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*****
"Dad?"
Jason looked up sharply from cleaning his guns. He hadn't heard Danny's footsteps. He slid the guns under the bed and looked up just as his seven year old son came in.
"Ugh! Smells musty," Danny said, wrinkling his nose.
Jason laughed and patted the bed.
"You wanted to talk to me about something?"
"Well, yeah," Danny started slowly. Then he walked over to the bed and plopped down beside Jason.
"Smells even worse here," he complained as Jason put an arm around him.
"That's how men smell, Danny," Jason said, laughing again.
"Ugh! Then I hope I never grow up. How come only girls get to smell nice?"
"Guys get to smell nice too."
"How come you don't smell nice?"
Jason punched his son's shoulder lightly and then began tickling him. Danny squealed and finally managed to escape his father's grasp as he rolled away to the other side of the bed.
"Alright," Jason said when he was done laughing, "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"I wanna sleep over at Kevin's tonight," Danny blurted.
Jason sighed. It was bound to happen. What normal kid wouldn't want to sleep over at his friend's house occasionally? He knew it was just his paranoia but the thought of Danny at some strange house with some strange people gave him the chills. Not to mention what always happened whenever Danny slept in strange places. Something Danny himself seemed to prefer forgetting. Not that he wanted to remind him. Sheesh, sometimes he'd like to forget too. Perfect, he thought, that's what you get for killing people for a living.
"Come on, Dan. We talked about this. You know I don't like you staying out."
"I know. But it's just one night and it's his sister's birthday party."
"His sister?" Nuh-uh. No way was Danny going to that house if some hot-blooded teenager was going to be partying all night long.
"Yeah, his sister, dad. She's really cool. You'd like her."
"How old is she?"
"She's going to college next year."
That settled it. No sleepover for Danny. But the look on Danny's face was too hopeful. Sometimes it was weird to look at him and see his own eyes staring back at him. Those gray eyes. And right now they were wide and pleading.
"Danny..."
"Come on, dad. Just one night. Please. I'll be a good boy the entire week and I'll do my homework and behave and..."
"Look, Dan, it's not that I don't want you to have fun but..."
Danny leapt up and fastened his hand around his father's mouth and threw his other arm around him.
"Dad!"
Jason sighed. He loved his son to bits. That was probably going to be the death of him.
"Fine but..."
"Yes!"
Danny rolled away from him and started bouncing on the bed.
"But you pick up the phone when I call you and you don't go anywhere else, no matter what. I'll pick you up tomorrow."
"Yay. You're awesome, dad."
Danny stopped bouncing long enough to flop down on the bed and stick his tongue out, panting.
"Yeah," Jason began but froze. He turned around and glared at Danny.
"What day is it?"
"Uh-oh."
"Daniel Hawke!"
Danny burrowed under the sheets and muttered an apology. Jason sighed. It wasn't the kid's fault. It wasn't like he'd remembered to take Danny to school while he was beating the shit out of the man in the morning. He ran his fingers through his hair and stood up. Cleaning the rest of his guns would have to wait.
"Come on, let's go."
Danny groaned but slid out of the bed obediently. He didn't want to ruin his chances of the sleepover.
While Danny showered and got dressed, Jason armed himself. Knives in his boots, guns at his hip holsters. He wasn't packing heavy, he was just taking Danny to school after all.
When they were done, while Jason brushed Danny's hair, Danny asked, "So I'll come home after school?"
"Hmm?" Jason asked distractedly.
"The sleepover. I'll come home first?"
"Uh. No. I think you should go home with Kevin."
"Alright. Thanks, dad. I really mean it."
"Right. Let's go."
At school, Jason walked with him to the principal's office to explain why he was late. It mostly consisted of them nodding while she berated both of them. Then Jason hugged Danny and watched him walk away. He smiled to himself. That kid was his life.
"Your son?"
Jason felt the smile freeze on his face but kept it in place just in case Danny turned around. He did and Jason waved to him. When he was out of sight, he spun around and glared at the man who'd spoken.
He was tall, broad shouldered, black, and had the the signature tattoo of Illa's men - a snake that slithered down the side of his neck.
"Take your eyes off him. I ever see you so much as look in his general direction and I will rip your throat out," Jason growled.
The man stepped back and raised his hands in a gesture of pacification. When he spoke his voice was apologetic.
"Easy, man. I'm sorry. Illa has the information you need."
Demons never waste time, do they? Jason spun the man around and pushed him away from the general direction of the school building.
"Let's walk."
"Listen, I'm not going to be here for long. I just want to deliver it to you."
The man reached into his jacket and pulled out a flash drive.
"Everything's on here," he explained.
Jason took the flash drive from him and slipped it into his own jacket.
"Anything else?"
"Yes. He said to tell you to watch your back."
