by Jools Louise
“Hi, Fly,” Cracker said, making an attempt to restrain the temper he could feel rising just from the mention of his nemesis in New York. The man had been one of a gang who had brutally murdered his sister, Squeaks, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check around the whole incident. He was learning patience, though, slowly and surely.
“We’re heading over there, now,” Alfie cut in excitedly, bouncing up and down. “I did a nail art course a few months ago. I’m looking to get hired.”
“I’m trained as a masseur and beauty technician,” Fly said, smiling eagerly, as well, the haughtiness melting away in an instant. His face was thin, too thin after his traumatic recent experience, his stunning eyes shadowed by his horrific incarceration. “It’s what I used to do before my family decided I should give up such a silly notion, and made me study engineering instead.” He rolled his eyes, his short blond quiff jiggling, his light brown eyes sad. “I’d love to start up again, but would need to renew my license and maybe take a few new courses.”
“You could offer courses at the salon,” Douglas suggested helpfully. “Rather than have everyone go to the big cities and stuff, you could find someone who’d be willing to run classes right here, in Sage. I bet there’s a bunch of people who’d be interested.”
Fly looked at Alfie, who looked at Douglas, then they both began bouncing around, making Cracker dizzy. “I think they like the idea,” he said dryly, and saw Douglas laugh at the ruckus he’d caused.
“Are we going over there?” Douglas asked eagerly. “I’d love to see where the new shops are.”
“Can I bring my brothers?” Fly asked cautiously. “We’re all getting a little stir-crazy at the moment, until we can find somewhere to live.”
“There’s the apartment below our old one,” Douglas suggested. “I think it’s still vacant, if you’re interested. It’s a two bedroom, so should be big enough for you guys, if you don’t mind doubling up.”
“It sounds perfect,” Fly said gratefully. “We have money, from our last jobs. Haven’t had many places to spend it in recent months,” he said dryly, with an oblique reference to his imprisonment down an old tin mine.
“Let’s go get you ready,” Alfie told him, linking arms, and the pair headed back into the ward. The din had stopped, and the game of basketball had finished. Lex appeared, looking relieved, and cast a chiding look at Douglas.
“I’m glad you came to collect this one,” he said, rolling his eyes when Douglas laughed. “He’s causing all kinds of chaos today.”
“I’m merely trying to lighten everyone’s mood,” Douglas protested, trying to look innocent and failing miserably.
“We’ll take him with us,” Ryder said, laughing. “And a bunch of your patients, too.” He explained about the apartment and Fly’s need for accommodation.”
Lex raised both brows, eyeing Douglas with a piercing look.
“I know you’re going to blame me,” Douglas pouted. “It was Cracker who mentioned that Kaden was at the new mall, looking at shop units for his salon. It’s not my fault that Fly heard us talking and told us he and his brothers were going stir-crazy.” He poked his tongue out at Lex.
The doctor smirked at Douglas, patting him on the shoulder. “Sweetie, just so long as my hospital returns to normal as quickly as possible, I don’t care how many you take with you.” Then he frowned. “Just check with me first so I don’t send out a search party.”
“He’d blame for that, too,” Douglas said wryly.
“You bet, tiger,” Lex agreed, grinning.
“Let’s go, guys,” Alfie said as he returned with Fly and pretty much the entire ward. He sent Lex an innocent look. “I’ll bring them back later. Promise.”
He waved goodbye and led the way out of the clinic, followed by the five cheetahs, six wolf shifters, two bear shifters, and two slightly terrified wolverines. The latter duo eyed Cracker nervously, scooting past him quickly, dodging eye contact.
Cracker sighed as he witnessed their departure. “I need to apologize again, don’t I?” he said remorsefully. “What with Sherman going ballistic in here and me smashing in the bed-and-breakfast’s front door to go after Lash and his mates, I’m batting a thousand, here.”
John looked at him, Candy still asleep in his arms, drooling all over his shoulder. “I don’t think they’ll be in the mood to listen right now, my friend,” he said seriously. “Let me talk to them, get the Spirit Ink crew to put in a good word, too. That’ll go a long way to easing their fears, I think. But don’t push it right now. They’re only just coming out of their shells. I’m amazed that they left the clinic. Their friends are too scared to leave.”
Cracker felt sad for those who remained in the hospital. The two bear shifters who had just left had recovered the quickest and even then had been wheelchair bound leaving on their impromptu outing. He hesitated a moment and then headed into the ward. He cleared his throat, seeing the rest of the patients now back in their beds, which had been returned to their proper places. Everyone was fast asleep, looking exhausted by their recent bout of playfulness.
“What happened to Daniel?” he asked Ryder, who had moved to stand beside him. Daniel was Sherman’s stepfather and had been responsible for all these shifters’ misery. He’d been arrested and taken to a secure shifter facility for crimes against the shifter community.
“He’s in prison, and we intend for him to stay there for a long time,” Ryder replied somberly, his hand on Cracker’s shoulder.
“He’s hurt so many people,” Cracker said sadly, almost choking on the words as tears rose in his throat.
“We’ll get the others, too,” Douglas said, moving to stand on his other side, his arm sliding around Cracker’s waist. “We’ll get justice.”
“It’s been too long coming,” Cracker said grimly, knuckling at his eyes. “I don’t understand the kind of hatred that makes a person hurt people like he has.”
“Daniel has only one concern in his life, and that’s looking after his own skin,” Ryder said with a grimace. “So long as he gets a nice pay check and can control everything around him, he’s fine and dandy. He turns nasty when things go south for him. We think that’s why he targeted Sherman’s family initially. Kathleen told us that Daniel was jealous of her first husband for some reason. Apparently she rejected Daniel when they were younger, and his pride couldn’t handle it. He left her alone for a while, but then her husband was killed in suspicious circumstances and Daniel moved on her, courting her and bombarding her with attention until he wore her down.”
“He was always a douche,” Cracker said, curling his lip into a sneer. “He hated that Kathleen took me and Squeaks in. Especially since Kaden and my sister really hit it off. When Daniel found out that she was born male, he went kind of weird. He always maintained a veneer of the jovial spouse when Kathleen was around, but when we were alone with him, he treated us as though we were his personal slaves. He was mean, too, and tried to keep Kaden and Squeaks separate. They really hit it off, though. They were always together.”
“We’ll get all those responsible,” Douglas cut in firmly. “The two who escaped won’t be free for long, and then you’ll have justice for all those who were hurt by them.” He kissed Cracker tenderly. “Why don’t we head over to the mall, now?” Douglas said gently, leaning into the bigger shifter. “We’ll talk about how far Ryder is with his investigation later.” He shot a glance at Ryder, who sighed.
“Yes, I’ll tell you both what’s going on,” he replied.
They departed together, leaving the patients to their sleep.
Chapter Eight
Douglas kept one ear and part of his mind on gauging steps and paying attention to Ryder’s explanation of where stuff was in the mall, committing everything to memory as they strolled along. The rest of his brain was rapidly working out a plan to get to the bastard in New York City who was escaping justice. He would listen to Ryder and find out what was being done, but he wanted to have some input, as well.
“Kaden, sweetie, I don’t want you to think in any way that I’m not happily mated to my two gorgeous studs, but darling, I just fell in love with you.”
Douglas chuckled as he heard Kaden’s dry retort.
“Alfie, please don’t use that last sentence in front of your mates—I like living.”
“Oh, they’re pussycats really,” Alfie said airily, then giggled.
“We’re all pussycats,” Douglas cut in, moving closer, sandwiched between his two felines.
“Speak for yourself,” one of the bear shifters, Noah, interjected, sounding amused.
“Sorry,” Douglas replied, shrugging. “I’m still getting used to the fact that you exist.”
“Don’t sweat it, short stuff,” the bear said laconically.
Douglas was beginning to like the guy. He and his fellow bear shifters had been some of the worst affected, and he was glad they were slowly regaining their confidence. He remembered what it was like to feel helpless.
“I won’t, big stuff,” Douglas said and grinned wickedly, hearing the man laugh heartily, then he began coughing.
“Come on, bear,” Fly said, sounding concerned but snippy at the same time. “Time to get back to the clinic. You’ve been outside for far too long.”
“Dude,” Noah sighed, sounding embarrassed by Fly’s fussing. Douglas heard a snick of noise and recognized it as a wheelchair lock being disengaged.
“No arguing,” Fly cut in sharply. “We’ll get going now, guys. I’ll take the bear back for some rest, and if you don’t mind, I’m feeling a little fatigued myself.” Douglas heard the weariness in the cheetah’s voice.
“Why don’t we all head to the clinic,” Kaden suggested. “You guys look as though you’re done in. This mall ain’t goin’ anywhere, dudes.”
They grabbed a wheelchair each and helped everyone back to the clinic, the walking wounded assisting the less able-bodied. The slow procession took about fifteen minutes, then they made sure the patients were helped back to bed. With everyone situated, Douglas headed back to the mall again with his mates. He still hadn’t been inside the unit they’d chosen for Cracker and Misty’s sweets shop. He was interested to find out what they planned to do with it, since both were being mysterious about the whole thing.
He heard a familiar voice as they entered the mall again. Candy was in the building, with John once again chastising her for wandering off without telling him. Her explanation wasn’t working this time, however, and Douglas could hear John’s frustration and fear for the little shifter.
“Hey, Candy,” Douglas greeted and heard a delighted squeal.
“Dougie!” she said, then lowered her voice to a loud whisper. “Uncle John says I’m in trouble.”
“What happened this time?” Douglas asked, honing in on her voice and walking closer, automatically recalling the route from earlier. By his recollection, she was right outside the salon.
“I just wanted to see the pretty colors,” she sighed, her voice muffled slightly, as though hiding her face or sucking her thumb.
“Candy, do you remember what happened the last time you went wandering off, at the ranch?” Douglas reminded her, a little sternly. “You got stuck up a tree, a bad man was mean to you, and I got shot trying to rescue you.”
“I just wanted to see the colors,” she warbled, her little voice trembling with tears.
Douglas realized what she’d just said and tilted her head. “You can see colors, now?” he asked gently. “You mentioned yesterday that you saw a blue butterfly, didn’t you?” He’d thought that she’d imagined it.
“Yeah. And the window has all these beautiful colors, too, like in a rainbow,” she explained.
He frowned. That didn’t sound like the hair and beauty salon, but he was more interested in the fact that she could see more than just light and dark.
“Candy’s fall seems to have triggered a reversal of the optic nerve damage,” John said. “Lex had a look this morning and is referring her to a specialist.”
“I don’t wanna see a specialist,” she wailed, sounding terrified. Douglas felt his heart break and reached for her, then stumbled back as she tumbled into his arms and began sobbing.
“Sweetie, they just need to see how your eyes can be fixed,” Douglas murmured, stroking her back soothingly and inhaling the scent of chocolate and cinnamon and fruit smoothie. John was spoiling her again. “Then you’ll be able to see all the colors.”
He felt her sobs recede, her little face buried in the crook of his neck. “Will it hurt?” she asked. Douglas had no idea, since he didn’t know what seeing the consultant would entail.
John interceded. “No, love, it won’t hurt. The specialist will use a scanner, so she can see what needs to be done, if anything.”
Candy became even more fearful, and she trembled, burrowing harder against Douglas. “Maybe I could be scanned, as well,” he suggested. “Then you won’t be so scared. If they’re just scanning you, it won’t hurt.”
“They scanned me all the time, before,” she whimpered, cringing as she said the dreaded word. “It hurt so bad. They would put the little metal darts against my skin, and when they pushed the button, it buzzed like a bee. It was so horrible. Like fire. They put it on my face and my arms and everywhere.”
Douglas frowned and heard John’s indrawn breath, then the slow release. The man was obviously fighting back his anger. From the description, the “scanner” that had been used sounded more like a taser or something.
“That’s not a scanner,” Douglas explained gently. “A scanner is something you can’t even feel. I’ve had loads done, and they don’t hurt a bit.” He said the words firmly, ignoring the fact that for him, the scanner had been the least of his worries, since the sting of the acid burning through his skull had meant they’d put him into an induced coma for days after his surgery, to let his body begin to heal.
“You know what, pipsqueak, why don’t we go and have a look inside our new shop?” Cracker suddenly said. Douglas jumped a little, having forgotten his mates were still there, he’d been so absorbed with Candy’s meltdown.
“With sweets?” the little girl asked tremulously, sniffling. Douglas reached into his hip pocket and produced a tissue, then helped her to blow her nose.
“Yes,” the big lion shifter confirmed. “I think maybe that’s where you saw all the colors, isn’t it?” he added. “Our shop has a big picture in the window, with lots of sweets, and a little extra surprise, we’re having an ice cream parlor next door. Max and Harley decided they’d like to set it up, with Jester. So me and Douglas and Misty will be running the candy side of things.”
The girl giggled suddenly. “That’s my name,” she said excitedly. “I love candy.”
“Which is why we’d like some help naming the store,” Cracker said, sounding amused. “What do you think?”
She squealed, bouncing in Douglas’s arms in excitement. Douglas had to hold on firmly, caught off guard. “Candy,” she declared, wiggling to get down.
“Is that what we’re going for?” Cracker asked.
“How about Candy’s Corner?” Douglas piped up, not wanting to steal the little girl’s thunder, but hoping she’d like the addendum.
“Ooh,” she cooed, and kissed his cheek. “Candy’s Corner. Can we go and see it now?”
Douglas sniffed and identified the scent he needed, and then started walking slowly forward. He heard his mates and John fall into step behind him, talking quietly, but concentrated on where he needed to go.
“There it is!” Candy said, patting his face gently. “Candy Corner, with all the pretty colors.”
“It smells pretty, too,” he replied, and she giggled.
“Yeah, it smells sweet and chocolatey and yummy.” Candy sounded as though she may just be drooling.
Douglas felt a hand on his hip, and then Ryder explained his surroundings to him. “Main doors
to the mall are obviously behind you. The units are small, with small store rooms behind each one, and a larger loading bay for deliveries around the back of the mall. Access is through a service lift and stairs, which I’ll show you. It’s all security coded with iris scanners for added protection.”
“There are about thirty units on this level,” Cracker added. “About half are taken, including a shoe store, three boutiques, and a small electrical goods outlet so far. There’s access to the cinema and entertainment complex next door, a level up, where there’s a small food court. John suggested having small vendors, little carts that sell hot dogs, burgers, sushi, and stuff, so it doesn’t take away from the cafés and restaurants which are already in town. They’ll be open for the lunch crowd only.”
“Hey, guys,” Misty called from just ahead. Douglas heard Max and Harley and Jester repeat the greeting.
“Hey,” Cracker said.
“We just came by to see all the pretty colors,” Candy said, a hopeful undertone to her voice.
“Well, it just so happens that we have some other miniature customers who came by as well to see the colors,” Misty said, with all seriousness. “They’re over in the ice cream parlor, having some free samples, if you’d like to try some strawberry and chocolate cones.”
“I really would like to sample a cone,” Candy responded, wriggling to get out of Douglas’s grip.
He let her go, listening as she scampered off.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got her,” Misty said. “The rest of the kiddies are my official tasters for the afternoon. Max and Harley are assisting Jester and I, so if you want to take over the sweets shop, I’d be eternally grateful.” He sounded a little harassed.
“Sounds like a plan,” Douglas said cheerfully, and found himself inside the small sweets shop a moment later, with a little help from Cracker. His nostrils quivered, overloaded by the scent of sugar and cinnamon and chocolate, with hints of vanilla and various fruity aromas. He could feel cavities forming just from the smell.
“Eight steps from door to counter,” Cracker advised quietly. “There are four display racks, to the left and right, which we’ve put chocolate bars onto, as well as boxed chocolates, and we can use them for seasonal displays, as well. Behind the counter, all the sweets are in large plastic tubs, like in the old-fashioned kind of stores, but with a modern twist. If you need to fill up more bags or do pick and mix, just key in the item you want on the keypad in front of the tubs, place the bag under the right chute, and the vending machine in the back empties the sweets into the bag for you through the chute. In front of each jar is a small display of pre-bagged sweets, or people can pick and mix their own kinds, if they want a mixture.”