Zia… 1st Floor of the Dragofin Lair

---

“Hello?” she hated how shaky her voice sounded.

“Ah, there you are. I came back by, and you’re not here. Your parents are worried sick about you,” Jeremy’s voice filled the room.

Ajax and Hildy had rejoined them to listen. Hildy made a questioning face as the man continued to speak.

“Zia, are you there? I’m in your parking lot. Knocked on your door, but didn’t get an answer.”

All she could do was look up at Greg for some sign of his reaction. He motioned for her to answer the other man.

“That’s because I’m not there.”

“Oh really?” There was a speck of something in his voice that irritated her, but Zia didn’t speak up. After an uncomfortable silence, he said, “Tell me where you are and I can come meet you. I promised your mom I’d make sure you were all right.”

“Jeremy, that won’t be necessary. I’m fine as you can hear,” she found herself saying. With Greg’s nodding, she continued, “Guess you can tell my mother that all is right as rain, okay?”

This time it was Jeremy who waited. Then he said, “Not exactly. At least not without seeing for myself. Zia, I don’t know how to tell you this but your tires on your Bakery’s Truck are trashed, and there’s a graffiti message on your front door.”

“What?” she clamped a hand over her mouth as Greg motioned for her to keep it cool. “I mean, what does the message say?”

“Hold on, I wrote it down. Tried to call the number but got no answer.” She heard a shuffling sound as if Jeremy searched for something before he came back on the line. “Here it is… Bitch, come get him. Come to the Corner Store for more details.”

Racing thoughts blotted out her composure, and Zia strained to concentrate on her next move. What store could that be? She didn’t remember a store close to the apartments on their corner.

Hildy came to her rescue with a message handwritten with an app from her phone. The woman held it up for her and Greg to see. It read:

When she and Greg both nodded, Zia’s confidence made a slow but sure-footed approach back to the forefront.

Following Hildy’s message, Zia said, “You said you called the store already.

“Yes, but they had no recollection of anything out of the ordinary.

“I see. Give me the name and number of the store, please.”

“Why? I told you I already called. We can go by there when you get here.”

“What’s wrong, Jeremy?” Annoyed at the attempt of fuckery he tried to pull, Zia’s patience grew thin. “Did you get caught in a lie? You said you called and got no answer. Now you’re saying you talked to someone and they didn’t have any information about the message on my door?”

“No, not that. I didn’t want to run the risk of losing you as I attempted to find the last number I dialed.”

“Uh-huh.” The voice that said that might as well have been her mother’s for the shades of disbelief it threw over the phone line. “How about this? You go on back to wherever you’re staying while in town. I’ll let you know when I get there if it’s not too late.”

“But…” the level of panic that started to rise in his reply was enough for everyone listening on her end to perk up. “I need to see you now.”

“Why?”

“Because. Hey, what about that message spray painted on your door. There’s no way I’m letting you come home to face that alone.”

He was slick as he was clever. She’d give him that. With Greg by her side and Hildy and Ajax there to lend support, Zia had calmed down enough to think before she leaped. Something about this whole situation stunk more by the minute.

There was no way she would offer up any more information, especially whether she be arriving alone or not.

With practiced poise, she finally said, “I’ll manage. On second thought, like you said seeing for myself would be even better. Please, take a picture of my door and send it to me. I can use it to send to the local police.”

“Police? Yeah, that might be good… or not. If you don’t want the neighbors getting spooked.” Words tumbled over one another as they fell out of his slick-assed, lying mouth.

“What’s the matter with snapping a quick picture for me to file a police report? You did tell my mother that you wanted to help with my safety.” Now she was having fun.

Ajax made a gesture for her to keep Jeremy on the phone, as he steadily tapped on his cell phone. Almost as soon as he’d made the motion, he gave Zia a thumbs up sign and a handsome grin.

Zia noted movement out her periphery as Hildy went over to see what her mate was up to. Greg remained by her side, glued to every word.

“Okay, I’ll climb those stairs again for you,” an annoyed Jeremy said. “Are you sure you’re not close enough by for me to wait for you?”

“I’m sure. I’m fine though. Sorry, my mom sent you on a wild goose chase for nothing.”

“She’s a good mother who loves you. Where about in the city are you? I could meet you halfway.”

Annoyed irritation had its limits. A bit of the Zia that had been antagonized for too long sprang forward.

“Jeremy, I need you to get the hint, so here goes. I don’t want to meet up with you. I’m well, and that’s all the information warranted for your efforts. You came to Atlanta at the behest of my mother, not me. I still know how to contact her. And…” she saw Greg making signs for her to stop popping off. Signs Zia ignored as she continued, “Last time I checked, I’m a very grown-assed woman. You’re not my man, so I’ve given you enough information to go a smidge,” she stressed that word, “past polite.”

“Please, do have a safe and speedy trip back.”

Before she could stop her momentum, Zia disconnected the call.

“Woot! I like your style,” Hildy said. She and Ajax had come back over to join her and Greg as the woman added, “Look at what my baby was able to do.”

Ajax piped in, laughing, “Look at him. He’s clueless. Look up, dude.”

“Give me that,” Greg said taking the cell phone out of Ajax’s hands. He positioned it so everyone could see the screen.

“What is that? A drone?”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t it make noise?”

“Yes, but in that part of the city during this part of the day, the sound blends in with the sounds of the cityscape.”

Greg asked, “Is there a way to canvas the area and Zia’s front door?”

“Yep, hold on,” Ajax said as he reached for Hildy’s phone. “Bae, let me use your phone.”

She handed it over without hesitation. They were so cute. Everyone waited as Ajax fiddled with both phones. When he had a look of satisfaction on his face, Hildy motioned for them to close in.

While Hildy held Ajax’s phone with the camera feed of the drone, Ajax used the screen of her phone to maneuver the craft.

“I had the drone on automatic surveillance. Now that I’m driving, we can take a look.”

Everyone watched as a small action figure sized Jeremy made a phone call below. From the looks of it, he wasn’t happy about the outcome of his supposed meeting with Zia.

As he got into a car and drove off, Zia couldn’t help but say, “Yeah, that’s right. Take your punk ass on.”

This got a laugh from everyone but Greg. Ignoring the laughter, he broke through the voices to ask, “Can you get down lower to check out everything?”

“Sure. Do you want just the parking lot and Zia’s building or the entire complex?”

Greg gave Ajax a look like he’d bumped his head and answered, “Everything, like normal protocol.”

Well now, looked like Greg did have a limit to his normally emotional stalwart disposition.

Ajax snickered and maneuvered the craft to hover lower. A hush fell over them as he locked on Zia’s truck. True to Jeremy’s slithery word, her tires had been slashed.

“Check her front door,” Greg instructed and gave Ajax the apartment number.

Zia held her breath as the mechanical flying device did quick work of navigating the hallway.

“Is it always that dark in the daytime?” Hildy asked. “That’s a stalker’s wet dream scenario right there.”

Zia didn’t look up at Greg to know he gave the woman a look to tell her to shut it. Hildy clammed up and resumed watching the feed.

A light turned on from the drone to light its way. She continued to practice breathing for what could show up on the screen next.

There it was. Thick, glossy, and dripping, the black spray painted message was sprawled across her door and on the walls surrounding it.

Ajax whistled, “Damn, they didn’t even try to stay within the lines.”

Hildy gave him a little thwack against the back of his head and jerked her head toward Zia in an exaggerated signal. Their comments didn’t matter though.

She refused to react to the sight. That door and vehicle represented a previous phase of her life. A fine could be paid for a vandalized door. The tires could be replaced. A life was irreplaceable. Finding Boogie was the priority.

Greg broke the silence. “He might not be completely honest, but it appears that this Jeremy wasn’t lying about the graffiti and the tires.” Greg cleared his throat as if to shake off something. “If you can, record this and the state of the truck or snap a still photo of each. We’ll all go over this when everyone is back and awake.” Greg showed no emotion as he continued to take charge of the situation. “Keep moving.”

Ajax continued to move the drone along, raising up to clear the tops of the three-story buildings.

Hildy whispered but loud enough for the huddled group to hear. “Whoa, did you see that in the shadows?”

Zia had missed whatever she referred to, but both Greg and Ajax nodded.

Greg kept his stoic demeanor. “Let’s find concrete confirmation before jumping at shadows and shapes in the dark. Shall we?”

Hildy and Ajax agreed to do as he said with slight non-verbal acknowledgment.

Silence fell over the group again as the drone continued its aerial tour.

“That’s odd. No one’s outside,” Zia said, realizing that this was usually the time the kids would be out playing on a nice, sunny day like today. Realizing she spoke to folks unfamiliar with her neighborhood, Zia supplied extra commentary. “There’s normally enough kids outside playing for it to look like a block party.”

“Kids are like birds. They sense everything,” Hildy said. “From the looks of things, something is off in your neck of the woods. Baby,” she said in a softer tone to Ajax, take the drone up higher to see if there are any loiters nearby. If that’s all right with you, Greg,” she said, almost forgetting his previous directive.

“It’s fine. You two do this every day. I yield the lead on this part of the surveillance to you two.”

“It’s fine. You two do this everyday. I yield the lead on this part of the surveillance to you two.”

“Why, golly gee, thanks Dad,” Ajax joked. “Whoa! Bae, you see that?” He asked his mate.

“Yep, sure do. As I thought.” Hildy turned to look at Greg and Zia. “That right there,” she pointed to a section of the screen, “is what the corner store reference is about. That message on Zia’s door refers to them. See, those corner lookouts equal the corner store. That way the cops and average onlooker isn’t tipped off.” Hildy made a show of waving her hands around like a game show model. “Ta-da! I present to you the corner store. It’s this car and couple of guys right here,” she said pointing to the two figures sprawled around the older model sedan. “By the looks of it, they’re stationed here as lookouts and your next point of contact. That’s why everything is quiet in her apartment complex.” Hildy’s eyes turned to almost completely black orbs and stared at Zia as she said, “The neighborhood is hiding in fear.”

“Without your pointing it out, I would have never understood the message. I wonder why they would think I would?”

Hildy shrugged. “I don’t know, but they are your best bet for getting Boogie back.”

“What are y’all doing?” The bright voice of Wren Douglas broke the heaviness of Hildy’s pronouncement as she and Quinn came to join the others.

“We’re doing a little homework before going over to Zia’s,” Ajax said.

“Has anything of interest turned up?” Quinn asked, in a surprisingly cordial way.

“There’s a lookout car that seems to be waiting for Zia to show up.” Hildy directed her attention back to Zia and asked, “Who is that guy who called with that bullshit just now?”

“That would be Jeremy. My first…” Zia didn’t want to say, love, because looking back now, it was clear that she’d had an infatuation with him at best. “He was my first boyfriend. I grew up with him back in Texas.”

“And he came all the way here to see you?” Wren asked.

“Yes, on assignment from my mother.”

Wren said, “Oh. That killed all his cool points for me.”

“Hot damn! Got you, you sons of bitches,” Hildy said.

Hildy’s words shook Zia enough to pay attention to the screen of the phone again.

“What happened?” Greg and Wren asked at the same time.

Ajax jumped in to speak. “Egolars. We spotted two hanging out on the third floor of Zia’s building. Confirmation achieved, Greg!”

At the mention of Egolars, Zia’s body seized into a stiff rod. Greg folded her into his arms and rocked as Wren came close to check on her. Zia’s mind was still active. It was her body that was frozen.

“I’ll get her some water,” Zia could hear Quinn saying.

“She’s in shock,” Wren could be heard saying.

“She’ll be fine. Look at me and breathe, Zia.” Greg’s voice weaved its way through the ice that encased her body. “That’s it. Breathe with me, my love. Never again,” he cooed as Zia reclaimed the ability to function.

Quinn spoke up. “Greg, do you think it’s wise to take her back to her place with those things lurking about?”

“I’m right here and can speak for myself.”

“Never said you couldn’t, but both Wren and I sense danger.” Quinn paused as if to consider what and how she spoke. “You’re Greg’s mate, and that makes you part of the family. We take care of our own. As far as I’m concerned, our past is that, our past. How about we start fresh? You have a lot of dark activity swirling around you. I haven’t been able to see all the strings of thread in this particular part of the tapestry, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know there’s a master weaver behind it.”

With her faculties fully restored, Zia stood on her own to interact with Quinn. “So does that mean you believe me when I say I’m not doing anything to provoke this?”

“I’ll say I’m working through that. What I want to do is get your little friend back safe and you back here before any other craziness happens.” To Greg, she said, “If you permit me, I have some insights on your approach I’d like to share.”

“As our strategist, I’d hoped you would.”

Quinn gave Zia another quick glance before speaking. “Ajax, let me see the visual of Zia’s place. Hildy brought us up to speed, but I need to see the layout too,” Ajax showed a barren parking lot in front of the apartment building. “Okay, now give me an aerial shot of the entire complex. Hold on, stop right there.” Everyone held their tongue as Quinn looked at the drone’s feed. She pointed to a building adjacent to Zia’s and said, “That’s where the Egolars are hold up.”

“How can you be for certain?” Zia dared to ask.

“Because that’s where the most cars and foot traffic are and I have a knowing that they’re there. Not to mention it’s the closest building to yours. Looks like they set up shop to do a perpetual stake out on you.”

“Thanks. I feel so much better now.”

Quinn gave her a reassuring smile. “No need to be worried. We’re going to make sure you don’t get snatched up.”

“What do you propose to make sure that doesn’t happen?” Hildy did little to hide her annoyance with Quinn’s showboating antics.

“Zia drives herself to her apartment using the rental she has. Wren and I will follow her and go to the parking area in another car.” Quinn pointed to another street behind the apartments. “Greg, you can attack the Egolar den from here with Ajax. Hildy will do her thing with aerial coverage.” She looked over to the young couple and added. “If it comes to it, you two should do your combo thing and go directly to the Egolar den to help Greg.”

Quinn paused and studied the feed in more concentration. “Yeah, the most action will be with the Egolars. I don’t believe those two,” she pointed to the guys on the corner, “are directly working with the Egolars. A middle person is coordinating the efforts. Ooh, and I’d be careful of this area. This walkway between buildings should be assigned to one of us to monitor as a lookout. The way it’s angled, the Egolars could use it to wreak havoc on the parking lot where Zia will be. Remember, she is only there as bait. So she needs to be out in the open for all to see.” Quinn continued to look at the screen, the wheels of her mental processes almost audible. “Yeah, that’s it. While Greg, Ajax, and Hildy are providing an offensive attack, Wren and I can see about flushing out the brains behind this kidnapping and protecting Zia. My senses are tingling at the idea of this being an ambush.”

Greg spoke up. “With all due respect, there are many parts of your plan I don’t like.”

“Such as?”

“All of it. Plus, you fail to show how we find Boogie. That’s sort of the main reason we’re going right now.”

“Oh yeah. Well, if you don’t like it, come up with something better.”

The shake of Greg’s head was so subtle, Zia almost missed it. “Quinn, do you see a way for us to accompany or closely shadow Zia?”

“If you want to hide in the car with her, that might work, but that’s a big might, with your size and all.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Zia had wasted too much time going around with this. She took the floor. “All right folks. It appears that I have two issues at hand. I have a den of Egolars lying in wait and a group of guys hanging out on the corner for me to meet them to get Boogie. I don’t know what either of these groups wants with me, but I sure as hell am not about to walk into any setup like that alone. I don’t care what they say.”

“Have they called back with any more information?” Wren asked, rejoining the conversation.

“No, and that’s what worries me. Along with Jeremy showing up. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

“I don’t either,” Quinn said. “How about this? You and Greg go together, and we’ll follow you in another vehicle.”

Greg jumped back into the conversation. “How about the mates of those Clan members at the portal stay here until we get back. The last thing I want is to have to explain to Luc and Matt if anything were to happen.”

“But I want to use my whip.” Quinn made a pout, a real, serious one.

“There will be another time for you to use that thing,” Hildy said. “I’m still not sure you wouldn’t poke your eye out in the effort.”

“Hater,” Quinn said.

Hildy was right back at her. “Oh yeah, what’s your stripper name?”

Now Zia was thoroughly confused.

Quinn mumbled, “Candy Ass.”

“That’s right, and what is mine?” When Quinn didn’t speak up, Hildy taunted her by saying, “I can’t hear you.”

“It’s Tap that Ass.”

“And Wren’s name?”

“Hey, leave me out of this!”

“Princess Cabbage Patch.”

“Right. Now, until either of you or both, I don’t care, can take me down to the mat, you’ll keep those pitiful excuses for a stripper name.”

Zia wanted to ask the significance of the conversation so badly but didn’t want Hildy’s attention on her.

Wren spoke. “Zia, Hildy is a professional assassin. One of her code names was Tap-tap. She likes to reframe that dark time of her life by embracing her power through a Stripper name. She gave us those names as placeholders—”

“Not true, you earn them,” Hildy interrupted.

“Hush up you,” Wren said. “As I was saying, she gave us those names with the understanding that we couldn’t get better ones or the chance to pick our own until we could best her in hand-to-hand combat.” Wren gave a little smile. “Hildy is a bad butt.”

Quinn moaned in frustration.“Argh! Ass, Wren. It’s ass, not butt. Why won’t you just say it? She’s a bad ass.”

Hildy did something with her hand that made the nails become pointy and black and pointed at the two other women. “I know what I mean. These two Ewoks haven’t earned their mettle enough to go on a trip like this. Translation? You’ll need to stay here,” Hildy pointed at one and then the other as she said, “That would be you, pregnant lady, and you, whip crazy.”

Zia shuddered at the sight of Hildy’s hand. Somethings were never meant to be seen without plenty of warning.

“Enough. We need to get going if Boogie is to make it out of this ordeal unharmed.” As usual, Greg was the voice of reason pulling the group back on task. “Jax and Hildy, you take a car and follow behind us to the location Quinn pointed out. Jax, grab some comm units for all us to wear before you head out.” To Quinn and Wren, he said, “You two stay here but keep your phones on. As a bit of insurance, let Miss Connie know to be on standby as well.” He looked at Zia and said, “You’re coming with me. Now, everyone move out!”

When the group was about to file out of the Lair, Greg pulled her aside.

“When we get in the car, I want you to put your phone contact information into my phone and do the same with mine,” Greg said, handing his cell phone to her. “And, mate of mine,” he dropped his voice to a whisper. “Don’t ever for one nanosecond think that I don’t understand you, your feelings, or concerns.”

“How?” she was too dumbfounded to say much more.

“You may not be able to hear me clearly, but you’re telegraphing your emotions and snatches of thoughts to me. We do this together. You are too precious to me, and we’ve come too far for something like this to cause a riff in our bond. You love Boogie, and I care about what you love. Do you understand me?”

She nodded.

“No, answer me… please.”

“Yes, I understand you.”

“Good. When we get there, always stay close to me. Don’t allow your emotions to get ahead of you.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“You can do it. I have faith in you. Now, let’s go get Boogie.”