Page 52 of Lovesick Gods

“I haven’t been myself lately,” he said, not ready to tell her everything, not when he had patrol and needed to get a lead on Ludgate. “I’ve been a little out of my mind,” he laughed, and it sounded so broken, he worried Stella would drop everything to come get him. “But I’m working through it. I have something that’s helping me work through it. I didn’t mean to react like that.” He never did, but the harsh, snap-reactions kept finding their way out of him. “You’re right about Joey, Stella. He should know. Someday. Not now, I’m not ready, but…someday soon. After we’ve talked to Dad and the rest of the team about it.”

“Okay, Danny. That sounds like a good idea. And I’m glad you’re trying to work through things, but you know you can always talk to me, right?”

“I know. That’s why I am. But I can’t exactly bare my soul to you right now when I have a new Elemental to chase.”

“Then you have to promise me that someday, sooner than whenever you’re ready to tell Joey the truth, you’ll get coffee or dinner with your sister and tell me what’s been going on. I miss you. And not just for family dinner. I missyou—just you and me. Whatever it is, I’m always here for you. Just like you were there for me.”

When she lost her parents—the first time. That had seemed so much easier when Danny was removed from it. He sometimes forgot that Stella was grieving again too.

Her words should have carried with them the comfort he craved, but Danny felt hollow. Once again someone had to put him back together because he didn’t know how to do it himself.

“I’m okay, Stella,” he said anyway, wiping his eyes and taking a breath. “I have to go. But I’ll be there for dinner this week, I promise. You can help cheer me up by beating my ass at Sports & Leisure.”

Stella laughed. “If you’re sure.” She always gave him that same out, the chance to say one more thing.

The only thing he was sure about was that his life was a disaster.

“I’m sure. I’ll talk to you later.”

Letting Stella hang up first, Danny paused to stare at the tremble in his hand before he hurled his phone away from him, finally giving into the temptation of the past several weeks. It struck the wall by the kitchen door and clattered to the ground. If it hadn’t been for the phone case, his outburst would have shattered the screen, but it still did the job of hanging up the call.

As he wiped the dampness from his eyes, guilt and anger and so muchnothingboiled inside of him like some churning, dangerous storm. He couldn’t even call Cho to relieve the pressure. The only thing he could do was hit the streets and hopethat luck was on his side to catch some sign of Ludgate or that some mugger had chosen the wrong night to do bad.

Footsteps sounded from down the hall. The click of heels. Lynn. Danny would get his phone later when he hung up his suit for the night. Right now, he just wanted to get away.

Pulling down his mask, he told Andre over the comms that he was hitting the streets and lightning jumped out of the morgue.

Chapter13

It was Friday. FreakingFriday. All Danny wanted was to take a half-day and screw patrol. He deserved his Friday night. He’d already given up another Thursday to family dinner, and it wasn’t as if that had been bad, but it wasn’t thrilling either when the release he craved was significantly more carnal.

Chohadcalled him last night and had indeed asked what Danny was wearing. Danny had considered answering, “I could come show you,” but it was late and he was too tired. If he’d gone over then, he wouldn’t have wanted to zip back to his own bed until morning, which would have complicated things more than he was ready for.

Cho did eventually ask him to show him though. “What’s that newfangled thing the kids are using?”

“FaceTime?” Danny had snickered. And soon they were looking at each other while they talked. Cho on top of his bedding in soft sleep pants and a long sleeved T-shirt, while Danny pulled back his covers to reveal that he slept in his underwear. He ran too hot most days for anything more.

He’d scanned his phone down his body for Cho to see. Then ran his hand down his chest. They watched each other touch themselves for the camera and came practically overlapping in less than ten minutes. Danny felt blissfully tired in the aftermath but not fulfilled.

“Tomorrow night?” Cho had asked before they hung up.

“Chasing down The Invisible Man. Saturday?”

“Deal. Text me a time.”

“I will. Night, Ch—” Danny caught himself. “Mal.”

“Good night, Danny.”

Everything had seemed so simple in that moment.

“What do you got for me, Grant?”

“Huh?” Danny clutched the edge of his desk to keep from toppling out of his chair at the interruption.

“Answer personal calls on your own time.” Captain Shan narrowed his sharp, brown eyes on Danny’s phone as he entered, stalking right up to the desk.

The dark and imposing man didn’t usually frequent Danny’s office, at least not since he’d last mentioned kicking him out of it. There was no Task Force anymore with only one member left; Danny should have been moved to a normal desk ages ago. But he would have been out amongst the other officers already if the captain meant his threats.

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