Chapter Twenty-Five
“How’s it going?” Genov finally broke the strained silence that filled the room.
“It’s going,” Lamar huffed, looking away from the laptop screen he’d been staring at since returning to the precinct hours earlier, rubbing his eyes with his fists. “You got news?”
“Some,” Genov said with a shrug, sinking down into the spare chair. “They found the ambulance. Fucker abandoned it in the parking lot of a store down the road before we even knew it was stolen. He went inside and never came out. Not as Scaline, anyway.”
“Shit.” Lamar had to swallow a scream of frustration. “He could be anyone now. Fuck, we were so close to catching him.”
Genov nodded his agreement. “Chief has a team on the store security video, trying to see who he came out as, but they haven’t found anything yet.”
“Won’t matter,” Lamar groaned. “It could have changed a dozen times by now.”
“Got something else for you,” Genov lifted the file folder he’d been holding at his side. “On my way past the lab, Brenda asked me to give this to you.”
“Thanks.” Lamar opened it, surprised to find a full DNA profile inside. “Wow, that was fast.” He read through the results, his brow furrowed, and then reached for his cell phone and waited for the voicemail to pick up. “Hey, Vic. Can you swing by tonight? Any time is fine, but it’s important.”
“Anything I can do?” Genov asked.
“I don’t think so,” Lamar said slowly, still reading through the report. Glancing up at the clock, he sighed. “In fact, I think I’m going to head out for the night.” He managed a smile at the only person in the place that had suffered through a worse Monday than he had. “Hey, you know I’m sorry about this morning, right?”
Genov laughed and slapped his back. “No worries. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Lamar started to agree and then paused. “Hey, can I ask you a personal question?”
Genov shrugged. “You can ask, but I may not answer.”
“How can you move around in the daytime? I mean, sunlight and vamps don’t mix, do they?”
Genov smiled. “You’re probably the only person here who hasn’t asked.” He raised the left sleeve of his jacket, displaying the rich blue face of his watch. “Lapis,” he said succinctly. “We can buy charmed objects made of Lapis that protect us from the sunlight.” When Lamar’s eyes narrowed, he sighed. “Do you want to see my fangs again?”
“Maybe later,” Lamar joked, shaking his head. “Actually, I was trying to remember if the copycat had a watch like that. I don’t think so.” He thought for a minute. “If he’s doing these shifts on the fly, he probably isn’t able to match his targets exactly.”
“That would make sense,” Genov agreed. “Anyhow, I’ll see you in the morning.”
~*~
Used to arriving home to a dark, silent house, Lamar didn’t realize he’d been worried about Aeren changing his mind about staying until he pulled into the driveway. When he saw the lights shining behind the lowered window shades, an invisible weight lifted.
Unlocking the door, he’d barely stepped in when his chest was struck by a solid weight.
“Hi,” Lamar looked down, surprised by the effusive greeting from his usual shy guest. “Everything okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” Aeren agreed, stretching up to plant a wet kiss on Lamar’s lips. Settling back onto his heels, he glanced up through his lashes. “I missed you.”
Lamar’s heart bobbled in his chest and he hugged Aeren close. “I missed you, too.” Taking his hand, he closed and locked the door and shrugged out of his coat. “If you give me a minute to change, I’ll greet you properly,” he suggested with a wink.
Aeren blushed but kept smiling. Following Lamar to the bedroom, he knelt in front of him and began to unlace his loafers.
“I can do that, Aeren,” Lamar protested lightly. “You’re not here to wait on me.”
Aeren cocked his head. “But I like helping.”
“Okay.” Lamar stroked his palm over Aeren’s hair, smiling at the silky texture. “But only if you’re sure it's because you want to.”
“I do,” Aeren assured him, reaching for the button on Lamar’s slacks and sliding them down so Lamar could step out of them, leaving him in his briefs, dress shirt, and tie. He stayed where he was, staring up at Lamar with wide eyes, his breath quickening.
“You okay?”
