The shadows were long as they stepped outside. The driveway was now a river of gleaming metal and flashing headlights as cars streamed towards the customer parking lot. Valets in crisp black uniforms scurried back and forth, their movements a well-rehearsed ballet. Customers, dressed in elegant suits and glittering dresses, walked up the grand steps, their excited chatter and laughter replacing the earlier tension. Kev was impressed; just a few hours ago, enforcers had been swarming this very spot.
Kev and Fang followed Lanon down the front steps and towards a waiting car. In front of a shiny black convertible stood Perry. His broken wing was held to his back with a large sling that looked more like a full torso harness, the stark white straps standing out against his black suit.
As Kev passed Tessa at the valet podium, he smiled. "Hey, can you let someone know that we're heading out for a bit? I don't want people thinking Fang is going out on a rampage."
"Hey! I can go where I please," Fang growled.
"I know," Kev said with a grin, "just trying to keep stress levels low for everyone."
Tessa nodded. "Of course, honey. You two have fun now, you hear?"
Lanon turned and smiled. "Mrs. Tessa, how are your children doing?"
Tessa looked startled for a moment. "They are alive," she said quickly, before turning and scampering away from the iguana.
"Well, that is good," Lanon nodded. "Living children are a blessing."
After settling into the back seat, Kev saw Talon and Perry just nod at each other before Perry peeled out from the front of the club, leaving a bit of rubber in his wake.
"Are you feeling better, Perry?" Kev asked, trying to ignore the argyle reptile who was staring at him and Fang from the rear-facing seat.
"Much," Perry hooted, his voice still a little raspy. "I was nervous, but Vlad said I'll make a full recovery since he was able to treat me so fast."
"I am happy to hear such a glowing review," Lanon purred. "So many have told me his bedside manners are lacking."
The car slowed down at the security checkpoint. Rex's unmistakable figure waved them down, and he shuffled towards them.
Rex looked awful. He moved gingerly, his powerful frame held stiffly as if every movement was an effort. His suit was rumpled, the sharp lines lost in a series of creases, and a deep, angry scowl was etched onto his face. He supported himself on the car door as he leaned down to look in, the swagger completely gone.
"If you're going out to the enforcer barracks, I can get the team together in ten minutes," he said, his voice a low, tired growl.
"Ten?" Fang countered, his own voice a low growl. "Why not seven?"
"You know Don is a bit slow," Rex replied, his gaze flickering.
"Rex, you are looking like your tank is empty," Lanon purred, turning in his seat towards the tired tiger. "You should not overindulge in anything, even if it is a new passion for dancing. But it is so exciting that you-"
"Shut the fuck up," Rex snarled, his voice cracking with fatigue and irritation. "I'm talking with the boss."
"Oh, Rex," Lanon chuckled. "You're such a character."
Rex hissed at Lanon. "What are you even doing here?"
"Bringing Fang out to an important business meeting," Lanon smiled.
"Really, Fang?" Rex asked, his golden eyes turning to the wolfman. "Even after what happened today?"
"I mean..." Fang said quietly, his resolve wavering. "Ten minutes?"
"No. We are going out," Kev said firmly, rubbing Fang's arm.
"And who the hell asked you, human?" Rex sneered.
"Shut up, Rex," Kev said, his voice unexpectedly sharp. "Why don't you go make me a coffee?"
Rex's ears flicked back, and his frown deepened. "Fine," he grumbled. "Like I care what you do off club grounds. But the bird stays." He turned his gaze to Talon.
Talon stiffened, his sharp eyes meeting the tiger's.
"We are going out," Fang stated, his voice final. "Talon is Kev's bodyguard."
Talon nodded.
"The bird stays," Rex growled. "Get your feathers out of the car Talon."
"Rex, he is Kev's guard. This can wait until we return," Fang growled back.
"Are you trying to tell me how to do my job again?!" Rex roared.
Perry sighed and rubbed his ears, muttering, "Again with the yelling."
"Rex, you don't think you're on thin ice after what happened yesterday?" Fang yelled back.
Rex closed his eyes, and with teeth bared, slowly said, "The eagle was spotted by the enforcers while dragging your weak little assistant all around the club today. And I also just found out that there was a fight in broad daylight in the park yesterday." Rex opened his eyes and looked at Talon. "We need to talk."
Talon nodded slowly but looked back at Fang.
"Well, what do you propose we do?" Fang demanded.
Rex stood and turned his head back to the bustling security checkpoint. "Hey! Twitch! Get over here!" he bellowed.
The ferret man scurried over. He was a bundle of wiry energy, his small, dark eyes darting everywhere at once, taking in the scene. His suit was sharp, perfectly tailored to his slender, elongated frame, but he moved in it like a coiled spring, his whiskers twitching, constantly in motion.
"What's up, boss? Thought you wanted me to head up to the bar soon? Oh, Mr. Fang's here! Shouldn't he be up getting food right now? Thought he'd be getting ready to have a war council or something," Twitch's quiet and rapid voice was hard to hear over the sound of the cars entering the club and the security team making sure guests were not hiding anything nefarious.
"Fang needs someone to watch the human tonight while they go out for a business meeting in the city," Rex said, crossing his arms.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Even after the raid earlier?" An excited smile appeared on the ferret's face. "Of course, he needs someone trustworthy to watch him! We are already fast friends! After me and Skippy helped Talon fight off that gang in the park, we're like brothers!"
"Go get Gretchen," Rex said, his gaze fixed over Twitch's head, back at the lights of the checkpoint.
"I'm sure the human will feel very safe with me... And Perry's here too! I want to hear all about what happened in the park when you destroyed those carjackers..." Twitch's quick voice trailed off as his brain registered what Rex had said. "Gretchen? But..."
"Oh, now you and Talon fought off an entire gang in the park?" Rex said, his voice a low, dangerous purr. "You're gonna stay here and corroborate whatever story that scrawny eagle tries to tell me about what happened yesterday."
Twitch quickly turned and walked back to the security checkpoint, his tail held close to his leg, his earlier manic energy completely gone.
"Who's Gretchen?" Fang growled.
"She's good. And she knows the rules," Rex said, leaning back down to the window. "Why haven't you gotten out of the car yet, Talon? Do I need to come remove you?"
"Fine," Fang grumbled. "Go, Talon."
The eagle looked defeated. "Yes, Mr. Fang." He stepped out of the car and slowly walked around towards the small security building. Kev watched as a dark spot, hard to see against the shadows, detached itself from the checkpoint and met Talon halfway. They stopped and chatted for a few moments before passing each other. As the figure got closer, Kev could finally see it was Gretchen, the black panther woman. Her dark fur and suit made her almost invisible in the twilight.
Rex grimaced as he let go of the car that had been helping support him. "You're on point tonight," he said to Gretchen. "If anything happens, you have full authority to take control of the situation. The human is priority. You can leave Fang behind if it's only the enforcers."
"Understood, boss." Gretchen looked down at Perry and said, "I will not hesitate to wrestle the keys from you if I need to drive."
"Good luck," Perry said with a grin. "A whole gang of thugs couldn't make me drop them."
"They didn't know how to hyperextend," she said, before turning back to Rex. "Just have someone message me if anything happens here."
Rex nodded and weakly slapped Gretchen's shoulder before he shuffled back to the security room to debrief Talon.
Fang frowned as he watched Rex depart. "Is he sick or something?"
"He overexerted himself last night," Gretchen said as she slid into the passenger seat next to Perry. She turned and looked at the three in the back of the car, her green eyes calm and appraising. "My name is Gretchen. I will be your security for the evening. Please let me know if at any time you feel my presence is needed."
"Yes, yes, Rex already told us who you are," Fang said, lightly waving his hand. "If his trust in you is misplaced, I will make sure he knows about it." He harrumphed and looked out the window.
"Don't mind him, Gretchen darling. He just gets snippy when he's hungry," Lanon said. "Perry, chop-chop! We don't want to be late for dinner."
The engine roared as Perry revved it. "Late? I thought you said it wasn't until seven."
"We need to get there with extra time. There are a lot of elevators," Lanon purred.
"Say no more," Perry hooted as he let his foot off the brake, and the car slingshotted down the drive into the city.
"Snippy? I don't get snippy," Fang grumbled.
"Are you really that hungry?" Kev asked, leaning into Fang.
"I didn't say I wasn't hungry," Fang replied, his gaze fixed out the window now that the park was receding and the city lights were starting to show.
The transition was always jarring. The deep, ancient darkness of the park, with its towering, silhouetted trees, gave way abruptly to the vertical, glittering canyon of Dala'Bon. Bright neon signs in a dozen different languages pulsed and bled into the night, casting the car in shifting hues of electric blue and garish pink. Holograms, massive and translucent, flickered above the buildings... a snarling wolverine advertising some energy drink, a sleek sports car spinning in mid-air. Video screens, acres wide, plastered the sides of skyscrapers, their rapidly shifting images a chaotic assault on the senses. Swarms of tiny drones, their lights blinking in unison, formed flying billboards that seemed to follow the flow of traffic, their animated messages chasing the cars below. Kev still had a hard time adjusting to the sudden, overwhelming visual noise.
He pulled out a cigarette and rolled down the window slightly. "Oh, I forgot. I gave my matches to Horns."
"That's no problem," Lanon declared. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a long-stemmed pipe, and put it between his teeth. With a flourish, he struck a match and leaned forward, his long, reptilian body arching over the seat, holding the flickering flame in front of Kev. "Oh, uh, thanks." Kev reached for it, but Lanon pulled it back slightly.
"What are you doing? I need this for my pipe after. Hurry now, before it goes out on us."
Kev rolled his eyes, put the cigarette in his mouth, and leaned forward, breathing in the flame.
"Yes, suck deeply," Lanon purred.
Kev choked on the smoke and rolled his window down further, trying not to cough and spit in the car.
"Lanon, watch it," Fang growled.
Lanon shook out the match as he puffed deeply on his pipe. He blew out a thick, eye-watering cloud of sweet-smelling pipe tobacco. "You need to suck deeply on a pipe to get the fire started," he sighed. "I know you are not a smoker, but this is not news."
Fang coughed a bit and rolled down his window too. "Where are we eating?" he asked, his voice rough. "I will let you know if Reepia disapproves."
"Oh, it's your friend's place. What was his name again?" Lanon snapped his fingers. "You know… The duck."