Chapter 46 (1/2)
Dan was at a golf course.
Thwack!
He wasn't entirely sure why.
Thwack!
But, he had a suspicion.
Thwack!
Abby felt like hitting something.
Thwack!
”—out of my sight for thirty seconds—drafted by a lunatic!—could have been killed if—!!”
The aforementioned girl was viciously mauling a patch of green turf with her club, muttering a constant stream of curses under her breath.
”Stupid Danny making me worry!”
Thwack! Iron met earth, and earth lost. Great clods of dirt spiraled through the air alongside a tiny white orb, both victims to Abby's ferocious strength.
Dan watched, with a mixture of amusement and dread, as Abby exhausted herself by whaling on the landscape. Most of her swings missed their mark entirely, simply cleaving into the ground and sending debris scattering across the pretty green. Finally, after reducing what he suspected was a very expensive piece of land to rubble, she turned around, shoulders heaving.
Only to catch sight of Dan's presence and flush bright red.
”Your club looks a bit bent, Abs,” Dan pointed out, motioning towards the iron in her hand. The impractical amount of abuse it had been subjected to had curled the poor thing into a banana shape.
She side-eyed the now worthless chunk of metal, before quickly hiding it behind her back. It was quite possibly the least effective form of concealment that Dan had ever witnessed, and he couldn't help but grin at the action.
Abby's face burned even hotter. ”It's supposed to look like that.”
”Uh huh.” Dan nodded obligingly.
Abby stared at him for a moment longer, as the gears in her mind visibly turned. Something seemed to snap in place, and a furious expression appeared on her face. She shifted quickly, keeping the club firmly behind herself while jabbing an accusatory finger in Dan's direction. ”You—!”
”Me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
”You!” she repeated, stomping forward. ”You scared the crap out of me!”
”What, just now?” Dan glanced down at his appearance with concern. He was wearing the same style as usual, a collared shirt and comfortable jeans. Hell, Abby was the one who picked this set out. ”I don't think I'm that scary.”
”Yesterday!” Abby shouted, her voice just shy of shrill. ”You fought a criminal yesterday! You could've been killed!”
Dan held up his hands defensively. ”It was just a ride along. It should've been perfectly safe.”
”You almost got kidnapped!” Abby continued to lambaste him. ”The officer responsible for you was kidnapped!
”AND I FOUND OUT ABOUT IT THROUGH A TEXT MESSAGE AT ONE IN THE MORNING!”
He flinched at the hurt in her tone. That... hadn't been Dan's best idea. In his defense, last night was little more than a haze of bleary thoughts in his memory. He had been utterly wiped out by the end, and his text to Abby had been the result. Dan was still getting used to having a close friend, someone who was interested in him, invested in his welfare. He hadn't experienced such a thing since his parents had passed, years ago, and his rust clearly showed.
”I'm sorry,” he told her contritely. ”I was tired, and sore, and a little excited, and I wanted to tell you what happened the second that I got my head on straight.”
In retrospect, he should've just texted her that he was home safe, and that he'd talk to her in the morning. His long, rambling message, talking about bombs and fights and kidnappings, and ending with ”I'm going to sleep,” had probably been a nightmare to read, especially since she'd been awake enough to respond shortly after he sent it.
He'd thought nothing of it, even this morning, as her own message had been a simple meeting request that had brought him to this golf course. That, and a wish for him to get a good night's rest. Dan hadn't thought to read any deeper into it, much to his peril.
Abby arrived in front of him, brandishing her banana club.
”If you ever do something that cruel to me again,” she whispered, her voice wavering between relief and fury, ”I'll—”
She paused, searching for a suitable punishment, while Daniel awaited his fate with a bowed head.
Abby blinked, a metaphorical light bulb appearing over her head.
”I'll tell grandmother!” she said triumphantly, poking Dan's belly with her club.
He paled at that, eyes bulging outward, and he grabbed Abby firmly by the shoulders. ”I am so sorry, Abby. Really, truly sorry. I wasn't thinking at all. It will never happen again!”
She sniffed, the sound too wet to be mocking , and asked, ”And the next time you get into a life-threatening situation?”
”I'll call you,” Dan replied earnestly. ”Immediately after. During, even!”
She huffed, a sharp, broken sound, and chided, ”That's not necessary, Danny. You don't always have to tell me things. I can't demand that from you. Just... if you do tell me something that will make me worry, make it a conversation, okay? Not a— a note or an email or a text message. I have to be able to look at you. To make sure you're safe.”
Abby wiped her eyes with her sleeve, then patted Dan on the shoulder. ”Have some concern for the people that care about you, okay? Have you bothered to tell Mr. Mercury?”
Dan grimaced at the reminder. ”No. I haven't visited his station since I left. I don't know if his experiments are safe, and I'm not sure if I'd trust his reassurance.”
”That's your decision,” Abby replied, her voice regaining some of its vigor, ”but I'd want to know what you are up to, if I were him. At least let him know that you're using what he taught you.”
Dan smiled wryly. ”I'd have to email him. You just finished telling me not to do that.”
”I was talking about for me,” Abby replied, her good cheer returning as rapidly as it had left. She bounced on her heels. ”Don't you think he'd like to hear from you?”
Dan shrugged. It was hard to say, really. His parting from Marcus had been amicable, if abrupt. Dan still felt a lingering sense of... betrayal? Anger? Disappointment. The man was playing with things beyond his understanding, and could have put Dan at risk in the process. Marcus did not practice what he preached. Not when it mattered.
Then again, few did.