5~Author's Note~
Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time to look at my little story. I'm also putting this stuff up on AO3 (also DaleBlanquita on there) for my friends who are more used to that site, but I kind of wanted it to have a space with other original works. I'm still getting used to this interface, so sorry if things ever look wonky. Hopefully I get the hang of it soon.
I decided on the M rating mostly for the profanity and a little bit of the violence, but none of it gets too graphic. I plan on putting in the notes when certain chapters have more than others.
Theo was never one to brag, but if there was one thing he wished he got more recognition for it was his impulse control. He had spent his formative years conditioning it. Like most children, when left to his own devices he would often be struck with sudden and strong urges to do something incredibly stupid. But early on he was forced to learn how to talk himself out of whatever impulse of the day was destined to wreak havoc. It was tough work. His dumb impulses would come in hard and fast, but he usually managed to talk himself down before any damage could be done.
Usually.
At the moment his reason was trying to convince himself not to make what was likely going to be the biggest mistake of his life. He was sitting in his truck, parked across the street from the most decrepit looking bar he had ever seen. It was situated next to a stretch of desert road that looked like it hadn't been serviced in a few decades, probably not since the highway behind it was opened. The bar looked like the last remnant of a long-gone ghost town, but a few things about it ruined the image. The first was the sea of cars parked in the makeshift parking lot around it. The second was the long line of patrons standing outside, vying for the attention and approval of a pale skinned bouncer. The third was the noise. Even from where Theo sat in his car, a good 50 yards away with the windows rolled up, he could hear music, shouting, and even various objects crashing. This place was filled with life, but it was invisible to the cars and people that whirred by right behind it. It would have been invisible to Theo too if he hadn't followed the directions given to him. He looked at those directions sitting in his passenger seat. A simple map showing how to get to the bar from the highway, with a short note underneath.
I can help you find your sister. Show the card at the door. It was vague enough to summon Theo's reason, but had the one detail with the power to help his impulse finally win the day. His little sister, Cristina. His acting-like-she's-rebellious-but-is-really-just-trying-fit-in-with-her-snooty-rich-school-friends fifteen-year-old little sister. His missing for three months little sister.
The police back in Houston had decided she was likely a runaway that would return in her time, but Theo knew his sister. Even if she didn't always get along with their parents, there was no way she would leave Theo to wonder what was going on with her for so long. Before she disappeared, not two days would go by before she was showing up at his apartment, usually at odd hours, asking for money, a place to sleep off a night of drinking, or ride out a longer than she though it would be high. Even if she wanted to leave him alone for three months, he doubted she could.
Theo picked up the paper and flipped it over. Taped to that side was the card mentioned in the note, its size and stock suggesting it was some kind of business card. Unlike a business card it was completely blank. No name, no number, no address. He wasn't exactly sure how it was supposed to help against a bouncer that looked like he walked off the set of the next Expendables film.
The note and card had been left outside his motel room door. He had just stopped off in this town near the Nevada-Arizona border to get some sleep on his way to Lake Tahoe. He was chasing down what was likely his last lead to his sister, however flimsy it might be. It was an old classmate of hers, a senior when she was a freshman, that managed to give even her the creeps. After he graduated, he still hung around with Cristina's friend group while he was "taking a gap year", apparently. Some rich kids go backpacking through Europe, this guy uses his fake ID to get booze and weed for a bunch of high schoolers. Nothing weird there.
In addition to Cristina frequently mentioning him weirding her out, he had also been unseen by Cristina's friends since around the time she went missing. One of them told Theo they were pretty sure his parents sent him to rehab, but another mentioned he had invited Cristina to live with him at his parents' Lake Tahoe house once when she had a particularly bad fight with their parents. Cristina's friend mentioned that to the police, but as far as they all knew no one ever looked in to it. It wasn't much, but it was all he had.
Once he got into the motel room, he charged his phone enough to call his parents and update them on where he was. His mother had not been ecstatic when he said he was going to look for Cristina. The last thing she wanted was to lose sight of another child. But she was fed up with the cops too. His father had wanted to come with, but neither of them wanted to leave his mother alone. And someone had to stay in case Cristina came back. Theo didn't need his mother's permission, he was nearing twenty-eight after all, but he didn't want his mother to worry too much. So, they agreed on a schedule for Theo to call in with updates. He was a minute late the day before, much to her chagrin, so he made that one two minutes early to make up for it.
After he hung up, he tried his best to get some sleep, but two minutes in to his attempt there was a knock at the door. Theo had been tempted to ignore it, but gave up when it persisted. He looked through the peephole to see that no one was there, and he almost just went back to bed. But an instinct told him to open the door, and there on the ground was a folded piece of paper with his full name written on it. Theodore José Montoya-Peña. The sight of it set off all his alarms. No one was supposed to know he was even in this town. He didn't know he would be there until he noticed he was falling asleep at the wheel and his phone was about to die. He had only told his parents two minutes ago and they were in Houston. His reason told him to not even pick it up, to just shut the door and get some sleep. But the presence of his name unsettled him, and he knew that even if he didn't pick it up, knowing it was sitting there would prevent him from sleeping anyways. So, he read the note.
I can help you find your sister.
Those words alone had struck him with the impulse to run, not even drive, to the spot pointed out in the directions. That was quickly followed by the rationale that that would be, in fact, quite stupid. Obviously, you should drive to this middle of nowhere location brought to you by an unseen stranger, it would be much faster. He ducked back in to the room to grab his keys and was halfway out the door again by the time his world-renowned impulse control properly kicked in. He stopped in his tracks and really considered what was happening.
No one was supposed to know Theo was there, and yet someone had left a note with his full name on it. He had ex boyfriends that never even learned his full name. A note from someone claiming to give him the one thing he wanted most at the moment. A thing that only a select number of people even knew about. The only people who knew he was even looking for his sister were his parents. His coworkers all thought he was just taking personal time off. And this someone didn't go to the police with this information, or even just talk to Theo right then at the hotel or simply write a more detailed note. Instead, they wanted him to drive out to a conspicuous place in the desert and flash a seemingly blank business card. The more he thought about it the more Theo was positive that following through with this was a sure-fire way to get him killed. Or worse. But every time he told himself he wasn't going to do it, the ink of that first sentence seemed to grow darker and bigger.
I can help you find your sister.
So, Theo's impulse won the hearty yet more or less pre-determined fight. It shriveled slightly at the atmosphere of the bar, but one more look at the note pushed him to grab the blank card and open the door of his car. Before he got out, he briefly touched the beads of the rosary that hung on his rearview mirror, hoping that was enough of a stand in for the proper prayer he was sure he needed.
Theo hopped out of his truck and made his way toward the bar. He debated whether or not he should join the end of the line for a moment before deciding some boldness would go along nicely with the stupidity he was practicing for the evening. As he went straight for the front, he ignored the harsh looks of the patrons that had obviously been out in the cold for a while, but he did notice something about them he hadn't from far away. None of them looked like they were dressed for a night of clubbing or bar hopping. They all looked like they were ready to hit the gym, wearing mostly workout clothes, some even sporting MMA style gloves.
When Theo reached the front, the bouncer greeted him with a somewhat unreadable expression, as if he was expecting someone to forgo the line but was surprised to see it was Theo. He tried to look confident as he handed the bouncer the blank card, but instead of taking it like Theo expected he reached down to his belt and grabbed a small flashlight. He shone it down on the card and Theo saw it was a UV light, one that revealed a unique looking stamp on the not so blank card. The bouncer nodded in satisfaction and stepped aside to let Theo enter. As he walked in, Theo noticed the looks of contempt that the line of patrons used to have were replaced by ones mixed with curiosity and fear. Once he was inside their looks and attire made a lot more sense.
The place was packed, all the bodies immediately making Theo regret not leaving his jacket in the truck. The actual bar almost seemed like an afterthought, pushed up against the back wall. It was manned by one bartender, though he seemed able to keep up with the workload since most of the patrons were throwing money around at a table to its right. He wasn't exactly sure what it was for, but the presence of some cards and craps tables along the right wall made him think it had something to do with gambling. Gambling that likely had something to do with the giant boxing ring in the center of the building.
When Theo walked in there was a fight raging between a dark-haired guy with a buzzcut and a muscular blonde woman. They had the attention of about half the patrons, which made Theo suspect they were not the headliners of the night. Most of the furniture in the bar looked like it had been salvaged from junkyards, or could even be the old bar's original décor from before it was repurposed, but the boxing ring looked professional grade. The turnbuckles and rings were alternating black and white, and the black mat had in rusted red the same design as the card's UV stamp. Though when Theo slowly approached it, he wondered if it had originally been white, but left intentionally stained with blood.
Growing up Theo had heard about places like these. Brawler's Clubs, he was pretty sure they were called. Illegal in every state, though he knew some were known to unofficially sanction them. Texas had a reputation of cracking down hard on them, but the one in Houston was still operating as far as he knew. Some of his classmates in high school were fond of bragging about how they always managed to get in to see the big fights. They were popular with Nephilim, since most sanctioned fighting leagues prohibited them from participating out of fear that they would use their powers. Most sports leagues did too. They wouldn't even let Theo join Little League. He had always heard they were generally harmless if a little bit rowdy. This place seemed like an exception to that generalization.
Theo tore his eyes away from the brutal fight and scanned the room. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He wondered briefly if the note had been the strangest promotional tactic he had ever encountered, but the fact that this bar was beyond capacity and still had people lined up outside made that doubtful. He supposed he was looking for something or someone that looked out of place, but as far he could tell everyone looked grimy enough to fit right in. In fact, if he wanted to spot the one thing that was unlike the others, he was sure he just had to find a mirror.
He thought he found something that resembled a clue when he noticed something odd about a person sitting at the bar. Almost every patron in the building was packed close to whoever was around them. Theo was sure that at any given time at least five different people were touching him. But one person sitting on a barstool seemed like they had a bubble of space around them. No one was sitting on the barstools either side of them, and everyone around them seemed like they were going out of their way to keep their distance. Theo started wriggling his way toward them, thinking they seemed weird enough to be the person who summoned him there, but when he got closer, he noticed the weirdest thing about them.
They were a kid.
Their feet hovered just above the ground, and at first Theo thought maybe they were just short, but when they turned their head, it was clear that they couldn't be more than thirteen years old. They were wearing an oversized mustard yellow hoodie and denim patch covered jacket, which couldn't have been comfortable in the heat, but Theo had been teaching middle schoolers long enough to know they tended to have clingy relationships with their hoodies. They were reading a book and sipping from a glass coke bottle through a pink bendy straw. They seemed to be completely at ease, as if they were sitting in a Starbucks rather than a seedy bar turned fight club.
Theo's impulse was to walk up and figure out what the hell was going on with them. However, his reason wasn't going to let the fact that it had lost the battle over coming here stop it from trying to intervene. There was probably a reason some of the scariest looking people Theo had ever seen were tiptoeing around the kid like they were an extremely sensitive landmine.
Before his reason and impulse could really duke that one out, a voice drew his attention.
"Theodore! You made it."
Theo spun to his right to the face the sound, but didn't see anyone right away. After a beat the crowd in front of him started to shift and part, until a relatively unassuming white man in a simple but expensive looking suit emerged. He had neatly styled short black hair, dark blue eyes, and a friendly enough smile. But something about him made Theo feel unsettled. It may have just been because he was sure they had never met and this man had called him by his name, but he had a feeling there was something more to it. Theo glanced at the patrons around him, all of whom looked like they could kill Theo with a look. They were looking at the man in the suit like they were worried he would kill them with a thought.
"Where is my sister?" Theo asked against his better judgement. Impulse had taken back full control, apparently.
The man in the suit just smiled in a way that seemed genuine. "Ha, straight to the point," he said. "I like that."
"So, you are the one who left that note."
"In a sense, yes. One of my colleagues in the area dropped it off at my request. I apologize for the cryptic nature, but as I'm sure you can figure people in my business have to get creative often. Especially when it comes to written communication."
"I'm guessing you own this place, then."
"Rowan Pierce, at your service."
Rowan held out a hand, and Theo hesitated briefly before taking it. He saw a glint of a reaction to that hesitation in Rowan's eyes, but he wasn't sure if that reaction was positive or not.
"I would introduce myself, but for some reason you know who I am."
"I assume you'd like me to tell you that reason."
"Will you?"
"I'll tell you all that I can, I promise. Perhaps somewhere a little quieter and with more privacy?" Rowan put an arm around Theo's shoulder and gestured to a door along the right wall of the building that Theo hadn't noticed before. "My office. Do you mind?"
Theo's impulse was firing again, but this time it was telling him to barrel through the crowd and get as far away from this man called Rowan as he could. He had a plan to look for his sister. Albeit not the strongest lead, but it had to be better than whatever this random shady guy was going to offer, right? Get the hell out of here, his impulse insisted. You don't need this creep! Too bad his reason wasn't done fighting.
But what if you do?
"Do you drink?" Rowan asked once he and Theo were alone in his office. Unlike the bar behind them it was furbished with expensive looking furniture. A lacquered desk and dark leather office chair, like the kind you would see in old mafia movies. Two less extravagant but still posh chairs on the opposite side. A small but polished liquor cabinet behind his desk. He gestured to it. "May not be the best business practice, but I keep the best stuff for myself."
"Where is my sister?" Theo repeated. "And how did you know I was looking for her? How do you even know who I am?"
Rowan didn't answer right away. He just grabbed a short glass and bottle of scotch. "First I should tell you," he said as he poured the drink, "that I don't know where your sister is yet. I said I could help you find her. And I intend to. But first I need a favor from you."
God, Theo really did walk into a mafia film, didn't he? Strange it was taking place in Arizona when an hour drive to Vegas would provide a much more interesting backdrop. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem like the kind of guy who would come to someone like me for a favor."
"You sell yourself too short. You're quite skilled, despite your best efforts."
"Meaning?"
"I'm not at liberty to discuss the details, but I was made aware of you and your situation by an interested third party. They knew quite a lot about you."
"Are you telling me someone's been watching me?"
"Closely. For quite some time." Rowan opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a bundle of papers stapled together. From a distance Theo could tell the top page was a copy if a newspaper page. Rowan placed it on the desk so he could see what it was. His whole body tensed when he recognized the article.
Gas Main Explosion Kills 3, Injures 1
Underneath the headline was a grainy picture of three small bodies covered in sheets, a half-demolished building behind them. It was dated almost twenty years ago.
"Your work, I'm told," Rowan said. His voice held no judgement. If Theo had to guess, what it did hold was something closer to admiration. Theo didn't respond, but his physical reaction said everything he couldn't. He wasn't moving save for the tremors caused by his shaky breathing, and even though the chill of the memory made him glad he had his jacket he was sure he was sweating. "For what it's worth, I'm told they more or less had it coming."
"They were children," Theo managed to get out, forcing himself to stay rooted in the present. Focusing on the fact that he was hanging out in an apparent mob boss' office was suddenly the better choice in respect to his sanity.
"So were you. They beat you, within an inch of your life. They probably would have killed you if given the chance."
"Stop."
"You were protecting yourself, reacting to your circumstances."
"It was an accident! I don't even remember doing it."
"And you've refrained from using your powers since. Out of fear, I assume. Of yourself, of losing control again."
Theo clenched his fists and forced himself to look away from the photograph. "How do you know all this?" He asked Rowan, looking him in the eye. "No one else was even there that day. Like the headline says they thought it was a gas main explosion."
"As I mentioned before my colleague would prefer to keep his name out of this. I assure you, he acts mostly out of concern."
"Concern for what?"
"Your parents are both human, correct?"
Theo felt his legs ready to give out from exhaustion brought on by his rising stress and confusion. He collapsed down into one of chairs, suddenly wishing he did drink. He was tempted to once again ask Rowan how he could possibly know that, but he had a feeling he was going to have to drop it. "Yes," he confirmed, his voice small. "They're my adoptive parents."
"I'm afraid even well-intentioned humans don't quite know what to do with us. How could they? Often their attempts at equality boil down to treating us as if we were human like them, but that ignores the very simple fact that we are not. For better or worse we are not the same as them. Our powers are integral to who we are and how we function. Our physical and mental well-being rely on us being able to utilize and control them. Ignoring them, it's as damaging to us as refraining from breathing. Only rather than asphyxiate," Rowan pointed to the article. The photograph. The three bodies Theo unwillingly put in the ground, "we do this. I'm afraid your reaction to this, your assumed solution, only serves to make the problem worse. You've been lucky so far, but it's only a matter of time before you stub your toe wrong and unintentionally level a city block."
"What does any of this have to do with the favor you want from me? I'm assuming it's more specific than 'be true to yourself'."
"You're right," Rowan said, walking over to the door of his office with his drink in hand. Rather than walk through he peered through the round tinted window that allowed a more or less one-way view into the club. "Come look."
Theo managed to bring himself to his feet and tried his best not to give away how spent he felt as he walked over. Rowan stepped aside to let him look through, though all Theo could see was a somehow bigger crowd of people and the boxing ring illuminated in the distance. "What exactly am I looking for?" he asked.
"By the ring, upper right side. You see the blonde guy with the tattoos?"
Theo directed his gaze to where Rowan instructed. There was a muscular blonde man in a black muscle shirt with snakelike tattoos up both his arms. His build and height allowed him to slightly stand out from the crowd. "Who is he?"
"This club's current reigning champion. I've been trying for months to unseat him, but he's knocked back every one of my guys I've put up against him. I've been tempted to do it myself, but seeing as how I run the place, I imagine it wouldn't go over well with my customers."
"Why do you care who's winning the fights so long as people show up to watch them?"
"I was recently made aware of some unsavory ways he spends his free time. Believe it or not even I have standards. I'd really rather he not be using my club to fund his habits."
"Added benefit if whoever manages to beat him is on your payroll."
"Undeniable, though I assure you that alone is not my motivation."
"You know I'm not so sure I like where this is going."
"I want you to fight him."
"Yup, there it is."
"Theodore-"
"Are you crazy? That guy looks like he could kill me with a handshake."
"I've been told you're more than capable. And after seeing that," Rowan pointed back to the article sitting on his desk, "I'm inclined to believe. I've been asked to offer you my services as a... mentor of sorts. I want to see what you can accomplish on your own before I agree."
"And for some reason you won't tell me who even asked that of you."
"I'm afraid discretion was also requested."
"So what? You dragged me out here to audition? And what about my sister?"
"I understand you're in the middle of following up on a lead involving one of your sister's friends, a boy with a family lake house in California? I'm sorry to tell you that lead won't pan out."
"What?"
"I have my hands in a number of enterprises, some legal, some underground. I never cared much for the human trafficking world some of my peers participate in, but I do take notice of what they're doing every now and then. I looked up her description, and I do remember hearing about a similar girl trafficked by a group that works out of Houston."
Theo felt his heart go cold. He had always feared Cristina had been a victim of something more sinister than the police assumed, but he didn't even think to imagine what Rowan was suggesting.
"Where is she?" Theo demanded. "Who took her?"
Rowan held up his hands in a gesture that was probably meant to be calming, but only made Theo more agitated. "Like I said before I don't know," Rowan said, which made Theo's impulse want to sucker punch him. "But I can find out. I have the resources, ins with the right circles of people. I will put my best man on the task of finding her. Even if you don't win the fight, even if you decide to leave right after... Even if he kills you. I give you my word, I will make sure she is found. And ask anyone out there, my word is worth more than gold around here."
"And if I leave right now? Tell you to fuck off and go on my way?"
"I won't stop you," Rowan said, his expression solemn. "But if you do then you also walk away from the only chance you'll ever have to find your sister."
Rowan was looking right in to Theo's eyes, and he didn't even need to fight his impulse to believe him. When it came to the question of whether not he would accept the terms, he wasn't quite sure which part of his brain was responsible for his answer.
"Alright," he said. "I'll do it."