Wild Tiger Chase - Chapter 38: Chapter 38

— Rob —
Rob would never, ever going to get used to the step-through.
As soon as his feet found solid, real ground again, he let out a deep sigh, his lips trembling as he tried to calm down his lurching stomach.
"Bhalu, your hand." Léon gave him a pained look and glanced downward to their locked fingers.
"Oh. Shite." Rob loosened his hold and brought Léon's knuckles to his lips, keeping them there for a breathless, long kiss. "I'm sorry, Tiger." He caressed the redness his vicious grip had caused. "I'm—"
"I know," Léon said with a smile. He patted Rob's arm and sighed as he looked around. "But we're here already. You can relax." His voice had a distant quality to it, something like recognition mixed with nostalgia. "So this is where Pipo and Amma are living now, huh? It's... it was my grandma's place."
"Are you sure?" Phillip asked. His voice was hoarse, but his words were clear. He unhooked his arm from Rafa's neck and stumbled forward to fall on the dusty sofa before him. When he did, a small cloud of dust flared up.
"Amma never stayed home much," Pipo said. "Look at this mess!"
Rob almost laughed when the little boy placed his hands on his hips like Kaliandra often did. Phillip coughed and Rafa covered her mouth and nose with a hand, waving the other to blow the dust away.
The place was spacious but dark, with slices of daylight pouring in through the thin cracks of the chipped wooden shutters. The furniture looked older than all of them combined, but in enough shape to be used—except for that ancient tube television on the corner, which probably didn't even turn on anymore. The print on the sofas and chairs were all coated with dust, the yellowish florals covered with round crochet tablecloths; in the center of the table, a white, goose-shaped vase was filled with dead flowers.
"How long has it been since anyone entered this place?" Rafa asked. She ran a finger on the television rack, leaving a stripe of dark brown on the grey-covered wood.
"How long since Pipo and Amma were separated?" Léon said with a meaningful look. Maybe unconsciously, he stepped closer to his brother and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. With a nudge, he sent him towards Rafa, who was already starting to look for pans and pots to cook a meal. Léon sighed. "Amma is probably locked inside that Hospital since then, trying to find a cure for him. I need to tell her that he's safe now."
That felt like Kaliandra all right. Rob didn't have a doubt she would work herself to the bone if it meant helping someone—and that definitely doubled for her own kids. He took in a deep breath and went through his previous months like a holovid in his head. If Rob wanted Léon to trust him again, that meant not keeping truths from him.
"Y-Your mother asked me to find him, you know," Rob said. He took in a deep breath and steeled his words. "When the barbarians kidnapped him. Rafa, Kali, and I tracked Pipo to one of the Barbarians' camps in the forest around Cidade Santa. While we searched for him, we met Caidara, and she helped us save him from Cae." Rob frowned. "When your mother mentioned Pipo was sick, Caidara offered to cure him—maybe she thought he had the sickness. Then Kali and Caidara talked alone, and, well... we went back to the city alone, leaving Pipo with Caidara." Rob set his eyes on Léon's back. "That happened months ago. I can only suppose they both knew about Pipo's powers and were trying to find a way to contain them. And to protect him from Cae at the same time, of course. That's what we've been working on together."
Léon turned around and looked at Rob. Really looked, his eyes hard but passionate, his eyebrows perked up, and his lips curved in the same direction. The weight and intensity of that stare boiled heat up Rob's chest, neck, and onto his cheeks. Léon swept his gaze around the room, then stepped forward to hook a finger on Rob's collar, pulling him down.
"You look good when you're volunteering information. Did you know that?"
Rob opened and closed his lips, but no words came out. Fluster wasn't a word he was used to thinking about, but Léon's reaction etched it on his chest like burning iron. From the sofa, Phillip let out a whistle; a playful—and weirdly sincere—smile curled on his lips.
"Thank you for telling me, Bhalu." Léon chuckled and popped a kiss on Rob's heated cheek. His thumb caressed his temple, then slipped down to give Rob's hand a gentle squeeze.
With an embarrassed smile, Rob nodded. He fished for his phone, almost dropped it, and then placed it on Léon's palm. "Call your mother. I'll wait for you here and maybe help Rafa cook something."
"I hope your phone's password isn't Tiger69 like that encrypted file you sent her." Léon raised his eyebrows and gave him a teasing smile.
Rob's cheeks warmed up again while Léon walked towards one of the rooms to get some privacy. Rob fell on the sofa beside Phillip and took in a deep breath.
"A savage little bottom," Phillip mumbled.
"A savage little vers," Rob said with a smile.
Phillip scoffed. He seemed ready to say something else but thought better of it. Phillip gave a hard, almost friendly smack on Rob's shoulder, then got up on trembly legs. He seemed ready to go towards Rafa and Pipo in the small kitchen, but his shoulders stiffened and his eyes widened. A shiver crossed Rob's back.
Rob felt it too.
Power. Immense, hungry, terrifying, and unlike anything he had ever felt before.
"Keep down," Rob said in a rushed whisper, hiding behind the sofa.
Léon, Rafa, and Pipo appeared in the living room again. Had they felt that too? Rob motioned Rafa and Leo in a silent request to hide. They did.
Not a moment later, the digital lock on the entrance beeped, and the door jerked to the side with a rusty, metallic groan. It got stuck after a few centimeters, so a hand of tawny beige fingers grabbed it from outside, trying to pry it open.
"Are you sure of what you're telling me?"
Relief washed over Rob's shovers. This was Kaliandra's voice.
"Yes, auntie. He fooled us all—but I can't think too much about the memories—and I can't be too direct either." And this was... wait.
Satina?
Here?
Rob smiled. He stepped forward, lips opening to say something, but Léon stopped him with a gesture. He pressed a finger against his lips, tapped his ear, and then pointed at the door. Frowning, Rob nodded.
A tired sigh came through the crack in the door. "Tiny, darling, you know how much I appreciate you being here and telling me all this, but I don't think this he, whoever he is, is an immediate danger to us. Ugh... this damned piece of garbage is jammed again." She grunted, tugging at the rusted door. "Look..." Her fingers disappeared and her voice lowered as if she had pivoted around. "No matter what his objective is, I promise I'll take care of him, all right? But I refuse to let you and Leo get into harm's way again. It's been hard enough seeing that lonely bear and his sister doing all sorts of dangerous stuff for that cursed institution. You have to go back to New Continent and stay there with Léon. Rebuild your lives! Be happy! Please, sweetie—for Auntie."
Satina groaned. "Aunt Kali, I bet my two hands and one of my feet that Leo is already here and you just don't know it."
"Don't even start, kiddo. He promised me he wouldn't come, and I believe him."
"Goddess. Auntie—"
"Satina, baby." Kali's voice softened. "Your fathers are still pissed off at me for not telling them about all that shit with The Mayor. Hell, they're still angry I didn't tell them you ran away from the reformatory when you were twelve."
"That place was awful, Auntie. Besides, they totally backed me up when I told them why I did what I did."
Rob felt a weak tug in his left temple. His eyes burned, and he sunk his face into his hands. The tug intensified.
I'm coming.
"Oh, Darling." Kali sighed and tried the door again. "I'm not... ugh... arguing about that; you have no idea how proud I am of you, Leo, and your friends for standing up for people. Ugh." Something hit the door. Maybe a foot or a fist. "You know I've always admired that in you. I wouldn't've let you two become villains if I didn't believe in your morals."
"Then why won't you listen to me this time, Auntie? We have to tell Léon and the others!" Satina's voice kicked up a notch. "I was right about my boss and about Mr. Crowley, and I'm right about him being dangerous!"
"This is not about being right or wrong, Satina. And I'm definitely listening to you." Kali's fingers reappeared in the crack of the door. "I love you, sweetie. I'll always be by your side. Me, Leo, Javi, Marco, we're all here for you... but you will go back to New Continent, even if I have to drag you all the way there by your ear. Did you hear me? Rob is around and his sister too. They're strong. I don't want them in dangerous situations, but they will have to be enough for this." She sighed. "I refuse to tell Leo what's happening."
The tone in Kali's voice was final, but that didn't seem to rattle Satina.
"Aunt Kali, you don't understand."
"Then explain it to me, Satina."
"I can't! Look, Auntie. I met this girl with the memory trace, back when I was arrested for the first time. Long story short, people with that shit can feel it when the implanted memories aren't working anymore, and that's why I need to be really vague about this. If he discovers we don't believe in him anymore, we'll be in even deeper shit than we already are... but I need you to believe we're all in danger, and it won't matter if we're here or in NC. I'm sure something shitty is coming. We need help!"
Instead of an answer, Kali growled. The jammed door didn't open, but it moved a few millimeters, then an entire centimeter.
The rusting sound raised goosebumps across Rob's arms. Something tugged at his temple again, this time stronger.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
"Bhalu?" Léon called in a whisper. When his hand rested on the center of Rob's back, his shoulders jerked up. "Hey," Léo said, drawing soothing circles between his shoulder blades. His voice was low but urgent when he said, "What happened? Are you okay?"
Rob opened his trembling lips. No answer came.
"It's not only him, you know," Satina said. "There's this woman. Jackal. Auntie, she's definitely plotting something. I heard her saying that—"
"Wait just a moment, Tiny. Help me... with... the damned door first!" Kali growled.
"You're not listening, Auntie."
"I'll make you tea, we'll talk, and... we'll solve this... together."
"I'll have to say it. Holy shit, I hope Rio won't feel this," Satina mumbled.
Finally, with a clack, the door gave in and slid back, filling the room with a loud, metallic wail.
Framed by the door, Rob looked up and stared as Satina said,
"Rio was never our friend, Auntie. He's been taking care of Antônio fucking McCockay for four years, and now he brought him here to make sure Jackal will have what she wants. Toni, that power-hungry little bitch, is alive and he's in OC to get my fucking brother-in-law! We have to stop him, and we have to stop Jackal. We need Leo here!"
Eyes wide, Rob's knees faltered, but Léon was quick enough to hold his arm.
A thud came from the door to the kitchen when Rafa dropped the pan she was holding. Kali's and Satina's gaze snapped to her and widened as Phillip let out a loud, dry, mirthless cackle.
The sound made Kali narrow her eyes and plant her hands on her hips. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I brought him, Amma," Léon said.
Léon got up, keeping a hand on Rob's shoulder—and he thanked the Goddess for that little gesture of support because when a third tug almost pierced his temple from inside out, Rob almost lost his footing.
Kali shook her head and glanced around. She tugged Satina inside and closed the sliding door again. This time, it ran softly and hit its frame with a loud, metallic bang.
"Amma!" Pipo said in a teary voice. He ran to her and jumped on her open arms, laughing when Satina wrapped her arms around them both.
Silent, Kali looked at Léon and raised a hand to him. Only after a long moment of hesitance did Léon join their hug. Kali placed a lengthy kiss on his forehead, but her expression cracked and twisted when she said,
"You shouldn't have come, Baby. It's so good to see you, Léon"—her voice hardened, raising in tone—"but you shouldn't have come."
Léon took a step back. "Amma, why? What's happening? Why would you leave Pipo with a stranger? And why are you so adamant I shouldn't be here? You're here, Amma. My place is wherever you are." He raised his arms to show Satina, Kali, and Pipo.
Another tug on Rob's temple. It was so hard this time, his vision darkened and his knees lost force.
Discarded again? No matter, lover—I'm coming to you.
The feeling was too alien and too terrifying for Rob to fully comprehend what was happening. All his mind processed was that something swung upward from the entrails of the earth, and when it hit the surface, the whole city quaked.