by Sammi Cee
I follow them all the way into the hotel to the elevator door, watching as Denny forlornly looks out the doors at me as they slide shut, giving one last little wave. Quickly, I run for the nearest stairwell, having mapped out all the entrance points when I arrived, and once out of sight, I transform into my angel form and go invisible so that I can go find him. Denny may not know I’m going to be with him, but there’s not a chance that I’m letting him have this meeting with his uncle without me there to watch over him.
Just think Azorath, if you’d reveal your true nature to him, your suflet mwenza wouldn’t feel so alone and scared right now.
And with that knowledge, I’m off to find my soul-mate.
8
Denny
Of course, it’s Gio that my uncle sends to find me. Of all the guards, Gio despises me the most. He is the only guard, beside Chip, who I’d met before my parents died. For as long as I can remember, my uncle never has gone anywhere alone. When I was a kid, they used to tell me his friends just came with him to visit, which I found odd since they even wore suits to a family barbecue. But once I came to work for my uncle, I found out the real reason for them being with him.
Where Chip has always been kind to me, Gio has been the exact opposite. Even once we’re in the elevator, he firmly grips my elbow like I could get away right now if I wanted to. I’m surprised when I see the elevator heading for the penthouse and apprehensive why my uncle needs me so urgently. It’s still another few days before the shipment goes out, and there is very little for me to do beforehand.
The elevator opens right into the middle of a luxury apartment. It doesn’t feel like we’re in a hotel anymore at all. As scared as I am to face my uncle, I speculate what the rates on a room like this must be, and why on earth my uncle needs it. Leading me through a fully furnished living room back into a dining room, we come to my uncle uncharacteristically dressed in nothing but a silk bathrobe sitting at the table with a glass of whisky. “Where have you been?” he snaps.
“I went to the boardwalk. I’m sorry, I must have forgotten my phone and didn’t realize.” More like I wanted one day to feel normal, just one day to be all mine.
“Your phone is company property. It isn’t yours to forget. It’s supposed to be on your person at all times in case I need you.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t even think. Plus, I know we have another few days—”
“You know nothing,” he cuts me off, venom dripping from every word. “You only know what I allow you to know. Our plans have been moved up.”
“Uncle, it doesn’t work like that. We can’t exactly call the shipyard and say we want to use a different—”
“No one asked you to speak, Denny. You’re here to do a job, and your job is to make sure we have access when we need it, and then to make it look like we were never here at all. I don’t care what you have to do to make that happen, just get it done. You let me worry about shipping my merchandise.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. We have clearance for a specific day only. This has been set up for months. I can’t get granted access for a full day early without having the export information and the name of the—”
“Look, boy. I told your Aunt Rhonda that I was willing to pay for your school and take you in because you’re valuable to me. Don’t think I don’t know what trouble you got into in high school.” My insides still and I feel like I can’t breathe. No one knows; I know my parents never told my uncle. “Ah… I can see by the look on your face that you thought your days of hacking were a big secret.”
“I wasn’t a hacker, Uncle. I mean, I was, but not because I was trying to do anything wrong. My friends and I were merely curious if we could get in backdoors and find things. We never did anything wrong, not really. We went places we didn’t belong, but we never stole anything or hurt anyone. It was for fun. We were young. We just wanted to see how smart we were.”
“Well, lucky for you, how smart you are paid off. If it wasn’t for your ability to manipulate systems, you’d have been as good as orphaned when your parents died.”
Bone numbing fear crawls up my spine at how cold and ruthless my uncle really is. I’m not one hundred percent positive what it is he wants from me, but I’m even more terrified about what it is he’s really shipping in that container. Not having control of my own destiny is a crippling reality as he stares at me smugly, knowing I have nowhere to go and no one else to turn to.
And then suddenly, a warmth settles in my lower back. Heat radiates throughout me, and my thoughts go back to the Ferris wheel. When I was enjoying the view of the skyline with Azorath, I remembered that feeling I had as a kid, the one my mom impressed on me that the world is a big, magical place.
She took me on the Ferris wheel after the FBI showed up at our home to question me. It had been a stressful time, torturously wondering if my friends and I were going to go to jail or juvie or who knew what. It had been so confusing with the lawyers and the inquisitions and the tears. To this day I don’t know how it really all worked out; I was only fifteen and relied on my parents to carry the burden and keep me from any major fallout for our indiscretions.
But I’ll never forget when we went on the Ferris wheel in the midst of the chaos; Mom comforted me with her words and pointed out the vastness of our world, even just that tiny part we could see at the time. I’ll never forget how warm I felt that day snuggled in my mom’s arms, and it’s the same feeling engulfing me now. Like a presence that’s for me, and it doesn’t feel like anything can come against me. It may think it can, my uncle may think he can, but not really.
Drawing from the warmth, I stand up to my uncle for the first time ever. “Aunt Rhonda would have never let you abandon me.”
The veins on my uncle’s forehead pop out as he slams the glass that was half-raised to his mouth onto the table. “Boy! Who do you think you’re talking to? You really think your aunt runs my house? You forget your place. First of all, you're my brother’s son. Your only attachment to her is through me. And second, she knows her place unlike you. Go to your room. You’re no longer free to roam around. I don’t reward insolence.”
As I turn to leave, frantically searching my mind for a retort, anything to let my uncle know I’m not willing to do his will. Or better yet, a way to escape him altogether, Gio says, “What about the man he was with, boss?”
“What man?” my uncle seethes.
“He was all tucked under some rough looking guy on the Ferris wheel when I found him.”
“Is that right? Huh, I give you a little freedom and the first thing you do is whore yourself out. Can’t say I’m surprised.”
Spinning around to protest, I don’t know why I’m shocked to see Mariel waltzing in from behind my uncle in a skimpy piece of lingerie. He smacks her ass as she walks by him to sit at the chair on the side of the table, smirking at me the whole way. What a bitch. “Who’s the whore?” I ask my uncle with venom.
Gio shoves me hard in the arm, but before I can hit my head on the wall or fall, I somehow regain my balance. Since I’m usually pretty awkward, I’m proud of myself for not letting the big lughead take me down. Without another word to any of them, I charge out of the room with Gio right on my heels, and my uncle’s words vibrating after us, “Make sure he goes to his room and stays there. Don’t let anyone in and take his damn phone. You’re about to find out how easy you had it, Denny. And how much worse it can get.”
Gio again shoves me when the elevator doors open to go downstairs, but with my uncle not watching, it’s even harder. Again, I manage to supernaturally catch myself before my nose can bump into the glass wall in the back. The calmness pouring through me is almost disconcerting, but at the same time, empowering. Gio keeps his back to me, and I watch him in the mirror. The way he postures like he’s the shit is almost laughable. This is the main reason I’ve never liked Gio; he’s always moved with an arrogance that never made sense to me. Now it does. Whoever my uncle is, or whatever it is that he really d
oes, is bad. Really bad. And Gio is obviously his main muscle.
The minute we exit the elevator Gio again grabs a hold of my elbow in a punishing grip and moves me straight to my room. When I take my keycard out, he rips it out of my hand and inserts it into the slot, thrusting me through the door as it opens. “Go get your phone and give it to me, kid.”
Silently, I cross over to where I left it earlier and pick it up. It would be more of a big deal to give it to him if I had Azorath’s phone number, but I don’t, and who else would I call, anyway? As I reach out my left hand to give Gio the phone, he snatches it from me. “Don’t think about going anywhere. One of us will be right outside the door to make sure you behave.” Then he abruptly shuts himself out, and me in.
Pacing back and forth across my room, I ponder what my next step should be. I don’t want any part of whatever my uncle is doing, but I’m not sure I can get away before I have to help him. If I do help him, but then go to the police with whatever I know, will they believe me that I wanted no part in it, or will my prior indiscretion as a teen make me look like a suspect who became scared they were gonna get caught? Not for the first time, I wish my parents were here to guide me. Not for the first time, I wish they were here, and I wasn’t in this mess in the first place. Then it occurs to me that maybe Azorath can help without me giving him any real information that will get him caught up in my mess. I’m not sure how, but spending today with him was the best day I’d had in years. I know it’s the time spent with him that’s giving me hope now.
“Azorath, you have one unusual name, hopefully knowing it is enough to get reception to connect me to your room,” I mutter as I cross the room. When I pick up the phone, it’s dead. I hit zero, I pound on the other keys, I put the receiver back down and pick it up again. Nothing. My uncle’s had my phone turned off, too. Slumping onto my bed, I roll over into a ball and gaze out the window at the ocean. Slowly, my newfound hope leaves and depression creeps back in. I again wonder if the minnow out in the endless ocean feels like me.
9
Azorath
Watching my mate curl into a ball, and his eyes go listless is the last straw. I have to be here for him, and to do that, I need to get into the room where he can see me. Bolting out through the door, I make sure my wing nudges the asshole leaning against the wall outside of Denny’s room. He won’t know why, but I know I did it hard enough to at least make him wobble. Going directly to my room, I transform immediately and call Ophaniel.
“What do you know?” I ask the second he answers the phone.
“What I know, Azorath, is that your boy’s uncle is not a good guy. Can you talk freely right now?”
“Yeah, I ran back to my room to transform so that I can sneak into Denny’s room without him knowing I’m an angel.”
“Wait. I’m missing something. Why aren’t you with Denny? Why were you in angel form in the first place? And why do you have to sneak into his room?”
Impatiently I move around the room while we talk, packing a bag to take with me into Denny’s room. Who knows what we may end up needing, and I don’t want to be unprepared. “His uncle sent one of his men looking for him. The guy grabbed Denny as soon as we got off the Ferris wheel and took him up to the penthouse. Apparently, there’s more to this suflet mwenza stuff then we even knew. I lost eyes on them when I went to transform, but the minute I was in angel form, I knew exactly where to find Denny. I flew straight up through all the floors until I was by his side. Ophaniel, it was almost as if he sensed me. Well, not me, but something changed. He looked so scared and beat down until minutes after I arrived. Then I watched his spine steel and his chin raise. He went back at his uncle and all it got him was his phone taken away and locked into his room. His now guarded room.”
“Okay, well, back talking his uncle may not have been the wisest idea. Az, this guy was running a legal exporting business to cover up his dabbling in the drug trade. Exporting and importing from the information I’ve gathered. Not long after Denny came on board, he began to play with transporting humans. From what Caedmon and I found, the initial transports weren’t even kidnapped, it looks like he was testing whether he could get away with smuggling people. Before Caedmon left to find the aunt, the rumors he picked up is that the uncle is trying to become a major player, and human trafficking is his ace in the hole.”
“Shit. Whatever he’s doing, Denny may be suspicious, but he’s definitely never been given the full picture. From what I caught when I arrived, his uncle has no intention of disclosing his operation to Denny; he just wants him to cover his tracks.”
“Azorath, why are starting to breathe funny?” Ophaniel snaps.
“Ophi, this could ruin his whole life. What if they get caught? There’s no question his uncle will use him as the scapegoat. Not to mention what it’ll do to Denny’s soul, to his spirit if he finds out he helped innocent people get shipped away to be sold for who the hell can only imagine.” I flap the front of my shirt in and out as I talk, feeling feverish for the first time ever. I’ve never felt emotionally connected to an assignment before. While I’m always saddened if they make the wrong decision, it’s never felt like my very existence depended on my subject making the right call and surviving with their soul intact.
“Az. Azorath. Get it together. Listen to me. If it was too late for Denny, the Ancient One would have never sent you to him. This is your very purpose for existence, your calling. You know how this works. If you’re here, then it’s not too late. You can’t help Denny if you don’t get control of yourself.”
Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhale, repeating it a couple of times until I’m steady. “You’re right. No, you’re right. Okay, so what are you two doing now?” I ask.
“I’m going to keep digging into the family background while Caedmon goes to have a visit with the aunt. She’s married into the family, and unlike her husband, she seems to keep a fairly low profile. What are you going to do? What’s your next step? Are you going to go back and sit invisibly and watch Denny suffer, or are you going to break the law and reveal yourself, or what?”
“No, I’m not going to reveal myself unless I have to. Breaking our law puts him into a whole other dangerous situation. I’m not ready to do that.”
I wouldn’t have asked it of you if I wasn’t going to help you, protect you both.
Ignoring the voice inside, I continue, “I think I know how I can get into the room. I’ll have my phone, so if you need me, text me and I’ll call you right back.”
I’m running full speed and halfway to the elevator when I hear Ophaniel’s, “Be careful, my friend,” as I disconnect the call.
Searching the hotel as quickly as possible without drawing tons of unnecessary attention to myself, I go from the casino floor to checking various bars throughout the hotel. Right as I begin to worry that I’m wasting my time, I see her. The blonde bombshell that was with Gio and his friend the night before. It doesn’t take a second to make eye contact with her, and when she nods her head out toward the side, I exit the bar and head into the first mildly deserted corridor I see. She comes around the corner within minutes and walks straight toward me.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” I say.
She waves me off with a little flutter of her right hand. “I’m not surprised to see you at all.” Her voice has the husky quality of too many cigarettes, and when she gets closer, I see her makeup hides the lines of a life not easily lived. “When I saw you in the hall before we went with those dirtbags, I knew you weren’t interested in me. A woman can tell when a man isn’t interested in her goods.”
“Can you tell me anything about those men you were with last night? It’s important.”
She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. “What’s to say? Same story as with most of these sleazy high rollers. Big cash, little dick, and no idea what to do with the one they have.” A dry, humorless chuckle follows her words.
“Which one were you with?”
An unlady-like snort proceeds her wor
ds. “I was with the little guy. The bigger one was into the rough stuff. Not really my thing, but the other girl didn’t mind as long as the blow was flowing. I’m not into the drugs. Some drinks and a good time are all I’m looking for.” Slanting me side eyes, she says, “You know, and maybe a little money to walk away with for my troubles.”
I study her for a moment, knowing human nature as well as I do, knowing what they’re capable of, I also know that this mortal is only trying to get by. No evil exudes out her pores, only brokenness. She’s tired. “Listen, I hate to ask you this, but the big ugly one is guarding a room I have to get into. Do you think you could call your friend up here to distract him?”
Solemnly, she studies me back for a moment. “Is it important? Like real important?”
“It is. For me, it’s a matter of life or death.” And I realize as I say the words, that for me it really is. Denny’s outcome not only will affect the rest of his life, but of mine, as well, no matter how long it ends up being.
The blonde takes her bag off of her shoulder and begins to dig around. Finally, taking out a piece of gum and popping it in her mouth. “Where do you need me to go? I’m not sure if she’d even be willing to deal with him again, but he really wanted a piece of me last night. I’m not willing to do anything with the guy, but I can lure him away from the door long enough for you to get in if you want.”
I choose not to question her and move toward the elevator with her by my side. After entering the elevator and asking the person closest to the buttons to hit floor five and six, I stand beside her and bend down to whisper in her ear, “Why are helping me?”
Turning her head slightly to whisper back, she says, “Because people don’t ask people like me for favors. Not good favors, only the other kind.” She waves her hand in the air indicating her body. “If I can help someone who’s good people, like you seem to be, I’m counting it as a win for me. Maybe my life does mean something.”