He refused to get excited. It had been weeks and not a sign of Hildy. “In the flesh? You encountered her and not from a distance?”
“Yes, I was within a few feet of her.”
“Where… when?”
“Hold it right there. How much?”
“I need more! How do I know it’s the right person? You could be mistaken or… something else, for all I know.”
“Watch your insinuation there. I’ve got no reason to lie nor am I confused. I’d know it was her, even from ten feet away.”
“All right, you sound so sure of yourself, how?”
“By her scent, of course. There’s no mistaking it.”
The pounding in time with his heartbeat was all the proof he needed. This situation would kill him if he didn’t resolve the case of that missing bird bitch now. His pressure must be sky-high for his head to be pounding like this.
Too spent to care how he sounded, Mr. Scott asked, “What type of scent does she give off. I never noticed anything.”
“Don’t you worry about it. That little ability is, how can I say it without it sounding like a put-down, above your biological capability. I’m certain it was her. Now, for the last time, how much is the information worth to you?”
The sound of his office chair wailed as he sat back up. It might as well have been a death knell for all the comfort he felt in getting this news. The pounding grew in intensity as his fingertips and knuckles felt tight and swollen. Yep, his pressure was up. He might have a stroke after this. Little did the agency or his wife know, he was paying out of his pocket for information to find Hildy. It was a necessary fee if he wanted to continue breathing. The agency was good to an employee until it wasn’t. His one task was to locate and secure the asset—one Hildegard Newton—or else. The money he could get back, his life, not a chance.
The sigh that fluttered up from his depths did little to ease the next words out of his mouth. He said, “Name your price, location, and I’ll be there at five o’clock today.”
“See, was that so hard?”
Mr. Scott hated his life.
8
Quinn…
“Yep, bring it on Hildy,” Quinn said. She attempted to channel Bruce Lee with a gesture of her hand from one of his classic Kung-Fu movies. Hildy and Wren, both giggled at the absurdity of her imitation. A master of anything dealing with fighting she was not. Preparing for Hildy’s advance, she sidestepped, bent low and swiped out with her leg to trip the woman onto the ground.
“Good job, Quinn,” Hildy said, getting up from the mat. “I told you. Use your natural assets or disadvantages to disarm your attacker. Since both of you ladies are somewhat vertically challenged, get low as fast as you can and stay down there.
“Hey, we’re in the average height range, thank you very much,” Quinn said, proud of her almost five feet five inches. It was that close to one inch that got her above runt status, otherwise known as petite. That allowed her to brag about being average height. Wren wasn’t as blessed, clocking in at a solid five feet, three and a half inches. But she never complained when Quinn insisted she was average height. They weren’t trapped having to buy petite clothing. Both their hips, butts, and thighs took up enough room in regular pants to make up for the few inches in height.
They were on squishy mats, going through take down moves. Quinn looked over to Wren. Her friend focused on a dark hallway again, not paying attention.
“Wren, what’s up?” she asked in a whisper when Hildy went to drag an assault dummy out to the mat. “You keep looking over there.” She pointed in the direction of the darkened hall. “Have your spidey senses kicked in again? I know how you can get about stuff. I promise, if you’re not feeling comfortable, we can go—for real.”
Wren gave her a slight smile and said, “No, it’s the other way around. I keep fighting the urge to go over there. I know this might sound funny, but it’s like it’s calling me. And this place is magnificent. It’s beautiful.”
“Okay?” Quinn said, looking around at the dinginess of the old building. “It still stanks like ripe ass and sweaty feet, but I’ll take your word for it.”
Wren laughed loud, drawing Hildy’s attention as she came back to the mat with the dummy. “Quinn, remember, don’t be too pushy. I know how you can get when you sense an opportunity.”
“What’s so funny?” Hildy asked.
“Oh nothing. Wren’s trying hard to remind me of my southern home training is all.”
“Good to know,” Hildy said, confusion evident in her voice.
After getting that man-doll into position, Hildy taught them that a woman’s power was usually concentrated in her thighs and legs. This was the go-to tactic to use if she wasn’t a trained athlete. That was Quinn and Wren. The strategy for their self-defense, according to Hildy, was to get the perpetrator to the ground as fast as possible. Then they could use their weight to keep them on the ground until help arrived or a 9-1-1 call was made.
Quinn could work with this. As a full-figured woman with more curves than most, she had no problem sitting on someone, if that would save her life. Looking down at her knees, she noticed her cuts and bruises were not as bad as they looked. With some gauze and tape, she was fine. Hildy had cleaned her up and had been true to her word on the self-defense stuff. The moves were simple and easy to pick up. Maybe Hildy would be great at offering self-defense classes.
“You two switch out. Wren, you’re up,” Hildy said, tossing a bottle of water at Quinn as she went to sit on the chair next to their set of mats.
Quinn watched as Hildy took Wren through the same moves. She allowed her attention to wander, taking in the huge, open space. With a good airing out, this place could be a multi-purpose gold mine. There was a two-story vaulted ceiling, rings, mats and even an octagon ring that had an opening in the top. It could easily become a premier training gym for MMA fighters. It had enough space to break down the equipment and rent it out for special fighting events too. Quinn’s mind whirled with all the possibilities. With the right management, this space could bring in crazy cash, hand over fist.
“Hey Hildy, is this some sort of MMA and Cross Fit training type of gym? I don’t see any treadmills or aerobics areas.”
Hildy laughed as she took poor Wren down to the mat, “This is so not an MMA gym.” Speaking to Wren, she said, “Stop being so timid and nice. If that assailant wants your wallet or phone, he or she isn’t going to be polite about it. Now attack me.” Wren got back up and made another effort to advance on Hildy.
The sight was comical. Hildy looked to be close to six feet. Here she and Wren were at barely five and a half feet. Against Hildy, they resembled little Cabbage Patch dolls trying to attack. But her mind was on fire with all the possibilities of this place. Huge windows that started at the top of the first story and spanned the second story lined the back of the building. The view of the sky that streamed in through those windows gave the ground floor an almost ethereal glow. The architecture alone was worth hosting events here. Quinn looked up at the beautiful patterns of the walls and high ceiling. Made out of sturdy brick, she put the place at early twentieth century. The plaster peeking through those bricks at her told the rich pedigree of the building. If these walls could talk, she’d bet there was a New York Times Best Selling book for the taking.
“Hey, Hildy, what gives on this building? Is it some Ninja Warrior secret training facility or something? I see that octagon over there,” she said, wanting the woman to give up some of the goods on this place. Wren was still enamored with it too, judging by the gleam in her eyes as she looked up and around.
Quinn sensed asking about that strange trick to hide the building from the street was off limits, for now. But, there was no reason why she couldn’t find out about what the gym was used for.
“No, this is a private gym and residence. They don’t open it up for others,” Hildy said while continuing to take Wren down to the mat over and over. “Come on Cupcake. You’re not even trying anymore,” s
he said to a wheezing Wren.
“That’s because I’m not. I’m hot and sweaty. I make desserts for a living. If I get attacked, I might be better at bribe baking my way out of it.” Wren huffed and walked around in circles, trying to catch her breath.
“Fair enough. I see potential in you two is all,” Hildy said. “With some consistent training, both of you could be some fierce fighting women.”
“I’ll settle for one who doesn’t get into the situations that call for that sort of thing,” Wren said.
“Hear, hear,” Quinn added. “Hildy? Are you going to seriously ask me to believe that this huge place is not for public use?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Why not? It’s such a waste of great financial opportunities and community involvement.”
Quinn knew she was laying it on thick, but she smelled a way to pick up a new client. Wren cut her a side eye of warning, but she waved it off. There was something more than met the eye with this place. The people who owned this building must have money. Money that would be better spent growing this building into a valuable asset.
“Hildy, think about it,” she said, continuing her plan to wear the woman down. “This building could become a highly profitable gem in the portfolio of the people who own it.” For emphasis, she added, “Instead of some fairytale enchanted building hiding behind whatever shielding technology they’re using to cloak it.”
Quinn didn’t miss the grin on Hildy’s face. The woman knew something and wasn’t sharing it. Instead of haggling with her about it, Quinn would bide her time.
“I’ll make sure to pass on your comments to the owner. He’s not here now.”
Sensing an opening of hope, Quinn pressed in, “Okay, so when will he be back? I’d love an appointment.”
“Not so fast there little Miss Gravel Ass. He’s away on… business. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
Quinn wouldn’t let this go so easily. “That’s fine, but I was also wondering if we could get your number to stay in touch and continue these lessons. You did say we could use the help.”
“Yeah and that would be me meeting up with you all somewhere else. The guys don’t like it when strangers are around.”
“Why not? We don’t have cooties,” Wren said, smelling her armpit and making a face.
“Yeah, why not? If we were good enough to come here now, why not to train? You have all the stuff we need right here.”
Hildy looked uncomfortable. “Because I didn’t exactly get permission for you two to be here from my mate, I mean boyfriend, for the afternoon. The owner doesn’t know you’re here and he’s a stickler for his rules. That means he doesn’t like strangers to him in his building. His building, his rules. Don’t go getting your hopes up that this is anything more than a one-time deal.”
“But didn’t you say you like us? How would that look if you allowed us to continue getting our asses kicked every time I said something that rubbed a person the wrong way? You and I know that could happen. Remember what happened today?” Quinn asked, looking for a way to wear the woman down.
Hildy grinned at her. “I might like you two, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to tangle with Lucien over you.”
“Lucien, is that his name?” Quinn asked.
“How about you concentrate on getting back over here so I can show you two a few last moves before we call it a day. My mate will be back soon and I need to get all evidence of you two cleaned up before then.”
“Are we putting you in a tough spot by being here?” Wren still hadn’t made much of an effort to get ready to start again. “If so, we can call it a day now and help you straighten up. I’m good with what you showed us so far.”
“Uh-uh Wren, Hildy here is only saying that we need to finish today’s lesson, so she can get ready for when her man gets here. You know, like freshen up and stuff. Isn’t that right Hildy?” Quinn asked, hoping the woman would let up and give her more information. A first name alone wasn’t much to go on if she planned to find out who the owner was. She sensed this was one of those times when fate knocked, one that she wouldn’t let slip through her fingers.
“Come on you two, don’t push it.”
“It’s not me,” Wren said, looking like she wanted to drop. “It’s Quinn over there who wants to meet the owner.”
Quinn couldn’t believe Wren was ratting her out like that. “Traitor. How about you concentrate on doing the moves we learned and let me concentrate on my moves. Hildy has been gracious. All I wanted to do was to see if there might be any mutual benefit to meeting the owner.”
Hildy looked as if she’d given up on the rest of her class. She picked up her sweat towel and wiped her brow. “Look, ladies, you’ve done well today. How about I promise to speak with him about it and let you know what he says. Quinn, what do you do that has you so interested in this place anyway?”
Thank you glorious baby Jesus! Quinn had made a crack in the wall that was Hildy’s resolve.
“I own a marketing and promotion firm. And as luck would have it, I’m looking for new clients here to work with. I think this place,” she looked around, showing appreciation for the character of the building, “has great presence and potential. With a few tweaks here and there, there’s no reason why it couldn’t become an epicenter in the sports entertainment of the city. You could have live sporting events, corporate team building sessions, and private training in self-defense like you’ve done today. The list goes on and on.”
Wren spoke up. “Sorry about this, Hildy. When Quinn gets excited, it takes her a little while to slow down and actually hear the no coming out of your mouth.”
This was one of those times when Quinn wanted to stuff Wren’s mouth with some of that gauze from the cut kit over there. Wren played it too safe. She never seized any opportunity without first doing too much research. By the time she was ready, the opportunity had passed, or she was no longer interested. It was a wonder she was finally looking for a food truck to start her own baking business.
“Wren, please don’t try to be the Quinn interpreter. I know what I mean to say, and I did hear Hildy’s reservations. I also heard her ask for more information about what I do. That means there is some interest, yes?” Quinn directed this last part at Hildy.
“How about you two come over here and let me show you these last two moves. I’ll speak with Jax to see what he thinks. If he believes it would be something to pursue with Lucien, then I’ll call you. Before I forget, let’s exchange numbers and then finish this up.”
The women huddled and exchanged phone numbers. Hildy showed them the next maneuver and began to have them take turns again, executing it. It was Wren’s turn on the mat when the large door of the gym swung open. Late afternoon light tumbled into the space.
Hildy froze in mid move to take in the sight. Both Quinn and Wren followed her gaze.
“Well, hello there…. Baby, we were finishing up here,” Hildy said. Her voice squeaked as she spoke to a huge, hot guy with the most amazing physique Quinn had ever seen. Giving Wren a hand to stand, Hildy motioned to the ladies and gave quick introductions. “Jax, meet Wren and Quinn. They’re the ladies I told you about.”
This fine as fuck Jax guy didn’t acknowledge them at first. Instead, he said to Hildy, “My love, would you mind getting our guests ready to finish up? Lucien and the others are with me.” He turned, looking back out the door as if wanting to stall. Quinn wasn’t stupid, and she could read emotions fairly well. This guy didn’t want them here. He spoke again. “I’ll go out and help them with the gear while you ladies finish up.” Then, as if an afterthought, he smiled at them and said, “Ladies, it’s nice to meet you. I’ll be in shortly to properly greet you.” The door closed as he went back out.
Wren said, “Hildy, we’re so sorry. Looks like we should have finished up sooner. We’ll hurry and get out of your hair. Come on Quinn, grab your stuff so we can go.”
Quinn knew that was the polite thing to do, but curiosity had her by the ear. She
wanted to see the owner, and whoever else was on the other side of that door. The best way to do that wouldn’t be to try to bump into them outside. No, she wanted to make sure there was no way she could miss them. She’d stall and stay in here.
Taking more time than was necessary, she stood nice and slow. When she had both Hildy and Wren’s attention, she made a show of her bandaged knees. Her cheek with the bandage was already on display for the world to see, so that would help her too.
Wren eyed her, not taking the bait. “Quinn, what’s wrong with you now?”
“Nothing, I’ll be fine once I get to walking again. Sitting in that chair, my knee got stiff. Now I need to allow it time to loosen up. I’m going to walk it off and then I’ll be ready to go. Would you pass me my jacket and purse?”
It was Hildy who brought the items over to her. “Quinn, it looks like you’re about to get your wish to meet the owner. Let me say before he comes through that door that Lucien can be intimidating when you first meet him. Don’t rush him or start asking to do business with him. That will most certainly turn him off. Give him time before you get your Don King presentation going. It takes him a moment to warm up to people. As for the others, you’ve met my mate, and the other guys are nice. Don’t let any of their large sizes throw you. There’s nothing to fear. They’re gentlemen and won’t harm or be mean to you.” Then as if an afterthought, she added, “Well at least not the others. It’s a toss up with Lucien.”
“Great, a cranky big guy,” Wren mumbled. “Get a move on it, Quinn. I want us to be leaving when they’re entering. Hildy has been a great host, and now we’re in that over staying our welcome zone. Come on, now.”
Quinn wasn’t going to let proper, boring Wren spoil this for her. She knew that if she could only talk with this Lucien guy, she’d be able to gain a foot hold to having a chance at pitching him. Her business and survival were on the line. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Quinn Bradford was ready to execute a bold move to get the chance she felt was here.
Lucien: Dragofin Mated: Book 2 (Dragonfin Clan Mated) Page 7
