Chapter 8
TRAIPSING IN THE DARK
Back at the hotel, Andi let himself be guided under the shower by George after his man had taken off their clothing.
The lukewarm water felt good on his heated skin, soothing the raging migraine that had started before the last hornet had left its place on his arm.
The Tylenol was slowly doing its work, dulling the worst spikes of pain, reducing them to a level he had learned to manage.
That he needed the painkillers at all was devastating because he had always tried to avoid them as much as possible.
Ever since his geschenk started to intensify almost on a monthly basis, Tylenol and other agents had become more and more of a necessity.
At least the lure of alcohol was off the table, thanks to George, who was so very good at distracting him with food and cuddles.
He threw up once more after the shower and then fell onto the bed, where George put a cold, wet washcloth over his eyes.
Half dozing, Andi listened while his partner called around to find a restaurant where he could get either chicken or vegetable broth, the best food to get into Andi’s belly after an episode like the one with the hornets.
Andi tried very hard not to think about how similar the feeling of the hornets and the black widow had been—off, not what he had been expecting, definitely in need of investigating, if only for his own peace of mind.
Worse even, under this layer of unfamiliarity had been something else, a connection that was growing in intensity ever since he had asked the bees to save Tyler Norris.
Now he was not only trying to process and interpret what his tiny informants told him and trying to keep the line between them and him clear, but now he also had to be aware of the line between him and them.
Back at the lake, when he connected to the nest, it had been with the urge to get back to the hotel as fast as possible because he was getting tired and knew his barriers were weak.
The hornets had caught up on this urge and responded accordingly, coming down to him, landing on him, merging with him not only in mind but also in body, attempting the impossible while he started to panic and did his best not to show it.
If George hadn’t been there, hadn’t touched him despite the tiny weapons sitting all over him, Andi wasn’t sure if he could have kept it together or if he’d been able to come back.
The temptation was always there. It was so easy to get lost in them, in the safety their numbers offered, and in the all-encompassing awareness their senses provided.
When he was wide open to the arthropods, the world appeared smaller and bigger at the same time.
Smaller because he was aware of so much more than just the narrow space directly surrounding him that his human senses were aware of, and bigger because he knew there was so much more for him to see and find.
Andi was also sure his former half-mile radius had expanded, another sign that the geschenk was growing in strength, probably getting out of control.
He was loath to tell George about it, especially now, with his mother’s visit looming.
Although George did his best to keep his worries to himself, Andi was now not only attuned to the arthropods, but he was also perfectly attuned to George.
He knew that no matter how often he assured his man that he couldn’t care less what Miranda Donovan might think about him, or the rest of George’s family for that matter, George would never not worry.
He thought the rejection would hurt Andi on some unconscious level.
Andi wasn’t sure if he could completely rule out this possibility since he was neither a psychologist nor did he tend to introspect on his feelings.
For that, he would have to separate everything that came from them from what was his, and that was like untangling the world’s biggest ball of yarn after a horde of cats had played with it in a barn chock-full of furniture.
The Gordian Knot was a piece of cake in comparison.
What he could say was that he really didn’t care what Miranda thought of him.
As long as George wasn’t swayed by her opinion, Andi could happily ignore her.
The main problem, he thought, was probably that George would feel rejected by his own family, which would be infinitely worse because unlike for Andi, George’s family was a large part of his sense of self—his parents and brothers had formed him and kept forming him, consciously or unconsciously and his partner’s self-worth was directly linked to the people who had raised him.
So yes, maybe he was a little worried. Because if George ever left him, Andi knew he would be lost.
The mattress sank in, and George’s familiar weight settled next to him.
A warm, soft hand started stroking his cheek.
“I finally found a restaurant that does chicken broth. They said it will be here in about twenty minutes. Do you think you want to have something then or would you prefer to sleep first?”
“I haven’t fallen asleep yet, so I think I’ll try the broth.”
“Good.” George hesitated.
“You can ask.”
“I don’t want to stress you. You threw up twice.”
“Which is nowhere near my record, as you well know.” Andi tried a smile and was pretty sure he failed even though he couldn’t see his partner’s face due to the wet washcloth still over his eyes.
“No, it’s not. Still. It was scary.”
Andi detected a slight trembling in George’s voice. “It was—different.”
“Like with the black widow?”
“Similar. Either my perception is changing again, though I doubt it because what I get from the mites and silverfish and all the other arthropods here is the same as always, or there is something going on.”
“Do you have an idea what it could be?”
“Not the slightest. The geschenk is expanding too rapidly. All I can say for sure is that the black widow and the hornets were acting strange.”
“This fits with DeCapristo’s theory.” George wasn’t happy. The prospect of having to work with that woman was about as appealing as swimming in shark-infested waters.
“Not necessarily. If you look strictly at the evidence that a court would accept, there is nothing. I didn’t detect any human interference either.
Both the black widow and the hornets would have memories about it.
Like being placed in the drawer or being agitated by, let’s say, somebody throwing rocks at the nest. For reasons I don’t know yet, the spider, as well as the hornets, have decided to attack and kill.
It could be a biological phenomenon. Could be something to do with chemicals.
No, not chemicals. That I would have sensed. ”
“You want to call it off?”
Andi put a hand on the washcloth. “I’d love to. Unfortunately, Luke has sent us here to do a job. There are still questions we don’t have the answers to. I’m afraid we have to dig deeper.”
“Yay. Lucky us.” George kept on stroking Andi’s cheek. “I guess we should call Shireen. Perhaps she can find a connection between the victims.”
“Yeah.” Andi hesitated. “Just to be on the safe side, let’s ask her to look at all of them. I don’t like this.”
“Me neither.”
George kept on stroking Andi’s cheeks until reception called up to inform them that the chicken broth was here.
It was not as good as what George served at home, but it did the job of filling Andi’s stomach without upsetting it again.
Once Andi felt better, meaning he didn’t wish for somebody to put him out of his misery, George took out his cell and dialed Shireen’s number.
She answered after the third ring despite it being already ten a.m.
“George. I thought you were down in Spartanburg?”
“Hi, Shireen. Yes, Andi and I are in Spartanburg. You’re on speaker. We need your help.”
Andi heard a tsking sound through the speakers.
“Hi, Andi. Is the IT department of the Spartanburg PD not good enough for you? Or, no wait, let me guess, they’ve already gone home for the day, unlike poor me who’s still in the precinct.
” The teasing tone told them Shireen wasn’t being serious. At least not too much.
“Nobody is as good as you, Shireen, and you know it. We both admire your absolute dedication to getting the job done even if the hour is late.” George was laying it on thick as always.
Shireen loved having her ego stroked, which put her in a good mood, which in turn made her more open to helping them.
Well, she would help them anyway, no questions asked, but George loved the formality of social rituals, just like Shireen.
Andi didn’t understand this need to formalize and draw out an interaction that would otherwise take up only half the time, if even.
As long as his participation wasn’t required, he put up with it.
It didn’t hurt him or them, and it made both George and Shireen happy.
Happy people didn’t emit hormones that upset the arthropods as badly as unhappy people did, which was another fat point in Andi’s plus box.
“You’re such a charmer, George.” Shireen giggled.
“I have to compensate for Andi’s grumpiness.” George winked at him while saying this.
“Nothing can compensate for Andi’s special brand of people skills.”
“And nothing has to because that’s what he has me for.” George placed a kiss on Andi’s forehead. Okay, maybe this whole song and dance before cutting to the chase wasn’t all bad.
“You two are disgustingly sweet.” Shireen sighed. “Now hit me. What can I do for you?”
“Andi and I are investigating a case where things are—hazy.” George was now completely serious. “Other players are involved, and the situation is delicate.”
The sound coming through the speaker was that of a hyena after a successful kill. “And they sent Andi down there? Did somebody think stirring the pot a little more wouldn’t hurt? Or do they not know him?”