The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Rose Contreras cursed long, and cursed loudly, as she parked her beige Ford Taurus in a parking spot directly beside her target’s car. She was so far beyond pissed she could barely stand it. Yes, she’d been warned of the boy’s penchant for bad luck, that an ill wind blew around him and that anyone else in the vicinity needed to be aware of it. And while she wasn’t naive enough to think herself immune to his bad luck, she’d been—to coin a phrase—’lucky’ so far. She’d managed to keep eyes on him the entire week, up until the incident with the mugger and the police a few hours ago. Then, apparently deciding to take his new girlfriend for a ride, he’d jetted off, heading up into the mountains.

And she...well, she’d attempted to go after them, to follow discretely behind at a distance, just as she had the past several days, only to have her car FUCKING DIE on her just as she was pulling out into traffic! The worst possible time, and in the worst possible position, as another car, not expecting her to stop so suddenly, slammed into her vehicle. The two car crash became three, then four, until the other drivers noticed what was happening and swerved to avoid them. The embarrassment and frustration hurt deeper than the slight bump she’d received from the impact. Worse, the incident cost her valuable time, dealing with the drivers, dealing with the police—who luckily, were still in the vicinity following the mugging—and again with the insurance over the wreck. By the time it was all over and done with, her target was long gone, and her car was completely trashed.

Even worse was when she had to call in to explain to her supervisor what had happened, and then arranging for a rental car to be brought out as a replacement.

I’ll be lucky if I don’t end up replaced like the car, she grumbled to herself, pressing her forehead against the steering wheel.

Things were apparently about to come to a head. Word had come through the grapevine that Frasier was being targeted by multiple groups, that he’d somehow managed to piss off more than a few of the wrong people, and that an attack of some kind was coming. To that end, the company was sending her backup in the form of Zack and Janice, though at last call they were still in Salt Lake City, and at least a few hours out. Until they arrived, she was on her own. Again, not something she would have normally worried about, being used to working alone anyway...but it was damn hard to protect someone without them knowing about it, especially when their own natural defenses kept kicking your ass!

She was just musing about that fact when she noticed movement from the corner of her eye. It was after seven, dark enough now that any vehicle should have their headlights on. This one didn’t, which immediately caught her attention. Secondly, the vehicle was a large old style delivery van, with some plumbing logo stamped on the side, which set off all sorts of alarms. The college had a full staff of maintenance men available for any mundane emergencies, so, short of a fifty foot geyser shooting up in the middle of the sidewalk, there was no reason for a plumber to have been called out. Finally, the windows were all darkly tinted, preventing anyone from seeing inside, including the front window, which was highly illegal. As the side door opened, and four masked men dressed all in black emerged, Rose knew this was the trouble she’d been sent here to guard against.

Shit...four to one odds...not the best, considering the heat they’re packing. So a frontal assault is out of the question. Fine. I work better with guile and stealth anyway. Slipping out of her school clothes, Rose Contreras revealed the slate grey and silver skin tight costume she wore underneath. Taking out the cape, cowl and gloves from her book bag, she quickly finished her transformation, slipping out of the car, not at Rose Contreras, college student, but as the costumed vigilante, Ghost Girl. Taking a deep breath, focusing her powers, she shifted slightly, going invisible, lifting off the ground to float swiftly towards the van. Making sure to cover all her bases, she planted a small tracking device just underneath the rear bumper, in the off chance she was somehow spotted, or they managed to get away. Satisfied, she shifted again, slightly, going intangible, and walked through the door, into the van, to have a little chat with the driver.

Have you ever had one of those days? A day when everything just starts out so great you can hardly believe it, that you’re almost afraid that something bad is going to come along any moment to ruin it? Well...that wasn’t exactly my case, my day had actually started off pretty bad, then gotten better. But now, it seemed, we were past the upward curve and heading back down the hill again. A scream of fright caught all of our attentions as a group of armed masked men stormed into the front door of the SUB. I have to admit, I had not seen that coming. I mean, armed masked men storming into a bank, or a warehouse, a storage facility of some kind, or a jewelry store...some place with valuables worth the time and effort of stealing. But, well...this was a college cafeteria. Who breaks into a college cafeteria?!?!

Apparently these guys, I thought grimly as they came steadily towards our table, the lead gunman holding a small photograph in his free hand. I tensed as he drew closer, pooling up my darkness, readying myself to fight if I needed to, but eyeing the rest of the armed invaders warily. They were maintaining an effective perimeter, keeping an eye on the crowd of students as well as watching the entrances and exits. Definitely professional, they were working calmly and with coordination. I hesitated then, debating with myself on whether I could actually take out this group without anyone getting hurt. Three of them were within reach of my shadow tendrils, but the fourth hovered just outside my range. And I had little doubt that he would retaliate in kind if three of his teammates suddenly went down.

Frankly, I was just grateful that Devon was still in the bathroom...

“There she is!” the lead gunman growled, stopping at our table pointing at...Stacy? Deidre’s bratty blonde friend jerked back in shock, cowering as the man struck an arm out and grabbed hers, jerking her to her feet. “I have the target,” he announced loudly to his friends, all of whom stopped searching, moving to back him up and keep curious onlookers back.

So...they weren’t after me at all, then? Weird. Still, I couldn’t just let these guys abduct this girl right in front of my eyes, could I? I moved slightly in my seat, as a precursor to starting to get up, when the guy’s eagle-eyed companion decided to make a point my rapping the butt of his rifle into the back of my head. I grunted from the impact; it stung, but I’d taken harder hits from Aunt Roni in training practice. Playing it up a bit, I sighed, slumping down, my head landing hard against the table, closing my eyes.

“Alright. Anyone else wanna play hero?” he yelled loudly in challenge, gesturing with the muzzle end of his gun now. I smiled inwardly. Having seemingly knocked me senseless, he’d given me the perfect cover to stage my counterattack. In their new positions, all four of the kidnappers were now in my range. Best of all, I could take them all down with a shadow strike without ‘outing’ myself as the culprit. I just needed a few more seconds to build up my power, and end the threat before things went from bad—

“Oh my god! Jimmy!”

—to worse.

Well, of course, Devon picked just then to come out of the bathroom, just in time to see some masked man bash me in the back of the skull. She’d reacted like any concerned girlfriend would under the circumstances, crying out in alarm, moving towards me in concern, drawing undue attention to herself...all of them very wrong things to do under the circumstances. “Hey! No! Let me go, dammit!” she yelled as the gunman just outside the bathroom grabbed her, pulling her into a chokehold, and placing his gun against her temple. I twitched, fighting my natural instinct to jump up and start playing ping-pong with the entire lot of them, using their heads as the balls. These guys were professionals, not a bunch of simple hired thugs. One wrong move on my part and the bullets would start flying. And my earlier plan to use a tendril strike was out as well. There was always a chance the thug holding Devon might spasm and pull the trigger before I took full control over him.

Well...shit.

“Hey! Asshole!” Deidre yelled, surging to her feet across from me, “let go of my sister!”

I winced slightly as the leader, in retaliation for her outburst, gave Deidre a similar knock to the noggin that I’d received. Deidre, however, not nearly as resilient as me, dropped like a ton of bricks, slumping to the table, out cold. I grunted again, hands clenching tight with the desire to attack barely held in check. Yeah, she was a royal bitch, but even SHE hadn’t deserved that! With the last obstacle removed, he jerked Stacy up and across the table, pulling her into his embrace, locking her into a similar chokehold as Devon.

“Alright. We got what we came for. Let’s move out!”

“What about this one, boss?” the thug holding Devon tightly asked.

“Bring her along as well,” he said, turning to leave. “We can always use another hostage.”

Dammit! I couldn’t let this go. I didn’t have a lot of moves at the moment, few things I could try that wouldn’t put everyone else in more danger. Sighing inwardly, I decided to take a page from Uncle Parker’s playbook and attempt to talk my way out of this. Sitting up, pretending to be groggy, I shook my head. “Hey... dumbass...” I grunted, catching their attentions once more. “That’s my girlfriend you’ve got there.” I frowned slightly. “The pretty dark haired one, I mean, not the obnoxious blonde.” Stacy scowled at the insult, but wisely kept her mouth shut. “Obviously you guys aren’t that smart if you’re kidnapping two small fish like them and leaving the big catch, me, sitting here undisturbed.”

The leader’s eyes narrowed. “’Big catch’, huh? You sure talk big for a guy staring down the barrel of a loaded gun. Maybe I hit your head too hard.” He cocked his gun, taking aim for my head. “Either way, I suggest you sit there and shut up before I decide to put a bullet through your skull!”

I chuckled nervously, raising my hands in apparent surrender. “Alright. Alright. Fine. You’re the boss. If you want to take off with them then it’s fine. Go ahead. I won’t stop you. I just think it’s a shame, going through all this for pocket change when you’re letting a fortune slip through your fingers.“

One of the gunman raised his weapon, intending to shut me up, but apparently I’d piqued the leader’s interest, who waved him off. “Pocket change, you say?” he scowled at me. “This girl is Stacy Brandt, daughter of Tristan Brandt, of the Brandt Corporation. Her old man’s worth fifty million dollars, easy, and I’m willing to bet dear old dad would be willing to part with half in order to get her back.”

“Fifty million?” I said, rolling my eyes, scoffing loudly. “Please! I have twice that much in my personal trust fund! I could cut you a check for that amount from my savings account right now, if it would get you to leave.” I laughed shaking my head, blushing slightly all the while. I hated playing the ‘money’ card, hated being the center of attention like this, but I didn’t have much choice if I was going to save Devon. And...Stacy too...if I have to. Sighing deeply, I pulled out my wallet, flipping through it casually. “Apparently you don’t know who I am if you’re wasting your time with a nobody like Tristan Brandt.“

“Oh yeah?” the leader snapped, jerking the wallet from my grasp. “And just who do you think you’re supposed to be, Mr. Big Shot?” He glanced down at my driver’s license, frowning. “James Ian Mackenzie Frasier,” he said aloud, still frowning. He glanced at my credit cards, my Diner’s Club card, at my family photos, and finally the light bulb went off. “Frasier? As in Frasier Industries, that billion dollar conglomerate out on the West Coast?”

Every eye in the building suddenly turned to stare at me in shocked surprise at the revelation. My blush grew more pronounced under their gaze. Believe me, there were multiple reasons why I tended to ‘dress down’ in a simple pair of black denim jeans with a matching T-shirt, but this was the main one. Katie and I had learned early on that looking ‘rich’ tended to attract the wrong kind of attention, and lots of it. Right now, though, it was working against me as the gunman stared at me, at my clothing, trying to reconcile the guy before him with the son of a multi-billionaire businessman philanthropist.

“I don’t buy it,” he said with a scowl. “No way a billionaire’s kid would go to a chintzy school like this, or be dressed the way you are. This doesn’t fly.”

“Really, are you simply that much of an ignoramus?” I replied, using a snooty arrogant tone that a number of my father’s business partners used. “What did you expect? An Armani suit, chauffeured limousine, and servant girls throwing rose petals at my feet?” I sighed in an obviously bored way. “I’m here because of her, you Philistine,” I said, gesturing to Devon, “my girlfriend, as I mentioned before. Obviously, if I’m here, ‘slumming’, I’m not going to dress like Richie Rich. Did you think I WANT any of the people I run with knowing I was here?” I shook my head. “No matter. I’m bored with this situation now. How much will it take for you to let the girls go and simply leave this place? I can write you a check, or have my father simply wire you the money, if you like?“

As expected, I received another kiss from Mr. Rifle Butt for my efforts, but I’d accomplished my goal. “Pretentious little bastard!” the man snarled. “Fine. You want to be a part of the ‘trade negotiations’ so badly? Congratulations! You just became a hostage.” He grinned, pulling something from his pocket, hidden by his coat. “You just better hope your Daddy decides to come through and pay your ransom, motor mouth,” he said, jabbing the object—a hypodermic needle—deep into my arm. “If your pop doesn’t come up with the cash, I’m gonna take great pleasure in making you pay for wasting my time.”

Shit. Hadn’t expected drugs. Probably should have considered that in my calculations, As the world around me shifted, twisted and basically tilted off its axis, I managed to catch a glimpse of Devon just before everything went dark... her face staring at me, cold and emotionless, as if she wasn’t the slightest bit concerned with what was going on. Or, possibly that she was pissed at me. My ruse to get taken instead of the girl had worked against me in more ways than one. Still, it was slightly comforting to know she had that much faith in my ability to get us all out of this mess...

We were almost there. Rounding the corner. It was a nice evening, so we had decided to walk. I was nervous as hell. Jess thought it was cute.

“So where did you meet them, Katie?” she asked again. Jess had been kinda distracted lately. But I didn’t mind.

“On the job, Jess, remember?”

“Oh, right...And you told them to dress casual, right?”

Now it was my turn to be the space case. Jess could see it in my eyes.

“Katie! Lorenzo’s is one of the fanciest restaurants on the whole west coast! It takes weeks for most people to get a reservation. Everybody always comes here dressed to the nines! I mean, except us. Look, Katie, sure the guy used to fix your morning oatmeal, but to most people it’s a really big deal to eat here. We’re in jeans and T-shirts, and they’re gonna be dressed for the freakin’ opera or something!”

“I know! I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to them!” said Jess, pointing to the pair waiting for us at the top of the steps. I was surprised that Jess picked them out so easily. But the description I gave—African Warrior Goddess and Redheaded Porcelain Doll—it really does fit.

And there they were, dressed for a “big night out” in full-length gowns. Tawnya was wearing a body-hugging green strapless number that seemed to stay up by magic, especially considering the impressive chest it had to support. Sioban was actually even more daring in a backless halterneck dress with a plunging, cleavage-baring neckline and a side-slit up to the middle of her right thigh, bright blue to match her eyes. Both of them were wearing perfectly-matching high heels and carrying a small perfectly-matching clutch purse.

As we climbed the steps to the entrance, Tawnya sounded a bit...peeved. “Sioban, you may be right that everyone inside is dressed like this, but our hosts are dressed like that!“

Oh no! I’d caused an argument. I was ready to deliver my most sheepish apology, but Sioban beat me to it.

“I’m sorry, Tawnya. You’re right. It doesn’t matter how often I’ve been here. I should have thought to ask.”

Wow. That was unexpected!

As we reached the top of the steps, Tawnya was already letting her partner off the hook though. “Oh, it’s okay. I didn’t ask either. And I really should have. I’ve never even been here before.”

But even so, it really was my fault. Jess was right. I needed to apologize. “Sioban, Tawnya, I’m so sorry. My family, we’ve always just come here dress cazh. I really didn’t think. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Honest.”

They smiled. Goddess, how I loved their smiles. Tawnya’s smile was made of sunbeams and puppy dogs and kids on Christmas morning. Sioban’s smile was startlingly adult on her childish face. It was the kind of expression that Aunt Eva likes to call “playfully wicked”. I wanted both of them to take me on the spot!

Sioban said, “Don’t worry about it, Lu—um, Katie. We’re perfectly comfortable. Right, T?”

“Oh, absolutely. We dress like this all the, ah—, time...That was too much, wasn’t it?”

Sioban looked up at her with a smirk and said, “Yeah,” bursting out laughing. We all joined in, Tawnya loudest of all.

“Why, I was shooting hoops in this dress just the other day,” the big girl added, setting off another round.

As the giggles and guffaws died down Sioban looked up at me expectantly. I cocked my head and looked a question back at her. She nodded her head toward Jess. What’s she want? I thought.

Tired of waiting for me to overcome my cluelessness, Sioban turned, offered her hand, and said, “Hi. You must be Jessica. Katie’s obviously a very lucky girl.”

ARRRRGGGH! INTRODUCTIONS! I’m such an idiot!

Jess smiled and boldly said, “You don’t know the half of it.”

Another round of laughs. What a relief! Things are going great in spite of me!

“I’m Sioban MacMillan and this is Tawnya Parkinson. We’re very happy to meet you.”

“Oh, absolutely the same here! Katie told me you guys were gorgeous, but...wow!” My girlfriend did me proud, making a big show of looking them up and down, leering all the while. “I’m really glad I got to see you in those dresses.“

“Yeah,” said Tawnya, looking down at her partner, “We clean up pretty good, don’t we?”

“You got it, kiddo,” said Sioban, giving Tawnya a gentle hip check that hit her at about mid-thigh.

Then the redhead turned to me again. “So, ah, should we, um, go in?”

“Hmmm?” I said, staring at them, “Oh! Oh yeah. Please! Um, after you.”

At the hostess stand, I spoke up again, “Katie, party of four.”

The hostess frowned and looked at her clipboard. She must have been new.

Jess cleared her throat and added “That’s Katie Frasier.“

“Oh. Ooooooh!” said the hostess, the light suddenly dawning. ”Frasier. Right!". She smiled and said, “Please, Miss Frasier, follow me!” as she escorted us to our usual table.

As we took our seats, Tawnya asked, “So, Katie, how did you get a rez here so quick? Sioban tells me you have to call, like, weeks and weeks in advance to get seats here.”

I couldn’t help it. I blushed a little. But Jess filled the gap for me. “Oh. Not for Katie. Her family has this table available every night. Nobody but Frasiers and their guests ever sit here. It’s so cool.”

“Wow,” said the big girl.

“No kidding,” said Sioban, “How did you guys swing that deal? We live with one of the richest families in town, and we have to wait our two-to-five weeks just like everyone else.”

My blush deepened, but fortunately Chester arrived that moment with our drinks. Well, Jess’s and mine, we always order the same thing, an iced tea for her and a diet for me.

He turned to our guests and asked for their drink orders then.

“Diet, please,” said Tawnya.

“A glass of the house Chardonnay for me,” said Sioban, “You guys don’t mind, do you?".

“Um, no, go right ahead,” I said. But really I was shocked, and it probably showed. Not that she was drinking and we weren’t, but that she was drinking at all. She really didn’t look old enough for alcohol. Apparently I wasn’t the first person to doubt her age, though. Sioban already had out her driver’s license to show Chester.

“So,” said Sioban, not really distracted in the slightest, “The permanent reserved table? The instant service? The way the hostess said ‘Frasier’? There’s a story behind this. I know it. C’mon, Katie, give.”

Yeah,” said Tawnya, her curiosity now piqued too, “Did your dad stop his car from going off a cliff? Did your mom body-shield him from a Doctor Sinister death ray?”

After all that buildup I was feeling a bit bashful again. It’s a good story but not that great. But Jess, my one true love, came to my rescue again.

“Oh, Katie. Let me tell it this time!”

I giggled. “Go for it, Jess!”

“Okay,” said Jess, “so it’s NOTHING like what you were thinking, but it’s still a pretty cool story. Anyways, so Katie’s mom is like this really lousy cook—“

“Really?” said Sioban, thinking both of the hero Omega Girl and of her colleague the physics professor from River City U, “I have a hard time imagining her being ‘lousy’ at anything,” said Sioban.

“She’s a seriously awful cook!” I put in.

Jess continued, “O. M. G. You have NO idea. So anyway, Katie’s Dad apparently got worried about her maybe even poisoning the kids, and so they agreed to hire a live-in chef...”

At that point who should show up at our table but the great chef himself.

“Four such lovely young ladies,” said Lorenzo as he walked up, “I should be paying you for bringing such scenic splendor to my humble place.“

“Everyone,” I said, “This is the man himself, Mr. Lorenzo Esposito. Lorenzo, these are my friends Sioban and Tawnya, and you remember Jess, of course.”

“Absolutely, I do!” he said as he reached down and picked up her hand, kissing it like only Italian men do. She blushed, just like she did every time he did that. “How wonderful to see you again, Jessica.” She murmured something unintelligible in reply.

Then he turned to me. “Katarina, I wonder if I could speak with you for a just a moment.”

“Um, sure!” I turned to my new friends and excused myself, walking with Lorenzo back to his office, hearing Jess continuing with the story in my wake, “...So, anyways, they, like, call the local Cordon Bleu school to find out if any of the students were having trouble with their tuition, right?...”

In the office, Lorenzo shut his door and turned to me, suddenly angry. I’d only seen him upset a couple of times before but I was pretty sure. Of course it was when he spoke that gave it away. His normally perfect English decayed into something almost stereotypical.

“Katarina...Why you doing this?”

“Doing what?” I asked.

“You mama, you papa, dey’re saints walkin’ dis eart’. Why you wanna disgrace dem? Why you wanna make kissy face wit’ deir enemies?” he said.

Oh, shit! Somehow he knows about the Grimalde and the Angels! His pidgin English, his loss of composure, it would be hilarious if he weren’t so angry.

“How do you know—”

“You Unca Parker, he tol’ me all about dat snake...dat mobster Grimalde...” He actually turned and spit on the floor after he said the name. Shit, I thought they only did that in the movies! “He tol’ me about his...his women. Dat redhead, she’s one-a dem. I bet de black girl is too, isn’t she? Tell me you didn’t know, Katarina. Tell me it’s all some kinda mistake. An’ den...tell me you won’t see dem again.”

What the fuck? “No, Lorenzo. Of course I know who they are. But you don’t understand—”

“OF COURSE I UNNERSTAN’! Dey wanna recruit you, Katarina. Dey want you to join dat lowlife crook’s harem.”

Okay, that’s just crazy talk, right? I tried to bring him down some. “Lorenzo, we’re just friends. Nobody is trying to ‘recruit’ anybody, and I don’t care...”

“You oughtta care, Katarina. You don’t got such a good luck wit’ de brainwashin’, and I bet dat snake would love to have a Frasier in his little stable...”

And that was just the start. He kept rambling on and on about how Grimalde had brainwashed policemen and reporters and judges and politicians, “prob’ly even de Mayor!” I was just looking for an opening to get a word in edgewise...until Lorenzo absolutely said the wrong thing. He called Sioban and Tawnya “whores”.

Okay. That was it. Family friend or not I was done putting up with this crap.

“NO! MY FRIENDS ARE NOT WHORES! THEY’RE HEROES. DO YOU HEAR ME?“

He looked at me like he was really seeing me for the first time. Good. I pressed on.

“I don’t care about Nigel fucking Grimalde, okay? Tawnya and Sioban have NOTHING to do with the stupid feud that’s going on between my family and theirs. I have fought beside them, both of them, and they are true heroes to the core! They are out there every day risking their LIVES to make the streets of this city a little safer. I have had the honor and privilege of saving BOTH of them from actual honest-to-god DEATH at the hands of a real honest-to-god villain, and if I am lucky...” I paused at that, “One day, when I need it, they will be able to return the favor. They are brave. They are a force for good. They are my friends. And I will NOT have you talking about them as if they are some kind of back alley sleezeballs!“

“But, Katar—”

“No buts, Lorenzo. I’m not a child anymore and I won’t have you treating me like one. If my FRIENDS are not welcome here, then neither am I. It would hurt me, deeply, but I’m sure I could find someplace else to enjoy the company of my friends if I have to. Are you going to make me do that, Lorenzo?”

He didn’t answer for what seemed like a long, long time. When he finally did speak up, his voice was so soft, so meek, that I could barely hear him. “No. No, Katarina. I will trust you judgment. I will...even though it pains me, I will treat you friends wit’ respect. Just...just promise me you watch you back, huh?”

“I will. You know, I really can take care of myself. Are we done here?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Katarina.”

I gave him a smile and a hug. “It’s okay. It’s already forgotten. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have guests to entertain.”

“Of course...Have fun, Katarina. You, ah, you deserve it.”

But alas, back at the table there was no fun to be had. Jess was sitting alone, looking for all the world like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

“Jess. Where are they?”

Poor Jess started to sob. “I don’t know what happened, Katie. One minute they were laughing at my story about your folks and Lorenzo. I even got to play with them a little. I had some footsie going with Tawnya across the table and she was grinning at me as I did it. And when I put my hand on Sioban’s knee she actually grabbed it and slid it higher up on her thigh! But then all the sudden they both got these really serious looks on their faces. Sioban turned beet red and Tawnya got really nervous. I don’t know what I did wrong. And I couldn’t figure out anything else to do, so I just. you know, kept on telling the story. Then, just as I was getting to the part about your folks financing the restaurant, Sioban pulled her phone out, looked at it, and said they had to leave. She made up some bullshit story about something bad happening that they needed to deal with. Sioban even used some cornball line—’Duty calls’, or whatever—if you can believe that! But it was just an excuse; they couldn’t even look me in the eye when they were telling me about it. I’m so sorry, Katie. I...I don’t even know what I did.”

“Oh, Jess!” I said as I reached out to hold her hand, “I don’t think it was your fault at all.”

“Of course it was! I must have done something wrong. I was the only one here!” she whined hopelessly.

“No, honey,” I said, as lots of little hints finally came together in my head, “Whatever happened...I don’t think it happened here at the table at all. Remember, they’re superheroes. They have superpowers, right?”

“Right?” echoed Jess uncertainly.

“Now,” I said, “I know they can fly, and I know they are really strong and fast, and Tawnya said something about having a resistance to mind control—God, what I wouldn’t give for that power—Oh, and they heal from injuries really fast, like while-you-watch fast. But I don’t know much else about them. I was hoping to find out more tonight.“

“Okay...So?”

“So...Jess, what if one of their powers is super sensitive hearing?”

“Katie, I still don’t see what you mean.”

“No, you don’t know the rest yet. When I left the table? When Lorenzo wanted to talk to me? Yeah, he was reading me the riot act about Sioban. He accused her and her family of all kinds of awful things and then basically ordered me to stay away from both of them.“

“Oh. OH!” said Jess as the light came on, “And if they heard that...“

“Exactly. But I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong about that,” I continued, “You see, I defended them! I told Lorenzo to mind his own business. I told him that they were heroes who risked their necks every day, that they deserved his respect. I got him to back down even! They should have heard all that too.”

“Oh Katie, I know you,” said Jess, sadly, “You’re way to polite, right?”

Okay, my turn to be the echo. “Right?”

“So you probably let him rant until he talked himself hoarse.”

Oh crap. That’s not far from the truth. “Oh no.”

“Yeah. By the time you got your turn to defend them they were probably already gone. They left a good ten minutes before you came back to the table.”

Well, wasn’t that just perfect. Sometimes I really wonder where my so-called luck goes when I really need it.

“GODDAMMIT!!” I shouted. The whole room went silent. Every formally-attired eye in the restaurant was on me. Arrrggh!

“Jess,” I said dejectedly, “I’m...I’m really not hungry anymore, but I’ll stick around if you want. Do you want to stay or go home?”

Jess looked at me with kind eyes, almost-motherly eyes. “Let’s go home, baby,” she said.

So we did. So we did.

Ghost Girl had just returned to her car a few seconds earlier when the SUB’s doors opened and the four gunmen made their escape. She frowned slightly as they emerged carrying not one but TWO girls with them, both apparently drugged and unconscious. Huh. That’s weird. The driver I questioned said they’d come there specifically to kidnap the Brandt girl. So, who’s the dark haired girl? She looks...kind of familiar... She scowled deeper, trying to figure out where she’d seen the girl from, when the next two gunmen appeared, dragging a third person behind them. A dark haired man, this time...dressed all in black—

“OH SHIT!” she yelled, recognizing her target, Jimmy Frasier, being hauled away into the same van she’d just exited moments before. “That lying little bastard!” The man she’d spoken to, after he’d gotten over the near heart-attack of her sudden appearance, had sworn on his life that they were only there to abduct the daughter of a local businessman, holding her hostage for ransom. So, either the man was a damned good actor...or his companions’ plans had changed radically in the few minutes they’d been inside the building.

Probably the latter, knowing my charge, she mused, shifting phase, going full ghost—intangible and invisible—floating up out of her car, towards the van. NO! Hang on! WAIT! she yelled silently, reaching out towards it, as it peeled out on her, heading off with a squeal of burning rubber. FUCK! she cursed, returning to her car again, going back solid. Starting the engine, she backed out of her parking space, preparing to take off after the van...only to pause as a silver Nissan suddenly turned on its lights, taking off after the van as well. Wh...what the hell? Who the hell was that?!? Frowning, glancing around, making sure no one else was about to join the pursuit, she took off as well, chasing after the silver car.

“Control, this is GG,” she murmured, hitting ‘one’ on her cell’s speed dial. “Got a bit of a problem here.”

“Oh? Really?” her supervisor’s annoyance carried through clearly. “What is it this time? If you wrecked the loaner car, you’re out of luck. You’ll have to follow the target on a bicycle or something—”

“No, the car’s fine,” she cut in tersely, swerving to avoid a slower moving car. “Well...for the moment anyway. The problem is with the target. He was...abducted...”

“WHAT?!?” he yelled, causing her to wince. “You let the target get captured right underneath your nose?!? Do you have any idea what the boss is going to say when he finds out?!?”

Rose swallowed painfully. “It’s okay. The situation is salvageable. I’m in pursuit right now. I managed to plant a tracker on the vehicle before it took off—” Or rather, she’d planted it earlier, and had forgotten to retrieve it, only now recalling it. “—and I managed to interrogate one of the kidnappers as well. I don’t think they were there for him specifically. it was more a case of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Oh great. Just fucking great,” her supervisor moaned. “This entire OP has given me a non-stop migraine.”

“Imagine how I feel, Sir,” she groused, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “I’m actually out here in the field!” She sighed, then gasped, swerving again, avoiding a pair of slow moving cars and barely missing a car coming in the opposite lane as she passed. “But, well...that’s not the worst part. It seems there’s another unknown party involved now. A second vehicle left the SUB just before I did, taking off after the target at high speeds.” She frowned, biting her lip. “You don’t suppose it could be another assassin sent by his Uncle? Someone we missed?”

“Doubtful,” he replied slowly, as if considering, “but we can’t discount the possibility. With the information provided by the mole our Boss managed to insert into Duncan Frasier’s team, we managed to separate and eliminate every member of the cell operating in the area...but it’s possible he dispatched a backup when his people failed to report back.”

“Understood. What are my orders, Sir?”

The man sighed deeply. “Backup is still en route, so you’re still on your own. For now, just do what you do best. Keep to the shadows, watch and observe. Try and stay unobserved if possible, but if things escalate, and if you find the target in imminent danger, then by all means act accordingly. Do whatever it takes to safeguard his life.”

Ghost Girl nodded. “I understand, Sir. GG, out.” Sighing softly, she hung up, sliding the phone back into the small pouch on her belt, focusing her attention fully on the road again. Heh. Poor kid. Hope he’s alright. What’s that old saying? ‘If it weren’t for bad luck he’d have no luck at all’... She shook her head ruefully. Well, you have one thing going for you at least. You have a dad that cares enough about your well-being to hire us, and send us out to keep watch over you. And you have me, kid. I’m on your side. She scowled, a look of determination creasing her lovely hooded face. I swear, kid...I’ll get you out of this mess. You’re not going down that easily. I haven’t failed a job yet, and I’m not about to start now. Somehow, some way...I’m getting you out of there.