Mission: Possible
Part 2
By ABs and Donna

***

Naiad immediately went to her sisters and asked them who would want to go for a day trip – well, a few days perhaps – to Edan. “Same guys, just closer,” she explained. “Then we can come back.”

Luna said she had to stay where she was – her clientele were the weres. And Odette also refused to go too far from Nick and their egg. But the others seemed in favor of a road trip!

As they were giggling amongst themselves, Candi walked into the room, covering a yawn with her hand. She now served as the official hostess for the House, and thus tended to put in very long hours. "What's up?" she asked.

“Oh,” said Naiad quickly, “nothing. Just chattin’ amongst ourselves. You look done in! Why not get some sleep!” She was anxious, because she’d thought Candi was already asleep. They needed her out of the way before they could sneak out to the cart, where Max
and Montoya were waiting.

"Sounds like a good idea. See you guys in a couple of hours," she said with another yawn. Candi left the room, but at the last second, decided to get a snack from the kitchen before turning in.

She did not enter the room, but heard what the girls inside were saying and stopped to listen. “That was close!” said Amethyst.

“C’mon, help me with this bag,” groaned Naiad, as if trying to lift something heavy. “They’re waiting for us!”

Candi said a bad word under her breath, wondering what was going on. Using all the skills she had learned in her years on the streets, she followed the excited women out to where Max was waiting. 

Montoya put a head out of the closed cart. “You rat,” laughed Amethyst. “You didn’t tell me about the party!”

Now it was his turn to curse under his breath. “I did not think you would be interested,” he lied, moving so she could get into the cart beside him. The others, Ula (who had a thing for Colonel O’Neil), Coral (who was just bored), Thalassa and Naiad, all got in
besides. Max was driving. With a huge grin, he clucked to the horse and the well-loaded cart took off!

"What the hell," Candi said, racing to the small stables behind the house. Her golden palomino mare, a wedding gift from the Queen and King of Camelot, nickered softly at her as she opened the stable door. "Come on, Ladybug," she said, leading her out of the
stall. "Something weird is going on! And I'm going to find out what!"

It was, of course, a long trip. And Candi was tired. So were the fae girls, but they were sitting in relative comfort, and were able to doze as they leaned on one another or Montoya. He hardly minded, since they would be fresh for when they arrived in Edan! Any discomfort was forgotten when he thought of the amount of money he’d get if Lovelace paid him by the head!

To Candi's surprise, they bypassed Edan and headed toward the fort. She was exhausted, having been up for a day and a half now without any sleep, but she wasn't going to give up.

When they passed even the fort, she really wondered what was going on! But then, finally, they made their way to the big house. She knew then what was happening.

Max got down first, followed by Montoya. Together they let the women out, holding them by the hand like ladies. Lovelace came out to see, and his smile was brilliant. “Welcome!” he beamed. “Welcome to Lovelace’s House of Love!”

"Crap," Candi breathed from her hiding place amongst the trees. "Now what?"

The girls went into the house with giggles that turned into happy yells when they met Raven. There, in the doorway, all of the sisters embraced. Then they all went inside, chatting like magpies.

“You did well,” Lovelace said. “Five! I never imagined! It more than doubles our capabilities!”

“If they all stay,” Montoya noted. 

“Oh, they’ll stay,” Lovelace promised. 

As the three men turned to follow the women, Max boasted, “Well, the redhead anyway. She told me so!” 

Leaving her mare loosely tied to a tree, Candi crept closer, wondering if she would be able to sneak into the house somehow without the men seeing it. But as she stepped over some old, rotten wood, a loud cracking sound was the result. She froze, hoping they
hadn't heard. If necessary, she would make a mad dash back to her horse.

But they had heard, and Max was rather fast on his feet! When he had her around the waist, kicking and screaming, he said, “What d’we do with this little wildcat?”

“She should be the first to see Angelique!” Lovelace spat angrily.

“Don’t be a fool,” said Montoya calmly. “Bring her into the house, Max.” When the muscleman did so, the Colonel turned to Lovelace. “And just HOW will you explain that Candi left him for us? She is married to him. There she is the Madam. Here a common whore.”

Unbeknownst to them, her horse had spooked from the noise they had made catching her, and had taken off, her tail high up in the air as she fled. Candi, her eyes flashing with anger, used the Tex-Mex she had picked up on the streets, and in very descriptive terms, made some rather uncomplimentary comments about Montoya's sexual prowess.

Of course, he had just come into the house at this time. Max understood some of it, being a Spaniard, and he grinned as he held her. Montoya, reddening, said, “She of course has no actual knowledge.”  Amethyst agreed as she came up to see what was going on. Leaning all over Montoya, she counteracted what Candi said with compliments.

“Enough!” yelled Lovelace. “What do we do with the wench? We cannot even kill her – unless someone takes her head?”

The talk of killing Candi made the fae woman swallow hard and back away. "You take my head and my husband will put all of yours on pikes that he personally pushed up your backsides very, very slowly!" Candi hissed.

They ignored that. Lovelace said, “Our guests will be arriving in a few hours. I was hoping you would get here in time to send Max over to the fort with details . . . we have time to shut her up.”

“To the room?” Grisham asked, licking his lips slowly. He had a grudge or two against her.

But Montoya shook his head. “The men from the fort are coming. If she somehow gets out and complains . . . This was supposed to be a combined effort between the two Houses. Why can’t it still be?”

"If you want that, then you better be nice to me!" Candi called. "Very nice!"

Montoya and Lovelace – both blackguards, but also gentlemen, stepped back to give her room, and Max begrudgingly did so as well. Grisham was making a face. Candi smiled smugly, but Montoya said, “Don’t be too pleased with yourself. Your choices are slim.
We might dispose of the body, and Grayson would never be able to prove it were us. However, if you cooperate now, you’ll be free to leave after our little night of enjoyment, and whatever girls who want to come home with you, may.” 

"Do I have your word on this as a gentleman?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye. "I want you to make it now, and in front of all the girls that you tricked into coming here with your lies."

Montoya laughed. “Max. Did you lie to these girls?”

The other man shrugged. “I told that one,” he pointed to Thalassa, “that we were havin’ a party here. I might’ve told her that it was squared away with you guys . . . but I know I told the redhead there that it wasn’t, and she is the one who asked the others
t’come.” 

Candi didn't say anything, but it was obvious she was a little disappointed that the others had been so quick to leave with Max and Montoya. "If you aren't happy in our House, you are welcome to leave, you know that, right?" she asked.

“Sure, but this is just a party,” laughed Amethyst. “Just getting a little closer to the guys that come and see us anyway.”

“And maybe they will come and see us more!” Thalassa pointed out.

“Not to mention it will give the ones who never came to Esperanza a chance to try us out,” Coral agreed.

Candi shrugged. "Party hardy then!" she said with a sigh. 

Lovelace was bitterly disappointed but did not say anything. He had, of course, wanted Angelique to have a *word* with the girls, putting a spell on them so they would appear to want to stay. That would not be possible now. “And what will you do?” he asked her
frostily.

"Depends on what you offer," she said tartly. "I get at least half of any take."

Lovelace’s mouth dropped open. Montoya now seemed annoyed – this would cut into his take as well – but they were sure they would make more than enough with the extra girls. “You get half if they stay two days,” Lovelace said when he had recovered. “And you will
tell Grayson you okay’d the party, so when he returns he will have no complaints.”

"Forty percent, and one day only," she bargained. 

“If you want to cut the profits that way,” Lovelace said. “I don’t imagine Grayson will be back, and you may as well get what you can while you are close to the source of your income. But it is up to you.” Two days, even at 50%, would net everyone a nice profit.

"All right," she agreed. "But I want a message sent to the girls up in Esperanza so they can tell him that we are safe and what we are up to." She nodded at one of the fae girls, who nodded back, having already conveyed the message. 

“And we will even let you play Madam,” Montoya said.  Lovelace grumbled, but finally agreed that this was all right with him, as well. “Then send Max off to the fort with the news,” the Colonel said, “and let us get the girls ready for business!”