Book 2: Chapter 14: Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3. (1/2)

The reporters were gone by the time morning rolled around, though the news cycle had yet to move on to other things. Dan was just glad that nobody had camped out on his front lawn, looking for an interview. Gregoir's presence had likely helped in that, the gentle giant's implacable form patrolling the borders of Dan's property with grim determination.

Abby slipped out for work come dawn. Gregoir offered to drive her, given their complete lack of vehicular transportation, and his ongoing bodyguard duties. Dan was fairly certain that the massive police officer was meant to be guarding him, not his girlfriend, but selling Gregoir on his concern for Abby's welfare had been incredibly easy. Dan was to be left to his own devices, given how impractical it was to follow him around, and how difficult it was to actually pin him down.

He really needed to get on top of the car situation. Neither he nor Abby had even thought about how to get from home to work. Dan no longer needed to worry about such things, and Abby was used to having a car on demand. Abby wouldn't officially start work until the next week, but she still needed to show up for new trainer orientation by noon.

At least she'd be facing no press at work. Nobody there would interrogate her about the events of the previous evening. It had been a small miracle, but she'd stayed out of sight of the camera crews. The house was in Dan's name, and nobody who didn't know him could have connected him with the Summers' heiress. Her anonymity was safe, for now.

Well, somewhat safe. Gregoir would have to come up with something to explain his presence. Dan sincerely hoped the big man could do subtle, or some variation thereof. It was a little difficult to explain a police escort, without revealing some uncomfortable truths.

Abby's face wasn't well known; her grandmother had sheltered her from the public sphere as she grew up, and she'd never sought out attention. It allowed her to move around in public relatively unbothered. Even at her new job, nobody knew her relation to the tech giant. Summers wasn't an uncommon name, after all. Nobody had a reason to investigate her.

That might change, now. Dan would need to be careful for the next week or two, until the media settled down. He was the flavor of the week right now. Him, Connor and Freya. Only the two officers had been named, but any idiot could look up the owner of a house. It's not like Dan had been hiding. So there he was, with his picture in the news. His fifteen minutes of fame. It was fine if it was just him, but that wasn't the issue. A picture of him and Abby, out and about, might prompt someone to ask, 'who is that pretty gal on his arm?'

Neither of them wanted that kind of attention.

Dan watched Gregoir drive his girlfriend to work. He quietly touched his lips, where she'd kissed him goodbye. As much as he wanted to pick her up from work, that would be really stupid at the moment. He'd arrange for a cab, instead. Gregoir could follow at a distance. He really didn't want her riding shotgun in a police car on the way home. Too many opportunities for a random paparazzo to take a picture of her.

After that was arranged... well, Dan's day was more or less wide open.

He was looking forward to it.

Dan found himself back at the mall for lunch. He bought himself some fried catfish, served by fish-tailed sirens, their rainbow scales glittering beneath the bright lights. Dan smiled in thanks, doing his very best not to stare at the woman's twitching gills. They weren't as off-putting as they'd been at first, but the wide tracts of red fleshy bits still made him a little ill.

After he ate, he paid a visit to the blacksmith. Partly to apologize for his abrupt departure, and partly to finish commissioning his shiny metal stabbing device. It ended up costing him a pretty penny, but the bargain was finally struck. Dan would pick up his cane sword in a week. It was a frivolous expense, a complete waste of money. It'd probably just go up on his wall or something, but he wanted it, so there.

He also picked up some round ball bearings. Nothing special, just two and a half inch steel balls that weighed something like a pound each. They came in a little cardboard rectangle that was heavier than the average cat and half the size. Dan dropped the thing off in his bedroom as soon as he paid. He'd be needing those, later.

His next stop was a woman's outlet store. He would never try to buy clothes for Abby, but he thought some understated jewelry might not be unwelcome. The saleswoman was incredibly helpful. She was a cheerful teenager, probably just out of high school. Dan brought up several pictures of Abby on his phone, and after a minute of scrutiny, the young woman produced several bracelets he thought she might like.

Dan got the one with a dangling heart, because he was a giant sap.

He tipped the young woman for her help, and made for the registers. On the way, he passed an unadorned manikin, the pale, featureless plastic triggering a sudden impulse in his mind. He turned to the nearest employee, pointing at the figure.

”Can I buy one of those?” he asked directly.

The woman stared at him with naked suspicion. ”What for?”

Dan crinkled his nose. ”Nothing that would justify that kind of look! Can I buy it or not?”

”...Let me call my manager,” she replied, her eyes narrowed on him.

Dan rolled his eyes, but waited patiently for the local authority to arrive. She was an older woman, looking extremely harried and entirely done with customers' shit. Dan could sympathize. He'd never worked in retail, but he was no stranger to annoying and difficult people.

He went straight to the point. ”I'll give you a hundred bucks for a manikin.”

The manager's response was mirrored her employee's almost exactly. With narrowed eyes and a voice laced with suspicion, she asked, ”Why?”