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Venom: Beautiful Killers. Part 32.

"You know, he was scared of you for a moment."

[It's six p.m., Thursday evening, and I'm about to be rid of this catheter. I was told about that around noon, after four doctors came in and interrupted the latest dream I was having. I was able to pay attention long enough to grasp what is about to happen. My new kidney is working very well as my reduced weight and my urine output shows. The catheter will be removed tonight and I will stay here all day Friday for observation. Provided that nothing bad happens, I can go home Saturday afternoon.]

[I tried not to get too used to my hospital room and the weird sleep patterns that I've had to live with. But I have found that my surroundings determine who I dream about and when. I would dream about Tivoli whenever I took a certain group of pills. Hoeness would appear if I went to sleep during a headache. Pamila would appear thanks to the morphine. Either Winter or Shiloh, or both, would appear whenever I was in my deepest sleep--whenever their scene was done, they would fade and be replaced with other characters, then I'd either wake up on my own or be awakened. My deepest sleeps usually happen after I eat a large meal.]

[Everything I have written down is forming a pretty decent story. When I leave for home, most of these surroundings will have changed. There will be no more morphine, I will have a regular sleeping pattern, and I'll be taking these newly prescribed pills that will undoubtedly have questionable side effects. I have the feeling that the story will drastically change in a couple of days.]

[In the meantime, it's time to eat....]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I just wish you'd slow down a bit. I just got this thing fixed last night."

"And I appreciate you for it, but I'm going back to the office today. I wanna get my next mark."

"Why don't we just hold off on that today? I'll be going to the office to get paid for Daltrey and Thompson anyway. We can just go together. We'll then celebrate our winnings at The Shark Pit, among other places."

"Those were technically your hunts. I wanna go the morning meeting and start my next one." Winter exits the open garage, dragging the newly repaired motorcycle by her side. Most of the damage done had been to its extremities; its mirrors, speedometer, handlebars, and GPS mount. Each one of those implements has been fixed and nothing looks out of place. The motorcycle looks like it has just stepped out of a showroom, shining in the early morning sun. Winter is shining too; she is wearing a brand new, glistening, motorcycle jacket, new blue jeans, and a brown belt with a silver buckle. The jacket is open to reveal a white T-shirt. Her shoes also look new.

Shiloh is still wearing the pajamas he slept in. He is more tired than she is and keeps yawning over and over. It is clear that he had just been awakened. Someone as supremely cultured as he is would usually never be caught dead wearing his pajamas outdoors. He slouches as he steps in front of his mate, blocking her path to the driveway. "We're not done talking about this. In fact, we haven't really gotten a chance to."

"Hey, I tried to explain it all the night it happened. You just yelled a lot and left with the bike the next morning."

"I'm sorry I did that, and I'm sorry that I was gone all day yesterday, but it needed to be fixed. We need this thing." He pauses to gaze into her eyes. There is some scorn attached to the grey wolf's face, but it is matched effectively by the white wolf's defiant stare. He puts his hands on the handlebars and holds the hog in place. "This bike is an integral part of the job. You need to be careful with--"

"I am! I have been!" Winter releases the bike and folds her arms. "Have you been blind the last couple of weeks? I've been taking good care of it."

"I know you've been enjoying it up until this point, and far be it from me to cast judgment about the one vehicle you can actually drive, but I'm still trying to piece together what you told me last night. We can't just let it go at that. Something's gotta be done." He places the motorcycle stand on the ground. With the machine now standing free, Shiloh is able to face his mate without an obstacle in the way. He looks more authoritative without the hurdle. "So, Pamila, yes?"

Winter hangs and shakes her head. "You don't have to do that. You don't have to act like a father disappointed at his kid."

"What did she do and how long has she been doing it?"

"A couple of weeks ago, I went to Pamila when she was cleaning Mrs. Cross' office. This was the day we were in The Shark Pit and all those police cars came. You were detained, remember?"

"Yeah, that's still fresh in my mind."

"Right. When the police started asking the patrons their questions, I asked you if it was because of the bombing."

"And I quietly told you that it was Pamila, and that a few of the guys in there knew about it. I remember that I made you hide behind the bar with Casey so you wouldn't be questioned."

"Yeah, and I know you told me not to spread it around or dwell on it too much, but I couldn't just sit there hiding while Cliff was all in your face. I asked Bruno to get me out of there and he let me escape through the back door. I then went to the office to get paid. That's when I heard that Pamila was there."

"You didn't confront her, did you?"

"It wasn't a confrontation until she turned it into one."

"That's what she does."

"It didn't have to be like that, and I told her as much."

"Then you lost."

"Why? How?! I did what I did and I came away clean. I told her to stay away from The Shark Pit until the police give up the search. She probably already knew that. I just wanted to reinforce it. That's all."

Shiloh clears his throat angrily. "And what's happened since then? How did it get from that to the Harley almost being destroyed?"

Winter puts her hands behind her back. She tries to make her mate's angry gaze with one of her own. "Well...a few days after I told her all that, I went back to the office. That was the day I finally killed my first mark on my own and I was ready to get paid for that. I was using the restroom when she came in. She just started talking to me and we started to have a conversation. She seemed nice and even sounded sincere, then...." She notices Shiloh bracing himself to hear something shocking. She shakes her head and turns her head to the sky in frustration. "She wanted to set up a get-together with me, away from The Shark Pit. While I was talking, I suddenly felt this...you're mad at me."

"Felt what?"

"She poured water on me, okay? She emptied a bucket of dirty, soapy water on me. It was the water she used to mop the floor. Then she threw the bucket at me! I couldn't do anything because...because--"

"You had your pants around your ankles." He squats to get a closer look at the front tire. "So she got you and...you got her back?"

"I punched her out a few days later. She was taking out the trash when I...." She laughs hard enough that she covers her mouth. "I threw her in the trash. Then I punched her out."

"Then two days ago, she broke the bike."

"With me on it." Winter stops smiling and shakes her head. "I've got to hand it to her. She knows how to vent."

Shiloh stands and nods. "Well, that stops today. From now on, whenever you go to get paid, I'm coming with you."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"That's not the point. I know that fox can't be in the morning meetings for a while, so I don't need to go with you for those, but when you go there in the evenings, I'm gonna be there too."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"It doesn't matter. If you meet her again, you're obviously gonna go after her, then she'll come right back at you."

"She's only one dimwitted fox. I don't need you to protect me from her."

Shiloh closes in, still angry at his mate. He grabs her hands. "She's not dimwitted. She's much smarter than you give her credit for. When you go after her, she comes right back after you, and she does it in a way that doesn't come back to bite her. You didn't know who she was when you first confronted her. Everything she's done to you is the way she normally does."

"I'll respond back. She's not stronger than me."

"How are you gonna do it?! And how's she gonna respond next?" He waits for an answer, but gets an angry face instead. "You see? You don't know. Meanwhile, she's already got her next comeback planned. She's surrounded every day by people who hate her, so she knows how to fight...." He pulls her hands to his muzzle and gently kisses them. "...because she fights them all."

"I can fight too!"

"No you can't, baby." He reaches forward to stroke her cheek, hoping to soften her anger. "You can't fight, not like she does. You don't know how. You can kill, sure, but unless you plan to kill Pamila, this shit's just gonna continue. And she's killed five people trying to get to one man, so don't tell me not to worry about you."

Winter turns away from him, taking her hands with her. "So now what? I just avoid her and hope we don't run into each other?"

"I go with you the next time you get paid. I'll talk to Pam about the bike. She owes me five grand."

She turns back to him with a smirk on her face. "She's gonna come after you too, you know."

"I know she's not fond of me, but I don't mind it. She just can't do the job as well as I can. That's all. I won't be angry at her. I'll just ask for the money." He shows his huge teeth as he smiles. "I'll use my indoor voice."

Winter tries to keep herself from laughing at that, but does so anyway. She approaches him and kisses his nose. "May I please have the bike?"

Shiloh shakes his head. "Okay. But come straight back after you get your mark, okay? We gotta plan a strategy."

"She's just one fox."

"A very smart fox. You gotta learn how to properly handle someone like that." He clears his throat worriedly. "Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. I mean Ambrose. I can't find him. I've been looking around for the last two days. I had to stop yesterday to get the bike fixed. The trail's only gone colder since then."

She furrows her brow. "You can't find him? So he's really gone?"

"I've already stopped by Chino Hills, to that apartment building you told me he was staying in. I tried to ask about him through the landlord, but I forgot the name he used as his alias, so I didn't get very far."

"Thaddeus Doyle. It was raining the day I found him. Any scents he left behind have clearly washed away."

"For sure. The school he worked for while he was going incognito has surely reported him missing by now."

"I wonder if Ravi and Gonal are still there in Ambrose's apartment, siphoning the money away."

"Hey, I forgot about those two. There's money still there, huh?"

Winter chuckles. "Millions."

Shiloh nods with determination, a sure sign of an idea brewing in him. "Come to think of it, if there are any clues to Mr. Ambrose's whereabouts, they should still be in that apartment."

"You're right. When I got there, Ambrose was running away, taking only what he could carry on such short notice. He must have left something. He must have left a lot of 'somethings' behind."

"Very well then. Get your mark and come back. We'll go back to Chino Hills today and try to get access to that apartment building. We'll figure out a way to get past the tigers."

"Good. You got the GPS?"

Shiloh's smile disappears as he fishes into his pajama pockets. He pulls out a small, black screen and tosses it to the white wolf. As he watches her place the device on the mount, he shakes his head sadly. "I still think those things make you stupid."

"Funny. That's what she said...right before she ran over it."

Shiloh laughs again and steps aside. Winter straddles and starts the motorcycle. "I'll get your helmet," he says. "Come back soon."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Crevecoeur's hands tighten their grip on the ten and two positions of the steering wheel. Beads of sweat form on his forehead, despite the minivan's open windows. His lips are pressed tightly and his left foot taps the floor rapidly. He clearly looks uncomfortable. Next to him, Tivoli looks out the window on her side. She looks bored, but her head bobs to the music on the radio. She even sings a little.

At a stop light, the human hesitates, but after taking a couple of breaths, he turns to her and says, "I forgot to ask. How was the evaluation?"

Tivoli turns to him and smiles. "Ted gave me a clean bill of health. It wasn't as bad as you led me to believe it would be."

"Ted's unpredictable. I don't know his methods or how they work, but if he says you're fine--"

"If he didn't think I was fine, would I be going with you right now?"

The light says green and Crevecoeur steps on the gas. "We're almost there."

"Say, listen, I forgot to thank you. You know? For the money."

"Yeah, don't mention it. The sight of your new shoes is thanks enough."

The ocelot looks at her lap, slightly embarrassed. "I've only spent a thousand, and it was mostly for new furniture for Paraná's house. Anyway, I wouldn't disrespect you like that. I wouldn't just waste money on things I don't really need. But I can now afford to move out of Karen's house. I'll be living with Paraná from now on. A few thousand more and I should get my own place."

Crevecoeur scoffs. "So tell me, how is the patient?"

"He's in better spirits. I was with him almost all day yesterday and I called him this morning. He's hanging in there, but I still get the feeling he's not totally glad to see me."

"You're not crowding him, are you?"

"What are you talking about? Of course not."

"I'm just saying...if I've been stabbed as many times as that, I'd like time to myself so I can wallow."

"The stab wounds are the burden, not me. I've done nothing but help him cope."

"Just don't baby him. I'm sure he's emasculated enough as it is."

Tivoli returns her gaze to the window. "I don't know what you're talking about. I know what I'm doing."

There is uncomfortable silence for five minutes, with nothing but the radio making noise. The trees and houses of the suburbs outside the car slowly turn dingy and gritty. As the seconds pass, Tivoli recognizes less and less of the area around her. She turns to the executive inquisitively, but does not ask a question. Instead, she observes his face as it scrunches in disapproval. It looks like he is very familiar with the area and does not like what he sees. She worriedly turns back to the window.

"We're almost there," Crevecoeur says. "The person I want you to meet is close with your mark, so any information we can pick up from him is vitally important."

"How are they related?" Tivoli suddenly shows interest again.

"The guy is another one of my contacts. The convenience store he runs attracts a lot of people. In the past few months however, a number of marks have made their way there. He's been helpful in locating the whereabouts of some of them, making it easy for our hitmen to get them. Your job today is to ask him what a full-fledged hitman would ask him and get to know what he knows about your particular mark. Whatever clues you pick up will help you catch him."

Tivoli nods with interest. "Are you finally gonna tell me who the mark is? You've been hiding it from me all day."

"Yeah, with good reason." Crevecoeur clears his throat and braces himself.

"Whoever he is, I'm ready for anything."

"His name is Keith McDaniels. He's the son of Arlo McDaniels." He lets that sink in for a couple of minutes as he continues to drive. He keeps his ears open, listening for any sounds from the ocelot that might indicate nervousness or fear. Hearing nothing, he nods. "You're awful quiet."

Tivoli looks around the car, surprised and unsure. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"What you mean?"

"Another McDaniels?"

"The client wants this one gone too. It pays ten thousand, and I already told you it's one you can do."

"How come?"

"We're here." Crevecoeur turns the minivan into a small parking lot in front of a humble-looking, glass-covered building. It has neon lights on its windows, including a flashing OPEN sign that greets the customers. The lot is unsightly; there are cigarette butts, pieces of paper, and shards of broken beer bottles strewn all over the place. Most of the mess has settled at the side of the store. The nearby sidewalks are cracked and covered with weeds. The windows are dingy and covered with streaks and hand prints.

The ocelot opens her mouth a couple of times, but each time she readies herself to speak, the words disappear. She only stutters weakly.

"Now listen." The human stops the minivan and removes the key from the ignition. "This is a straight, simple hunt. The mark has no posse, no sidekicks, no other people hovering around him. There are also no stings or stakeouts that you have to be a part of. Keith McDaniels is alone. Unlike Arlo, Keith doesn't hang around with anyone. The client assures me that he'll be alone when you meet him, and you should have no obstacles when you kill him. If I may say so, this should be the easiest hit you'll ever have." He opens his door and steps out of the vehicle.

"You make it sound so simple." Tivoli follows suit, exiting slowly as she gets a good look at her surroundings. She wrinkles her nose and raises her eyebrows. "What an ugly place."

"Welcome to the inner city. Try not to step on any glass. The people, especially the young people who hang around here, are particularly brazen. If anyone approaches you, ignore them. Keep your hands to yourself at all times." He leads the way and opens the front door for her.

"I'll bet this store is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside."

"Would you like anything while we're in here? I'm getting a doughnut."

"Ooh, are you paying? In that case, could you get me a cheese Danish? And a latte?"

"I sense suddenly coming into money is changing you a bit. Follow me." He closes the door behind them and he again leads the way. From the glass door, it is just a short, ten-step walk to the counter. There is nobody behind it at the moment since there is nobody else in the store to tend to. Crevecoeur clears his throat loudly in an attempt to attract attention.

Seconds later, a tall, elderly, exotic feline slowly steps through the doorway behind the counter. His native clothes cover every inch of him except his face and hands. Tivoli notices the stripes about him. "You're a tiger," she says with a smile.

"Well spotted," the feline says sarcastically. "Are you psychic?" His foreign accent sounds haughty and pretentious. He smirks slightly, then notices Crevecoeur standing next to her. He does a double take and gasps. "Oh, my God, it's you!"

The human shrugs and chuckles warmly. "How you doing?"

The tiger comes around the counter and hobbles to him, laughing loudly. He has a slight limp that is slowing him down. They embrace while an unsure and suspicious Tivoli watches. She narrows her eyes, trying to study the old man.

The hug lasts a few seconds and they turn to her when it is over. Crevecoeur beams as he presents his friend. "Tivoli, this is Pratap, a Bengal tiger. He is the father of Ravi and Gonal. I trust you know those two."

She raises her eyebrows after hearing the names. Her immediate reaction shows that she does not think highly of the tigers. Her forced reaction says differently. Her mouth opens as she tries to act happy. "Yeah! I've met them. I couple of nice guys, those two."

Pratap closes his eyes and nods. "Aren't they though? But how do you know them?"

"She works there now," Crevecoeur says.

"Oh, she does?" The tiger scratches his head. "Are you sure?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Um...." Pratap sniffs and clears his throat. He has just stopped himself from saying something, deepening the ocelot's suspicions even further. He leans into the executive and whispers, "Isn't she a little too small to do what my boys are doing?"

"I thought so too, but she's all right. I'm her handler, so I should know."

Tivoli frowns and folds her arms. "I wasn't too small to have a kill to my name."

Pratap coughs. "She does? I mean...you do?"

She sniffs proudly. "Yep."

"Well, I may stand corrected, but you're still small." He moves back behind the counter. "Anyway, I hope you have as much success as my young ones have. They've been at it for two years now and it's really helped the family." He turns to Crevecoeur. "Long time no see, my young friend. How has the hitman business been treating you?"

"Everything's as it should be."

"You don't sound so happy. I would have figured you'd be in heaven by now, blowing away the criminal element instead of just preserving them behind bars."

"I know, right? I should be ecstatic. But I find that the more I do this...the more I miss real police work."

"Well, I for one prefer you do what you're currently doing." He laughs and rubs his hands together. "So, it's still early in the morning and I've just opened. I've got no other customers now, so how about staying for a few minutes? Let us catch up on old times."

"Yeah, that's what I intend to do, but I'm going to shop around first. In the meantime, I'd like you to talk to Tivoli. She's got questions to ask you, especially about her next job. Since you're my contact, you basically work for me, so you've got a lot of information to share."

"Oh, really?" Pratap grins. "Well, it's been a while since I've been entertained by the company of a pretty face, besides my assistant of course."

"Be serious, my friend. She's got questions of great importance. I'm gonna look for that Danish." Crevecoeur turns to the ocelot and pats her on the back. "Have at it."

She watches as he turns into an aisle. She opens her mouth to speak, probably to ask a question, but the executive disappears quickly, leaving her with the old man. The tiger gives her an awkward glance before backing himself through the door behind the counter. She looks around and weakly calls out Crevecoeur's name. A few seconds later, he returns, pulling a small chair along with him. He drags it to the counter and sits, giving her a deep, scrutinizing stare.

Tivoli's responding gaze is shy and uncomfortable, but she clears her throat and leans on the counter. Her face is inches away from his. She waves at him slowly. The stranger obviously has her nervy, but she forces herself to look at him.

"So, what's your name again?"

"My name is Tivoli, sir. It's not foreign or anything. I'm named after the town I was born in. I'm twenty years old, have a Bachelor's degree in Medicine, and I graduated summa cum laude. I...heh, didn't go to college, but I did go to a two-year technical school, and--"

"Excuse me, but why are you telling me all this? I only asked you your name."

She looks around her, probably looking for her handler. Finding nobody, she sheepishly answers, "Well because when you first saw me earlier, you didn't think much of me. I just wanted you to know that I'm a hard worker, I'm capable, and I know what I'm doing."

"And you chose to try and impress me with useless information? A Bachelor's in Medicine? That doesn't mean anything."

"It wasn't completely useless."

"Oh really? What was your last job before you started working for Crevecoeur?"

The ocelot blinks a couple of times as her forced smile quickly vanishes. "Well, I worked in a food pantry, but it was hard work, and...." She does not get very far as the tiger starts to laugh. He does not even pardon himself. He laughs loudly and rudely. She sighs in frustration and folds her arms.

Pratap clears his throat. "That degree turned out to be rather useless, didn't it? Most of them are these days. Take me for instance. A Bachelor's in Economics and a Master's in Art History. But here I am, at sixty, and I'm running a convenience store. I've been here ten years now." He laughs again and stands up. "Now, don't get me wrong. I admire you for choosing the career path that Ravi and Gonal have, but your degrees didn't get you there."

Tivoli looks at her feet. "I just didn't want you to think I was a loser or something. I can do what your sons do. In fact, I have done it."

The tiger continues to laugh quietly. "Yeah, right. You've killed someone? What was his name?"

"Arlo McDaniels." She clears her throat and looks up at him, ready for more scorn. Instead, what she sees surprises her. Her eyes widen as she looks at Pratap's face. His brows and ears rise up, his mouth hangs open, and his hands clasp themselves on the counter. His body language suddenly looks rigid and anxious, a far cry from just seconds ago. Tivoli looks on with interest. "What's wrong?"

"You killed...." He swallows and lowers his voice. "You killed Keith's father?"

"Mm-hmm. Stabbed him with my knife. He was a real awful human being with no redeeming qualities. Good riddance. You know his son?"

As Crevecoeur slowly reappears in the background, Pratap brings his chair with him from behind the counter and sits down in front of the ocelot. He now looks in awe of her, shaking his head continuously and scoffing to himself. "Keith is one of my best customers. His father came here with him once, but just once. Anyway, he would always come here because he could get beer and other liquor at a discount. Then he'd hang around outside the store, drinking the beer and looking like a real tough guy."

As Tivoli starts to ask another question, Crevecoeur steps in front of them. "Here's your cheese Danish," he says, and hands the pastry to the ocelot. As she smiles with delight, he hands her a plastic cup. "Some hot chocolate from the machine."

She sniffs at the drink. "I asked for a latte."

"This isn't a Starbucks!" He turns to Pratap. "I've paid for the chocolate. How much for the Danish?"

The dumbfounded and possibly scared tiger is still looking at the ocelot. His pupils bounce around like ping-pong balls. His breath quivers with discomfort. It takes him a while, but he stutters his answer. "Um...it's free. On the house. No charge."

Tivoli smiles and places the chocolate on the counter. "Thanks, old man." She takes a sizeable, satisfying bite off the Danish.

Crevecoeur nods. "How about the doughnut?"

"Huh? Yeah, that's free too. You can have that." Pratap clears his throat politely and clasps his hands on his lap. "So, you have questions to ask me?"

Her mouth full of food, Tivoli nods emphatically. "It isn't a lot of questions. I just wanted to know about Keith. I mean, you said he comes here a lot, but has he come here lately?"

"I haven't seen him in over a month. The last time he was here, he told me his father had paid for him to go overseas...for some reason. Anyway, for all I know, he's probably still out of the country. He always shows up out of the blue. It is in his nature. He likes to show up unannounced and surprise people. He is brash, young, and very cocky. He takes after his father."

"Does he have any interests? Do you know if there's a particular place he likes to hang out?"

"He likes to smoke, drink, and hit on the local women, especially those older than he is. Whenever he comes here, he talks to them. He knows them by name. That could mean he frequents the nearby pubs, which is where a lot of those females go to unwind. Human, non-human, doesn't matter. He hits on them all."

The tiger talks non-stop for two minutes, laying out vital details and a few useless bits of information. Tivoli nods the whole time he speaks, gathering and understanding the information given. She silently mouths some of what she is told, especially the names of a couple of bars that the tiger knows. "Do you know when he's most likely to come back here?"

He blinks at her warily. "I've already told you. I haven't seen him in a long time and when he arrives, he does so unexpectedly. Why do you want to know about him so much?" His suspicion turns into a grin. "Are you interested in meeting him? I've told you he prefers the company of older girls."

"He's my next mark."

At this time, Crevecoeur appears with two doughnuts in hand. He sneaks up behind Pratap and watches as the tiger reacts strongly, as if he had just heard shocking news. He takes a bite out of one of the doughnuts and waits patiently.

The tiger's face, meanwhile, looks like it has grown a few more wrinkles upon hearing the news. "You're going to kill Keith?" He stumbles as he stands, almost falling to the floor. "Buy why? What has he done?"

Crevecoeur clears his throat, getting his friend's attention. "Doesn't matter. The client wants it, and it's Tivoli's next assignment. What's the matter with you? You look like you disapprove."

Pratap exhales, still looking at the ocelot, but backing into Crevecoeur. "I don't know, my friend. I don't know about this one. This is someone I know. He may act uncouth around everyone, but he was always nice to me and treated my business with respect."

"Come on, man. You've never acted like this before. Whenever I tell you to look out for a mark whenever he is in the area, you never hesitate."

"Hey, you know me. I've always come through for you." He turns to Tivoli. "As a matter of fact, this working relationship with Robert here has given me many benefits. I used to get robbed a lot, and most days Robert would show up in his police uniform, with a couple of other officers. They would search the place while I tried to describe the suspects to Robert. Then they'd take my camera footage and I'd be at home watching the news, hoping the thieves would be caught and that I wouldn't lose my business." He smiles as the ocelot stands to face him. "Then, two years ago, Robert comes in and says we need to talk. He tells me that my kids are now working for him and that I can work for him too."

Tivoli chuckles. "Did he tell you that they killed for a living?"

"Not right away. At the time, he just said that he wanted me to keep an eye on some individuals who frequented my store, to tell him how often they came and what they bought. That's it. A few weeks later, all of those people, many of whom had criminal records, were dead. All of them! The first time Robert came to pay me for my 'services,' that's when I put it all together. At first I was against it and wouldn't accept the money. But a couple of days later, my kids paid me a visit. They told me about their new job and how much they made. I could have kept protesting, but the number of robberies around here started to drop. I myself haven't been held up in six months. So...I've come to accept that my boys are hitmen. They've killed some of the people who've given me trouble. I can't hate them for that; in fact, I'm rather grateful. The money keeps coming in, so--"

"But you don't want me to go after Keith?"

Pratap shrugs. "He's just a kid. He's got so much potential."

Crevecoeur clears his throat again. "So did everyone else I had you check on. You weren't crying for them when they died."

"You know I believe in karma, right?"

"Nothing bad's gonna happen to you. I'm not gonna allow it. You're my favorite contact after all, and I've taken care of you so far. Ravi and Gonal certainly have."

"Yeah, I know. Whenever the business is suffering, they always have money to give me."

"Are you starting to change your mind?"

Before the tiger can answer, a bell rings right behind them, indicating that someone has just entered the store. The three turn to the noise. Tivoli and Crevecoeur are a little bit startled, but Pratap just sighs wearily and heads back behind the counter, taking his chair with him. "Back to work," he says. "We'll have to pick this up some other time."

Crevecoeur nods. "Thanks for the clues, old friend. Once the job is done, you'll get half as always."

Tivoli waves her goodbye and Pratap unsurely waves back at her. She and her boss casually stroll out of the store; she happily chews on her Danish while he struggles to wrap his doughnuts in the small paper towel he is bringing with him. They pass a couple of customers on their way out the door; one of them, a young, dark-skinned boy, wearing a muscle shirt that shows of his well-detailed arms, licks his lips and makes kissing noises at the ocelot. She bashfully waves in response.

"Don't react to that," the executive grunts as he holds the door open for her. "They don't deserve it." As they enter the minivan, he eagerly chomps on is breakfast. "So, what did you learn?"

"He just gave me the names of a couple of bars Keith likes to go to. One of them is actually real close to The Shark Pit. I always pass it on the way. Should we start there?"

"They're all closed in the morning. Anyway, we can't just go in to a bar and look around for Keith that way. We'd probably never find him. Did Pratap mention anywhere else?"

"Whenever he's in Los Angeles, he sleeps in his car. It's a blue Cadillac. Sometimes, he stays in hotels and motels, but he prefers his own car. He said Keith and his dad had a falling out, so he sleeps in his car to avoid going home and so he won't be found."

"A blue Cadillac. License plate?"

"He didn't say. Should I have asked?"

"I'll do it." Crevecoeur opens his door. "You know, he was scared of you for a moment."

"Who was?"

"Pratap...when you told him you killed Arlo. That's badass in itself, but he was shocked and had to sit down. You scared him that time."

"Oh, well I didn't mean to."

"Get used to it, girl. You're a killer now. You'll be getting that reaction from a lot of people. I'm gonna go ask about the license plate."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Winter stands outside the main office of the Glory Apartments. It is a gathering of buildings located in an out-of-the-way place somewhere in Chino Hills. She looks out the window with her arms folded and her feet shifting restlessly. On her left, a few feet away, her mate is seated in front of a desk, talking to a portly, middle-aged man. Progress seems to be slow because the man keeps stopping the discussion to take a drink out of his silver flask. Winter continually turns to look at them before jadedly turning back to the window. She is so bored that she starts to count down the seconds by clicking her tongue.

After five minutes, Shiloh says thank you and leaves the man's office. He approaches his mate whose half-closed eyes make him laugh loudly. "Okay, let's go," he says.

"Hmm? You done yet?"

"Come on, woman. The landlord says Mr. Ambrose is in. Let's go meet him."

"But Mr. Ambrose isn't in."

"Right. He doesn't know that though. He says Ambrose paid the rent this month, but that's really Ravi and Gonal. They've taken over the apartment and are assuming the role of Ambrose. That's just a guess, but it's a good one."

"So when we go up there to visit 'Ambrose,' we'll see those stupid tigers instead."

"You armed?"

"You kidding? Of course I am."

"Good thing too. Those tigers could give us trouble. We especially need to keep an eye on Gonal. He's crafty. It doesn't help us that he doesn't speak English."

"So what specifically would we be looking for?"

"We'll know when we find it. If you see anything with a date or schedule on it, we'll take it home with us."

"I'd prefer hunting to detective work."

"They're the same thing, woman."

"Anyway, Ambrose lived on the second floor. We don't have to take the elevator. In fact, it would be best not to, so the tigers won't hear the bell."

"Nice. Not bad with the analytical thinking. In a couple of years, you're gonna be real good at this."

Winter smiles in response and continues smiling as the approach the stairs leading up to their destination. As they slowly climb the stairs, Winter is much calmer than when she came here last. Not only are the surroundings familiar, but her mate is right beside her. Shiloh's presence plus the firearm at her side make her look and feel doubly armed.

Two minutes later, they make it to the door that separates them from where Mr. Ambrose used to live. Shiloh stands directly in front of it and looks at it angrily. His mouth is pressed closed and he is breathing through his nose. His rigid stance looks authoritative, yet cautious. He looks like he knows something important is behind this door. His sullen face makes Winter stop smiling. She looks at her mate, then at the door, then back at Shiloh. She stares at his motionless face and gets more nervous.

They stand in place for a couple of more minutes before Winter accidentally, on purpose, bumps her right shoulder into his left. "Um...aren't we going in?"

"Something's wrong," he says.

"What exactly?"

"The door's unlocked."

She looks back at the door. "No it isn't. How'd you know?"

"I just do." He swallows and takes a heavy breath through his nose. "It's like we're expected. I don't like those situations."

"Well, since we're going in anyway, should we knock?"

After a couple of seconds of thought, Shiloh nods. "You'd better go first though. You're more likely to be invited by the tigers than me."

"Well, Ravi did invite me to stay inside the last time we saw each other." She cautiously creeps to the front door. "You sure about this?"

"Just do it. I'm right behind you."

"I know, I'm just...you said something's wrong and all you saw was an unlocked door." Her nervous voice turns into a whisper. "What exactly do you think is behind this thing?"

His anger fades as he turns to face her. "Someone standing guard with a gun. Most likely Gonal. He's better at firearms than Ravi is." He reaches into his trousers and pulls out his Berretta. "You got yours? I think you'd better draw it."

Winter obeys immediately. Her gun is the same as his.

"Keep it out of sight when the door is opened."

"Right." She takes a couple of deep breaths and knocks softly. The door parts open slightly and she tries to look through the slim opening. "Someone's coming."

"Step back a bit." He shuffles himself aside and watches his mate put her gun behind her back. While she prepares herself to greet the occupants, the wolves can hear the muffled sounds of a conversation in front of them. There is a lot of unintelligible shouting and laughing. There is also the classy, clinking sound of silverware and glassware. It sounds like a table is being set.

Winter steps forward and knocks on the door again. The voice at the other end shouts, "Just a minute!" It is Ravi's unmistakable accented voice. The white wolf nods and braces herself, still holding the firearm behind her. Gonal's voice arrives seconds later; it is loud, excited, and getting closer to the door. The tigers are in a celebratory mood, happily shouting at one another. Gonal keeps getting close to the door, only to be continually drawn back by Ravi. The wolves look at each other confusedly. After a couple of minutes, Ravi yells, "Just a moment! Who's there?! Is that Carrie? Are you the girl we ordered?"

Winter stares wide-eyed at her mate, dreading the implications of the question. Shiloh only nods and whispers, "Say yes." The white wolf clears her throat nervously and nods. "Yes...yes! I'm...I'm the one!" she answers. She shrugs at Shiloh before turning back to the door.

Ravi laughs and claps his hands. He and Gonal share a word and a laugh. "Good! Don't come in yet!" He whispers something to his brother, then continues, "Listen, could you do us a favor? We asked your company to surprise us by not telling us who we are getting. My brother wants to guess what breed you are. Could you do us the honor of giving us a clue?"

Winter backs away from the door and quietly moves herself toward Shiloh who is trying to keep himself hidden. "What is this?" she asks.

"It seems they've hired a prostitute," he says softly. "Dumbasses."

"Well...what do I say?"

"Stall them. Ask a question. Ask anything. Hurry."

Winter walks back to the door. She stutters at first, but clears her throat and tries to sound tough. "Well...how would you like that clue?"

Ravi laughs and translates for his brother. They speak to each other quietly before one of them runs to the door. The wolves hear the footsteps and brace themselves for it to be finally opened. Instead, the footsteps stop short of the door. "Stick your tail out the door," Ravi says, "and let us guess."

Shiloh calmly scoffs with disgust. Winter looks horrified. "What? Why? Is this a game?"

"Yes! Don't worry about it. It's actually my brother who will be doing the guessing. You don't have to do much of anything. You just stick your tail out and he will try to guess what you are. If he gets it right, you take us both at the same time. My brother gets to be on top. If he guesses wrong, we'll pay you double your fee when we're finished. Either way, you would be getting the sweet end of the deal. While he guesses, I'll get the bed ready."

"Ugh." She sneaks back to Shiloh. "I don't really have to do this, do I? Stick my tail out?"

He shrugs in response. "It'll give us an in."

"Let's just bust in there and kick their asses."

"Not until I know at least one of them isn't carrying a gun."

"You know me, Shy. I'm...kind of sensitive about my tail."

"Show me a woman who isn't. Now get out there."

"I just don't want it pulled." Winter makes her way back to the door.

"Are you still there?!" Ravi yells.

"Coming!" Winter huffs angrily and turns her back to the door. As it is pulled open slowly, the wolf turns around and sticks her tail through the allotted opening. She gasps as it is grabbed. She backs further to the door to make her tail slack. The voice at the other end of the door shouts a few excited words in Hindi. Gonal is grabbing her tail.

Whatever is going on at the other side of the door causes Winter to grit her teeth and release a couple of labored breaths. Shiloh at first laughs quietly at his mate's reaction, but as soon as she yells "Ouch!" he bounds towards her. "You okay?" he asks.

With panicked whispering, Winter heaves, "He just bit me. He put bit the tip of my tail. Now he's...oh!" She moans loudly, threatening to blow their cover. Her shaky hands drop the Berretta, startling them both. She clamps her hands on her mouth, muffling a loud, strenuous squeal.

Shiloh looks on, suddenly concerned but still trying to stay out of the tigers' sights. "What? What's happening."

Ravi's voice calls out, "Are you all right?! Please forgive my brother! That was rather rude of him! He likes to suck on tails for some reason, but it is not a fetish! I promise! It is nothing for you to be concerned about! By the way, he says your tail is too bushy to be that of a feline!"

"Uh-oh." The gray wolf now realizes they will be discovered soon. He picks up the dropped gun and hands it to his mate. "Break the door down," he commands.

Winter nods angrily and, with her back still to the door, kicks it open, hitting Gonal in the face. He still has her tail in his hands, so when he falls, he drags her inside. She lands on top of him, shouting in pain. Her back lands on Gonal's head and presses his nose on the carpet. She pounces on her feet and points the gun at the tiger's head. The dazed feline turns on his back and props himself up. He sees Winter and smiles, but when he sees the gun, he tries to run.

He trips on his own feet and falls face first. Before he can get up, Winter plants her right foot in the middle of his back. "Asshole," she whispers.

Shiloh enters, jumping over the fallen tiger. He looks around the living room and sees nobody. There is no sign of Ravi. "Good girl. Hold him in place. I'm gonna look for the other one."

Gonal sees Shiloh's gun and starts to shout out to Ravi, but Winter cocks her gun and places its barrel on the back of his head. "Not one more word." He understands perfectly and hastily obeys.

From a distance, Ravi calls out, "Okay, everything is ready! You don't mind making love on a bed of money, do you?" As he laughs, Shiloh follows the voice. He quickly passes the living room furniture and stops by an open doorway. He waits next to the opening and patiently listens for more noise. Just a few seconds later, Ravi comes through. He is wearing a black undershirt and black boxer briefs. He is also wearing a smile that gives away is lustful intentions. He arrives expecting a call girl, but sees the white wolf instead. His smile is replaced with shock. He points at her and starts to talk when he senses Shiloh's presence. As soon as he turns to the wolf, he is staring at the business end of his Berretta. Ravi swallows, looks at the wolf, raises his hands, and smiles. "Déjà vu."