Chapter 9

That fateful night was something to remember.

Mira was now back home in her room after she carefully came back without making a sound. It was all thanks to Mr. Shark's boots that muffled her footsteps while Mr. Piranha entered with her in a camouflaged disguise. For the freshwater fish, he tried his damn best to keep quiet because of how much he had wanted to question everything at home. Mr. Shark on the other hand, blended too well with the living room.

"I can see why Rani and your sisters don't wanna come back" Mr. Piranha commented in a hushed tone. There were rows of photo frames with all of her family ranging from birthdays, class photo, family gatherings and even weddings. Mira was in the centre of most of the photos with the most jewellery and make up.

"You are their star child," he went on as they entered her room. Before locking the door, she glanced behind to see a figure looming over them. Her heart was caught up to her throat, praying it wasn't her mother or grandfather. ESPECIALLY her grandfather.

Thankfully, it was Mr. Shark in camouflage.

"No kidding. This place is cozy but there's something off about it. I can't tell why but I just knoooow it is," said Mr. Shark. Mira immediately locked her room door. She signalled the two fishes to keep quiet by placing a finger to her lips. She was listening for any shuffling or muffled tones behind the door.

Nothing....yet.

"Chica, are you worried about your mama coming in?" asked Mr. Piranha. Mira hesitated, unsure whether or not to tell the both of them about her situation. Will they be disgusted of her? Shun her away? What would they tell Rani since she was close to both of them?

Slowly, she nodded before checking the lock on her door. So far, no footsteps which meant that all of her family members were asleep. She leaned back with a sigh of relief. Mira will have to think of a convincing excuse to explain to her family tomorrow. Ever since she was young, everyone expects her to be something to represent the family:

Status.

Intelligence.

Dainty.

And above all, perfect.

"I bet we're not going to have breakfast," Mr. Shark tried to lighten up the mood but Mira was still wary of the people outside of her room. She prayed that they don't install a hidden camera somewhere in her room. Without even realising, Mira was gently carried to her bed.

"Don't worry about us," Mr. Piranha assured her with a smile. "Years of experience have made us experts in escaping. Though the best is Mr. Snake, the armless Houdini. And I- hey, are you okay?"

Mira wasn't sure how she was going to explain without uttering a sound. She was afraid of her mother and grandfather coming at her door the moment she squeaked. As much as she loves praises and support, Mira felt lonely. Not once during her childhood was she allowed to attend sleepovers or hang out with anyone during weekends unless it's about studying.

Studying abroad was her only escape from the smother and yet she felt guilty, selfish even.

"Stay," she breathed above a whisper. Her heart was beating fast at the thought of her grandfather or mother unlocking her door, as well as having two former criminals staying in her room. However, Mr. Shark and Mr. Piranha have proven that they were trustworthy.

Mr. Shark gave her a soft smile while Mr. Piranha walked up to her. She had to kneel down to be on the same eye level as him. The freshwater fish gently takes her hand into his. "Don't worry, Mira. Nothing's gonna happen to you. After all, we're the Good Guys now."

"We'll wake you if anything happens," Mr. Shark vowed, his tone steady. The young woman wondered if the shark was just as afraid as her. There were times where she would try to convince herself that things will be okay but in reality, it was a hit or miss.

As if Mira was going to make a noise, Mr. Piranha sealed her hand with a kiss. "It is a promise, garota linda."

...

His heart was beating fast at the action he had done the night before. Mr. Piranha was deployed with Mr. Snake to investigate a hair salon in disguises. Not that they need a trim, considering that they were both scaled rather than fur.

"So when are we gonna bust these guys?" Mr. Piranha asked, excited at the idea of beating up lowlife thugs that were hiding in a salon where most of the ladies would be having their trims or extensions. He was also giddy from the night he and Mr. Shark protected Mira until the sun was up. 'I still can't believed that I kissed her hand! What the hell was I thinking?! It's louco but amazing!'

They left through her window before anyone suspected anything.

Mr. Snake signalled the piranha to be quiet as they enter the salon. A few hairdressers were staring at them quizzically, wondering why a snake and a piranha were here when they don't even have hair. An older woman, probably middle-aged, approached them. "What can we do for you boys?"

"My friend and I want some 'special treatment' and I heard this place has it," said Mr. Snake. Out of all of his criminal career, Mr. Piranha was dumbfounded at what the serpent was asking. They were here for a mission, not for a massage! Do hair salons provide head messages?

However, the middle-age woman's expression changed from service to serious. "What kind of special treatment would you gentlemen like? Swedish? Eurasian? Exotic?"

"Your recommendation?" the Eastern brown snake waved off as he continued to read a newspaper he spits out. Mr. Piranha made a gesture to follow his serpent friend. When the woman left, Mr. Snake lowered down his magazine. "To think we're the ultimate bad guys but these guys...heh, these guys could make the Crimson Paw look like a fluffy puppy. Don't tell Diane I said that..."

So many questions swirled his mind. Before Mr. Piranha could make a conclusion, the woman came back with three girls, who were wearing skimpy outfits but he could see their bones close to their skins. What's worst was that these girls do not look older than fourteen.

'No! No no no no no no no no no no no!!!'

Too stunned to do anything, Mr. Piranha was stunned at the same spot with his eyes wide and jaws hanging open. This was something he wasn't prepared for. How was he going to tell the gang that he failed another mission yet again?

Not even the police showing up to arrest the people in charge and taking the young girls home could soothe his mind. He was a fish of violence, and yet he couldn't do anything to help his gang save a few people from raids. He was seething inside, wanting to tear out the insides to punish himself for being so useless.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself out loud. Before he knew it, Mr. Snake had scooped him up with his tail to slither out of the salon. He began to cough out a few dollars on the floor and shoved them into the piranha's hands. "What the hell are these for?"

"Get yourself something to drink," the snake ordered before turning tail to the other direction. Before leaving, Mr. Snake added, "Don't forget to buy a banoffee tart while you're at it. We're swinging by to the zoo afterwards."

Mr. Piranha only stared at the money in his hands.

...

Mr. Shark and Ms. Tarantula were holding their breaths as they stared at the two phones on the coffee table. One was ringing while the other was on speaker. The person on the line wasn't too happy. In fact, he was furious beyond belief!

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU CALL ME IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE FUCKING GIFT CARD I ASKED?!?!" the voice, unmistakably male, roared. While Mr. Shark does the talking, Ms. Tarantula was tracing the call that leads to a call centre in Lagos.

"I do have the card. Let me see if I- Oh, I got a few hundred dollars. Lemme redeem the code," Mr. Shark replied in a feminine voice, trying to squash down the urge to punch the guy on the other end. This guy had conned a lot of people of their money by sending suspicious emails and calls while pretending to be someone from the bank. Most of his victims were elderly people and single parents who were desperate.

"WHY DID YOU REDEEM IT?!?! I TOLD YOU TO NOT BUY THE CARD!!!"

'He's changing the script of his dialogue,' Mr. Shark thought to himself. At the same time, he was browsing online on his tablet for activities related to the sea. That night where he and Mr. Piranha spent with Mira was the best night he had ever experienced, aside from the gala where he played drums to draw a crowd.

He wanted to make up for the accident that almost cost Mira her life.

This was another mission that Mr. Wolf and Diane assigned for the both of them. It was similar to a heist but on the good side. But this was taking a toll on him. Handling scammers sounded easy but it could wear you down. Once the call ended, Ms. Tarantula had already track the guy down, signalling Shark to end the call.

"What are you doing, Shark?" Ms. Tarantula asked, peering over his shoulder before adorning a Cheshire Cat grin. "Is there a reason you're looking at water sports? Romantic destinations near the beach?"

Mr. Shark's response was a red flushed face.