“Alright, Mom,” Piper said relieved.
“You’re not off the hook, I expect a full report later. I can’t wait to meet her,” her mother said happily.
“Alright, I love you, Mom,” Piper said pinching the bridge of her nose.
“I love you too, sweetie. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Ugh.” Piper groaned as she hung the phone up.
She got up from the bed and listened to see if Bailey was still playing. She could hear a few notes through the closed door so she began to get dressed.
———
Bailey stopped playing when she heard the door open and turned on the bench to see Piper observing her from the doorway with a smile on her face.
“You play beautifully.”
“Thank you,” Bailey said with a blush. “You look nice,” she added quickly in an attempt to change the subject.
“Thanks,” Piper said. “I decided to lose the leftovers and ordered a pizza, that okay?”
“Sure,” Bailey said noting that Piper had dressed just like her with the exception of a bright flowery vest.
“Do you sing too?” Piper asked.
“No,” Bailey said quickly. “I sound like I gargle with kitty litter.”
Piper laughed. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Take my word for it,” Bailey said solemnly.
“Alright,” Piper chuckled. “I called my Mom, she’s excited to meet you.”
“Great,” Bailey said dryly.
“It won’t be that bad, I promise,” Piper consoled just as the doorbell rang. “That’ll be the pizza, ya hungry?”
“Yep.”
“Me too, let’s eat,” Piper said.
———
“Quit picking at it, scabby. You’ll make it worse,” Zack said.
“It better not leave a scar,” Russell threatened poking at his nose.
“It won’t if you leave it alone,” Zack said. “They’re leaving,” he added as he caught sight of the women making their way to the car.
“Alright, I’ll call it in,” Russell said picking up the phone.
Zack started the car and fell in at a safe distance behind the GTO, following in silence for almost a quarter of an hour.
“You know, I just had a scary thought,” Russell said breaking the silence.
“Yes?”
“What if they head into like gay town or whatever and people see us together in the car?”
“They’ll wonder what the fuck you been sticking your nose in,” Zack said and laughed at his joke.
“Goddamn you’re funny,” Russell said dryly.
“Aren’t I though?” Zack said chuckling.
Another few minutes passed as Russell stewed and Zack’s chuckles eventually came to a halt.
“This is so stupid, why the hell are we following her?” Russell complained. “She knows we’re here and she apparently doesn’t give a shit.”
“I really don’t know, just doing what I’m told,” Zack said having wondered the same thing himself. “I imagine it’ll become clear when they get around to briefing us.”
“Who are they putting in charge?” Russell asked curiously.
“Mike said Dwight Robards.”
“Robards, huh?”
“That’s what Mike said,” Zack confirmed. “They’re bringing in everyone for this one.”
“Robards is a scary dude.”
“Yep,” Zack confirmed. “Looks like the ladies are going dancing,” he said as the GTO pulled into a crowded club parking lot.
“We going in?” Russell asked. “That place looks huge.”
“No way, we wait in the car for them to come out,” Zack stated seriously. “I guarantee you that we don’t want to have a run in with her.”
“You afraid of her?” Russell asked curiously.
“Damn straight, my friend,” Zack admitted. “Get comfortable, we’re staying in the car.”
VII
Looking for love calling Heaven above,
Send me an Angel…
—D. Sterry, R. Zatorski
“Piper, I dunno about this,” Bailey said worriedly. “This place is crowded, look at all the people in line. I’m not sure if I can go in there.”
“Why not?”
“There’s too many people,” Bailey said honestly.
“It’s just me and you,” Piper said soothingly. “No one else matters. They’ll be busy doing their own thing.”
“Hmmm,” Bailey grunted unconvinced.
“I’ll hold your hand and promise not let anyone get you,” Piper said teasingly and Bailey smiled.
“Okay, I’ll have a lash at it,” Bailey chuckled.
“It’ll be fun,” Piper said happily.
“If you say so,” Bailey said dryly as Piper parked the car.
Piper got out and walked around to the front of the car and waited for Bailey to join her, who seemed to be procrastinating but finally got out and reached in her jacket to activate the alarm.
“Come on, goofy,” Piper said and held out a hand to Bailey who took it and let Piper lead her toward the building.
“Look at how long the line is,” Bailey said in dismay holding out hope that Piper would change her mind and not go in.
“We don’t have to stand in line, it’s Lady’s Night,” Piper said dashing her last chance. “The girls in line are just waiting with their boyfriends.”
Bailey sighed and dutifully let Piper march her to the front of the line and into the building, wincing when she was immediately assaulted by the thunderous crooning of country music. She looked around and noticed with apprehension that there were so many people crammed into the building that it seemed to be standing room only. She felt Piper tug on her hand and she followed her through the crowd until she was led to an unoccupied table, which to her relief, was somewhat isolated. Piper pulled a chair out for her and she took a seat.
“I’m gonna go get drinks, what would you like?” Piper said bending down and fairly yelling in her ear.
“Southern Comfort and soda, with a twist,” Bailey said into Piper’s hair and she nodded.
“Be right back,” Piper said and disappeared into the crowd leaving her alone at the table.
Bailey sat there helplessly, thinking the only way she could feel more uncomfortable at the moment would be to suddenly find herself naked. She was relieved when Piper returned several minutes later and sat a drink in front of her. She immediately drained the contents of her glass and smiled when Piper sat a second drink in front of her before she sat down and scooted her chair close.
“I thought you might do that,” Piper said into her ear.
“Thanks,” Bailey said gratefully.
“Poor baby,” Piper said with a smile. “You ready to have a go at dancing?”
Bailey nodded reluctantly and Piper led her by the hand through the crowd until they reached a circular dance floor that took up the entire center of the cavernous building. She turned to her and took her other hand, placing it on her shoulder.
“Watch my feet, it’s simple,” Piper said into her ear.
She nodded slightly and let Piper walk her backwards onto the dance floor. A few awkward minutes later, she had caught on and to her surprise began to enjoy herself a little.
“See?” Piper chastised. “It’s not as bad as you thought, is it?”
She nodded to agree.
“Would you like to try and lead?” Piper asked and smiled when Bailey nodded again.
They switched positions and Piper was impressed and delighted when Bailey led her around at a far quicker pace than she had originally set. The song ended and changed to a waltz so Piper switched positions again to show her the steps, shaking her head a little at how quickly her companion picked things up. They had danced for maybe fifteen minutes and Bailey already carried on as though born to it. The waltz gave way to a ballad and Piper dropped both hands to her waist and pulled her close, resting her head on her chest and smiling when arms encircled her back. S
he wanted very badly to tell her that she loved her, but was afraid that she wasn’t really ready to hear it, so she just pulled her a little closer and sighed into her chest.
She was surprised when the ballad ended and Bailey took the lead on the next song, laughing happily when she attempted a twirl and Bailey didn’t miss a beat. As soon as the song ended she led her off the dance floor and back to their table.
“You’re something else,” she said into her ear as she sat down and sipped her drink.
“I’m glad you think so,” Bailey said with a shy smile.
“Do you want another drink?” Piper asked spotting a waitress.
“Sure.”
Piper waved the woman over and ordered them both a drink. When the waitress left, she leveled a look at Bailey and stared at her unabashedly until her eyes came up to meet hers. She looked into the circles of black intensely, hoping to find what she wanted to see. She felt her heart thump in her chest when she believed she found what she was looking for, but there was something else in the gaze that disturbed her. She scooted her chair over until it touched Bailey’s and whispered in her ear.
“What are you afraid of?” she asked.
Bailey opened her mouth to speak but shut it quickly before she said anything. She took a deep breath, shook her head slightly and leaned over to place a kiss on Piper’s mouth.
“I’ll get over it,” she said cryptically when their lips parted.
———
“This sucks,” Russell stated unhappily.
“Give it a rest, Russell. I’m getting tired of listening to you bellyache.”
“They’ve been in there for over four hours, I don’t see why we can’t go in.”
“For the last time,” Zack sighed. “Orders state that we are not to approach her and secondly, if we spook that bitch, we won’t live to regret it.”
“I can’t believe you’re so friggin’ worked up over that chick,” Russell said with a shake of his head.
“Do you remember Ed Vega?”
“Vaguely, didn’t he die a few years back?”
“Yeah, took one behind the ear.”
“What about him?”
“Vega was a surveillance specialist and I worked under him for a couple of months when I first came aboard,” Zack started. “He told me the first story I ever heard about The Wraith. I had forgotten all about it until it came back to me this morning. Ed was one of the few that has seen The Wraith in action.”
“No shit?” Russell said curiously.
“Well, he didn’t see it exactly, just the aftermath. He was sitting on a small army of wiseguys in Venice and the Organization was awaiting the arrival of the Don, or whatever they call the head honcho nowadays.” Zack paused and took a sip of his coffee. “Anyway, the guy showed up and I guess it was a rush job, they were afraid the mark would move so they told Vega to sit tight, The Wraith was enroute. The next thing he knows, they call him to verify the scene and pack up. He was watching a building right across the street and he wasn’t even aware that it had been hit.”
“What did he see?” Russell asked absorbed.
“The Don had eighteen soldiers in there with him, they were all dead. Vega said the bodies started at the entrance and were strewn all over two floors. Evidently, The Wraith had walked right through the front door. A bunch of them were cut up with what he assumed was a sword and the rest were shot. All of the ones that took bullets were taken out with rounds in the eyes or the heart. The Don’s throat had been cut so deep his head was barely fucking on. Vega said it was the scariest thing he’d ever seen.”
“Fuckin’A,” Russell whispered.
“Yep. So let me tell you, Russell. If that chick in there is The Wraith, and I believe she is, we don’t want to get any closer to her than we have to.”
“You think Vega was telling the truth?”
“I don’t doubt he was, the man went pale in the face when he told me the story.”
“Damn,” Russell said slowly. “This thing is going to get ugly isn’t it?”
“I hope not, but I’m afraid you may be right,” Zack said regretfully.
———
“Well, I’m wiped,” Piper exclaimed. “Did ya have fun?”
“Yeah, I did. Thank you for taking me,” Bailey said with a smile.
“My pleasure,” Piper said cheerily. “You ready to head out?”
“Yep,” Bailey said and stood to put on her jacket.
“Okay,” Piper said standing and doing the same.
Piper shouldered her purse and put her hand in Bailey’s as they made their way through the thinning crowd toward the exit. The sounds of an argument and a scuffle became audible as they approached one of the four bars that were situated in the corners of the building. Piper turned her head in concern when she heard a woman crying and was brought to an abrupt halt as Bailey stopped dead in her tracks and aimed her attention in the direction of the sound. Piper saw a huge man she estimated to be roughly the size of Wyoming, slap the crying woman viciously across the face and her hand went to her mouth in shock.
“Wait here,” Bailey said tonelessly.
“Bailey, don’t get involved that guy is enormous, let’s go find a bouncer,” Piper pleaded when Bailey’s hand left hers.
“Wait here,” she repeated and seemed to flow away from her through the crowd.
Piper worriedly started after her but to her bewilderment almost immediately lost sight of her, so she headed through the crowd and the spectators toward the argument that she could hear was still going on. She disgustingly pushed her way through two guys that were watching the scene just in time to see the man draw his arm back to slap the woman again.
The blow never connected as the man’s wrist was seized in mid-swing and his arm was yanked back violently and twisted around. Piper was amazed to see the man cartwheel in the air, landing painfully on his face in front of Bailey who still had a grip on his wrist. She brutally twisted his arm and a loud crack could be heard over the music that caused the stunned man to scream and flop around on the floor. Piper started to shout a warning as she saw a man reach for Bailey from behind. But the sound died on her lips when she turned and powerfully slapped the man’s hand away, and with a move so fast Piper wasn’t even sure she saw it, she struck the man in the middle of his chest and he crumpled to the ground without a sound.
To Piper’s relief the music stopped and she could see several bouncers start to make their way toward them. She stepped forward and noted that the crowd had backed up several paces to allow Bailey a wide berth. She went to the crying woman and took her by the arm.
“Are you alright?” she asked gently.
“Yeah,” the woman said trying to get herself under control.
“Do you have someone to take you home?”
“My friend went for the bouncers when he went ballistic,” the woman said. “Here she comes.”
Piper looked up as three bouncers pushed their way into the circle that had formed around the two fallen bodies and Bailey. She observed apprehensively as one of the bouncers took a step in Bailey’s direction but stopped when she locked eyes with the man and very slightly shook her head to the negative. She went over and carefully took her hand when a woman rushed from behind one of the bouncers to comfort her crying friend.
“What the hell happened here?” the bouncer staring at Bailey asked.
“That fucking bitch broke my arm!” the still conscious man screamed from the floor at Bailey’s feet, pointing at her with a finger on his good arm.
Bailey’s eyes never wavered from the bouncer as her hand shot out and gripped the outstretched arm by the wrist and placed her foot on the man’s neck. He ineffectually tried to break her grip as she slowly applied pressure until he lost consciousness. As soon as he was out, she released her grip on the man’s arm, letting it flop bonelessly to the floor as she removed her foot from the man’s throat.
Piper squeezed her hand tightly. It had only taken about twenty seconds and
none of the bouncers had moved a muscle during the entire process.
“That man...” Piper pointed to the body at her feet. “…was striking that woman...” she gestured at the woman being consoled by her friend. “…and she stopped it.” she said with a nod in Bailey’s direction. “Oh, and that man...” she pointed at the other body that hadn’t moved. “…tried to grab her when she intervened.”
“That’s right,” the woman who had been struck said. “She didn’t do anything but help me,” she said with a gesture at Bailey. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.
“You’re welcome,” Bailey said speaking for the first time.
The woman smiled at her and returned to her friend. When she left, Piper tugged on her hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
Piper led her through a crowd that parted before them like the Red Sea and she heard the bits and pieces of several comments that she knew Bailey was the subject of. She squeezed her hand tighter in an attempt to be of comfort, relieved when they emerged from the building into the cold night air. As soon as they were clear of the entrance, she turned to her and enveloped her in a forceful hug.
“I’m not going to ask where you learned to do that,” she said into her chest. “But I want you to know that I think that is one of the noblest things I’ve ever seen anyone do.”
Bailey’s eyes widened in wonder and she slowly wrapped her arms around Piper, having been afraid that she had shown too much of herself. She lowered her face and kissed the top of her head.
“I need to go,” she said quietly.
“Stay the night with me,” Piper said just as quietly.
Bailey took a deep breath. “Alright,” she said and Piper squeezed her tightly before letting go of her and together they walked to the car.
———
“There they are,” Russell said spotting the women getting in their car.
Zack started the car and waited for them to pull out before he moved to follow them. They no sooner got on to the street when a police car passed them in the opposite lane, turning into the parking lot they had just exited.
“That’s interesting,” Russell commented.
“Yep,” Zack agreed quietly. “Call in.”
Zack listened to Russell speak into the phone and after he hung up they traveled the remainder of the way in silence. Zack watched through the night scope as both women exited the car and went into the house. He looked at his watch and turned to Russell.
Engravings of Wraith Page 22