CD Chapter Fifteen (Patreon)

It took at least twice as long as it should have to wash her face and rinse the worst of the glop from her hair. When she finally stood back up, she realized that Elevator Goon must have managed to clip her as she was running by, because her left cheekbone was purple and swelling. A small cut sat right in the middle of the contusion. She prodded it carefully with her good hand, and it rewarded her with a sharp pain and some oozing blood.

“Damn it,” she muttered. “I look like someone beat me up.”

Her phone chirped.

Someone did. Don’t worry, though, they’re going to regret it.

Ava blinked. “Stop spying on me.”

The little Amythyst figure marched out onto Ava’s screen, hands on hips, glaring up at Ava. “I will not,” she said stubbornly. “If you hadn’t quit your job, this wouldn’t have happened. And you only quit your job because I told you to.”

Ava shrugged, looking away. “Probably would have happened eventually, anyway.” The theft was too fast and too well-coordinated to be spur of the moment. It was entirely likely that Dominic had been planning this since he found out she had anything worth stealing. It was really her own fault for not selling the pod before she moved in.

Amythyst leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “Are you victim-blaming right now, Ava Gardner? Because if someone chooses to commit a crime, it’s their fault, not yours.”

Ava sighed, shoulders sinking. “Doesn’t make me any less stupid for not expecting it.”

Amythyst ticked a tiny finger back and forth. “Uh uh, Ms. Gardner. You are not stupid for not predicting someone would do something that terrible to you.” Her eyes flicked to the side. “But we’re going to talk about this later. Guadalupe is starting to get worried, and your car is here.”

A single, sharp knock came at the bathroom door. “Ava?” Guadalupe’s voice sounded less self-assured than before. “Ah, there’s a car outside, and I think it may be for you?”

Ava blinked, looking back at Amythyst, who gave her a cheeky smile and little finger waggle before popping out of existence. “Um, yeah.” Ava struggled into the white t-shirt, tossing her sticky, bloody Henley into the trash. She pulled open the door, practically walking into Guadalupe, who was hovering outside, expression conflicted. Her dark gaze lingered on the cut on Ava’s cheekbone.

“I don’t know if you want to go out yet. I think the guys who were after you tracked you here. I can’t do anything unless they come into the store, and they’re out there by your limo.” Guadalupe’s eyebrow ticked up as she said the last word, and Ava stopped in her tracks.

“Limo? Why would there be a-” she broke off, lifting her screen to eye level. It was irritatingly blank, but Ava was certain Amythyst was watching somehow. “We’re having a talk,” Ava growled, glaring into the empty screen.

Guadalupe’s other eyebrow joined the first, but the corner of her mouth quivered, and she turned to lead the way back into the shop. “Boyfriend?”

Ava shook her head, realized the woman couldn’t see her, and said, “No.”

Guadalupe shot her a wink. “Girlfriend?”

For some reason, Ava’s cheekbones warmed, but she just repeated, “No.”

The older woman’s knowing chuckle made Ava’s ears start to burn as well, but then they stepped out of the aisles, and they could see out the window. A huge behemoth of a man was calmly punching Dominic in the face, and Ava’s eyes widened in shock. Dominic flailed, but the giant dwarfed even his thugs, and no matter how the slumlord kicked or hit, it was as ineffectual as a puppy play-fighting.

The stranger lifted Dominic up effortlessly, so the man’s feet dangled in the air. He let out a strangled shout, and Ava saw one of his henchmen reach into his coat. Without thinking, Ava darted through the door, barreling into the thug. He was clearly already injured, and when she hit him, he yelped in pain, dropping the thing he’d been reaching for. A gun skittered across the ground, landing against the curb not far away.

The giant tossed Dominic at the gunman like a child throwing away a toy it had grown tired of. Ignoring the fallen men, he turned to Ava and rumbled, “Password?”

Ava froze, then stammered, “D- dragon?”

He nodded, and reached down, touching the door of the black stretch limo parked on the street behind him. A vehicle like that had probably never traveled down 3rd Street before, and absolutely everyone who was home and had a screen was leaning out of doors and windows, getting video of the event.

The door slid open with a quiet hiss, and a wash of warm musk and cedar swirled into the street. A woman leaned out, her long fall of black hair smooth as satin.

“Frederic, that’s enough. Our patron will be unhappy if we continue. I’m confident she will make these,” her lip curled, “churls regret their actions today more than you and I ever could.” Her attention shifted to Ava. “Ms. Gardner. Please, sit down. The sooner we are away, the better.”

Ava and Frederic nodded in unison, and Ava slid in through the open door, which the big man closed behind her, so gently there wasn’t even a click. Ava tried to look outside, but the windows were too dark to see much. She jumped back, startled, as something thudded against the door, followed by another, similar thud a moment later.

Clicking her tongue, the woman slid one gabardine-clad leg over the other, settling back in her supple black leather seat. “Don’t worry, Ms. Gardner. Frederic is very good at everything he does, and those men will never bother you again.”

Ava felt a chill go down her back at these last words, and swallowed hard, vowing never to make these people angry. A few more sounds marked when Frederic had opened the driver’s door, and the whole car tilted slightly as he got in. Another sound indicated he’d closed his door, and then the car started so smoothly that Ava barely realized they were moving until the woman leaned forward, grasping something beside Ava’s ear.

Ava shrank away from her, and when the woman sat back, there was an oddly feline smile of satisfaction on her narrow face. “Your seatbelt,” she said, pulling the strap across Ava’s body and clicking it in firmly. “I think it would be difficult for you to manage at the moment.”

Swallowing hard, Ava said, “Don’t you need one, too?”

“Nonsense,” the terrifying woman said, “as if Frederic would ever get into an accident. Now,” her voice shifted to a more businesslike tone, and she carefully took hold of Ava’s chin, leaning forward. One of her dark irises glinted oddly, and Ava realized with a shock that she had at least one fully bionic eye. She’d never seen one in person before, but they were ubiquitous in the most popular streams.

“About an inch long, and deep. You’ll need a few stitches, once we get home, if you don’t want it to scar.” She tilted Ava’s chin, peering into her eyes. “Corneas are fine, and there’s no significant damage. You should be all right to proceed with your surgery on Monday. Now,” she held out a perfectly manicured hand, “let’s see it.”

Ava set her swollen hand into the waiting one, feeling like a dog being trained to ‘shake’.

“Hmm.” The woman turned the hand this way and that, gently prodding it, eye twirling as it zoomed in and out, or did whatever it was designed to do. “We’ll need x-rays, but I believe you’ve managed to fracture a metacarpal here.” She prodded a particularly swollen and painful spot, and Ava yelped.

Nodding in satisfaction at this apparent confirmation of her diagnosis, she said, “We’ll treat that when we get home, too, but in the meantime,” she reached into a large bag by her feet, and pulled out two objects. She cracked the first one sharply, and Ava saw that it was a gel cooling pack. This was carefully pressed into Ava’s hand. It was followed by a flat, flexible tube, which was manipulated into place beneath the hand, after which the woman tapped it sharply with one finger, and it instantly stiffened it a hard support, which she strapped in place.

“There, that will do.” Leaning back again, she smiled. “Now, I’m certain you’d like to know what’s going on. My name is Felicia, and you’ve met Frederic. We’re a… support team, shall we say. When someone gets in over their heads, they can hire us to help them get out. I’m a doctor, among other, less glamorous titles, and Frederic is,” she shrugged, “Frederic.”

“Now, someone going by the name ‘Amy’ paid a substantial sum to hire us to take care of you. Our job is to take you to a safe house, make sure you’re medically fit, and then you’re on your own until Monday. We’re to come and get you at six a.m. Monday, and take you to your surgical appointment. Once we drop you off, unless something else unforeseen happens, you will probably never meet us again.”

Ava nodded numbly, then stiffened. “I have to work! The Buy Fresh won’t really miss me, but I promised VaVa-”

Felicia’s gaze literally flickered, a glint of light scrolling across her eye. She smiled. “It seems that your resignation from the ‘Buy Fresh’ has been tendered, effective immediately. Your remaining shifts at ‘VaVa Voom’,” her eyebrows lifted, and she shot Ava an amused glance, “will be covered, and the business will not suffer for your absence.”

Ava leaned forward. “That’s good, but VaVa and Mandy will be worried if-”

Ava’s new screen began to ring. Ava stared at it until Felicia tilted her head toward it. “Aren’t you going to answer?”

Cautiously, Ava lifted it, staring at the display. She more than half expected it to be Dominic, but it wasn’t. She fumbled at it, and in a moment VaVa’s concerned face filled the screen. Her eyes skipped from Ava’s red eyes and skin to the oozing cut on her cheek. “Oh, Lord, honey, what happened?” The genuine distress in her voice made Ava’s eyes tear up again, and she wondered vaguely if she would ever stop crying now that she’d started again.

“I’m fine,” she choked out. “I’m safe, and going to stay with a… friend.” She tried to force a smile, but she could tell the swelling in her cheek made it less than effective. “My landlord took exception to my leaving.”

Ava had never seen VaVa really angry before, and if she’d been on the receiving end of it, she would have been more than a little frightened. “That Dominic Mayhew,” her boss growled. “You’re not the first of my girls to find herself in trouble because of him. I think it’s about time someone takes out the trash.”

Before Ava had time to react, Felicia had reached out and plucked her screen from her hand, turning it so she could meet VaVa’s eyes. “Ms. Voom,” Felicia said politely. “I believe our employer has reached out to you to offer her help in making sure you have sufficient support during Ms. Gardner’s unscheduled absence. Please, rest assured that that same efficiency has been applied to the problem under discussion. Dominic Mayhew will soon find himself a king without a kingdom, and you need take no further action.” She smiled with complete confidence, and returned the screen.

Ava looked down at VaVa, who looked impressed. Her former boss gave a nod of satisfaction, brown eyes meeting Ava’s. “Your friend Amy is sending help from a very expensive agency specializing in temps who go ‘above and beyond’, so don’t you worry about me, sweetie. If she says the problem is solved, I’ll assume it is, at least until I get evidence to the contrary.” Her voice turned chiding. “You do need to call Mandy, though. She’ll be frantic.”

Ava nodded. “I will. I’m sorry, VaVa, and… thank you.”

VaVa lifted a glove-clad finger and struck a pose, winking into the screen as she blew a little kiss. “All in a day’s work, honey. When you get through this, you give me a call, so I know everything turned out fine.”

Ava nodded, and the screen went dark. She started to pull up her contacts, so she could call Amanda, but an elegant hand interposed itself between her hand and the device. In the faint light of the screen, Ava could make out the faintest tracery of scars covering the skin of the back of the other woman’s hand.

“We’re nearly to the safe house. Your friend will only worry more if she sees you like this.” The dark, slanted eyes took in Ava’s antacid-coated hair, red, irritated skin, swollen eyes and cheek, and the cut which had leaked enough by now that the collar of Ava’s new white t-shirt was turning red. Felicia offered Ava a sterile pad, and Ava accepted it, pressing it to her cheek in an effort to stop the bleeding.

Sighing in resignation, Ava put the screen down and leaned her head back. Soothed by the smooth movements of the car, she fell asleep almost instantly.