Shadow Effect - 15. Chapter 15

San Francisco. The city by the Bay.

Renown for its fog, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz, Chinatown, cable cars, steep hills, and for many, the Gay Capital of the World, or at least the US. As far as big cities went, it was Elijah’s favorite. Then again, he hadn’t really traveled all that much.

“Have you been to San Francisco before?” he asked as he watched Kage navigate the steep hills.

“Once, a while ago. Have you?”

“Yeah. My parents liked to come once in a while for long weekends. “Cultural immersion,” they called it. More like an excuse to stock up on their favorite wine and eat good Chinese food until we popped. Last time I was here was my senior year of high school with Tyler. The band had a competition at one of the local high schools. It was an excuse to hit up Hot Cookie for some naughty sweets in our free time. The chaperones looked the other way when a bus full of band kids were noshing on penis and pussy-shaped cookies on the ride home.” Elijah chuckled half-heartedly at the memory.

Kage smiled, but Elijah had a feeling it was more obligatory than genuine. They had been keeping each other at arm’s length for the past two days since Kage declared his intention to bail on Elijah once this job was done. Elijah was hurting. He knew deep down that Kage thought he was doing the right thing, but weren’t all successful relationships built on trust and compromise?

“Did anything sound off when you spoke to Huntington’s secretary?” Kage asked for the third or fourth time. He was uber anal about the appointment Elijah made with Kasar for the following afternoon.

“No, Kage.”

His voice must have reflected his irritation as Kage frowned, concentrating instead on navigating the winding street they were on. According to the GPS, the hotel should be up ahead on the right.

Sure enough, the next sound he heard was the electronic voice announcing their destination was on the right in five-hundred feet, just as he caught sight of the sign of said establishment. Kage’s only indication of hearing the directions was to flick on his blinker and turn into the garage adjacent to the hotel. He found a parking spot on the sixth level and, after unloading their two suitcases, they took the elevator down to the main floor where the lobby was located.

Elijah had stayed in some fancy hotels, but this one took the cake. Ornate furnishings and marble floors greeted their eyes as the elevator doors opened to the spacious interior. A porter welcomed them and nodded toward the desk, just in case they were blind.

Kage took care of getting checked in while Elijah surveyed their surroundings. Gold-gilded mirrors and expensive paintings adorned the walls. A bar/lounge was off to the left, a massive grand piano reflected its surroundings from its polished ebony surface. The bar itself was a hand-carved work of art, intricate patterns precisely etched into the hardwood.

Waving off the porter, Kage grabbed both bags and rolled them toward the bank of elevators. He bypassed the ones for general access and waved his key card in front of the security panel, indicating restricted access. They were in the penthouse suite, under fake names, of course. In order to maintain the ruse, and to lend credibility to the so-called purpose of their trip, Elijah had also checked into a nondescript chain hotel just outside the city limits using his real name. It was more the style of a college wanna-be, in case Huntington did some checking, while Kage’s boss had splurged on their current five-star accommodations.

They rode the elevator silently, as was the norm for the past two days. Instead of the comfortable silence they’d come to see as normal, this silence seemed awkward, stilted. Elijah hated it, but didn’t know what to do to change it.

The mirrored car opened directly into the foyer right outside the suite. A quick swipe of the specially encrypted key card disengaged the lock. Elijah’s eyes widened as he took in the luxurious living area. In addition to the large living room, the suite had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a full kitchen and dining room.

Did Kage expect him to occupy the second bedroom? They had continued to occupy the same bed together at Elijah’s house, but neither of them had gotten much sleep the night before. Elijah was kept awake by anxiety and uncertainty. He knew by the sound of Kage’s breathing, restful slumber had been just as elusive for him as well. The five-and-half-hour drive was spent in a semi-stupor on his part, Kage vigilant behind the wheel.

The dilemma was solved when Kage picked up both bags, carried them to the larger of the two bedrooms and deposited Elijah’s things beside his own on the two luggage racks conveniently placed in the large, walk-in closet.

“Kage,” Elijah called after him, watching his broad back as it disappeared into the huge master suite.

Kage stopped and turned to look at him, his expression unreadable.

“If all we have are the next few days, can we please spend them like we were before?” Elijah asked, laying it all out there. “I don’t like how things are between us right now.”

Kage’s eyes visibly softened, and his body language relaxed. He gave a heavy sigh before replying. “You’re right. I’m sorry I’ve been an ass. I’m not good with this kind of thing. I can mix and mingle and fake it fantastically, but when it comes to actually interacting with someone on a personal level, I’m an idiot.”

Elijah smiled, the first genuine one he’d had in two days. “Maybe not an idiot. Let’s go with socially-stunted in personal matters.”

“Come here.”

Elijah stepped into Kage’s outstretched arms and it felt like coming home. He wondered if Kage felt the same.

They stayed that way for several minutes, allowing the tension and negativity of the last forty-eight hours or so to ebb away, leaving behind a calmness permeating the air around them. It didn’t matter if Kage felt he had to step away when this was done. It didn’t matter that Elijah wanted to change his mind. All that mattered was the fact they had each other right here, right now. The future was never guaranteed, no matter which path they chose. The only thing they could presently do was take each moment they had and cherish it. Whatever would happen in the next few days, they could deal with it as it came.

Finally separating just a few inches to allow room, Kage kissed Elijah. It wasn’t hard and possessive, but rather soft, gently claiming what was his. Elijah gave back just as much as he was given. Kage was his, whether he wanted to be or not.

When the kiss ended, Elijah felt like everything had tilted back to how it should be. There would be no more awkward silences or stilted conversation. No more walking on eggshells.

“Are you hungry?” Kage asked.

“Starving,” Elijah replied. He’d merely picked at the breakfast sandwich Kage bought early that morning as they got on the road.

“Let’s go find someplace to eat and we can talk about tonight.”

Kage’s plan for the evening did not include taking Elijah to bed and keeping him there. No, Kage was officially on the job, and that was his top priority. Tonight they were going to drive to Atherton, an affluent suburb twenty miles south of the city. It was where Huntington owned a home. Kage wanted to scope out the area.

They headed back down to the lobby and asked the concierge for a few recommendations for food. His top pick was a bistro style restaurant a few blocks away. The efficient man called and reserved a table for them, which would be ready in forty-five minutes. Walking in the opposite direction, they strolled hand in hand, taking the long way around, enjoying the cool spring weather.

The bistro turned out to be the perfect choice. When they got there, they were shown to a table tucked into the corner of a covered patio, which was currently enclosed until the weather warmed up a little more. The privacy was appreciated.

Kage ordered some wine for them, opting for two glasses, rather than a bottle. There was still work to do and neither of them would risk dulled senses.

Elijah looked over the menu and decided on the pear and gorgonzola ravioli. Kage ordered a steak.

“What time do you want to leave tonight?” Elijah asked after the waiter retreated from the table.

“Not too late, about seven at the latest. There’s a shopping center with a grocery store a few blocks away from his development. You can drop me off there and wait, maybe grab some nonperishable stuff so you don’t look like you’re just hanging out in a parking lot. This is the type of town where they’ll call the cops if you pull over to check your phone and take too long. I don’t need a lot of time, just enough to verify the information in the dossier.”

Kage’s boss sent him an encrypted file with information Elijah was sure had been obtained in a not so legal way. It included the type of security system installed at Huntington’s house, who installed it, and when. The schedule for all routine maintenance performed every month, like pool and lawn service was included. More importantly, it listed every member of his security team, what type of shifter they were, and any specialties they had, such as sharpshooting skills, defensive driving and whatnot.

House staff and positions were there as well. As expected, they were all shifters, mostly predatory felines, although there were a few canine and ursine species represented as well. His primary driver was a hyena. Kage didn’t have anything good to say about that species. He'd had several run-ins with them and they fought dirty.

Their food arrived and they enjoyed their meal, setting aside business for the duration. It wasn’t until dessert that Kage brought it up again.

“Elijah, I really need you to promise me that you’ll wait in the shopping center for me. I can’t concentrate on what I have to do if I think you’re going to be in danger by following me. I know you want to help, but this is something I’ve done a thousand times. I know what I’m doing, but it becomes really dangerous if my concentration is broken.”

Elijah had considered doing exactly that, but the stark reminder that Kage’s life might be on the line had him rethinking it. He needed to trust Kage and, in turn, Kage needed to know that he could trust him.

“I promise. I won’t do anything to risk your life. You’re too important to me.”

Kage’s expression flashed a hint of dubiousness before recognizing the sincerity Elijah projected.

They finished up their dessert, and Kage took care of the check. This time they took the more direct way back to the hotel so they could change before picking up the rental car Kage reserved before they left.

Elijah donned a pair of black Diesel skinny jeans and paired it with a soft, emerald green cashmere v-neck sweater by Ralph Lauren. He slipped on his nicest Vans and turned to Kage for approval.

“You look gorgeous. Very refined. You’d fit right in with any of those snooty, nouveau-riche, Silicon Valley elitist trust fund brats roaming the streets of Atherton.”

Elijah laughed. Kage looked pretty hot himself, decked out in black Levi's and a black, long-sleeved t-shirt finely crafted by Hanes or Fruit of the Loom. Black boots rounded out his bad boy look.

“Let’s go before my elitist ass decides it can’t be seen with a commoner decked out in sub-par clothing,” Elijah tried to say haughtily, but ended up giggling instead.

In the lobby they had the concierge hail a cab for the ride to the rental car office. The company wasn’t your everyday Avis or Hertz. They only rented luxury vehicles and Kage had arranged for a Tesla Model S Plaid, fully loaded. His reasoning, he told Elijah when he asked, was that it was the type of vehicle a young man of his fine upbringing would own in today’s environment-conscious world.

Kage’s boss had overnighted a fake driver’s license which made Elijah twenty-five, the minimum age to be allowed to drive the rental. It would be a slight challenge to pull off. He knew he looked younger than his actual twenty-one years, but the fancy clothes and taming his strawberry blond locks into submission helped.

Luckily, the rental agent didn’t question his credentials, especially when Kage pulled out a black American Express to accompany his own fake driver’s license. He’d obviously done this before.

The rental agent brought the vehicle around and didn’t bat an eye when Kage let Elijah get in the driver’s seat. Elijah was excited. Who the hell wouldn’t want to drive a sports car like this one? Zero to sixty in two seconds? He wished they had an open stretch of road instead of the hills and zig zag streets San Francisco was famous for. He used caution as the navigation system guided them out of the city and south.

The first open stretch he came to, Elijah opened her up and within a matter of seconds, the needle was up over 100mph. Shit, that was quick! He let her go for about thirty seconds before backing off to a more reasonable speed. No sense in pushing his luck.

“Got that out of your system now?” Kage asked, a knowing smirk playing with the corners of his mouth.

“Probably,” Elijah grinned and settled the car into a more sedate speed, just slightly above the posted speed limit. Traffic had picked up, making anything faster impossible unless he wanted to weave in and out of the mass of late commuters heading home, which he didn’t.

The sun was down by the time they reached Atherton thirty minutes later. Before arriving at the shopping center, Kage leaned over and kissed Elijah’s cheek and then shadowed out, leaving an empty space where he’d just been sitting.

Elijah found the grocery store with the help of the GPS and, ignoring the closer spaces, parked at the farther end of the lot where a large oak tree darkened the shades of gray cast by the streetlights. He opened his door and caught the slightest disturbance within the shadows surrounding him. He closed the door and hit the button to engage the locks.

He walked toward the store’s entrance, pulling air into his lungs slowly and letting it out at the same pace. It was game time. He grabbed a cart and made his way up and down the aisles slowly, randomly tossing in a few items. Organic pretzels, twelve-grain super protein bread, natural peanut butter, and locally made raspberry jam found a home at the bottom of the cart. He’d spent about twenty minutes in the store and the line at the checkout took another eight before he walked back to the Tesla with three small bags of groceries at the bargain price of just over a hundred dollars. He was glad it wasn’t his account taking the hit.

As he deposited the bags into the backseat, he felt a sensation of being watched and, squinting into the darkness, he sensed, rather than saw, a shadow moving closer, not quite close enough to touch. The energy it emitted felt almost sexual in nature. Any closer and it would have been a soft caress. He smiled to himself. Kage.

Once he was past the street lights of the city, Kage materialized next to him, grinning.

“Well, was it what you expected?”

“Yeah, Huntington still has everything in place that was on the dossier. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He wasn’t home and his security was a little lax if you ask me. The guards didn’t seem to be interested in their job. I’m sure it’s different when he’s there. Employees tend to behave and do their work when the boss is nearby.”

“I guess I should expect more vigilance tomorrow, huh?”

Elijah didn’t miss the slight frown that crossed Kage’s face. He knew Kage wasn’t totally onboard with the little ruse he’d come up with, but Elijah thought it was much safer than Kage going in blind.

“Yes, his security at work should be much better.”

Elijah dropped the subject for the time being. He enjoyed the power of the car and the smoothest ride he’d ever had the pleasure of taking, in a vehicle, that is. All too soon they were parking the Tesla in its designated spot and dropping the key fob in the after hours slot. Kage ordered an Uber to get them back to the hotel.

Once again, the night was spent wrapped around each other, sex out of the equation for now.

Elijah’s appointment was at one o’clock and his nerves kicked in around eleven the next morning. Kage caught on pretty quick.

“Hey, you’re going to do fine. Do you want to go over things again?”

Elijah shook his head. They’d role played all morning, Kage throwing out any possible question he could think of that Huntington might ask. Elijah felt as prepared as he could possibly be. He always got nervous before something important. Tyler was his voice of reason in high school, whenever Elijah convinced himself he was going to fail a test, even if he knew the information inside and out. It was one of the reasons he didn’t like school very much. Kage was his voice of reason now, reassuring him he would do just fine. Elijah was starting to believe it.

By the time he ascended the elevator in the high-rise office building of the Global Insurance headquarters, he had calmed down. The tongue fucking Kage gave his mouth before he left helped too. He popped a couple of Altoids to mask any lingering scent of Kage. He liked the shadow shifter’s taste much better.

He tugged at the sleeves of his suit jacket. It wasn’t Armani. He was no longer the rich boy who owned a Tesla, but rather an average wanna-be college student sporting a nicely tailored, dark gray Men’s Wearhouse slim fit jacket and pants. He went with a classic white dress shirt and solid navy blue tie. A safe combination for sure. He didn’t want to stand out or draw attention to himself.

He was a few minutes early when the elevator deposited him on the executive floor, which, according to the information Kage had, exclusively belonged to Kasar Huntington. A middle-aged woman, perfectly groomed, looked up as he approached.

“Elijah Garrison, I have an appointment with Mr. Huntington,” he announced nervously, not having to fake it one bit.

The woman gave him a brief look that said ‘I’m perfectly aware of who you are’.

“Have a seat. Mr. Huntington will be with you shortly. She tapped out something on her keyboard, most likely letting Huntington know his one o’clock appointment was here.

Elijah made a mental note of the layout of the reception area. Nothing special. The semi-circular desk was large and held two computer stations, each with two monitors. A few high-end stacking trays organized what looked to be mail and other correspondence. Generic, abstract artwork adorned the wall, but the feature piece was a large three-dimensional version of the corporate logo mounted behind the reception desk. Two doors to the left were both secured with access pads that looked like it required an approved handprint and optic scan.

At precisely one o’clock, the receptionist advised him that Mr. Huntington was ready for him. There was a buzzing sound as one of the restricted access doors opened from the other side. A portly woman in her forties, or so Elijah thought, instructed him to follow her. He gave a polite nod to the receptionist before being led down a hallway into another office area. This one was larger and held three other employees, all busy at their desks. It seemed Kasar Huntington had multiple administrative assistants, none of whom required introductions.

The woman knocked twice on a door off to the right before opening it. She announced to the occupant, “Your one o’clock appointment, Mr. Huntington.”

“Thank you, show him in please,” a deep voice replied.

Elijah stepped across the threshold and saw Huntington sitting behind his desk. Floor to ceiling windows behind him presented a spectacular view of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate bridge. Alcatraz was a tiny blip on the dark blue water. The left side of the room revealed a conference room separated by another glass wall. To the right was a closed door, most likely a private bathroom.

He was pleasantly surprised when Huntington got up and came over to shake his hand and greet him. “Elijah, it’s nice to see you again, although I am sorry it’s under these circumstances. Would you like something to drink? Water? Coffee?”

Elijah cleared his throat. “No, thank you, Mr. Huntington. I appreciate you taking the time to see me.”

Huntington gave a cursory nod to his assistant, effectively dismissing her for the moment.

“Of course, of course. Your father was a highly valued employee. We certainly miss him. Again, I am so sorry for your loss,” Huntington said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. He had an almost feral look to him. His cat-like eyes were a golden hazel color, complimenting the tawny golden blond hair perfectly cut and styled. Now that he knew what Huntington was, Elijah could imagine his lion was the exact shade.

Elijah didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded.

“So, what brings you here today, Elijah?”

Mentally steeling himself, he thought, ‘Here we go, don’t fuck this up’.

“Well, please let me know if I’m overstepping, but I’m hoping you might be able to help me out. Well, not me specifically, but my best friend. You see, in your condolence letter, you mentioned that if there was anything you could do for me to just ask. I’m in town checking out some colleges, as I’m considering going back to school. While I’m here, I figured I’d contact you and take you up on your generous offer. My best friend, Tyler Wiiliamson, is graduating college in a few weeks with a degree in music. Music composition, to be exact. His goal is to break into the commercial side of the industry. Writing background compositions and jingles for advertising, corporate videos and such. I’m not asking you to hire him. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way.” He gave a nervous chuckle, one which didn’t have to be faked.

Guessing that Huntington was the type who didn’t waste time, he continued. “Rather, I’d like an introduction to someone in your marketing department. Tyler gave me a sample file of his work and I’m asking for an opportunity to get it into the right hands so he can possibly get his work noticed. As a young composer starting his career, he just wants a chance to be recognized. He’s really good at what he does. He’s won several awards for his music.”

It was the longest speech he’d given since high school. He fervently wished his face looked hopeful, and not constipated.

Hunting was silent for a moment, as if assessing what Elijah just said.

“You are a lot like your father, you know? Tom was the type of employee who always wanted to know how he could help someone else. I admired that trait in him. Of course I’ll help your friend. If he is as talented as you say, then I’m sure he’ll have no problem landing a trial contract for his services. The world needs more gifted people in the arts field. It’s one area I’m proud to support in my charitable foundation,” he said, sincerity still not quite reaching those grimalkin eyes.

Elijah felt anger well up within him as Huntington compared him to his father. While he was proud of his dad, knowing that Huntington was responsible for his death and sat there praising him, made Elijah want to strike out. He had to tamp down his rage quickly before Huntington’s nose picked up on the scent of anger. As it was, he was already risking his lies being detected by the feline’s nose, even though he and Kage took the precaution of doing what they could to mask his scent. A little overabundance of cologne and deodorant would have to do the trick. If there had been time, he would have considered asking Ben or Zev to send some of Doc’s butt-stink pills. Then again, doing that would have raised questions he wasn’t ready to answer.

“I’m sure the arts community is very appreciative of your generosity,” he said, placatingly.

“Yes, they are, thank you.”

“Well Mr. Huntington, I’ve taken up enough of your time. I know you’re a busy man and I thank you for seeing me today and for agreeing to help my friend.”

“You’re quite welcome, Elijah,” he replied before pressing a button on his keyboard. Thirty seconds later, the woman who led him in reappeared.

“Mrs. Jenkins, please give Mr. Garrison the contact information for the head of our Marketing Division. Make sure they know his friend, Tyler Williamson, will be sending a sample file of commercial music over and to give him fair consideration for future projects,” he instructed.

Mrs. Jenkins nodded and held the door for Elijah.

“Thank you again, Mr. Huntington,” he said, giving a brief nod before heading back out to the assistants’ area.

Mrs. Jenkins sat at her desk and tapped a few keystrokes into the computer before the telltale sound of the printer next to her started. She handed him the paper emblazoned with the company letterhead and the name and contact information for the head of their marketing department.

“Mr. Stephens will be notified of your friend’s expected file and will contact him directly if his services meet their requirements,” she announced all business-like. Talk about having a stick up one’s ass. Elijah wondered what type of supernatural she was. Probably an ordinary house cat. A bitchy one at that.

She led him back to the main reception area and escorted him to the elevator, going so far as to wait for him to enter, and watched as the doors shut. As if he could go anywhere else.

He loosened his tie on the way down, itching to get out of the suit. He wasn’t cut out for the corporate world. His meeting with Kasar Huntington lasted all of fifteen minutes, but in those short minutes, his eyes took in everything they could. He hoped the information would be useful to Kage.

Speaking of, the shadow shifter was waiting for him in a coffee house several blocks down the hill from the office high rise. He had a large, iced, toasted almond coffee with his name on it.

“How’d it go?” Kage asked as Elijah took a large sip from his straw.

“Good. I’ll give you the specifics of the layout when we get back to the hotel. Huntington was as charming as a cobra, in other words, the same as the last time I met him. His fakeness almost made me hurl.”

Elijah had no desire to hang out at the coffee shop so he and Kage grabbed their drinks and caught the next cable car back to the stop closest to the hotel three blocks away.

Back in the room, Elijah gave him the rundown of the office layout, conference room, outdoor terrace and even the glimpse of what looked like a supply room he caught before exiting the administrative office. Everything he noticed, as it related to security, was described in detail.

“So, what are your thoughts?” he asked tentatively after giving Kage all of the information he had.

Kage scrolled through the file his boss gave him and read something before answering.

“I think it will be easier and safer to go after him at the office. Too many variables with his home, not to mention a lot more people to evade. At work, he stays late most nights, alone, unless there is a function he has to attend. According to my boss, there’s nothing on his schedule until Friday night when he’s expected to give a speech at a fundraiser. That gives us either tonight or tomorrow night to make a move.”

Elijah thought carefully about what he wanted to say next, knowing Kage would either take him up on it or push him away for good.

“Kage, if all we have is two nights, then I want tonight to be about us. Just the two of us. I want to feel you cum inside me and I want to mark the inside of you. I don’t want to just fuck. I want us to make love,” Elijah declared, baring his soul with those words.

He held his breath, waiting for Kage to answer.