Venom: Beautiful Killers. Part 12.
#12 of Venom: Beautiful Killers
[Author's Note: After a small health scare, I'm back with Part 12. It's a little long, almost 10,000 words. But it is dialogue-driven, so I hope it's still a quick read. In case you get confused, most of Part 12 references Part 1. You can read Part 1 to see the stakeout-gone-wrong story. Of course, if you have an questions or complaints, fire away. By the way, "Store ich sie?" should mean "Am I bothering you?" My German sucks.]
Venom: Beautiful Killers. Part 12.
"That's a lot of them."
[As I lie here in my hospital room, my faculties slowly start to return. I know where I am and what day it is. I can stand and walk now, though still in considerable pain. I can make a fist, I can touch my toes, and I can stand on one leg. My strength is coming back too. The only oddity on me is this tube attached to my penis. It's gonna stay there for the next few days as my new kidney is observed.]
[I should be celebrating, but today, I'm too distracted. I'm focused on Mieri, the red panda, who appeared in my dreams last night after more than a week off. Unlike the others, she was someone, or something, that I wanted to dream about. She was shy, engaging, and very beautiful. I know it's probably gonna do me no good, but I wouldn't mind seeing her again. I should fall asleep very soon. After breakfast, maybe....]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The sun emerges from its eastern resting place and throws its beams of light on the Rapid Recovery front parking lot. The sky is cloudless, there is no wind, and the humidity is on the rise. All of these conditions are announcing the coming of a brutally hot day. Sitting on the steps ahead of the door are Dunn, the light-brown swift fox, and Pica, the bespectacled bobcat. They had arrived a few minutes ago and are now sunning themselves, waiting for one of the executives to arrive and open the door. While Pica is wearing business-casual attire, Dunn is wearing gym clothes, as if he is going for a run after the morning meeting ends.
Pica looks to his right, watching the cars drive by on the street yards away from them. Dunn, sitting to his left, is caressing his left shoulder. The feline shakes his head and continues to stare at the traffic, trying to ignore the impromptu massage. Then, Dunn starts caressing his back. "Come on, man, that's enough."
"What?"
"We're outside! Besides, didn't you get enough at the party?"
Dunn chuckles. "Last night was just for show. We weren't alone; we had ladies to impress. But we're alone now, and I can concentrate." He puts both his hands on the bobcat's shoulders.
Pica sighs. "I just wanna get back to work. I want to make up for lost time. Now we're back from suspension, we should just be as professional as we can."
"Silly. We can't do any work until the door is open. And we were only suspended because Inverness was weak. But that's over now; we're through with him, and we'll choose our friends more carefully."
"Does that mean he doesn't get his part of the reward money?"
"Oh no. We're all coming out of this thing happy. You, me, Scottie, and Peter--we'll get the money and share it equally. There's no doubting that. After that though, we and that stupid terrier will go our separate ways."
Pica shakes his head. "I wish I'd never heard of Doran Mann."
Dunn moves closer to his friend and strokes his left cheek. "Look at me." He smiles as Pica obeys him. "We're back where we belong. What's your problem?"
"Crevecoeur doesn't think we belong."
"Don't worry about him. He doesn't know a thing. He won't know about this either." He leans forward and kisses Pica. The bobcat resists, but when the fox holds his head in place, he lets himself relax.
As they kiss, a tall figure appears from a corner of the building. Silhouetted in front of the sun, he slowly appears into view. The two lovers are lost in each other and cannot hear him as he approaches. When he gets close enough to see what they are doing, he stops and folds his arms.
Dunn separates himself from Pica. They smile at each other. "There you go," the fox says. "Don't worry about anything. If Crevecoeur gets in the way, I'll take care of him. I've never steered you wrong, have I?"
Without answering, the bobcat leans forward and presses his nose against Dunn's, then slowly sticks his tongue in his partner's mouth.
When they start to touch each other's chests, the stranger behind them has had enough. He moves closer and clears his throat. "Störe ich sie?"
Violently startled, the lovers separate; Dunn falls, having been pushed by a frightfully surprised Pica.
Hoeness stares at them, shaking his head in evident disgust. "Is this why Crevecoeur tossed you out on your asses two weeks ago?"
Pica huffs. "No!" He stands up angrily.
The German shepherd watches Dunn dust himself off and tries to shake the encounter from his memory. "Pathetic. Get out of the way, you poofs. I'm going in."
"The door's locked!" Dunn says with disdain. "There's nobody in there."
Hoeness tries to look through the glass door. "They're late?"
"It happens."
Slightly embarrassed, the dog walks down the steps. He looks around while Dunn laughs at him. "Okay then." He spots a blue car parked in front of them, yards away from the front door. Nodding with determination, he walks to the car and sits on the hood.
Now Pica stands. "Hey, get off of that!"
"Come on now, fellas. Don't stop fornicating just because I'm here." He smiles broadly. "Hey, while we're waiting, tell me something. Why were you guys suspended?"
The fox and the bobcat look at each other, slowly calming down after their scare. Pica whispers into his partner's ear. They look at their opponent carefully; they are clearly trying to hide something. After a minute, Dunn nods. "Winter owes us money. We aim to collect. We approached her once already. That meeting ended poorly. Unfortunately, Inverness told one of the executives about it."
Hoeness laughs. "Ah, so the new girl is in trouble already, is she? Exactly how much does she owe? Has she been with us long enough to actually owe anybody?"
"Just quick the innocent act already! We know you hate her just as much as we do. Matter of fact, I know we haven't been here for a couple of weeks, but I'm gonna bet that all the guys hate her by now."
"You don't know me, fag. Neither of you do."
"Don't deny it; you're just the same as us. Our reasons are different. You all hate her for who she is. Pica and I hate her for what she did to us. We tried to be friendly with her when we approached her with our problem, but in the end, she still owes us a lot of money."
"What was the problem? What did she do?"
"You don't need to know."
"Will it have a negative effect on the rest of us? I mean, she works here, but so do we."
Pica shakes his head. "It's a private matter between us and that bitch. No one else will be affected. I promise. And get off my car!"
"Don't forget that the bitch is Shiloh's mate. Whatever you do to her will affect him; it could affect us all."
"Shiloh travels a lot. He won't always be there to protect her."
Hoeness quickly turns his head to the left. "Quiet. Someone's coming."
The three look at the street. The sounds of footsteps can barely be heard. Pica walks away from the front door, looking for where the noise is coming from. Dunn raises his head, looking serious enough to attack. His tail is raised, his hands are clenched at his sides, and his canines are starting to show.
As the steps get closer, Hoeness hops off Pica's car. Seconds later, another silhouetted figure turns into the parking lot. The stranger waves at the males, then quickly emerges. It is Inverness, the Scottish terrier, looking sharp in his gray suit and black tie.
The German shepherd relaxes and leans on the car. Pica and Dunn return to sitting on the front steps.
"Good morning, lads."
"We didn't hear you drive up," says Hoeness.
"I took a cab. Why aren't you inside?"
"Door's locked."
The terrier notices the angry stares directed at him, and decides to wait next to Hoeness. "I don't see why we have to wait for an executive to open the door for us. We should be given our own keys. The business is just as much ours as well as theirs."
"Nope. Only loan brokers get the keys. They're the part of the business that counts. And just in case you've forgotten, it has to be that way."
"Yeah, I know we're to remain hidden." He turns his gaze to the street, noticing a white station wagon pulling into the lot. "Still, you know, St. Croix is more of a lender than a killer these days. We should convince the bosses to give him a key. He could let us in or entrust the key to one of us."
Hoeness smiles. "What are you thinking?"
"Nothing illegal or anything. I just think it's time the balance of power were evened out a little bit more. You all don't think so?"
Pica and Dunn look at one another and nod in agreement.
"If we had a key, we wouldn't be waiting out here now like kids at recess."
The German shepherd shrugs. "Well, I guess it's not a bad plan when you really think about it. Of course, I wouldn't trust the key to those two; they'd probably just leave cum on the floor."
Dunn stands. "You just shut up, asshole!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Weren't you two making out just now? Wouldn't you do it in there if you could?"
Inverness laughs. "You two were what?"
"They were about to do it."
Now the terrier practically chokes himself with laughter. "You mean to tell me that all that shit you said in the car that night...all that talk about laying down with heavy women and finding the perfect fox with all those muscles...you're telling me that it was all just a front?!"
Now Pica stands. "Fuck off, traitor!"
Inverness angrily steps forward. "Hey!" He points a finger at the bobcat. "Hey! A traitor I may be, but I ran the same risks that you all did that night. So however much money you pry out of that girl, don't forget--one quarter of it is mine!"
Meanwhile, the white station wagon has parked and its occupant has exited. Baua, the Italian greyhound, is watching everything unfold. "Whoa. What are we all talking about?" He shakes his head at the startled faces that turn to him. "We're not supposed to congregate like this, especially outside the building. I just came from the filling station across the street. Simon's there getting gas, so he'll be here shortly."
Hoeness points at Baua's left hand. "Are those pictures you got there?"
The greyhound is holding a stack of photographs. He nods and hands them off. "Freshly developed this morning. Sorry. My hands smell of fixer." He waits while Hoeness sorts through the photos. "Fell free to share them among yourselves."
Inverness walks towards them. "Could we choose our marks now?"
"Unfortunately, my computer's shot, so I can't really tell who is who. But the blonde guy is named Arlo MacDaniels. Apparently, he's a career criminal and worth a huge sum. He's worth more than any of the others, in fact. Before you choose him though, you should know that I took that picture last week. I forgot I had it with me and didn't develop it sooner. He's long gone now."
There are eight photos in total. Hoeness shares them with the rest of the guys. They look over the collection with great interest. Pica and Dunn make comments about which marks look the most interesting. Inverness simply nods at the faces he is given. Whatever anger that had developed earlier is slowly melting away. Their minds are occupied with more constructive things. The bickering has stopped. Now, the boys look like professionals.
Two minutes later, five other killers arrive in their cars, filling the front parking lot except for the space reserved for Mrs. Cross. St. Croix is among them. He greets the others and joins them as they wait for an executive to arrive. During the wait, Inverness is standing right behind him, looking at him with something on his mind.
Suddenly, Simon Blank appears, turning in from behind the building. He looks angry and tired. He is holding a black briefcase in his left hand and has his right hand in the right pocket of his trousers. The boys give him room; Dunn almost falls again. Simon gets to the front door and fumbles for his keys. Inverness is right behind him. He touches Simon's shoulder.
"What do you want?" Simon does not look at the terrier as he takes the keys out of his pocket.
"Um...." He shakes his head. "Nothing."
"If you're gonna bitch at me for being late, save it. When you have a kid, you're gonna be late all the time." He opens the door and turns to let the anthros go by. "What's that in your hand?" He points at the photos in the dog's left hand. "Ah, excellent. The latest marks. Give them to me." He takes two photos and looks them over. "Are there others? Give them to me."
Hoeness, Pica, and Dunn hand over the photographs they have and enter the building. The anthros stream in as Simon watches. He greets St. Croix and they enter together. "Put these on the front desk," he says.
The clock on the wall says 8:16. As Simon hurries into the conference room, the boys arrange the chairs in the lobby to face the front desk. There are not many people here today, so there isn't a need to get any extra chairs from the storeroom. They are sitting with their backs to the front door, anticipating the meeting. Pica and Dunn, sitting together in the front row, seem the most excited. Hoeness sits behind them, his arms folded and his head deep in thought.
At exactly 8:30, Simon emerges from the hallway, holding in his hands a projector and some computer cable. When he reaches the front desk, the lobby turns quiet. The killers simply sit and stare. Hoeness in particular looks extremely ready; he licks his lips and rapidly taps his left foot on the floor. He has a pen and notepad in his hands.
Simon connects the projector to the laptop on the desk using the cable. Then St. Croix gets out of his chair to help move the hanging display behind the desk. The display, a large still-life painting, is turned around so that it faces the wall. The back of the painting is a white canvas on top of which images from the computer will be shown.
"Good morning, everyone," Simon says. Getting no answer, he shrugs and continues. "I'm sorry I'm so late; I hope you all didn't have to wait too long. Before we get started, I would like to once again thank Baua for the fine pictures he's taken over the week. He's responsible for six of the pictures and Loiola is responsible for the other two. I went over to his house yesterday to thank him personally. As you know, he had MCL surgery last week, and is quickly recovering. He should be back among us in a week or two."
The guys murmur among themselves. A few of them nod after receiving the news.
"I know everyone in here is worried about his health...and yours, but we don't have the space in this building to deal with major injuries. We have a first-aid kit in the cafeteria as always and we can deal with minor cuts and bruises in a quite timely fashion. Of course, I trust all of you to be careful out there. Also, not that any of you care, but Colin is recuperating nicely from his attack and should return quite soon." Simon smirks at the groans from a couple of the attendees. "Yeah, that's the spirit. We will also soon get a new, bloodless carpet."
Hoeness shouts, "I haven't seen Pamila since it happened. What's become of her?"
"She's safe, and that's all you need to know. There's one more thing before we start. Stefano will return from summer vacation in a few days, and he will tell us of a couple of potential marks that fled to his home town of Boca Raton." Simon looks over the heads of the men. "Hello, Camille. Have a seat."
Everyone turns to look at her. A couple of them murmur quietly at what they see. The blue-gray cat, usually bright, amicable, and dressed in flamboyance, looks droopy and discolored from head to toe. Her clothes today are decidedly drab--a black shirt and faded blue jeans. Her face has lost its meaning; she stares blankly at the room.
She walks to the front desk slowly, dragging the tip of her tail on the ground. Even though there are unoccupied chairs at the back, St. Croix offers her his seat up front, next to Pica and Dunn. She sits there without saying a word, her hands on her lap and her bored eyes staring straight ahead.
Simon continues, "Anyway, once Stefano comes back with news, we'll find out if anyone is willing to go hunting in Florida. You'll get paid extra for travel, of course, and if the marks happen to elude you, you can enjoy the weather at the very least." He types on the laptop and turns on the projector.
The front door opens, interrupting Simon a second time. Vivian Cross has made her way through. Simon and St. Croix greet her. Nobody else does. She holds the door open so that a couple of others can make their way in. Winter steps forward with Tivoli right behind her. The wolf has the look of quiet resolve on her. The ocelot smiles with hope in her face. They take two of the empty seats at the back and patiently wait for the showcase to start. Meanwhile, Vivian waves at everybody before leaving through the hallway.
The projector shows a website on the white canvas. The site shows the face of a middle-aged man with a blue sport coat and a receding hairline. Simon clears his throat. "Before we look at the new marks, there are still a couple of old ones waiting for someone to take them. First, this is Matthew Ambrose...whose picture has suddenly gone missing from our files, so here's his web page from about a year back. Anyway, according to Mr. Crevecoeur's contacts, he was last spotted a couple of miles from downtown Los Angeles. That was last week. He's now wanted by police for...some complicated reason. Anyway, he's since disappeared. No one can find him, but his last known location was said to be...hmm, let's see." He looks carefully at the laptop.
"Chino Hills!"
Simon looks up. "What was that?"
Winter is standing and everyone has turned to look at her. "His last known location is Chino Hills. I have his photograph."
"Okay. Why?"
"Because I want the job."
A couple of the boys laugh. Not everyone thinks it is funny, but the feeling around the room is one of disbelief. Camille rolls her eyes and turns her gaze away from the wolf. (She looks awfully somber without Pamila by her side.)
"Correct me if I'm wrong. This would be your first?"
Unflinching, Winter responds. "Yes, it would be. My apprentice days are over."
"If you're right, then Chino Hills is more than thirty miles from where we are. Are you sure you can handle it?"
"I don't understand what you're insinuating, but if by 'handle' you mean 'do,' then yes, I can. Something this important is not meant to be 'handled.' You either do it or you don't."
Hoeness laughs and blows a loud wolf whistle. "Damn, Shiloh. Nice breasts."
Boisterous laughter fills the room. The mood instantly feels much lighter. The German shepherd is congratulated with a couple of high fives from the two red foxes sitting on either side of him.
"That's enough, Hoeness," Simon yells. The laughing subsides. "Although, I will admit, it does sound like something Shiloh would say." He looks above the men's heads and right at Winter. "If Shiloh was your handler, I guess I shouldn't doubt you too much. Come see me at the conference room after this is over."
(Pica and Dunn did not join in on the laughter. In fact, they're angrier than ever.)
Winter nods and sits, looking at a very impressed ocelot. Tivoli giggles and gives her friend two thumbs up.
The room quiets down and Simon takes over. "Well, Mr. Ambrose is taken care of. Hold on, let me bring up the other guy."
While the boss types on his computer, Tivoli whispers in Winter's ear. "So you're going there, huh?"
"Made up my mind just this morning. Shiloh supports my decision."
"It looks like you've upstaged everybody."
"Look, if people make fun of you, just stand your ground, or you'll be theirs forever."
Tivoli scratches her left temple. "That's a lot of them."
Five minutes later, Simon turns the projector off. "Now, let's look at the photographs. This first one...." He holds up a picture with both hands. "Forgive me; there's no time to laminate these things, but I still have all the info you need. This first one is Arlo MacDaniels, 39, not his real name. He's either British or Scottish...I don't remember. He lives in the area, so is probably not too far from us. The police once held him under suspicion of drug trafficking. No evidence came to light, however. He was subsequently released, and has been free ever since. Now, the client wants this guy killed as quietly as possible; that means kill him...and dispose of him...in such a way that nobody knows he's missing for a few days...."
Tivoli taps Winter's shoulder. "You could have just let one of these other guys go to Chino Hills instead."
Winter shakes her head. "Shiloh's told me that these asses would rather go after the marks who stay in the city. Not many of them are willing to go too far into the suburbs. Shiloh's one of the few who travels out of the area. Tomorrow, so will I."
Using a couple of note cards in his coat pocket, Simon goes through the eight doomed men in the photographs. Only Arlo MacDaniels is located anywhere near the Los Angeles area. The other seven are each based at least twenty-five miles away. Slowly, the anticipation and excitement of choosing a mark is losing its attraction--anybody who wants to catch one of these men would have to go a pretty long way. Just like Winter implied earlier, none of the boys seem up for that kind of travel.
At 8:51, after the marks are outlined and after every question has been answered, the meeting comes to an end. It is time to leave, and most of the killers do. Camille was the first to go; she didn't even bother to look over the pictures. St. Croix and Hoeness stay to fix the room. They start to turn each chair a quarter to the left so that they face the television. Winter and Tivoli are staying too. The wolf tells her friend to wait, then goes to the conference room to make the Ambrose hunt official.
For some reason, Pica and Dunn have not left yet. They watch Winter carefully as she heads through the hallway, then whisper to one another. After a minute of hushed talking and nodding, Dunn waits at the front desk, sifting through the marks. Pica heads for the front door and stays beside it. (If Winter were to come out now, she'd most likely be cornered.) As chance would have it, Tivoli has decided to wait at the door too. She notices the bobcat and smiles. He ignores her.
She scans him from top to bottom, paying special attention to his dusty yellow face and large, scoping ears. He looks undeniably handsome. Undaunted, she saunters forward him. Her hands are behind her back, grabbing the base of her tail and twirling it haphazardly. After waiting a few seconds to look him over, she exhales and quickly extends her left hand. "Hi there. I'm Tivoli."
Pica cannot ignore her now. He forces himself to turn toward her and shakes her hand. "Hi," he says listlessly.
"What's your name?"
The bobcat slumps his shoulders. His face has an "Oh dear God" look on it. "Pica. My name is Pica."
She giggles. "That's nice. Glad to meet you. I love meeting the local cats. I'm a SoCal girl." She is clearly smitten.
Pica grunts. "Could have fooled me." He points at the ocelot's chest.
Besides the cutoff jean shorts she has on, Tivoli is also wearing a white T-shirt that says "I Love NY." She laughs. "Okay, so I wasn't born here, but--"
"Neither was I. I'm from New Mexico."
"Really? Whereabouts?"
"Whereabouts?" The bobcat shakes his head. "Truth or Consequences."
"Really?" She puts her hands on her hips; her chest is now only half a foot from his. "Truth...or Consequences. I didn't think that was an actual city. I mean...." Suddenly bashful, she turns away with an embarrassed smile.
Pica shrugs. "Nice to have met you."
"No, wait!" She turns to him again and almost bumps into him as they stare at each other's eyes. She stands there for a few seconds, looking discouraged. It is reminiscent of the rocky start she had with Hoeness. "I'm sorry. I'm dreadfully new. I'm trying to get on a first name basis with as many people as I can. I just really wanted to...." From the corner of her eye, she notices someone through the door. She and Pica turn to see Ted about to enter.
As they give way, Ted casually strolls inside, accidentally hitting his briefcase against his left knee. He nods at Pica, then notices the ocelot. "Tivoli, good to meet you again."
Her giggle returns as they shake hands. "Likewise. Hey, you know that interview we did? Well, I left quickly and I never got your last name."
"Mullins. Theodore Mullins." He scans the ocelot from head to toe. "So, is today the day?"
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"It looks like you're ready for action." He points at her right leg.
Fastened around that leg, underneath her shorts, is a brown, leather holster. Her knife is not in it right now. "I've forgotten about that," she says.
"Okay then. Wait here for me. Just let me get situated and we'll see about getting a partner for you today. Oh, at some point, I'm going to have to see the knife."
Pica interrupts. "Sir, you're a little late. Most of us have left."
Ted shrugs. "Yeah. Well, we'll see what we can do." He waves to St. Croix and Hoeness as he goes through the hallway.
Tivoli exhales happily and turns back to the bobcat. "So, where were we?"
Pica backs away, trying to dismiss her. "Look, I appreciate the horny schoolgirl act, okay? I'm flattered by the attention. But I'm kinda busy."
"Well, I was just trying to...." Again, she is interrupted as another shadowy figure creeps in front of the door. She and the bobcat back away slowly.
It's a man. With the glare of the sun behind him, he is hard to make out. The stranger opens the front door and slowly steps forward. A fine specimen of a human being, at least six feet tall, he looks around the lobby with a resolute, angry face. He is certainly not put off by all the anthros staring back at him. St. Croix and Hoeness stop what they are doing. Dunn was still flipping through the photographs when the probable customer entered. Upon seeing him, the fox releases an "Uh-oh," from under his breath. He quickly dumps the pictures off the desk; they land at the foot of the chair and out of sight.
St. Croix stands up straight and rigid, with a slight panicky look on his face. "May I help you?"
The human looks very familiar. Pica, standing just inches away, seems to recognize him. He steps forward. "Pete?"
Sure enough, it is the man who was with Pica, Dunn, and Inverness at their stakeout two weeks ago. He is dressed like the executives--in a three-piece suit and red tie. His hair is gone, leaving behind a bright, clean dome. He has white tape wrapped around his left hand. Either he had just been in a fight or is prepared for one.
Still at the front desk, Dunn nervously shuffles forward. "Hey, buddy. What you doing here?"
"I knew I'd find you here." Pete's voice is low and foreboding. "Funny, you guys working in this kind of place."
Dunn smiles. "You looking for a loan?"
Hoeness grunts. "We're not open yet."
"I'm not here for no loan." Pete clears his throat and puts his hands in his pockets. "God forbid I ever get desperate enough to get money that way. All that said, I am here for payment, but it's already due me."
Tivoli senses danger. She sneaks away from Pica and backs into the front door. She is right behind the angry visitor and has a means of escape, just in case. The bobcat's eyes widen; he understands what he is here for and steps in front of him. "Wait a second. You don't have to worry. We're in the process of getting the money. Just--"
"Pica, shut up!" Dunn runs to his companion. "Don't say that now!"
Hoeness looks on confusedly. St. Croix has the same danger face Tivoli has. "Fellas, what's going on?"
"Nothing!" The fox puts his hands on Pete's shoulders. "Look, let's not worry about it. Let's talk outside."
"I didn't come here to get chummy," he answers. "Don't get me wrong. It's good to see you and Pica again after all this time. I spent quite a while waiting for news on the money you said you'd bring back. For a moment there, I thought you all forgot about me."
"Buddy, we didn't forget about you. But we can't talk in here. There's too many people. Let's just go out the door." Dunn gently pushes Pete backwards. Meanwhile, Hoeness and St. Croix stand behind the fox, trying to get a good look at the stranger, who reluctantly backs up.
Standing beside the crowd, Pica asks, "How'd you find us anyway?"
Pete stops moving and his eyes light up. "I followed her." He points straight ahead.
Everyone turns to see Winter just stepping out of the hallway. The wolf barely stepped foot in the lobby, all content and full of herself, when she sees the faces looking at her. She stops in her tracks. "What's happening?"
"That night, after Mr. Mann was offed, when we were standing there over the dead body, you said you recognized the person who killed him as she was walking away. You all said she was a white wolf who was working with you guys. I simply--"
St. Croix pushes Dunn. "What have you been telling him?!"
Dunn responds in kind, and the gray wolf slams into Hoeness. They almost fall together. Pica puts his hands on his partner's shoulders and tries to calm him. The noise level rises as St. Croix loses his cool. The men turn into animals, growling and yelling at one another. Pete stands there dumbfounded; nobody is paying attention to him anymore. Winter is flustered. The human's presence caught her off guard, but his mention of "Mr. Mann" has her clearly irritated. She walks into the hallway, opens the door to "Room 1," and slams it with all of her might.
The loud boom silences the ruckus. Everyone stops fighting and turns to Winter, who closes in on the group. Tivoli, frightened by the noise, tries to quietly catch her breath.
It is hard to tell what the white wolf is thinking. Besides St. Croix, the room is full of people who do not necessarily wish her well. Pica and Dunn hate her; she remembers the first time she met them. Hoeness ignores her and doesn't like when she speaks to him. Now, some repulsive human knows about the Doran Mann hunt. For all she knows, he could be a cop. She understands that she is about to go on the defensive again. She looks at him angrily, but cautiously. "Who are you?"
Pete successfully fends off Pica, who was trying to cover his mouth. "Names don't matter. Actions do. You killed someone I was after. He was worth seventy-five grand. He was gonna be caught alive, and the money was gonna be split four ways. Now, he would have been worth the same as a dead man, but once you shot him, you fucked up everything. We got out of there not five minutes before the cops arrived. We barely got out unnoticed." He stops to take a step forward. "Long story short, you owe me eighteen thousand dollars."
Winter opens her mouth to yell back at him. She stutters, but says nothing. Instead, she closes her mouth and puts her hands in her pockets. The room is eerily quiet when the air conditioning suddenly kicks in and emits a low hum, only adding to the tension. Somewhere, someone's watch beeps. It is nine o'clock.
If there is one thing that Winter is good at, it is defending herself in a verbal joust. It's just one more thing that Shiloh, a master of rhetoric, had taught her to do. She was probably going to yell at Pete, telling him that the Doran Mann hunt was hers. However, saying that would expose everybody in the room, if they weren't already exposed by the human's presence. Hanging her head in thought, she takes a step forward.
"I'm not completely heartless. I figure we'll just take the next couple of minutes to come up with some sort of payment plan. You pay me in small, manageable installments, and that'll be okay." Trying to control his temper, Pete takes a step back. He almost bumps into Tivoli, who seems to be trapped between him and the front door. Seconds later, there is no answer to his proposal. "Well? You just gonna stand there looking all useless?"
Winter slowly bares her teeth and creeps forward as if stalking prey.
"Aww. What's wrong? Did I make you mad? Yeah, I called you useless. What you gonna do about it?"
Like a bear being poked with a stick, she growls. "Get out, before I murder you!"
Pete is just as angry. "Murder away, bitch! But I'm not leaving without compensation!"
Winter comes after him, causing Hoeness and St. Croix to pull her back. Pica and Dunn try to push their friend towards the door. As he steps back, he bumps into Tivoli, who fruitlessly tried to sneak around him.
Suddenly, he stumbles back and almost falls; he has most likely stepped on the ocelot's foot. If he wasn't angry before, he is now. Before she can escape, he grabs her by the neck and throws her across the room. (She is literally thrown into the air. The sight of her airborne only shows how short she is, and how strong the human is.) She lands on the group of steel chairs in the middle of the lobby. Her head bounces on the floor.
Panic fills the room. Winter gasps at the sight of Tivoli writhing on the floor. St. Croix is the first to the wounded girl. He and Hoeness push chairs out of the way and gently lay her down flat. Winter jumps over St. Croix's tail and kneels next to her friend's head. In the meantime, Pica and Dunn raise their voices at the trespasser, trying to get him to leave.
Without warning, the front door bursts open. Shiloh has just entered, out of breath and full of worry. "Hey! What's going on here?! You all have to go! The time is...." He stops talking once he sees Pete. Then he looks around the room. There is disorder as far as his eyes can see. "What the hell?" He stays by the door and looks around until he sees his mate. "Winter?"
She looks up momentarily, but stays by Tivoli's side. "I'll be right over! Just stay where you are!"
"What happened?"
Before she can answer, she notices Hoeness trying to pick Tivoli up in his arms. "Hey, stop moving her head around!"
The German shepherd points at her. "Do not give me orders!" He resumes trying to lift the ocelot.
"You'll hurt her even more! At least ask her if she's all right!"
St. Croix puts a hand on her left shoulder. "Dear, it can't work like that. There's no time. We have to move her."
Tivoli squirms as Hoeness tries to maneuver her head. She moans weakly. "No. Don't touch me. Let me go."
"Come on, girl. Don't fight me." Hoeness almost trips on a fallen chair as he picks her up.
Winter stares wistfully at her wounded friend. "Her eyes are opening. Can't you at least let her sit up?"
An impatient Shiloh leaves the front door and goes to the middle of the chaos. He stands above Hoeness. "Give her to me; I'll take her to the cafeteria."
"You just stay right there, Superman! I got this!" Hoeness carefully stands.
"No! Don't touch me!" Tivoli kicks her legs, trying to get away from the dog's grasp. She probably does not know where she is, but it is clear she feels pain.
Winter leans close to Tivoli and rubs her friends head. She is so close that their noses touch. "Shh. You'll be all right. Just stop moving."
"It hurts!"
Pica and Dunn continue to keep Pete back, each one holding on to his shoulders. The remorseless human never keeps his eyes off of the white wolf.
St. Croix gently moves Winter aside and takes Tivoli from Hoeness. "I'll take her to the cafeteria. You guys just clean this place up."
The German shepherd struggles with the ocelot while pushing St. Croix away with his right shoulder. "I said I got this."
"You need to change your shirt." He points at the dog's left sleeve while he takes Tivoli. Blood from a wound on the ocelot's head has soaked the left sleeve of his yellow casual dress shirt. He looks at it and nods.
As the exchange is made, Tivoli starts to cry. She covers her face with her hands and buries her head in St. Croix's chest. As he slowly takes her toward the hallway, Winter keeps rubbing the poor feline's head, shushing her as best she can.
Peter stands on his toes. "Hey, don't you be going anywhere, you bitch! We got a date, remember?"
Commotion returns to the room as Shiloh closes in and inquisitively, angrily, stares at the human. "Who are you?" he asks. Pica and Dunn back away, allowing the two to stand nose to nose. Shiloh is taller, of course, but it seems that Peter can hold his own. He clenches his fists, inviting what would certainly be a severe beating at the hands of Winter's beau. Still, he fixes his gaze on the wolf's eyes, seemingly bored by the sight of angry fangs by now.
The situation escalates. St. Croix and Winter are too busy gingerly taking Tivoli away from the lobby, that they do not notice their superiors, Simon and Vivian, now standing in front of them. She looks on, angry but unsurprised, as if she expected this to happen. Simon, on the other hand, is stunned. "What the hell's going on?"
Before anyone can answer, Vivian enters the room and walks to the stranger in their midst. She has a reputation as a complainer and is predictably angry at everybody. However, time is extremely tight and complaining now would only waste more. She stops a few feet away from Peter and points to the door behind him. "You, out!"
"You, blow me!"
Vivian takes a couple of steps back. She gasps a little, shocked at the visceral reaction. Meanwhile, St. Croix urgently whispers in Simon's ear, pretty much relaying the situation and Tivoli's condition. The executive nods and quickly lets him into the dark hall.
As everyone watches, Vivian takes a few seconds to calm down. She is still mad, but now less combative. She tries a different tack. "Who are you?"
His fists are still clenched. "My name is Petrica Petrescu. I came here because Ms. Big Bad over there owes me money."
Winter, still worried about her friend, tries to sneak around Simon. He grabs her left wrist and keeps her in the fray. Even though he is ignorant of what happened, he follows the tune the other executives have adopted: if the male workers are mad, the females are most likely the reason.
Vivian looks back at the only other female in the room at the moment, then turns back to Pete. "Why would she owe you money? How do you even know her?"
Pete wastes no time. He spends one minute quickly summarizing the stakeout of Doran Mann. He only tells his part in the story, but says enough to implicate Pica, Dunn, and Inverness. "All I saw of the wolf was her back, but Pica's eyes are sharp. He knew it was her and then told me who it was. 'Someone I now work with,' he said."
The fox and the bobcat look on with resignation as their plan is dissected in front of them. Throughout Pete's quick speech, Shiloh stares at them, with a face that is aching to bite someone's head off. Hoeness is more concerned for his bloodstained shirt than the matters at hand. Disappointed, he takes it off, exposing his wifebeater. There is a red stain on his left arm. Simon and Winter look on in disbelief. The wolf actually looks scared.
The chief barely bats an eyelash while listening to him. She is patient and firm, unlike the other workers in the room. "I can assure you, going out of your way to catch a hardened criminal is no way to make the kind of money you're looking for. You'd do well to forget about this endeavor. All you've done is waste your time, and that of the people who work here."
Pete raises his eyebrows and nods. "That's fine." The backs himself to the front door. "That's just fine. You know why? Because, Mr. Mann is a special case. The FBI's figured out that he was responsible for a large flow of drugs coming in from Mexico. They think that he may have been killed by one of his 'South-of-the-border' business partners. On Friday, they put out a ten-thousand-dollar reward for any information on his death. Just imagine what they'll give me when I lead them to your door." He looks around the room, satisfied. "You guys ready for Fed hell? 'Cuz I don't care. I'll get some money either way."
Vivian folds her arms. Her head is flooded with thoughts and scenarios. She looks back at Simon, who shrugs, then looks at her watch. "All right, Mr. Petrescu. Follow me. Let's talk a while." She turns and leads him out of the lobby. They pass Simon and Winter. "Go to the end of the hall and turn left. Tell the man in there that Vivian sent you. I'll only be a minute." She actually smiles at the young man, who gives Winter the evil eye before going through the darkness.
Simon shakes his head. "What was that? What are you thinking?"
"Look, there's no time to argue. We have to go to work. Settle this with them. Do it now, and don't dawdle. We'll discuss this at lunch." The chief points at his left hand, which is still holding on to Winter. "You can let her go now."
The white wolf forcefully frees herself and quickly walks toward Pica and Dunn. She is possibly the angriest wolf in the world at this moment.
"You stop right there!" Simon quickly follows her. "There'll be none of that. No fighting." He looks around the room. Satisfied that everything is calm, he says, "All right. I want only one person to talk. Talk quickly. Let's do this before anyone else come in. What happened that night, Winter?"
She shrugs. "Nothing happened. It was my third apprentice hunt with Shiloh. The day before, he talked to Doran Mann on the phone, posing as a drug-addicted customer. They set up the meeting at the office complex where Mr. Mann works. Shiloh parked by a building there and sent me to the meeting place as scheduled. I closed the hood of the raincoat around my face, so the mark couldn't tell I wasn't a man. Once he showed me the drugs, I shot him. I didn't know anyone else was there...." She sneers at Dunn. "I thought my instincts were playing tricks on me. I should have known something was wrong."
Shiloh anger turns to worry as he lovingly looks at his mate.
Simon blocks Winter's access to Pica and Dunn. "Dunn, you're next. Is it like Mr. Petrescu says? And who is he anyway?"
The fox hesitates, but driven by his hatred for Winter, he allows himself to vent. "Look, Mr. Petrescu, Pete, is my friend. We met a couple of years back, well before I joined this company. I include him in most of my non-work-related activities. He knows L.A. like the back of his hand, and also knows its criminal element. He owns a police scanner, and that is where he picked up the search for Doran Mann. Then we watched news reports that told us of his last known location. He was making a living here."
"So was the stakeout his idea?"
"No, it was mine. Getting Mann was his idea, but I had the means. I hatched the capture plan days in advance, and it was working well...until she showed up. Look, we did nothing wrong! We didn't know he was a mark. We must have missed that meeting."
"Or you weren't paying attention. Anyway, don't you guys make enough money with us as it is?"
Meanwhile, Shiloh had pulled Winter towards him. They are standing by the front door. He had gone there to watch out for customers, but is now more concerned for her. He holds her closely. She is still focused on her rivals, so it takes her a while to notice that she is being embraced. Soon however, she sees him and they gently kiss. Hoeness sees this and sticks out his tongue in disgust.
After hearing Pica defend himself, Simon says, "The money was gonna be split four ways. Who was the fourth person?"
"Inverness," Dunn says.
"Where the hell is he?"
Hoeness butts in. "He left after the morning meeting. He left without even looking at the marks."
"Okay. Let's stop here."
Pica's anger returns as he sees the wolf couple at the door. He yells at the executive. "This had nothing to do with work. We would not have gone after Winter's mark if we had known. But the plan was working. We had him, and--"
"You didn't get the reward! So, were you gonna shake her down for money like Petrescu tried to do?"
"They've tried already!" Winter shouts.
Simon blows out a heavy breath. "Okay. That's enough. You and Dunn just go. We'll talk tomorrow. Ted is on the phone with clients, so we won't bother him today. Winter is going to Chino Hills tomorrow, so she can't participate at all. Tomorrow morning, it'll be just you two with me and Ted in the conference room. He'll decide what happens next. If Inverness shows up, we'll talk to him too. We really need to clear some things up."
Reluctantly, Pica leads and Dunn follows. They pass the wolves; Shiloh stands behind Winter with his hands on her shoulders. Pica stops in front of her, looking at her with malevolence in his eyes.
"Keep walking," Shiloh says.
Dunn pushes his partner through and closes the door behind them. Everyone inside watches the door for a few seconds.
All of a sudden, the German shepherd laughs. "You almost gotta feel for Mr. Mann. He sets up two drug sales at the same place on the same night...except one customer was trying to capture him, and the other was trying to kill him."
Simon rubs his thick hair with his hands. "I'm not laughing, Hoeness. You shouldn't be either."
Shiloh clears his throat. "Sir, what do you suppose the chief is telling Mr. Petrescu?"
"I don't know. Why? You have a presumption?"
The wolf nods ominously.
Hoeness scoffs. "Please. If I were the chief, I'd tell that runt who we were, then kill him and cut up the body. Then we'd fire his friend Dunn so that he doesn't suspect anything for a long time." He looks around the room at all the serious faces. "Hey, relax everybody! The chief's got something up her sleeve. She's just letting him down gently."
"Yeah, and then what? Think clearly, dumbass!" Shiloh steps in front of Hoeness. "Didn't you see what happened? Mrs. Cross caved! She doesn't do that, but today she did! She gave in to that punk. Don't you understand why?"
Simon nods. "I think I do. It's been a long July. Zesty got fired, then Mariana quit. Then Pamila attacked an executive. Now this happens. Things are slowly spinning out of control. The chief just wants things to return back to normal...or as normal as possible. I just hope--"
"Wait a minute!" Hoeness face widens with panic. He looks at Shiloh. "You don't think that she's gonna give him what he's asking for, do you?"
The wolf nods. "Every single penny."
"Bullshit!" He runs to Simon. "She can't do that!"
"Why not?"
"Well...whose money will she give him? The lending company's? Or ours?!"
Simon turns away from the dog and heads to the hallway. "She'll use the company's money of course. However, don't be surprised to find all the workers' wages slashed considerably as a result."
Hoeness shakes his head. "Bullshit," he whispers.
Winter sighs loudly. She puts a hand on her forehead. "It's all my fault." Her breathing becomes shallow. She swallows and looks across the room. Ignoring Shiloh, she runs to the hallway, where Simon stops her. "Let me go. I've got to see Tivoli. I've forgotten about her."
"Wait." He points a finger in her face. "You've got a long trip to get ready for. You're going to Chino Hills, right? So, you gotta prepare right away. You can't get emotionally invested in what happened today."
"No! It's not fair! I brought her here! I'm responsible for her well-being!"
"Hey, ask Shiloh if you think I'm wrong. He'll tell you. Once you choose your mark, you've got to be focused on nothing else but him. You can't just--"
"Sir...please." Shiloh looks at his boss glumly. His posture has softened considerably now that his girlfriend is in some distress.
"Goddammit." Simon looks at the ceiling with frustration for a couple of seconds. "All right. It'll be okay." He holds Winter's hands. "Help the boys clean up in here, I'll get St. Croix to man the front desk, and then you can go see her, okay?" After she nods, he heaves a sigh of relief. "Just hurry up, or you'll have to pretend to be customers again."
The place is quiet once more, as it is meant to be. The disturbance today left behind five or six uprooted chairs, blood on the floor, and the shattered psyche of the company's newest worker. Winter and Shiloh carefully look around, trying to see what needs doing. They observe Hoeness trying to restore order. He had just wiped off the blood on the floor with his now thoroughly stained shirt.
The wolves look at each other. "You all right?" he asks.
She does not have the vitality the came in with earlier. She hangs on to his right arm. "I'm sorry. I've disappointed you."
"No, you haven't."
"The Mann hunt's become a disaster. I don't think I can do my next one. I don't think I'm ready for Chino Hills. And I don't think I deserve any of my pay! "
"That night, you didn't know anything other than what you were supposed to do. Everything worked out as planned. You got Mr. Mann and you earned the ten thousand dollars. That's what counts. You just had some uninvited guests. Chances are it'll never happen again."
Winter tries to smile, but only ends up looking sadder. Shiloh strokes her back, drawing her closer to him. He leans in to kiss her nose, then hears a "tsk" sound in front of him. He looks up to see the German shepherd making a face in disapproval. "Don't watch, asshole," the wolf shouts.
Hoeness chuckles and continues arranging the chairs. "Winter and Superman sittin' in a tree."
"Ignore him, baby."
"F-U-C-K-I-N-G."
The white wolf has had enough. She has been made to look bad all morning long, and it was going to end now. Before Shiloh can stop her, she quickly walks over to the unsuspecting dog and pushes him down. The German shepherd falls, taking two more chairs with him. The heavy push lands him on his chest.
Breathing vigorously, she is ready for a fight. "You're a son of a bitch! You know that, Hoeness?!" She stands there, waiting for him to do something. Shiloh joins her, returning his right hand to her back. They stand over their prey with anticipation.
The dog responds by sitting up and looking at the couple. Suddenly, he laughs, clearly unbothered. "You need to work on your insults, young lady. My mom is a bitch." He laughs harder.
Winter growls and tries to advance again. Shiloh wraps his arms around her waist, holding her back.
Suddenly, they hear a sound near the hallway. The three stop in mid-motion and turn to see an unwelcome sight. Peter Petrescu is back, and he is not taking the back door. The sight of the young man causes Shiloh to hold his girl closer to him. Hoeness stands quickly. Holding the chair he fell on, he looks on angrily at the troublesome guest.
Pete seems to be making the best-looking poker face ever. If he got his money from the chief, he is not showing it. If he got soundly rejected, he is not letting it show either. Looking neither happy nor angry, he stands there, just outside of the hall, observing the front door. His pupils move back and forth, scanning the room. Suddenly, as if someone flipped an "on" switch, he puts his hands in his pockets and steps forward.
He passes the confused dog and starts to pass the angry wolves. Nothing comes out of his mouth and he pays them no attention. His walk is proud and deliberate. He looks and feels very tall as he easily swings open the door.
Behind him, Winter exhales heavily and puffs out her chest. "I'll remember this," she tells the human. "And I'll remember you too."
Pete turns to her, closes his eyes, and smiles. Seconds later, he is outside the building. Shiloh momentarily leaves Winter to watch him go to his car and drive away. Satisfied that he is now gone, he goes back to her, shaking his head. "Yep. Every penny."
"Look, we're all angry at him," Hoeness says. "Let's just call a truce and fix this mess. I've got a dead-beat dad to kill in an hour."
Shiloh shrugs and helps restore the waiting room to its past, unassuming glory. Winter turns the television on.
"What are you doing here anyway?" the dog asks. "Weren't you going on vacation after Winter finished her apprentice kills?"
"I drove the girls. I share some responsibility for Tivoli; I'm her sponsor. I was waiting in the car while she was assigned a handler, then I was gonna take her home. If I had known all this would happen, I would have come to the meeting."
"I've met her already. She's really nice, if a little nosy. I'm sorry about what happened." He turns to the white wolf. "She's gonna be okay. She was conscious, so she's good."
Winter is still angry at him, but acknowledges his attempt to be nice with a slight nod. She sits on a chair and watches the television. St. Croix emerges a couple of minutes later, giving her the go-ahead to see her friend in the cafeteria.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The visit with Tivoli was short and rather poignant. Winter barged into the dining hall and saw her friend sitting on a chair nearby, crying into her hands. She showed her the spot on the back of her head where she got injured. St. Croix had crudely tried to patch it with a gauze dressing, somehow getting it to stick through the ocelot's long, blonde hair.
She is eventually visited by Ted, Simon, and Vivian. She gently fights off any attempt to drive her to a hospital and decides to stay in the cafeteria until she feels she is ready to leave. Besides the debilitating pain of the wound, she doesn't have much trouble standing, walking, or speaking.
Winter cannot stay. She has an itinerary to plan for concerning the mark whose last known location is about thirty miles away. She profusely apologizes to Tivoli, even though they both understand what she has to do. She and Shiloh leave through the back door and drive away; she continues to look behind her as the leave the building, but her mate quickly gets her to focus on her mission.
The wolves spend the rest of the day making a checklist and shopping for everything on it. Going through various department stores, they buy her an extra change of clothes, from underwear to raincoats to shoes. They do not get any food; she can take care of that by herself, but he buys her sports drinks with electrolytes. "They keep me ready," he says. "They should work for you too."
Winter disagrees with getting a road map, but Shiloh insists. "Since this is your first real hunt, you need one," he says. They debate on whether or not to buy a GPS; he relents and buys one. (She does not drive, but hopes to ride his motorcycle whenever it is ready.) They spend two hours at a library, trying to book a motel near where Matthew Ambrose was suspected to be. They use satellite images on a computer to confirm many locations where he could frequent, including hotels, bars, and apartments. The constant attention to detail starts to make her tense.
To temporarily take her mind off her hunt, he takes her out to dinner. He hates wearing suits and ties, but she likes dressing up. So he sacrifices his pride and takes her to an upscale restaurant, where she orders some of the more expensive items on the menu. The evening goes very well, and Winter relaxes. The meal acts as aromatherapy, and she indulges in the smells and tastes of her favorite foods.
At nine o'clock, they return home, their hands full of groceries, books, and clothes. A tired Shiloh sets his bags by the door. Winter puts what she's holding on the nearest couch. She smacks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, still tasting her appetizing dinner.
Shiloh sighs. "Which one of us has the GPS? You got it in those bags somewhere?"
"Let's leave it 'til morning."
"I still don't like those things. Humans need to use 'em--that's fine. But we have long memories. We can sense our way around town. "
"We can use it to get to places much faster than before. If we need to get a mark in a limited amount of time, a GPS can give us alternate routes."
"It just seems unnecessary." He leaves the living room.
Winter yawns and follows him, desperately looking forward to a good night's sleep. She follows him to the bathroom where he is washing his hands. She saunters in, smiling seductively, and wraps her arms around his waist. "Thank you."
"For what?"
She presses her head on his back. "For everything."
"It's been a long day," he says, wiping his hands. "You know almost everything there is to know by now."
They share a long, passionate kiss that takes more than a minute. They have been trying to do that all day, with limited success. Her hands greedily paw at his back and rear end. When their mouths detach, she starts to unzip his trousers. She pants eagerly. "Take me."
"Stop. Stop right there." He grabs her hands. "None of that, not the day before a job."
Winter scoffs. "What? Since when?"
"Since always. You cannot do this job on a sexual high. It's just not possible. Believe me, I've tried."
She draws herself closer to him and sticks her left hand through the unzipped opening. "Please," she laughs.
He clears his throat. "Besides, you've got to wake up early tomorrow." He grabs her hands again.
"Mr. Ambrose is in Chino Hills. We've got him pinned down. He's not going anywhere. Relax a bit."
"That's his last known location. For all we know, he could be in any suburb in the L.A. area." He presses his nose on hers and lowers his voice. "Listen, I've just had a thought. The police don't know where he is. Our bosses are ex-cops. They have moles all over L.A., and they still can't find him. This leads me to believe that's he's living under another name. It's possible no one in Chino Hills has heard of Matthew Ambrose. But you have his picture. When you get there, show it around. I'm betting you'll get lucky."
Winter shakes her head, obviously disappointed. "What a day. You've been doing this for almost three years. Is it always this hard?"
"It gets better, babe. Trust me. " He laughs. "Besides, if you come back successful, I'll fuck you until you beg for forgiveness." He laughs and kisses her nose.
"I can't ignore what happened to Tivoli. I hope she's all right."
"Hey, she'll be fine. Besides, all the people I've vouched for haven't failed yet. She won't either."