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AUTHOR'S NOTE
Thanks for the positive comments. Shout out to the one who asked to be added to the notifications list and to the guy who asked to be removed. Sorry I couldn't please you: if my stories aren't your cup of tea they aren't.
Special thanks to the mysterious D B who gave me a couple of "interesting" suggestions--one of which will be showing up in this Chapter. Let me know what you think (if you notice the change).
Questions, comments, suggestions and complaints are welcome. Drop a note to HonableRonable@gmail.com or RonVenable@hotmail.com and I WILL reply. (If you take time out of your busy schedule to contact me it's the least I can do.)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Kidnapped!
CHARACTERS
Ben Dover, age 49 -- our God-touched Hero
Jay Dover, age 15, - Ben's troubled Son
Ethan Gray, age 45 -- Ben's live-in lover
Lt. Benjamin Brazos "BB" Wolfe, age 39 -- Special Crimes Police Officer
Cliff Dover, age 39 -- Archdruid and Ben's younger brother
Colin Stanford, age 17 -- Merman "Golden Prince" and bad influence
Harrison "Harry" Stanford, age 41 - Colin's father
Susan "Sue" Stanford, age 42 - Colin's mother
"You guys going out again tonight?" Jay asked as he saw his Dad and Ethan grabbing jackets.
"Yep, we're headed back t' th' Magic Dragon," Ben told his son. "It seems sev'ral Fey `n' other Exotics have disappeared from that gen'ral area in the last few weeks!"
"Do you think it's Blackshirts?" the kid wondered.
"It's possible," the Texan replied. "I don't know how likely it is though. From what we've heard a few of the Exotics who have disappeared from around there have been pretty strong. Unless th' local Blackshirts have upped their game. I don't see them bein' r'sponsible!"
"Which brings you back to Square One!" Jay allowed. "Dad--are you SURE there's nothing I can do to help?"
"What part o' ON RESTRCTION, doncha get Son?" Ben asked. "Do we hafta go through th' reasons I don't want ya out in the middle o' somethin' that c'd turn dangerous, buckaroo?"
"YOU'RE going out there!" the boy said accusingly.
"Mainly because I don't want Queen Titania goin' after this fam'ly AGAIN!" the Texan replied. "Jay--I know ya wanna help an' I truly appreciate that! I just don't want t' think about you gettin' taken!"
"I know Dad," Jay said. "I'm just majorly BORED! OK?"
"So ya wanna maybe get y'rself kidnapped `r killed?"
"I'm not gonna get killed!" Jay protested. "You'll protect me!"
"Son," Ben said with an exasperated sigh, "if I'm protectin' YOU I can't look out f'r other trouble! Ya understand that, doncha?"
Jay threw himself down on the couch. "I guess..."
There might have been further conversation but there was a knock on the door. Ben opened the door to find BB Wolfe standing there and he didn't look happy. "I think we've lost another one!" he said tersely.
"Who?"
"Donte Benedict," the Wolfe said flatly. "The Pink Panthers on duty reported an attack near the Magic Dragon; when they got there, they found blood and a broken cell phone. The blood is Shifter and I found Donte's bike parked close to where they found the smashed phone.
"Fuck!" Ben growled. "What c'd be nasty enough to take down a Shifter?"
"Remember--Donte may be a Shifter by blood but he doesn't have the training most of them get..." the Wolfe observed.
"That I didn't know!" the Texan confessed. "Damn!"
"At least the odds of it being Blackshirts dropped pretty much to `Zero'," Ethan offered. "Even an untrained Shifter could take on a bunch of those idiots! They have all their hatred but none of the magical and ultra-tech backing them these days!"
"And we're back to Square One--again!" sighed Ben. "Have th' local Cops been called yet?"
"I didn't see the need," the Wolfe replied. "They won't do anything in any case! All we have is a parked bike and a broken cell phone near a location where some folks disappeared! The local Constabulary won't even take a report until Donte has been missing for 24 hours!"
"That sucks!" Jay observed. Ben was about to agree when there was another knock on the door which the kid rushed to open. "Hey Unc'!" he said. "You going out to help canvas the neighborhood?"
"I might..." he replied. "Look guys--sorry for dropping in unannounced like this but John-Thomas may have uncovered a lead!"
"Spit it out!" Ben snapped.
Cliff didn't take the sentiment wrong: he just answered. "All the missing Exotics--at least the ones we can confirm are gone--all have some connection to Kings College--either as students or employees!"
"Could the College be involved in the abductions?" Ethan wondered.
"I don't see how," Cliff replied. "Since the Oberdorfs went `poof' things have pretty much settled back to normal over there. With one critical exception, nobody has any reason to hate Exotics--and I don't see why Gretchen Merriwyck would want to risk involving herself in something nasty! She's been behaving very circumspectly since John-Thomas and I found out what she was."
"Any other connections?" BB asked. "Do they belong to the same Clubs? Are they friends? Anything at all we can use..."
"Just this one thing--and it's pretty tenuous..." Cliff said. "The only people to be taken are Espers and the Fey! Magic Users haven't been targeted--even when they were easy targets!"
"Rogue Mage?" Jay suggested.
"We thought of that," Cliff told him. "None of my Druids can detect any sort of residual Magic in the area! I had Sascha Markov check as well and neither she nor any of her people can detect anything either! Oh--but she told me she threw the Tarot and she believes their bodies are being farmed. Why, she doesn't know!"
"So were dealing with a rogue Alchemist!" Jay observed.
"Very possible!" Cliff agreed. The boy seemed pleased that one of the adults had actually agreed with him.
"I've heard rumors that some Drug Companies want to exploit Exotics to produce new `wonder' drugs," the Wolfe observed.
"Fuck!"
"If you can't exploit one resource exploit another!" Cliff growled. "They couldn't exploit Magic so now they're going after Exotics!"
"Wait!" Jay exclaimed. "The Corporadoes know about Magic?"
"Know about it?" the Archdruid gave a bitter laugh. "How do you think the `Robber Barons' got so rich in the 19th Century? Carnegie, Rockefeller. Stanford, Getty, Guggenheim--they were either Mages or had close association with Magicians!"
"Ka-BOOM!" Jay exclaimed. "Mind BLOWN!"
"I couldn't agree more Son!" Ben chimed in.
Then something Cliff said hit the young man and hit him hard. "When you said Stanford--do you mean like MY Stanford?"
"The Stanfords started their empire by secretly salvaging shipwrecks," the Archdruid told him. Leland, the famous founder of the family line, was a Mer Prince who got into politics after he used his people's money to build the Southern Pacific Railroad; his wife Jane was a highly-skilled Witch who helped him build his fortune. Sorry kid, your boyfriend is the scion of Robber Barons!"
"I don't know if that's cool or not," Jay finally opined.
"It is what it is," Ben told him. "Ya gotta judge Colin an' th' rest o' his fam'ly based on who they are now--not who their ancestors were!"
"You still hate him though, don't you Dad?"
"Hate's a purty strong word Son," the big man replied. "I don't hate Colin--truly I don't! That bein' said, I don't think that boy is good f'r ya! We don't need t' review th' trouble he got ya into do we buckaroo? Colin is a spoiled, entitled brat that don't seem to know `r care how t' reign in th' awesome power he's been given: he also don't seem t' care who he hurts along th' way as long as he gets what he wants!"
"Colin's a good guy Dad!" Jay protested.
"Son--I'll grant ya think so..." Ben said, "but I'm sorry Boyo, I haven't seen that side o' him! T' me he just a spoiled little rich brat out t' hurt my son!"
"But he's NOT!"
The big man just sighed. "Son, Colin is a bad choice that'll make a good story one day," he finally said. "Trust me Son--he'll break y'r heart an' ya might think y'r life is over but you'll get over him--eventually! Trust me, boyo, this ain't m' first rodeo!"
Now it was Jay's turn to sigh dramatically. "Dad--you just don't get it!"
"I guess I don't," the Texan agreed.
"Well, while you go out to save the world--again--I guess I'll go up to my room and READ! Since you took away my phone and my laptop and won't let me use the desktop without supervision that's all I can do!"
----------LATER THAT NIGHT----------
Jay was lying on his bed reading when he heard something hitting his window. He ignored it the first and second time but when there was a third impact he went to investigate and was surprised to find Colin Stanford standing on the sidewalk throwing pebbles. "Hey sexy!" he called when the young man opened the window.
"Dude! You can't be here!" the young man exclaimed. "Scooter, Catfish or the Pookahs find out you were here my Dad's gonna totally lose his mind and I'll be on restriction `til I'm thirty!"
"You don't have to worry Jay-Jay honey," Colin soothed. "I took care of everything!"
"What did you do?" the other young man asked. "I know you can't affect Monty or Figgie with your `Siren' powers..."
"No, damn it all, I can't!" Colin agreed. "But I can buy a targeted Sleep Spell! Your Dad's `charity case' roomie, the brownie and the doggie-dogs will be asleep until well after we get back!"
"Get back?" Jay said. "Dude--I'm on restriction! I CAN'T go anywhere!"
"What Big Ben doesn't know won't hurt you!" the young merman said as he flexed for the younger boy. "Come on Jay-Jay--don't you WANT to go out with me for a while? We'll go to Pierside Park--do a few rides--maybe make out on the Ferris Wheel and I'll have you back before your Jailer--uh--your DAD--gets back! Now--much as I like looking at your sweet young body Jay-Jay, you better go put some clothes on! I don't want to share that sweet, hot boy-body with anybody else! Come ON! You're not a scaredy-cat, are you? Or are you already over me?"
"I'm not over you!" Jay said. "Just know if we get caught and my Dad extends my restriction or, worse, sends me back to Texas--it's YOUR fault!"
"Nobody's gonna find out anything, fraidy-cat!" Colin said. "Hurry up Dude! The more time you spend dithering, the less time we'll have to par-tay!"
Jay threw on some jeans, pulled on a tee shirt then stomped his feet into sneakers without bothering to put on socks. He quietly opened his bedroom door and heard gentle snores coming from Catfish's room. Slipping downstairs, he found Scooter passed out ungracefully on the couch and both Pookahs sawing logs while Monty chased rabbits in his dreams. Not bothering to think about how Colin had managed to put three highly magical creatures to sleep he went outside, without pausing to lock the deadbolt behind him.
"Hey baby boy!" Colin wrapped Jay in a hug and kissed him hard and deep. "Your Dad doesn't have Security Cameras, does he?"
"I--don't think so..." the boy finally said after a little thought. "If he did, he didn't tell me about `em!"
Colin looked around. "I don't see anything," he allowed. "Your Dad's probably too dumb to put in an advanced system so let's just go!"
"Hey!"
"Sorry Jay-Jay!" the young merman said, giving his young lover a quick hug. "I just hate how your dumbass Dad is keeping us apart! It's so not fair!"
"I really wish you wouldn't badmouth my Dad!"
"Sorry--OK?" Colin kissed Jay's cheek. "Can't we just have a good time--at leas for a little while?" he asked. "I spent A LOT of money getting you out of the house for a little while! I'd hate to waste that... OK Jay-Jay?" The boy gave in and let Colin lead him to his "Baby Beamer" and sat silently as they sped off into the night.
"Come on, are you gonna sulk all night?" Colin finally asked before whipping into a parking garage near Pierside Park.
"Sorry," the younger boy finally said. "I just don't think we should be doing this! I've got a bad feeling!"
"It'll be FINE!" Colin soothed as her parked.
He didn't have time to finish locking his little blue BMW when a couple of black-clad men came up: one brought up a heavy pistol and pointed it at the pair. "We're going to need your wallets and phones!" one growled.
"I don't have a phone!" Jay said as he meekly handed over his watch and painfully-thin wallet.
"Do you KNOW who I am?" Colin blustered, for the moment refusing to meekly give in. "My family could buy and sell you wholesale!"
"Good--we'll just kidnap you too!" Jay was trying to figure out what this meant when he felt a sting at his neck. He looked over to find another man near Colin who was putting a needle to his neck. "Nighty-night boys!" was the last thing he heard...
----------BACK AT THE FIREHOUSE JUST PAST MIDNIGHT----------
Ben and his companions came back to the Firehouse close to midnight and the Texan went on the alert when he discovered the deadbolt wasn't locked. "We've got trouble!" he announced. "Neither Catfish r Scooter ud leave this unlocked. His worst suspicions were confirmed when he realized neither the Brownie or the Pookahs moved when the four men came in.
"I smell Magic!" Cliff announced. He reached into his Messenger Bag and brought out a vial of something foul-smelling that he waved under Scooter's nose.
The Brownie woke up with a start. "Sir! I fear I've been bespelled!" he cried.
"Looks like they got the Pookahs too!" Cliff said as he went to wake the pair with the same magic.
"I better check Jay `n Catfish!" Ben said as he dashed upstairs without waiting for acknowledgement. Catfish was peacefully sleeping but Jay was missing.
"Tn' boy's gone!" the Texan bellowed as he pounded back downstairs. "Somebody came into OUR house and kidnapped my Son!"
"Before you completely lose your mind use your Police Officer Instincts love!" Ethan instructed. Was anything out of place in Jay's room?"
Ben tried to force himself to remember what he'd seen upstairs. "I didn't see anythin' out o' th' ordinary..." he confessed. "I mean other `n th' usual sloppy mess!"
"No signs of violence?" Ethan asked. Ben shook his head. "Did you check his closet to see if anything was missing?"
"I didn't think t' do that..." the big man confessed.
"Let's go check then!" The pair went upstairs to find Jay's closet in the perfect order Scooter insisted on. "No sign of violence and none of his favorite clothes were missing. I don't think Jay was snatched or he planned to be gone long!"
Cliff came to join the pair and he was looking concerned: "Monty and Figgie say they were put to sleep with Dark Magic!" he told the two men. "What was used on them isn't something Colin could obtain from a Street Magician!"
"This is getting very serious!" Ethan said.
"We hafta visit th' Stanfords!" Ben said. "Likely they don't have a `locator' App on their precious l'il Angel's phone but I'll bet his car sure does!"
It was well after 1:00 AM when Ben, Ethan, BB and Cliff arrived at the Stanfords' posh estate in the East Hills. Ben pounded on the door and rang the bell. It took a while for there to be signs of activity inside but eventually there was a sleepy "Go away!" from the speaker.
"Not gonna happen!" Ben snapped. "My Son has been kidnapped!"
"And of course, you think Colin did it?" Harry growled. "Leave now or I'm calling the Cops!"
"You do that!" Ben said. "I'll break th' door down an' have ever'thin' I need an' be gone b'fore they show up!"
"Mr. Stanford, I'd cooperate if I were you," Ethan said reasonably. "Ben is mad enough right now that he might do you some serious bodily harm! If Jay isn't with your Son then we'll apologize and be on our way!"
"You should also know `Dark Magic' was involved in Jay's kidnapping!" Cliff said. "If your Son is involved in that he could be in trouble as well..."
"What's `dark' magic?" Sue asked; she was clearly awake but suspicious.
"It's Magic that uses blood, life energy--often obtained by unwilling sacrifice or Demonic power!" Cliff told her. "It's not something you want to mess with--trust me!"
"That's bullshit!" the woman exclaimed.
"Ma'am," Ben said, almost gently, "you're married t' a Merman an' ya know y'r Son is one as well! Unless you've been livin' under a rock y' gotta know Exotics exist! Is it really such a stretch t' think Demons do as well?"
"I'm coming down!" Harry said. A few minutes later the man, clad only in a pair of thin, blue-striped sleep pants opened the door. His wife in a pink cotton sleepshirt followed close behind. "Colin isn't in his room!" he announced.
"And his phone goes straight to voice mail," Sue said. "He's probably just making out with Jay somewhere..."
"Lady--ya let y'r kid run around after midnight on a school night?" Ben raged.
"Unlike SOME parents we trust our Son!" she shot back. "Besides--it's Summertime: Colin doesn't have anywhere he needs to be..."
"Look, can we maybe argue parenting styles LATER?" Harry asked. "I know Colin can be a little--headstrong--at times but I'm worried about him being mixed up with Dark. Magic! I don't know a lot about Mer culture but I know enough not to mess with that shit!"
"Does y'r Son's car have LoJack ™ `r somethin' like that?" Ben asked. Harry nodded. "Use it!" the big man ordered.
"Won't you come in?" Sue said with poisonous politeness. "While you menfolk `jaw' I'll get together a Cheese Plate and maybe a pitcher of Sangria!"
"Ma'am, coffee `ud be more useful..." the Texan allowed.
"Please?" Harry said to his wife. Under other circumstances Ben might have appreciated the other man's hard, lithely muscled body with the nice crop of gray-flecked brown chest hair that trailed down "six pack" abs to his navel and up from his meaty cock (which the man might have tried to sample were his host not already married). They stepped inside and Ben got a nice view of the other man's ass as he went upstairs to find his phone. "His car is parked by the beach," he informed the others.
"Lemmie have a look," BB said. "This is the parking garage near Pierside Park," he informed the men. "That closes at 10:00 PM on weeknights. So, unless your Son has a fake ID--which I wouldn't put it past him--he's not in the area!"
"They could be snuggling on the beach..." Harry suggested.
"Nope!" BB said. "The Beach Patrol checks regularly and they don't take kindly to people hanging out there in the dead of night!"
"We need t' check it out!" Ben said. "Parkin' Garages aren't th' safest places--especially late at night!"
"Agreed!" the Wolfe said.
"I'm coming too!" Harry said. "Just let me get dressed..."
"Make it snappy!" Ben told him. "The longer we wait th' more chance we have o' losin' th' trail..."
----------LATER, AT THE PARKING GARAGE----------
"That's Colin's car!" Harry shouted, "and those kids are breaking into it!"
The men burst out of Ben's crew-cab Tundra. "Come out slowly boys!" the Texan snapped. "I've got a gun an' I ain't afraid t' use it!"
Two boys slowly got out Colin's blue "Baby Beamer", hands upraised. "It was unlocked Mister--honest!" one whined.
"Yeah!" the other one chimed in, "we were just--um--scavenging! We need a fix really bad!"
Ben identified the pair as "Meth Heads" in the first stages of withdrawal. He reached into his wallet and pulled out two fifty-dollar bills which he showed the dirty young men. "I need information an' I need it fast `n' honest!" he told them. "Tell me what y' know about th' guys who got out of this car an' th' money is yours! Lie t' me an I'll turn m' buddy BB Wolfe loose on ya! We clear!"
"Yes Sir!" the pair said together. They clearly knew the Wolfe's name and it scared them worse than the Texan's semi-automatic pistol. "I saw the whole thing go down!" the shorter one said. "It was four guys--they looked like Mercenaries or Black Ops! They were big guys like you--only not so fat..." He looked a bit embarrassed at the admission. "Um--sorry Sir..."
"Just get on with th' story!" Ben growled.
"Um--OK..." The tall one stood, glancing nervously between BB and Ben while the short one continued talking. "Two of em came up and pretended they wanted to rob the guys like we were gonna do and while the rich kid and his boy-toy were distracted another two sneaked up behind and knocked em out with some kind of needle!"
"Don't lie to these guys Frank!" the taller one said.
"I'm not!" the shorter one said confidently. "It went down just like I said! Swear to God!"
"He's tellin' th' truth," Ben said sadly.
"What happened after they knocked my son out?" Harry wanted to know.
"Dude! That was your Son?" the shorter one said, "sorry guy! They took both guys away in a couple of Escalades!"
"I suppose it would be too much to ask if you got the license plate of the cars..." Ethan asked.
"They were spattered!" the kid responded. "This was a totally professional operation!"
Ben sighed; his awen told him the kid was telling the truth. "I don't suppose they have cameras in here?"
"Dude--you think we'd be shaking down rich kids or breaking into their cars if there were?" the taller one said with a derisive sneer. "Do we look stupid or something?"
"I'm not gonna answer that," Ben said. He handed each of the young men a fifty. "Thanks f'r tellin' me th' truth," he told them. "Enjoy y'r next hit!" The guys were quick to scamper off into the darkness.
"You know they're just going to buy more drugs with that cash, right?" Harry observed. "That's just enabling their bad behavior!"
"Please don't lecture me on `enabling' bad behavior!" Ben snapped.
"Where do we go from here?" Ethan asked once Sanford had subsided into angry silence.
"Only one place TO go," Ben said, "Gretchen Merriwyck!"
END CHAPTER FIFTEEN