Opening the door to the ringing of a door bell carefully hung above the edge, Kaah entered and took a few moments to let his eyes adjust to the darkened, moody nature of the Drunken Duck. The chatter of the patrons hummed like a fluorescent light on the deck. A dull and humdrum buzz that was only highlighted by the melodic tunes of Land of Az who were in the corner playing. Kaah continued in and took a seat at the bar.

“Hey, love,” Paula said as she leaned on the bar’s edge, “what can I get for you?”

“Beer please, Paula,” Kaah responded as he leaned back on the bar and let his eyes peruse around the establishment. “Looks quiet today.”

“It’s a little early for the lunch crowd yet, K.” Paula had given him a nickname because she thought Kaah didn’t sound funky enough to be at the Duck. Sounded like he needed to be at the library instead.

“True, other than that, anything strange going on?” Kaah had worked out quickly when moving to Deadend, that when it comes to gossip, three places are the hotspots. The beauty parlor, the sports bar, or the lady’s social clubs were the hub of information and gossip. Didn’t mean it was factual, but they certainly knew all the comings and goings of the town.

“Always something strange going on around here, K.” Paula placed the beer in front of him and walked up the bar to serve another customer. Land of Az was belting out a perfect cover of ‘Highway to Hell’ by AC/DC, Kaah’s foot couldn’t help but tap along with the grinding vocals this chick was belting out.

“She’s good, isn’t she?”

Kaah turned his head to look to where the female’s voice had come from. He was greeted by the clearest blue eyes he had ever seen, the woman’s face dainty and perfectly framed by curls of ash blonde hair. She was tall, and her low-cut black tank stretched tightly across her ample breasts. The dark blue jeans she wore vanished into bright red velvet boots. Kaah thought to himself she was quite the beauty amongst the human women, and could understand other women being envious of her assets.

Kaah cleared his throat and straightened up slightly on the stool. “She is extremely talented, I wonder how she would sound doing a little of the Bublé?”

“As in Michael Bublé?”

Kaah almost hummed along with the melodic nature of her voice alone, before with a quick shake of his head, he was back focused on her words. “Is there anyone else?” he asked curiously.

She looked him up and down, standing to the side of his stool. Her hand reached out, letting the red painted fingernails roll across his arm as she circled his biceps and squeezed gently. “You don’t seem like the crooner type.”

Kaah’s eyes dropped to the woman’s fingers as they wrapped around his arm, sizing up his muscles with one quick squeeze. He looked back up to her softly smiling, the sparkle in her eyes was mesmerizing. “I am full of surprises,” he said in a brain fog of beauty.

“Apparently.” She smiled, her body posture softening as she stepped a little closer to him, her breasts pushing against his arm. “Buy me a drink?”

“Yes,” Kaah’s voice squeaked. “Err, yes,” he said again with a deeper tone. Turning to face the bar, he looked for Paula, she saw him and nodded her intention to come in a minute. Kaah tapped his fingers on the bar, uncomfortable as to where to look or move. The woman was still standing close with her body pressed against him. Paula came down as Kaah’s breath exhaled, he looked at the woman. “What can I get you?”

Paula’s eyebrows rose slowly as she sized up this blonde slicking herself over K like tar. “You buying, K?” she asked only semi playfully, “You never offered to buy me a drink, is it the hair?” She grinned with a wink as she smoothed her dark chocolate bangs. “Brunettes are fun too.”

“I’ll take a dirty martini, bar lady.” The woman’s voice trilled like a canary on crack. She turned and raised on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on Kaah’s cheek as she said, “Thank you, handsome.”

“Oh lord,” Paula’s eyes rolled hard, “I’ll get you a martini, I think you can make it dirty all by yourself.” She looked to Kaah. “Beer? Please don’t say you want it dirty. If my eyes roll any harder, I’ll be looking at my own ass.”

“Just the martini, I’m still babysitting this beer.”

Paula nodded and went off to make the drink. Kaah looked back to the woman hanging off his arm. “Do you have a name?”

“Kylie, but everyone calls me Tazzie.” She smiled with a coy tilt of her head.

“Tazzie? As in devil?” Kaah asked lightly.

“Depends on how many drinks you buy.” She giggled.

“Be careful with this one, K,” Paula warned him with a hushed tone as she placed the martini in front of the blonde.

Kaah nodded and handed her some notes. Paula tapped the bar to acknowledge she was watching the floozy before walking back to the register.

“She doesn’t like you.” Kaah smirked as he disengaged the female from his arm and turned to lean back on the bar, his ass resting on the edge of the stool. “I thought Paula liked everyone,” he quipped.

“Most women don’t like me.” Tazzie shrugged as she stepped back in and leaned against Kaah’s arm. Her breasts pushed up on his bicep. “I don’t know why?”

Kaah’s eyes flicked down briefly to her cleavage before rising to look to her eyes. “Yea, I’m sure you don’t.”

Jay’s throat cleared as she walked up to them. “Am I early for lunch? Or should I just leave you…” she looked at the two large breasts of the blonde and back to Kaah, “…four of you alone?”

“Maybe it’s just you and me?” Jodi added as her head popped up behind Jay, they had met out the front and come in together.

“I didn’t, I wasn’t,” Kaah stumbled over his words. “She was just… you know…”

Jodi shrugged playfully. “No, I really don’t know.”

He stood up, dragging his arm, peeling her off him. “Jay, Jodi, please meet Tazzie.”

“Pleasure, I’m sure.” Jodi deadpanned.

“Delighted,” Jay’s tone was as equally void of emotion as Jodi’s had been. They both knew what a working girl looked like, and this one was clearly on the clock.

“I think you’re possibly climbing the wrong ladder here.” Jodi looked at Tazzie, she spoke calmly yet mocking her at every turn. The disgust was very clear, Jodi didn’t like her. “Your radar is off a little, Kaah isn’t looking for a working gal.”

“A what? Working girl? As in paying?” Kaah’s mouth opened and shut quickly. “I don’t pay for anything, are you serious?”

“I’ve already been paid,” Tazzie cooed as she wrapped around his arm again.

“What?” Kaah’s eyebrows raised high as he peeled her once more off him. “I didn’t do any more than pay for your drink. I swear, Jodi…” he looked at the woman whose opinion of him appeared to be dropping by the minute.

“Who paid you?” Jay asked, her head tilted the same way her hip swung out.

“The guy over…” Tazzie looked by the wall, her head lifting as she went on her toes to see where he was. “He must have left.”

“A guy paid you? To do what?” Jay’s brow furrowed.

“To come and rub myself all over this guy. He said that he was an old friend and that he would love it and find it funny.” She shrunk back in herself. “He isn’t a friend, is he?”

Jay shook her head. “Unlikely, did this guy give a name?”

Tazzie shook her head. “But he said to give you this piece of paper.” Tazzie handed the envelope to Kaah. “I’m really sorry, I thought it was like an old college prank type thing.”

“Hmm,” Kaah growled as he took the paper, opening it and reading. The sound of his teeth grinding was audible even over the Land of Az playing. “This is beyond a joke.” He shoved the paper at Jodi and pushed out toward the door, the bell chimed as he vanished outside.

Jodi opened the paper for both her and Jay to read it.

 

Catch me if you can… A

 

“A?” Jay turned to Jodi, “Who is A?”

She shrugged. “No idea.” Jodi knew it was the demon Kaah was chasing, and he had effectively sent this blonde piece of fluff to distract him long enough for the demon to make a getaway unnoticed.

Kaah reappeared, his chest rising and falling with anger, he stepped up to the now cowering blonde and leaned over in an enraged, towering wall of rippling muscle. “Where is he? Where did he go? Where are you meeting him later?”

“I don… I don’t know. I am not meeting him later. He slipped me a hundred and told me to come and keep you distracted. That’s all, I promise, that’s all.” Her eyes filled as she understood her life was now in danger from this large irritated male.

“K,” Paula’s voice cut through all the noise, both inside Kaah’s head and in the Drunken Duck.

Kaah looked up to her.

“Stop.” It was all Paula needed to say, and Kaah backed down. Understanding that this wasn’t the place to be threatening a woman, especially one who appeared to have been used as a pawn in the game of chess he and Auberon were playing.

“Fine.” He turned away from Tazzie, dismissing her existence from his world. “He’s gone.”

“You expected him to stick around for the show?”

“Who is this guy? ’Cause he can send me a message like her anytime.” Jay grinned with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

“Let’s sit and eat, it’s lunch you wanted, right?” Jodi tried to calm Kaah with a soft stroking of her fingers down his arm. It was like a soothing balm to the beast. His breathing slowed as he watched this ethereal angel the universe had put in his world. At that point in time he couldn’t have been happier, knowing that she was here for him. No matter what, she would have his back and be a support he never knew he wanted until he met her.

“Go sit,” Paula’s voice called over, “I’ll send over some specials.”

Jodi nodded. “Thanks, Paula.”

“You got it.” She went back to the kitchen and made an order for their table, placing it up on the order board, and went back to the bar.

 

Kaah, Jay, and Jodi sat around a table, when Rork and Sibs turned up the three of them moved around the booth and made room for them. Kaah quickly told Rork what had happened.

“Right here?”

“Yes, not twenty minutes ago,” Kaah replied. “How is it that this…” glancing at Jay, who was the human at the table who knew nothing of the world they all lived in. “How is it that this guy can be standing almost under my nose and me not feel him?”

“There must be a masking of some sort,” Sibs said casually.

“Masking?” Jay asked as she placed a piece of bread in her mouth, “Like, costuming?”

“Ow.” Sibs jumped as if someone had kicked him under the table, which of course they had, because he needed to keep his words censored or shut up completely.

“Not exactly costuming,” Rork said to Jay. He didn’t want to openly lie to this woman, she was a close friend of Kaah’s and by default his, however, there was her safety to consider too. “More like people pretending to be who they aren’t.”

“Ahhh,” she nodded, “fakers, they rev my engines. Just be who you are, warts and all I say. You’ll garner more respect for being an open jerk than a hidden gentleman.”

“Wise words.” Kaah nodded and laughed.

“I have them occasionally.”

Sibs moved closer to Jay. “I’m a jerk, or that’s what Kaah tells me.”

“It’s true,” Kaah shrugged, “the kid is a jerk.”

“But, we are keeping him around.” Rork prompted Kaah to not be so confrontational with Sibs in public.

“Fine, we will keep the kid.” He leaned back in the booth, his arms crossed. Having finished the meal, his belly was full, and he wasn’t in the mood to fight with the kid today. He had bigger demons to hunt than him.

Jay laughed. “Good, we don’t need any more jerks without homes in Deadend.”

“You wouldn’t take me into your humble home, should I find myself without a place to rest my weary head?” Sibs flashed a smile that wasn’t borderline, he was openly flirting with Kaah’s mechanic.

“Nope,” Jay smirked, “you aren’t my type, but I might drive you to the shelter.” She shrugged with a gulp of beer. “I can be nice occasionally, even to the jerks.”

“I am everyone’s type.” Sibs snorted.

“Not hers.” Kaah laughed. He knew Jay liked her lovers like her cars, shapely, classic, and female.

Jay laughed with Kaah. “All that outdoor plumbing, it’s not necessary.”

“For you, maybe, but it’s functionally required for me.” Kaah teased Jay. The two of them were like best friends.

“Ohh,” Sibs nodded, “I’m finally too man for someone?”

Jay laughed loudly as she placed an arm around Sibs’ shoulders and pulled him close for a side on hug. “You’re right, the kid is a jerk, but at least he knows it. Which makes him okay in my book.”

“Sibs is one of a kind.” Rork nodded.

“Thank goodness for that.” Jodi grinned as she joined in the teasing.

“Okay, well this has been fun, but I have a business to run, those cars don’t fix themselves. If you ever want to get your hands dirty, Sibs, you can always come and help me.” Jay stood up and went to place some cash on the table, Kaah stopped her and shook his head. “Okay, next time it’s my shout, deal?”

“Deal.”

Jay smiled. “Have a good afternoon.” She turned and walked out of the bar.

“I need to head back to the office too,” Jodi said. “There is a meeting with Liz, Indi, and your favorite person, Susan.”

“I like Susan, not my fault she hates me.”

“Susan doesn’t like you? She sounds awesome already.” Sibs laughed.

“No, Teale?”

“She moved away a few months ago, Indi Lanning has taken over the shop. She has the most amazing eye for floral creations. She is a blessing not only to the town but to the community as a whole,” Jodi said with a smile.

“What’s the meeting about?” Rork said.

“We have been asked to be accommodating to a large group coming from Hollywood. They are looking to use Deadend as a backdrop for a new Netflix series they are making. I’m not supposed to say anything, but in four days, this town will have an influx of strangers and be abuzz with movie-making dreams. I have been assigned to mainly work with the producer, associate producers, co-producers, etc. There is about seven I think that I have on my list of people to wine and dine.”

“Do you know what the series is about?”

“Not specifically, only that it’s something about our weird town that has captured their interest. I get the feeling it might be a horror, or mystery type series,” Jodi shrugged, “I guess I’ll find out in a couple of days.”

Kaah smiled as Jodi walked out of the bar before turning to look at Rork.

“Four days,” Rork repeated.

“Lots of strangers.”

“This is bad.”

“Why?” Sibs asked.

“Think about it, small towns are hard to hide in, but load that town full of strangers and it would be easy,” Rork explained.

“Like a, ‘Where’s Waldo’ game, but this time people’s souls are the cost if we don’t find him,” Kaah added.

“Let’s walk, fresh air is good for my thoughts.” Kaah got up and walked over to the bar, he gave Paula a fistful of notes and smiled before following Sibs and Rork outside.