~*~*~
The drive from Bridget's to Angie's took longer than expected. People were out of church and running errands. I wasn't a fan of the Sunday post-church traffic, too many people and not enough lanes. Sean honked at a minivan that made an illegal left turn in front of him. He then flipped an inappropriate gesture that was reciprocated. Classic rock filtered through the radio and I was ready to crawl into bed for good.
“She wasn't trying to spell you was she?” He asked as he ran through a yellow light.
Bridget had spun some pretty amazing lies over breakfast. If I hadn't been with her I'd have sworn she told Sean the truth about the two hours he was knocked out. I, however, wasn't so adept at lying. I shook my head. Silence was my best defense now.
“Want to tell me what really happened?”
“No.” No need to make him knowledgeable of my crimes. We didn't both need to lose our jobs. I turned away from the window to read his expression. His lips were tight and his brow wrinkled.
Since our few fleeting kisses I couldn't be sure if Sean's reactions to me were that of a boss or a friend or if he tried for something more. Either way my morning escapade would not make him happy. I silently prayed he wouldn't push the issue.
“I wish you had let me go to get the familiar,” he said. “And I wish you would call Balicki and Hill today. This has gone on long enough.”
“No, tomorrow is better.” I could give them the file, explain everything.
“I have a key to the building.” I almost broke into hysteric giggles at this. “We can get the file and hand it over.”
I stalled. Angie's eyes, black with fury, were burned into my memory. Her motives for not wanting to be found out were unclear to me. She was already in the system. What possible harm could come of cooperating with the BSB? Maybe she wanted to go off the grid again. First Boston, now Chicago. Simon tracked her easily enough through the BSB. Why did she even bother?
“I want to talk to Angie first.”
Sean huffed and puffed like a big, bad wolf, but kept his thoughts to himself. He pulled onto a side street off of Austin. Cars lined either side. He slowed the Range Rover, looking at addresses. “There it is.” I pointed to a beige brick house.
It was one story and through the chain link fence I saw a garage to match. Sean found a parking spot a few houses down. I scooped up my bag and bat getting out with the grace of a fish out of water. Sean walked around the car to help me with my bag.
“Not a bad neighborhood,” Sean said.
It wasn't. The house was located in Jefferson Park. A quick ride would put me right back home. A shadow of doubt hovered over me. I was too close to home. No. Simon knew Angie was in the city, but couldn't find her. I'd be safe in one of her hideouts. I fit the key into the lock, pushing the front door open.
The front room had hardwood floors. There was a beige leather couch, an end table with a desk lamp, and wall to wall bookshelves. No knickknacks or photos, no vases of flowers, no decoration to speak of. Multitudes of books though.
Sean put my bag down. “I guess when you've had lifetimes to live you accumulate a lot of stuff.” I walked through the front room into a small hallway. Straight ahead was an office, though it was pretty sparse. An overhead ceiling light, a beat-up desk, and a swivel chair. An ancient PC was set up on the desk.
To my right was a bedroom. Same overhead lighting and a queen size bed with a quilt on it. Not even a dresser. Anyone Angie let stay here wasn't expected to stay for long. To the left of the bedroom was a bathroom. White tile, white walls, tiny bathtub. Nothing special. Next to the office was the kitchen. New marble countertops clashed with the old stove and refrigerator. No table, no other appliances. A canvas bag sat next to the stainless steel sink.
Sean walked passed me, inspecting the bag. “There's a note that says 'feed yourself'. And there are some bananas, mustard, and peanut butter.” Gross. “Oh and microwave popcorn.”
“But no microwave.”
“Is this what she thinks the living eats?” He opened the refrigerator. “There's a pie in here.”
I wasn't one to turn my nose up at pie. Two doors stood next to each other. My guess was one went to the attic and one to the basement. Hefting the bat onto my shoulder for confidence I tried the door on the left. Stairs led downward. I flicked on the first switch I saw, casting a soft glow in the basement.
I went down with Sean close behind me. It was the holy land of movies. The walls were unseen behind shelf after shelf of movies. The only break was around the TV, the washer and dryer, and a sink. Each of the bottom shelves was packed with video games. Against a far wall was the most magnificent TV I had ever seen. A Playstation 3 was hooked up to it, but a few other systems were visible on the shelf underneath the TV. A burgundy recliner of leather and a black leather couch were positioned around a coffee table. A treadmill was behind the couch for easy TV watching during exercise.
“She must have every movie ever made down here.” Sean walked forward to inspect them. “And in alphabetical order. What happens when she buys a new movie? Does she spend hours moving everything down one?” I watched him pull a movie from the B and M sections and switch them with movies in the H and O sections. “Vampires get way too compulsive about stuff,” he said by way of explanation.
I looked around the basement, hugging myself. Sean moved next to me. “Want to watch a movie or something?”
“I want to go home. God, I can't believe this mess. And the BSB is being oh so helpful. I'm in a quagmire of bureaucracy.”
“I'm going to tell you something. I'm not supposed to say anything, but whatever. Balicki and Hill have been trying to cancel these audits. The recent attacks against you prove to them that you haven't done anything. Also they reported the death of a case worker in Boston. He'd been harassed, and then found dead in a dumpster.” I shivered. Angie's old case worker. “The vampire he said who'd been harassing him, some Katera Hanson, gone. Balicki and Hill aren't allowing the same mistake to be made. They want time to work out your case. They’ve been calling all around the city, sending out notices about Jessica. However, this Dhaliwal guy is insistent saying our office is a disgrace to the BSB.”
I thought of the man trying to break into my office. A man with a key to the building. A man with access to the floor. That seemed like the kind of power an official BSB auditor would have. I wanted to confide in Sean, but I kept my mouth shut.
“You think he's in cahoots with Jessica?”
“No. I think he's a paper pusher. I think he wants to exercise his power and make everyone think he's a big shot.”
I wish I could agree. “Well it'd be nice if the BSB did something more than send paper pushers after me.” I huffed. I rubbed my arms, feeling cold despite my jacket. Outside I heard the beginning of rain fall.
“Hey, that's not fair to Balicki and Hill. They've been trying.”
“Not hard enough.”
“It's better than the alternative.” Sean sat on the couch. He patted the spot next to him. I slid onto it, not resisting when he put an arm around my shoulder. “Here's a well-kept secret of the Others for you. Things are much safer with the BSB.”
I turned my head to face him. I curled my body up. His arm snaked down to rest on my back. His face was emotionless. It was unsettling.
Others had been surviving since forever without the BSB. Its inception made most of them angry. To hear the son of alphas say it was safer shocked me. Vampires were almost walking gods. Werewolves in wolf form could only be stopped with silver. Witches could do all manner of magic, including summoning demons and talking to the dead. What did they have to be scared of? I took in Sean's blank face.
“Once when I was ten my sister and I stayed out past dark bike riding. When we got home we were grounded for three months. Without anyone policing Others, children like my sister and I got taken all the time. Used in the weird power struggles that raged out of human notice. Most Others wouldn't report it. A werewolf child goes
missing? They're gone. And unless they turn up again, no one speaks of them. A lot of Others will deny it and say the BSB is only ruining instinct. I say whatever. Five years ago if a vampire thought you were hiding something for a rival he wouldn't bargain. He’d break you for what he wanted. Vampires like Angie and Simon are playing nice because they don't want the BSB all over the vampire population. It's an imperfect system, but I prefer having you in a safe house with an audit looming than your neck snapped.”
“I hate this fear.”
“I know. I lived with it most of my life. My parents are powerful werewolves, alphas on the northside with a huge pack to protect. I spent a childhood boxing and playing contact sports. I'd have rather been playing video games with friends. Just ask Bridget. She probably remembers what it was like. Knowing what was out there, but never being able to report it.”
I thought back to Bridget's face when she first mentioned Simon. She said he hurt people and her face filled with pain. I hated to think of it.
Others on the news always touted being proud and strong. They saw themselves above the laws and fought tooth and nail for fair treatment. Bridget had even scoffed at the BSB's protection of human blood donors. It never occurred to me some Others saw the BSB as a good way to stop warfare that had been quietly brewing for thousands of years. That the complaints over pack boundaries and balking at the outlawing of demon magic were welcome release for those who had everything to lose. Maybe that was why Angie hid in the open, being on the grid made her marginally safer than staying hidden.
“I'm sorry,” I mumbled.
The hand on my back gave a gentle nudge. I snuggled up to Sean, putting my head on his chest, letting him hug me as we sat in silence. His kissed the top of my head and smoothed down my hair.
“You're fine, Samantha.” But for how long?
I moved my legs, straddling Sean in the effort. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close. His lips were warm and sweet. The amulet pressed into my chest as I wrapped my own arms around his neck. I couldn't say what I looked for, but his closeness was good enough for now. I allowed myself the opportunity to enjoy his caresses.
The last two times we'd kissed fear and dread hung heavy. I was safe for the moment. I could allow myself some joy and relaxation. His kiss deepened and one of his hands moved up under the back of my shirt.
His hands felt good on my back. Filling me with warmth, a warmth until recently I thought was long gone. I'd never allowed myself to daydream about him. It was especially hard on days when he looked enticing in jeans or well fitted suits. I had always admonished myself. Boss, I'd always reminded myself. But I didn't care right now.
I slipped my own hands under his shirt. He wasn't kidding about spending a childhood getting fit for Others warfare. His muscles were rock hard. His hand moved up farther to my bra. I broke the kiss.
“No,” I said, though my voice wavered. My old reservations returned. Even second base would be too far and would destroy our working relationship.
His removed his hand from under my clothes and brushed some of my hair away. His brown eyes were soft as he looked at me. “No,” he repeated, but his voice was heady with wanting. He cleared his throat, shifting me off him. “Let's watch a movie.”
I let him pick some comedy. He went straight for “Animal House.” I sat rigid on the couch as he loaded the DVD player. He grabbed the remote and flopped back down.
He held out one arm, making a “come here” motion with his hand. “No funny business,” he said with a smile. I removed my jacket. I slowly eased into his arms, letting him envelope me.