“Fuck the mayor!”
The words hung in the air like a black cloud.
“Kate.” Gardner’s voice was quiet but steely. “I understand your frustration, but there are procedures we have to follow. If we go after Bane through improper channels, we’ll never make a case against him.”
“Won’t need to make a case if he’s dead.”
“Stop right there,” she snapped. “Haven’t there been enough casualties already?”
The word “casualties” made the eggshell veneer of calm begin to fracture. Danny wasn’t a fucking casualty. He was just a kid who had become another tragedy in the war on magic.
Tears burned the edges of my lids. I pointed to Danny’s gray face. “That bastard did this to him.” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. If there was one thing I hated more than crying because I was sad, it was crying because I was angry. “You know it and I know it. And if you won’t arrest him, then I will personally hunt him down and gladly do the time.”
“Stop it.” Gardner’s expression didn’t change, but the air around us tightened, hardened. “That won’t fix Danny.”
“Nothing will fix Danny,” I whispered.
Her head tilted. “What? Is that what the doctor said?”
I swallowed the fist-sized lump in my throat. “He has to stay in the coma until an antipotion for Gray Wolf is found.”
Morales cursed under his breath.
Gardner’s face softened a fraction and she came forward into what probably counted as a comforting distance. “Let us worry about all this. If I know Mez, he’s already two steps ahead and working on an antipotion. Shadi’s handling the BPD and Morales and I will be working other avenues to track down Bane.” She bent down so I was forced to look in her eyes for the vow she was about to deliver: “And we will find him.”
I hesitated, but I knew she meant what she said. They might be federal agents, but they were still cops. And cops took care of their own. At least these cops did. The same couldn’t be said for any of the BPD officers since none had even showed up at the hospital to show their support. My conscience rose at the uncharitable thought. Hadn’t Gardner just said Shadi was out with the BPD looking for Bane? That was the kind of support I really needed. Finally, I nodded. “What can I do?”
“You’ve got your hands full here. Focus your energy on Danny and taking care of yourself. Leave the rest to us, okay?”
“If you need anything,” Morales said, coming forward, “you call us. Seriously. Anything.”
I looked up at him and a new wave of emotion rose up in my throat. This time, though, it wasn’t despair threatening to drown me. It was gratitude and something like hope. “Thanks,” I whispered.
Two big arms suddenly wrapped around me. I started to pull away, but the support was so appreciated, so needed, that I surrendered and accepted the comfort offered.
I held on for all I was worth. His muscled arms and shoulders seemed as though they could hold the weight of the world, which was good because my worries felt like just that.
Gardner cleared her throat. Morales pulled back reluctantly and looked me in the eye. “I mean it—anything.”
I forced a weak smile and nodded.
He grabbed my hand and slipped something inside. “Mez left this for you.”
I frowned and looked down. The item in my hand was a round leather amulet hanging from a braided leather cord. In the center, a small bubble of glass was filled with an iridescent green liquid. “What is it?”
“We call it the ‘Oh Shit’ amulet. Break the bubble if there’s trouble and it will ward off magical attacks, as well as activate a GPS chip embedded in the disc.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Gardner spoke up. “If Bane comes after you we’ll be able to track you down anywhere in the city.”
“I don’t—” I’d been in the process of rubbing my arms because I suddenly felt cold. The movement brushed a raw, reddened spot where I’d ripped off the patch.
“Save it, Prospero. I’m well aware of your aversion to using magic.” Gardner crossed her arms, shooting my arm a pointed look. I didn’t have the energy to feel betrayed that Morales had told her I took off the patch. My conscience reared up. Maybe if I hadn’t pulled it off I could have fought harder, smarter. Maybe done something to prevent—
Gardner’s voice cut through my self-recriminations like a blade. “Bane potioned your brother because he knew he was your Achilles’ heel.”
Boom.
Everyone went silent in the wake of that punch to the gut. I glanced at Pen, but she was suddenly very interested in the patterns on the flecked linoleum.
“He will come at you again,” Gardner added, unnecessarily.
“Yeah,” I snapped. “I got it. But if he does it’ll be so fast I won’t have time to activate the amulet.”
“It might help, though,” Pen said. I shot her a disgusted look for siding with them. She of all people understood why I didn’t want anything to do with magic. Especially now that magic had turned my brother into a vegetable.
I placed a hand on the butt of the gun at my waist. “Not if I get to them first.”
“You listen to me.” Gardner’s entire posture changed. It seemed as though she grew six inches. “If I catch you anywhere near Bane or his property, I’ll personally arrest you for obstruction.”
My mouth fell open.
“I won’t have you risking your life or anyone else’s over some personal vendetta,” she snapped. “You let us worry about Bane. You keep yourself busy getting that boy the help he needs and watching your own ass.” She grabbed the amulet Morales still held and thrust it at me. “Put this on and keep it on. If I catch you without it, I’ll surgically implant a tracking device in your ass. Are we clear?”
If I clenched my teeth any harder, they’d shatter. “Crystal,” I gritted out. She raised a brow, signaling she wouldn’t leave until she watched me put on the damned thing. With a sigh, I threw it over my head. The disc was surprisingly lightweight, but on the skin it felt like a lead yoke.
“Good girl,” Gardner said. The patronizing tone made me want to punch her, so I clenched my fists. “Now”—her tone lightened up—“we’ll get out of your hair. I’ll check in on you tomorrow.”
She nodded at Morales, who snapped to attention and followed her out like a good little soldier. The instant the door shut behind them, I rounded on Pen.