Black Friday

by Jan Stryvant

  "Oh?"

  Roxy nodded, "Goblins are greedy that way."

  "But if it's something that just humans want, he may tell us just to screw them over," Sean pointed out.

  "Yeah, he might. But I'd rather leave him as a last resort."

  "Are there any other options out there?"

  "Wellll, there's one. But I'm not sure about it yet."

  "Why not?"

  "I have a friend, and she's a witch. But I'm not sure if I want you to meet her just yet."

  Sean set down his fork, "There are witches too?"

  Roxy laughed and nodded, "And wizards, and warlocks, and magic users of all stripes. But they're almost all humans. They even have a little council, well the good ones at least."

  "And you have a friend who is a witch?"

  Roxie nodded, smiling, "Yup."

  Picking his fork back up, Sean went back to work finishing off the pancakes.

  "So why don't you want me to meet her?"

  "Because you're still new. I'd like you to be a little more comfortable with your new self and your lion before exposing you to her." Roxy shrugged, "She's a bit intense."

  Sean nodded and finished off the pancakes and then drained his glass of water.

  "So," he said, summing it up, "we know that someone is after me, but not who, or why. We know Sampson infected me, but not why. We know my mom is missing, and it's probably related."

  "We already agreed that we think he bit you to save your life," Roxy pointed out.

  Sean nodded, "It makes sense, especially if he was dying from being shot."

  "Maybe they're after something your father left you?"

  Sean shook his head, "No, they took everything we had. The house, cars, furniture, all of my mom's jewelry. Like I said, they even took half my clothing and all of my toys. They left us completely destitute. Anything my dad gave me was taken away twelve years ago."

  "Well they searched Sampson's house too. Maybe it was something he had?"

  "Then why come after me?"

  Roxie just shook her head, "I have no idea."

  "Well, lets go back home. My phone is probably full of messages by now. I was supposed to go gaming with my friends last night."

  "Oh? Why didn't you?" Roxy smirked.

  "It was a matter of my pride," Sean said with a wink, causing Roxie to laugh.

  They were sitting in his room, or rather Roxy was sitting at his desk as he cleaned things up. It wasn't that his room was really dirty, he just had a tendency to stack things on the floor rather than putting them away. With his clothes in the washing machine downstairs, it definitely helped; he realized that he was going to have to start keeping his room a bit cleaner now that he had a girlfriend.

  "I'm down to three pairs of pants now," Sean sighed as he put his books back on the shelf and went and sat down on his bed, "and I need to go buy another pair of sneakers!"

  "A slight wardrobe change just might be required," Roxie said grinning.

  "I'm not wearing spandex!" Sean grumbled and picked up his phone to check the messages on it.

  "I was thinking something more like a canvas loafer or deck shoes," Roxie said, "or even moccasins, then at least they'll come off your feet and you won't ruin them.

  Sean pondered that and nodded, "That would work. Still, my socks will be trashed and what about my pants and shirts?"

  "Well, loose button down shirts will still fit after you shift. You may pop a few buttons, but that's easy to fix. As for pants," she shrugged, "start wearing cargo pants and don't use a belt. Then there's a chance that they'll fall off as you shift."

  "Still, it isn't going to be cheap, and I don't have a lot of money," Sean shook his head, "I wish I had thought to grab some clothes when we were at my mom's."

  "I don't think that would have looked good to the police," Roxy pointed out, "besides, you're not broke; you've got almost six hundred dollars in cash!"

  Sean looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

  "I emptied the wallets of those four guys who attacked us last night" She shrugged, "Not like they needed it anymore."

  "But, that's stealing!"

  'Quit being stupid,' his lion spoke up.

  "Quit being stupid," Roxy laughed, "to the victor goes the spoils and we didn't start that fight. They did."

  "I hate when you do that," Sean grumbled some more.

  "Do what?"

  "Say the exact same thing my lion does."

  Roxy giggled then, rather cutely too, "No wonder my beast likes yours so much. We're on the same wavelength."

  Sean sighed and rolled his eyes. "And another thing, did you really have to shoot that guy in cold blood like that?" He asked in a lowered voice.

  Roxy nodded, "Never give a killer a second chance to kill you. Besides, your only advantage right now is that no one knows you're a lycan. The moment they figure that out, the silver bullets are going to come out."

  'She's right you know.'

  "Yeah, I know," Sean sighed, responding to both of them. "I just don't like it."

  "I don't like it much either, Sean. But when you're fighting for survival, 'like' and 'don't like' goes right out the window. My beast pulled that trigger; yeah, I let her do it. I let her do all of the nasty things that I might not want to do."

  "Well, if I can get mine to take care of the laundry, it just might be worth it," Sean joked.

  'Not a chance!'

  "Good luck with that!" Roxy laughed.

  Sean looked back at his phone; there were messages from both Chad and Alex, wondering where he was?

  Holding his phone up, he turned on the camera and pointed it at Roxy.

  "Say cheese," he told her, and Roxy immediately struck a rather sexy pose.

  "Bragging?" She asked after he took the picture and sent a reply to his friends.

  "They wanted to know where I was last night," Sean said and looking up smiled at her. "I think that picture will stop any questions."

  "Ha!" Roxy laughed, "More likely you'll get deluged with them now!"

  As soon as she said it, his phone started to vibrate. Looking back at it, messages were coming fast and furious from both Chad and Alex, wanting to know where he met a gal like that! Was he sleeping with her? What was her name? When could they meet her?

  John pinged him wanting to know if she had a sister, while Zack and Steve and Teri all just congratulated him on finally hooking up with someone.

  "Damn, I didn't even page them!" He mumbled to himself.

  "News travels fast, doesn't it?" she giggled.

  "Apparently."

  "Yeah, I'm just waiting for the inevitable phone call from my father."

  "Why, did you tell your friends about me?" Sean asked.

  "Nope, not yet. But I just know that detective is going to call my dad at some point, to let him know that my boyfriend is involved in a criminal investigation."

  "You think he will?"

  Roxy laughed, Sean had to admit, he liked the sound of it, and that she was always so cheerful and happy.

  "My dad is the biggest and most powerful sheriff in the state. It's Las Vegas! Of course he'll call him."

  Sean thought about that a moment as something occurred to him, "Is he a werecheetah like you?"

  Roxy nodded, "Of course!"

  "So you were born this way, you weren't bit like me?"

  "Nope, it's pretty rare for a lycan to bite someone and infect them. My whole family are lycans like me."

  "Umm, does that mean if I bite someone, that they'll get infected?"

  Roxy shook her head, "No, you have to intentionally infect them. I wouldn't worry about it all that much just yet. Until you can do your hybrid form, you won't be able to infect anyone."

  "That's a relief," Sean sighed and paged all of his friends back, telling them that her name was Roxy, and he'd bring her around next weekend.

  "Oh, do you like anime?" he asked her.

  "Sure, why?"

  "Cause I just told them all I'd bring you by next F
riday," Sean sighed, and then looked a little embarrassed, "Wow, I take you on a date to hang out with a bunch of geeks and nerds and show you off. No wonder I haven't had many girlfriends!"

  Roxy snickered and then burst out laughing, "I think we've sort of passed the 'initial dating stage' don't you?"

  "Yeah, but it doesn't mean I don't want to take you out and actually do that," Sean replied, blushing. "Just because we're sleeping together and my lion is telling me that you're mine now, it doesn't mean that I don't want to go out and date."

  "He said that, did he?" Roxy teased, looking back at him a little coyly.

  "Umm, ahh," Sean gulped as he realized what he just said.

  "Well, you can tell him, just because you may have me on the hook, it doesn't mean you've reeled me in yet."

  'Liar.'

  "Umm," Sean blushed again. "Let's just say he feels rather strongly about you."

  "And what about you?" Roxy asked demurely.

  Reaching over Sean grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, and falling back on to the bed he kissed her.

  "Let's just say, that I feel a lot stronger about it than he does," he chuckled and started to slip his hands up under her shirt as he kissed her.

  "Oh, I like that... Oh, shit," Roxy swore as the timer they'd set for the laundry went off.

  Grumbling, Sean let her get up, and then got up as well.

  "At least the dryer takes longer," Roxy giggled, and then spotted the watch by his clock.

  "Wow, a mechanical watch? Don't see them much these days."

  "Yeah, Sampson gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago."

  "Why don't you wear it?"

  "The band's broken and it uses one of those fancy expanding 'twist flex' bracelets. Haven't had the money to replace it."

  "Did it used to be his?" Roxy asked.

  "Yeah, actually. Why?"

  "Cause that's the kind of thing shifters wear. Expanding bracelets that is. Otherwise you're always losing your watch."

  "Huh. You know, he always used to wear cargo pants with stretch waistbands too."

  Roxy grinned, "Told you! What do you say after we finish with the laundry we go do some shopping?"

  Sean nodded, "Sure."

  "And bring the watch, we can find a new bracelet for it."

  Fathers and Daughters

  Roxy was waiting for Sean as he tried on the new clothes she had picked out for him when her phone vibrated. Pulling it out and looking at the caller id she just shook her head and answered it.

  "Yes, Dad. I know, Dad. Sorry I didn't call, Dad, but it's none of your business, Dad."

  "Roxy!" her father's voice replied, "You're involved with a boy who's in the middle of a murder and kidnapping investigation! What are you trying to do to me? I thought I raised you better than this!"

  "Neither of us knew about those things when we met, Dad," she sighed. "I'm a big girl now, Daddy. I can take care of myself."

  "I've done a little checking on this 'boyfriend' of yours, do you know what he is?"

  "I know what he was, Daddy, and I know what he is now."

  "You didn't!" Her father's voice sounded rather shocked.

  "Daddy," Roxy growled, how could her father even suspect that she bit Sean? That was the problem with phones; you always had to talk around certain subjects, you never knew who might be listening. "Are you accusing your only daughter of being an idiot? Because that's what it sounds like to me."

  "I'm coming up there," her father didn't sound as shocked now; obviously he'd gotten the hint. The problem was, the last person she wanted meeting Sean right now was her father. He could be overprotective, especially around her boyfriends. He'd pulled the old 'cleaning the handgun' trick when she'd brought guys home more than once.

  "Come tomorrow," she sighed, and tried to remember what Sean had told her of his class schedule. "We can talk while he's in class."

  "No, I'm coming up now."

  "Daddy?" Roxy said in her sweet little girl voice, she knew her father hated it.

  "This one is different. You pull any of your tricks and he'll put you through a wall."

  "Oh, I doubt that," her father growled back.

  "And I'll be helping him," Roxy warned, with a growl of her own.

  "Jimmy tried to put me through a wall; you saw how that worked out!"

  "Jimmy was a wimp," Roxy laughed, Jimmy was the buffest cheetah she'd ever seen, well after her father at least.

  There was a pause on the phone for a moment.

  "Fine," her father sighed, "what time tomorrow?"

  "Be here at ten, call me and we'll figure it out," she told him with a purr.

  "I still want to meet him," her father warned.

  "You will, eventually, after we've talked."

  "Bye, Roxy. Just remember your father loves you."

  "And I love you too!" she said and hung up the phone.

  "Who do you love?" Sean asked coming up to her and looking a little shocked.

  "Daddy called," she grinned, "let's just say that he isn't exactly happy with his daughter's latest boyfriend, and he hasn't even met him yet." She paused a moment and tapped her chin with a finger, "I think this is a record, even for him."

  Sean looked at her, a little worried. "Great, not only to I have some mysterious group of people after me, but now I have your dad to contend with."

  Roxy giggled and kissed him, "Yeah, but I'm worth it."

  Sean smiled, "Well, yeah. Of course you are."

  "So, any ideas for dinner?"

  "Um, I really need to study tonight, could we maybe just get some takeout or something?"

  Roxy nodded, "Sure, I need to study too." She ran her finger down his chest, he'd definitely put on some more muscle since she'd seen him heading for the shower yesterday morning, he was bulking up rather quickly. "Something other than your anatomy of course!" she added and then giggled as he blushed rather brightly.

  "Let's go pay for all of this," Sean nodded towards the pile of clothing and shoes in the cart. "Then maybe we can spend an hour or two studying anatomy before we take care of school work?"

  "You're learning!" Roxy chuckled.

  "Well, I do have a good teacher," Sean chuckled back.

  They walked out of the mall with two large bags, Sean wearing his watch once again.

  "Don't look now," he sighed, "but that guy behind us about twenty feet; does he seem to be paying us just a bit too much attention?"

  "Huh," Roxy said, stopping for a moment to look at a one of the shoe displays in a woman's clothing store, but focusing more on the reflection of the people behind them, "Good catch."

  "It's those jackets they wear to hide their holsters," Sean said as they started walking again. "It's like a uniform."

  "Do you see any others?"

  "No, just him." Sean looked hopeful for a moment, "Maybe there aren't any others left?"

  "Well, four last night, two at your friend's place, and what, three in the van?"

  "Don't forget the one-armed man," Sean pointed out.

  "I'm not. But we don't know if he's dead. I'd guess this guy is just following us and helping to set up the next ambush."

  "You'd think they'd have learned by now," Sean sighed.

  "Oh they have," Roxy said noticing the two van's screeching to a halt ten feet in front of them, the doors throwing open and men with guns jumping out.

  "Run!" She yelled and turning around, she ran back towards the mall entrance, with Sean hot on her heels.

  The man who had been behind them looked rather surprised, especially as Roxy tripped him as she went by.

  Sean just stepped on his stomach, as the man was falling, driving him to the ground rather hard and yelling out "Sorry! Excuse me!" as he jumped off the guy and kept going.

  They pushed past the doors quickly and suddenly it sounded like a major firefight had erupted outside, as the glass doors to the mall shattered behind them.

  "What the hell?" Sean panted.

  "I don't think they're from ar
ound here," Roxy yelled back to him.

  "What?"

  "This is an open carry state. A lot of people outside were packing. They probably figure those guys were terrorists attacking the mall!"

  Sean snuck a glance behind him as they went around the corner, there were four guys running after them wearing balaclavas over their heads, thick black sweaters, and holding pistols. Then suddenly only three, as an old lady with a magnum took one of them out.

  "Damn!" he swore and would have laughed if he wasn't running so hard. Roxy ducked down an emergency exit, setting off the alarm, but with all the other noise going on, he doubted anyone heard it. They pounded down the corridor, then out the door into the daylight. Roxy grabbed him and the both flattened against the wall behind the door and waited, dropping their shopping bags.

  "I think I hear someone," he told her as he caught his breath.

  "I can't believe they were this damn stupid!" Roxy replied shaking her head.

  "I'd say they were getting desperate," Sean said, and just then the door banged open and two men, came running out, leading with their guns. One was wounded, and their clothing was shot up revealing body armor underneath.

  Jumping forward Sean grabbed one from behind and without even thinking about it, he slammed the man's head into the concrete wall of the mall, cracking his skull and killing him instantly.

  Roxy had the other one from behind, and had not only taken his gun, but had it pressed against his head.

  "Who are you assholes and what do you want?" she growled.

  "You can't kill us all!" The man gasped, with the same vague accent that the other man from last night had. "Sooner or later, we'll get our hands on it!"

  "On what?" Sean asked coming over and looking the man in the face. There was nothing about him that made him stand out, he looked vaguely European, but then so did a lot of people in Nevada.

  "Your father's legacy!" the man told him.

  Sean laughed and shook his head, "They took my father's legacy when he died, all of it, everything! I have nothing left of his or even mine! Whatever the hell it is you're looking for, either the government got it, or the people he owed money took it!" Sean was all but yelling now.