A Fatal Mistake

Deven

           “Eat.” My mother said, sliding a plate loaded with lasagna toward me across the counter.

           “Ma, you really do too much.”

           “I just worry about you, Deven. I wish you would come back home, figure out what you really want to do with your life.”

           “Actually, I have some news.” I grinned at her. “I came to tell you I just finished a major deal. I’m going to pay you back everything I’ve ever borrowed, Ma. Set you and Lizzy up in a real nice place.”

           “Deven.” She said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Please tell me you’re not involved with drugs again. If you are, we can get you back into rehab. I really do think you should come back home.”

           “It’s nothing like that, Ma.” I frowned, waving her away. “Besides, I never had a drug problem, really. Benefits of being a hybrid, my system burned it off, and I can’t get addicted.”

           “I still worry. Those people you ran with when you were doing drugs were dangerous. I don’t like the idea of my baby boy being involved in anything like that.”

           “If I swear this has nothing to do with drugs, will you just be happy for me and let me take care of you for once?” I pled.

           Before she could answer, there was a loud thud in the foyer. The room filled with men as the door flew open. My eyes grew wide as I recognized the older man from the club I had been frequenting, running my scams.

           “You grifted the wrong man, wolf.” He snarled, pulling a pistol from the inner pocket of his black duster.

           I heard my mother start to shift behind me just before a shot rang out. I whirled to face my mother, horror flowing through me as a dark red spot spread across her flower pint blouse. Her face held a startled expression as she clasped at the bullet wound driving straight through her heart.

           “No!” I screamed as she collapsed to the floor.

           I pealed my eyes away from the unnaturally still body of my mother and watched as the older man handed his gun to one of the goons before removing his leather gloves one finger at a time.

           “What have you done?” I bellowed. “She had nothing to do with this!”

           “Consider that a warning, wolf.” He replied, glaring at me. “I only use silver bullets; she won’t be coming back from that. Neither will any of the rest of your little pack if you don’t get me my money back. You have two weeks before I start on the rest of them.”

           “I need more time. Please, my family is innocent.” I stammered.

           “Two weeks, mongrel. Make it look like a robbery.” He said to the goons who had stormed my mother’s home with him.

           I stared at him, too shocked to bother dodging the fist that landed against my jaw. The goons split into groups, half tearing through the rental house, turning drawers on end, and taking valuables. The others were getting to work inflicting as much injury as possible to my body. My mind was too far away to notice the pain that tore through me. All I could think about was protecting my sisters and brother. I had thought the man an easy score, a billionaire who wouldn’t care about losing a couple million.

           “You will get me my money, wolf.” The older man said as his thugs stepped back for him to assess their work. “For your sake, I hope you never enter my territory again.”

           “Who are you?” I gurgled through the blood filling my mouth.

           “William Striker.” He sneered. “My name alone should have kept the likes of you from running your con.”

           Fear coiled around my heart at the sound of his name. I had heard it before, years ago when I had been running with drugged-up humans. Striker was the local mob boss; worse, he was rumored to be a hunter. My kind had believed coming into the light had eliminated the threat of hunters, but I had come across a few wolves who told tales of Striker’s family and their brutal manner of dealing with werewolves.

           “Ah, I see you understand who I am now.” He cooed. “Good. Get me my money in two weeks, and I may just let you and your disgusting family live.”

           My eyelids closed of their own accord as I listened to the sounds of the men’s retreating footsteps. I needed to call someone, to warn them what they were walking into, but the goons had done enough damage to render me immobile for the moment. While I healed faster than humans, they had done enough damage to have killed me if I hadn’t been a hybrid. It would take me longer than a full blown wolf to heal. I let the darkness carry me off as my body worked to repair the damage.

           “Oh, goddess! Deven! Deven! Wake up!” I heard Adam’s strained voice call from a distance.

           I forced my eyes open, wondering how long I had lain there before my older brother had arrived home. I rolled onto my back with a groan. Even the slightest movement of my breathing was painful.

           “Thank goddess; you’re alive.” He breathed as he began to poke and prod along my injured form. “What happened?”

           “Mom. Check mom.” I hissed as his fingers found a particularly tender spot.

           He left my side and raced around the island counter separating us from our murdered mother. His howl rattled the house as he discovered her cold body. I knew I would have to tell him the truth about what happened, but getting the police involved when I was in deep shit with the mob would only guarantee they killed the rest of my family before my time was up.

           “Intruders.” I croaked as he raced toward the phone.

           I let myself lapse back into unconsciousness as he lifted the receiver to dial for help. I knew there would be questions that I wouldn’t be able to answer without endangering us further. I needed time to think, to come up with an explanation for why I couldn’t describe the intruders. Once I spoke with the police, I would come clean with Adam and my sisters. They deserved to know the truth, even if we couldn’t tell the authorities.