Cape Crossed

Chapter Ten

"Is this going to take long? I have things to take care of," Jake hissed into his phone. He'd crammed himself into the only part of Hannah's apartment that he could take a call without her eyes on him. Her bathroom was nice and the tub was clean, but he'd pay for sitting on the cold floor.

"You'd better take care of whatever you need to, I have a job for you," Surge huffed.

"I'm not exactly eager to take on any sort of job from you, Surge. The last one could have gotten me killed," Jake retorted. In the days following the very successful heist, Jake had looked back at the alley the police had taped off. It was one of the times he was glad to be a reporter. His badge might not get him into any incredible secrets but it cleared up any suspicion over why he'd be digging into crime scenes.

Standing amongst the nosey pedestrians, the police, fellow reporters and a few private investigators, he'd gotten a clear look at the pile of bricks that had once been the back wall of an office that had been behind the museum. No one had been inside and thanks to Criss Cross no one important had been on their side of the wall. Silver Shield had taken the wall to the face and he hadn't heard anything about her for nearly a week. Maybe it would be the last he saw of the cape. Her constant breathing down his neck made it hard to get anything done.

"Even if I can give you footage from inside the Greek Lily on the night it burned down?" Surge said. She didn't speak again, knowing he would need a minute to process.

Jake's throat went dry and the only words he managed were to repeat the restaurant's name. He'd dug into every channel of information possible. Only a few days ago, Surge had passed on a complete list of everyone who had been in the building that day. He'd yet to dig into anything they may have leaked online in blogs, photos of their meals, even angry emails. Hannah's sudden sickness had derailed that plan.

To his knowledge, all the cameras and their footage had been destroyed that night. Police were insistent that the fire following the explosion had left nothing untouched. The police who had passed on a message from the capes that were looking into the incident that is. After all, they weren't about to leave the investigation of one of their own to ordinary citizens. Apparently the sun had more lives than two conjoined cats.

"How clear is the image?" Jake finally asked.

"It's not great but I have someone working on cleaning it up the best they can. With a little luck you'll have a good look around the top floor and a better idea of who was inside." Surge told him.

"You started that before you even knew if I was going to say yes?"

"I knew you would say yes," she said smugly. "I need you to escort Cassandra Voss and a few of her Ravens out of the city. The Grim Brotherhood has been actively trying to hunt them down and they need to get their cargo out safely. It would be ideal if Knighmare tagged along again."

"You'll have to offer him something pretty tempting to get him to help again," Jake muttered. His breath froze in his throat when he heard the bed springs creak in the attached bedroom. Hannah had been sleeping heavier than normal all week, but he knew with his luck this would be when she finally recovered her energy. The apartment went silent again and his heartbeat evened out.

"Money won't be a problem. We have a particularly eager investor on hand. I'll have the details sent to the normal drop off by the end of the day. Don't deviate from the plan I've laid out for you." Surge disconnected without a goodbye.

Jake let the phone hang limply in his hand and his head hit the tiled wall of the shower. They'd said it would be impossible for any images to survive yet here he was within reach of actual video footage from inside the restaurant.

It had been years since he or anyone had seen the inside of The Greek Lily intact. Rather than try to fix the ruined building, the city had opted to tear it all down and start from scratch. A semi constructed apartment building had taken its spot. The constant fighting between supers slowed the work to a crawl. Most wondered if it would ever be finished or remain a monument to what an out of control solar powered freak could do.

The bed springs squeaked again and Jake clambered out of the tub. His muscles groaned in protest as they stretched from their cramped positions. "Hannah?" A low groan was his only response. "I'll bring in some tea in a second."

"Use the kettle," she warned him on his way by.

"Yes, ma'am," Jake sighed, bowing to her. He'd never be able to live down the microwave debacle, or forget the look on her face when he'd backed away from her. The argument had been put on hold once she'd gotten sick but it was still there, waiting to rear its ugly head. Maybe he could put it off just a little longer in exchange for some grainy video.

Jake stared at the steam billowing out of the kettle as it screamed. The plan had come to him bit by bit. It was good, even if it did leave his stomach in knots of guilt. His face must have given him away when he set Hannah's oversized cup of tea on her bedside table.

"Is everything ok?" she asked.

"Work," he answered shortly. The bed dipped under him when he sat on the edge. Peppermint scented the air, rising from the sheets he'd changed just last night while Hannah had treated herself to a bath. She'd tried to change them herself twice, insisting clean sheets were essential to her recovery. Jake had shooed her off after watching her struggle to work both ends of the fitted sheet over the corners for five minutes with no progress.

"Do you have to go in? It's ok if you do, really, I feel a lot better," Hannah said. She wrapped her hands around the mug and leaned into the steam.

"They want me to go on a short trip for research," Jake explained. "I think I'd be gone for a few days, at least." The knot in his stomach seemed to double in size. With any luck she would assume it was only guilt about leaving her.

Hannah set the cup down and nodded slowly. "Well, I think you should go. You've been so amazing this week and I am so grateful, but I promise I'll be okay now."

Jake dragged her into his lap and lay back across the bed so that she was tucked against his side. "Somehow I knew this is what you'd say but I still hate it." He nudged his fingers through her curls and down her back. It was normally that easy to get her halfway to sleep and it always calmed him as well. "I just feel bad leaving you."

"Don't, I'll have you all to myself when you come back and that's all I want," Hannah assured him.