Pushing away from the counter and turning toward his liquor cabinet, Mal debated taking a shot to ease his nerves. If Ludgate was the only reason he and Danny couldn’t pick up where they left off, Malwould ice the man himself. The sex, the quiet evenings in, the boisterous evenings out at odds—but not really, never really—like they’d had before Ludgate had to ruin their Monday night. Mal wanted that, all of it. It wasn’t a fairytale ending, but it was a fitting one for nemeses. Better than he ever would have hoped for himself.
Why couldn’t they have that, if they both wanted it? IfDannywanted it?
Turning back to his groceries, Mal finished emptying the bag but scowled at the contents. Where was the bread? He’d taken it out first, hadn’t he? But nothing was there and the bag was empty. He really was preoccupied with Danny if he could be so up in his head that he forgot what he’d bought. The receipt mentioned the bread. Had he left it at the store?
Fuck it.Mal needed the distraction, and he didn’t need the full hour to make dinner. Glancing over the counter for anything else he might be forgetting, he threw the necessary items in the refrigerator and headed back out for Mrs. Pak’s corner store to get another loaf.
As he left, he failed to notice that he didn’t have his cell phone.
R
Hades smirked as he scrolled through Prometheus’s string of text messages to Zeus. Much simpler than trying to steal glimpses over Zeus’s shoulder at the precinct. Snagging Prometheus’s phone from the counter through the toaster’s reflection had been too easy. As well as the bread, ensuring that Prometheus left his apartment again so Dunkirk could sneak inside.
Make it half an hour,Hades texted Zeus.
You’re pushing it, Mal.
You like when I push.
So you think. I’ll be there.
Too easy indeed. Hades deleted the extra messages, then reached through the reflection to replace the phone and set it in plain sight where Prometheus would think he’d simply forgotten it. How quicklyfour days and a false sense of security made them complacent to the reflections around them.
Hades watched, moving from mirror to mirror that looked in on Prometheus’s apartment. A few minutes after the man left, there was a jostling at the door. At least Dunkirk hadn’t lied about being good at picking locks. He entered without trouble, closed the door behind him, and locked it again. Just as Hades had instructed, he made sure the rug wasn’t disturbed as he crossed it.
Dunkirk’s sneer as he looked around the apartment betrayed his hatred of Prometheus. Good. He’d be effective, if sloppy. Just what Hades needed—not a true accomplice, only a pawn. Hades told Dunkirk he was an acquaintance of Prometheus’s that had gotten a raw deal and wanted vengeance. He even knew how to get into Prometheus’s secret room where he stashed his gear, but of course Dunkirk had no idea that Hades was watching now.
Heading to the hidden closet quickly, Dunkirk pressed the point on the wall Hades had told him about. The amplifier was in there, but Dunkirk wasn’t seeking any treasures. Hades had given him the only treasure he needed, something he’d swiped from the OCPD.
Dunkirk let the door to the secret room close behind him, hiding him from view. The man could follow directions at least. Now to see if he followed the rest Hades had told him.
“So youdowant something,” Dunkirk had scowled in the alley.
“No. Just some requests. To help you. Wait until you hear Prometheus cross the room. And no guns. You’ll never get out of the neighborhood alive if someone hears shots.”
“That I was planning on anyway. Asshole thinks he can keep my family from me? I’m gonna split him open end to end.” Dunkirk had drawn his coat back to reveal a large bowie knife.
Perfect.
“Happy hunting.”
It was a gamble. All of this was. But if things went Hades’s way, the payoff would be worth it.
R
Mal arrived back at his apartment twenty minutes after he’d left, leaving him more than enough time to get dinner started and keep his anxiety at bay. He glanced at the kitchen counter as he entered. There was his cell phone, just as he’d suspected. Danny was making him careless.
Tossing the new loaf of bread onto the counter, he frowned as he looked around his apartment. Something felt…off. He glanced back at the rug. Perfectly in place. No lights were on. The door had been locked. Nothing appeared to have been disturbed. But Mal couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Slowly, he glanced around at the many items in his apartment that were shiny and reflective. There was always that feeling, that sense of being watched.
Mal shrugged it off. Maybe the feeling was warranted. Maybe he only felt it because Danny was on his way. Regardless, Mal wouldn’t be deterred. He didn’t give in to fear for anyone.
After hanging up his coat, he rolled up his sleeves and set to work making dinner.
R
Danny lightning jumped to the edge of Cho’s neighborhood but decided to walk like a normal person the last few blocks. He needed time to think. Plus, it was a little early still. He wondered why Cho had insisted on half an hour instead of an hour, but maybe it was just to test whether or not Danny would comply. Cho was eager to see him. Desperate to see him, judging by his texts.
