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“Wait!” Rick stepped between his partner and the angry guild leader. “I know why Ms. Moore was killed.” Four humans have been attacked or killed in the last month – including your own – and PNI has yet to make a single arrest. Thank the Lord he did, sort of. Maybe it was enough to get them a break.
Everyone in the room froze and every eye turned to him, including Dante’s, which still held the murderous fire that had driven him to turn the vampires to ash. Not that Rick hadn’t appreciated getting those things off his back before they bit him, but he’d be seeing the look on Dante’s face in his nightmares for a while.
“Ms. Zanotti, the sailor, myself, Ms. Moore – we all did have something in common: we were all humans connected to important mythic beings.” Vikas gave him a look that said, Is that all, stupid human? Rick stumbled over his words as he continued hurriedly. “And at least two of the attacks we know were set up to frame another mythic race for the crime – the trolls that attacked me using an elvish blade and conveniently leaving it for Dante to find, and the people who murdered Ms. Moore leaving burn marks only someone like Dante could make while Dante was clearly otherwise occupied. It wouldn’t surprise me if the others were frames as well. What if this –” Rick gestured to Dante and Vikas facing off over the smoldering table – “is why?”
Dante straightened from his battle posture and brushed the flames from his hands. “To incite civil war among the mythics?”
“Or to incite the mythics against the humans.” Vikas rounded the table to their side.
“The endgame of killing me and my partner, I’d wager,” Dante said softly as he took a protective position at Rick’s side.
Vikas gave him a withering look, but did not deny it.
“Or to incite the humans against the mythics. Remember Lynch’s video?” Rick tried not to flinch away from his partner’s bare hands, but having watched him just burn three people and a table with a touch, he was a little less successful than he’d have liked. He paused to retrieve Dante’s gloves from where he’d dropped them and slapped them against his partner’s arm. Whatever the mechanism, they were apparently the only thing that kept him from burning literally everything and everyone around him. “Is there anyone that would benefit from a mythic war?”
Dante chuckled as he pulled the gloves on and brushed ash from his suit. “I’d like the answer to that as well, Vikas.”
Vikas glowered at him as the Council members silently gathered around them, the battle lines from earlier even more clearly shown by who the members chose to stand behind.
"All mythic creatures benefit from overthrowing the human oppressors,” Wharton snarled. "Even if you're so sold to them you'd rather see us continue in slavery."
"Hold on, no one's in slavery." Rick interposed again. The last thing they needed was to reignite the fighting again.
Dante laid a gloved hand on Rick's shoulder and pulled him back slightly with a frown. “If you want me to address mythic grievances with the president, I will do so willingly. I will not countenance wanton violence. The werewolf and vampire solution to everything will just make things worse.”
“You’d better watch who you say things like that to, or phoenix-kind might just go extinct.” Wharton stepped forward to get in Dante's face, but was blocked by Vikas's arm.
“Many, many people have tried, human and mythic alike – including you yourself. And yet, here I am.” Dante swept Rick behind him with his arm, unbuttoned his own collar and pulled it away from his neck. “Bite me, Wharton, let’s see how this ends and who remains.”
"Not today, Wharton. We don't need any more fire in here." Vikas kept his arm up and glared at Dante. “He is right, many mythics believe we would be better off without the humans.”
“And if the view count on Lynch’s video is any indicator, a lot of humans think they’ll be better off without mythics.” Dante pointed out.
“And, didn’t Lynch sort of imply he was jealous of humans who found mythic partners?” Rick suddenly realized this wasn’t narrowing anything down at all.
“Lynch is your problem, Dante. Laysha is right. You should have dealt with him a long time ago.” Vikas pointed out.
“If I find he’s behind this in any way, I will deal with him accordingly.” Dante nodded to Vikas, and lowered his voice. “And you would do better for the mythic community if you would refuse to listen to those who would lead you to corruption and violence. I will not quickly forget what you allowed today.”
“And the Council will not quickly forget where your allegiance lies.” Vikas returned. “You have a long way to go to prove worthy of the honor of being reinstated in the Council.”
“And you have a long way to go to prove it is indeed an honor.” Dante sniffed as he turned to go. “You can start by letting me know if you learn of any mythics with a clear vendetta against humans – apart from the obvious members of your own Council of course.” Rick didn’t miss that Dante made sure he was physically between Rick and the vampire queen as they left the council chamber, or the deadly look that passed between them. “I will handle things from the human side.”
“You were not dismissed!” Vikas called after them.
“You made it quite clear you didn’t want us here when you tried to kill us.” Rick turned and waved, then followed Dante out the door.
They were silent until they were clear of the building and back in Dante’s car. Rick passed him the keys to the vehicle and slumped down into the passenger’s seat as the exhaustion and pain of his previous injuries demanded attention now that the adrenaline of nearly being killed was waning.
“Are you certain you are unharmed?” Dante asked tightly, glancing at him as he pulled the car onto the road. His tone made it clear he at least was still quite high on blood lust.
“Yep. Fine. I’m totally used to getting out of bed when I’m recovering from being stabbed to turn around and be held hostage by evil, blood crazed vampires who want to use my heart in a dark ritual.” He dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. An odd noise between a grunt and a squawk from his partner made him open one eye and look at him. “I’m fine, Dante, seriously. Nothing a pain killer and a long nap won’t fix.”
The car was silent again as Rick grappled with the memories of those tense few minutes when it looked like he and Dante’s partnership was over. The look on Dante’s face and the sheer killing power he’d displayed were balanced by the fact that the deadly agent had used those powers to save his life, and had made clear that those powers were dedicated to good.
More difficult to deal with was the memory of the vampire’s hands at his throat, the hunger in their eyes, and their queen’s words describing what they planned to do. He rubbed his neck unconsciously. Thank you, Lord, that Dante is on my side.
“Thanks for stopping those vampires back there.” Rick wanted to scream, throw things, or punch his fist through Dante’s windshield, but he just lay there feeling an odd combination of numb and crazy. “And remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“Someone told me that partners have each other’s backs.” Dante chuckled. “And that admittedly was a more extreme reaction than usual due to the extreme nature of their threats.” The humor faded from his face. “Facing death is an inconvenience for me. Facing an eternity of corruption, and knowing they planned the same fate for you – I could not countenance that.”
“I’m not saying that whole thing wasn’t terrifying – because it really was – but eternity is one thing I’m not scared of.” Rick peeked at him again. “Not saying I want to punch the next ticket, just that I know where I’m going.”
“Things are not quite as clear for me.” Dante wiggled a hand uncertainly. “I am confident in my relationship with Christ, yes, but I have died more times than I can count. I was dead for thirty-eight hours before Charles was able to get me pulled out of Lake Michigan. None of those times were any different from sleeping. I have always assumed I would be alive to meet my Savior at His return. But their plan to desecrate my body to keep me from ever resurrecting again?"
He paused to collect his thoughts. Rick glanced over to see his partner's pale face and flushed cheeks and went back to pretending to sleep to give Dante privacy.
Dante caught his breath and ended huskily, "I am ashamed to admit I am less than confident of the effects of that."
"'Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul,'" Rick quoted without opening his eyes. "The only one who has power over your soul is Christ, no matter what disgusting thing they planned to do to your body. You've lived through enough nasty periods of history to know that if humans could figure out how to damn each other, they'd have done it by now. They haven't, because they can't. No creepy vampire has power over the blood of Christ."
Dante was silent for a long moment. He finally blew out a slow breath. "Thank you, mon ami. You are right of course. I was wrong to worry."
Rick scoffed. "I'm pretty sure they don't offer Theology of Mythology at Bible college, and I'm a detective, not a theologian. I think we can both be forgiven for a bit of confusion.
“Speaking of confusion.” Rick sat up and looked around as they parked in Dante’s driveway. “Shouldn’t we be heading to the office to make a statement and warn Director Leon the mythics are threatening to rise?”
“Charles is on his way here. I texted him and told him that you were hurt and needed to go to bed. He can take our statements here.” Dante stepped out of the car and went to unlock the front door without waiting to listen to Rick’s objection.
Not that Rick had one. He really did need a pain killer or four and a three-day nap. He sighed and dragged himself out of the car and up the stairs to the house. Dante watched him critically as he held the door, but thankfully did not comment on how slow moving he was.
There was no way Rick was going to bed knowing the director was on his way over, so he settled for a long, hot shower and a change of clothes to get rid of the vampire ash. By the time he came back downstairs, delicious smells came from the kitchen.
“What do you know, he cooks, too.” Rick teased as he leaned against the arched entry to the kitchen. “Wait ‘til I tell Gracie. She might just suggest her brother come live with you for a while to learn some real skills.”
“It may surprise you to know that DC didn’t always have a food truck on every corner. If a man wanted to eat well, he would be best served to make it himself.” Dante stirred a bubbling pot of what looked like clam chowder on the stove. “I picked up a few tips from Rene Verdon when I worked for President Kennedy.”
“That’s not how I heard it.” The director chuckled behind Rick. “Contemporary accounts say you spent more time in the White House kitchen than you did in the office.”
“You know full well I was assigned to the President’s detail after the Second World War. I had little reason to return to the office.” Dante frowned and stared back at the pot of soup.
“PNI was founded as a branch of the FBI. J. Edgar Hoover demanded that Dante be assigned to him, rather than directly to the President like he had been for more than a century. Coolidge caved to his demands, as did every president Hoover ever faced off against.” Director Leon scoffed as he led Rick back to the living room to sit. “To say they didn’t get along would be putting it mildly. Dante despised Hoover – still does, as far as I can tell – and Hoover hated him. Office rumors couldn’t decide if it was because Hoover made a pass at the boyish looking Dante and Dante turned him down, or if it was merely because Dante couldn’t be controlled. Either way, Hoover made Dante’s life a living nightmare. So much so, that when Dante enlisted after Pearl Harbor, Hoover had him assigned to the amphibious First Infantry Division.”
The problems of Dante being involved in an amphibious assault didn’t need to be explained. Rick frowned. Short of putting Dante in a submarine, he couldn't think of a less fitting assignment.
Director Leon gestured for Rick to take the La-Z-Boy while he took a seat on the couch. "Hoover pulled strings to make sure Dante was denied any medals, promotions, or recognition, even after Omaha. His name became legendary, however, and after the war he bonded with a young Massachusetts Congressman over their shared service. One of the first executive orders President Kennedy signed was to put PNI under the Secret Service." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Dante's convinced Hoover could have stopped the Kennedy assassination, and has never forgiven him for it. Rumor is that Dante never said a civil word to Hoover after that, and when informed that Hoover died, replied 'May God have mercy on his black soul.'"
"Rumors are not to be trusted, my friend." Dante scolded as he offered Rick a tray with a steaming bowl of soup and a rough slice of bread. "I actually said, ‘Good riddance.’ My partner at the time thought it was unseemly and spread the rumor you heard." He handed Director Leon his own tray. "And I don't believe I called you here to share decades old gossip. Today's events may rival those of that time if we do not act wisely."
“Catch me up.” Director Leon sobered quickly. “I got Rick’s text telling me the mythics were tired of the status quo and thought you were a traitor to the mythic race, and that if I didn’t hear from you there was a real risk they would rise against the humans. Then an hour later, I got yours telling me to meet you here.” He sipped the chowder from his spoon and gave Rick an evaluating look. “Though Dante’s text indicated you were hurt.”
“Not nearly as bad as I could have been. They were going to kill Dante and use me as part of some evil rite to keep him dead. Dante took out three of them in a terrible rage.” Rick tasted his own soup and closed his eyes to savor it. It made the canned stuff taste like seawater and sand.
“Wharton and Laysha have more influence over the Council than is good for either mythics or humans.” Dante sat next to Director Leon on the couch with his own bowl of soup. “I would have destroyed them all if Rick hadn’t intervened. He discovered the link in the murders.”
Director Leon froze with his slice of bread halfway to his mouth. “A link? My research team was convinced there wasn’t one.”
“They’re all humans connected to mythics, apparently killed by mythics who had alibis.” Rick made a sour face. “I probably wouldn’t have figured it out if I hadn’t nearly been one of them. And if I hadn’t seen first hand the effect that framing the mythics could have on human mythic relationships.”
“Someone is trying to start a war, Charles.” Dante gestured with his spoon. “The question isn’t who has motive as much as who acted on it.”
“I’ll see if I can get the FBI to help on the human side of things, see if they’ve heard anything other than from your stalker.” The director gave Dante a stern look. “If you don’t deal with Lynch, I will. I have scarier guys than you on the payroll.”
“Yes, yes, he’s my problem. I will deal with him.” Dante frowned at Rick. “As soon as my partner is well enough to accompany me.”
“Make Ciccarelli your second stop. The sniper that took out Dante was one of his. Coroner finally ID’d him.” Director Leon shrugged. “Whether you’ll get Chick to admit to it is anybody’s guess.”
“I have a few mythic contacts who are not members of the Council and may have a better feel for the sentiment on the ground.” Dante stood and collected the empty trays. “The harpies like to gossip. It’s possible they’ve heard something Vikas missed.”
“Or didn’t wish to share.” Rick rubbed his side and stretched. “It's not like he was that cooperative today.” He winced as he stood. The painkillers and food were helping, but what he really needed was to sleep until Christmas. “Well, I doubt the war is waiting for our schedule, so we probably should get started.”
Dante laid a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back into the chair. “The war will not start this night, and Lynch is sure to be around whenever we want him. If you allow yourself to succumb to your injuries, I will likely be forced to return and finish what I started in the Guild house today.”
“I’ll send Agents Milton and Eliot to question the harpies. You’re not the only one with contacts. And Dante, let’s try not to provoke the Mythic Council if at all possible.” Director Leon stood to go. “Rick, take care of yourself, for the good of the case. I shouldn’t need to tell you that Dante burning down the Guild house will not end well for anyone.”
“You two are terrible.” Rick grumbled. “I’m not going to kill myself if I get out of this chair.”
“Ah, but if you do not leave the chair, we can be sure of it.” Dante chuckled and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “It is already dark. Lynch and Chick can wait until morning.”