Marv hasn't called for me so I stay by the bar, conversing with various people and, surprisingly, having a great time. The music and atmosphere makes me feel good in all the right places and I don't even care that Kit hasn't left Marv's office yet. Marv is fine, that much is clear to me, so I refocus on my surroundings.
I've shown off my skills numerous times already, but people have yet to tire of it. I've been kissed and groped countless times, my eyes glowing and dimming rapidly. I'd be surprised if I didn't end up with mono. With every person that tests me, though, I grow more agitated. It's the only downside of spending my watch on the ground floor. I've already snapped slightly at a few people. Though they never even really noticed, too busy admiring what I can do. Some people are just oblivious to the emotions of others.
As I have a conversation with a nice, handsome young man, I notice Mike shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He's talking to someone and not liking what the other person is saying. I excuse myself and stride over to where Mike is at the other end of the bar. I stand a few paces away from him and the stranger, listening.
"Where do you get it?" The man asks nonchalantly, his words slightly slurred. I can already tell that he's faking. There's no alcohol smell coming off of him nor is he under the influence of drugs. My alarms go off.
"It's mine," Mike says nervously. "You want some or not?"
The man responds, still slurring his words slightly, "Don't you get it from someone? I thought that's how it always was, someone always reporting to someone."
Mike starts fidgeting with his fingers and throwing ugly looks at the man. "No," he says firmly. Mike's not drunk either, and even he knows something's up.
The man doesn't say anything for a long moment. "Oh well, I don't want any. I just wanted to bang some chicks and get some alcohol in me." The man walks off, purposely tripping over his feet, but not falling.
I glare at him, watching him as he leaves the bar. Mike meets my eyes for a moment and he nods at the front doors. Nodding back, I go after the faking drunk, wanting to know exactly what he was up to. I walk out of the bar, informing Ben that I'd be back, and follow this mysterious man quietly. He half jogs across the parking lot and to his car, but he doesn't get into the driver's seat. Eyes narrowed, I hop around the parking lot and settle into a low crouch when I'm completely hidden in the darkness. I keep my eyes on the car the man got into. He's talking to someone in the driver's seat, but their voices are low. I focus and listen in on their conversation.
"Get anything?"
"No. The guy says he's the source, but I don't buy it."
"Why are you so convinced about this place?"
"I just know it, man."
"Just let it go. The boss won't like you doing this."
"He'll like it when I bring down a huge drug ring. I'm also pretty sure those girls are prostitutes."
"They're strippers. They get paid to show off their bodies. They aren't prostitutes."
"There are private rooms in there. Someone has to be using them."
"It's not illegal, man. You're never going to catch that place on prostitution. All the owner has to say is that the dudes are paying for the rooms, not the girls."
"Yeah, you're right. But I know the owner is selling drugs. I just know it."
"You're going to lose your job if you're wrong. You know that, right?"
"I'm not wrong. I know the owner of this place is leading this ring. I've got a guy on the streets and he pointed me to this place."
"Do you know anything about the owner?"
"Everyone calls her Marv. That's pretty much all I've got. She doesn't show her face much."
"What about that rumor?"
"What rumor?"
"That this Marv person has someone kind of super henchman."
"I don't buy that for a second. You know how crooks are always trying to put a scare into people."
"You didn't see him in there?"
"I saw some girl collared like a dog doing parlor tricks."
"Hm. Customers must be some kinky bastards. So what are you going to do?"
"Raid the place. I'm certain I can get Steve to let me do this."
"You have no proof."
"I've never let him down before."
"And if he gives you a team and you're wrong?"
"Then i'll get on my knees and grovel to keep my job."
"You better hope you're right then."
"I don't need to hope. My CI is never wrong. I'll bring this place down."
"Whatever you say, man. Let's get out of here."
The conversation ends there. The driver starts the car and slowly drives out of the lot then into the street. I stand up straight and think about what I've just heard. This is not good. If they bust in the club and find Marv's stash in her office, she'll get arrested. I can easily break her out of jail, though I'll probably get arrested, too. That's still not a problem, I can easily escape myself. Though I don't think Marv will enjoy having to go through such an ordeal. I'll have to tell Marv about what I just heard. Hopefully she'll stop selling her product for a while, at least until the cops stop sniffing around.
Coming back to myself, I don't realize how hard i'm gripping my chain until I feel a few links break into my hand. Lucky for me the links I broke were at the end of the chain, only causing the length to decrease by a few inches. That shouldn't upset Marv. If it does, I'll grovel.
Dropping the broken chain links, I swiftly enter the club and make my way to Marv's office, ignoring the few people trying to get my attention. When I reach my destination I knock on the door and jiggle on my feet, wanting to spill what I know already. After a too long moment Marv's voice reaches me and she allows me entrance into her office. I fling the door open, shut it, then start talking rapidly. I don't stop until I've said every aingle detail, down to my shortened chain. When I'm done I clasp my hands in front of me and wait.
Marv moves to pace before her desk, her lower lip pinched between her fingers. "Shit," she says under her breath. At first I thought the curse was directed at me and my chain, but it wasn't. "Did he say when he planned on the raid?"
"No. Just that he was," I say, following Marv pace with my eyes.
"Just don't sell anything for a while," Kit says, shrugging. "It's not like you keep everything here, right? You have a warehouse?" she wonders. She is watching Marv pace as well.
Marv stops in her tracks and turns to us. "I keep a lot of product here. I hated having Joe come and go so frequently, so I had him keep most of it here."
Kit clicks her tongue and shakes her head. "Well then tell Joe to move it. Not selling here won't hurt you much. Thanks to me and Joe, you pretty much run this city. This cop guy doesn't seem to know that. He only knows about you selling here."
Marv leans on her desk, her finger to her lip. Her ankles cross. "You're right." She pauses, saying nothing for a moment after that, simply thinking. "Maybe I can just kill the guy," she muses, completely serious.
"Maybe you can. You have a few detectives on payroll, thanks to me by the way," Kit says, "If they happen to find the body, I can 'ask' them to stay away from you. We can give them a scapegoat so they can put someone in jail. Easy."
Marv stares intently at nothing in particular. "That isn't a bad idea," she finally says. "Can you find this guys place, Kit?"
Kit waves her hand. "No problem."
"Good. I also need you to find this CI. Apparently he's high enough in the chain to know about me," Marv hisses. That part has her more than pissed.
"Don't worry. I'll find him. There's only a select few on the streets that know I'm not actually on the throne. I'll just have to gather them up and question them. It might take some time though. I don't know if he'll break easy."
Marv scoffs. "Just take my Pet. She can spot lies. How many people know about me?"
Kit thinks for a second. "About six or seven, not counting your guys that work here."
Marv nods. "Okay. Get them all together. Now. It's not too late, take my Pet with you. Nothing should go wrong here for the rest of the night. But have her back before closing time, you have four hours."
Kit stands up and smooths down her pants. "You got it. What do you want me to do with the mole?"
"Kill him. Hide the body. If the cop finds out, he'll know that I know about him. I don't want him to be suspicious before I even get the chance at him," Marv states gravely.
Kit nods and starts to walk towards the door.
"Go with her, Pet," Marv commands me, "Expose this guy and kill him. I don't want him recognizable. When you're done, Kit will bring you back here. Understand?"
I nod. "Yes, Mistress."
Kit is standing in the doorway, waiting for me.
Marv looks to her. "Don't mistreat her, Kit. She's very important to me. This will also be good to scare your guys. Let them know that if any of them betray you, my Pet will have at them."
Kit chuckles and grabs the end of my chain. "I wouldn't mess with her, Marv. She can kick my ass a hundred times over. We'll be back soon."
I walk out of Marv's office with Kit grasping my chain. As we make our way out of the club, she pulls out her phone amd starts making calls, gathering the select few I have to question. She tells them to meet her at 'the usual place,' wherever that is.
As we pass the stages, the dancers track me with suspicious eyes when they see it's not Marv that has my chain. I smile at them reassuringly, giving a little wave and mouthing that I'd be back soon. They continue to dance but I know they're still a little worried. Giving them a last, apologetic glance, I follow Kit out of the club and into the night air. She ushers me into her car and wastes no time. We're off in just a few seconds.
-----------------------------------------------------
Kit pulls up to an ugly green apartment complex. I eye the building both in distaste and to get a feel of it. It has three stories and is full of people, some still awake. I step out of the car at Kit's command and walk by her side to the front door. As we walk into the building, she grabs my chain. I pull away at first but she tugs me back.
"For looks," she explains to me as we ascend the stairs to the top floor. "Everyone should be here by now."
I nod and continue walking beside her. It gives me the willies to have Kit have my leash, more so now that I'm out of Marv's circle of influence. I can still feel her, but it hurts to be so far, even if it's only a few miles. Trying to shake off my gooseflesh, I keep pace with Kit as she leads me down a long hallway to the last door.
"How cliche," I mutter, rolling my eyes. It's always the last door.
We walk into the apartment with ease and Kit lets my chain go to settle on a chair that faces the door. Now free, I look around, taking in the old furniture and peeling wall paint. The carpets are stained and I'm certain the muddy brown of the floors is not the original color. The place reeks of flat soda, dust, and sweat.
Nose scrunched, I focus on those gathered. I see that there are ten different people surrounding me, excluding Kit. One person by the door, who let us in, six sitting in various seats around the room, and three standing around in no particular order. Everyone of them, all men, are leering at me. They stare at my collar and chain curiously, then to my unimposing frame. I make a biting motion with my mouth and snap my teeth, making a few of them chuckle, and the serious air in the room dissipates.
Kit crosses her legs at the knee and crooks a finger at me. I don't move, but then I realize that I probably should. Movement's too quick, I'm at Kit's side. She hides her surprise well and tugs on my chain, then looks at the six seated men in turn.
Her eyes bore into them, and even I get a bit nervous. "So," she starts, "Which one of you is the CI?" Straight to the point.
All of who are seated shift uncomfortably. Even the guys standing aren't feeling too good. The air in the room turns tight, and when someone coughs, everyone jumps.
One of the men with long, greasy hair licks his lips nervously, then starts talking, "We would never betray you, Kit," he manages to get out. He clears his throat then swallows, only to clear his throat again.
I stare intently at him, fully aware that his hands are shaking, but not for the obvious reason. He truly believes this words. He hasn't betrayed Kit in any way. In fact, he's in love with her. He's shaking because he's mad, still nervous, but mad. He doesn't know if Kit is right about a CI, but if she is, he's ready to kill. The loyalty is almost akin to mine to Marv. I smile at him and chuckle, connecting with him on a deep level.
"What?" Kit asks curiously, absolutely no malice in her voice.
"He's telling the truth. He's not the one, he can go," I tell her. I hesitate, then lean down to her ear to whisper. "He's also in love with you." He may not like that I've revealed his secret but it's for his own good. His loyalty and pride will prevent him from admitting his love. This way, he can keep his oh so fragile manhood.
Kit chuckles and waves her hand at him. "You can go Al," she tells him. "And you're amazing. I knew you'd never let me down."
Al smiles brightly, his heart beating faster. He doesn't want to go but he gets up anyway. I giggle to myself and watch him leave, the doorman letting him out.
Kit coughs and asks again, "Which one of you is the CI?"
Another bout of silence. I stare at the man that's seated next to where Al was and hone in on his thoughts and emotions. He is genuinely confused about this whole situation. He's wondering who would be brave enough to go against Kit, how I knew Al was innocent, and what my connection is with Kit.
I point at him and he stiffens. "He's not the CI."
Kit waves him away and he cautiously leaves, frowning at me the whoke way to the door. Dismissing him, I stare at the next guy and narrow my eyes. He's uncomfortable. Very, very uncomfortable. I step closer to him, but Kit has a good grip on my chain. From my training with Marv I know to stop moving otherwise I'll hurt her or myself, or break the chain. When Kit understands what I'm doing, she releases her hold to let me roam free. I step in front of the nervous man and lean down to be nose to nose with him. His head jerks back.
"Are you the CI?" I ask, getting a good whiff of his breath, his sweat and cologne.
His mind is swirling and I have to move quick to catch everything. He's thinking about how he took some product not two months ago. He wanted to sell a little on his own to pay for his sister's school supplies. He's thinking about how if Kit finds out, she'll kill him, even if he's not the CI. He thinks about his family, how much he loves them, how he wouldn't risk their lives this way. He doesn't know any cops. In fact, he despises them. They brutally killed his brother not too long ago and attempted to cover it up, disguise the racism by calling his brother a no good thug, which he wasn't. He was doing well in school and wanted to be a doctor. It was a tragedy and I feel the pain as if it were my own.
I sigh and cup the man's cheek, making him tense up. "It's okay," I whisper, only loud enough for him to hear. "I know you're not him. I'm sorry about your brother. He was pure." To the room I say, "He's not the CI."
The man stares at me with wide eyes. "H-how did you know about my brother?"
"I know a lot. Including what happened two months ago. Leave. You've done nothing wrong," I tell him.
Eyes glistening, he scrambles up from his seat and quickly leaves the room. His sniffles from the hall hits my ears and I hope that he'll be okay.
Kit clears her throat to get me to continue, and I rip my eyes away from the front door. Clearing my head, I stare at the three remaining, seated men. All of them are looking at me with curiosity in their eyes and just a bit if wonder. I don't feel like questioning them individually, so I point to the man in the middle. "I know you're the CI," I say. I want to get back to Marv and this is the quickest way to go about it.
The man before my finger shifts and looks to Kit. "I'm not, I swear!" he tells her, sweat breaking out on his forehead. He's telling the truth, though, and he just doesn't want to die. I don't blame him.
Ignoring him, I look to the man on his left, who's surprised. He never thought that his friend would betray Kit, would work for those pigs in blue. But he's not working for the pigs, either. Sliding my eyes to the right, I focus on the last man I need to. He's relieved. His hands are relaxed and his breathing is even. He's almost smug that he wasn't caught. Smiling to show teeth, I growl angrily and grab him by the throat. No one even reacts until he's dangling in the air, his legs swinging and his smug attitude replaced with pure fear.
"This is the one," I say to the room. I shake him a little as he grabs my wrist and tries to pull me away.
"You two can go," Kit says from behind me.
The two men walk slowly from the room, wanting to see what I do next. They're a little scared but their curiosity is overrunning their flight instinct. At Kit's insistence, their fear takes priority and they finally leave.
"If you don't like blood, I suggest you leave," Kit mumbles to the remaining four men in the room.
None of them move, too interested in me. One shifts his weights and takes a step back. The others follow suit. I'm still standing in the same spot, holding up my prey as he chokes and changes colors.
"Let him go," Kit tells me. "We still need to know a few things, and we need him alive for that."
Grunting, I loosen my hold but don't release. Kit doesn't have the kind of power that Marv does, and intoxicating panic is filling my nostrils. I don't want to let go. I want to shake until I feel a neck snap in my hand.
Kit snaps at me, dropping Marv's name, and I finally obey. I drop the man into his seat then stand to the side of him, looking at Kit but still holding a thread of rebellion in me.
"You're going to tell us about this cop," Kit tells him.
He stares back at her, rubbing his sore throat. He doesn't try to talk until I give a held back growl. "I don't know anything about him. He comes to me sometimes wanting information. I give it to him if he pays me."
At least he's honest. "He's telling the truth," I tell Kit, "But he's still hiding something. He knows more about this cop."
"I don't know nothing," he sneers at me, glaring. Someone's still upset about being picked up like a doll.
"What his name?" Kit asks, bored.
"I don't know," he replies. He averts his eyes and stops himself from crossing his arms over his chest.
I stare at him, watching his thoughts swirl around his head. He's jumbled but one thing is clear- he knows the cops name. "Detective Paul Hauser," I tell Kit, easily plucking the name from the guys brain.
"How the fuck did you know that?" the guy snarls at me.
"Doesn't matter, " Kit sneers at him, "We have a name. We don't need you anymore." She looks to me and nods, indicating me to do my job.
Excited, I face the man and punch him with jaw breaking force. His head snaps to the side but his neck doesn't break. He groans and his hands fly to his face, his fingers probing his jaw. He yelps at what he finds, then looks at me with hatred in his eyes.
I don't care. His hatred means nothing. If anything, it only fuels me to do worse. Marv wanted him unable to be recognized so I grab the back of his head and punch him continuously in the face. Bones crack and shatter, and blood flies in every direction. The coppery aroma makes me smile and I want more. Much, much more.
Pounding harder, teeth fall from the man's mouth at my hits. I get up on my knees for a better angle and growl as I punch. The man's groans become softer and, eventually, his heart stops. I keep hitting him anyway until there's nearly nothing left for me to hold on to and brain matter coats my knuckles.
Sighing in pleasure, I stand up and lick my lips. The sweet taste of metal greets me and I can't help but suck on my fingers. Even the brain matter is delightful. I grin widely, satisfied. Looking around the room, the four men are staring at me in different degrees if disgust and horror. I growl at them, anger still fueling me.
"Well that was interesting," Kit mumbles behind me.
I spin around on my heel and glare at her. She's paler than usual and she's staring at something around my mouth. I flick out my tongue where her eyes are and find a string of blood that I had missed before
"Calm down there," she chuckles. It's dry. "Marv wouldn't be pleased if you hurt me, would she?"
At Marv's name my blood lust dies a little. Marv would kill me if I hurt aomeone I wasn't supposed to. Wiping my face free of blood, I force myself to calm down. I take a deep breath, wiping my hands on a clean area of a nearby chair, and I feel a bit better. But I do still have a slight need to hurt someone.
"Good," Kit breathes, relief all over her face. "Now can you make your eyes stop glowing? Your scaring the boys."
I blink at her, unable to stop my eyes from glowing until I can get outside into clean, untainted air. I don't tell her this, though, afraid that I may snap without Marv's presence. Her name can help influence me to do things but it isn't a magic word.
"Whatever," Kit grumbles. She definitely has no plan to fight me. "Just keep your eyes like that then. Let's get you back to Marv. It's a bit over two hours until closing and it's an hour drive."
I nod and start to head for the door, waving at the four men in the room. One of them points to my shirt and the bloodstains on it. Not wanting to come back to the club a bloody mess, I flip my shirt inside out then slip back into it. There are still little brown stains but they look like I dropped food on my chest instead of having just killed someone.
"As for you guys, get rid of that body, " Kit tells her boys as I check the rest of my front for blood droplets. "Find that cop, too. I want to know where he lives. ASAP. And spread the word around about Marv's Pet here. She's mighty dangerous. If anyone else even thinks about betraying me, I'll have her take care of them."
All of the men nod and get to work as Kit and I walk out of the apartment. She pats my back in a friendly manner then wipes a bit of blood clean from my neck with her sleeve. I thank her and suck in the fresher air of the hall. It helps drastically and im alnost certain that my eyes have dimmed to almost normal. As we stride down the hall, a door near the end opens and an old woman steps out to look at us.
She adjusts her glasses with years of skill. "Is everything okay in there?' she asks, her voice nowhere near sleepy. She had been awake. "I heard someone yelling a little while ago."
Kit smiles sweetly and answers for me. "Its okay. Just a little fight with my brother. I swear he'll never learn to pick up his dirty clothes from the floor."
The old woman chuckles but eyes my collar and chain. She adjusts her glasses again and squints. "Why are you wearing that, dear?" she asks me, pointing at my neck.
I look down at my chain, feigning surprise. "Oh my!" I laugh. "I totally forgot about it. I was playing with little Janet. I can't afford to get her a real dog, but she does love to pretend. It keeps her mind off the yelling," I say, leaning close as if sharing a secret, hiking my thumb at Kit.
The old woman laughs and nods knowingly. "Anything to make the little ones happy." She walks back into her apartment without saying goodbye and locks her door. Smart woman.
"That was a close one," Kit says, nudging my side. She continues down the stairs and I follow.
"Yeah, " I reply. "Let's get me home." I'm itching to be back near Marv. The girls, too. The club has become my home and I miss it already.
Kit agrees and we walk silently back to her car.