The Panther

by Ezra Dawn

  Grinning, I pull out some money from my wallet, drop it into the tip jar on the desk next to her computer and say, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can do for you sir?”

  “No, that’s it,” I say, and turn to leave.

  “Have a nice day!”

  “You too.”

  Exiting the hotel, I turn in the direction of the parking garage where a car is supposed to be waiting for me. When I start making travel arrangements for any job, I always make sure I pay one of my many contacts from around the world to have an untraceable vehicle at the ready when I arrive that I can use for whatever I need. I’ll be able to tell which car’s mine by finding the one with the stuffed black panther wearing a rainbow studded collar on the dash. Each of my contact’s has one and I’ve got a whole case in my office at home that I give to any new contacts I make.

  Locating the car at the end of the row on the third level of the parking garage, I grab the keys hidden in the bumper, unlock it and climb inside. Grabbing the burner phone from the center console, I turn it on and send a text to the only number in it. Letting the leader of the mercenary team know, I’m going after the target so, they should execute their op immediately. Receiving the 10–4 code in return, I set the phone to vibrate and put it in my pocket to destroy later after I receive word on the girls.

  Moving the stuffed panther off the dash, I place it in the floorboard on the passenger side for when I return the car to its spot. My contact will pick it up, sometime tonight and then, I’ll rent one when Benji and I go sightseeing. Starting the car, I program the target’s address into the GPS, and let the directions lead me to where I’m going. The drive doesn’t take long since the address is on the outskirts of the city. When I get close to the house, I end the route on the GPS and find a place to hide the car, so I can walk the rest of the way and maintain the element of surprise.

  As soon as I’ve parked, I disguise my face again, and climb out. Hitting the lock button on the remote, I walk towards the house. There’re guards at every entrance, and two patrol the grounds but, thanks to the magic ability I have because of what I am and the lessons I had with a warlock, I can also make myself invisible and walk right past them. It’s how I’m able to get in and out of places so easily. But, in reality, I’m not really invisible. It’s just me cloaking myself in magic and creating an illusion that nothing is there. Which is why I need to mask my scent. If I were truly able to go completely invisible, my scent would disappear as well.

  When I enter the house, I recall the blueprints and the target’s schedule, and walk towards the section of the house where his office is, since he’s always there at this time of day. Putting my ear to the door, I count at least four voices, so I find a spot to lean against the wall in prime position to sneak in once the doors open. As soon as the meeting is over and the men begin to leave, I squeeze past them into the office where my target is sitting behind a desk. There’s two guards in the room as well, and as I’m coming up with a plan to take them both out, my target says, “You two, can return to your posts. I don’t want to be disturbed until lunch time.”

  Lucky… Once the guards are gone, I walk over to the door and engage the lock, using a bit of magic that’ll make the door harder to break down if the guards hear what’s going on in here and try to stop it. Not that they would since I also soundproof the room but just in case, I do the same to the only window in the office. While I’m securing the room, my target says to himself, angrily. “Those damn bastards. How dare they back out of a deal that was almost finalized. Worried about that stupid fucking council. ‘Let’s wait until the heat dies down’ they say… fucking cowards.”

  Pulling my signal jammer from my pocket I turn it on so, the surveillance cameras and any communication devices are shut down and put it back in my pocket. Moving around behind my target, I pull out one of my handguns and release the safety. Cocking it alerts him to my presence but I cover his mouth with my free hand so he can’t call out and press the barrel of the gun to his head, dropping my invisibility at the same time. “Do not move or I’ll blow your head off.”

  Uncovering his mouth, I quickly wave my hand over his arms, using magic to create shifter-proof restraints. While I restrain his legs, he starts yelling, “Guards! Guards! There’s an intruder! Guards!”

  Once he’s restrained to his chair, I move his desk back about a foot, so I have some room to work. Removing my tool kit, I lay it on the desk and begin removing the items I’ll need, with the idiot behind me still screaming his head off. Looking over my shoulder at him, I say, “Scream all you want, no one will hear you.”

  He narrows his eyes at me and says, “Who sent you? Whatever they’re paying you, I’ll double it.”

  “No thanks. I don’t do business with scum like you.”

  “Do you have any idea who I am?”

  Picking up a pair of pliers, I turn to him and say, “I know you’re a scumbag who kidnaps innocent girls and sells them to other scumbags as sex slaves. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. You tell me exactly where they are, give me a list of all the girls you’ve sold before and their buyers, and I’ll make your death quick and painless.”

  He spits at me and snarls, “I won’t to tell you shit.”

  Grinning maniacally, I say, “You’ll change your mind soon enough.”

  Taking the pliers to his pinky fingernail, I jerk them hard, ripping the nail off. He hisses in pain but doesn’t scream like I thought he would. If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to change tactics. Good thing I always come prepared. After yanking two more nails off, I offer him the deal once again. He refuses. It’s going to be a long day… but worth it if I get the information I’m looking for. If there’s even a slight possibility that some of the girls, he sold are still alive then I have to make sure they’re found. I’ll turn the info over to the council once I have it and let them take care of things from there. With that hope in mind, I move to the next fingernail.

  Three hours later, after I’ve pulled all his fingernails, busted both kneecaps, nearly drowned him, and pretty much assured he’ll never have kids, the burner phone in my pocket vibrates. Pulling it out, I read the text message and smile.

  The doves have flown the nest.

  Powering off the phone, I put it back in my pocket, and decide to up my game for the information on the girls that have been sold. Returning to my tool kit, I open the small black case with a number of needles and vials nestled inside. The vials range from various poisons to a strengthened version of truth serum designed to work on even the toughest of paranormals. Picking up the vial of truth serum, I insert a needle and draw some into it. Once the dosage is correct, I put the vial back into the case and turn towards my captive. Tearing the sleeve of his shirt, I push the needle into his arm and depress the plunger.

  When it’s done, I return the needle to my case and say, “Maybe now you’ll answer my questions.”

  My captive, who’s having a hard time speaking with what I’m sure is a broken jaw, says, “What… what did you give me?”

  “Truth serum. Once it kicks in, you’ll be singing like a canary. I could’ve used it first, but that would be too easy, and you don’t deserve to get off easy.”

  With a resigned sigh, he says, “Seems I don’t have a choice anymore. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”

  Smiling at him, I say, “Now, that’s what I like to hear.”

  I got the call at six thirty. I was mindlessly flipping through channels worrying myself sick with wondering if Kuro would be okay or not. While I know he’s done this kind of work for years, and is probably the best at it, it doesn’t stop me from worrying about him. I tried to hide it, but then I got the call about my spa appointment and realized Kuro must’ve noticed and arranged this for me, so I’d relax and not worry. It was so thoughtful and made me fall a little more in love with him, something I didn’t think could be possible.

  I’ve spent all morning getting pampered. I’ve nev
er felt so relaxed, and managed to banish my worries for a while, which means Kuro’s plan worked. Now, I’m sitting in the restaurant for our lunch date waiting for him to get here and trying not to let my thoughts run wild. I ordered a water from the waiter earlier to sip on while I waited. As I’m perusing the menu, so I know exactly what I want, Kuro’s scent washes over me and I smile. Looking up from the menu, I see him standing by the table, freshly showered and wearing a t-shirt and jeans. He leans down and presses a chaste kiss to my lips, “Hello, agápi mou, how was your morning,” then takes the seat across from me.

  Sighing happily, I say, “It was wonderful. I feel amazing. I’ve never been so relaxed. Thank you for arranging it for me.”

  He smiles at me, picks up his menu, and says, “I’m glad you had a good time. I didn’t want you to be stuck inside worrying so, I’d hoped arranging a spa day for you would take your mind off things.”

  “Well it worked, thank you, chaton.”

  “You’re welcome, by the way, I like the nail color.”

  Blushing, I look down at my slate grey glitter polished fingernails. When I was getting my mani-pedi, I wasn’t going to get them painted anything other than clear, but then I saw this color and it reminded me of Kuro’s eyes so, I had to get it… the glitter was a bonus. I got sapphire blue glitter on my toes for Kuro’s favorite color. Before I can ask him how his job went, our waiter Timmy appears. “Good afternoon, sirs, are you ready to order?”

  Kuro says, “I’ll have the turkey club sandwich no mayo, with French fries, a slice of key-lime pie and water to drink.”

  Timmy turns to me. “And you sir?”

  “I’ll have the scones with cream cheese and smoked salmon, the savoy cabbage with rice and mushroom stuffing, and a cinnamon roll.”

  Timmy takes the menus and says, “I’ll get those orders in now and be right back with your water.”

  When Timmy leaves, I lean forward resting my elbows on the table and say to Kuro, “So, how did it go?”

  Kuro leans forward and whispers so, only I can hear. “The girls were rescued, I got information on every girl he’s ever sold and their buyers that I’ll turn over to the council so, they can maybe locate some of the girls. I have doubts that all of them are still alive at this point but, if some are, they need to be found.”

  “And your target?”

  “Has been eliminated.”

  Taking a sip of my water, I say, “Good riddance,” and lean back in my chair just in time for Timmy to return with Kuro’s water. I read the file on Kuro’s target after he left and was disgusted by what I saw. The hell that man put those girls through is unspeakable and I’m glad he won’t be able to hurt anyone else. Our food arrives a few minutes later and we eat in silence. The food is delicious, and once we’ve finished, Kuro stands and holds out a hand to me. When I take it, he leads me from the restaurant. “What about the bill? We can’t just eat and run.”

  “I had it charged to our room.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know you could do that.”

  “It’s because the restaurant is part of the hotel that I was able to. So, now that we’ve eaten, do you want to go back to our room and watch some TV, maybe fool around a little, or would you rather go out and explore. All the major tourist sights we can go see tomorrow.”

  Smiling at him, I say, “Let’s go explore for a bit. I want to get some souvenirs for my family to give them when they come visit.” With a wink, I add, “Then we can come back, watch TV and fool around.”

  “Alright then, let’s go.”

  We walk through the opulent hotel lobby, with its high vaulted ceilings, white floors that have gold swirls, and a staircase leading to the second floor that looks like it’s glass. It’s so beautiful and everyone is so friendly, I could see Kuro and I coming back here for a visit. When we exit the hotel, I loop my arm through Kuro’s and we turn left, walking down the sidewalk to the subway station that’ll take us to the city center according to the tourist book I read while getting my pedicure. Since Kuro talked sightseeing, I wanted to know what cool places we could visit so, on my way to the spa I grabbed one of those complimentary tourist books and made a list of places I wanted to see and the ways to get there. I haven’t told him yet that everything I want to see and do, is probably going to take more than one day. I know he won’t have a problem with it though.

  I’m surprisingly calm with the crowd around us as we descend the stairs to the subway and get in line to buy our subway tickets. While we’re waiting, I say, “Hey, chaton?

  “Yes, agápi mou?”

  “Do you think you could push our return flight back by about four days?”

  Kuro’s expression is a mix of shock and confusion when he says, “Four days? Are you sure?”

  I know my smile is huge because I can’t contain my excitement. “I’m sure. I was reading this tourist book while at the spa today and there’s a few places I really want to see, but each one is a day trip instead of something we can do in a couple hours.”

  His expression morphs to one of tenderness when he smiles at me. “Where would you like to go?”

  “For day one, I want to visit Karlstejn Castle and do all three tours they offer so we can see everything about it. On day two, I want to visit the Terezin Concentration Camp. Then on the third day, I want to visit the town of Cesky Krumlov, to see the castle there and St. Vitus Church, and on the final day, I want to visit the hot springs at Karlovy Vary.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Letting out a sound of excitement, I say, “Really? You’ll push our flight back?”

  Kuro kisses my forehead and says, “Of course I will. We’ll leave the day after Karlovy Vary.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me agápi mou. I want you happy, and I know I’m going to enjoy spending time with you, seeing the sights. Usually when I’m on a job, I get it done and get out, never really taking the time to enjoy the place I’m in. You know, I’d been to Paris four times and never took the time to visit Notre Dame Cathedral or the Eiffel Tower. Then on my fourth trip Notre Dame caught fire and I thought to myself, ‘man I wish I’d seen it before this happened,’ because I’m sure even if they use the best artists in the world and pictures as a basis, it’ll never be the same as it was.”

  When it’s our turn, Kuro pays for our tickets and leads me onto the subway. It’s packed with people and I start feeling a little overwhelmed. Sensing my distress, Kuro pulls me into his arms putting himself between me and the people around us. His scent surrounds me and I instantly calm. Thankfully, the ride to the city center is a short one and soon we’re exiting the train. Once we’re outside the subway station, a shop across the street instantly catches my eye. Dragging Kuro along, I open the door to the shop and walk in, finding myself surrounded by naughty novelty. The woman behind the counter greets us. Spotting the costumes in the corner, I drag Kuro through the store. Grabbing a police uniform, a soldier uniform, and a pilot’s uniform off the rack in Kuro’s size, I hand them to Kuro and shove him into the dressing room. “Try these on.”

  Kuro is laughing when I shut the door to the dressing room and go back to browsing. Seeing the stack of shopping baskets, I grab one and return to the costume section while Kuro is busy trying on the ones I picked out. Grabbing three of the same for myself -except the cop one, I get I prison one instead-to try on once Kuro is done, I move to the toy section. There’s an extensive catalogue of choices. It’s actually a bit overwhelming. My knowledge of toys is limited to what Kuro told me when we were looking for gifts for Ethan and his family. A hand lands on my shoulder, startling me, and I let out a yelp. Turning around I see Kuro standing there holding the costumes I picked for him barely containing his laughter. “Sorry, agápi mou, didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “It’s okay. So, do they fit?”

  He smirks and nods. “Yeah they fit. Let’s pick out some props to go with them then we’ll come back over here and choose some toys.”

>   I hand him the basket with one hand and hold up my costumes with the other. “You go pick props and stuff, I’m going to go try these on really quick and make sure they fit.”

  He takes the basket from me and I head for the dressing room. After trying all three on, I put my clothes back on and walk out of the dressing room, finding Kuro at the toy section, with a couple selections already in the basket, one of which being a kit to create a chocolate mold of your asshole. When he isn’t looking, I take it out of the basket and put it back. There’s no way in hell I’m ever making chocolate out of my ass or his. No… just no. I put my costumes in the basket, which gets Kuro’s attention. With a smile he says, “They fit?”

  Nodding I say, “Yep. I can’t wait to put them to use.”