Shadow & Flame - Part One: The Collective - Season 1, Episode 4

by Elias Raven

  I decided to head to Los Angeles to keep them off balance. Khyentse and Parker agreed with me and said it made sense. Besides Rhianna and Misty had been blowing up my phone to come visit them. Misty was dying to do some more tattoo work on my body, and Genevieve said she wanted to get a few recolored. We could hide out in Los Angeles for a week and then figure out where we were going next.

  Khyentse was going to coordinate security for any public appearances I had to make as CEO of Cain Enterprises. Otherwise, I would let Parker and Khyentse handle a lot of the day-to-day shit. In the meantime, I needed to unwind and so did my girl.

  I had Khyentse assign a three-man shadow detail to keep an eye on us in case someone decided to get really fucking curious. Every CEO should have a personal squad of Ninjas in their employ. So far, it had been quiet. We had flown into LAX, and a driver with an unmarked Lincoln Town Car waited at the terminal. We got in and passed through one terminal and hopped out and found my Father’s black Mercedes waiting inside. We drove out of one side, and the Lincoln drove out the other. All my senses were dialed up looking for a tail, but so far so good. Genevieve breathed a sigh of relief. We were going to switch cars a few more times. It was a pain in the ass, but I told Genevieve it was for the best. She just nodded, looked at me, and smiled.

  “I know you are trying to keep us safe, my love,” she whispered.

  I looked over at her and returned her smile. She loved me more than anything or anyone on the planet. After what had happened to her… I was just grateful they had not broken her before I had gotten there. From what G had told me, it had been a razor thin line. The only thing that had kept her going was she knew Parker’s wallet was out there and that I would come and get her if I found it.

  She had toughened up immensely after the shit she had been through. I had been surprised at the change, but I’m sure Genevieve had felt the same way when she had seen what I had become. When she had told me what they had done to her with the torture, it was hard to swallow that someone had purposely laid a hand on my woman. The irony was that she never did find out what they wanted from her. It was like they had gotten off on torturing Genevieve. As maddening as it sounds, that was all we could figure out. It was some really sick and twisted shit.

  We had driven into downtown Los Angeles to my old loft and switched cars again. I loved driving the black Aston Martin more anyway. Don’t get me wrong, my dad’s Mercedes was a thing of beauty to drive, but I had cars that were my favorites, and this was one of them.

  We switched cars and clothes and headed back out again. My nerves were on edge as we headed toward Laurel Canyon. I had an area in mind that would be perfect to hide in. The condos and houses were in my company's name, but I had never lived there nor was I directly associated with them. That should slow down Mr. Computer Hacker Mammon just a little since there was no direct link. We bounced from place to place for a few days and then out of the blue I get a phone call from Rhianna pitching the gig in San Francisco.

  I had picked up the call right away and was mulling it over. I decided to call Abel and see if he was down for a little road trip. I knew Misty had been calling Genevieve about a new tattoo she was creating for me. I put two and two together figuring she was going to pitch the show to us as well. I hadn’t seen Misty in a long time and Abel either. My tattoos needed some work, and a trip to Ink & Iron wasn’t out of the question. If Abel was down, maybe we could go jam up in the Bay area with Shadow & Flame. I’m sure Rhi & Misty had given Abel or Gia the verbal work over as well.

  It didn’t take much convincing on my part, and I knew Genevieve would love to hang out with the girls, and from the birth announcement he had sent me last year, we would get to see Baby Mia finally. I had sent them a bomb ass gift for the shower, but we still weren’t talking much then. It would be just like old times. Abel was still a cocky smack talking motherfucker, bitching about my motorcycle skills. I had just looked at Genevieve and shook my head while he was running his mouth. Some things never changed, but I loved the big gorilla. He was like my brother. An asshole brother, but a brother nonetheless! We were already thinking about where we were going to go next, and San Francisco was as good as any.

  Abel didn’t know I was up in the Canyon and had my dad’s BMW K 1200S. The bike is one of the ten fastest production motorcycles ever built. Stock, the bike could do 170 MPH, but my dad, of course, had the bike modified by BMW, so 200 MPH was more like it for this motorcycle. She was a screamer from the moment you hit the gas.

  I was going to kick Abel’s ass all the way to Ink & Iron. Of course, G would be on the back so I would have to take it easy, but she was a good girl and knew how to ride with me. We had ridden together many times throughout college, and she knew how to wrap herself around me and hold on tight. We got our riding gear on, and I fired up the bike. After it had warmed up, I motioned for her to get on. I opened the garage and felt Genevieve slide onto the rear seat and wrap her arms around me tightly as I looked back and smiled. I engaged the clutch and pulled back on the throttle. The engine was roaring happily as my hands and feet moved through the gears and brakes. Traffic was surprisingly light for the weekend. We were going to be there in no time.

  We talked to each other through the COM system in the helmets. It had been quite a while since I had ridden with her on a motorcycle. I had to admit it was exhilarating!

  If I knew Abel, he was probably riding one of his customized Harley Davidsons. I knew the fucker was going to give me shit for a minute when he realized I beat him to the shop, but hey what was a little cheating between friends!

  I smiled as G gripped my chest tightly. I downshifted and headed off the freeway. We moved into regular traffic, and she relaxed her grip a little as I wove in and out of the cars and pulled up into the alley and gated area for Ink & Iron. Misty had someone waiting for us when we got there. We pulled off our helmets and waited by the bike. I was smiling from ear to ear. Let the bitching commence!

  I knew Misty’s client list had gotten way more exclusive over the last few years. She pretty much got to pick and choose who she would do tattoo work for now. Of course having Abel as one of her main clients was not hurting her reputation any. Her name had started spreading into larger and larger circles of the rich and famous. She did ink for everyone that mattered, but Abel and I both were her original big name clients, and Misty was a lot of things, and one of them was fucking loyal. Only one person worked on our tattoo’s, and that was Misty. End of the discussion.

  As far as she was concerned, if someone else worked on us or changed anything she did, it was like fucking cheating and if you ever heard a woman say, ‘I will cut a bitch for touching my man.’ That would be an apt description of Misty to a tee. Abel and I had decided years ago, if we liked something another artist did, we would get a picture or a copy of the tattoo and take it to Misty. She had never let us down. The woman could ink anything or anyone.

  I once asked her if she would be willing to ink my ferret. She had laughed and just shook her head.

  “Sure, if you want to let him out of your pants, Elias,” had been her smart ass reply.

  You have to love a woman with a sense of humor like that! The funny part is that as a prank, Abel and I had bought her a ferret. We had to go through a private broker since they were not legal to keep as pets, but we had found one all right. Ricky, her receptionist, was in on the gag, so Misty had no idea what we had planned. We were her last appointment, and Ricky had put down the client’s name as E.A. Ferret on her log. Misty being tired sees the last appointment and goes to the waiting area and calls out. “Mr. Ferret?” We were hiding on the stairs leading up to the upstairs lofts, so Misty hadn’t seen us. We both step out and yell “Surprise!” with the ferret in tow. The look on Misty’s face was priceless. Ricky came from behind her with a medical form in hand on a clipboard.

  “Misty, does Mr. Ferret need to have a medical form filled out? Does he have to have his rabies and distemper shots and… that was as far as she got before M
isty turned around and started playfully smacking her.

  She then turned and sat down not so gracefully on the floor and started laughing uncontrollably.

  “Leave it to you two characters to pull a prank like this!” Tears were streaming down her eyes she was laughing so hard!

  “I should have caught the name, but I was a little tired. Who the fuck would name their kid E.A. Ferret? Even the Hollywood types usually go for symbols instead?” She was still laughing, and we had all joined her.

  “Got your ass, Baby!” We yelled. She just nodded her head.

  “Touché assholes! Just remember that the next time I’m working on your ink,” she replied, laughing playfully at us both.

  Those were good times. All of us had been friends for years and years playing the clubs around LA and Hollywood together. Rhianna’s band Shadow & Flame would open for us. They were young, but they had a great sound, and the crowd really dug them. Abel and I had taken them under our wing and mentored them in the early days.

  The sound of a Harley Davidson coming down the alleyway broke my daydream. Sure, enough it was Abel and Gia. Genevieve looked over at me and put her arm around my waist as they pulled up next to us and revved the motor a couple of times then shut it down. We didn’t need to say much, Abel knew I had beaten him fair and square, but he still loved to talk smack.

  The security guard waved us into a locked storage unit to store the bikes. We took turns parking, and then we walked through the security door into a cyclone of blue-haired love. I would swear that sometimes Misty was the toughest bitch on the planet and other times she sounded just like one of the Powerpuff Girls! That was especially true when she got really excited!

  Rhianna dialed in via Facetime. It was really good to see her. I thought it was ironic that my dad had been a good friend with Rhianna’s grandmother, Patricia. He used to take clients to the Whiskey back in the day when Patricia danced there.

  I could tell Rhianna was jacked up about the live gig at the Fillmore. She might have a few smaller gigs to do around Sausalito and Frisco before the big night. She peppered me with questions, how long were we staying? Did we want to come jam? Her enthusiasm was infectious. I looked over at G, but she was going with the flow. I could tell she was just happy to be surrounded by women and that she could just be herself and cut loose. She needed to unwind as badly as I did. This trip was going to be perfect.

  “We’ll see you tonight or maybe tomorrow. Do you want us to bring Misty with us?” I asked her.

  “Hell yeah! You better! I’ll get the guest rooms ready,” she said excitedly.

  The call ended, and I looked over at Abel who was in bliss while Misty was finishing the outline on the new tattoo. I had to admit it looked really badass for a blue dragonfly and Baby Mia’s name. It was right up Abel’s alley. I didn’t even know what tattoo I was going to get yet or what Misty had in mind.

  “Elias, the sketch I did for you is on top of that pile.” Misty nodded to the small pile of papers on her station.

  I don’t know how she did it, but Misty had two different ideas on the page. One was this wicked gates of hell looking design. The other was softer and more geared toward G.

  “G? Which new one do you think I should get?” I asked her.

  Genevieve smiled and walked over to my chair. She motioned to me to lean over so she could whisper something in my ear.

  “Something naughty, Sir. Something that every time I see it, I get wet!” she whispered.

  I wrapped my hand around her waist and pulled her to me.

  “Oh Really? You’re going to be a naughty girl now?” I asked her.

  Genevieve only grinned and went back to her seat.

  “Don’t worry, Honey, I will take care of you later!” I said sternly as I gave her ass a firm swat.

  Genevieve grabbed her ass and grimaced as everyone erupted in laughter.

  I needed to plug back into my music for a while. When I had gone back to Cain Enterprises to work with my father, I had lost a part of myself in the corporation. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re going to inherit a company that is worth more money than any of the top companies in the Fortune 500, you must learn how to play the game.

  My dad knew for me to take the mantle of leadership, I would have to sacrifice a part of who I was to do it. It sucked, but my parents had laid it all out for me at the beginning. Now that my father was gone, he had been right. Everything he had taught me, had come into play over the last few months.

  But even presidents need a break at some point, and I had hit that point.

  I needed to be just Elias the musician and the man and not have to deal with all the responsibilities that carrying the mantle entailed. Abel would find out soon enough. His dad was loaded with cash like mine. They bought and sold high rises like they were monopoly pieces. Abel looked up from the table where Misty was working on him with his phone in his hand.

  “Elias, my planes already at LAX, buddy! I just got the message on my cell. Misty can meet us at the airport and park in the private lot. As soon as we get out of here, we can go grab our stuff and be up there tonight! We are going to crash at Rhianna’s place over in Sausalito, right?” he asked.

  “That sounds like the plan the girls had already worked out!” I replied laughing.

  Abel grunted as Misty was wiping his arm and finishing up the outline. Genevieve walked over looking at the work.

  “I love your detail, the way you blend the lines. Really stunning,” she told her.

  Misty smiled. “Yeah, I try to take care of my boys,” she said laughing.

  Misty walked over to her book and came back with a drawing for the new tattoo she had in mind for me. I had to admit the woman knew my taste. Genevieve looked over my shoulder and smiled.

  “That will do rather nicely, Sir!” she whispered.

  Misty looked at both of us and raised an eyebrow.

  “Do you two want to go up and use the bedroom upstairs in the loft. I just changed the sheets?” she asked laughing.

  Everybody broke down laughing at Misty’s comment. Nothing got past these women.

  We were all looking forward to getting out of town at that point. I picked up my phone and checked messages. I sent a text off to Parker and Khyentse that I would call them with an update.

  Abel didn’t know what was going on with Genevieve and me. So far everything had been quiet. I would give him a heads up that I would have some security hanging around in the background. It was part of being the president of a company. Too many terrorist groups kidnapping CEO’s and shit. Hopefully, he bought it. Either way, I wasn’t going to lose Genevieve again.

  It was going to be good to play again. Rhianna’s band was really making a name for themselves. My fingers itched, and I missed the sound of the crowds. Running across the stage. The lights, all of it. This was going to be epic.

  Chapter 5

  ~The Killer II~

  He was the harbinger…

  The Alpha…

  The stench of death

  carried on the wind…

  The sound of echoed footfalls

  in the back alleys and streets…

  A deadly quiet

  that struck the unwary…

  Something scary…

  A face from the past…

  A voice from the present…

  Mother Mary come to me…

  A nursery rhyme now breathing…

  Ashes… Ashes… They all fall down…

  Arms raised in supplication…

  Begging fornication

  in lieu of the final penance...

  A whispered promise

  of forgiveness...

  Pain…

  The Omega…

  Before the sheet

  Is drawn over

  The final act…

  Blood congealing

  On the pavement…

  Someone will whistle taps

  while we bury your memory…

  Don’t worry…

  Only
the silence

  can hear you scream…

  Excerpt from “The Killer Part II”

  By Rhianna Raines

  ~Rhianna~ I didn’t know what was worse. The amount of Tequila we had all consumed or all of the Mexican food that we had ordered to go with it.

  My head was still pounding like a Mariachi band was playing next to my ear, and my stomach was doing somersaults. It wasn’t every day I got to hang with my chosen family and having them all up here in town was like Rock and Roll paradise. It was like those reality shows with the rockers all living under one roof, except I knew all the actors and actresses and it was really fucking comfortable. It was like hanging with your best fucking friend in the whole world. You know the one that knows everything about you? Gory details and all? You could walk naked in front of them, cuss, fall face first in a stupor, then be a rude bitch or seductive slut or just plain psycho! Whatever you wanted to do, they were family, and they accepted you with all the emotional party favors to go with it and then patted you on the back and said you’re ok, Rhianna!

  That summed up my relationship with Abel and Elias. Now mind you, out of respect for their wives and girlfriends, I wouldn’t do the slutty naked bit anymore, but the rest…. was still on the table, and my family would not have it any other way!