Chapter 18

Waxx and the girls faced a tall building that had several flats in it. Waxx raised his finger in the air and poked it. A force field appeared in form of a purple transparent bubble. It covered only part of the building.

Waxx took out his phone and called a number. "Bruce, could you remove the fucking force field already? I know you can sense us." Waxx said and hung up.

A security camera turned its lens towards them and the force field was lifted. Waxx walked to the steel door, took out a card and slid it. The door opened wide with a hiss.

"Come with me." Waxx said to them and got in.

"Be on your guard. I don't fully trust him." Sana warned Sanuika and Maradina.

The three cautiously got inside. As soon as they were in, the door closed with a bang and that startled Sanuika who ended up in Maradina's arms. She immediately blushed in embarrassment, got down and took the lead.

Sana and Maradina shrugged their shoulders at each other and followed her. They caught up with her and found themselves on top of a staircase. Sanuika was already halfway down, so they quickly went after her.

Beneath was a huge room filled with Victorian furniture. The scent of lemon air freshener dominated the air. The sound of soft jazz music put the neat room together. A man stood behind a counter at the bar wiping a glass. He was tall and slender; dark short hair and could have been at least 50. What surprised the girls the most about him was that he was human.

Humans were not supposed to know about them. It was forbidden. But yet there he was, calmly pouring Waxx a glass of scotch. They conversed as though they knew each other for long.

What was going on?

Maradina caught sight of another man and the twins followed her gaze. Together, they observed that him playing darts with a lit cigarette in his mouth. His hair was olive green and around his chin was his matching beard. The dragon mark on his right muscular bicep was clear for all to see.

The girls looked further and spotted a couple giggling and whispering to each other on a couch. The man was on the slim side and his dark hair flowed only to his shoulders. His companion had short dark hair and a slender body to match. One of her arms was covered entirely by tattoos. The man was gamarax manipulator whereas the woman was human.

Another human.

"Nice of you to finally join us." Waxx finished his glass. "Why don't I do the introductions?" he enthusiastically asked with a soft chuckle. "This man right here is our loyal Butler, Derrick." Waxx referred to the human with him.

With his hand on his chest, Derrick said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Waxx nodded his head. "The man throwing darts is Josh. He took up a human name."

Josh took one look at the girls and continued throwing darts. Waxx pointed to the couple.

"That's Bruce and his wife Daisy. He, too, took up a human name." he said and smiled at their surprise.

"A darkas god married to a human? I have never heard of such before." Sana coldly expressed her thoughts to which Sanuika nodded in agreement.

"Love knows no bounds." Bruce coyly replied and kissed Daisy on her cheek.

Waxx cleared his throat. "Well ladies, the five of us form an organization known as the serial takers. Josh and I as you know are warriors. Bruce is a gamarax manipulator as you can see. That force field you saw earlier was created by him. It creates an illusion that nothing exists here."

Daisy got up and strutted towards the girls. "Why don't I introduce myself properly to the girls?" She asked Waxx and he backed away. "As you know, I am Daisy. I work with computers. You can call me a computer wizard if you want." she said proudly.

Sanuika scratched her head confused. "What is a computer wizard?" she asked.

"You don't know what computer wizards are?" Daisy gasped. "Waxx where did you find these girls?" she asked, clearly offended by their ignorance.

"We already went over this Daisy. There is no technology in Dark Star. This is their first time on Earth. Now shut up and let me finish." Waxx sternly dismissed.

"Fucking asshole." Daisy cursed and angrily sat back down.

"Anyway guys, the twins are Sana and Sanuika. I can't tell who is who yet. The light haired one is Maradina. I'm not sure if she can talk." Waxx hoped that she would respond, but she just stared at him with a lifeless gaze. Waxx sighed with his eyes closed. "Oh well, maybe next time." he said to Maradina and spread his arms. With a wide smile, he continued to say, "As the leader of the Serial Takers, I welcome you as our new members."

****

Steve unbuttoned his shirt immediately he walked into his house. He went to his bar and placed his car keys on the counter. Picking up a whiskey bottle, he thoughtfully poured himself a glass. Steve went to his backyard and sat by the pool.

He took off his glasses and sipped on his whiskey. It had been 10 years since he last saw his brothers. He let out a sigh when he remembered the dreaded day he had been trying so hard to forget.

It was the last day of summer. Steve was only 17 at the time when he and his brothers were carrying out their latest heist. They were to rob a well known diamond dealer known as Malcolm Davies.

They managed to knock out his security. They had Malcolm and his beautiful Latino wife lying face down on the floor. Jack and Billy had their guns aiming at them while Danny kept yelling at them.

"Please, don't hurt my wife." Malcolm fearfully requested with his head bowed.

"Just shut up and tell us where the diamonds are!" Danny exploded in his ears.

Billy shot twice at the ceiling, "Shut up you bitch!" he told the screaming woman.

Fearing for his wife, Malcolm told them that, "The diamonds are in the safe in my room."

"Robert, go with him and retrieve everything you find in the safe." Danny ordered Steve.

Steve roughly yanked Malcolm off the floor and put a gun to his head. Malcolm trembled in fear as he led him upstairs. He took Steve to his huge bedroom and headed straight for the bed.

Malcolm pulled the mattress off and lifted off a wooden lid. Underneath it was the safe. Malcolm unlocked it and in it were so many diamonds in a China plate. Next to them were expensive Jewelry and at least $5000.

Steve tossed a pillow case at him. "Quick, load it up!"

"Please don't hurt my wife." Malcolm begged as he loaded it.

"Shut up!" Steve pressed the gun on his head and he whimpered.

Just then, a shriek was heard from downstairs. Malcolm's wife continued screaming hysterically. Malcolm, without thinking, dropped the pillow case and ran out of the room.

Steve picked it up and ran after him. When he got downstairs, he saw Danny anally raping the woman while Jack restrained Malcolm.

"Let go of my wife!" he exclaimed in anguish.

"Let go of her? I am giving her divine pleasure. She is enjoying this." Danny forced her head down and pulled her hair as he pumped harder and harder.

"Bastards! Bastards all of you!" Malcolm angrily yelled, his saliva spraying out of his mouth.

Billy pointed his gun at him, "Shut up!" he ordered him.

"You will all burn in hell for this. Fucking assholes. Lydia! Lydia!"

Billy gritted his teeth and hit Malcolm's head with his gun. He fell to the floor with a bleeding head. Malcolm was still determined to save his wife so he dragged himself to her.

Billy laughed at him. He saw Steve standing on the stairs with a loaded pillow case and realized that they no longer needed Malcolm. Billy put a bullet in his head.

The frightened woman screamed and cried as at the body of her husband. Danny pulled her head back and slit her throat as he filled her. She fell to the ground bleeding to death.

Steve felt a cold sweat drip down at the back of his neck. That was the first time his brothers killed and raped. All they did before was beat up and rob people. Looking at the dead bodies froze time for him. He could no longer hear his brothers nor see them. It was just the bloody bodies and him.

Steve felt someone tag his shirt and he nearly jumped out of his skin. His eyes dropped to a 4-year-old girl holding a pink stuffed bunny. She rubbed her eye and yawned sweetly. Her big blue eyes looked around and set on her home invaders. Her attention was soon drawn to the blood of her parents running on the floor.

"Mummy, daddy." she said not fully understanding what was going on.

"Oh great, a witness." Jack whined. "I say we kill her."

"No!" Steve protested and swallowed hard at the glare he received from Danny. "She is just a kid."

His words did not reach Jack who pulled the trigger. Her blood and brain splashed on Steve. Steve dropped to his knees and looked at his blood stained hands. He did not hear the police when his brothers grabbed him and the pillow case filled with their loot.

After that incident, Steve began reflecting on all the evil he and his brothers did. That made him fall into a deep depression, and he resorted to sniffing cocaine as a way of comfort.

His brothers saw how hopeless he was and they abandoned him. One morning, Steve had enough of his pitiful life and decided to jump off a bridge. Fortunately for him, a kind German man stopped him.

He took him in as his son and gave him a new identity. His new guardian helped him through rehab and put him through school. Unfortunately, he died from stomach cancer shortly after Steve's Harvard graduation.

Steve decided to make amends and help fight injustice. He refused to be a cop due to his new-found hatred for guns. He instead chose to be a lawyer. His life was going great before his brothers found him.

Earlier at the club

"I see you got my message. I was beginning to fear whether you were going to come or not." Danny said to Steve who blankly stared at him.

"How did you find me?" Steve asked back and declined the drink a waitress was about to set for him. She looked at him puzzled and put it on the table away from him.

"You haven't changed much Robert." Billy was next to speak. "Only difference is that you look bolder now."

"And handsome too." one of the strange women remarked to which the other squeaked.

Danny glared at them. "Monique, Madeline, excuse us."

Monique and Madeline exchanged scowls and got up. They walked out whispering to each other appalled. Steve thoughtfully watched them head downstairs before averting his eyes back to his brothers.

"You now mingle with vampires." he voiced out unamused.

"You can say that." Danny shrugged and took a swig of his beer. "I know you won't believe this but we are happy to see you, Robert." he warmly added.

"That's not my name." Steve coldly refused without blinking. "Don't think of this as a happy reunion. I only came here to find out why you came to my office." he bluntly said.

"Do you think that I went there looking for you?" Danny set his half empty bottle on the table. His cold eyes were met by an even colder gaze. Danny chuckled at it. He was clearly not intimidated. His sudden laughter, however, didn't ease the tension. "Look, I didn't come there for you. I had some unfinished business with your boss. Why would I waste my time looking for you when we have known your whereabouts for years?"

Steve parted his lips surprised. "What, you have been spying on me?"

"Nice house by the way, you clearly went with your lady's choice." Danny coyly added to which Steve clenched his jaw. "I prefer the other woman you dated. She had this fire in her. Even in her last -" Danny smiled when he realized what he had done.

Steve stood up annoyed, almost knocking the table over. "Did you have something to do with Whitney's death?"

Danny said nothing but cracked up laughing so hard that Billy and Jack joined him. Steve's heart raced and he balled up his fists. He felt so angry that his forehead throbbed.

"You are over reacting." Billy dismissed in between his laughs.

"I know you had something to do with her death." Steve furiously accused. "Why did you kill her?!" he raised his voice.

Danny got up and pointed his gun at Steve. The other two brothers just smirked at them. "Shut the fuck up. We called you to share a beer with us and not cause a scene. You're making a mountain of an ant hill. Whining like a fucking bitch."

Billy scoffed, "And we don't appreciate your accusations neither. You better watch your mouth."

Steve slapped Danny's gun away from his face to which Danny scowled. "If I find out that you had something to do with her death, I'll kill you." he threatened and Danny scoffed.

Steve brushed past Danny but stopped just when he was about to get down the stairs. He sprayed daggers at his brothers who glared back at him. "Don't ever contact me again." and with that he left.

Steve finished his whiskey and leaned back with a sigh. The weather was cool and just what he needed to clear his head. The possibility that his brothers killed Whitney was the only thing on his mind.

"But why would they kill her?" Steve wondered, devastated. "Will they ever change?" this time there was anger in his voice.

In his anger, Steve glanced up to his bedroom window knowing well that Asher was fast asleep. He was glad she wasn't awake to see his stress. His past wasn't something he was willing to share with her.

As for Whitney, he was going to have to get to the bottom of what happened to her. In the meantime, protecting Asher from his past was his priority.