Page 75 of Lovesick Titan

“Ludgate’s behind it. He’s behind everything. We just need to prove it and get Danny back to his senses. This,” Mal gestured at the frosted surfaces, “is a start. But now I’m facing a Zeus who might not pull his punches.”

Shan nodded. “I’m trusting Grant’s good nature here that you really have his best interest in mind.Don’tprove him wrong. Now…” with a look of pained resignation, he sighed, “what do you need?”

“Zeus’s hideout. I hate to out his team, but if I give up their names, maybe you can lead us in the right direction.”

“Don’t need their names. Most detectives aren’t quite so buddy-buddy with CSIandthe M.E. You want their hideout? You’re standing on top of it.” Shan spread his hands, causing Mal to look down—the basement. “There’s an old morgue down there they think everyone’s forgotten about, but they’re only right because I keep it that way. You need blueprints?”

Instead of only seeing this man as a thorn in his side, Mal was growing thoroughly impressed. “It’s a start. Think you can have the power cut so it looks like a natural blackout?”

Shan backed up a step, then narrowed his brow. “Why not just break in?”

“Because Ludgate could be anywhere, and Danny cantravelanywhere in a heartbeat. I need as much of an element of surprise as I can get. But the most important thing I need from you, Captain, is the biggest risk of all. Call Danny,” he said, knowing the weight this request carried if Danny really was unhinged. “Keep him occupied for as long as you can. If he notices something’s up, he’ll be inside that hideout in seconds, and I need to be sure he isn’t there when we make our move. Can you do that?”

Shan took a breath with the appropriate amount of trepidation. “I can. What should I expect from him? Is he really brainwashed?”

“I don’t know. He’s not himself. You’ll see it. Just try to keep your reasoning for calling him normal. Yell at him a little. He expects that, doesn’t he?”

“How long do you need?”

“Twenty minutes, if you can manage.”

“How do I contact you if things go south?”

Ah, now that was the crux of the matter—another gamble. “I’m putting a lot of faith in you, Captain. Could ask for a lot as the tradeoff. A pardon, for example, if I manage to help bring in Ludgate.”

“Is that what you’re after?” Shan’s indignation was definitely all for Danny.

Good.

“No. I want Danny safe.” Reaching slowly into the pocket of his hoodie, Mal revealed a set of comms like the ones that had once sat in evidence in this very building. “These comms will connect you to my team. If you recognize any voices…maybe pretend you don’t.”

The captain accepted the comms. “You better save him, Cho,” he said when Mal turned to retrieve his hat from the chair next to the door. “He turned his whole life upside down trying to save you.”

Mal paused, facing away from Shan, before he finished snatching up his hat. He secured it in place, lifted his hood to cover it, and nodded at the captain as he reached for the door. “I know.”

R

Shan didn’t let him down—later that night, the grid encompassing the downtown OCPD precinct went dark just when Mal needed it to.

“Stay hidden, Hephaestus, and stay alert,” Mal said into his comms as he gestured Dom and Lucy to go ahead of him into the underground garage that the blueprints Shan gave him indicated was the best entry point. Officers swarmed upstairs from the loss of power, giving the Titans unfettered access. They had precious little time, especially as the emergency lights flickered on.

Priestly was back at the safe house, watching the station’s cameras that he’d hacked into. They operated on batteries in the event of a power outage, allowing Priestly to stay on the comms and lead them through the precinct remotely, as well as keep watch for any telling signs of lightning headed their direction.

Shan had checked in when Danny was on his way to the station—which, knowing Danny, would take only moments—then they had at most twenty minutes before they had to worry about company.

The dim blue color of the emergency lights from the backup generator cast an eerie glow over the interior of the basement. The semi-darkness might—might—keep them hidden from Ludgate’s all-seeing eye, but too many hallways boasted reflective surfaces. They had to be quick, especially with dozens of officers upstairs.

“If they’re being kept alive, the most likely place is either in the main room of the old morgue, ironic as that sounds, or in one of the deeper rooms.”

“Honey…don’t say ‘if’,” Lucy said with a catch in her voice.

“Sorry,” Priestly said, and while Mal had possibly never heard Priestly apologize before, he could tell the kid meant it. “Next left, door at the end is the locked one into the secluded section.”

“Got it.” Mal led the way, peering around the corner to be certain no cops were still about. They weren’t exactly blending in like he had in his stolen uniform or hoodie—wearing his navy duster, Lucy in hercloak, and Dom in suspenders and a tank top—but the outfits weren’t only befitting as Titans, they were practical to their power sets.

Lucy stepped forward to try the door—locked, as expected. She pulled her hand back and vines grew out of her skin like awakening tattoos until they stretched and coiled from her fingers almost needle thin to wind into the mechanism of the lock. Within moments they heard a click, and she pushed the door open.

“Age before beauty,” she gestured Mal to enter first.

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