F- THE GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE I DONT GIVE A F-

Angelo really, really wished he hadn't been split up from Tybalt. It wasn't anyone's fault, really, but he liked working with a single consistent partner.

Tybalt was busy dealing with his own case, and Angelo had to keep his nose out of it.

Angelo had picked casual wear, and he'd done a better job of it than Kushiel. After all, he had plenty of experience with the shady world of the underground. That had been his life. It was also his greatest advantage when he'd come to the police, because no one knew criminals like another criminal.

Angelo leaned over, popping open the glove box and revealing a welter of material, which he thumbed through quickly before pulling out his sunglasses and putting them on. He didn't look particularly shady--he just looked normal, which was always his preferred option for undercover.

"You want to take lead, or should I? I think I've got seniority with the force, and you've got seniority with demons," he said. Angelo wasn't entirely clear on Kushiel's whole deal, but between the name and the rumors, he was almost entirely sure she was an angel.

Mostly. Although even though he was sure right then, his mind was rather mercurial on the subject. He simply couldn't decide if he was reading too much into things.

Drugs were a pretty polarizing issue all around. Some people thought they should be totally legal. Some people thought they were shit that should stay banned. Angelo, having run on both sides of the issue, took a firm middle stance. Some drugs were fine. Other drugs were dangerous.

"Am I allowed to buy candy for myself?" Angelo asked casually as they stepped into the store. He didn't think of himself as having a sweet tooth, but who could ignore all the candy around them? "I haven't seen some of this since I was in New York."

Unwilling to stop himself, Angleo grabbed a few things as they weaved through the store, discreetly checking out the cameras as he did. Too many for a candy store, only confirming the tip.

Finally, he dropped the candy on the counter, letting out a yawn.

"This... and can we get a look at your premium inventory as well?"

Angelo could have recited someone's rights from heart by the time he was seventeen, and he was damned happy that he didn't have to say them. Honestly, saying them was always weird to him, and he wasn't sure he was ever going to get over it.

Angelo hung back in the shop while Kushiel escorted them out, eyeing the cameras. With any luck, if anyone was watching the cameras, they were doing their best to flee out the back... into the waiting arms of the police. Going in the front was often the base case scenario when you had backup, and it kept anyone from getting shot at. With no warning, people were prone to whipping out guns and shooting at people.

There was something else for Angelo to do, though.

He activated his power, effectively erasing himself from existence. He was still there, but no one was going to spot him. Their eyes would simply skip right over him, allowing him to pull open the door and slip into the back unnoticed.

Much to his annoyance, two guys had stayed behind. Much to his concern, one of them had a gun.

Well, so much for getting through the whole bust without a fight.

Moving quietly to avoid arousing suspicion, Angelo crept his way along towards the man and his gun. The gun was in his hand, which made things a hell of a lot trickier, but people tended to drop things when frightened, and what was more frightening than someone punching you in the chest?

So Angelo punched the guy in the chest.

Things went mostly according to plan. The guy toppled back with a scream, his buddy screamed at the cop suddenly appearing from nowhere, and the gun went flying. Angelo dove for it and regretted it immediately, cracking his knees against the pavement as he caught it and really hoping that Kushiel was going to kick the door in on his behalf at the sound of a scream.