Dark Angel 03: Broken Dream (8 page)

Macy thanked him, paid the fare and dragged me down the alley. Five minutes later we were facing a female cop across a high counter.

‘My buddy is being stalked by a maniac with a knife,’ Macy announced.

The cop didn’t look up from her computer screen. ‘Anybody get hurt?’ she asked. She had a great figure and wore her uniform well. Her blonde hair was held back in a neat ponytail and her face had a Scandinavian look – high forehead, small nose, strong cheekbones, pale-grey eyes.

‘He had a knife,’ Macy repeated. ‘If it hadn’t been for me stepping out of the elevator and messing with his plan, he’d totally have used it.’

A click of the mouse told us the good-looking cop had finished her task and logged off. ‘Anything stolen?’ she enquired.

‘Yesterday he snatched her phone and her bag – the same guy.’

‘And today?’

‘Zilch,’ Macy admitted. ‘But you heard what I said about the knife?’

The cop ignored Macy and focused on me. ‘You have his name?’

I shook my head.

‘Any means of identification?’

Another shake of my head made her sigh so I did my best to fill in some details. ‘He was about nineteen or twenty, I guess. Around five eight or nine, mixed-race, a bodybuilder type.’

‘Is that all?’

This time I nodded.

‘So you want me to arrest the half-million kids in Manhattan who fit this description?’

‘No, but she needs some protection,’ Macy cut in. ‘When I showed up, the stalker took off. He’s still out there somewhere.’

Seeing how pale and shaky I was, the cop decided to go easy on me. ‘You’re from out of town, right? What’s your name and how old are you?’

‘I’m Tania Ionescu. I’m eighteen and I’m from Bitterroot.’ I was trying hard to stay calm but my voice croaked and my hands shook.

‘That’s Colorado, right? Actually, I have an uncle in Bitterroot. It’s a pretty place. And you’re here in town with your buddy … ?’

‘My name’s Macy,’ she volunteered. ‘No, I just met Tania on a film course. She’s here with her boyfriend, Orlando.’

‘Orlando … ?’

‘Nolan,’ I told her.

‘And Orlando is … where exactly?’

Realizing I didn’t know the answer to this, Macy jumped in again. ‘Right now he’s probably on set at the Jack Kane movie they’re shooting in Central Park.’

The cop clicked her tongue but said nothing.

‘It’s true. He and Tania got special passes to go on set. They met Jack Kane, they spent one-on-one time with Natalia Linton. Tell her, Tania – it’s the absolute truth!’

This was it – the moment our cop decided there was probably no case here and she was dealing with a couple of celeb-crazed fantasists. ‘So what I suggest you do now,’ she said, directing her attention back to me and making it clear that the police would take no action, ‘is take the subway to Central Park, find your boyfriend and make sure you two stick together for the rest of your trip. Don’t walk the streets alone, OK?’

I nodded.

‘You’re not going to even look for this stalker guy?’ Macy demanded.

‘I’m going to file the theft of the phone and the bag. I’m going to give you a reference to take to your insurers.’

‘Cool. Thanks.’ I jumped in before Macy could protest. ‘Sorry we wasted your time,’ I told the cop.

‘You didn’t,’ she replied, in a tone that clearly meant ‘you did’. Then she created a file and typed the bare details, gave me a printout containing a crime number. ‘Say hi to Jack Kane from me,’ she kidded as Macy and I left the building.

We didn’t follow the cop’s advice to take the subway back to the park. Instead we walked, me constantly checking my phone to pick up a call from Orlando, Macy quizzing me about my subway phobia.

‘You get claustrophobic, right?’

‘Kind of. I hate the whole idea of being underground.’

‘The same way a lot of people freak out over heights. With my mom it was spiders, moths and driving her car. Stupid, huh? It got so she wouldn’t exceed twenty miles an hour. She broke out in a sweat every time she had to overtake another vehicle, even a bicycle. It drove me nuts.’

‘I’m sorry about your mom,’ I said quietly.

‘Losing her was tough,’ she admitted. ‘Breast cancer. But promise me you don’t think this is weird – we’re still in contact.’

‘Don’t Walk.’ The red hand held us up as we tried to cross East 72nd Street. Steam rose from an air vent and we heard a train rattle beneath our feet. ‘In contact, how?’ I asked warily.

‘You’ve heard of spiritualism, right?’ Macy took out a packet of gum and offered me some. ‘You know you can visit a medium and they put you in touch with the spirit world?’

‘Walk’, the yellow light ordered. We stepped over a frozen puddle and crossed the street.

‘These people are psychic – you probably know. They pick up messages from members of your family who have passed. I know how crazy that sounds. Before this happened to Mom no way did I believe it.’

‘But now you do?’

‘Totally,’ she said, glancing at me to judge my reaction. ‘Actually I talk to Mom all the time.’

‘That’s not weird,’ I assured her. ‘As a matter of fact, I’m into that psychic stuff myself.’

‘So who passed? Who do you talk to on the other side?’ Macy sounded eager to know.

‘I don’t talk to anyone. They talk to me.’

‘You’re an actual medium? Wow, tell me more.’

I hesitated. ‘I don’t usually admit this to people.’

‘OK, cool. If you don’t want to talk – no problem.’ She stepped out under a weak winter’s sun, bold and bright. Her red hair and silver face studs marked her out from the monochrome crowd.

‘But I think you’ll get it.’ I decided to take a risk. ‘The spirits I’m in contact with – they’re angels.’

She had another ‘wow’ moment, which almost led her into a collision with another pedestrian. ‘Angels, as in wings and halos?’

‘Not exactly, but the good ones – they appear in a weird silver light. Usually I have one special good angel to protect me,’ I explained.

‘From what?’ She picked up another hesitation.

‘There’s also an army of dark angels,’ I explained. ‘They’re tortured souls who fell from heaven and can never get back. Now they’re totally evil.’

‘And you can see and hear them, as if they’re here in the flesh?’

I nodded. ‘I feel them all around but I never know what shape they’ll take. They’re clever that way. They know I have this special connection with their world, that I’ll fight them whenever they try to win more souls on to their side.’

‘They do that?’ Macy whispered with a shudder.

‘They tried it with two friends of mine. They feed off young love and will try to drag you on to the dark side by showing up in your world as that perfect someone you’ll fall in love with. They flatter you and get inside your head, make you fall out of love with the guy you’re already with. Then they seduce you.’

Macy gasped. ‘Are you serious?’

‘Yeah. But if you make love with a dark angel you’re finished. After that he has your soul.’

‘What about your body?’

‘He doesn’t care about your body. It dies.’

‘Thanks, I’ll remember that,’ she sighed, half kidding. There was a pause and then she said, ‘And I was worried you’d think
I
was weird!’

‘Sorry if this bothers you. Maybe I shouldn’t have …’

‘No, don’t be sorry.’

‘Sometimes I wish it wasn’t like this,’ I admitted. For a moment I pictured how romantic and easy life would be for me and Orlando if all we had to think about were starry nights and midnight swimming in the lake.

‘Tania, I think you’re amazing – I’m blown away,’ Macy said. ‘But does it mean that you always have to look out for the next time?’

‘Always.’ I nodded.

‘And I guess you can’t take things at face value any more?’

‘That’s the worst thing – not knowing who you can trust.’

‘Except Orlando, I guess. You know you can trust him.’

Macy had read my situation exactly right. ‘Without him I wouldn’t get through this.’

She nodded and forged her way through the crowds. ‘So let’s go find him,’ she said.

We made it to the Lincoln Center by two p.m. The wide plaza was thronged with tourists and it took me a while to work out that Orlando wasn’t there.

‘Check your phone,’ Macy told me.

I checked and at last there was a text.
Great news.
. Natalia got me an actual internship in the make-up section.
. Come to park, bring your new buddy. Collect passes from Security. See you on set xox

‘Show me,’ Macy said when she saw me frown. After she’d read the message she practically cartwheeled across the plaza. ‘A pass for me!’ she crowed. ‘Come on, Tania, let’s go.’

I couldn’t have stopped her even if I’d wanted to. I had to run to keep up as we dodged traffic, ignored the crossings and made it in record time to the volleyball courts in Central Park, where there was the usual crowd hoping for a glimpse of Jack Kane.

As it happened, we arrived at the exact same moment the star’s helicopter flew in. People forgot whatever manners they might have had and shoved forward to get a picture, leaving space for me and Macy to approach the security guards.

‘My boyfriend said to collect two passes from you,’ I told the nearest one – not the same guy as yesterday but a similar bulked-up bodyguard type with a shaven head and no neck.

‘Look, Tania, look!’ Macy was practically squealing with excitement as the chopper blades clunked to a halt and her hero stepped out.

The security guy shrugged. ‘That’s the first I heard,’ he muttered. ‘Hey, Mike – you got any passes?’

Mike shook his head and turned away.

‘He’s so gorgeous!’ Macy breathed, following Jack’s every move as he crossed the courts and headed for the row of trailers.

‘But my boyfriend is already on set,’ I begged. ‘He told me there were passes.’

‘Yeah, you have to let us through.’ Macy joined the argument by ducking under the security ribbon and pushing right up against big Mike.

It could have got ugly, until a familiar figure strode across the courts towards us. ‘It’s cool, guys,’ Charlie said as he produced two precious pieces of card in their plastic covers. ‘The girls are with me.’

‘Good to see you, Tania.’ Jack Kane’s lookalike steered me and Macy past the film crew setting up for an exterior shot of the boathouse. We were headed straight for the trailers. ‘Orlando’s busy making a name for himself with my sister in our make-up department so he sent me to find you.’

Macy was doing what everyone did when they first saw Charlie – she was staring at him open-mouthed, even though today he had played down the Jack Kane similarity with a grey knitted hat pulled down on his forehead and a thick grey fleece jacket.

‘Cool,’ she breathed when Charlie left us outside Jack’s trailer. ‘Actually, he’s cute in his own right!’

‘With Jack Kane you get two for the price of one.’ I grinned then looked round again for Orlando. I saw him at last, heading in our direction with Charlie’s sister, Gwen.

‘Tania, where were you?’ he exclaimed.

‘Where was
I
?’

‘Yeah, I called you three times before I finally left you a text.’

‘I was in the lecture room. Anyway, where were you?’ I countered. ‘Why did you switch off your phone?’

‘I was busy working. There’s a no-phones-on-set rule.’ Orlando was high on adrenalin, obviously dying to tell me the details of his morning’s work experience, which meant he didn’t pick up the silent signals that I needed to speak with him alone. ‘Gwen was explaining how they get continuity in the wardrobe and make-up departments. It’s incredibly detailed and technical, really cool.’

Any other time I would have loved to share the excitement that shone in Orlando’s grey eyes, but not right now. ‘Macy and I went to the cops,’ I muttered under my breath. ‘I got mugged again.’

He came down to earth with a bump. The light went out of his eyes. ‘How come? Are you OK?’

‘It was the same guy.’

‘Tania has a stalker!’ Macy’s voice was loud enough to attract the attention of Charlie Speke, who had gone into Natalia and Jack’s trailer and come out again with the three kids. ‘We told the cops she needed protection but they totally didn’t listen.’

Orlando took me quietly to one side while Macy went on telling Charlie and Gwen what had happened in the car park. ‘This stalker guy – are you still thinking he might … the dark angel connection, you know?’