Page 125 of Lovesick Titan

“Thanks, Dad. You too.”

“Grant!” Captain Shan’s voice barked when Danny passed his office a few moments later. As much as he knew deep down that the captain had warmed to him, it didn’t change the way Shan did his job.

“Uh, yes, sir?” Danny cautiously turned around.

Shan poised his hands on his hips. “Heard you talking to your father about picking up yourmailearlier. Seems a regular thing now—you picking it up, like you don’t actually live there, yet you haven’t given a new address to payroll from what I hear.”

“Oh…” Danny clutched his messenger bag tighter. He should have expected this would come up when he was surrounded by detectives—or former detectives as the case may be. “Umm…”

“Do Iwantto know where your new place of residence is?” he fixed Danny with a raised eyebrow.

Danny felt like this was a test. Was it a test? Shan always got on his case about plausible deniability and…oh. Definitely a test. “Probably better if you don’t ask,” he said.

With a grim expression that slowly softened into a smile, Shan nodded. “Get out of here, Grant. Have a good weekend.”

“You too, Captain!” Danny answered brightly.

He was in such high spirits as he headed for the doors that he didn’t notice he was about to run into Lieutenant Liu until seconds before collision.

“Oh! Sorry, I—”

“Grant…hey,” Liu said, looking around warily before leaning in close to whisper, “been meaning to catch you sometime, but Shan insisted Anderson and I steer clear since we’re the only ones who ever saw…you know.” She tilted her head.

Danny blinked, not understanding.

When Liu tilted her head again, more pronounced, an image sprang to mind of Danny and Mal locked in a heatedkissagainst Mal’sapartment door. The photo must have seemed a lot less like a fake after a broadcast to the city revealedZeuswas the one locking lips with Prometheus, and considering Ludgate had announced to the world that Zeus’s real identity was…

Shit. Tensing, unsure if he should back away, Danny was surprised to find no malice in the officer’s expression.

“I just wanted to thank you,” she said, “for all the good you do in this city.”

Maybe a time would come when Danny’s secret would be known to the whole world. For now, he could only be grateful that other than Ludgate, the only people who knew his secret were ones he trusted to keep it that way.

Plausible deniability, he thought, so he simply said, “Thank you.”

Liu nodded as she pulled away, but kept her voice low. “And keep thatboyfriendout of trouble, huh? I don’t care what he’s got planned this Sunday, a mayoral pardon only gets him off once.”

Danny laughed and couldn’t help muttering to himself, “I remind him of that every day.”

R

It was a beautiful autumn evening when Danny left the precinct, just cool enough to be glad he had a jacket on as he took a different route home than usual so he could pass by the tailor’s. The shop wasn’t one in Mal’s neighborhood, but Lucy had recommended it as discreet and not too out of the way.

Thanking the tailor profusely once he got a look at the finished product, Danny beamed even wider carrying the large box it had been packaged in as he turned toward home.

Arty was locking up the electronics store when he neared the shop. “Hey, Arty!”

The other man turned with a congenial smile, dressed in a flannel shirt no matter how much Priestly rolled his eyes at his fashion sense. “Danny, hey. What’s that for?” he indicated the box.

“Present for Mal. You and Priestly are coming tonight, right?”

“Why do you think I’m heading home early? Wouldn’t miss it. Might have some new toys for you two to look at soon,” he said with a mischievous smile, “but don’t go telling Hart I spilled the beans. See you in a bit, Danny!”

Continuing toward the corner store, Danny considered sneaking around the back to lightning jump the rest of the way home, if only because Mrs. Pak had a tendency to try to keep him or load him up with food to take home. She’d taken it on as her personal responsibility to make sure Zeus’s larger than life appetite was taken care of. He loved the older woman for that, he really did, but sometimes it felt like more than he deserved, even if he did help keep the neighborhood—and the city—safe.

Deciding to risk walking past the store anyway, he hoped Mrs. Pak refrained once she saw how encumbered he was with Mal’s package.

“Hey, skinny boy!” she called, peeking her head out of the shop.

---