by Amber Garr
I pulled up to the duplex that housed the lawyers on the right and the insurance company that Ben worked for on the other side. It was a boring brick building mirroring five more across the street. The firm name consisted of seven lawyers, partners I assumed. Why couldn’t they come up with an acronym? It would be so much easier to write and pronounce. I felt bad for the secretary.
The front door led into a large open waiting room, decorated in high class office furniture. Dark woods, sophisticated paint colors, and high end accent pieces gave the aura of money. I guess when there are seven partners naming the place, it must be doing well.
Behind the reception desk sat a young lady in a red suit. Her dark hair, large brown eyes, and lean body made me wonder why she worked behind a desk and not on the catwalk. She looked up and smiled, her mouth moving a mile a minute. The speaker headpiece attached to the side of her face let me know she wasn’t talking to me.
I waited while she finished her conversation. “Who are you here to see?” she asked, the pleasant voice and smile not dropping for one second.
“Conner Hoffman,” I replied. She pushed one of the numerous buttons on the phone and announced my presence. “He’ll be right with you.”
My heart skipped a few beats as I realized I was a little nervous to see him again. We didn’t speak much after the accident, and I worried about telling him more about me than I wanted to. I began to pace the room, pretending to admire the artwork, in an attempt to calm my nerves.
The door to the office area opened so fast it almost slammed into my back. I spun around in time to catch the side as a short, stout man with tanned skin and a long gray beard stopped and looked up at me. Probably in his seventies, the wrinkles on his face made me wonder if I should add ten years to my estimate. Plus he was really short. He reminded me of a troll - a grumpy troll.
“Watch it lady,” he grumbled and stomped past me out the front door. Was he wearing leather pants? Stunned by this peculiar man, I didn’t see Conner following behind. He stopped next to me and sighed.
“Ignore him. He’s never had good manners.” His grin held something I couldn’t place. It looked almost defeated as he watched the cranky troll walk past the windows. “Annie, please hold my calls for the rest of the day.” He gestured toward the open door, “This way, Leila.”
I followed him down the hallway past several closed doors. He was dressed in a custom suit, tailored to fit his body, and I may have taken an extra admiring glance as he walked in front of me. We entered the last office on the corner, but before I could sit down, Conner grabbed his jacket and keys and ushered me back into the hall.
“What are you doing? I thought we were going to talk?” I asked. He nudged me on my lower back and directed us to the opposite direction of reception.
“We are. I just want to do it somewhere other than here.” I stopped so fast he tripped over me. Smiling, he coaxed us ahead again. “Trust me. It will be better than this stuffy office.”
He did save my life last night, so I had to believe he wouldn’t try and snuff it out today. Leaving my hesitation behind, we left through a side exit.
A black sporty BMW beeped as he unlocked the doors with a remote key. It was exactly the kind of vehicle I thought a lawyer would have. “This is different than your car last night,” I observed. The inside smelled like new car and expensive leather, making me envious.
“Yes. This is my fun car.” He grinned and started it up. Maybe one day I could have a fun car too. Maybe one day I would have a better paying job.
“So where are we going?” I asked.
“It’s a surprise.” My head snapped toward him, but he stopped my impending question. “There are a few people I want you to meet, and who want to meet you. In fact, you may already know some of them.”
“What?” I gasped. “Why would anyone want to meet me?”
Conner laughed. “Why not? You are very intriguing, Leila.” That didn’t make me feel any better and I think he sensed this because he added, “This is not a bad thing. Trust me.”
“Trust says the man who just kidnapped me,” I mumbled.
He laughed again as I settled back into my seat, eager to see where we were going. We dodged in and out of traffic on a two lane road, in between spaces much too small for most drivers. This is why it was his fun car. Driving in the city for too many years had made me an aggressive driver. Tailgating, sporadic lanes changes, and rude gestures had become part of my commuting experience. From what I could tell, Conner enjoyed the challenge of traffic without getting angry like I always did. In fact, I think he was enjoying it.
Shaking my head, I began to pay attention to the scenery. We headed west of the city, toward the setting sun. The days were shorter now, and it would be dark by six. Ten minutes into the drive, the industrial buildings gave way to suburban sprawl and family-friendly communities. We passed a small church and I bolted up in my seat.
“What are we doing here?” I couldn’t handle this today.
“Where? Here?” Conner asked with surprise.
“Why are we in this part of town?”
I looked past the church and up the gently rolling hill filled with beautiful oaks, manicured grass, and marble tombstones. Somewhere in there was the love of my life. I hadn’t been able to visit Russ’ grave since the funeral. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Now here I was, in an area I avoided, with a virtual stranger who didn’t understand my odd reaction.
Our car turned away from the church and onto a street lined with shopping plazas. Conner pulled into the first one on the right and between two trucks. He didn’t say anything about my strange reaction, and I appreciated that. Sighing, I rubbed my eyes to clear any unshed tears and mumbled my apology into my hands.
“Sorry about that.” His silence stretched so long that I glanced in his direction.
“Don’t worry.” He pulled up the emergency brake and turned off the ignition. “We’re here by the way.” His head bobbed toward the store in front of us.
My attention focused on the darkened windows, the neon lights, and hand printed signs advertising the treasures within. Pink cursive neon writing spelled out Fantasy Villa above the door.
“A porn shop?” I screeched in disbelief. “Why are we at a porn shop?”
Conner’s laugh only made me more suspicious. “It’s not a porn shop. Technically, it’s an adult entertainment store.” Something on my face must have amused him. “And a very successful one at that.” He got out of the car and opened my door. “Come on, Leila. Don’t be a prude.”
“I am not a prude. This is just an unexpected place to be kidnapped to.”
He moved out of the way, still chuckling to himself. It was near closing time for the regular businesses, but I wasn’t surprised to see that the porn shop, no excuse me, the adult entertainment store was open much later.
We walked inside to an unexpectedly bright, clean room filled with mannequins, shelves, and clothing. I noticed that the lingerie near the front windows was actually quite nice and tasteful, and for a moment, I wanted to shop around.
Conner pushed past me to the cashier area. The attendant was a young, attractive man wearing a leather dog collar, a tuxedo vest, and black leather pants. His chest was otherwise bare, and although a bit skinny for me, he wore the vest well.
Conner raised his hand in acknowledgement. “Hey Blake. Is everyone here?”
Great. He knew the people who worked here. For some reason, that made me very uncomfortable. Maybe I was prudish after all.
“Yeah, man. They’re in the back.” Blake turned his attention to me. “Let me know if you have any questions. A lot of the toys are on sale this week.”
I felt my cheeks heat, so I walked over to Conner. “Thanks, but I’m with him.” Blake’s eyes widened and he leaned against the counter, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“Well then man, I guess you must be taking care of business well enough.” He smiled at Conner in that man-code kind of way, but before I could res
pond, Conner pulled me toward the back of the store.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I whispered to him incredulously.
This was so embarrassing. Conner didn’t respond and instead kept moving through the store. I managed to look around to see that they did, in fact, have a large inventory of toys. When the shelving ended, I noticed that the back left corner of the store had temporary walls to create a private space. The walls were painted black and a silver beaded curtain covered the entrance. A sign above the beads stated that you must be over twenty-one to enter. Oh, wow. That must be for the really adult stuff.
We passed through another door into a storage room and office space. Most of the boxes were arranged in an organized system of shelves and racks. The desk was on the same wall as the boxes and it held a laptop computer, printer, and several piles of folders. As I took in the room, I noticed that the area was at least the size of the store out front.
And we were not the only guests.
The left side opened into a makeshift conference area. A large oak table dominated most of the space, and almost all of the dozen chairs were occupied. I looked around the room at the expectant faces. These were the people I was supposed to meet? Four men and three women of varied ages? A small gray haired lady turned to face me and I inhaled in shock.
“Terez! What are you doing in a porn shop?”
“Leila, welcome.”
My mentor, sat amongst an odd collection of snickering strangers acting as though she expected me. Terez walked over and wrapped me in a warm hug. I was too surprised to return it.
“I’ve been expecting you, and everything is going to be all right. Trust me.”
People had been saying that to me a lot today. Another glance around the room assured me I was safe. That was, until I felt a familiar sense of unease.
In the corner, standing as far away from me as possible, was King. The BPD street informant looked no worse for wear than he had when I first saw him at the station. His stringy hair still hung in his face, and his arms wrapped around his torso so tightly I could almost see the whites of his knuckles.
Terez followed my eyes and sighed. “King. This is Leila. Please come over here and say hello.” She spoke with a softness that skillfully hid the demand of her words.
“No. I can’t. She stinks.”
“I don’t stink!” I countered. I heard a few more snickers from the corner of the room and shot a glare in the general direction of the insults.
“King…” Terez said lightly. “It’s okay.”
He shook his head but looked straight into my eyes. “She’s too scared. I can’t handle it.” Of course I was scared, but making it sound like I threatened him did not help calm me down.
“Hi King,” I said, trying to diffuse this awkward situation. “It’s nice to formally meet you.” There. That was brave of me. King grunted some sort of response, but remained standing in his corner. I didn’t really mind the distance.
Terez ushered me to an empty chair next to hers. The rest of the group settled around the table. Conner sat to my left and Terez on my right. Next to Conner was a giant man at the head of the table. He had to be close to seven feet tall and his broad shoulders, strong jaw, and defined muscles would have made any professional athlete drool. His blondish hair was cut short to his head and he dressed in a modern interpretation of gladiator garb. I wondered if he shopped in the store out front.
Beside him sat a woman who as tiny as he was large. Her chin length brown hair formed a stylish bob, highlighted with blondes and reds. She also wore some type of leather outfit, although it didn’t quite have the same scary effect as it did on the giant man. What was with the leather anyway? The girl smiled and nodded at me.
Across from me sat a gorgeous man dressed in an outfit like the cashier had been wearing. His brown curly hair fell haphazardly around his head in what I suspected was a styled mess. Muscular enough to be fit, his eyes sparkled when he saw me look at him. When he winked, I dropped my gaze.
“Leila. We brought you here today to introduce you to others who may be able to work with you. You have a very special gift, and you have used your talents to assist the police for positive outcomes.” She paused and glanced around the table. “I knew this day would come once Conner arrived.” My head whipped around to look at him, only to have Terez grab my hand and pull my attention back to her. “We’re not the only gifted ones out there.”
I felt like an intervention was coming.
The half naked man across from me stood up and performed an over the top bow. “My lady, allow me to introduce myself. I am Barclay McAlister Donahue, eldest of the Donahue fae clan, Warrior of Swords, and entrepreneur. My friends call me Mac and you are most welcomed at my establishment.”
I sat still for a moment processing what I’d just heard. Mac watched me with intent and amusement. He winked again, and that was enough to shock me out of my silence.
“I’m sorry. Did you say fae and sword? Is he serious?” I asked the entire room, but no one answered. “A fairy?” Okay, where were the cameras? “A fairy…that owns a porn shop?”
“An adult entertainment store. And yes, a fairy,” he replied. There are fairies in the world? Weren’t they supposed to be small? Mac sat down and King shifted in his seat at the far end of the table. He waited for Terez’s nod before standing.
“I’m a werewolf,” he stated and then abruptly sat back down. I couldn’t stop staring at him.
“Ah yes, King is a man of few words,” Mac teased in a sing-song voice. The werewolf glared at the fairy and I wondered if they would fight. Maybe King would pull off Mac’s wings. Did he have wings? I started to look for them when a tall, scrawny man sitting next to King stood up and cleared his throat.
“My name is Atticus.” He pushed his wire rimmed glasses up his nose more, then crossed his hands and stood at attention. He had on a long duster with jeans and a button up shirt. He almost like a cowboy in a nerdy kind of way. I placed him around forty and thought he would pass for a college professor before anything else.
“Hello, Atticus,” I replied since that seemed to be all of the information he was willing to offer. “And what are you?” The words fell out of my mouth before my brain could stop them.
“I am a sorcerer.” And he didn’t even have a pointy hat. But maybe the glasses were a first step. “Welcome to the group,” he said before sitting down again.
Yeah, I felt welcomed all right. Welcome to the crazy house.
A woman around my age with beautiful, long, curly red hair and bright green eyes sat next to him. She stunned in a captivating way. Even with everyone looking at her, she didn’t make any attempt to rise. Terez cleared her throat and I began to understand the hierarchy around here.
When the woman stood, I was taken aback by her demeanor. Her shoulders straight and her stance strong, I got the impression she wasn’t happy to be here. She wore a beautiful green velvet gown that complimented her red hair and pale skin tone.
“I am Leanna, and I represent the City Coven.”
“You’re a witch?” Once again I couldn’t control my tongue. Maybe someone cast a spell on me.
“Yes. I am. As were numerous generations of strong women in my family.” Mac made a noise of discontent and Leanna twisted around toward him so quickly it caught him off guard. I saw her mouth move as she flicked her hand at him. But before she could do…whatever it was she was doing…Mac laughed and placed his hand on her arm.
“Relax, babe. I’m only teasing. Plus you know that stuff doesn’t work on me.”
I thought I heard Terez sigh and the giant man grumble. Leanna composed herself again, and nodded at me as she returned to her seat. Next in line was the petite Xena Warrior Princess. She stood up and I observed that she was barely five feet tall. I held up my hands to stop her.
“No wait, let me guess this one. A pixie, right?”
Mac’s laugh startled me and I jumped when he slapped his hand on the table. Conner smiled in my direc
tion as the giant man glared.
“A pixie?” Mac asked. He turned to the tiny lady and looked her up and down. The tall guy growled. “Hmm. Yes, perhaps. But believe me when I tell you that pixies are a nasty little bunch.”
Great. Pixies too. I was only trying to make a joke. The woman slapped Mac on the shoulder in a gentle disciplining move. “Enough Mac, please.” She giggled and leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her leather mate didn’t seem to like this so much.
“Hi Leila. I’m Elise, and I’m not a pixie or a fairy thankfully,” she said, with that last word directed toward Mac. “I’m a medium.”
Now that was interesting. I always heard about them, but never met one. Well, in all fairness, I hadn’t met a fairy, witch, sorcerer, or werewolf before either. But a medium had talents that were similar to mine, and for some reason it now seemed like this wasn’t a dream anymore. I mean, if I was different, why couldn’t the rest of them have some abilities too? I’d be a hypocrite to think otherwise.
“Elise is one of the best mediums I’d ever met,” Terez said acknowledging her across the table. Elise’s smile grew and I could tell she was honored by the compliment. Terez had a tendency to aspire greatness in others.
“Hi Elise. Maybe after this shindig is over, we can talk more about…,” I waved my hand back and forth between us, “…all of this.”
“Yes, I would like that.” She turned her attention to the giant and gestured for him to stand. I was surprised when he rose with no objection to her commanding order. “This is Gallus. My big teddy bear.”
Gallus snorted but I noticed a hint of amusement in the corner of his mouth. He was so big compared to Elise, I thought his arm might be larger than her whole body. He stood straight and stiff like, well, like a warrior would in one of those gladiator movies. When he didn’t say anything, Elise moved to his side and wrapped her tiny arm around his back. She looked up at him with the kind of love I’d seen pass between Sara and Ben. My heart ached, but I squashed the feeling. King shifted noisily in his seat. I looked at him, and he reluctantly met my eyes with a kind smile.