Red Hood (Book One)

Chapter Nineteen

 Hatchet and I went outside to that light brown gazebo. The sun was setting, and the plan was in motion. We both watched the sunset in the orange sky. Hatchet leaned against the gazebo, staring off into the distance. 

 I checked the time on my phone. It was 6:40. I tapped my nails on the ledge. As the sky started getting dark, we heard howling from the forest in front of us. I could faintly see a full moon above the trees.

 "So it's that type of night, huh?" Hatchet asked. 

 I chuckled. "Yup. It sure is." 

 "This is music to my ears. You know, besides the sound of panties dropping." 

 "You just had to make this dirty, didn't you?"

 "Hell yeah. It's my brand." 

 He looked me and down. I turned away from him. Brandon needed come here soon. His meeting made me feel uncomfortable. The wolves finally came out of the forest. Hatchet grabbed a pistol from his pocket and left the gazebo.

 I followed him out of it and stood in front of the wolves. The wolf in the center of the group growled at Hatchet. He raised his pistol in the air and pulled the trigger. Nothing came out. I snickered. He couldn't shoot them this time.

 A loud, baritone laugh came from the center wolf. Hatchet furrowed his brow. I kept a straight face while he glanced between me and the center wolf. He shoved the pistol back in his pocket. That's when the center wolf stopped laughing and spoke.

 "Not so tough now, are you? I've been waiting to get you at your weakest."

 "I'm far from weak. I hunted down a fucking werewolf," Hatchet seethed.

 "That's why we're here. The werewolf you killed was my father."

 "You think I give a shit? He made me a lot of money. You will make me a lot more." 

 "Over your dead motherfucking body." 

 The wolf jumped on Hatchet. I took three steps away from them. Hachet punched the wolf in the side. The wolf bit his arm. In a way, this was retribution for the murder he profited off of. The other wolves headed for the house, just as Hatchet screamed in pain. 

 I ran into the house, and went upstairs. A pistol in an office caught my attention. There was a tube of clear liquid lying right next to it on the desk. I read the label. Steathonyl. After a little Google search, the results showed me that Steathonyl causes aggression and blurry vision. I looked inside the pistol, and it had darts in it.

 I grabbed another pistol from the drawer and checked it. This one had actual bullets in it. When I got downstairs, I heard a phone ring. A green eyed wolf stood in front of me. I sucked my teeth. What the hell was she doing this for? I tried to head for the back door, but she blocked my way. 

 "He's got this. You need to do something for me." 

 "Like what?" I asked. 

 "Go down to the basement and ask Tom where the 'curse' came from." 

 "Fine."

 She followed me to the basement. I opened the door and hid the pistol behind my back. The room smelled like sweat and beer. Tom was sitting on a black leather couch, watching a ghost hunter show. He turned the tv down when he saw me. 

 I stepped into the room, keeping my face stoic. Tom watched me with a furrowed brow. He was wearing a white tank top, instead of the flannel shirts he usually wore. If we just met, I wouldn't recognize him without them. He put down the can of Budweiser on the brown wooden coffee table in front of him.

 "What, Candy?" 

 "I got a question. Be honest with me." 

 "Go on. Ask." 

 "Where did the curse really come from?"

 "I don't know. It just came up."

"So the wolf expert doesn't know what made a wolf attack my mom?"

"No. Wolves are just aggressive, alright?"

I rolled my eyes. This was bullshit. Tom made money off of people's fear of wolves and somehow didn't know why people were getting attacked? I never got attacked, but he still wanted Brandon's blood. I frowned as I thought about my mom. She had PTSD because of a drug fueled attack.

Tom took a sip of his beer and wiped his mouth with his hand. Once he got up, I pointed the pistol at his chest. His eyes widened. I wasn't going to let him lie to me this time.

"I was never attacked by the wolf. How the fuck you explain that?"

 "You're telling me that you lied to my face?" he demanded. 

 "No. I never told you anything. Your greedy ass just assumed and wanted the wolf's blood." 

 He backed away from me, with an expression of horror. I walked towards him. The green eyed wolf slowly approached us. That man in front of me was speechless. He frantically searched the couch for a weapon and growled when he couldn't find one. 

 Tom tried to run to the door, but we beat him there. The green eyed wolf growled at him when he took one step closer to us. I was getting impatient. He needed to give me answers soon. 

 "Tell me why the curse has spread to other families. Or else I'll shoot you," I said with some bass in my voice.

 He frowned. "Fine. It's not real. I had to stage some attacks to get customers."

"You shady son of a bitch! My mama's scarred because of you!"

"A son of a bitch who made money. And that's not my problem."

That lying bastard tackled me to the floor. The pistol fell out of my hands. He wrapped his hands around my neck, glaring down at me. I started gasping for air. The green eyed wolf bit his arm. He screamed in pain.

When he closed his eyes and loosened his grip, I grabbed the pistol. I shot him in the head. The green eyed wolf let go of him the moment he fell on the floor. I pulled his hands off my neck and got up.

The green eyed wolf and I rushed upstairs. I hid the pistol in my purse before she bit my green denim jacket and led me outside. We stopped in the street near a black Chevrolet. I got in the driver's seat and took a minute to catch my breath.

Just as I was about to get out, the back door opened. Beverly was sitting in the backseat, smacking her lips. Right after I started the car, Brandon got in the passenger's seat. I slowed down my breathing when I saw the blood on the lower half of his face.

Brandon wiped his face with a tissue. "You like what you see, sweetheart?"

"You know I do, baby. I'm just shocked," I said.

He leaned in, and kissed me gently on the lips. I giggled. He smirked at me. Beverly cleared her throat.

"Girl, can you just drive? You can kiss him later."

"Bev, calm down. You can wash the taste of my jacket soon," I retorted.

"You didn't have to say that in front of everybody."

"It's only three of us in here."

"If you say that in front of Brandon, you might as well say it in front of everybody."

"Whatever."

I drove down the street. The farther I drove, the calmer I felt. Brandon rolled down the window. A breeze came in and touched the both of us. It felt good to be carefree, even for just a moment.