Page 19 of Centering Kaos

“No sign of the motherfucker,” he said, sounding disappointed.

I called up to the unit. A woman answered. It didn’t sound like Tina, but I wasn’t sure.

“Hi. It’s Kaos. I’m here for Tina and Dylan.”

“Fine,” she snapped, her tone unnecessarily hostile. “Come on up.”

The security door unlocked with a loud buzz. I opened the door and headed in with the guys behind me. Tap kept snapping pictures of God-only-knew-what as Rabbit watched me with open curiosity.

“Hmm,” he said as we headed toward the elevators. “’Magine that.”

“Imagine what?” I asked, bracing myself for whatever shit he was about to flick me.

“You being a hotshot hockey player and all, I thought you’d be better with the ladies, but it sounds like they hate you almost as much as they hate me.” Rabbit grinned as he entered the elevator and paused at the number pad. “Fourth floor, right?”

Tap nodded, and Rabbit pushed the button. The doors closed.

“I think that was Tina’s sister,” I replied, unsure why I felt the need to defend myself. “I haven’t met her.”

Rabbit cocked his head to the side and smirked at me. “You got any sisters, Kaos?”

I shook my head. “Nope. Just brothers.”

“Well, I do, and if some motherfucker named Kaos showed up to take my sister to safety, he’d have to fight me, first. You should have given her your real name or something. Made yourself sound more respectable and a little less… chaotic and shit.”

Tap arched an eyebrow at Rabbit. “Her husband’s name is Matt. Sounds innocuous as fuck, but he still beat the shit out of her.”

The elevator doors opened, and we exited.

“Yeah, I get that,” Rabbit said. “But I still wouldn’t hand my sister over to someone named Kaos.”

Ignoring Rabbit, I found the unit number and knocked.

The door opened far enough to reveal an engaged chain and a sliver of the woman on the other side of the door. The chain might have made her feel safe, but it looked flimsy as hell. Any one of us could have dropped a shoulder and plowed right through it without much more than a bruise to show for our trouble.

“There’s no way that’ll stop Matt,” I said to Tap.

He nodded, snapping a picture.

From what little I could see of her, the woman on the other side of the door wasn’t happy to see us. Narrowing her visible eye at me, she said, “You must be Kaos.”

Someone had described me. Wondering if it was Tina or Dylan, I nodded. “Yes ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you… uh…”

I waited for her to provide her name, but she didn’t. Instead, her gaze swiveled to take in my companions. “Why did you bring these two?”

Tap stepped forward, swinging his backpack down his arm. “Because we don’t know what Matt Parker is capable of and we always come prepared. We’re professionals. You must be Elenore. Your sister is lucky to have you looking out for her, but she’s not safe here. I’ve already made out three ways I could have breached this building, and if we didn’t respect you and the law, we’d be through that door before you could shout a warning. That little chain sure as shit wouldn’t stop us. To my understanding, Matt has no respect for you or the law. He’s unstable, and if he wants to get to Tina here, he will. From what I’ve seen, you won’t be able to stop him.”

Elenore stiffened. Tap’s warning struck home so hard she didn’t even try to deny it.

He unzipped his pack and propped it against the door, opening it wide enough so she could see inside. “We plan to take Tina to a more secure location but have no intention of leaving you alone and vulnerable. My name is Tap, and I have security equipment I’d like to discuss with you. Our club is called the Dead Presidents. We’re veterans who have made vows to serve, protect, and aid the people of our community. Time is of the essence, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, you should google us and find out what we’re about.”

“I’ve heard of the club.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “My company contributed to your toy drive last year.” She turned her gaze toward Rabbit. “What about you? Why are you here?”

“The name’s Rabbit.” He gave her a wide smile. “My little sister once dated a guy who smacked her around. I was in Afghanistan at the time and couldn’t do shit about it. By the time I got home, the motherfucker was in jail for armed robbery. I can’t get to him in the slammer, but I have a lot of feelings about what he did to Rose. I’d like to take those feelings up with someone, and if this Matt Parker clown shows up, he’d make a good target. I’ll protect you and your sister the way I wish someone would have protected mine.”

Shocked, Tap and I both stared at Rabbit. I hadn’t known about his sister and it was clear Tap hadn’t either. Maybe there was more to the energetic, mouthy, slightly crazed mechanic than I’d previously assumed.

“I’m sorry to hear about your sister,” I said.

---