Morpheus (8 page)

“Okay, we’ll have Chinese,” he gave in. Doc
was looking for the the takeout menus that every hotel usually had
when there was a knock on the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone so
she put her finger in front of her mouth in the universal sign for
quiet. The knock came again before the person tried the door which
was locked. She was sure they would move on and she started to
relax.

It was a big mistake as a loud explosion
sounded. She got the kids behind her in a second and looked at the
broken hinges on the door and the torn up frame. The door itself
was metal so it was dented but otherwise fine. A big hairy apeman,
okay, she was just being descriptive, stood on the other side of
the door looking in. He was probably one of Cutter’s muscle bound
stooges. It looked like she was going for broke and breaking every
part of the deal she had made with Morpheus. They really should
have expected her to come after the kids too. Doc figured she could
take this guy, he wouldn’t know she had combat training. Surprise
was a good equalizer.

That was before the other guy stepped up
behind him. They walked in the room and she didn’t know what to do.
One she could take, two, only with weapons. “Looky what we have
here, J man. She’s a hotty totty. Maybe Cutter will let us play
with her and the other one while she plays with Morpheus,” the
smaller guy said. He wasn’t little, but closer to average at a
little less than six foot tall and lean. He might weigh one eighty
tops. They both moved closer and the smaller guy moved to the kids.
Surprisingly, they didn’t look scared, they looked pissed off.

They stepped forward in unison and they both
kicked the smaller guy in the shins. He dropped to his knees and
they jumped on top of him. Unwilling to let the opportunity pass
by, Doc kicked J man in the nuts as hard as she could. He bent over
gagging. She grabbed his hair lifting his head slightly and
slamming it on her knee. She grabbed a nearby statue and slammed it
on his head with force. She didn’t want to
kill
him but she
didn’t care if she had to so she and the kids would be safe.

The kids had the other guy down and Donnie
was beating the hell out of his head with a lamp. Again, she didn’t
want him
dead,
but better dead than in a position to hurt
any of them. She search around looking for something to tie them up
with.

“What you lookin’ for?” Cassie asked as
Donnie continued his assault.

“Something to tie them up with.” Cassie
tossed her some rope. It was thick and strong enough to work well
for this purpose. While she trussed up J man, they tied up the
other guy.

“So, tell me, how do two sweet kids like you
learn to take down a full grown man?” Doc asked.

As usual it was Cassie who explained. “We
have to be careful so we don’t get abdicated.”

Doc was pretty sure she meant abducted. “Who
would do that?”

“Our father. Mom calls him a donor sometimes.
She thinks we don’t know what she means. He doesn’t like us. Uncle
Slay said he just had us to keep mom tied to him. Uncle Slay is
cool. He got us self defense classes with the best teacher. His
name was Rafe Ramerz,” Cassie said totally butchering the name, but
Doc recognized it anyway.

The man was Rafe Ramirez and he was a famous
self defense instructor. He tells his students how to use their
smaller size to their advantage. He showed them how to use everyday
objects as weapons and he emphasized never quitting until they were
completely neutralized. Just because they were down, didn’t mean
they couldn’t get back up. Just because they were knocked out,
didn’t mean they would stay that way. The man was an ex navy seal
and a police officer. He had seen many victims gain and then lose
the upper hand by not fighting long enough. One of those victims
was his only sister. Doc had read about the guy but never met him.
He had certainly taught those two kids the right way to take down a
full grown man.

“Let’s get out of here in case they send
someone else.” The kids quickly grabbed their cases and trotted out
the door. Doc managed to pull the door closed and it locked. Only a
close examination would show the damage since the metal door held
the frame in place and the frame squeezed the hinges against the
door opening.

“Would you guys like to go swimming?” Doc
asked and she couldn’t think of a better place to hide out than the
indoor pool/play area. There was a lifeguard and even a security
guard. There was a small concession stand which had food and drink
and the kids looked like they had entered heaven. As soon as she
got them settled, she had calls to make.

They sat down at a table right by the pool
with enough food and drink to take care of a football team. Okay,
maybe just half a team. She had allowed the kids some foods their
mom might not approve of but they had been through a harrowing
experience and they had handled themselves well. They had wanted
hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, and nachos. She had gotten herself
a taco salad, something they didn’t have at Olympus very often. The
kids dug in like they were starving. She was hungry, too, so she
ate with them. When they were finished, there wasn’t much left.

She let them go play water games but no
swimming for an hour. Opinions on that rule varied, but she
believed full stomachs and rigorous activity could lead to stomach
cramps. Why take chances? She watched them running around through
the water geyser and having a lovely time. Her eyes were on them
the whole time as she started off by calling Zeus.

“Doc, are you alright? I wasn’t expecting you
to call,” Zeus said.

“Hi, Sis,” Sierra yelled in the
background.

“I have a situation. We were attacked in the
room, the kids and I. The guys are tied up in the room but we left
in case they send someone else. I need someone to pick up those
two.”

“You took out two of them? Good job, Doc,”
Zeus praised.

“No, I took out one. Those two kids are
amazing. They went for one of the guys before I’d even decided what
to do. They’ve been trained by Rafe Ramirez.”

“Really?” Sierra asked with awe in her
voice.

“Who’s that?” Zeus asked and it was obvious
he didn’t have a clue.

“Sierra can fill you in, but I think you
should get him to Olympus to train the young ones and the mates
without combat experience.”

“I’ll discuss it with Sierra. You know I
can’t get anyone to you for a day, maybe more. I haven’t heard from
Hades yet, so I don’t know when they’ll be available.”

“I thought that would be the case. I’m going
to call El’s brother. I think he can help.”

“I’ll let you make the call, you’re there,
I’m not. Please, be careful,” Zeus said, but he spoke for all of
them.

After she hung up, she watched the kids play
for a few minutes. They were playing with a mixed group of kids
covering different ages and races. They all seemed to have so much
fun together, it was a shame that later in life some of them
wouldn’t be as accepting of others. She hoped it wouldn’t be true,
but experience told her it would be. Race, sex, age, they were all
reasons for some people to discriminate. She was probably
especially sensitive with the little bun in the oven. Once people
discovered how different the gods really were, Origin might not be
their only adversary.

The kids were ready to swim now so she waved
them on. With a lifeguard, they would be safe in the shallow end of
the pool. She took the time now to call Slay.

“Hello, it’s your dime.”

“Slay?”

“What can I do for you little lady?” he asked
in a flirtatious tone.

“This is Doc.”

“I’m assuming you found them?”

“The people who had Morpheus took your
sister. I have the kids and everyone else went after your
sister.”

“Mother fuckers! Tell me exactly what’s going
on.”

She could hear him running around with the
phone probably getting ready to come here. “Listen, it’ll be over
before you make it here. Someone came to the room to attack me and
the kids after everyone else left. I need someone trustworthy with
connections to help me keep the two guys they sent locked up until
the situation is resolved. We can pay them, but I need them to be a
hundred percent trustworthy.”

“I know someone a town over but she’s female.
She’s tough as shoe leather and ex special forces. I would guess
you won’t mind a woman. She does security and other stuff so she
can get a team together at the drop of a hat. How many you
need?”

“A four man team should do. Less would work
but we might need extra since more of the bastards keep popping up.
Can you have her get here in an hour or less?”

He agreed and she gave him the address. She
told him to have them wait by the elephant. It was purple and shot
water out of its trunk. It was surrounded by happy kids. She
relaxed while she prepared for a long wait. Sure, she hoped they’d
be there in an hour, but what were the odds they could make it
there so quickly?

About an hour later, a girl that looked
sixteen stood by the elephant in a crop top and a tight pair of old
jeans. Maybe she was a little older, but couldn’t be much. She was
there for at least ten minutes before Doc decided to make sure she
wasn’t the one she was waiting for. She walked closer and the girl
did appear to be a bit older. She was pretty, dark blonde hair and
hazel eyes. She was slight and had a boyish figure which was why
she seemed so young.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Doc asked
angling so she could still see the kids.

“Are you Doc?”

“Yes, your name is?”

“Zan short for Zandara.”

“Hello Zan. Here’s the key card for the room
the prisoners are in. We need them dealt with quickly and
discretely. Right now I’m waiting to find out how my team is doing
on their mission. After you get those two guys on ice, check back
with me.” Doc passed Zan the key and hoped the two guys were still
there.

Zan disappeared and two men Doc hadn’t even
noticed fell into step behind her. Doc noted in her own defense
that she was also keeping an eye on the kids. Thankfully, they were
both still swimming and playing in the pool. She would be so glad
when this was all settled. It didn’t take Zan long to make it back
to her.

“Everything taken care of?” Doc asked.

“Yes, we have them situated in our van with a
guard inside and one outside. Reuben is working on your door, we
like to provide those little extras that say we care,” Zan smiled.
“What now?”

“Now, we wait,” Doc and Zan settled down into
their chairs by the pool with their eyes on the kids. Doc hoped it
wouldn’t be long before they heard from the team. She missed Hades
and the other guys, but Hades the most.

Chapter 10

Cutter

Hades was practically biting his nails while
Lu and he waited for Hercules or Eres to call. At least he felt
secure in the knowledge that Doc and the kids were safe. Nearly
twenty minutes had passed. How long could it take to get to a
nearby building? Finally, the phone rings.

“Hades.”

“You can drive around. They are hiding out in
the beauty shop that is next to the music store. It looks like it
went out of business, but there’s a lot of traffic going in and
out. It’s a regular hot bed of activity. I suspect we have a lab or
some kind of mini facility set up here,” Hercules said.

“Can you see any more prisoners?”

“No, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t
any.”

“Try to find out what you can. We need some
idea of how many victims might be there or some of them might get
hurt.” Since he felt certain that Doc and the kids were safe, they
would take the time to get more information. They might even try to
slip in and get victims out quietly before trying to take down the
lab. He had many regrets in life, he didn’t want to add this to the
list.

They drove a block over and turned a few
times until they found the street with one small business after
another. It was afternoon now and the shadows were lengthening.
Some of the stores were closing, a few, like the beauty salon were
out of business. There was a store that supplied martial arts
equipment and had a gym for lessons in the back. It was a perfect
cover for big guys like the gods.

He saw Hercules as he slipped around the back
of the salon. If he found a few windows, they might get some intel
to make decisions from. He really wanted to get in, save those who
needed saved, get the hell out, and make it back to his mate.

Hercules slipped around the corner to the
back alley that bordered the row of stores. It looked like they all
had basements and they had the windows that could be lifted open.
He looked through the window at the salon. Damn, it was dirty which
gave everything a muted muddy appearance. It didn’t really matter
because the prisoners they held, weren’t down there. That meant
everything would unfold on the top floor. He moved a few stores
down and called Hades.

“Hades.”

“I’ve looked in the basement and they’re not
using it. Next, I plan to check on the back door. Maybe we’ll get
lucky and it’ll be unlocked.”

“Lu and I are going to act like we’re going
to the martial arts store, then cut over so we’re closer to the
salon in case you need us. What’s Eres doing?”

“He’s at the end of the alley making sure I
don’t get any surprises from that direction.”

“Okay, let’s go.” Hades nodded to Lu. They
got out and made their way toward the martial arts store going as
close to the salon as they could. No one seemed to be out front but
they wouldn’t attempt to enter the front door until or unless
something was happening. It was likely the door would have a bell
or some other indicator that a customer had entered. They wouldn’t
take the chance.

Hades and Lu stood near the door of the
martial arts store and listened intently for any sounds coming from
the salon. They blended in well with some other guys who were
standing outside the store discussing a competition that was being
held in a week.