Men
“Give me the daily, please,” I say to the barista at the NCPD cafe. She gives me a polite smile before busying herself.
I go to stand by the pick-up window where Percy already stands, her face in her dPhone.
“These damned things aren’t worth the money,” she grumbles, whacking the display with her fleshy finger.
“DAEMON products being cheap and shitty?” I ask in mock surprise. “Say it ain’t so!”
“Shush,” Percy huffs out in a laugh. “You know they’re a corporate sponsor.”
“Which is fucking weird if you ask me,” I grumble, reaching for the coffee and sandwich as the barista slides it across the table.
“No one asked you, unfortunately,” Percy says with playful smile.
She brushes past me, close enough that I catch her perfume and my brain summersaults again. It takes me a moment to catch up and follow her to a table by the entrance to the cafe.
“Anything happen while I was out?” I ask, taking a tentative sip of my coffee.
“Got both bodies back to the morgue,” Percy says, playing with the tip of her fork. The tines pressing against her teeth and lips.
“And?” I ask, somewhat distracted.
“And Blair should have them ready by the time we’re done here. We should have the identity of the first body, too.”
“Anyone who might have wanted Anders dead?” I ask, picking at my sandwich.
“She was a Remnant,” Percy says, her head bent over her food. “There’s probably a long list of people she pissed off.”
I flinch at her words. Ever since the First Disruption began the flow of Affliction, Remnants have been at the center of every conflict. Still, it hadn’t been my choice. It hadn’t been my decision to be different.
Percy seems to realize because she quickly meets my eye.
“She was a known member of the criminal underbelly of this city, she had enemies.”
I give her a smile, knowing it’s fake and knowing she can tell. Her eyes soften even more as she looks stuck between saying something and moving on.
“I—” she begins but two annoyingly loud, deep voices cut through the hum of the cafe.
“Ah, Persephone and her Hades,” Bellick’s heavy cologne hits me a moment before his shadow appears over us.
Percy’s hand shoots across the table, her fingers wrapping tightly around my wrist as McRoberts appears beside Bellick. The movement isn’t missed by the two men—both sporting wicked grins as they leer down at us.
“Aren’t you two a little old for the childhood bully schtick?” Percy aims a quirked eyebrow at Bellick.
“Both pushing their forties I think,” I say, extracting my wrist from her grip. Her concern for my flare in temper is sweet, but it would be immensely stupid to throw down here. “You two bored?”
“We’re just doing our jobs, lieutenant,” McRoberts says, ignoring me entirely.
Typical.
“Well, Skovsgaard and I are going to talk to Dr. Andrews then we’ll be back in the precinct. You’re welcome to join us there,” Percy says with equanimity.
“She’ll be there?” Bellick asks, again ignoring me, as if he hadn’t just insinuated I’m the Greek god of the dead. Hell, who even knew about the Greek pantheon anymore?
Sure, they existed in history books, and the DAEMON Net had a fair share of resources, but I figured Bellick and McRoberts were illiterate.
“Will that be a problem for you?” I ask, feeling my own adrenaline spiking at the situation.
“No,” Bellick sniffs, giving McRoberts a look, “just keep your hands to yourself.”
Before I can say anything else, he and McRoberts walk off.
“—don’t get why De Luca likes that dyke. I’m all for using Remnants like tools, but the death shit is freaky.”
I grit my teeth and look back across the table at Percy. She clearly hadn’t heard Bellick’s final comments. Though she looks thoroughly riled up by the less-than-stellar run-in.
“I’m sorry,” she says, her eyes soft. “I wish there was more I could do to stop them. I’ve filed—”
“It’s fine,” I say quickly, shaking my head. “People don’t like Remnants. That’s why there’s a registry, right?”
“And you’re on it,” she says, as if that actually helps. “And registered as a low-level utilitarian. You’re as human as the rest of us.”
I nod and try to give her a genuine smile—but humans don’t hear the other side. The veil isn’t as thin for her.
“Let’s go,” I say, nodding at her empty plate. “We shouldn’t keep Blair waiting.”
She gives me an assessing look, her eyes flicking between the uneaten sandwich and full coffee.
“Alright,” she finally says, her tone only confirming how pathetic I am right now.