The Fighter

Chapter Twentyone

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

"Hello?"

"I have a question for June."

"Speaking. Who is this?"

"Ozzy, and since when do you speak?" I let out a sigh and feel Damien shift behind me, placing an arm over my waist.

"That doesn't matter. What's wrong?"

"Do you know someone that drives a black Cadillac?" I think for a moment and turn to Damien.

"Black Cadillac?" Damien looks up at me with a raised brow.

"Plate number, Delta Ivan Charlie six nine zero."

I let out a small, tired laugh. "I'm sorry, his plate number is dick sixty nine?"

"That's Thomas, he's one of mine." Damien tries to go back to sleep but soon sits up with his phone in his hand. "The backyard sensor just went off."

"Ozzy, has there been any movement," I ask while slowly getting out of bed to get the kids.

"None."

"I need you to check on the driver of the Cadillac, something's off." I hear the car door open and shuffling of the giant as he walks to the other car. Stepping into Addy's room, I gently wake them up and put a finger to my lips when I her Ozzy curse.

"There's a guy in here, mid thirties with blonde hair," I wait for him to continue. "He's dead. Single GSW to the head with a large caliber bullet. How did I not hear this?"

"Silencer?" Addy and Jake hide themselves in the floorboards under her bed.

"That would mean they're a professional."

"Not really, they just need to watch enough cop shows. Oh, one more thing, you do realize there is a price on my head, yes?" Ozzy grunts.

"It's nearly tripled since the last my brother had spoken to you." 

"Oh well isn't that nice." I let out a small curse and grab the gun from the hallway closet.

"We told you we would try and keep you safe but we didn't even hear about this."

"Don't blame yourself," I say while meeting up with Damien in the kitchen, crouched down behind the island. "Where is Adam, your brother?"

"He is away taking care of another problem, I'm going to hang up and check the perimeter. Stay safe." I shake my head and look around the corner to see if there is any movement. A shadow almost the size of the door appears and begins to jimmy the lock; loading the gun as quietly as possible, I take aim and shoot near the base of the door, hopefully shooting his leg. I hear a loud curse from the other side of the door and both Damien and I run towards it, aiming our guns to the mystery man. Pulling the door open quickly, it take everything in me to not shoot the man again.

"What the fuck," Damien asks quietly.

"Well hello to you as well." I let out long, angered breaths.

"Can I shoot him?"

"He's your brother."

"Quite frankly, I don't give a shit. Did you kill the guy in the Cadillac?" My brother look up at me and shakes his head.

"I saw someone run back here and I figured that I would follow them, they were carrying a gun case." I lift the gun from being pointed at my brother and quickly, without a word, go to the kids. Checking every room as I go, I am suddenly very happy that the house is so small. Walking into the room I left the both of them in, I check every nook and crevice before calling out to my brother.

"With a raven's wing, the page is full."

"With the flesh of a tree, the stage is set," Jake responds after a moment before climbing out of the hiding hole with Addy. "Are you okay?"

"I shot our brother."

"Okay cool, so you're fine, good." I raise a brow. "You look angry."

"It's currently three in the morning, I woke up with a heart attack and then found out that my brother was part of the reason and now I have to deal with your brother-in-law as well to explain exactly why his husband now has a hole in his leg." Jake and Addy watch my angry rant with cautious gazes. "Are you two okay?"

"We're okay," Addy says, "but can we sleep with you and Dad tonight?" I nod and she shuffles to her father's room quickly.

"You're not going back to sleep are you?" I shake my head.

"Go with her, D will be in there soon." I kiss his head lightly and walk back into the living room where my brother sits with a gauze on his leg while Damien and Ozzy stand watching him. "So, do you want to explain to me why the fuck you were in Damien's backyard?" He stays silent. "You don't get to be silent about this shit. My little brother and Damien's daughter are in the other fucking room fucking terrified because the shit you just pulled! Like, what the fuck, dude?!"

"I never meant to scare Jake, I just wanted to make sure you two were safe."

"Bullshit! There is a front door and, oh yeah, phones exist! News flash, man, you don't get to play the caring big brother card on this one. I will admit that there might have been stuff that you've done since you been gone to protect us, but we don't keep secrets in this family." Ozzy walks out to double check the back yard as I hold up the gun in my hand to show him. "This is what I had to do to keep him safe. He was the only thing that mattered to me for a very long time because I thought everybody left me, including Damien. I was alone and I needed you but you were dead and it took me years but I accepted that.

"Then all of the sudden you stroll back in with a 'Whoopsie Daisy! Guess who's back?!' No! I tried to see the good in you but you put not only me but my brother, my boyfriend, and his daughter in danger for no fucking reason." My phone rings and I snap while answering. "What?!"

"Breathe then speak." I take a deep breath and it takes a moment for Ozzy to speak again. "Good, I found some clothing like it got torn when someone tried to jump the fence.  There's some blood that I can try to have traced, but from the look of things I think he's gone."

"For now." Aiming the gun at my brother's head while thanking Ozzy and hanging up the phone, I place my finger on the trigger before letting out a long, angered sigh. "Go home."

"I'm bleeding."

"I don't give a shit."

"What about Jer," he calls out to me but I already have my phone to my ear.

"Hello," Jer answers gruffly.

"Come get your husband. He's got a hole in his leg." Jer starts to freak out but I silence him. "I'm the one that put it there and I've run out of patience for him."