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Venom: Beautiful Killers Part 2

"...fresh from mommy's womb."

As the elegant, black sports car speeds down a local highway, Shiloh and Winter talk in anticipation of future events. They look clean, well-rested, and well-fed. The gray wolf is especially content knowing that all of his plans are about to come to fruition. He is looking straight ahead, intently focused on the road as he masterfully swerves past the slower vehicles. Once he hits the exit, he lowers his speed and slows his breathing. (There's little scarier than staring face-to-face down the eyes of Shiloh when he is on a serious roll.) He smiles as if a weight has just come off of him. His partner does not seem as joyful.

"My back hurts," she says.

"Sorry about that. I thought the bike would be ready by now." He stops at a red light and looks to his right. "It will be ready soon, and I'm having some custom helmets made to better accommodate us. They're gonna look really good when they're finished."

"That's nice." She winces in discomfort and squirms in her seat. "It's not that I hate your new car. I just don't like the pressure on my tail."

"Honey, just relax. Just bear with it for a little longer. You'll be standing in five minutes."

"If I were a rabbit, I could bear with it." She turns to look at him. Twinges of pain slightly decorate her face. "I wish you would rethink public transportation. It's not as bad as you make it out to be." She tries to smile. "Well, what does it matter anyway? I'm about to get my first paycheck."

"They don't give out checks."

"They don't?"

"No. There's no paper trail. Remember? They'll pay you with real money."

He shrugs with indifference then takes off as the light turns green. Five minutes later, they arrive at their destination. He turns the car to the right, going down a slope and into a well-concealed parking lot. The car stops and the occupants get out.

Rapid Recovery Loan Office looks like an innocuous office building, located just outside of an office park. It is not as visible as the other office buildings near it, however. The sloping grounds keep the front and sides of the building half-hidden from passing cars. Its front yard has a small lot; it has enough room for about ten cars. Its backyard, which has another parking lot, is surrounded by trees. You would never know it was there unless you were looking for it.

(Hold on. They work at a loan office? That doesn't make any sense.)

There are other cars where they parked, but the lot is not full. They pass by three cars as they enter the building. He holds open the glass door for her. Winter walks in, flexing her tail with her left hand. She looks surprised, as if this is her first time here. While she simply stands there, Shiloh passes her by. "Wait here for me." With a sense of purpose, he walks further in. There are a few furries in the office. Whatever noise is there quiets down when Shiloh passes.

The lobby is huge, with a really high ceiling and very little furniture. Its blue carpeting and white walls hardly scream "office." It hardly looks professional at all. But Shiloh looks like one as he makes his way straight ahead, from the front door into the hallway, where he disappears.

From the front door, Winter tries to get her bearings. In front of her is the hallway. To her left, a few feet away, is the front desk, complete with computer and telephone. In front of the desk is a small arrangement of chairs. They are arranged in three rows of five, so the place looks more like a waiting room. As she looks on, she notices something else to her left.

Dunn, Pica, and Inverness have taken three of those seats in the waiting area. They had been talking among themselves until the wolves entered. They were hushed when Shiloh passed by. However, now that he's gone and she's there, they leave their seats and slowly stroll towards her.

Winter gets a couple of more minutes of examining her surroundings. She releases her grip on her tail and puts her hands in the pockets of her jeans. As she admires the room, the three members of the stakeout step in front of her. Dunn is directly in front of her, standing about as tall as she is.

She was looking at the fluorescent lights when she bumps into him; he just stands there and lets it happen. "Hello," he says calmly.

Winter rubs her nose, taking her a few seconds to acknowledge the greeting. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

"But I saw you."

"Sorry again. I don't remember who you are." She holds out her hand, expecting a shake, then looks to her right. "But I know you. You're Inverness. I recognize your name; it's really unique. Out of everyone I've met, it's the one name I can remember off hand." She tries to smile, but then observes the terrier's sour body posture, complete with droopy tail and folded arms. She puts her arm down. "Something wrong?"

Inverness opens his mouth to speak, then quickly closes it and backs away angrily. He shakes his head and lets the fox take over.

"So, Winter, is it? My name's Dunn. You should remember that since I'm the only fox among the workers who doesn't have any red coloring."

"Oh, okay." She smiles, looking as naïve as a little girl. (This does not suit her very well.) "You're not red. That'll help."

Dunn mimics her smile, clearly mocking her. "I'm sure it will. I first saw you a month ago. You didn't stay very long. Were you just visiting?"

"That was my first time here. I came with Shiloh. He was showing me where he worked and I was meeting some of the people he worked for. I met all the executives."

"You liked it so much you decided to join, huh?"

"I'm glad I did. I think it's the best life decision I've made."

"I'm glad. You know, now that we know each other, let's talk business. Me and my friends here, we follow the news. I know the news is depressing, but we kinda have to watch. Being in the business that we're in, we're always looking to take any advantage out there that we can seize. We gotta make ends meet, you know."

"Oh." She nods. "I don't watch the news that much."

"Somehow, I could tell. Anyway, while watching the news one day, I came across this guy whom the police needed help finding. Turns out his last whereabouts were near this area. Well, being the awesome tracker I am, a skill that's exceedingly difficult in a big city such as ours, I thought...why not? So I called a couple of friends to help, and we started hunting for clues in our spare time. Two weeks later we found him, and-"

"That's great." There seems to be some boredom mixed with Winter's smile. "Did you turn him in?"

"No, it wasn't as easy as that. This was an important guy in business circles, you see. There were always so many people around him, and we needed to get him by himself so we could nab him. It took us two more weeks to come up with a competent plan, but two days ago, we finally found it. We had a place we could meet him that was isolated from the public, and a plan to keep him until the police arrived." Dunn stops smiling. "That was earlier this morning. The rain sucked, but everything was going great. Then you showed up."

Now Winter stops smiling. She puts her hands to her ample chest. "Me? No, I didn't. What are you talking about? I was somewhere else-"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Pica moves. "Just drop the innocent act, woman. You were there, last night. We saw you. Rather, Dunn saw you."

Dunn clears his throat. "You killed Doran Mann. I saw you leaving. I knew it was you after you pulled down your hood. Your ears betrayed you, so your quick getaway did you no good. If I had been a cop, you'd be in some trouble. But besides that-"

"Look, Doran Mann was mine!" Winter straightens herself and looks deeply into his eyes. "I picked him out from the front desk!"

Dunn quickly steps forward, bumping into Winter again. His nose smacks hers and she staggers back, almost falling. "Not only did you ruin our take, but you could have given us away with your dumbass shooting."

She vigorously rubs her irritated nose. "What the hell are you talking about? What take? He's mine!"

Pica steps in front of Dunn and almost bumps into her as well. "How much were you gonna make off that kill?"

She stops rubbing and looks in the bobcat's eyes. "Five thousand dollars! It was my last job as an apprentice! He's mine! You have no right to him!"

"Well, seeing as you 'don't watch the news much,' let me tell ya! Besides being a drug trafficker, Doran Mann was wanted on wire fraud and embezzlement! He was worth seventy-five thousand! Seventy-five grand! More than four weeks worth of work frittered away, thanks to you and three fucking gun shots!"

Winter is panting in anger. Pretty much every part of her is rigid. (Please don't make her angrier than she already is! Her reaction might kill me too!) "I completed the job assigned to me. That's all there is. I don't care about what you were doing in your spare time. Now get out of my face!"

"Fat chance, bitch. We want our money. You owe us eighteen thousand dollars!"

Dunn interjects. "Each." He steps real close to her. He is to her left while Pica is right in front of her. "Now, whatever money you've made up to this point, you can keep, since that's just apprentice money. However, we want anything you make from here on out. We'll stop bothering you once you've paid all of us back for all that work we did." He calmly folds his arms waiting for a response.

(Inverness has whimpered away somewhere; I have no idea where he is.)

She tries to relax. The yelling is getting to her. With the eyes of her combatants still glaring, she backs away. The door is at her back, so it looks like they are forcing her out of the building. However, for every step back, Dunn and Pica step forward. After a half minute of silence, she steps forward, turning slightly to butt heads with Dunn. "I won't say it again. Get out of my face."

The fox matches her will with almost frightening perfection. "You're not gonna move me. I won't be bullied by some young pup practically fresh from mommy's womb."

"I'm thirty years old, Dunn! Don't forget that!"

"Well, big shit! You're older! Well, I've been here nine months! I've got seniority over you, girl! So has Pica! And so has...." He looks behind him. What he thought was a black dog named Inverness has become a gray wolf named Shiloh. He is feet away, but Dunn backs off as if he were right in his face. Pica, in surprise, veers away from the wolf as well. Inverness is nowhere to be seen, though he could be behind the front desk, the only possible hiding place in the lobby.

While Shiloh stands there, looking angry, someone comes up from behind him. It's a redheaded young man wearing a three-piece suit and a red bow tie. It looks like the suit is too big for him. Otherwise, he looks like an important figure. He sneaks forward until he is even with Shiloh. His face cringes at the sound of Shiloh's low growl. He puts his left hand on the wolf's right shoulder. "Well, I've got to admit it. You're right. Your girlfriend can hold her own. Tell you what...I'll try to make it happen. The other guys won't like it, but I'll forget about the commission and give you two full pay for Doran Mann. I'll give you the full $7,150. If that's okay with you, just stand there and snarl angrily." He laughs since that is exactly what Shiloh is doing. "Come back in the conference room and sign the papers."

Shiloh obeys, turning around and going down the hallway. The redheaded businessman looks around the lobby. He stares at the fighting furries and stops smiling. "I assume this issue will resolve itself. I've already had to break up three fights among our workers this morning. Just fix this, whatever it is, and go home. It's way past closing time." He waves at Winter. "It's good to see you again." With that, he leaves, following Shiloh.

Pica and Dunn find Inverness at the front desk. They gather together and whisper among themselves. For her part, Winter stares at the hallway, watching as her boyfriend and his boss disappear into a room. She stands there for a minute, taking it all in. Her mouth drops open in surprise; it appears that the news of the money she is about to get has frozen her. Suddenly, her competition walks past her. Dunn leads the way.

"Well, look at you! Seven thousand dollars! Big-ass deal. That's nothing compared to what Mr. Mann was really worth."

Winter looks tired. "Just leave me alone."

"Don't think your mate will help you, bitch. We will collect sooner or later, either from you, or from him. It's only a matter of time." Dunn and Pica walk past her. Inverness follows, then stops to look at her.

Winter is still staring at the hallway when he notices the terrier's presence. She turns to look at him, angrier than ever. Funnily enough, however, Inverness is not angry. He looks sad, as if apologetic. They stare at each other for a couple of minutes before he follows his friends out the door.

The white wolf slowly walks into the hallway. All the doors on either side are closed, so the corridor is nearly totally dark. Seconds later, she reaches the restroom doors to her right. She hears a toilet flush, then speeds herself away; she clearly does not want to talk to whoever is about to come out of there.

She continues to look around her, trying to find her mate. She looks lost, as if this part of the building were new to her. After a few more feet, she reaches the end of the hall where a big, white door stares right back at her. The top of the door has the name VIVIAN CROSS emblazoned with gold-colored letters on it. Her ability to see these letters comes from some stray light seeping through a doorway to her right. Suddenly, raised voices echo into the hallway. She turns to the left to see windows. The view inside is blocked by the slats of venetian blinds.

Shiloh's voice is among those coming through the windows. Winter presses her face on one of them, trying to inspect the inside of the conference room. The sounds seem to indicate a little disagreement about her upcoming pay. Without hesitation, she puts her hand on the doorknob, intent to join in. Suddenly, the door with the letters opens behind her, causing her to turn around.

A dark-skinned woman exits, carrying a bulging manila folder under her left arm and a briefcase in her right hand. Her face is overwhelmed with anger. She is leaving the room in a huff when she spots Winter. She stares at the wolf angrily. Winter leans against the conference room window. They look at each other for a few seconds, the echoes of Shiloh's voice reverberating around them. Winter exhales deeply and mellows, turning her head, trying to avoid the angry woman's glares.

Having come out on top in that short staring contest, the Black woman walks through the hallway and disappears. Just then, another human exits the VIVAN CROSS door. He is dark-skinned as well, and wearing the same three-piece suit that the redhead was, without the tie. He looks at Winter too, except the response is completely different.

Winter walks up to him, smiling broadly. They know each other. "Robert," she sighs, totally relieved.

He smiles and walks toward her. They embrace. She laughs and pats him on the back. He laughs back, then pulls away. He holds on to her shoulders. "So, are congratulations in order?"

Her eyes sparkle. "Yes. I did it! I'm in."

"Well how about that." He releases her and closes the office door. "You got all three marks in a week. Didn't think you could pull it off."

"Shiloh didn't think so either. He thought I didn't have the stomach for it. He said something about...me not being able to handle death, which is ridiculous." She laughs again. "But we did it." She stands there, breathing heavily with excitement. "Can I ask you something? What's wrong with Vivian? She looked at me like she hated me all of a sudden."

Robert shakes his head. "Oh, she's just tired of all the fighting. So am I. One of our workers quit yesterday. She was really popular and, well...everyone's blaming everyone." He stops and takes a careful look at the wolf. "What's wrong?"

The wolf scoffs. "I had a fight."

Robert chuckles. "Now you really are one of us."

"I got into it with Inverness and Dunn and...whatshisname. They're blaming me for getting in the way of the Doran Mann hunt."

"But how? Doran Mann was yours."

"That's what I said! But they were going after him too, for the reward money. He was wanted for--"

"Oops." Robert puts his left hand over his mouth. His face changes. Whatever he is thinking scares him. "Aww, God. Not this."

"Did I do anything wrong?"

"No. Nothing. It's just...we may be in some trouble." He looks up to see Winter, now panicky, staring at him. He forces a smile. "Don't worry about it. Now you said Dunn. That means that Pica was with him. They shouldn't have been doing that. And Inverness too?"

Winter nods, still really worried.

Robert leans on the VIVIAN CROSS door, slamming the back of his head on it. "Shit, Inverness. Why did you have to go and be stupid too?"

"They want me to pay them back the reward money."

"Did they come after you?"

"No. Shiloh stopped them. But they've promised me it's not over. Of course, I can handle them. They don't look so tough anyway. Especially if they're not together. If I get one of them alone, I'll--"

"Stop. Just don't make that promise. Dunn and Pica are lovers. I mean, they go after the girls too, but they really look after each other, so you can tell. They're never apart. When one gets attacked, the other gets very defensive, so you can't win that battle. I'll just keep you away from them for the time being, and you don't go looking for either of them. All right?"

Winter exhales deeply. "And Inverness?"

"I'll talk to him and ask him what's going on. He'll tell me anything I want to know."

She stands next to him and leans against the door. "Thanks. I feel I can rely on you in this place."

Robert puts his right arm around her. "Winter, do you know what Crevecoeur means?"

She blinks a few times, then turns to him. "Do I know what your last name means?"

"It means 'broken heart.' That should be an omen for you."

"You mean...I shouldn't rely on you?"

"That's right. I'm just gonna be too busy. I'm gonna be schmoozing clients, balancing budgets, and on occasion, breaking up fights. I'll be too busy for you. The best I can do for you is offer advice and look after you from far away. But you need to take care of yourself and trust your instincts. You'll be fine."

Winter smiles and nods. They stand there, listening to the sounds coming from the conference room. "What's Shiloh doing?" she asks.

"He's doing the kind of thing that makes him the best among all our workers. He is haggling for a better price."

"So, I'm getting more than seven thousand dollars?"

"If he has his way, you surely will."

She laughs. "Listen to him fighting for me."

"Hey, you want to get a drink later?"

"Oh, I'm gonna get a drink, but you won't want to go where I'm going."

Robert lowers his voice. "You know I'm your friend, right? I always will be. That stuff about not relying on me? It's true, but I'll protect you in any way I can."

She puts her left arm around him. "I know you will. Don't worry about it."