Tylvinian Tales: The Wolf's Den
Chapter Fifteen: Security
Ferusian Law, Sixth Sequence, Article Four: Law of Work Equality Ferusian Employers are forbidden from hiring, or refusing to hire, based on the following: Sex, Gender, Biological Species, Species Identity, Divine Blessing, Economic Status, Religion, Age (with the exception of those under the Age of Employment Eligibility), or Immigration Status. Ferusian Employers found guilty of hiring, terminating employment, or rejecting employment solely based on these fields is punishable by no less than a fine equal to 40% of their annual income, up to a maximum punishment of 85% of their annual income in addition to 5-10 years imprisonment and the dissolving of all owned businesses. ***
I jolted at the sound of my alarm, feeling the body atop mine jolt in response. A soft whine filled the air as I smiled, rubbing his back with one hand and grabbing my phone with the other, turning off the alarm. David clung to me a little tighter and let out a dejected sigh. My eyes fell to his face, seeing him staring back at me with a sadness that tugged at my heart.
I kissed his nose and he pulled back a bit, scrunching his nose up at me, the corners of his mouth turning up as if to smile before turning to a pout. “Rye, do you really gotta get up now? Why’d you even set that dumb alarm?” His question was valid, he didn’t know I’d gotten the job or when the first shift was. I’d been so caught up in making sure all was well, and enjoying our time together, that I hadn’t told him.
I nodded, smiling at him. “Sad t’ say I do gotta get up, yeah. Got a job t’ get to. Kaleb’s got me startin’ work in ‘bout an hour. Gotta give myself time t’ get there, especially since I’m walkin’,” I said with a hint of frustration. After I broke the key, my truck had been towed and put in an impound. There wasn’t much I could do to get it home without the key, and it was a process to get it replaced. A simple one, but one I’d been too hospitalized to start on.
His eyes widened at my words and he smiled a little, nodding. “That’s great~! Trust me, he’s an ass but Kaleb doesn’t let his employees down when it comes to pay and benefits, you’re gonna love it,” he said with an almost practiced professionalism, even with his typical lilt, “and on top of that he never lets a place go understaffed, so you’ll always have plenty of help!”
I smiled, nodding and sitting up, David shifting to straddle my waist, sitting on my lap. I chuckled at his newfound habit of doing that, my hands finding his hips and resting on them as I kissed him, feeling warmth and light well up in my chest, a feeling I’d never had until giving up on fighting my feelings for this adorable little caxy. He let out a soft purr, his tail curling around us. I took hold of his tail gently, unwinding it from around us and shaking my head.
“Gotta get goin’, Davey. Ain’t got much time. Know what th’ dress code is up there? At th’ club we had your party at, for the security team?” I asked, wanting to dress as appropriately as possible to make the right impression. He hopped up, standing beside the couch and stretching as he hummed thoughtfully, his hum turning into a soft, comfortable moan from the stretch.
He shook his head. “I know they all wear those black shirts, but they’re company stuff...They all have the club logo on the back. Maybe you’ll have a uniform provided when you get there?” He suggested, heading for the kitchen. I nodded, standing up and stretching before making my way to the bedroom, grabbing a simple black tee shirt and a pair of khaki pants. In case I needed to order a uniform, I didn’t want to look like I wasn’t on-the-job my first night.
A quick five minute shower and a change of clothes later, I was ready as I’d ever be. I sprayed a bit of deodorant on before throwing on my shirt. If a fight broke out and I had to intervene I didn’t want the scent of sweat or blood, be it mine or theirs, to follow me all night. Another scent, familiar and pleasant, filled my nose. I followed the smell of sausage and pancakes, finding David cooking on all four burners.
I laughed, walking up behind him and wrapping my arms around him, my hands on his belly as I rubbed my nose against his neck, taking in his scent. He giggled and his hips started wiggling a little, swaying side to side and purring. “Made you breakfast big guy, knew you didn’t have a ton of time so I thought I’d use all the burners to cook more at once~!”
I nodded, smiling at him. “I see that, ya gonna have any for yourself?” I asked. He nodded, pointing to a plate off to the side. It had a few sausage links and a couple of sausage patties as well as a stack of three mid-sized pancakes. Meanwhile, in the skillets he was cooking with lay nearly a dozen or more sausage links, half as many sausage patties, and four full-size flapjacks.
“I’ve been munching on the first batch. And don’t worry about the dishes, they’ll be done by the time you get home big guy. Oh, can you stop by a Speed-Mart on the way home? You’re out of milk. I kinda needed the last of it for your pancakes, sorry…” he trailed off, looking at me apologetically. I chuckled, nodding as I grabbed a plate and held it out towards him.
He smiled, scooping food onto my plate now. I shrugged at him and shook my head. “Ain’t no trouble, Davey. Can grab a couple jugs on th’ way home in th’ mornin’. Anythin’ else ya want me t’ grab?” I asked before tearing into my food, not wanting to spend too long not walking to work. Even at my running pace, it would still take me fifteen minutes or more to get there.
He shook his head, turning to disable the burners. “No thanks, I’ve got plenty at home and it’s your kitchen anyway, so...Just get what you think you need, okay?” He replied, starting to hum softly. I recognized the tune, it was one my mom used to sing to us when we were little, when he would stay over for a few nights at a time to get away from home. In hindsight, not much has changed since then, except now I’m the one tucking us into bed at night.
I ate quickly, putting the plate in the sink and grabbing David by the waist. The caxy let out a surprised ‘Mrow!’ and looked at me in surprise, only to relax and purr as I kissed him and let him go. “I’ll be back ‘round six in th’ mornin’. Gonna be alright ‘til then, Davey?” I asked with a smile, tail wagging a little behind me.
He gave a nod and smiled, his own tail moving to shift around, curling around mine, making my own wag more at the affection. “Yeah, I’ll be alright big guy. You be safe for me okay? Don’t let anyone irritate those stitches…” He said, worry filling his voice. I gave him another quick kiss and nodded, heading for the door. I could feel his tail snaking around mine, slowly separating as I moved away. I shut the door behind me, smiling softly at the world around me. Just like on the docks, the colors of the world were vibrant, surreal, and all I could feel in the air was warmth.
***
I made it to the club just a minute before my shift was scheduled to start and, on explaining I was the new hire for the security team, I was led to a break room with a few other workers in it. I looked around, taking in their faces, their actions, what they were wearing. I was glad I’d chosen the khaki pants, everyone else was wearing the same. The black shirts matched too, save for the business logo on the backs of theirs, as opposed to my plain-color tee.
There were three other workers in the break room, and the head of security that had led me back there. A short, but bulky-looking doberman stood at the far end of the room, sipping coffee calmly. The name-tag read ‘Ben’. A few feet to my left and a little ahead of me, a chimp held conversation with a tiger. The chimp was clean-cut, their fur neatly trimmed and their tail was curled around their waist like a belt, even having been put through the belt loops. I couldn’t get a read on the tag, they were facing away from me.
The tiger on the other hand was all-too-easy to see. He was almost as tall as I was, barely six inches shorter if he was any shorter at all, and had the kind of body you’d expect from a life-long lumber worker. Every inch of him radiated power, but his face looked as gentle as David’s. I could see it in his eyes, all of that power was built to protect. I got the feeling, judging by his scent and his look, we’d get along well. His name tag read ‘Garret’.
The head of security, the one who’d led me here, was a monitor lizard, but he couldn’t have been pure-blood. His scales had a thicker quality, more like armor plating than what was typical for his kind. No doubt he was part armored lizard, or maybe dragon. His eyes were piercing, intimidating, not unlike Kaleb’s, if less intense. His name tag read ‘Tomas’. He stepped into the middle of the room and let out a low, clear hiss. The chimp stopped talking, and the rest of the crew stepped closer.
The monitor held a hand towards me, a gesture calling to the others to look, rather than an invitation to act or speak. “This is Ryder Trayson, he’s our new hire. He’s replacing Dalton for the foreseeable future.” He said, his voice hollow, like Kaleb’s, but with none of the emptiness, none of the apathy. The rest of the group waved or nodded, and I finally got a look at the chimp’s face. She was pretty, the fur and hair that had been so neatly kept from behind suited her, and her eyes were the same blue as David’s. Her name tag read ‘Lana’.
She was the first to greet me properly, stepping up and offering a handshake. I took her hand, shaking it, careful not to squeeze too hard, still hesitant to use much of my strength after the events of the last week. “Scared to hurt me Mister Big? C’mon, gimme a real shake!” She said with a grin, squeezing my hand firmly. So firmly it hurt. I looked at her, trying to suppress my surprise, and squeezed back as hard as she had.
She grinned wider, giving one quick nod before letting go. “There ya go, don’t go easy on me just cause I look like you could fold me like fresh laundry! Born under Gaius, takes a lot more than a squeeze to break us.” She declared, gesturing to the others. I furrowed my brow, looking around. Were they all born under-
The thought was interrupted by the head of security speaking up. “You’re thinking right now, ‘Are they all born in the same month as me’, yeah? Well, congrats, you’re the millionth guy to come through here and have that thought. Your prize is that I won’t make fun of you for not realizing how selective Kaleb is with his security.” He said with a smirk. I looked around, raising an eyebrow.
“So every last one’a y’all has somethin’ from Gaius?” I asked, a little incredulous at the prospect of Kaleb hiring exclusively Gaian-Blessed for his security. It was against employment laws, and reminded me of just why I hated the snake so much. He didn’t care about anything except what was most beneficial to him. It was no joke to be Gaian-Blessed. We were stronger, faster, had some kind of elemental affinity.
I was always at my strongest, Trace could manipulate the air itself, and the Gaian-Blessed I’d known in school were always star athletes. It made us well-suited to work like this, but Kaleb had to have known better than to have an all Gaian-Blessed security team. It was clear they were used to this, none of them batting an eye at my question. The tiger answered quickest. “It’s not as bad as it seems. Just lucked out that way. I applied in the first place because I was Gaian-Blessed, knew it’d be easy pay. Didn’t feel like slaving away at a job I’d hate, and this one’s easy enough. Look big and scary and most people won’t give any problems.” He said with a smile. I could hear the gentleness in his voice. I was right, he wasn’t nearly as mean as his posture suggested.
The doberman nodded, shrugging. “I wound up here cause of a demotion. Was workin’ the bar, but Merissa shows up, outdoes me as an apprentice, Kaleb said if all I was gonna do was look pissed off, scarin’ away customers, I may as well be working a job that actually pays to do it. Pays, but not near as well as tips when I was working the bar…”
I had to stifle a laugh at that. Merissa was always complaining that tips didn’t cover her rent, and she was glad her paychecks were more than enough. Made me wonder if maybe people just preferred the handsome doberman over Merissa’s brand of beauty. I looked over to the chimp and the head of security, wondering if they’d share their stories too.
The chimp laughed, nodding. “There it is, finally wondered about me, huh? Well, my story’s not so fancy or personal. I wanted to work here, loved the music. Simple as that. Had some security experience before, made a good impression, here I am.” She said with a beaming smile. I could tell she was the kind of person who knew exactly who she was and reveled in it. It was nice, seeing others like that. Lana, Garret, they both seemed like my kind of people.
“I’ll finish the introductions with my own story then. My cousin was the former head of security here, he got me a job assisting the doorman, and I’ve earned my way to the position through effort, not birth status. Are we all caught up? Can we move on to our positions for tonight?” He asked, clearly tired of the socializing. I couldn’t blame him. It was work, our shifts officially started in a little over thirty minutes. I had no doubt he wanted to take the time to get everyone ready.
The group put their attention to him, the room going silent save for the sound of Ben drinking his coffee now and then. Tomas nodded gratefully and took a breath. “We’ve got another birthday party tonight, and there’s been a special request. Lana, you’ll be working the door tonight. You’ll be looking for minors trying to sneak in, as usual, but you’re also going to be on the lookout for four potential malcontents. I’ve got the list in my office, please remember to come by to collect it before punching in.”
She nodded, the cheer and friendliness of her face melting away. She looked cold, emotionless. It was the kind of look fitting of her position, but incredibly unfitting for the bright and happy person I’d seen less than a minute ago. Tomas looked over to Ben, his focus shifting from Lana to address the next position. “Ben, you’ll be manning the dance floor. I want you on the upstairs balcony, eye in the sky. Got it?”
The doberman nodded, his dejected and bored look gone. He’d adopted the same kind of look Lana had, fierce and intimidating, like he’d rip a man’s arm off just because he felt like it, but only if you asked him to so he’d have the justification. I smiled a little, glad to at least be working with professionals. People I knew would be reliable about doing their jobs. Tomas looked to Garret last, locking his stare on the tiger.
“Garret, you’ll be the ground man. I want you on the floor, comms on. Tune to Ben’s channel. Keep each other in the loop and don’t let anything go unchecked.” He ordered. Garret nodded once, quick and attentive. All that was left was to give me my orders, and we’d likely be told what the big deal was with this birthday party that required this kind of strategy and dispersal.
“Ryder, you’ll be on the ground with Garret. Anything you’re not sure of, ask him and he’ll run you through the process. But Kaleb wants to see you in his office before you get started. I’ll lead you there, then you’re on your own. Understood?” He asked, almost softly for his commanding hiss of a voice.
I nodded. “Yes, Sir.” I said plainly. He nodded back, looking to the other three. They had gone back to socializing, chatting with one another. I half expected him to yell at them, to play the role of drill sergeant. The way they’d all snapped to attention had given a militaristic impression, but here they seemed as lax as any other business’ employees might be. Tomas let out another hiss, catching their attention again.
“Tonight’s not much different than any other birthday, you all know the drill. Garret, keep an eye on Ryder, make sure he learns his job properly. Before you all clock in, keep in mind, the birthday guest is turning twenty, not twenty-one, so if Merissa calls for security, make sure he is aware in no uncertain terms that we can not serve him alcohol.”
The group nodded again, finally dispersing. I checked the clock, twenty-eight minutes until shift start. Tomas gestured towards a door at the back of the break room and lead me through it. Down a hall and through another door, we found a stairway leading up to another door, this one with a sign on it reading ‘K. Killian’ in the form of a gold-plated plaque.
Tomas gestured to it. “Head in, you’re the only one he’s seeing tonight so no need to make him wait. Best if you don’t, he’d kill for less.” He said, in a less-than-joking way. Somehow I didn’t doubt the truth in those words. He walked away and I was left outside Kaleb’s office, alone. I knocked on the door, hearing a very dry, empty voice invite me in afterwards. I took a breath and opened the door.
Where I had expected some dark, gothic aesthetic, maybe with a skull or two hanging from the wall, I was instead met with a simple room with a gray carpet, a wooden desk, several filing cabinets, storage shelves, and two large sets of drawers in the corners. Kaleb sat at the desk, a laptop open in front of him, typing rapidly as I approached.
He looked up at me, his fingers never slowing. “Mr. Trayson, I will make this as brief as possible as I am aware you dislike speaking with me and you must clock in soon. What do you know of Jonas, the man you brutally assaulted in my cafe recently?” He asked, still typing on the laptop. The constant clicking of the keys was beginning to irritate me. Or it was just him.
“I know he’s an ass. Deserved what he got. An’ he’s th’ reason ya hired me here. He was givin’ Davey hell all th’ time an’ I know he quit over what I done.” I answered, crossing my arms. He nodded, looking me over as if seeking a crack in the armor, a weak spot in my posture. Like he was trying to find where I was most vulnerable.
“Did you also know that he was involved in the group of criminals known as The Kings?” he asked, eyes locking onto mine. I felt that same chill as before run up my spine, felt my muscles seize. I was locked in place. It was infuriating, but I couldn’t bring myself to break free. That took anger. And anger was something I’d had enough of lately. I swallowed my pride, shaking my head, resigned to being his captive until he was done.
He looked back to his laptop, breaking his spell over me. “He is nothing to them, comic relief so to speak. But you injured the court jester, and now the king will be looking for retribution. Specifically, retribution against any Jonas claims were involved. That, in case you are unaware, means you and your mate.” He stated matter-of-factly, as if I wasn’t already well aware.
I growled, uncrossing my arms. “Ya said ya’d protect David. An’ with money like yours, that shouldn’t be no problem.” I said with a sneer. Kaleb just nodded, waving a hand at me before returning to his typing. I hated it, his disregard for my words, his complete apathy. He couldn’t even be bothered to stop typing on his damn laptop.
“Yes, and he is safe, and will remain as such. But you will have a part to play in his protection as well. I understand you will not harm in my name. But I assume you have no qualms about doing so for your mate,” He said pointedly, “given you have already killed for him.”
I stepped forward, grabbing the edge of his desk. My emotions were getting out of control. I knew that. I didn’t care. I dug my fingers into the wood, feeling it splinter beneath the force. “Don’t you bring that up ever again.” I snarled. Kaleb simply sighed, looked up at me, eyes locking on mine. I didn’t feel a thing, and I never broke his stare.
He stood up, looking down at where my fingers dug into his desk. “Mr. Trayson, I understand you are an emotional individual, but do contain yourself in my office. The wood did not anger you, and were you to try doing the same to me you would find yourself quite lacking in fingers before you had the chance.” He warned.
I huffed, letting go of his desk and crossing my arms again, more to keep out of trouble than anything else. Kaleb planted his hands on his desk and leaned forward, looking at me. “I am going to send you home in the morning with a mission and a card. There will be an address on that card. Tomorrow evening, be at that address at precisely nine-thirty. That’s at night, of course. You’ll find two men at that address. Deal with them as you will, but they’d best not wake from the sleep you deliver them. I’m sure you’ll find more than enough reason when you arrive.”
I glared at him. I’d already told him I wouldn’t do anything illegal. That I wouldn’t hurt anyone for him. “And if’n I don’t? If’n I jus’ stay home an’ spend time with David?” I asked, trying hard to suppress the growl in my voice. I swear I could see him smiling. “Then, Mr. Trayson, you may not have a David to wake up to the next morning. These men are planning to kidnap him and deliver him to Jonas. One of them will be quite familiar to you. After all, you did send him off with a message.” He said with an implicating tone. He was painting this as my fault.
“You-” I started to shout, only to be cut off, Kaleb’s hand going up to silence me. I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more. The fact he did it, trying to shut me up with a disrespectful move like that… Or that fact that it worked, and I felt my voice give out. His eyes locked on mine again. Whatever power he had in those eyes was starting to really piss me off.
A knock at the door broke me from the spell and I turned my head towards it. Kaleb sighed and I looked back at him. “Come in, Tomas.”
Tomas came in, gesturing downstairs, out of Kaleb’s office. “Everyone’s clocking in, Sir. I need to show Ryder how to use the system.” He said softly, meekly, not commanding like he’d been back in the break room. Did Kaleb have this effect on everyone? “Very well. Mr. Trayson, it was wonderful speaking with you. Please, come by again when your shift is over. I will have your sign-on bonus ready.” He said, a warning look cast my way. I nodded, trying not to growl. The last thing I needed was my boss knowing how badly I wanted to throw the guy signing our paychecks through the wall… And the wall after that.
I followed Tomas back down the stairs and into the break room, this time passing through a door to the side leading into another hallway. Tomas was silent the entire way, until we reached the end. A machine was mounted to the wall, with a touch-screen and a card-scanner, similar to what most stores use for debit cards.
Tomas tapped the screen, putting in a code and stepping aside. “It’s in Registration Mode. Scan your ID in the reader and it’ll add you to the system, then I can assign you. Pay’s based on role for the night. Doorman makes Leisure plus seventy percent, Floor makes Luxury plus seventy percent, Sky box makes Leisure plus ninety percent.”
I nodded, pulling out my ID and scanning it into the machine, hearing an affirmative beep as I did. “Why th’ different pay rates?” I asked, wondering how often I’d get saddled with one of the Leisure jobs, and whether or not it’d be worth the trouble Kaleb was going to make this for me. Especially if he planned on using me for his dirty work. If I even let him.
Tomas shook his head and sighed. “Kaleb likes paying for the service and how much of your skills are actually being used. Door and Sky box don’t do much, so Leisure, but they can get dicey, so he pays extra. Floor’s where the real money is, and he’s insisted you take floor tonight. Guess he wants to see how you do.”
I scoffed. “That or he wants t’ see how much fight I got in me if’n somethin’ goes wrong.” I said bitterly. I half-expected Tomas to jump to Kaleb’s defense, but the old lizard just nodded as he tapped a few buttons on the machine’s screen. He stepped back again and nodded towards it, making a swiping motion. I checked the screen and saw it was showing a large clock face with the current time both depicted in analogue on the clock and digitally in numbers below the face. I scanned my ID again and the machine let out a small shutter noise and the display changed, reading in big bold letters ‘RYDER TRAYSON – 6:02PM’ across the screen. Tomas leaned over, tapping the screen a few more times. I watched him assign me to the Main Floor. He finished up and held a hand out towards the door a few feet away from us, inviting me to go through.
On the other side of the door was the dance hall. The music was much louder once we opened the door, and I wondered what kind of insulation they had going to muffle it so strongly. Suddenly I was home, bass beating so deeply I could feel it in my blood, the cheers from the crowd welcoming me into my happy place.
A quick rundown of my route for the night and what to do if anything happened, and a lesson on the provided comms, and I was set loose. I just had to hope I could go twelve hours in the club without needing to use the force Kaleb probably hoped to see from me tonight.
