Venom: Beautiful Killers. Part 13.
#13 of Venom: Beautiful Killers
[Author's Note: Not much action in this one, but it sets up important future events. For those of you who are new, use parts 4 and 5 for reference into the Pamila and Camile section. Look at Part 12 for reference into Peter Petrescu. Next week, Part 14. Tivoli tries again.]
Venom: Beautiful Killers. Part 13.
"...we look like we can't take care of ourselves...."
[It is now Tuesday morning, about ten a.m. I have been here for one and a half days. The transplant was a success, the kidney's working fine, and normally, I'd tell the nurses that I'm ready to go home now. Unfortunately, I have to stay for "observation." I won't go until the doctors are satisfied that the new organ can perform. I'm guaranteed to stay until Saturday at the earliest.]
[Overall, I don't feel very well. I'm still in pain; I don't know why. I'm weak from not eating much since Sunday night, and I'm sleeping in fits and starts. Every time I doze off, I see the girls. They are the main focus of my recurring dreams, though the guys are showing up a bit more often. For the time being, the killings have stopped, and Shiloh has been mercifully absent for most of this week.]
[I don't know if these visions are positive or negative, but as long as I'm not in pain when they happen, I don't care. Right now, I ache all over. I'm trying to stay strong and watch some TV, but I've got a feeling that I'll be calling for the morphine again....]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Finally." Pamila heaves a sigh of relief as she steps into the living room of her temporary home. She stumbles through the room, shuffling her feet like she habitually does. Whenever she does that, it means she is down. It is hard to tell when she is sad or angry because both emotions look about the same. Today, however, it is easy to tell. She is somewhere she does not want to be.
Simon Blank's apartment living room does not look all that different from hers. It has a small carpet with throw rugs in front of the sofa. The sofa is small enough for two people, or big enough for one person to sleep on. In front of it is a glass coffee table. The television is old-school; there is nothing flat about it. There are large potted plants by the door and smaller ones on the window sills. (There is not much difference from her living room, but there are things missing.)
Pamila relaxes on the sofa, stretching her arms across its top. She looks weary, a complete turnaround from the fiery and passionate fox that the guys at the office know. The television is on with the volume at its lowest possible level. She is in no hurry to turn it up as she crosses her legs and closes her eyes.
Seconds later, she is startled by a knock on the front door. She stands alertly and quickly runs to open it, obviously expecting the owner of the place. As soon as she touches the knob, she stops to look at a clock above the door. It indicates a couple of minutes past nine o'clock. Simon would be knee-deep in work right about now, so he's not the one knocking. Cautiously, she leans toward the door. "Who's there?!"
"Look through the peephole and you won't have to ask!"
Pamila smiles at the familiar voice, then laughs at the hole just above her head. She wastes no time opening the door.
Camille stands in front of her, beaming from ear to ear. "I'm back."
"Took you long enough!" She pats her feline friend on the back and lets her in.
"Hold this." The cat gives her friend her purse--a black, gold decorated bag with a big GUCCI on it. It is the most expensive thing in the room; it easily could be triple what the television costs. As her friend holds the purse, she brings in a green duffle bag and sets it on the sofa. "Your clothes."
"Ah. Thank goodness."
"You have tons." Camille laughs. "You have more clothes than me. I...uh...picked the clothes that you wear the most. Why do you own three camouflage shorts?"
The fox raises an eyebrow. "Because they make me look badass. Didn't you know that?" She laughs and opens the duffle bag, taking out and unfolding a pair of white pajama bottoms. She puts her index finger through the tail hole in the back and laughs again. "Why did you get this? I haven't worn this since--"
"I'm not with you when you sleep, am I? I just got you a couple of things you could sleep in...unless you prefer to sleep in what you have on now."
"I admit, I underestimated the amount of time I was gonna have to spend here. I thought that even if I babysat the little monster, I'd still be allowed to go home at night."
"How's the couch?"
"I sleep on the bed."
"He lets you sleep with him?"
"He sleeps with his son in the main bed. I sleep in his son's room." She frowns as Camille laughs. "Hey! Not so loud. I just put the kid down. It was hard getting him out of my hair after feeding him breakfast. I don't need you wake him up now. Besides, I'm embarrassed enough."
Camille shakes her head and closes the door. She lifts her head and sniffs the air. "I kinda knew this place would smell like porn and beer." She chuckles. "Kind of a letdown considering how self-important Simon makes himself."
"I've always made it a point to not visit the homes of my employers. I always thought that it would lower my opinion of them."
"I feel the same way. This place looks like a hideout."
Pamila shrugs. "This pad isn't so bad. It's quiet and roomy. He puts on a bold front at work, but this place shows that he's just an ordinary guy, not someone to be afraid of."
"I'm not afraid of any of the executives. Matter of fact, I pretty much hate them all."
"Yeah. Simon's the only one of those monkeys I really like."
Camille nods and helps her friend unpack. "So how long is your sentence?"
"He doesn't say. He hasn't answered that question yet." The fox sits and hangs her head, placing the pajamas on her lap. "He doesn't think the coast is clear yet."
"Well, whenever he lets you go, you give me a call. I'll pick you up. We'll head over to The Shark Pit and have a beer."
"Simon's leaving later tonight. He's going somewhere with his wife. He'll be out of town for a few days. That means more babysitting adventures. I'm not going anywhere for a while."
"I feel for you, buddy." After removing all of the clothes, the cat tosses the empty duffle bag and picks up a pair of her friend's camo shorts. "Is the kid really that bad?"
"He's mostly quiet. When he's around his dad, he mostly keeps to himself. Around me, on the other hand...." She looks up angrily. "Well, let's just say...he likes to grab."
Camille chuckles. "Yeah, I've seen it. Hand me my purse." Pamila gives her friend the expensive purse. The cat opens it and pulls out a small, tan, plush teddy bear. "Just give him this."
The fox clicks her tongue. "It won't work."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not alive. He's got...virtually tons of stuffed animals in his room. He doesn't want to hold plushies. He wants to hold me." She tosses the bear on the table. "I hope you didn't actually spend money for that thing."
The cat and the fox put the folded clothes on the table. They sit next to each other, looking at the voiceless figures on television. Camille looks at her angry friend with concern. Pamila is foolhardy and may even be borderline insane, but she always acted like she had a plan and always seemed to know what she was doing. Today, she is so far out of her element that she finds herself not knowing what to do. Camile has probably never felt as sorry for her friend as she does right now. She tries to smile through the sadness. "May I?" She grabs the remote control from the table and starts channel surfing.
"Don't you have work to go to?" Pamila folds her arms, in danger of transferring her anger on her friend.
The cat forces a chuckle. "Forget it. None of the marks are remotely close to home. Matter of fact, no one in the office chose any marks yesterday, except one. Some new worker chose a mark in Chino Hills."
"New worker?"
"You don't know her. She's a wolf, another of Shiloh's chosen ones. She made some noise about wanting the job, but she was pretty unsure of herself. She'll probably get lost down there. Anyway, I don't feel like traveling. Besides, we haven't seen each other since we went shopping. I'm gonna make you feel better."
"How exactly?"
"I'm gonna share your pain. I'll have the little 'monster' grab me instead of you, and you'll get to relax a little. In the meantime, I'm gonna try and get him to grab this." She grabs the toy bear. "Now, show him to me."
Pamila stands. "I'll show you where he is. Just don't wake him up."
"I'll put this next to him. He'll probably hold this in his sleep, thinking it's you."
"It's not gonna work. There's something weird about that kid."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, Camille. I just can't put my finger on it, but...." She thinks for a few seconds, then shakes her head dismissively. "The kid's weird. Just leave it at that."
Pamila leads her friend out of the living room. The cat is grinning like she is about to meet a date. "Have you had breakfast? I'll make you something nice...."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It is a slow work day. There are currently three customers in the waiting room, watching television and waiting to be called upon. As they wait patiently, St. Croix calls their numbers, one by one. Each customer goes to the wolf to state his business, and he takes the guest to either Room 1 or Room 2, where they meet an executive. Today, Vivian Cross and Ted Mullins are the ones meeting the customers. Each visit does not last long. By noon, the waiting room is empty.
With no obligations for the time being, Vivian decides to go to lunch early. She leaves Room 2 and heads for the cafeteria. After warming up her lunch, she makes her way to the door of the conference room. Surprisingly, when she enters, she sees more people than she was planning for.
Ted is there, of course, but so are Simon Blank and Robert Crevecoeur. Ted has unpacked a vintage lunch box of its contents and is about to eat. Simon and Robert are not eating. It looks like a meeting has just started. While Ted eats his BLT, the other two talk in raised voices, seemingly at odds with one another.
Vivian shakes her head with dread, but steps further into the room. "May I join in?" She chooses the chair closest to the door. "Or is this conversation gonna be X-rated? If it is, just let me know, so I can go. I don't want to be involved in any more arguments between you two." She points at Simon and Robert. The talking stops as the chief sits herself down. His mouth full of food, Ted nods his welcome. The other men just sit there looking at her angrily. Besides the plastic bowl of hot food, she also has a shiny, green apple, as succulent as the day it was picked. She pulls a small, paring knife from her pants pocket and starts to slice into the fruit. "Simon, what are you doing here?"
He clears his throat. "I just turned in my work from last night. Three new clients who want someone killed. They each provided a picture and information, so we're ready to show these guys off in tomorrow's meeting."
"Tell you what," she says, "I've just discovered something. On the outside, this place runs like a well-oiled machine. If I were someone who needed a loan, I'd think this was a fully functioning company. Behind the scenes, let's just say it, we look like shit. I mean...we look like we can't take care of ourselves, our workers, or...anybody at all." She takes a bite, looking at the others for an answer. Nobody says a word. Simon and Robert look at each other angrily.
After swallowing, Vivian continues. "I see everyone agrees. Speaking of shit, what's become of Pamila? I haven't heard from her since--"
"She's fine."
The chief furrows her brow, surprised by Simon's response. "That hardly answers my question, now does it?"
"She's in a safe place."
"Ah, so you know where she is? All this time, I've been asking the wrong person. I thought that, since he knows most everybody, St. Croix would know where she went off to. Far be it from me to suspect any of my workers, or the executives, of hiding anyone who does something wrong. So where is she?"
Robert smiles at Simon as he looks up, unwilling to answer the chief's question. Seconds later, however, he does. "She's at my place."
Robert laughs. "So you are hiding her."
"Shut the hell up."
Vivian drops the knife on the table, garnering everyone's attention. "I want to talk to her. I want to see her as soon as possible. Tonight, after work hours, would be ideal."
"Sorry, ma'am. I can't do that."
She gazes at him with critical, half-closed eyes. "Don't say can't if you mean to say won't."
"Fine. I won't do that."
"What the hell do you expect, Simon? There's a fight in the waiting room, complete with casualties, and she is the cause. You think I'm just gonna ignore that, huh?"
Robert laughs some more. "He's afraid you'll fire her."
Simon swivels his chair, turning his back to everyone.
Vivian returns to apple, cutting up another slice. "I have a confession to make. The day Pamila did what she did, I had someone in my office. She's a customer--one of our most faithful. And before anyone yells at me, yes, I know I was taking a chance having her come here during the morning meeting. I know I broke protocol. But I chose to make the exception because she is a loyal customer and it was an emergency. She's sixty years old; she's in financial trouble. I played favorites and had her come here early in the morning, before hours." She stops talking long enough for Simon to turn and face her. "So we were in my office. I was about to close the deal. She didn't see any of the furries; she didn't see the morning meeting. However, as we were about to finish, we heard the noises."
Crevecoeur cannot stop laughing. It seems that he is enjoying the meeting, but he is really getting pleasure out of seeing Simon Blank get dressed down. "I can't wait to hear this," he says. "I'm almost sorry I missed coming to work that day."
"It's not funny, Robert. We heard screaming. We heard shouting. We heard the sound of things falling over. My client looked at me like she was having a stroke. All I could do was close the door. Even then, we could make out the sound of Simon yelling, even as far away as we were." She takes a couple of breaths and picks up the knife. "Now, I never asked what really happened or who started the mess. I don't care. I want to talk to her. What she did was horrible, so whether or not I kick her out on her ass should be my decision."
Simon shakes his head. "I am not comfortable with this. What she did was horrible, and she deserves to be reprimanded, but I'll do it. I have her in my charge, I'm gonna--"
"Some reprimand. You're hiding her. I'd kill for a punishment like that."
Crevecoeur is rather annoyingly happy. "You love her, don't you?"
Vivian drops the knife again. Simon bites his lower lip angrily. Even Ted is paying attention; he puts down his sandwich. "Say what?"
"Hey, we have always reprimanded the hitmen. We give them unpaid time off, we dock their pay in half, sometimes more than that, or we have them run errands. Once, I had Zesty clean this table after she cursed out Camille, while I was paying them both. However we do it, we punish bad behavior. We don't invite it to dinner." He laughs yet again.
Ted nods with admiration. "You had Zesty clean the office. Impressive. I've always wanted to put that bitch in her place."
"Yeah. Believe it or not, the girls can be controlled. But I envy Simon over here." He smiles at him. "You're in love with Pamila."
Simon looks at his rival. "Look, Pamila does chores! She babysits my son! She's not having it easy!" He turns to Vivian. "Chief, due respect, you had someone here at a time she shouldn't have been. If you fire Pamila, it wouldn't just be for attacking Colin. It would be because of something you did as well. That's not fair. She didn't know you had a customer. She couldn't control that circumstance!"
Unmoved, she continues cutting her apple. "What needs control is her temper. Frankly, customer or no customer, I'd fire her regardless."
Crevecoeur folds his arms smugly. "You shouldn't be so surprised, chief. You can't expect him to turn on his apprentice, now can you? I know it's weird to feel a bond with your student that's more than platonic, but I always knew there was something there."
Simon tries to remain calm. "The only woman for me is the one I'm married to, so you can just take my advice and shut up!"
"More and more married men are taking anthros as mistresses. Why should you be any different?"
Vivian watches closely as Robert continues to goad Simon, getting him closer and closer to an angry state. If she wants to get her point across, she will have to calm the room down. She softly clears her throat. "So, how's Susan?"
Simon calmly stands, creating distance from Robert. "She's fine. She just ended her second round of chemo. I'm taking her to Pennsylvania tonight."
"How long do you plan to be gone?"
"I'll be back by Saturday. By then, she'll be enrolled and her classes will start in a couple of weeks."
"Excellent. And do you also plan to hide Pamila from me the whole time you're gone?"
"Again, chief, I mean no offense. You're not the only one who wants her. The police are still searching for suspects of the Imbroglio bombing. You know I need to keep her out of sight. Even if I wanted to give her to you--"
"Forget it." She takes the final bite of the apple. "Listen, if I promise not to send her packing, and to protect her as well, would you let me see her then?"
Robert scoffs. "Wait a second. So you're not going to fire her? Not for anything she did? Is there some new standard punishment for attacking co-workers that I need to know about?"
Simon chuckles and leans forward, looking at the eyes of his rival. "For your information, Pamila is strong-willed and dedicated. More often than not, she gets the job done. Matter of fact, she works harder than you. I'd love to have someone like her work under my tutelage every day of the week. One more thing. I like Pamila, sure, and I would defend her honor any time. But if there's one executive in here who is the closest to fucking one of the furry workers, it's you with Winter." He stands up straight, happy to see Robert's smile disappear.
Ted laughs heartily. "Are you serious?"
"Have you seen them together? I mean, Shiloh doesn't let anyone near her, but he can put his arm around her like she was a trophy. "
"And she lets him do it?"
"I tell you, it's like Shiloh owns every part of her, except her back. Robert's got free reign of that. There's a cuckolding brewing. Know what I mean?"
The anger that had been on Simon is now on Robert. He places his hands on the table, trying not to ball them into fists. Vivian leans forward, watching him carefully.
Simon continues. "I will admit, though, Winter is hot. I mean, when she's not flustered all the time, she can be real sexy. Almost makes you want to leave your wife." He chuckles. "Oh, I forgot. You don't have one anymore. Sorry, Robert." He pats Crevecoeur on the back as he walks to the door.
The chief stands. "Simon, I am going to see her. Just let me know when you plan to let her out. Then just bring her here at your earliest convenience. If you're coming back on Saturday, then bring her here on Sunday. I'll make time and see her. Better still, let me see her at your place."
"No!" The executive sighs helplessly. He can practically feel everyone in the room looking at him. He nods with resignation and opens the conference room door. "I'll be back on Saturday, and I'll bring her here on Sunday. Just...don't do that intimidation thing you do during interviews."
"What thing? I'm not intimidating."
"You should see yourself in those interviews." He waves to the room. "Bye folks. Seriously, Robert, all kidding aside, ask yourself this. If Winter were in Pam's shoes, wouldn't you protect her as well? If the cops were after her, wouldn't you do what I'm doing?" He shakes his head. "See ya, loser."
After the door closes, Crevecoeur slams a fist on the table. "I hope your dick breaks off in your wife's ass!"
The outburst surprises everyone, even Crevecoeur himself. He looks at the table, first mad, then shocked. He turns his head up, looking at his superiors. "Wow," he whispers.
"Got that out of your system?" Ted asks.
Vivian sits back down. "Where did that come from?" She looks on, getting no answer. "You and Simon need to attend a session with Miranda. When she returns from vacation, I'll make sure she sees you two first before she sees any of the workers. She'll get to the bottom of why you two won't stop fighting."
"Forget that. Not happening." Crevecoeur clasps his hands and tries to calm himself. He is quieter now, but something is still bothering him. "Why am I here anyway?"
"Because Colin's still recuperating and Joseph's taking a personal day. You take over for me in Room 2." She chuckles. "Stop acting like that. You knew each of us have to take over for Colin while he's away."
"And you won't fire the one responsible for that. What are you thinking?"
Vivian turns angry. Before she can speak, however, the door opens. St. Croix pops his head inside. "Heads up. Two cars just pulled into the lot. Time to perform, people."
Ted nods. "We'll be right there." As the door closes, he turns to Crevecoeur. "Look, you've been here long enough to know how this lending thing works. Just do what I taught you and be nice to the clients. The chief will handle any overflow in her office. I'll take Room 1 as usual."
Saying nothing, the verbally battered man stands and walks out of the room. His exit relaxes the chief, who leans back in her chair. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but thank God he's gone."
"He may be gone, but his point still stands. What are you thinking? What are you gonna do with Pamila?"
"I don't know. I don't know what to do to her, but I'm thinking that after Zesty and Mariana left, we probably need to keep who we have remaining. I do want to fire Pamila. She's become a basket case. But what exactly happens when a worker leaves? What will that worker do? Will she hold a grudge and try to back at us? I mean, Mariana was pretty upset when she quit. I keep thinking that she's gonna do something to expose us. Maybe talk to a cop or--"
"You don't have to worry about it. Everything will be fine. Those two dogs are the very first workers to quit in the three years we've been doing this. We've perfected a system to keep track of everyone who works here. Anyone who leaves will be systematically followed. If you choose to let Pamila go, we'll track her too."
"Remarkable. You keep track of all thirty of them?"
"It's not easy, but we've done it. I know pretty much everything about everyone. Take Mariana, for instance. Since joining us in 2012, she's made twenty hits and has made a total of--"
"Stop it. I don't want to know that. Keep that info to yourself."
Ted shrugs and stands. "Okay. See you at closing time."
"Wait a second. Before you go, have you seen the tape?"
The executive closes his eyes and sighs loudly. He folds his arms and turns his back to Vivian. "Yeah, I saw it. It's incredible. I can't believe you interviewed him. I can't believe you taped it either."
"I had to think quickly. I'm sorry I used you as a distraction, by the way."
"What's his name again?"
"Peter Petrescu."
"Yeah. I was really surprised when I saw him come into the conference room."
"I needed you to keep him busy while I set up the hidden camera. I didn't want him in my office either, but he had us over a barrel. I had to set up the meeting. Anyway, you saw the tape. What do you think?"
"You hired him. What the hell am I supposed to think?"
"He bumped up his asking price from eighteen grand to seventy-five! It's the full price that Doran Mann was worth! You know what happens if I pay that? No worker in this building gets paid that much at one time...ever! Paying him seventy-five would mean either taking money out of our commissions, or out of the workers' hard-earned wages!" She takes a breath. "I won't let that happen."
He turns to her with determination. "Just let me put out a hit on him. He'll be out of our lives by the end of the week."
"Yeah? What about his friends? Pica and Dunn. They'll find out. You gonna kill them too? What about Inverness?"
"So Mr. Petrescu becomes our first human hitman. You realize his chances of getting caught are significantly higher than those of anyone else, right?" He watches the chief nod, then nods himself. "Just know this. I'm not gonna pay the motherfucker. You can do it."
"Don't be mad. He'll work for his seventy-five thousand. He'll be God-knows-where doing a hit and be out of our hair at the same time. You should be happy. Besides, he'll probably get killed his first day."
"Let's hope so. " Ted prepares to leave again, but stops as he opens the door. "How's the girl he injured?"
Vivian shrugs. "I haven't seen her since Shiloh carried her out of the cafeteria. I'll call him later today to ask. But I think Tivoli will be fine."
"She's a Shiloh recruit. She'll tough it out. In fact, I'll put her name on the ledger tonight. That will save us some time when she does join."
"That reminds me. We're gonna have a problem with the FBI. We didn't know that Winter's mark was an FBI target. We're gonna have to watch for that."
"Don't worry about it. The Doran Mann hunt was an anomaly. It won't happen again. None of the other marks we have are wanted by the FBI."
"Are you sure?"
"I said, don't worry." He chuckles when he sees the chief nod. It is an unsure vote of confidence in the leader of the hitman project. Ted laughs it off without much concern. "Well, gotta go."
Still unsure, Vivian asks, "What about Pica and Dunn? They went after a worker's mark and brought a stranger into our house. I know they were ignorant, but they still should get reprimanded."
"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it."