Death, Taxes, and Sexy Women: Scene 2 (Patreon)

Rosalind Moretti lay on her stomach, holding a pair of binoculars to her eyes. She was utterly fixated on the view through the glass. Calm, dedicated, and professional. She was also wearing a yellow string bikini under a practically see-through sarong, and absolutely had the curves to pull it off – a complete picture in attractive feminine charm.

Nathan pursed his lips as they approached. So much for sexy women taking a back seat.

Fortunately for both the job and for Lucas, he’d long ago decided that their lovely colleague represented a solid case of pre-emptive bro code. Or, ‘don’t seduce a long-time female friend for a one-night stand when your best friend and her don’t yet realise they should totally be dating, if only they’d stop faffing about.’

“Hey, Rozz,” Lucas whispered, lowering himself into a seat next to her. “Where is he?”

Rosalind gestured over to one of the Jacuzzis way over on the other side of the large open space, an area that had been hidden from their previous vantage point. “There,” she said, not bothering to stay quiet. “But he hasn’t taken his shirt off. Still can’t get a bead on his tattoo.”

Nathan put his own binoculars to his eyes and zeroed in on the only guy in the bubbling tropical water who hadn’t taken off his top. “We sure it’s on his chest?”

“That’s what was on his file.”

Nathan nodded to himself. “Well, if we’re lucky he’ll dunk himself and we’ll be able to see the tattoo through the cotton. White’s good like that. Assuming it is him.”

“I still don’t get why he’s even here,” Lucas muttered. “You’d think someone on the run would be a little more cautious.”

“Kelpie have an instinctive need to spend large amounts of time in large bodies of water,” Rosalind said, kicking her feet up, causing Lucas’ gaze to flicker over the swell of her ass.

Nathan rolled his eyes.

“And he doesn’t know we know he’s changed his illusion,” she continued. “He thinks we’re on the lookout for a big black guy with a shaved head and a scar on his right cheek.”

“Doing well for himself to afford something non-standard like that,” Lucas said.

Rosalind lowered the binoculars and smirked at him. “Well, that’s what we’re here for.”

Lucas smirked back. “Yes, we are.”

The two held eye contact for just a little bit longer than necessary.

Nathan glared at his two colleagues before focusing back in on the Kelpie guy now walking around in the bubbles. He really did wish they’d just fuck already. It had been over a year now! Then his breathe caught. The probably Kelpie had moved just so, and Nathan had been given a brief glimpse under the man’s collar. “Confirmed its him,” he said in a serious tone of voice.

“You saw it?” Roasalind said, eyes suddenly back on the target.

“Confirmed. Kelpie illusion tattoo located on the upper right pec.”

“That’s him,” Rosalind said, sitting up from the indoor sunbed. “How do we want to do this?”

Lucas checked his own gun. “We don’t have much left in the budget this month, so I suggest we stick to mundane means while we’re in the water park. Unless we get him someone alone. Then let him have it.”

“Sounds good,” Nathan said. “Rozz, can you run interference if he makes a break for it?”

“Sure.”

“We could try pretending to be VUPD,” Lucas suggested, holstering his Glock in the waistband of his shorts. “At least until we get him under control. He might not freak out quite so badly.”

“I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that,” Rosalind replied. “The boss would throw a fit if he found out.”

Lucas grumbled something that sounded highly uncomplimentary about ‘the boss’.

“Come on, enough stalling,” Nathan said, pulling out his wallet from another pocket. “Let’s get this job done.”

Together, Nathan and Lucas started making their through the steamy water park. They caught several alarmed looks along the way when people saw the heat they were packing, but Lucas had also hooked his ID onto his waist band and that was enough to stop an actual panic. It was amazing what even the suggestion of officialdom would do to the average citizen, and that was before factoring magic into account.

Nathan paused by a large tropical waterfall feature bending around a curve in the small jungle leading to the jacuzzi pools. Adrenaline pumped through his blood. His senses sharpened. The water from the falls crashed and splattered in his ears. The perfumes of the flowers became richer. The dry warmth of the rough tiles through his bare feet contrasted with the humid air.

“Ready?” Lucas asked, stepping up beside him.

“Yep. After me.”

Lucas nodded.

Nathan took a steadying breath. No matter how many times he did this, it never got easier. It was the anticipation, that’s what it was. Most of the time people just gave up when they rolled up. Other times... not so much. The briefest thought flashed through his mind that if he was a real Kitsune, it wouldn’t matter if they gave up or not, but he firmly shook it off. That way lay only failure.

Nathan walked around the corner, allowing himself to take in the scene.

Their target was lounging alone in the furthest of five pools with a look of utter contentment on his face.

Nathan made sure to clear the first four pools before speaking. “Mister Rivers? We’re—"

The Kelpie’s eyes snapped open and before Nathan could do or say anything else, the man surged. Skin and muscle flowed like liquid, changing shape from human to something else in the blink of an eye, shooting up like a flying fish, aiming straight for the nearby main swimming area.

“SHIT!” Nathan drew his gun and two ear-splitting bangs rang out, landing true right in the Kelpie’s side, but it barely slowed the paranormal water spirit down.

In a flash, the man was gone.

The previously peaceful water park exploded with screams and panic.

“GO!” Nathan shouted behind him before he ran forward, crashing though the bushes as he chased after his quarry. “STOP! POLICE!” he yelled, more so for the benefit of the normies than because he thought Mister Marty Rivers would actually buy that they were just police. He saw Rivers, now looking rather more equine, take a dive into the main swimming pool and shot again, winging him once more, but again merely slowing him down. That was the point of course. They weren’t actually trying to kill the guy, though that obviously wouldn’t be apparent to the visitors who were now screaming and splashing to get away from the horse-like ‘thing’ that was now roaring across the wave pool.

“Damn it, Marty!” Nathan shouted as he ran along the pool edge trying to keep up. “Do you know how expensive this is going to be?!”

Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Rosalind crouching behind a palm tree with what looked like two normie security guards, both wide-eyed as they watched the unfolding chase.

He chucked the camera that had still been around his neck at her as he ran past. “Take this!”

Then he dove straight into the rapidly emptying pool.

Rivers had already cut across the pool, purposefully cutting off his means of following on dry land.

Nathan pushed forward through the water with powerful strokes, fighting back against the waves of the artificial beach and winning. But even though he was a better swimming than most, he was no match for the water spirit, even after having taken three bullets.

Nathan reached the other side and hauled himself up out of the water. He frantically cast around and just caught sight of the Kelpie disappearing up the green water slide in the next pool over.

Nathan dashed towards the stairs and began taking them two at a time.

“Where is he?!” Lucas shouted from a walk way above.

Another scream from the inside of the slide Rivers had vanished up answered that quite succinctly.

“Take the big red one!” Nathan shouted back.

Lucas looked around spotted the big red slide Nathan had called out and took off towards it at a sprint.

It was a gamble, but Nathan could see the progression of the Kelpie through the water slide, the gigantic shadow surging the wrong way up the rapidly flowing water, not caring for anyone who might be coming down the other way. There were only so many ways the man could go once up.

Muscles searing, breath deep and fast, Nathan reached the top just in time to watch Rivers, now back in his human form, lunge from the green slide towards the blue. “STOP!” Nathan aimed and fired. One shot. Rivers arrived at the mouth. Two shots, Rivers pulled himself in. Nathan continued to track him through the plastic of the slide. Three shots. The explosion of hardened plastic joined the deafening bangs reverberating through Nathan’s ears.

Throwing himself at the railings and leaning over the edge, Nathan saw the vague shadow of Rivers shoot down the slide at a speed way faster than normally possible. From way up here, he also saw Lucas exiting the red slide almost right next to where Rivers would be exiting the blue.

“Blue incoming!” he shouted down to his partner before he threw himself into the slide. He slipped and slid down at breath-taking speed, doing his best to control his horizontal movement, but it was as though someone had coated the surface with oil. It made keeping his gun pointed forward incredibly difficult, but he couldn’t keep his mind off of the confrontation that would occur if Lucas scared the kelpie into retreating back up the slide that he’d just arrived out of.

Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened and Nathan found himself spat out of the blue slide and momentarily sailing through the air. He just caught sight of Lucas chasing after Rivers through the restaurant before he landed in the pool with an massive splash.

“They should put that on the sales brochure,” Nathan muttered as he heaved himself out of the water.

“Nathan!” Rosalind shouted running up to him along with one of the security guards branding a large set of keys. “The back door! He went through the changing area!”

Nathan launched himself up and fell in with the two running for the far side of the water park.

Nathan caught on quickly. “There’s a way to cut them off.”

“If we’re quick!”

A dash across the pool area and one set of unlocked emergency doors later, and Rosalind and Nathan burst out into the reception area, just in time to hear the screams and see the people running away as Rivers overturned a promotional table in his desperation to get out of the building before being caught.

Nathan dashed forward. “MARTY! I fucking swear. STOP!”

He didn’t dare take another shot. Not with this many people around.

Marty reached the front door and darted through it.

The door closed.

Nathan was suddenly aware of how quiet the reception had become. It was as though everyone had collectively taken a shared breath in and out at the exact same time. Cute Hawaiian music played in the background. The only sounds were three pairs of feet smacking on the floor.

Lucas reached the door first. “I’ll stay with him!” he yelled before disappearing the same way Rivers had gone.

Rosalind skidded to a halt and turned back around. “I’ll go get our shoes and clothes.”

Nathan nodded slowing down as well. “Good idea. Better that then running across Valeria in swimsuits. That’d draw far too much attention.” He watched her run off before looking around. Dozens of pairs of eyes were glued to him, wide-eyed and afraid. Ah, yes. Attention. He cleared his throat. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he began in a clear, calm, authoritative voice, “thank you for keeping calm and following directions. Please go about your business and enjoy your stay at the park. Nothing more to see here, people.”

He then turned around in a manner intended to reinforce that same authority and dignity, despite still wearing board shorts, opened the front door, stepped through to outside, and was immediately smashed in the face by full force of the storm’s fury.

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