cool night air as a second question came along that bothered him even more. Why do I get so worked up whenever they do?
In Icarus' Shadow Page 17