3.28 - The Pink Panther
“Why am I doing all the work on this one,” I ask Destiny
“Because I’m trying to get you a license. You’re going to
need it sooner or later.”
“For what?”
“To make money, duh,” she rolls her eyes.
“I already have a job and I do stuff on the side. I just
built a website for a guy the other day.”
“You’ll get bored of it. You’ve got a taste of the life
now.”
She was right, I did have a taste of the life now. I haven’t
tangled with a vampire, werewolf, orc or even an elf. But I’ve seen them all,
and even talked to a few of them. I’d also seen her track down criminals and
apprehend them. I’ve got a nice little magic pocket, which is great. I’m never
without my computer, or wallet, or anything else really. I don’t know if I’m
going to jump inter her field of work. She says people specialize in different
things. I haven’t asked but I figured hers would be missing people and
fugitives, since that’s all I’ve seen her do. I haven’t even seen her fight
since that first night I met her.
Today she’s got me doing all the work. We’re looking for a
guy named Mike Stein. He’s a thief, plain and simple. He’s also just a normal
human. I didn’t know she even took this kind of job. I expected some big
werewolf on the run for murder, but it was an accident, and they’re trying to
clear their name. I let my mind drift off to other options, like a vampire
who’s looking for a cure. Would I rather be a vampire or werewolf? Focus, the
task at hand.
I get lucky when looking at his record. Arrests for theft
date all the way back to the time he was thirteen years old. A few resisting
arrest charges with nothing attached. I can’t blame him for that. Not sure how
police get away with charging people for resisting arrest while not arresting
them for anything else. Either way, I manage to get an address from him from an
old arrest about six months ago.
“Got an address,” I let Destiny know.
“Great,” she starts the car and hits the gas.
“You don’t even know where we’re going.”
“Then tell me,” she laughs and speeds up.
“I’m driving next time.”
After we turn around it doesn’t take is long to get to the
house. I’m a little let down when I see it. I thought we would be done with
this job, wrap it up quick and go get lunch somewhere. I guess that would be
too easy. Nothing ever seems easy anymore. We snoop around the outside of the
house, and all signs point to it really being abandoned. The boards covering
the doors, and windows are pretty secure and they’ve been there for a while,
much longer than when his recent arrest was. That means the police officers
didn’t do their due diligence.
“So, we didn’t get him here. What else did the bio say,”
Destiny senses my frustration.
I rethink the data I had read, “he likes to get lunch at the
same bar every day.”
“Great so let’s go get lunch, and get fucked up,” she heads
back to the car.
“You don’t even drink heavily, and drinking on the job is
bad.”
“Drinking on your job is bad, drinking on my job is a plus
and you don’t need to get drunk to enjoy a drink.”
“Wow, thank you for that McGruff, you’re a stellar crime dog.
I’ll make sure never to drink before driving and I’ll take a bite out of crime.
The Nimble Hatchet, is the strangest bar I’ve ever heard of
in my life and the actual bar might be stranger. A big neon hatchet hangs over
the door, and flickers back and forth giving the illusion that it’s being swung
down on the door. The outside says biker bar, but inside it looks more like a
sports bar. Destiny orders some hot wings while we sit and look around, waiting
for Mike to show up. I’m surprised she asked for ranch with the wings instead
of blue cheese. I was pretty sure I was I was in love with her before, but now
I’m sure I love her.
When Mike doesn’t show up right away we spend some time
playing pool. I’m usually pretty good at pool. I didn’t expect her to be way
better. Is being a vampire cheating? She’s got better vision, and speed. I’m
pretty sure she can move faster than I can see if she wanted. I was cocky and
didn’t mind taking a bet. By the time it was finished I owed her $112. I guess
she was right, I’d need the money if I kept hanging around with her.
Mike finally makes his way in, and he might as well have
been an orc. Mike has the body of someone who learned to workout in jail and
never stopped. His upper body is large and muscular but his legs seem pretty
similar to mine. I wait until after he’s eaten to alert Destiny but I’m sure
she already knows.
“Alright, go get what we came for.”
“What did we come for,” I hadn’t bothered to ask.
“The Pink Panther keychain.”
“Wait are you serious? We could just buy one,” I’m shocked
the job could be so simple.
“Yep, it’s a good luck charm.”
I make my way over to Mike and just ask “Hey, can I have
that keychain?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I know someone who wants it back.”
“Fuck off weirdo,” Mike gives me an answer I probably
deserve.
“I can’t leave, until I get that keychain.”
“How about I give you something else,” Mike asks in a calmer
demeanor.
“Sorry, it has to be the keychain.”
“How about you take this, and reconsider?”
My eyes flash and blur as I realize Mike had just punched me
in the head. Usually I would run away, avoid the fight. That’s what I had done
my entire life. But I can handle this now. I’ve been training, I’ve done some
pushups, and I’m ready. I thank him for the punch with one of my own. He only
smiles and I know I’m in trouble. I just close my eyes and tuck my head as he
tosses me across a table.
“Fuck is wrong with you,” I look up to see Destiny laying
into Mike.
It doesn’t take long before the rest of the bar is involved
in the brawl picking sides. I take the opportunity to track down Mike. I snatch
the keychain as he’s brawling with someone trying to make his way to Destiny.
She was standing on a pool table laughing and fending people off with a pool
cue. I’ve never seen her this way. Not exactly blood lust, but she’s having fun
with the fight. I could sneak out now, and meet her outside. But my bad side
takes hold, so I ball up my fist and go back as far as I can before punching
Mike right in the balls and watch him scream in pain. He’s knocked out as Destiny
slams a chair over his back.
“That was crazy,” Destiny says once we’ve finally got back
to the car.
“Over a keychain,” is all I can say as I twirl it in my
hands.
“It’s worth three dollars to us, five hundred to someone
else.”
0 comments :
Post a Comment