Thickness of Skin
This is a collaboration from both UlurNaga who brought her story "Primary Mechanisms" to life, and Skyie, who wanted to bring in another character to join in with her characters. Tessa and UlurNaga's characters are her own creation. She has been generous enough to allow Skyie to add her own to play.
The mall was her least favorite place on earth! Parking was crowded and it seemed like no matter where she parked her car there would be another ding on her doors when she came back. The shoppers bustling around didn't add to her already sour mood either.
She refrained from shoving against a teenage boy who carelessly bumped against her as she made her way to her favorite store. Her last client had cost her the last two good pairs of jeans she had and she desperately needed replacements before she looked for new employment.
Fortunately her bank account could support her for several months thanks to her client's generosity when they parted ways. A glowing reference letter also helped. She had really liked this last client, even if she hadn't cared much for the woman's husband. Job security at its finest dealing with a jerk like him! She was glad when he finally went to prison and her client could sleep at night feeling safe for the first time in over a year.
Once she got to the store she hurried to the racks for the jeans. She didn't bother with trying them on since she had shopped her often and knew her size well. She grabbed three pairs of jeans and went to the racks for the new shirts. Examining the new styles with a critical eye she finally decided to splurge and buy two soft cotton and spandex shirts with button down over shirts knowing they would help to hide the tools of her trade. Guns and knives left telltale bulges if one wasn't careful.
While waiting in line to check out she scanned the store out of habit until her eyes came to rest on a petite woman with lovely coppery brown hair which was loosely tied up with curls slipping out. She stared a moment as her mind whirled while she tried to place why this particular figure should draw her attention. Her eyes widened when the realization suddenly came to her. This was the woman the Autobot leader had been seen in public with so often. What was her name again…..? Terry? Tanna…..no, it was Tessa! Rumors were flying around in the underground communities that the proud Autobot and the woman were romantically involved somehow. She couldn't imagine how such a relationship could happen, but it wasn't her place to judge.
She felt herself slip into her observation mode as the smaller woman moved quickly through the store. She clearly was unhappy about shopping for clothing and her hurried movements spoke volumes to Kara's trained eye.
"Can I help you?" The clerk at the checkout's tone of voice was impatient with her. Keeping half an eye on the other woman she put her selections down on the counter. For some reason she sensed the younger woman needed watching over. A well honed sense of impending danger brought her senses into sharp focus. There was only one other shopper in the store and she had automatically assessed her threat level as inconsequential. There was something, or someone else. Years working in the private protection, or bodyguard, service picked up on the subtle undercurrents of danger.
"Where are your Autobot friends?" She thought to herself as she continued to scan the mall area around the store.
Once the impatient and bored clerk had sloppily bagged her purchases, she casually moved towards to the entrance to the store and she appeared to casually move to the front of the store while keeping the younger woman in focus.
She didn't have to wait more than twenty minutes before the woman selected some casual tank top style shirts and paid for her selections. Kara discreetly followed along while scanning the busy mall shoppers.
Finally, the small woman made her way to an exit when two rough looking men suddenly appeared from outside.
"Here we go. I haven't seen these guys before. I wonder who hired them?" The look of hired thugs was always unmistakable. Their eyes locked onto their unsuspecting victim.
Tossing her bag aside Kara moved quickly towards the smaller woman's side. She glanced at the surprised look in the other woman's face and said in as reassuring tone as she could, "There are two men, one with a black shirt and one with a grey shirt who are about to try and grab at you. When I tell you to, run back inside the mall and yell for security. I'll make sure they don't follow you."
She turned her back and ignored the sputtering questions. She'd dealt with these types before and knew any show of hesitation or fear would only encourage them. Squaring her shoulders and shifting her weight to the balls of her feet she said in a confidant tone, "You two are looking for more trouble than you can handle right about now." Glancing back at the younger woman's stunned expression she ordered firmly, "Tessa, go back in like I said."
Kara turned back to the two would be assailants and noted their determined expressions, "Last chance guys." She warned softly.
Both men exchanged glances at each other before rushing at her. She didn't look like any kind of threat to two burly men and she knew it. As they advance on her she instantly sized them up for potential weaknesses. The male in the black shirt was leading with his left side and holding his right side back protectively, possibly from an injury. The male in the grey shirt was moving in more of a swagger and clearly had little training. He looked like the type who used brute strength for whatever jobs he had when he subdued a smaller woman.
As the male in the black got within striking range Kara suddenly moved to his right and delivered a side kick to his ribs. Her assessment of his physical state had been correct when he gasped and staggered back several feet. He was out of this fight as he gasped for breath.
The male in the gray shirt grabbed her in a bear hug thinking he would stop her, "That wasn't very nice to do to Brad. Now we're gonna have to pay back that little umph..."
Kara allowed herself a snort of laughter before she brought her leg back to catch his leg and sweep his knee out from under him. She jerked her head back to smash it towards his face. When his arms loosened she grabbed his right wrist and twisted it around in a painful hold.
He went down under her from the lack of his leg support and the painful grip. Wasting no time for her would be assailant to regain his footing; she delivered a forceful kick to his chin. She watched as his eyes glazed over and he collapsed unconscious on the ground.
She spun to look for the male in the black shirt and saw him hurrying out of the mall and into the parking lot, "Oh no you don't" she spat. She wasn't about to let these two men get away with an attack on an unsuspecting woman without giving up some answers.
Glancing back to make sure Tess had drawn the attention of mall security as well as another man with piercing blue eyes and a massively muscled body, she spun and sprinted out into the parking lot to get answers.
It wasn't hard to catch up with the man holding his right side while gasping for air. Grabbing his right arm she spun him towards the ground using an old control hold she's been taught years ago, "Why were you going after the woman?"
The man on the ground tried to shift out from under her and gasped out in pain as she pushed her knee into his spine and jerked his arm upwards painfully, "It's not natural…" he gasped out.
Kara didn't need and explanation for his statement, "Who sent you?" she demanded. There was only so long she could hold him before the cops were called and showed up. She didn't want to answer questions from cops.
"Not your business…Bitch, let me up!" he tried rolling out from under her again and she had to grind her knee into his back harder.
"Stay away from her." It was the only warning she could think of. Tessa wasn't her client and she had no business or interest involving herself with the Autobots. He wasn't going to give up his employer and she didn't have the time to keep him on the ground trying to get answers. She didn't recognize these two from her experience in the rougher aspects of protection services and she wanted to know if there was a new player in town.
The aggressive rumbling of a truck engine interrupted her thought and she looked up to see a massive GMC Topkick lunging towards them. Not wanting to get run over she released the man and shoved herself away. Lunging between the relative safety between two parked cars she watched as the man on the ground frantically tried to crawl away from the revving motor of the massive truck. Whoever was driving the truck had to be furious with the man on the ground. She had no idea what the driver of the truck had to do with this situation but she needed the break to slip away undetected.
Using the distraction of the Topkick and the man on the ground, Kara weaved her way between parked cars until she slid up alongside her own. The Mustang had a custom black paint job and looked unassuming until she turned the key and the custom engine roared to life. Her car was her pride and joy, her baby, and the one thing she made sure was maintained and cared for to the best of her abilities.
Keeping the grumbling engine to a low throttle seemed like an insult to the custom vehicle, but she did in order to avoid attention. Now wasn't the time for her baby to roar to life. It was time to slip away as unnoticed as possible.
She forgot about her bag of recently purchased clothing on the mall floor as she crept away from the mall parking lot.
Cursing her nagging curiosity about the events at the mall she headed home to her office. It was time to make some calls to see who had an issue with the clearly unsuspecting woman.