Haiden followed behind. Nobu was at the sink and Imani went over and pulled her sleeves back. Nobu dipped his fingers in petroleum jelly, and then began to lightly coat Imani’s hands.
“What’s he doing?” Haiden asked.
“We’re going to wrestle. We’re getting slicked up.”
“Smartass.” He laughed.
“The petroleum jelly protects my skin. I have an elastic polymer solution that I dip my hands in. This keeps all skin cells and finger prints out of the house. As does my bodysuit. I also wear a black cap, and slippers. All of which goes down into the incinerator in the basement when I come home.” She said.
“Damn. That is sharp. Smart too.” He whistled.
“You’re next. I’ll give you a cap and you can tuck your ponytail up into it. That should keep your hair in place.” Imani said, looking him up and down.
“Sounds good.” He grinned.
“Do you have cat hairs on you?” Imani asked.
“No, I just pulled this out of a sealed bag and put it on in the stairwell.” Haiden said of his dark blue coveralls.
“Good. Okay, now you Haiden.”
“What if I’m allergic?” Haiden asked, eyeing the clear aqueous solution in the bowl.
“Then your hands will fall off and your dick.” She said in a straight face. She heard Nobu choke with laughter.
“And how does my dick fall off in this equation?” he asked, looking at Imani.
“Don’t all you guys play with your junk?” She asked in a snarky tone.
“Jealous?” He grinned and waggled his eyebrows and did a little jig thrusting his hips.
“Idiot, just let Nobu do his job.” Imani laughed.
Nobu coated Haiden’s hands and then Haiden dipped his hands in the bowl. He held them over the bowl to let them drip dry. Once done, Imani went to the door and picked up her black bag.
“What happens if we get pulled over?” Haiden asked, walking back into the living room.
“I have a costume party, invitation. Should we get pulled, we’re coming back from it.”
“She’s good.” Haiden said to Nobu.
“We’re good.” Nobu grinned.
“It was Nobu’s idea. I always keep an invitation in my bag.” Imani laughed.
Within ten minutes they were on the road, both quiet. There was traffic, but not much of it. Imani kept it at the speed limit. Going too fast or too slow draws attention, she was mindful of that. She was stoked, she hoped she could get some answers from the scumbag. She went over different scenarios that could crop up. There was always a chance things could go sideways fast and she didn’t know about Haiden, but he was a pro, so she was sure he could hold his own.
It felt weird to have him with her. She’d always done this alone, or without a person there with her. Her eyes slid over to Haiden, who was looking out of the windows. She looked at his hands, which were resting on his thighs. They weren’t twitchy, no nervous energy. He seemed calm.
“So, will I follow you? Like back up?” Haiden asked.
“Yeah, I’m glad you have NVGs, it makes it easier as we go in. If you watch my six, I can go and find the bedroom where they are. I figure I zap them both, incapacitate them, giving us time to use the zip ties and secure them and gag them. Then we search the house for others, either bad guys or victims.”
“What do we do with any victims we find?” He asked.
“Leave them.”
“Really?”
She heard the surprise in his voice.
“When the cops get there, they’ll see the full impact of what the predators have done. I think that helps them look the other way at what I do. In all this time, I’ve never heard an outcry for justice for the perps.”
“You’re right about that, in all the articles, most were never followed up on, except for the victims, and how they are doing.” Haiden said.
“I think unofficially, they are grateful, especially when they see the victims. How can you not be? It makes my stomach turn sometimes. I have never understood the cruelty of others.” She said.
“Me either. What makes people want to swim in that?”
“Money.” She said.
They quieted once more. They were coming down the residential street the house sat on. It was show time.
NINE
Imani stepped into the back yard, Haiden behind her. She was glad for the privacy fence. They went to the back door and she pulled her small tools. She felt Haiden behind her but he wasn’t hovering over her. He stood back, his head on a swivel.
The door clicked open, with a soft snick. She opened the door and paused, listening. She grinned, she saw the small dog, asleep by the dog bowl. At least she hoped it was asleep. She didn’t like little dogs, but she didn’t want to kill it either. She moved into the kitchen, Haiden following. He was quiet, good.
Her eyes scanned the green and black glowing room. The place was a pigsty and it smelled, like some kind of chemical. Perhaps drugs? Meth? There was a large living room, she saw no one there. Moving toward a long hallway, she looked into an open door. It was a junk room, filled with boxes and trash. She moved on, the bathroom was on her left, empty and nasty as well. She could smell it and wrinkled her nose, she swallowed a gag.
She came to a closed door, it was locked. She moved on, the next room was closed and she gently opened the door. She saw a large bed and two lumps. There were clothes and shoes scattered around the room. The room smelled like old farts and cheese. She froze when one of the lumps moved, she didn’t see or hear Haiden, but she knew he’d frozen as well, watching her
