Kev's heart leaped into his chest. No, no, no. He had worked so hard to put on a good show for the gangster guests, and it looked like all of that positive will would be demolished the moment Horns decided to headbutt the growling bear. Yet, when he looked over at Warlock, he saw the otter was still seated on the couch, just now lowering the book to glance over at the freshly dressed human.
"Oh, there you are, Mr. Kev," he said cheerfully. "You're looking refreshed."
"What's going on?!" Kev shouted, hoping to get Horns's attention. "No fighting in my room, you two!"
Kev could see the moose's eyes flick over to him, but they returned quickly to the bear. "I said, you two need to leave," Horns' voice made it clear that it wasn't a request. "Now."
"I invited them up," Kev said. "There's no need for any hostility."
"Yes, listen to Mr. Kev," Warlock clapped the book shut. "I was kind enough to let you enter when you knocked, and this is how you treat my little Bruno?"
Horns suddenly pulled the bear close, and Kev tensed up. He feared that the bear was about to experience a truly painful headache, but Horns didn't strike. He just snorted a hot breath from his nostrils and, with his free hand, plucked the yellow begonia out from the bear's vest pocket.
"You two," Horns' voice was a bit more controlled but still loud. "Mr. Bruno and Mr. Warlock. Yes, we may be in business together, but the second floor is Fang's personal home." He pushed Bruno away again and finally released his shoulder. "There was a single, specific page in the waiver documents you signed to get on the invite list. It let you know that the second floor is off limits. So, I'll ask you one more time to leave."
Kev watched as Bruno patted down his wrinkled vest. The bear was silent, but he looked furious. Was Warlock going to stop Bruno, or would Bruno not attack someone unless Warlock told him to? Kev didn't want to find out.
"Oh, that's right!" Kev said loudly, as he quickly walked towards the territorial moose. "It must have slipped my mind, Horns. You know, I keep forgetting to read the fine print."
Kev managed to catch Horns's hand as the moose tried to sweep him aside without looking. The moose was still focused on the bear, who was once again growling.
"Horns," Kev said. "Relax. I'm sure Mr. Warlock has no issues with heading down to the club. And I think you should apologize to Mr. Bruno."
"What?" Horns fully looked down at the human before remembering he needed to be watching Bruno. "I'm being polite by asking them to leave. They know this area is off limits."
Kev shook his head. "That's not what I mean." He reached forward and plucked the yellow begonia out of Horns's hand. The moose seemed to have forgotten he was even holding it.
Kev turned and gently placed the slightly squished flower back into Bruno's vest pocket. Bruno's growl intensified, a deep, rattling sound that made Kev's insides vibrate, but the bear quieted the moment the flower was back in its place.
"You'd be cranky too if someone took your flowers," Kev chuckled with a nod towards Horns.
Horns sighed and pulled a joint from his suit pocket.
"So, Mr. Warlock," Kev turned to the otter, who had been watching the scene with rapt attention, "it seems like the tour really is over now. I'll see you down there soon."
Warlock stood and clapped a few times before saying, "I will be looking forward to it! Oh, this dinner will be so fun! We were so curious about you, and now that I've finally seen you in action... The Don won't even believe me if I tell him he's getting more than just Mr. Fang."
Kev wanted to dig into that a bit more, but Warlock had already snapped his fingers. "Bruno, let's go. There is a pool cue downstairs waiting."
Kev did not want to dig into it anymore.
Warlock gave a theatrical bow at the door. "Gentlemen, a wonderful showing. I will see you when the dinner bell rings." And with that, the otter and the bear were gone, heading back towards the staircase.
Kev looked over at Horns, who was already halfway done with his first joint. "Hey, buddy, sorry about that... Want some coffee?"
Horns laughed. "Yes, please."
Kev smiled and headed towards the kitchen. "Hey, can you get me a lighter next time you're out? Matches work and all, but they kind of suck."
Horns plopped down on the couch and spread his arms out wide with a big yawn. "I've got like three on me. I lose 'em all the time." He fished into his pocket before tossing a lighter towards Kev.
Kev felt a bit sad for feeling so accomplished at catching the lighter, but he smiled again when he lit his cigarette without having to strike the match. If he couldn't be happy about the little things, then he couldn't be happy about the big things.
"I was nervous they would be angry when you kicked them out," Kev said while prepping the evening's coffee. "But Warlock seemed to take it well, and you didn't have to headbutt Bruno."
"They know they got off easy," Horns scowled, stubbing out his joint only to light another.
Kev turned and headed to the coffee table to ash his smoke too. "It's my fault," he said, leaning against the armchair. "I didn't know that I wasn't supposed to invite people up here."
"It's pretty explicit in the waiver," Horns sighed. "Red ink, bold... it's even underlined."
"I never read those things," Kev said. "Once I see the word 'pursuant,' my eyes just glaze over."
Horns grinned. "Yeah. Why would you chase an ant? It's crazy."
"Yeah, lawyers speak a different language," Kev laughed. "But that Warlock guy, he seemed impressed with the club."
"What was he doing here, anyway?" Horns asked.
"He said he wanted a tour or something," Kev shrugged. "He was a bit vague about it, but he made it sound like it would be good for our business meeting tonight."
"Ahh," Horns nodded. "And... you're okay?" The moose looked Kev up and down.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Kev said, raising an eyebrow. "Talon was with me most of the time. Warlock is a bit... eccentric... and his bodyguard isn't really his bodyguard or something, but... yeah, I'm okay."
"Not his bodyguard..." Horns said slowly. "Wait, don't tell me. Is the bear really the brains, and the otter is the secret bodyguard? Some reverse-psychology, gotcha-twist-ending shit?"
"You've seen them, Warlock does all the talking." Kev tried hard not to imagine Bruno standing up at the end of a movie, just to reveal that he indeed was truly the mastermind behind everything.
"Hey," Horns said, "... ventriloquism."
Kev burst out laughing, and Horns did too.
A knock at the door was the sound that finally pulled Kev from his giggles. He shook it off and looked through the peephole. "Hey, Talon, come on in."
Talon entered with a curt nod and, without a word, took a seat in the armchair across from Horns. He was in his full, immaculate black suit, ready for the night's duties, his earlier 'grunge' look completely gone.
"Coffee's almost ready. You're having some too, right?" Kev asked from the kitchen.
Talon glanced over his shoulder towards Kev and nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Kev."
"So, Talon," Horns leaned forward and stubbed out his second joint, "you're a bit late tonight."
Talon closed his eyes and leaned back into his seat. "Sister was being... sister."
"Ha!" Horns chuckled and settled back into the couch again. "What did she do this time? That girl's wild."
Talon frowned, his eyes still closed. "She and Madam Cindy got into a bit of an argument this morning. I tried to stop her, but she wanted to annoy Cindy in her office when she got to work, because Cindy had annoyed her at the start of her day too... She said it was 'tit for tat'... I couldn't stop her, though, and she rolled over my foot... thankfully, the elevator needs a key to access the basement."
Horns shook his head and whistled. "That's rough, buddy."
Talon stayed still, frowning, with his eyes closed, the picture of weary resignation, knowing he was powerless to prevent his sister from trying to antagonize someone as deceptively terrifying as Cindy.
Kev listened to Horns and Talon chat while he portioned out the steaming mugs of coffee. There had been no new managers that had wandered into his room, so the day-off policy must be on pause for now. The big business deal that Fang had been working on was obviously too important to miss, and Kev was sure that Fang was anxious about how it would play out. Even if Warlock had said the deal was basically in the bag, it didn't mean anything until they heard from the actual boss… "the Don," as Warlock had called him.
Kev was anxious too, but for other reasons. Not the usual existential dread of waking up in a new time and place with no bearings or any idea of what had happened to his loved ones, but the dread of facing Fang now. He had already forgiven him for his outburst the previous night. Fang was a violent man, but he wasn't mindless. He wasn't blind to how his actions affected others. The rage he showed, Kev truly believed, was unintentional.
He had seen Fang's controlled fury, taking care of Pedro, and his ability to restrain himself and have Kev watch as Rex annihilated the thugs who had broken Perry's wing. The wolf wasn't unable to rein himself in. He wasn't a beast. But there truly was something wrong with him. Lanon knew that much, and the other managers obviously did too. The other staff, for the most part, seemed earnestly scared of the wolf.
It made no sense. How was Kev the one who calmed the wolf down? Kev was a nervous wreck when they first met. If anything, Fang should be upset with Kev for causing the issues with the city.
Kev passed out the coffees to subdued thanks, then took a sip of his own. "So, Horns, are you joining us for dinner with the Mafia tonight? Fang hasn't told me the plans yet, but it looked like the conservatory room was set up for a good amount of people."
"Yeah, I'll be there," Horns replied, chugging down his mug. "That reminds me. I need to pick a waitress to serve the room tonight." He slapped his legs twice before standing.
"Why not Rebecca?" Kev suggested. "She's always been great at the VIP table. I'll remind Fang to give her a good tip if everything goes smoothly."
Horns nodded and grinned. "People are fighting over the VIP booth now that word got out Rebecca got that super tip," Horns laughed. "It wouldn't be fair to take her off. She was the only one willing to do it more than once in a row." Horns patted Kev on the shoulder. "Not her fault Fang finally has someone to remind him of people's names."
Kev watched the mooseman head toward the exit before remembering his earlier promise. "Hey, Horns, can you do me a favor?"
Horns glanced back, one hand on the door. "Of course, little buddy. What's up?"
"Can you, uh..." Kev looked away a bit, "tell Reepia that Scabs, the daytime prep cook, made us breakfast? He wants to be clear that he was not scavenging food."
"UUUUUHHHGGGGG," Horns groaned. "She's always in such a good mood." He closed the door behind him.