Danny’s expression froze as he worked hard to keep the emotion off his face. Acceptance had been hard won with Addie, but her trust was….indescribable. He gave a jerky nod and then reached down to yank her up. She stumbled at the sudden movement, but he kept her upright as he impulsively hugged her. She held still at first but then her arms curved around him, hugging him back just as tightly.
Chapter Five
“Can I help you?”
Daniel studied the guy speaking to him, noticing he couldn’t be much older than himself. He had a curious expression, but there was no sign of the condemnation Daniel was used to when dealing with cops.
All of Daniels’ confidence had slowly leached out of him as he’d stood outside the precinct wondering how he was supposed to talk to someone. He didn’t think they’d take him seriously since he was nothing more than a drug dealing dropout.
The cop who’d asked him the question seemed to recognize his uncomfortableness.
“Hey, I was headed to lunch.” Daniel backed up, thinking he’d lost his chance. “No, wait. Why don’t you join me?”
Daniel paused, wondering if it was a joke.
“I’m Jake.” The guy told him, not using any titles which eased some of the anxiety rolling though Daniel.
“You’re a cop?” He verified because talking to someone who wasn’t a police officer would be a waste of time.
“I am,” the guy answered with a self-deprecating smile. “New on the force so I get a lot of the grunt work.”
Daniel nodded, understanding that.
“So you want to join me?”
Daniel eyed him carefully, but he’d learned to trust his gut over the last few years. This guy might be able to help him and it wasn’t like he had a whole lot of other options unless he wanted to walk up to the desk inside.
“Yeah, lunch would be good.”
***
Ringing brought him to the present and he answered the phone automatically, “Danny.”
“Hey, man, got some bad news.”
Danny scowled, unsurprised since that had been the status quo lately.
“I’m gonna stop answering if that’s the case,” he said in a halfhearted attempt at a joke, wondering what it was now.
“Jace made bail,” Jake told him, not bothering to sugarcoat it. “It was set at $250,000.” A low whistle escaped Danny as he leaned back in the desk chair.
“Yeah, that was my thought too,” Jake replied. “Dude barely was able to string two sentences together and yet his bail was paid. Makes me wonder who’s jerking that chain.”
“I dunno. Jace always did know how to land on his feet. If there’s a new player in town, I don’t doubt he found him,” Danny responded, his thoughts churning as he considered what needed to happen. “I need to warn Carly. Hell, Wade and Addie too.”
“You think he’ll come for you?” Jake asked seriously. “He made bail. Seems stupid to come after you and chance getting locked up again.”
“That pretty much sums up Jace’s life. Find the dumbest thing to do and then do it,” Danny answered with a sigh. “And the fucker has more lives than a damn cat.”
“Well, even a cat runs out eventually. I’ll catch you later.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
Danny ended the call, and drummed his fingers on the desk. A throat cleared and he spun around to see Wade eyeing him.
“Couldn’t help but overhear,” Wade drawled, lifting an eyebrow. “You need to warn me about something?”
“Jace made bail. A $250k bail.”
“The guy that knifed you.” Danny nodded in confirmation as Wade continued, leaning on the desk. “You think he’ll come after you.”
“He was pissed that night, and Jace…when he locks onto something, he don’t let go.”
“Like a snapping turtle,” Wade compared with a snort.
“Yeah, exactly like that. It’ll die before it lets go.”
“Not the kind of enemy you want to have. Not when you have people you want to protect,” Wade mentioned, his gaze almost too focused as he looked at Danny.
“You’re reading my aura,” Danny said flatly.
“Yeah, I am. It’s what I do,” Wade replied, unbothered by Danny’s anger. “You know him best. I’m just trying to figure out how much of a risk this guy is by how scared you are of him.” Danny gave him a cold stare and Wade crossed his arms.
“But here’s the thing. You’re not scared. Angry, yes. Concerned when you mentioned Carly, and there it is again when I mention her name, but no fear. Just a….” Wade trailed off as he stared harder at Danny, trying to pinpoint what he was seeing. Danny didn’t know what Wade could see or how he interpreted what he saw but he shot to his feet as he growled, “If I punch you will that stop the psychic reading?”
Wade blinked and focused his gaze on Danny instead of his aura. “Depends. Are you going to tell me what you have planned?”
Danny shook his head, frustrated. “What did you see?”
“Determination. The kind that gets people killed,” Wade answered and Danny glanced away. “Yeah, not a good plan, Danny.”
“You don’t know him like I do,” Danny turned away, rubbing the back of his neck as he paced. “Jace always hated me. Felt like I stole his place or some shit. He was jealous Dovie brought me in to the group.” Danny hesitated as he remembered the other reason Jace hated him.
“Danny?” Wade prodded and he shook his head, unwilling to tell Wade all of it.
“Suffice to say, he hates me.”
“Yeah, I gathered that. But what concerns me is you.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Danny responded sharply, his eyes meeting Wade’s.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to disagree with you on that.”
“Disagree about what?” Her question caught them both by surprise as they spun around to see Addie standing by the door. She blinked at being the center of their sudden focus, but shrugged it off as she dropped her backpack on the ground with a grunt. “Damn English class. All they ever want are essays, like what’s wrong with some multiple choice tests? Hmmm?”
“Having problems, Addie?” Danny asked, deflecting her from asking any further about what he and Wade had been discussing. Wade allowed it but his eyes warned Danny he wasn’t through with him.
When Addie didn’t answer, Danny glanced over to see a blank expression on her face.
“Addie,” he exclaimed as Wade reached out for her, his own gaze focused as he stared at the aura surrounding her.
“She’s lit up like a Christmas tree,” Wade muttered, his tone sending a frisson of fear down Danny’s spine. It wasn’t often a question would send Addie into a catatonic state, but they all knew it was a possibility and he cursed himself for his offhanded question. He wouldn’t forgive himself if something happened to her because of his stupidity.
“Should I call Jake?” Danny asked desperately, dragging his gaze from her blank stare.
“No.” The answer didn’t come from Wade like he’d expected and a glance back at Addie revealed a curious expression on her face.
“I’m fine,” she reassured them, shaking her head to clear it. “That was weird.”
“Tell us about it,” Wade spoke carefully, avoiding any inflection that would make it a question instead of a statement. Addie smiled at his wording and Danny let out a sigh of relief.
“There’s not much to tell,” she admitted. “Danny’s question triggered something, but I’m not sure what.”
Wade and Danny exchanged concerned glances before looking back at Addie.
“Something happened,” Wade declared, crossing his arms. “Your aura went crazy.”
“Is that a technical term we’re using now to describe auras?” Addie joked, slipping between them to settle at her desk.
“Best way to describe what I saw,” Wade retorted, concern creasing his forehead. “Damn near a kaleidoscope of emotion.” Frustration crossed his face as he bit back the quest
ion he wanted to ask, not wanting to risk a repeat.
“Really, guys.” Addie glanced between them with concern. “I’m fine. I’m not sure why you saw my emotions flare. I didn’t see anything. Danny’s question didn’t trigger anything.”
“You blanked out, like gone. That’s not good,” Danny growled as Wade nodded. “There had to be something.”
Addie shook her head slightly, her gaze focused internally and they knew she was hiding something.
“Addie, we work together. We rely on each other. Keeping secrets is a good way to get someone killed,” Wade reminded her, tossing a glance at Danny who flinched. “Like Jace.”
“The guy who attacked Danny?”
“Yeah, he got out on bail. Danny was just about to tell me how much of a risk he is to us.” Wade’s explanation put Danny squarely in the crossfire as they stared at him.
“Thanks,” Danny grunted, not appreciating the attention.
“Anytime, brother,” Wade answered, his gaze steady.
“It was dark,” Addie spoke up, jerking their attention to her. “I couldn’t see anything, but there were emotions. Too many to pick out any specific one. Truth is it wasn’t an answer to Danny’s question or a vision of the future. It felt like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I can’t explain it any better.”
“Maybe your gift is getting stronger,” Wade suggested quietly, and Danny could see the worry he tried to hide. None of them knew what might happen if Addie continued to develop her gift – a gift that had already endangered her life on multiple occasions.
“Maybe it’s something to do with you,” Danny offered as he leaned against Addie’s desk.
“With me?” Wade questioned and Danny nodded. Addie leaned forward curiously, listening to what Danny had to say. He shifted, uncomfortable with their sudden scrutiny, but pushed on.
“Wade, you can feel Addie’s emotions? Sense her aura even if you’re not staring at her.”
“Right.”
“Maybe Addie saw something that’s tied to your gift. A flashback,” Danny responded, feeling foolish at suggesting it.
“Like one of his drawings?” Addie confirmed, her eyes moving unerringly to the wall full of sketches drawn by Wade over the years. They suspected the sketches were all unsolved crimes and Addie was determined they were going to solve them. Wade’s dreams were the stuff of nightmares – dark, violent places where evil lived and he’d spend weeks sketching the same scene over and over until it was out of his system. Danny hadn’t seen it happen lately, but it wasn’t something Wade advertised either.
“No,” Wade declared, shaking his head as he pushed from the desk and started to pace. “Absolutely not. You…no.” Danny saw the slight tremor in Wade’s hand before he clenched it into a fist and came back to the desk, planting his hands in front of Addie and leaning in. “You can’t see that. I won’t let you.”
Compassion crossed Addie’s face as she reached over to squeeze Wade’s wrists. “I don’t think it works that way. You know we don’t have control over what we see or know. You can’t stop your dreams any more than I can stop knowing the answers to questions.” Wade shook his head, the motion desperate. “Wade, it’s okay.” Addie released him and stood up to come around the desk. She wrapped her arms around him, uncaring that he was as unyielding as stone. “I think Danny might be right though.”
Wade’s rigid stance broke then and Danny could see how much he really did care about all of them, and especially Addie. For a brief second, he wondered if Wade didn’t feel more than just friendship for Addie, but dismissed the thought. Wade kept his emotions under a tight rein, but his actions toward Addie were those of a big brother.
“I can’t believe you just said you think Danny’s right,” Wade groaned finally and Addie laughed as she gave him one last squeeze and stepped away. “Those are dangerous words.”
“Hey,” Danny cried, feigning insult. “It happens on occasion. You’re just pissed you didn’t figure it out sooner.”
Wade’s lips tilted up in a smile but Danny saw the pain swirling behind his eyes. No way was he happy about this new discovery and Danny could understand why. Addie already had issues with experiencing pain and emotion from accidental questions. Add in flashbacks of crime scenes and she could be on a one way street to crazy town. It did make Danny wonder how difficult Wade’s sketches really were on him. He glanced at the wall lined with over a dozen sketches of potential crimes and winced at what it must have cost Wade to create them.
“Can you describe how your gift works?” Addie asked hesitantly, already knowing how tight lipped Wade was about it.
“It starts off vague, a flash or glimpse of something. The dreams get more detailed over time until I can see the entire scene,” Wade answered, his voice a monotone. Neither of us spoke for fear of him stopping and losing our chance to find out more about this side of Wade. “Some are quicker than others. Often emotions accompany the dreams. They can be one specific emotion over and over or multiple emotions that become clearer as the scene develops.” Wade’s gaze flickered to Addie, concern etched in his face. “If Danny’s question did trigger a flashback of a crime scene, then you saw the first tangled piece of it. It’ll continue to haunt you until it’s revealed completely.” His words served as a warning and Addie nodded, her body curving in slightly at the weight of the knowledge.
“Jace won’t let go of his vendetta. Not now. We can expect him to come at me any way he can, even if it means coming through you.” Danny started talking in an attempt to distract them from the newest manifestation of Addie’s gift and the guilt emanating from Wade. “There’s no telling what he’ll do. I’ve seen him beat a woman almost to death to teach me a lesson. I’ve had him attack me when he was strung out. He acted like my friend for a long time, but there was always a competition with him. Not my doing. I didn’t feel the need to compete with him, but he did. My winning only made him angrier.”
“He’ll come here,” Wade stated and Danny nodded.
“Most likely.”
“He’ll go after anyone you care about,” Addie continued, no hint of a question in her voice.
“Yes.”
“Then how do we stop him?” Wade asked, forgetting for a second about Addie sitting right there. Danny opened his mouth to answer but was stopped by Addie’s words.
“We kill him.”
Chapter Six
Daniel slammed Jace against the wall, rage fueling him as he felt Jace choke under the pressure of his fingers around his throat.
“I should kill you right now,” he breathed, calm despite the emotions swirling through him, his thoughts clearer than ever. “We always knew it would come down to this moment, you and me.” Daniel stared at the scum scrambling under his grip, the life slowly being choked out of him but still his eyes remained defiant. Daniel shook his head. “Did you ever believe you would beat me?”
“Samuel...” The word was garbled, barely discernable, but it was enough to loosen Daniel’s hold slightly.
“Don’t speak my brother’s name,” he warned, but the malice in Jace’s eyes sent a cold chill through him.
“Kill me and he dies,” Jace promised and even though Daniel wanted to deny the possibility, he couldn’t. He dropped his hold on Jace, watching as he collapsed to the ground. He slammed his boot into Jace’s chest, flipping him onto his back only to watch him laugh – the sound raspy and borderline insane.
“Where?” Daniel growled, his heart slamming against his chest at the thought of Samuel anywhere near Jace or any one of them. “Where is he?” He roared, his hand slipping into his pocket to call his brother – to make sure he was safe.
Jace continued to laugh manically as Daniel fumbled for his brother’s contact in the phone, dread making him clumsy. “If you hurt him….” Daniel warned, his burning stare promised retribution as he held the phone to his ear, the ringing sounding far off until he heard Samuel’s voice.
“Sam…” he cut himself off as he heard the familiar sound
of his brother’s message, “I don’t get why I need to leave a message for voicemail. It’s stupid.”
Daniel lowered the phone, his finger swiping to end the call as he stared down at Jace, debating his next move. Jace knew enough to be dangerous, but was rarely given confidential information because he had a tendency to talk when he was high, which was often. If they’d taken Samuel, he needed to get to Jake. The police could find Samuel, up the timetable and bring in the guys he was testifying against sooner.
Daniel stepped away from Jace, the desire to wipe him from the face of the earth tugging at him, but his need to protect his little brother was stronger.
“You will pay,” Daniel promised, turning his back on him, knowing he wasn’t the real threat now.
“Bang, bang,” he heard Jace screech, the words punctuated by wild laughter as Daniel disappeared.
***
“Hey, wasn’t expecting to see you, handsome,” Carly’s light voice dragged him out of the past and he forced the heavy frown from his face. It was impossible to remove it entirely though and Carly’s happy smile disappeared as she took in his expression.
He wanted to curse himself for being the cause but he knew it was only a matter of time. She would eventually grow tired of him and the darkness that constantly surrounded him. Even her bright light couldn’t penetrate deep enough to make the shadows surrounding him fade.
“What’s wrong?” Her voice was more careful now and as her hand wrapped around his arm he wanted to flinch away. He didn’t deserve her. The thought was a damn near constant refrain now, one he couldn’t shake.
“The guy,” he paused, swallowing hard. “Jace.”
“Yeah?” He heard the question and wished for a second that he had Addie’s ability. Maybe then he’d know what she was really thinking.
“He was released on bail. Jake called to let me know.” Danny lowered himself down to sit on the brick wall behind him so he didn’t loom over Carly’s tiny frame. Sometimes he forgot how much bigger he was than her. Her personality was so huge it usually made up the difference.
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