Internally, Taylor flinched at the loud exclamation of his little warrior. He hoped that it wouldnâ€™t prove to be a mistake, him letting them get attached to these two panthers. All Taylor knew was that this could go very bad and very quickly. Theyâ€™d end up slowing them down if they had to run suddenly, or Meko would want to go back into the line of fire if they were forgotten or lost in the midst of all the chaos. A low groan rose into his throat as a headache started to form behind his eyes.<br/><br/>The little panther looked up at Taylor as if he knew something was worrying the man. To Taylor it almost appeared as though the little panther was looking at him with pity. He shut his eyes tight as he lowered himself onto the floor and planted his back against the couch. This was just what he needed, another attachment.<br/><br/>If his brother found out about all these new attachments Taylor knew heâ€™d be in for it. Xander wasnâ€™t the forgiving type, hell he wasnâ€™t even the nice type. Heâ€™d go out of his way to kill anything Taylor held dear.  â€œNow? Now we take a break and go out tomorrow.â€ A wicked grin curled onto his lips as he remembered Mekoâ€™s reluctance to get out of bed. â€œNice and early too.â€ Taylor also made a mental note to make sure Meko never touched coffee again. If he had to deal with that much energy tomorrow Taylor just may save Madam Director the trouble and take Meko out himself.<br/><br/>â€œWeâ€™ve got to name these two.â€ Taylor admitted as he watched his panther stand and hop closer to the fire before curling up and dropping its tail over the injured leg as if that alone would protect it. What would be a good name for the pitch black cat? He peered over his shoulder to look at Mekoâ€™s and made note that the one Meko had claimed was lighter than his own. How ironic.<br/><br/>-0-0-0-0-0-0-0<br/>There wasnâ€™t a single part of Xanderâ€™s essence that gave off the feeling or vibe of weakness. In fact his aura had become so dark that it made the people milling the hallways quickly move out of his way. That was amusing to him, the way these so called trained killers scrambled over one another in an effort to get out of his way. Good. He was doing something right after all.<br/><br/>Xanderâ€™s eyes moved across the white hallway to land on a tall Italian looking guy who was chewing on a toothpick. The effort the poor man was taking into trying to look unafraid was simply hilarious. Xander let his fangs slide further out of his gums before he sent his version of a charming grin the guys way and chuckled as he saw the Italian visibly flinch and swallow.<br/><br/>After he made three or four more turns he came to a stop in front of two large wooden doors. A gun was pointed square at his for head by a short red head who stunk of scotch. Xanderâ€™s nose twitched at the overwhelming smell for a moment before focusing in on the fact that the red headâ€™s gun was getting closer and the manâ€™s trigger finger was jumping. â€œDo you really want to do this?â€ Xander asked almost exasperated at the boy before him. He could only assume the kid was new, oh well people should have warned him.<br/><br/>â€œNobody is allowed in there.â€ He gave credit to red; his voice didnâ€™t shake when he addressed Xander. Of course, it could be the liquor in his system talking. â€œOh really?â€ He feigned innocence as he grabbed redâ€™s gaze and held it. â€œYeah, the boss says-â€œ Xander shook his head and smiled causing the Irishman, obviously Irish from that god awful thick accent of his. â€œWhatâ€™s so funny?â€ Ah, there went that famous Irish temper. â€œThe fact that youâ€™re a dead man talking.â€<br/><br/>Redâ€™s eyes widened for a minute but before he could say a single word Xander had dropped the bag on his shoulder and grabbed redâ€™s wrist with one hand and elbow with the other, pulling the forearm down and pushing the elbow up. The second the arm bones broke the Irishman screamed in pain, the gun clattering to the ground at their feet and sending a shot through the wall. Xander answered the scream by yanking the broken arm behind the boys back. â€œOpen the door.â€ The snarl was so close to an animal that it made his captives hand shake when he opened the door.<br/><br/>â€œWhat the hell?â€ Several shouts sliced through the room as Xander pushed the boy into the room in front of him. â€œHello boys.â€ Xander grinned as he jerked one more good time on redâ€™s arm and snapped his shoulder before releasing the boy and watching him crumble at Xanderâ€™s feet. After a moment his eyes returned to the table of crime bossâ€™. He couldnâ€™t bring himself to leave town without giving his toys a visit, he couldnâ€™t let them think heâ€™d forgotten about them now could he?