“Well, lookie here, Mr Alpha-man,” Vulpis taunted, circling Adam with a predatory smirk. As he passed behind him, Vulpis dragged a long finger across his shoulder.
“Stop it,” Adam snapped, listening to the sniggers of The Pack around him. Traitors.
“Touchy,” Vulpis said, teasing. “Or, you know, not.”
When the thief was again in front of him, Adam took a step forward into Vulpis’ space. The man stared right back, no fear and no caution. It wasn’t like he was a rookie; anyway, the man was a Gaunt City legend. Many newspapers reported on the cat and mouse games between him and The Pack. Taunting them, playing with them. But who was the cat, and who was the mouse?
Abruptly, Adam launched forward towards the man, knuckles raised and a snarl on his lips, but Vulpis was nimble. Light feet dodged the attack, leaping at Adam and over his partly hunched form. Vulpis laughed, and the sound was carefree and melodic, like a child who was playing leapfrog. As soon as he was behind him, the lithe fox-man kicked Adam’s feet out from beneath him and sauntered round, lowering himself until he straddled Adam’s hips, suit stretching with the movement. Adam glowered.
“So what brings you here?” Vulpis asked conversationally, resting his elbows on Adam’s chest and cradling his head in Vulpis’ hands. The Pack was in the building, watching the commotion with wary yet amused eyes.
“You,” Adam gritted out, teeth gnashing.
Vulpis fluttered his dark lashes and pouted. “You came here for little old me?” He wiggled excitedly.
“Don’t get too excited. You’re nothing special,” Jay chipped in from behind the pair. His twin, Nikki, was next to him, nodding in agreement. Vulpis’ head snapped round, eyes flitting about the room. Analysing for an escape route, Adam presumed.
“Aw, I’m hurt.” Vulpis held a hand over his heart in mock outrage. “Well, sorry gang, but I can’t stick around. Other places to be and all that.”
As soon as The Pack approached the two men, Adam helplessly watched as Vulpis threw down a smoke bomb, incapacitating the group into coughs and groans, and gracefully slunk into the shadows, hips swaying, the movement fluid. But before he was out of their hearing range, he called out: “Imagine the headlines! Master thief evades legendary crime-fighting super team, again. Tut tut.”
Nikki growled, her red lips curled into a scowl. Adam looked around the group, taking note of their clenched fists and annoyed expressions.
“Ugh, I’m gonna kill him!” Nikki threatened. The rest of The Pack nodded in agreement.
“Head back to HQ,” Adam ordered. “We’ve let this go on too long. We need a plan.”
“Let’s go fox hunting,” Jay sneered.
***
Back at HQ, Adam found himself victim to many sideways glances from the rest of the team, some worried, some judging, and some downright amused.
“What was that back there, Adam?” Jay asked, barely smothering a grin.
Adam rolled his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the inquisition he knew was approaching. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Adam snapped. Clearly all that mental preparation had been for nothing, and now The Pack had gotten a reaction out of him. He should have known, dammit.
Jay looked around the rest of the group, and Adam noticed they all seemed to side with the young vigilante. He sighed at the unfairness of it all. He’d rather not think about muscle-hugging suits and swaggering hips. Fuck. Adam wandered towards one of the chairs placed around the vast warehouse and sat down, sagging into the soft leather.
“Aw, c’mon, Adam,” Nikki cooed as she fluttered her heavily mascaraed lashes, “Fox got your tongue? Or has the thief stolen your heart?”
“Sounds like a shitty rom com,” Ben piped up from the corner of the room.
The warehouse was their place of refuge between missions, a location in which they gathered and discussed their newest Intel and discussed their next step of action. Sofas and chairs littered the large span of space, with a small kitchen nestled in one of the corners, though it was rarely used. Along the wall from the kitchen sat the Hub where their hacker and computer expert Ben worked, providing the rest of The Pack with information on their targets and key players in Gaunt City’s criminal population, the mysterious Vulpis being one of them. Only Adam slept in the warehouse, claiming that someone had to keep the place on lockdown in case someone (Vulpis begrudgingly sprang to mind) tried to break into their hideout. The other members of the group lived in apartments in and around the city, unknown to each other. They had to live some semblance of an ordinary life, after all.
Breaking Adam out of his thoughts, Ben spoke to the group, who were wearily lounging around. “Guys, I think you all should see this,” the man suggested. “I’ve been doing some digging, and I think I’ve found something on this Vulpis of yours.”
“Adam’s, you mean.” Jay snickered.
Groaning, the rest of The Pack dragged themselves up from their seats and trudged their way to the Hub, ready and reluctantly eager to look at what Ben had found. Standing behind the hacker, Adam clapped a hand on his shoulder, a silent signal for him to begin explaining.
“So… I did a bit of digging, and by a bit, I mean a lot, about this thief of yours and like most of the night life of Gaunt City, he’ll have a secret identity, but… I’ve managed to find something on this Vulpis character.” Ben paused for a moment, ensuring that the group behind him were listening. They nodded, and he spoke again, “Most criminals we’ve followed we’ve been aware of their alter-egos, so to speak, from previous jobs where they’ve let details slip, want a bit of fame and recognition, or already have their prints on file from previous convictions or arrests. But here’s the thing, Vulpis here,” pointing to the profile, “is incredibly careful with the details of his missions. He’s cheeky, as Adam seems to be well aware of, but not fame hungry, and the man’s never been arrested before, so law enforcement have nothing on him at all.”
“Never been arrested?” Nikki asked, bewildered.
“Never,” Ben confirmed. “I’ve checked every single data base I have access to, and there just seems to be so little information on this guy. My guess is either he has an ally who has removed all information connected to him, or he’s a pretty decent hacker himself.”
Adam huffed irritably. Of course he was.
Ben holds up a finger, the universal sign to hold on. “But one word I find does keep cropping up is ‘carter.’”
There was a pause.
“What the hell does carter mean?” Nikki demanded.
“I’m not sure. It could be a codename, an actual name, or something else entirely. I don’t know. But I think you guys have more work to do if you want to get anywhere with this guy. He’s like an enigma. I’m sorry, but that’s all I’ve got.” Ben concluded, much to the chagrin of the rest of The Pack.
“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Adam conceded. “The rest of you head back to your homes, but keep alert for Vulpis’ activity, and I’ll call you when I need you. We’ll try and catch him on his next heist. See if we can gather any more information for Ben.”
Grabbing their belongings, the leftover members of The Pack exited the warehouse, leaving Adam alone in the silence, wondering how he’d allowed the man in the fox suit to get under his skin.
Fox hunting indeed.
***
A few days later, Adam sat in the warehouse looking at the latest reports from his informants. Scattered across Gaunt City, Adam had people working for him in the underground network, telling him the goings on of the darker side of the city, and the latest news looked particularly unpleasant, especially for Adam.
It became increasingly apparent that his Uncle Max, known to the criminal underworld as Max Laxton, had been cut off from the Laxton family for his illicit activities. The latest news was that he had become something of a mobster, the leader and brains of a gang attempting to make their name in the city.
Adam never told The Pack about his association with the nefario
us crime lord. The members didn’t share their full names, wanting complete separation between their normal lives and their “nightlife” activities, and Adam respected that.
Unconsciously, Adam let his mind wander towards Vulpis and wondered whether he had heard anything about Max, seeing as he had deeper connections with this world, possessing the reputation and respect which came with being an anonymous master thief with a track record for evading both the police and The Pack’s pursuit.
Making his decision, Adam suited up in his black and blood red uniform, equipped with daggers and a range of light weaponry. He neglected to put on the Kevlar, though. To catch up and talk with Vulpis meant he had to travel as light as possible. That guy was quick and sneaky, his lean body already an advantage over Adam’s bulky form.
Quickly, Adam slung on his backpack, launching himself from the dilapidated building and into the night.
***
Watching across the skyline, Adam squinted, looking for movement along the rooftops, specifically a slight man in a fox mask. Not far from where he was, a rapidly-moving shadow at the corner of his eye caught his attention. If Adam focused enough, he could hear the pounding of feet and the crunching of gravel beneath the shadow’s feet.
Springing into action, Adam clambered down the structure’s outer steps, throwing himself across the thin alleyway and onto the opposite building. Surprisingly agile, he climbed the structure, the muscles in his arms and legs pumping and aching with the strain. By now, the shadow Adam had now identified as Vulpis himself was straight in front of him, not quite within reach, but not quite out of it either.
Oblivious to his straining muscles, Adam sprinted towards the man, who was still unaware of being pursued as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, nimble as a cat (or a fox). With a final surge of speed, Adam pounced, throwing himself on top of the young man, pinning him face down into the dirty roof.
“If you wanted to get on top of me, all you had to do was ask.” Vulpis smirked. Gently, as if to show he wasn’t going to flee, the thief pushed against Adam’s chest. Adam obliged, leaning back a fraction, allowing Vulpis to turn over and face him, chest heaving, his breath released in short pants.
Jesus fuck, the way this guy looked should be illegal. “No thanks.” Adam replied, forcing a bland look to show on his face.
“Your loss,” Vulpis claimed, grinning as he dragged light fingers across Adam’s chest and abs.
He ignored the gentle, maybe hesitant touches. Adam wasn’t enjoying them. Nope. Not one bit. “What do you know about Max Laxton?” he asked.
Vulpis shrugged. “He’s quite a scary guy from what I’ve heard. A little unhinged, creepy. Why?”
Adam wondered for a moment whether he should be discussing his movements with Vulpis. He didn’t want anything used against him, and he couldn’t trust these criminal times, so he was cautious with his reply. “We’ve been seeing an increase in his activity throughout the city. The Pack needs to take action, but we’re not going about it uninformed. I figured if anyone was going to know about what was going on in the criminal network it would be you.”
Vulpis snorted at that.
Adam watched for a moment as the man beneath him considered what he had said. He had to know, Adam was sure of it.
“As it happens,” Vulpis said with a smirk, “what I can tell from other thieves in the area I’ve communicated with, his base is pretty well protected. Thorough security systems, heavy guarding, the lot. You’d have to be careful; I wouldn’t want to lose my source of entertainment now, would I?”
“Anything else?” Adam huffed with impatience.
“Jeez, no need to be so snappy. I am helping you after all. I’ve also heard on the grapevine that Max keeps the blueprints for his base in his office at the other end of the city, if you wanted to get into the base, you’ll have to steal those blueprints.”
“How do you know all this?” Adam enquired, suspicious. Vulpis shifted beneath him in an attempt to get comfortable on the ground. Adam’s stomach tensed minutely at the movement.
“I may have casually questioned one of his incredibly wasted henchmen at a club one night,” Vulpis said. “Maybe.”
Adam blinked for a few moments, disbelieving. “Incredible,” he commented, voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Hey, don’t judge. You asked me for information, and I had it. Don’t criticize my methods.” Vulpis pouted, an obscenely plush lip sticking out.
There was one thing left Adam had to ask, the question of the hard-to- find “carter” and what meaning the word had to the master thief. He had no idea how the man was going to react, so he was kind of glad he had him pinned down, just in case he tried to make a run for it. Any information on Vulpis was to be treasured, as it was rarely ever discovered, and Adam needed as much on this guy as possible if he wanted to catch him at the scene of a crime. This was the only way he was going to be caught; no one knew his face or identity, thus making an investigation impossible. “I have one thing left to ask you,” Adam said.
“Go on,” Vulpis prodded, returning long, slim fingers along Adam’s chest.
“What does the word ‘carter’ mean to you?” Adam watched as Vulpis froze for a moment, smirk tight and eyes wide before he sagged, a series of cackles bubbling out of his pale throat. Tears were springing out the corners of his eyes, but Adam couldn’t understand whether they were with humour or hysterics. It was a few minutes before the laughter seemed to stop, and by that time, Adam’s confusion had twisted into annoyance. “Well?”
“Man, I never would have expected that.” Vulpis chuckled, wiping his eyes.
“So it’s a name?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” the young man confirmed.
“Your name?”
Vulpis looked at him sceptically, as if he hadn’t anticipated Adam to ask such a personal question. Well, personal for the masked men and women of Gaunt City, at least.
“A nickname, so to speak. I haven’t gone by my real name for a long, long time, Adam Laxton.”
Adam’s head snapped up in alarm. No one had managed to identify him before, let alone work out his association with Max. Was it a cause for concern? Probably, but Adam was somehow reassured by the man’s honest appearance. Yes, appearance. “You know my name?”
“Yes.”
Of course he did. See? Little shit. “And my connection with Max doesn’t bother you?” Adam enquired.
“Not at all. You’re the freaking Dark Prince of Justice or some shit like that. Max was the bad apple of your family. I get that. Your family was pretty famous, Adam, and I looked at the report from the accident. You were never found, so I kind of put two and two together. You’re the typical Batman story, dude. So no, I don’t judge you for Max’s actions.”
Adam clamped down on the hurt. “And your real name?”
“You won’t find it anywhere, so don’t bother trying.”
Adam snorted; of course he wouldn’t be able to find it. The little shit was so careful, so precise. Adam wondered whether he would ever get anything on him. That’s what makes him so interesting, his subconscious spoke up. Shush. Nope. Lies. Absolute lies.
Hauling himself off of Vulpis – no, Carter – he held out a hand to the thief, resolving that his gift of information was to be rewarded by being let go. Temporarily, at least. With a tentative grip, the man took the proffered hand, dragging himself up and brushing the gravel off his shoulders and thighs. “Thank you,” Adam said.
Carter looked at him with a lopsided smile, quite different from his teasing smirks and grins. “No problem,” he said with a mock salute, and then he was hauling him in for a hard kiss, all passion and energy, with small nips and bites which could only be described as sly, much like the man himself. “See you around, Alpha-man.” He chuckled, letting Adam go and running into the horizon.
Adam was left in a breathless daze, swaying slightly, wondering how Jay was right.
His life was a rom com.
Fuck.
&nbs
p; ***
A week later, The Pack was assembled in the warehouse, all kitted out in their uniforms and discussing their next move. Adam had told them about Max and his growing power within Gaunt City – neglecting to mention his relation to the mob boss in question - and suggested that something had to be done immediately, before Max managed to further corrupt the police force and political figures in the area. It was at this point Adam told them about the blueprints for the compound – also neglecting the source of this information – and their necessity in completing the mission with maximum planning and minimal flaws.
With the sneaky nature of fetching the blueprints, The Pack needed someone who could get in and out of Max’s office undetected, someone very much like the person Adam was trying particularly hard not to think about.
“Well you know who we need, right?” Ben suggested.
Like a train wreck, Adam watched the eyes of his team light up with understanding, totally unable to stop the oncoming crash and burn of Ben’s insinuation.
“Vulpis! We need Vulpis!” Jay and Nikki chorused, because of course they did.
Adam rolled his eyes. “How are we going to get him to do that, huh? He doesn’t owe us anything, and besides, he’s a criminal. We don’t work with criminals.” Shut up. Don’t judge.
“But with Max gaining control,” Ben said, “he’ll be influencing the fences and networks within the city. Vulpis is a key player and exceptionally good at what he does, so Max will try and recruit him.” Weirdly enough, the group around him looked heartbroken by the idea. “However, Vulpis is freelance, so he won’t want another party taking a share of his work. It’s not his MO. The only option that leaves for Max is to kill him, reducing the competition for his own pet thieves, and giving him a bigger profit.”
“I’m impressed,” Adam admitted, leaving Ben to beam under his praise.
“But how do we find him?” Nikki asked. “I’m guessing that Vulpis will be out most nights. If what Ben says is true, he’s going to be hoarding as much as he can before Max gains too much influence and cuts off Vulpis’ buyers.”
“So what are we waiting for?” Nikki cried. “Let’s go!”
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