Wyvern was busy at the computer when Jo walked into the main room. He looked up and laughed. “When they get hold of you, you’re a dead dragon.”
Jo laughed. “But at least I die with a smile on my handsome mug. Right?” He winked with a smirk.
“It’s hitting one and a half mill already. People have started making memes. Spank me, Daddy is taking on a life of its own.” Wyvern turned the screen for his brother to see the latest meme to pop up.
Jo burst out laughing as he saw a picture of a sitting bulldog with a cat across its lap, his brothers’ faces had been cut and pasted on them, and the catchphrase, Spank me, Daddy plastered high and bold above it. “That’s fucking hilarious.”
“Yeah?”
Jo’s face whipped around at the sound of Attor’s voice. He strode inside with a powerful energy emanating from him. “Hilarious?”
“Hey, Attor… man… it’s just…” Jo stumbled across his words, trying hard not to laugh and make his brother angrier.
“Just a joke. Right?” Attor answered for his brother.
“Yeah, exactly,” Jo relaxed. “Joke.”
“Remind me to return the favor one day.” Attor walked past him without any further words needed. It couldn’t be stopped, it couldn’t be taken down. He had bigger things on his mind than beating the living shit out of his brother. He’d already tried once today and didn’t feel like a double humiliation in a twenty-four hour period. He would bide his time. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Wasn’t that what they said? He just added Jo’s name to the growing list on his delivery docket, along-side Volos, and Q.
Both brothers looked up as V walked in. “Attor here?” he asked.
Jo nodded. “He stopped briefly and then stomped off to his room.”
“Honestly, Jo, you’re lucky he didn’t rip you apart,” Wyvern said as he closed his laptop and stood up. “We’re supposed to be going unseen, or so I thought.”
V nodded. “Agreed. The video stunt put us all at risk,” Volos said with an air of authority about him. “Jo, you should have considered—”
“Fuck off, V. There’s nothing on that video that incriminates us personally,” Jo interrupted him. “I’m not about to challenge you like Attor. I personally couldn’t think of anything worse than being made the leader of this bunch of crazy.” He shook his head. “But if you think I’m some little dragon who will lick your ass when you ask for it…” Jo shrugged. “Not going to happen.”
“Your vulgarity is not needed, Jo,” V scoffed. “I think we have to rethink the social media, though.” Turning to Wyvern, he asked, “What do you think?”
Wyvern’s eyes went wide, his hands up in an immediate pose of surrender. “Ohhh, no, no, no, don’t bring me into this.” Wyvern’s voice raised an octave. He always made a direct effort to never get in between his brothers. “Jo has gone above and beyond with the security measures on his media sites. I have triple checked them at his request, V.” Flicking a look at his brother who was looking far too smug. “Nothing is foolproof, and Jo is the king of fools.” He laughed at the look he garnered from Jo as he continued, “But, the channels he’s using are safe. They have the standard protection. Plus, my added veils.”
“Hmmm…” V thought loudly. “I guess, you are the tech man.”
Jo grinned. “And I am the newest YouTube star.”
“Just don’t get us killed, okay?” V scoffed at his brother as Jo left the room. Turning to Wyvern he lowered his voice, “Can you look something up for me?”
Wyvern’s eyebrows went up with curiosity. “Now?”
“If you have time.” V nodded.
Wyvern sat back down and flicked up the laptop cover. Hearing the machine whir quietly as it came back online. “What do you need?” He looked to his brother, the leader of the clan, as he took a seat close to him. An energy in the room indeed had taken a dramatic twist.
“This is to go no further…” Wyvern nodded. “I need a name check,” V said.
Wyvern’s fingers were poised above the keyboard. “Name?”
V did a quick glance over his shoulder to confirm there were no ears close by. Satisfied they were alone, Volos said, “Taryn, spelled with one ‘r.’”
“Last name?”
“Not positive,” V replied. “Mills? Giles? She works at Tokyo Disney, only new to this country.”
Wyvern typed, clicking page after page. Volos watched his brother entirely in awe of the way he worked on the web. V wasn’t completely useless on the laptop, he just preferred dealing with the physical side and letting his brother shine with the online stuff.
“Hmmm… interesting,” Wyvern said. “Where do you know this chick from?”
“Friend of Payton’s,” V said. “What’s interesting?”
“A friend?” Wyvern repeated with a look of impending trouble. “Well, her name is listed as Taryn Miles on the Disney employees list. However, that’s not what’s on her passport.”
Volos groaned, leaning back in his chair, he rubbed his eyes. He had a feeling that this woman was off, but was hopeful he was wrong. “Are you sure they’re the same person?”
“Oh shit,” Wyvern exclaimed as his fingers went into overdrive. Screen after screen popping up. Newspaper headings, video feeds, links to federal police files. The screens were flying up faster than V could fully read them, but this girl had something going on, and it wasn’t good.
“Wyvern!” V raised his voice, he wanted answers, not profanity.
“What?” He looked up to see his brother staring at him “Oh… sorry, V, this chick has some serious shit going on. She’s a friend of Payton’s you said?”
“Apparently,” V said.
“Okay, well… in the state of Nevada, she’s wanted for first-degree murder,” Wyvern stated with a factual tone.
“You’re shitting me?” V sighed, his hands trying unsuccessfully to rub the frustration from his hair.
“Unfortunately not. Miss Taryn Spigoletti… the name on her passport,” Wyvern said to the confused look on V’s face. He nodded and Wyvern continued, “Was seen with her boyfriend’s dead body in a hotel room on the Vegas strip. She disappeared shortly after, and hasn’t been able to be located.”
“Disappeared?” V asked.
“Easy enough to do, if you know how,” Wyvern shrugged. “It says the deceased male suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, and that the weapon found at the scene had Miss Spigoletti’s fingerprints on it. They have an eyewitness from the hotel who stated he saw Miss Spigoletti run from the room somewhere between midnight and 2:00 a.m.”
“Was he credible?” V asked.
Wyvern snorted as he looked to V. “2:00 a.m. in Vegas? No one is credible.”
“Point taken,” V nodded.
Wyvern continued as he read the pages, “They have CCTV footage. You can clearly see her enter the room with the deceased, and only her leave.” Clicking the keyboard a few times. “Authorities have a warrant issued for her arrest. She’s considered dangerous and shouldn’t be approached by civilians.”
“Let me guess?” V asked. “Phone the police if you see her?”
Wyvern nodded. “Bingo!” He clicked again. “Huh… that’s weird, though.”
“What?”
“Well, there’s no efforts to hunt her down.” Wyvern frowned as he tapped feverously away, page after page flicking up and down on the screen. “The murder and impending manhunt was the top story for forty-eight hours, then nothing.”
V craned his head over. “What do you mean nothing?”
“Exactly what I said… nothing.” Wyvern sat back on his chair, the face of Taryn looking at his from the laptop screen. “The file is open and active, but with a strict ‘phone one particular name’ if she’s sighted. Under no circumstances is she to be apprehended or detained without express permission from this one person.” He shook his head. “I haven’t come across such explicit warnings for an arrest of a murderer before.”
“Who’s the man listed to report to?” V asked.
“She… is listed as Ms. Pettigrove.” Wyvern clicked the return key. “Here is where it even gets weirder,” he said. “She isn’t part of the law enforcement.”
V scrunched his face. “Then who the fuck is she?”
Wyvern shrugged. “No idea. But as strange as the Taryn slash murder thing is, this is ringing something truly weird with me. I can’t pinpoint it, but I need to dig further.”
“Okay, you dig there, and I’ll see what I can find out from Payton.” V nodded and patted Wyvern on the shoulder. “Goes without saying this stays only between us. Correct?”
Wyvern nodded. “Correct. I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “I want to meet Taryn, too. Something casual. It’s amazing what people say with a few drinks under the belt.”
“I will see what I can arrange.” V laughed. “Keep me updated.” He stood up from his seat and walked off toward his room. It had been a long day. He needed a shower and a few hours of sleep.