- He assimilated Pariah Dark? – Tucker repeated.
- How is that even possible? – Jazz asked.
- It wouldn't be the first time he does it. – He replied looking at his feet. – He did that with Vlad's ghost half in his timeline.
They had returned inside the house, but had chosen to stay in the living room. There was no point going down to the lab again if the portal was already off. Also, during Danny and Vlad's escape, they had taken the opportunity to organize all the mess they had made down there.
Tucker removed his cap and raised both hands to his head, looking up at the ceiling. He had to bite his tongue not to say anything nonsensical that would cost him a blow from his friends, or worse, irritate Danny at such a delicate moment like this. Sam, for her part, just took her boyfriend's left hand in both of hers and squeezed.
- We'll find a way to stop him.
- Sam…
- Danny. – She said, looking into his eyes. – We'll come up with a plan and we'll stop him. Just like we always do.
Now, Danny didn't stand out for his deductive skills, except when it came to Sam. Each of the micro expressions that she was capable of, Danny had already memorized them by the time they were both 17. Thanks to that, he was able to detect the slight but constant vibrations of her pupils, that her lips droop almost imperceptibly downwards and the slight break in her voice when she spoke to him.
She was afraid. If there was a time when he had to act like the perfect boyfriend, this was it.
- You're right. - He gave her a small smile. - We'll find a way.
Sam released Danny's hand and walked over to hug him. He returned the gesture immediately.
- At least we know things can't get any worse. – Tucker finally said.
Sam and Jazz turned to look at him with daggers in their eyes and he understood that he screwed up. Danny for his part, just laughed at his friend's attempt to lighten the mood. Some steps on the stairs caught the attention of the 4 young adults, who turned to see Jack and Maddie coming down.
- Has Vlad left? – Asked Jack, looking for his friend around the house.
- Emm… yeah. – Jazz replied. – He left not too long ago.
- What did he offer you Danny? – His mom asked with genuine curiosity.
- Nothing I found interesting. – He tried to be vague in his reply.
- Well, that's a shame. – Jack said.
- Not really. – Maddie smiled at her son.
Vlad entered the City Hall at full speed, not stopping to greet anyone or make eye contact with anyone from the office. His presence was attracting far more attention than necessary, all because of the bump on his forehead. He opened the door to his office and slammed it shut behind him. If that wasn't enough of a sign that he wasn't in the mood to deal with someone, he didn't know what else to do. He loosened his tie a bit and walked over to his desk.
With one hand he undid the top button of his shirt and with the other, he opened a drawer in his desk and took out some pills. He took a pill from the packet and placed it on his desk. He turned to the drawer behind his desk, where he picked up a glass and bottle of scotch and poured himself a drink. He sat in his chair and swallowed the pill with the alcohol, feeling the burn run down his throat all the way down to his stomach.
He remained thoughtful, observing the remaining liquid in his glass while he mentally reviewed everything that had happened that morning. The destruction of his laboratory, the confrontation with Daniel, the fight against Pariah Dark and that clone... and the terrible outcome of that last one. "What a morning." He thought as he took a second drink from his glass.
His mind traveled back to those times when he had faced rivals whose power levels exceeded his own. Vortex, Frostbite…even Pariah Dark himself. Had he felt fear on those occasions? Of course! But those times had been different: Vortex wanted his freedom; Frostbite, the Infimap; Pariah Dark, the ring. He always based his fear on the fact that he could lose and get injured, but now… that monster was different. He enjoyed hurting others, and according to Daniel, even killing them. No ghost killed. Not even Skulker, who kept bragging about how badly he wanted to kill Daniel and skin him.
And it wasn't just the psychological side of fear. When Dan Phantom had started to assimilate Pariah, he was able to physically feel the power of that monster. He could feel the darkness emanating from that figure engulfed in flames. Dan could cause...
- … the end of the world. – He whispered before drinking the rest of the whiskey that he had poured in the glass.
The door to his office opened and that forced him to put the empty glass on the desk.
- Good morning, Mr. Masters. – His assistant said, while he looked at the folders that she held with her left hand. – You came back just in time. I just received…
- Not now. – He cut her off. – Not in the mood.
The woman looked up and saw the glass on the desk.
- Don't you think is too early to drink?
- Not. Now. – He repeated, more annoyed this time.
- And what happened to your forehead? – She said walking up to him.
- That falls in the category of private affairs and not your business, miss Sanders.
She stopped in front of the desk and hugged the folders to her chest. Vlad looked straight into her eyes, making her greatly uncomfortable until he reached out his hand. The woman looked at the mayor's hand and then at him. Vlad rolled his eyes and moved the fingers of his hand.
- Give them to me. – He said.
- Oh. - She said in surprise before handing over the documents she was carrying. – I ordered them according to their importance: the one on top is the adjuster's report regarding the damage caused to the construction works where the ghost attack was reported a couple of days ago and the new quote for the reparation of the damage.
Vlad flipped through the contents of the folder, scanning the entire document and only pausing to see the numbers that appeared in the totals and the concepts registered.
- The second one is the progress report on the modernization of the city's traffic surveillance and monitoring system. – She said while Vlad changed the folder. – Then, you'll find this month's weekly reports of the Masters' Blasters' activities… and finally, the intern's release letter.
- She's still here? – Vlad asked without looking up.
- Until the end of this month. – She reminded him.
Vlad discarded the folders without looking at them and put them away in a desk drawer. He picked up the first folder again to read the contents in more detail.
- Is that all? - He looked up to see his assistant, who was looking at her phone.
- No. - She said, putting the device away. – I remind you that at 2 you have lunch with the CEO of Axion Labs and at 6 you have to make an appearance at the inauguration of the new cultural center in the heart of the town.
- Alright. – He said leaning back in the chair. - If there's nothing…
- And Danielle called… - She cut him off. - She said she's a little busy with school stuff and won't be able to come to your meeting.
- School? - He asked lowering the folder. – School ended 2 weeks ago.
- She said it was related to her registration for the next school year. – She said crossing her arms behind her back. – Although if you ask me… I think it's about a boy.
Her assistant's smile faded when she noticed the seriousness on her boss's face.
- I'll be outside. – She said before turning around and leave.
Vlad watched her leave. "A boy? Danielle shouldn't waste her time like that." He returned his attention to the papers in front of him, trying to distract himself with something that didn't involve thinking about Dan. After a minute, he put the papers down and opened a drawer. He pressed on the false bottom to reveal the secret compartment, from which he removed a small device. He clicked a button and a hologram of Maddie materialized.
- Yes, dear? – The hologram spoke.
- Prepare to seal the lab in Wisconsin. I'll tell you when.
- You mean…?
- Yes. I need a bunker and an excuse to leave this place.
- Understood.
The hologram disappeared and Vlad relaxed a little. At least his backup plan could buy him some time to hide.
Dan stayed in the ghost zone, still and calm. He could feel all that power flowing through his body. He opened his eyes and looked at his hands: they weren't the black gloves he used to wear, now there was a piece of armor that stretched all over his right arm.
With a flick of his hand, he pointed at a rock that exploded instantly, without needing to fire any energy beam at it. His smile widened. "Not now, but soon." He thought as he looked at the direction that Vlad and Danny had taken to flee. He again looked at the palm of his hands and observed how an ice crystal formed in one, while in the other he held a white flame. He closed both hands and both things disappeared.
Destroying Daniel would never have been so easy, but with so much power... it had become unnecessary. There was no power, human or ghostly, to rival that of the ring and crown. And now that he possessed both, plus the generous donation of power courtesy of Pariah Dark, he set his sights on something more…aggressive than just conquering the world. Now, Clockwork would have no other option but to come out of hiding.
- How are we going to stop him? – Tucker asked Danny in a whisper, taking advantage of the fact that Sam had gone to the bathroom.
Danny looked at his friend and just shrugged.
- I don't know.
- I do. – Jazz entered Danny's room. – We need the ectoskeleton.
- I thought it disappeared. – Tucker said.
- Vlad stole it, but then we destroyed it. – Danny clarified.
- When?
- It's a long story. – Jazz said. – The point is, dad has always wanted to rebuild it. All we need to do is convince him that now the time is right.
- I thought the ectoskeleton consumed the energy of the user. – Sam said when she got out of the bathroom. – If Danny has to fight him again, he'll need all his power.
- And he will. – Jazz said exited. – When Vlad stole the suit, he fixed that glitch.
- We would only have to ask him for the patch he used and install it in the programming code that your parents developed. - Tucker concluded.
- Besides... – Jazz intervened. – It will be enough to just take the crown from Dan's head. Once you take away his unlimited power, he's just another ghost of the bunch.
- And with the suit on, you will be stronger than him. - Sam said with a smile. - It sounds like a plan.
- There is an issue with that. - Danny spoke.
- And that would be…? – His sister asked.
- I don't think Vlad would be willing to help us. – He commented. – He always backs down when things don't look good and… he seemed very convinced that he didn't want to get involved in this matter any further.
- Well… we don't really need him. – Sam's comment caught everyone's attention. – Tuck said it, we just need the code. He could develop the patch… - She looked at her friend. - Right?
- Yeah. – He assured her. – Actually… we may not even need his code. If I join your parents while programming the suit, I could do it from scratch.
They all looked at Danny excitedly, hoping for a positive response to the alternative they were giving.
- Come on Danny. – Said her sister. - Just say yes.
Danny watched as everyone looked at him with a smile. True: the plan sounded better than anything else they had come up with so far. But that voice in his head told him it wouldn't be enough. Furthermore, it told him that they weren't even going to be able to. But the excitement on their faces was something he didn't dare to destroy. He looked down at the ground, sighed, and smiled before answering them.
- Well… I guess we have to talk to dad. – He told his sister.
Jazz smiled at him and Tucker clapped once.
- Alright! – Tucker said. – We have lots to…
- Not you guys. – Danny said, a bit more serious.
- What? – Sam replied.
- Dude, you can't be serious.
- I am, Tuck. – He tried to explain himself. - I can't ask you to put your life on hold just because...
- Because the world and life, as we know it, can end at any time? – Sam said ironically. – Danny… does this have to do with what we told you in the morning?
- No! Well… a little, but no.
- What were you talking about? - Jazz asked quietly.
- We'll tell you later. - Tucker replied.
- Danny, we are not putting our lives on hold, we are choosing to help you.
- I know, Sam… but you don't have to. – He took the girlfriend from his shoulders.
- Dude... – His best friend said indignantly.
- At least not for now! – Danny explained before Tucker continued speaking. – Look… Jazz and I will convince my dad. But until we do, there's nothing else to do.
- You really need to improve the way you express yourself, little brother. - Jazz said.
Danny scowled at Jazz before turning his attention back to his friends.
- What are you going to do before we manage to convince my dad?
- Well, we can… - Tucker went blank, thinking.
- See? – Danny said.
- That proves nothing, Danny.
- Guys, I'm just asking you to go back home for now. When we have something to do, I will call you. I promise.
Tucker and Sam both turned to each other suspiciously, before looking at Danny.
- Why are you doing this? - Sam asked.
Danny rubbed his face before answering.
- I… I need some time, okay? It's a lot of information to process.
Even though Danny was right about that last part, they both noticed that he wasn't telling them the whole truth. But they did not want to be more intrusive. After all, Danny had just fought Dan and was still a bit tense.
- Alright. - She said seriously.
- Really? – The others asked, Danny included.
- Yeah. – He said looking at Tucker. – But tomorrow we will come here whether you like it or not. Understood?
- Yes ma'am.
Danny smiled at Sam and went over to hug her, but she just turned around and grabbed the dark-skinned boy by the collar of his shirt. Tucker groaned at the squeeze on his neck from Sam's tug on his shirt and backed away with her until Sam walked out of the house.
- She's angry. – Jazz said when Sam shut the door behind her.
- I noticed it. – Danny said feeling down.
- Why are you pushing them away, Danny?
Danny was silent for a few moments, collecting his thoughts before responding to his sister.
- I don't want them to be here in case… Dan breaks free.
- Danny, we have a great plan. The ectoskeleton is what we need to defeat him. - Jazz's smile faded little by little as he inspected his brother's face. – You don't think that's enough?
- I don't think we'll have enough time to build it.
Jazz remained pensative Danny was right about something: her parents had worked weeks, even months, developing the first ectoskeleton. Not to mention the time it took Vlad to correct the bug in the suit's programming. But now was the worst time to be pessimistic, so she regained her enthusiasm to talk to Danny.
- You'll see that we will. - She smiled at him. - Now, let's go talk to dad.
He paid for both burritos and took one in each hand. He walked through the park, avoiding making contact with anyone who was walking in the opposite direction he was. Near the parking lot, he saw the table that his partner had sat on and headed towards it. When he got to the table, he sat down next to his partner and handed him a burrito.
- Thanks. – O said.
- Found anything? – K asked, placing a napkin on his legs and another on the collar of his shirt.
- Absolutely nothing. – O said, separating from the Tablet in front of him and imitating K.
- That makes our job easier. – K said biting into his burrito.
- Generally speaking, yes; but for our current mission, no. – He uncovered his food. – I wanted to be at the inauguration of the portal. – He bit into his food.
- That can be fixed. – K lowered his food to the table and began typing things on the Tablet.
O watched what he was doing while he continued to eat, until a video appeared on the screen. Recognizing the facility, he wiped the corner of his mouth to speak.
- Is that live? – He said pulling the device to leave it between them.
- Yeah. I placed the camera the first day we were there.
- Where?
- The one place they would never search. – He smiled. – On top of the security camera.
- Do we have audio? – He turned to ask.
K smiled again, but this time, he extracted from his suit a small case that contained wireless headphones. He gave the right to his partner and he put on the left.
- For safety. – He added.
They both looked to their sides to see if someone was spying on them. When they were satisfied with the level of discretion they had, they moved a little closer to the screen and K activated the sound. The noises they began to hear corresponded to what was happening on the screen: workers going in and out of the laboratory, moving heavy objects, cleaning the floors and fixing the aesthetics of the place. Seconds later, they observed operative A enter the laboratory followed by someone else; however, the position of the camera and the location of the person did not allow them to see who it was.
- …progress of the experiment. Everything is going according to plan.
- Did you confirm his arrival? – Said a female voice.
- Who is she? – K whispered.
- Yeah. He's already on his way here. If there is no setback, we will be starting at 1000 hours.
- Excellent. – The female figure entered the frame of the camera. - Is that over there?
- It's T... - O whispered.
- Yeah. - A said proudly. – This machine is the future of this organization.
- Can we see it up close?
- I'm afraid it won't be possible now. We need to get this place sparkling clean by tomorrow.
- Well. I guess I can wait a few hours...
- Hmm. – K said, separating from the screen. – I think we already have plans for tomorrow morning.
Danielle took the last sip of her canned soda, before crushing the can with her foot and picking it up. she was about to walk through the closed door in front of her, but looking to her left, she noticed the family in the apartment next to hers began to leave one by one. She greeted them with a smile and a wave of her hand, as she took the keys out of her pocket. She unlocked it and went inside. She tossed the can into the basket she kept near the door and walked into the small room to open the curtains and windows.
When she noticed a black figure halfway across the room from her, she turned quickly and picked up the first heavy object she came across.
- Who's…! – Her scream died down when she saw Vlad take his eyes off the documents he was reading to look at her.
Vlad only raised an eyebrow at the behavior of "his daughter", before depositing the papers on a small table next to him and making himself more comfortable on the sofa.
- Danielle.
- What are you doing here? – She put the vase in her hands back on its place. – I nearly attack you.
- You cancelled our meeting. – He stood up and buttoned his suit.
- I had other things to do. – She crossed her arms.
- However… there is something important I wanted to discuss with you.
- It can't wait?
- I'm afraid not. – Vlad walked around the sofa where he was sitting and picked up a box that had been hidden there. – Today at 6 pm I have to go to the inauguration of the new cultural center.
Danielle didn't answer, she just rolled her eyes.
- And you will go with me. – He handed her the box.
Dani was surprised by the gesture and suspiciously took the gift in her hands. She lifted the lid of the box and observed a blue dress inside.
- Why? - She said looking at her "dad".
- We're supposed to be a happy family, Danielle. What grateful daughter wouldn't accompany her loving father? - He said with a smile. – In addition to the fact that part of our deal involves your presence in all public events in which I have to appear.
- I get that. – She put the box on the sofa. – I was asking about the dress.
- You're the daughter of a millionaire. – He crossed his arms behind his back. – Your clothing should reflect that.
As a reflex, she looked at the clothes she was wearing. What was wrong with black jean and a light blue tank top? "Moron". She turned as she watched Vlad walk over to her little kitchenette and open the fridge.
- What are you doing? – She asked when she saw him with an apple.
- Waiting. – He said sitting down in one of the chairs at the kitchen bar, while taking a bite of the fruit and looking at his watch. – You arrived a little late, so you have… 1 hour and 15 minutes left to get ready. They will come to pick us up here.
Dani looked at him in surprise and bit the inside of her cheek to avoid insulting him.
- Couldn't we meet there?
- What kind of family would we be if we arrived apart? – He answered biting his fruit again.
She rolled her eyes again and reluctantly took the box with her dress and headed towards her room.
- Miss Manson? – Sam blinked, snapping out of her stupefaction to look at Hunter, who was studying her.
- Sorry, what were you saying? - She said lowering both hands to the table.
Ever since they'd left Danny's house, Sam had been furious. But most of all, she was hurt. She knew Danny was hiding something and she still didn't understand why he was hiding it from them. She and Tuck were his best friends. They were dating! They knew each other's secrets and she could fully trust them. That's why she didn't understand Danny's stubbornness in carrying that weight alone. "Stupid hero complex." She thought bringing her left thumb back to her mouth to bite the nail.
- You're not here.
- What? – She said confused.
- You. – Hunter explained. – You are physically here, obviously. But your mind…
Sam sighed and rubbed her eyes.
- I'm sorry. – She smiled at him. – It's been a long day.
- Then I guess it's pointless to keep on going with this.
- I'm sorry. – She apologized again to her accountant and personal financial advisor.
- Don't worry, miss Manson. I understand. – He said closing hiss folders. – It must be… disconcerting. Being so young and with so many responsibilities. But don't worry. – He smiled at her. – No one born knowing how to do these things. All it takes is some practice and, in a few years…you probably won't even need me.
Sam observed the genuine smile of the young man and returned it, still embarrassed by her behavior.
- So… - She stood up with him. – Same time tomorrow?
Hunter remained silent for a moment.
- I was thinking that perhaps I would be better to wait until Monday. – He packed his things in his briefcase. – I highly doubt that whatever you have on your mind goes away in less than 24 hours.
- Thank you. – She said with a smile.
- Besides, tomorrow is Saturday. – He hung his briefcase on his shoulder. - No financial institution works on Saturday.
Sam smiled at the joke and walked him out. When they reached the door, Hunter turned to face her.
- Miss Manson. A pleasure. - He tilted his head slightly forward and walked out the door.
- See you soon. – She bid him farewell and closed the door.
When Sam turned around, she watched her grandmother come out of her room and smiled at her.
- Hunter already left? - Ida asked.
- Yeah.
- So early? - She said looking at the pendulum clock that was in the room. - Your father won't like that.
- Only if he finds out. - Sam smiled at her grandmother and she returned the gesture knowingly. - I'll make some oatmeal. Do you want some?
- No, darling. Thank you.
Ida Manson watched her granddaughter walk into the kitchen, and she followed in her motorized chair. She watched Sam place some things on the kitchen counter.
- Although I wouldn't mind if you told me about your boyfriend.
Sam almost knocked over the bowl she had put on the bar when she heard her grandmother say that. Like a deer facing a truck in the middle of a freeway, she raised her eyes to look at her grandmother's amused expression.
- B-boyfriend? W-what are you talking about? – He pretended, but her grandmother's smile only widened. - Okay. How did you find out?
- Danny saw me by the window when he came to drop you off yesterday. – She said innocently.
- B-before or after…?
- During.
Sam bit her lip in embarrassment. That was why Danny had broken the kiss on that occasion.
- Do my parents…?
- No. - She reassured her with her answer. – And since they went out to that silly event, we have the whole afternoon for you to tell me everything.
Sam just smiled and for a moment, she allowed herself to put aside what had happened in the morning with Danny.
The entire Fenton family was in the lab. Convincing Jack to rebuild the ectoskeleton had been easier than they'd expected, and luckily, Jack's enthusiasm was more than enough to override Maddie's concerns. While their parents sorted out the necessary materials, Danny and Jazz were in the newly cleaned attic, Danny's courtesy, looking through it for some useful pieces. When they were done, Danny brought down a box of things they could use while Jazz carried in her hand the list of items in the box.
- What's the plan now? - Jazz asked.
- I will help dad in whatever he needs. You get the suit programming. Ask Tuck what exactly does he needs. – He stayed still while she opened the door to the lab. - If you don't get it, you'll have to convince Mom to let Tucker take a look at the code.
- Got it.
They both went downstairs and saw their parents working at the table, disassembling some devices to extract parts.
- Put them over there, Danny. – His father said.
Danny placed the box in a corner of the lab and walked over to his dad. He noticed that even though they weren't looking at it, they had a television on next to them.
- What are you watching? – He got closer to the tv.
- Your father wanted to see the grand opening of the new cultural center in Amity Park. - She said somewhat annoyed.
- Are you watching the government channel? – Jazz asked surprised. - Why? Nobody watches the government channel.
- Because Vlad is going to give a speech later and I don't want to miss it. – Jack answered enthusiastically.
Maddie removed her mask and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She turned to look at her son and when she saw that Danny seemed angry at what his father had just said, she smiled at him and squeezed his cheek. Danny smiled at his mom and looked back at the screen. The event seemed as boring as it sounded, but something on the screen caught his attention. He tilted his head slightly to make sure what he was seeing was real. Jazz noticed the movement and looked in the same direction as her brother.
- Is that Danielle? - Jazz asked aloud when she saw the young woman on the screen, with a shy well faked smile and a beautiful blue dress.
Her parents looked up at her daughter, then looked at the screen.
- Yes, she is. – Maddie confirmed, but she realized something before returning to her work. - How do you know her?
- I… - Jazz panicked and mentally slapped himself. -… I read about her on… the internet?
- She's just another example of how great Vlad is as a person. – Jack said smiling. – Giving a young orphan a second chance in life… Only Vladdie would be capable of that!
"Of course, only that human filth would be capable of that." Danny thought at seeing Danielle on the screen. He was clearly using her as a publicity stunt to enhance his image. Next to him, her mom's sigh caught his attention.
- Although I hate to admit it... what he did was a great gesture with the young woman. - Maddie commented. – She just wanted the opportunity to study and Vlad gave her a family.
- I'm telling you Maddie; Vlad deserves a third term as mayor. – Jack commented happily. - You know what, Danno? It's a shame that you turned down Vlad's offer.
- Why? - Danny asked.
- It would have been the perfect opportunity for you to meet her and thus, another generation of friendship between Fentons and Masters would be born.
- A dinner would have the same effect. – Jazz commented.
- Are you kidding? Vlad is a busy man. I've invited him every week for the last 2 years, but he doesn't have time. I called that a man of convictions. Duty over pleasure!
The rest of the family just rolled their eyes at Jack's comment.
- She seems to be a very sweet girl. - Maddie commented. – I don't know why, but there's something about her that reminds me a lot of you Danny.
Danny and Jazz shared a quick look before dismissing their mother's comment. Before they could redirect the conversation, Jack intervened.
- Look Danny! Your in-laws are on TV!
In theory, the event was already over. They had cut the ribbon, given the official speech, introduced all the important people who had attended, and had already taken the pilot tour of the new facility. But for some strange reason, those people refused to go home. Her feet ached, so she looked for a place to sit. It was probably close to 9 pm and that place was still full. Don't these people had better things to do on a Friday night?
- Here you are, Dani dear. – Vlad approached her with a smile that she understood.
She returned the gesture and stood up. Immediately, some camera flashes illuminated their faces.
- I was a little tired and decided to sit down for a while. – She approached him. He put an arm around her shoulder and took her walking inside the facilities.
Already far from the cameras and microphones, the smile on both disappeared, but they stayed together as they continued walking.
- Can I go now? You already have all the photos for tomorrow's newspapers and my feet are killing me. – She said irritably.
- Do you think I want to be here? – Vlad said looking everywhere.
Dani watched him curiously at the behavior he had been displaying all day. He always looking around. It was as if he was waiting for something to happen. Or to see someone. She opened her mouth to ask him, but they were approached by one of the juggernauts that conform his security team.
- Sir, we have a situation. – He whispered in his ear.
- What kind of situation?
- We just received a notification from the Wisconsin PD. It seems like there was an explosion on your mansion…
- What?
- The forensic examination is still ongoing, but the reason remains unclear.
Vlad released Dani and crossed his arms, one hand on his chin.
- How do you want us to proceed? – The security agent spoke.
- Take her to her apartment. – He said pointing to Danielle. – I will go to my house and then I will attend to this matter personally.
- But sir...
- The assessment hasn't concluded, so it would not be unreasonable to think that someone tried to break in by force. In that case, the Wisconsin PD will need my cooperation to find out if anything was taken from my home.
- Understood. – He tilted his head slightly, and then turned to see Dani. - Miss?
Danielle alternated her gaze between that man and Vlad. Something didn't add up in that story. Vlad's temper was extremely explosive and he hadn't even reacted when they told him that his house had blown up. So, there were only 2 options: he had orchestrated everything (which was unlikely considering how much he loved his stuff) or it was something he knew would happen.
- You wanted to go home, didn't you? – He said serious.
Danielle just nodded and followed the agent.
- Good luck with that. – She said as she walked away. – Good night.
The comment threw Vlad off balance for a second. It was the first time Danielle had ever said goodbye to him. And, maybe he was imagining things, but it seemed to him that the girl was speaking sincerely. He watched her get into the car and looked down at the ground. His mind worked at a thousand miles an hour, trying to determine if it would be wise to warn the young woman about the imminent danger they all were in. The car passed in front of him and he looked up to the rear of the vehicle, where his gaze met Dani's.
- Maybe… - He whispered as he lost sight of her.