by Rach Elle
Awilda, Alvin, Mason and Tauggle quickly and quietly escaped her bedroom and made their way down the stairs under Tauggle’s power, rendering them invisible to anyone they might pass. Thankfully, everyone seemed to be in the storage room for Zeff and Junior’s fight. They all secretly wished they could watch it as well, but they had more important matters to attend to. Besides, they all figured that whoever lost the fight would insist on a rematch; they could watch it then.
The four exited the castle undetected and started on their trek down the long and winding driveway.
“Okay Tauggle, I think we’re in the clear,” Awilda said. Tauggle lifted the invisibility state as they continued to hurry down the pebbled drive. “Don’t let my dad see you,” she reminded the Limrid.
James sat in a rented van at the end of the driveway. He suddenly stiffened as he heard footfalls coming his way. His shoulders relaxed only slightly when he saw his daughter and two of the boys he’d met the day before.
Awilda opened the passenger side door and climbed inside while the two boys hopped in the backseat.
“I was kind of hoping for a private dinner with my daughter,” James said under his breath.
“They’re not eating with us,” Awilda explained, “they’ll go off on their own and then meet back up with us when we’re finished, isn’t that right boys?” She looked into the backseat.
“Right-O,” Mason said.
“You won’t even know we exist,” Alvin promised.
James gave an unsure, crooked smile and popped the car in drive. “Alright, I have to get gas first.”
As the van pulled away from the drive and onto the road Awilda caught a glimpse of something familiar yet foreign at the same time. In the bushes she saw the decrepit, winged figure of an unclaimed Limrid. Just before the van pulled away she locked onto his large, citrine eyes as he intently watched her.
James slowed to a stop at the first gas station they reached. He got out of the van as his daughter and the two boys decided to stay in the car. As he pumped the gas he pulled out his cell phone and rapidly punched the touch-screen keyboard. Without anyone else realizing, he sent a very detailed text.
52
The night was dark with very few stars and the thick fog hung low, making it difficult to drive. Still, the rented van clunked to a stop in front an old building in what appeared to be a run-down neighborhood just outside the city.
Awilda looked out of her window at the building they sat in front of and read the sign that hung above the double doors.
“Dad,” she began, confused, “Isn’t this an old hotel?”
James stared straight forward, his fingers gripping tightly around the steering wheel; his knuckles turning white from the pressure. In a low voice he spoke, “I want you to know; I never wanted it to be like this.”
Cautiously, Awilda asked, “Like what?”
James looked up into the rearview mirror to see the two boys in the backseat. “You two really weren’t supposed to be here; consider this your fault.”
The van’s sliding door whipped open to reveal Regina on the other side. Alvin and Mason suddenly found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun.
“Get your hands in the air,” she demanded.
“Dad,” Awilda urgently called to her father, “What’s going…”
James lurched toward her, pinning her body against the door and restricting her arms. He quickly pulled out a needle with only a quarter of fluid left in it. He pushed it into his daughter’s soft skin and plunged the rest of the liquid into her bloodstream.
Before she knew what was happening the image of her father began to sway before doubling and growing fuzzy at the edges. She tried to keep her eyes open but in a matter of seconds her body succumbed to the anesthesia. She fell out of consciousness as her mouth formed the word, why?
53
Crisp forced his eyes to open. He was definitely awake even though his body was still feeling the effects of whatever James had pumped into his system. His heart began to race; he needed to help Awilda.
With as much effort as he could muster Crisp pushed him to roll over; then one more time until he rolled off the bed. His body hit the ground with a thud and he wished that would be enough to get someone up here to check on him; but after a few seconds of silence he forced himself up onto his knees. He used the bed to support his weight as he stood on his wobbly legs and in one blaze-of-glory attempt he stumbled all the way across his room until collapsing against the door.
Crisp leaned against the wood, feeling too drained to do anything else. Still, he shimmied to the right and braced himself against the wall. He wrapped his slightly numb fingers around the knob and managed to turn it and open the seemingly eighty pound door.
“Hey!” he called, “Someone help; please!” His voice was slightly raspy from dehydration and his throat was too sore to truly bellow. When no one answered he pushed him to round the corner into the hall then launched his body to the railing that overlooked the ballroom. He couldn’t see or hear anyone. “Hey!” He called again; his quivering voice echoing against the stone; no one answered.
With shaking legs and unsteady hands Crisp began to take the steps. He held onto the banister as tightly as he could and tried to plant his numb feet carefully on each stair. Suddenly, without warning, his knees gave out and he fell; his grip too weak to stop him.
Crisp tumbled down the marble staircase; his body too numb to feel every impact. He reached the bottom as his head bounced off a marble edge and he blacked out.
“I don’t know mates,” Bawli said with a huge smile on his face. “We might have to go to a decision on this one.” He and Cooper had just spent the last half hour watching Zeff and Junior fight for three ten minute rounds without a clear winner.
“And… time!” Cooper squealed with excitement.
Zeff and Junior separated, both breathing heavily and reaching for their water bottles. They were both bleeding from various areas of their heads and faces and if it weren’t for the expedited rejuvenation thing they’d both be looking like they just got hit by a truck.
As the boys washed off the blood on their bodies Bawli reveled in the sheer testosterone before him; the most primal display of man. Cooper sat next to him, reveling in the sight of two incredibly sexy, shirtless men breathing heavily in front of her. There was a little something for everyone.
“We can’t go to a decision,” Zeff said, “what if you two disagree?”
Bawli and Cooper looked at each other and shrugged, “Then I suppose it’s a tie,” Bawli said.
“Hell no,” Junior bit, “There needs to be a winner.”
Cooper creased her brow, “Why?”
The guys glanced at each other briefly, each one with the image of Awilda Rose in their minds. “Because there just does,” Junior said.
“Well we’ll make a decision now then,” Cooper conceded. “My vote is for Zeff.”
“No way,” Bawli looked stunned, “Junior clearly won; no offense Zeff.”
“You’re off your onion! Did you count how many times Zeff had him on the ground? Of course not, you can’t count that high.”
“He may have gotten him on the ground, but Junior always brought it back to their feet. He didn’t give Zeff a chance to lock in any submissions.”
“Exactly, Junior was constantly running from Zeff. He barely got any shots in.”
“Now who’s off their onion? Did you see all the blood? Most of that was Zeff’s and he didn’t do it to himself.”
“Alright, alright,” Zeff chimed in, raising his hands in surrender. “Clearly you two are split. I say we go another three rounds, yeah?” He looked over at Junior.
Junior nodded, “Let’s do it.”
Cooper and Bawli cheered.
“This time,” Zeff continued, “we’ll film it; that way if it comes to a decision again we’ll bring it to the others and they can decide.”
“Deal,” Cooper beamed, “let me grab some beer and chips first.” She
got to her feet and made her way through the storage room and into the study.
Cooper crossed the study and opened the door into the ballroom. Her short legs were carrying her quickly across the marble. She wanted to get back as soon as possible. They should fight every weekend, she thought. As she neared the base of the staircase to her left she noticed something odd. There was a pile of… oh my god. She ran to the steps to see Crisp lying unconscious; his body in a motionless heap. She reached for his throat and felt for a pulse. When his heart answered she shook his shoulders. Finally, he opened his eyes and tried desperately to speak.
“You ready mate?” Zeff asked, “I’m gonna wipe the floor with ya’ this time.”
“In your dreams Twinkle Toes.” Junior quipped.
Suddenly the door from the study was thrown open with a heaving Cooper on the other side. “I need help! Hurry!” She called, turned, and ran back into the ballroom.
All three men jumped to their feet and charged after her. They followed her until seeing her crisis. Crisp had evidently fallen down the stairs.
“Blimey,” Zeff breathed, “Alright, help me get him back upstairs.”
“No,” Cooper said as she knelt down beside him. “He’s trying to tell us something; it’s about Awilda.” She looked back down at the doctor, “Go ahead; what about her?”
Crisp coughed through the dryness in his throat. He spoke slowly, “In… danger.”
Junior took a step forward; all of his senses spiking. “Where is she?”
Crisp still stared at the ceiling, “Her dad… he’s going… to… kill her.”
Everyone stiffened.
“Why would her dad want to kill her?” Cooper asked.
Crisp slowly turned his head so his eyes would land on Junior’s. They were grave and cemented with dread. Junior’s stomach churned and his chest ached. James knows.
“Wait,” Bawli spoke up, “Where are Vin and Mason?”
Cooper and Zeff looked at each other and listened desperately for some evidence they were in the castle. When none came they both took off in different directions calling for their Responsibilities. After clearing the first floor Zeff ran back to the storage room to grab his cell phone.
“Where is she?” Junior demanded.
Crisp’s face was suddenly riddled with regret, “I… I don’t know.”
Junior turned to Bawli, “Give me your cell.”
Quickly, Bawli retrieved the device from his pocket. “Who are you calling?”
“Someone who can find her.”
Sunders was sitting at his desk with nothing but his dim lamp lighting the space. The Protectors would be arriving tomorrow and he needed to prepare an inaccurate, yet detailed trail for them to follow; one that would lead them in completely the wrong direction. Unfortunately he was having trouble keeping his eyes open, he was so tired. Maybe having a ceiling light that actually worked wasn’t such a bad idea. He wheeled his chair backward a little so he could get up to flip the light switch when his cell phone went off. The caller ID said, “Fat One,” and he knew exactly who it was.
“Hello,” he answered. The voice on the other end was not who he was expecting; but still not a surprise.
“We need your help,” Junior said with urgency.
“What’s the problem?”
“You need to find Awilda.”
Sunders wheeled his chair back to his desk, “She’s missing?”
“Yes and you need to find her now.”
Sunders scrolled on his laptop to remove the screen saver, “Alright, what information do you have for me?”
“She’s with her father.”
Sunders cringed, “Okay; what else?”
“That’s it.”
Dead silence.
Junior could feel his blood boiling, “Are you going to find her or not?”
“Um, well,” Sunders stammered, “I’m going to need a little more than that.” He stared at his computer screen, “What about the kind of car they were driving or something she said that might give me a lead or…”
“I told you; that’s it!” Junior could hardly contain his frustration and anger.
“I’m sorry,” Sunders sounded a little offended, “But I’m a Finder not a psychic. I can’t just produce her whereabouts without any real information.”
Junior was about to hang up when out of the corner of his eye he saw Zeff running to him. The shifter caught up to him and lifted his cell phone to his face. “Give him that address,” he ordered.
Junior read an address from what looked to be a GPS app on Zeff’s phone.
Sunders’ fingers typed rapidly into a much trusted site that he knew very well. “Alright,” he began as a satellite image of the city came into view, “this I can work with.” He hit the ‘zoom’ button several times and waited for the image to catch up to his demands.
“Do you see anything?” Junior asked, anxious.
“Hold on,” Sunders leaned forward in his chair, inching his face closer to his computer screen as the image cleared and a rooftop to an old hotel came into view. His eyes widened and his breathing stopped as he registered what he saw. “Shite,” he breathed.
Cooper, Zeff and Bawli looked at Junior, listening to every word the Finder said. The sudden urgency in his voice made them all tense even further. Junior carefully held tightly onto the phone, trying not to break it in his palm, “Do you see her?”
“Aye,” Sunders swallowed a lump in his throat, “She’s on the roof with James and Regina and it looks like two other guys…”
Zeff, Cooper and Bawli roared as their eyes blared red. Their wings and tails protruded from their backs and their skin morphed beneath their clothing; their monstrous dinosaur-like feet bursting through their shoes as they tore out of the ballroom and charged through the living room; whisking past the furniture and down the hall to the front door.
“Thanks,” Junior ended the call and dropped the phone before shifting in an instant and following the clan. His long legs carried him faster and further and he reached the front door before the rest of them. They threw open the doors and ran outside, digging their claws into the stone castle and climbing at rapid paces until they were high enough to catch the wind. They spread their wings and lunged off of the stone; soaring higher and higher until they were above the foggy city. Their red eyes scorched the night sky as they raced against time.
54
2 weeks ago
Las Vegas, Nevada…
Jessie sat on the sofa nervously, constantly peering through the blinds for any sign of law enforcement or worse – Protectors. Thankfully, this quiet residential street hadn’t shown any sign of civilization for a number of hours. The sun was setting and casting an orange hue over the paved roadway and the sidewalks that lined it. She wondered how much longer this was going to take.
“All done,” Noah said from the other side of the room.
Jessie stood and crossed the expanse toward the back corner filled with computers, cameras and surveillance equipment. She could feel the temperature rising the closer she got as all the machines were up and running with full speed.
Noah looked up from his chair, removed his glasses and smiled, “You’re no longer Jessie Zane,” he said as he handed her a new ID. “And if I’m not mistaken, today is your new birthday. Treat yourself to a free dinner at Denny’s; you’re welcome.”
“What happened to my true identity?” Jessie asked, staring at her new driver’s license. “For all intents and purposes, I mean. What will happen if someone tries to find Jessie Zane?”
“You’ve completely disappeared; no record of life or death. You’re financial ties have all been severed and you exist nowhere. Well, except in here, of course,” he said as he patted the side of his flat screen monitor. “As far as anyone is concerned you’ve dropped off the face of the earth. Now, it’s not my business to pry, but from the sounds of it that’s just the way you want it, is it not? Otherwise, producing a death is going to cost you extra. There’s a lot
more that goes into it; autopsy report, dental records, obituary and funeral arrangements; you get the gist.”
Jessie had barely heard most of what he said. His gums continued to flap as her eyes wandered across his sea of technology. Somewhere in there she still existed and the very idea made her sweat. She knew what the Protectors were capable of. She’d heard stories. And even as she stared down at her new identity she couldn’t get the gut wrenching feeling that someone was lurking just around the corner out of her system.
Her eyes darted around the room as her paranoia spiked. What if Noah was working for them? What if they discovered his identity and tortured him into giving up hers; or Maxi’s? Or anyone else this man had erased for that matter? Protectors were relentless; she knew this to be true. If there was a way to find her they were going to do it. And then they were going to punch a bullet between her eyes before she even had time to beg for her life.
She could feel sweat dripping down the side of her face. Her heart sped to an unthinkable speed; threatening to pound out of her chest as she reached for the hidden pocket in her jacket lining and pulled out the semi-automatic Maxi had given her. She pointed the weapon directly at Noah, who wheeled backward in his chair and threw his hands up.
“Whoa,” Noah breathed nervously, “wait a minute; you don’t want to do this.”
“I can’t exist; even if only in your computer. They’ll find me; it’s what they do.” Her voice shook uncontrollably; the tremors running the length of her arm and making it difficult to keep her gun steady.
“I… I can erase you completely,” Noah stammered, “No one will ever know your new alias; I swear.”
“You’ll know,” she said gravely.
“I won’t say a word,” his eyes widened as she cocked her gun.
“You don’t know what the Protectors are capable of,” her voice trembled, “This will be much more humane than what they’ll do to you; I promise.”