Part 107

Thomas Rhoads stared at their wedding photo as though he could make it burst into flame with his eyes. Those bears and the gorilla insisted that they would know if he left had him leery but he didn't see how they could possibly watch him all the time. He needed to get his wife back. If only so he could punish her for this humiliation. More importantly, he was willing to bet that he could evade them. He quickly put together a bag of clothes and slipped outside, to his car. He looked down the street both ways. Aside from the neighbors' cars parked along the street, the coast was clear. He got in his vehicle and drove off. She was going to Calatonia. He would get them both back.

He was oblivious to the yellow hummer hiding behind the corner.

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The following morning, Nooshy was woken by her phone ringing. "Hey Big Daddy. Yeah, everything is going fine. They found him? And he's under surveillance? Good. Did they find someone to fill in backstage for us? Great. Don't worry, we got everything under control. Uncles Barry and Stan are guarding the mansion. It's fine, it's still a vacation. I'm sorry the Calloways have to cut their vacation short. It's very nice of them to come back to help us get her someplace safe until we're sure he's not going to do anything stupid. How are Lukie and Rosie? Tell them their big sister loves and misses them. And tell everyone good luck the rest of these two weeks. Love you too, Big Daddy. Bye." She hung up and looked over at Porsha who was still asleep. She went out to the balcony. In the rising sun, she realized she could see her old alleyway in the distance. A trash bin was burning and the other inhabitants were huddled around it, sharing the little bit they had. She bit her lip.

Quietly, she got dressed and slipped out of the bedroom. She wouldn't be gone long. Just long enough to get her old friends some much needed food. She had money of her own now. She could help them.

Lifting her hoodie, she slipped out, dodging her uncles with the same skill she used to dodge cops. She went to the nearest restaurant and ordered a large bag of sandwiches.

When she reached the alley, she cautiously approached. One woman, an old platypus wearing a bonnet and a ratty coat, looked up. "Nooshy, is that you dear?"

The cat nodded. "Yes, Martie, its me." She smiled.

"Hey! Everyone! Nooshy's back!" The platypus cried with joy. She hurried to hug the young girl. The other group of miscellaneous animals gathered for hugs. "It's been so long. We haven't seen you since that morning last May. We were afraid something happened."

Nooshy shook her head. "Well, you're right. Something happened. Something good. I… I was adopted last year." She offered the bag of food. "I brought you all some food."

"Adopted! Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!" Martie exclaimed. "I'm so happy for you. Come and sit around the fire. Tell us about your new family. And thank you so much for the food." She began passing out sandwiches to everyone.

She smiled. "I'm sorry I just vanished. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I accidentally got hired as a dance coach for one of the new dancers…" She tried to refuse the sandwich that Martie held out. "Please, I already had breakfast," she lied. It wasn't completely a lie, she at least knew she would eat breakfast. Martie pushed it into her hand and she sighed, accepting it. "Well, Johnny needed me to help him learn to dance and…"

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If they were going to follow him, he could easily lose them in the airport, Thomas thought. He would need to make sure he made Chelsea sorry for costing him 1200. He would make her wish she were dead.

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At the mansion, Porsha was confused to see Nooshy wasn't in bed. She looked at her clock. It was still very early.

She got dressed and went to go find her. Chelsea and René were in the kitchen, finding some breakfast for themselves. "Good morning, Chelsea. Did you two sleep well?"

The leopardess smiled. "Very well, I haven't slept so well in years. Thank you so much."

"I'm so happy we could help. Have you seen Nooshy?" Porsha asked. "She wasn't in bed when I got up."

Chelsea drank her cup of dark roast coffee. "I haven't. René, have you seen Aunt Nooshy?"

The little girl shook her head. "No, Mommy. I thought she was still asleep."

The wolf bit her lip. "I'll be right back." She went all around the mansion. She wasn't there. She felt her breath quickening and she ran outside. "Uncle Stan! Uncle Barry, is Nooshy out here with you?" She ran to them.

They shook their heads. "We thought you both were still asleep. Calloway will be here soon."

Porsha shook her head. "She's nowhere in the mansion… What if something happened to her?" She began to hyperventilate. She was barely aware of the car pulling up to the mansion.

"What's going on?" Calloway asked as he and Sitara got out of the rental.

Porsha trembled. "Nooshy is missing. She's not here. And she left her phone on the dresser."

Barry patted her on the back. "I'm sure she's fine, she's always going off on her own back home."

Calloway nodded. "Do you know where she might have gone?" He asked.

The wolf shook her head. "Only that she wanted to check out her old alleyway while we were in town. We ran out of time yesterday."

"Come on, let's go find her," the lion told her. "Keep calm, I'm sure she's just fine. Her alleyway has to be close to the hotel plaza. That's where she met Johnny. Sitara, stay and hang out with Chelsea and René."

The elephant smiled. "Of course, sweetheart. Don't worry, Porsha."

When they left, Barry looked at Stan. "Should we call Marcus?"

Sitara shook her head. "Not until we're sure there's something we need to tell him. Now, you boys have been doing such a great job. I think you both have earned a break. Come eat something." She said with the tone of a mother.

Stan smiled at her. "Thank you, Mrs. Calloway, but we're not hungry. And the last time we left our charge unguarded, it almost ended very badly. We'll get something to eat when we're on our way to Point B."

She nodded. "Fair enough. I'll bring you both some coffee then," she promised. She went inside.

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Marcus held his phone to his ear. "Yes, thank you Vlad. Find out which flight he's taking and stay on his tail. Don't worry, we got the expenses. I'm on my way." He looked at his phone. He looked at Suki.

"I tried to give him a chance…" he said with a sad tone. "I really don't want to…"

She nodded. "I know, but there's still a chance to prevent it. You're a good man with a well-meaning heart. Would you like me to go with you? Linda could take my spot."

Marcus shook his head. "No. I don't want you anywhere near this guy." He kissed his wife. "Tell Norman, I said, thank you for agreeing to babysit our twins on show nights since I won't be here."

Suki kissed his cheek. "I'll take care of all the travel arrangements and I'll text you your ticket." She pulled her laptop out of her suitcase and hooked it up. She saw his expression. "It's going to be alright. You're going to stop this guy."

He sighed. "But what if I can't… What if… despite my best efforts…. What if he gets to her… What if…" He shook his head. "I failed before… I cannot fail again…"

"Marcus, you have to stop blaming yourself. James was determined. Very little could stop him from getting what he wanted when he was in that state," she gripped his hand and his troubled eyes met hers. "I wish you could find a way to forgive yourself." She hugged him. "You did everything you could for both of them. You did your best."

He shook his head. "But it wasn't enough. What if I do my best this time and it's not enough? What if I can't protect my family?" He buried his head into her soft, warm red hair.

She rubbed his back, unable to think of what to say that might help her husband. She felt wetness hit her head. She just didn't know how to make him see that last year wasn't his fault.

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In her eagerness to reconnect with her fellow alley inhabitants, Nooshy completely lost track of time. Her friends hung on every word of her story.

"And that's what happened. Now I'm officially Nooshy Green," the lynx said proudly. "Big Daddy and Big Mama are the best. Oh, let me show you…" she went digging through her coat. "Oh crap on a cracker, I left my cell phone on the dresser. I'll get it when I get back. I wanted to show you all the pictures of my family. I even have a baby brother and sister. They're so cute!"

Martie smiled. "That's wonderful, dear. It's great to hear you're doing so well." She hugged her and everyone else nodded. The sandwiches and hashbrowns were all eaten.

She hugged them back. "Nooshy!" An overexcited shout got her attention.

She looked over to the entrance of the alley. "Porsha!" She looked at her watch. "Oh my gosh, I've been gone much longer then I meant to be."

The wolfette ran over with Clay following behind, examining their surroundings. "We were so worried. You forgot your phone." Porsha offered the device to her sister.

Nooshy accepted it with an embarrassed expression. "I'm sorry, I meant to be back a while ago. I… I wanted to… Martie, this is my big sister, Porsha. Sis, this is Martie. She's kind of like the Alleyway Rosita."

The platypus gasped. "Porsha Crystal? Oh my, oh my…"

Porsha smiled. "It's nice to meet you." She realized what she was looking at. A bunch of boxes and tents and a trashcan fireplace. She shook her head. "Do you all live here?"

Martie nodded. "We do. It's a prime spot for doing whatever we can to make ends meet."

The wolf gasped. "No, no… This won't do… This won't do at all… I can't have homeless people living in tents near my hotel…" She noticed their fearful expressions and pulled out her phone, counting the number of residents in the alley. "Hey, Jerry. Yeah, we found her, she's fine. I need a hotel suite big enough to sleep fifteen people. Give them one of the penthouses. Are there any children? Or anyone I'm not counting?"

Martie shook her head. "No, but…"

Nooshy beamed. "Great idea, sis. Sorry, I didn't clarify that she was one of my sisters." She watched as Porsha managed the arrangements in a way they'd seen Suki do many times before. "Sorry, Mr. Calloway," she said when she recognized the scolding gaze. "Are you going to tell Big Daddy?"

He sighed, looking at the people. "I should. If only because this was very dangerous. We had no idea where you were and that Mr Rhoads is not taking a hint."

The lynx gaped fearfully. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to bring them some food." She explained.

Martie looked at the lion. "I'd hate it if she got into trouble for trying to help us."

Clay shook his head. "No, her heart was in the right place. That is true. Well, I'll talk to Sitara and we'll see."

Porsha hopped back over. "It's all set up. You have a penthouse suite big enough for all of you. And it's on me and it's for as long as you want it. Our recruiter will come see you all and find you some jobs around the hotel." She smiled proudly.

The other inhabitants of the alley gaped at her in shock. Martie shook her head. "Oh, you sweet girl, we appreciate it but…"

Porsha hugged the woman. "No buts. I want to do this. And my next mission, with help from our new CEO, is to find every homeless person in the vicinity and get them into the hotel too. And I'm going to reach out to the other hotels in the city. This is not acceptable. No one should be homeless and hungry in this city." She said, "Not when I can help."

Nooshy felt a strong sensation in her. Her big sister was stepping up to help the only family she knew all her life. "Thank you, sis…"

"You should have woke me up. We all would have come with you," Porsha scolded her gently. "I was so scared that something might happen to you."

Clay began helping to gather everyone to go to the hotel while Nooshy looked properly chastised. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to be a bother. I'm just so used to being on my own."

Martie smiled. "Nooshy, I'm going to side with your sister. It wasn't very nice to leave without telling your new family. I know how strong you are but looks like your sister was pretty worried."

She put up her hoodie. "I'm sorry. I really am. Thank you, sis. For helping my friends." She hugged her. "I appreciate it."

Porsha nodded. "I'm happy to… I told you. I want this company to be a force for good. Come on. Let's get everyone settled and then we need to get back." She hugged her one more time and the group began the short walk to the hotel.

AN: What do you think? Should Clay inform Marcus about Nooshy's morning escapade? If this was your daughter, what would you do about it?