The wicked sting of envy made Mickey grind his teeth unconsciously, and he found himself fantasizing about finding this mysterious lover who had dared leave those marks on Roger’s neck and…
Damn.
He logically had no right to feel this way because Roger wasn’t his, but he couldn’t stop it. The urge to claim Roger right there on the stage in front of everyone was overwhelming, and it was in immediate opposition with his pride insisting he didn’t want Roger at all.
Shoving down the swirl of conflicting feelings, he tried to catch up with the current conversation.
“It would be nothin’ to kill the cameras at the precinct parking lot,” Duncan was saying. “A quick little power surge, let Roger slip in, and then hey, turn them back on before anybody catches wise.”
“I can loop the security feed,” Pym said. “As long as they don’t look too closely at the time stamp, it’ll totally work.”
“And if they do?”
“Then we’re fucked.”
“We’ll need a plan B,” Jules insisted. “Just in case your fancy tech shit don’t work.”
“Fires can be very distracting,” Valdemar said with a happy smile. “Should Mr. Lorre’s safety become compromised at any time, a small blaze would certainly draw away the police officers’ attention.”
“Fire could totally fuckin’ work.” Jules beamed.
“Mr. Lorre, Mr. Pym, Mr. Valdemar, and Mr. Thirdsies,” Cold ordered, “you four stay. The rest of you may go. Stay close and stay safe. We may own this part of the city now, but the danger remains.”
“You got it, Boss,” Jules confirmed.
“I’ll be around,” promised Duncan. “Later guys.”
Jerry said something in French, and it sounded nice. Alistair, on the other hand, said something in French and it sounded absolutely foul. Given the twitch of Cold’s upper lip and the shock on Jerry’s face, it probably was.
Nothing else was said, French or otherwise, and those not participating in the mission made ready to leave. Mickey made an effort to not look at Roger, and he headed outside with the others.
The work ahead seemed fairly simple with Pym’s technical skills, and Mickey didn’t think there was any lock on the planet that could keep Roger out. With the added bonus of arson, what could possibly go wrong?
You’re worried about him…
There wasn’t any need to qualify the ‘him’ in Mickey’s thoughts. It made him angry and though he couldn’t say why exactly, the car keys in his pocket felt heavier. It gave him pause once he hit the sidewalk, and he actually forgot what he was doing until Duncan nudged him.
“Hey, you okay, man?”
“Yeah.” Mickey frowned. “I’m fine.”
Duncan hardly seemed convinced, but he wouldn’t push. Not after being threatened with foot violence. “Yeah, well, you let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“There is something, if you’ve got the time.”
“Yeah, man. Of course. What is it?”
“I need a ride.”
“But you’ve got a ride?” Duncan glanced over to Mickey’s car parked across the street.
It was a modest sedan given to him by Cold to replace the one lost at Slick Rick’s. It was totally legal, serviceable, but Mickey could not shake the weight of his Pops’ keys.
“It’s yours. To make up for the whole, you know, gettin’ yours impounded at a crime scene.”
“Uh, thanks?” Duncan flinched and promptly dropped the keys Mickey threw to him. “Where are we going?”
“I gotta go see a lady.”
