My Gang Leader

Eight

"How'd you find that out?"
"James. I told you. He hacked the police files, your mother has a pretty lengthy record." He shrugged. "Also he found a picture of her wearing that same necklace."
"Got it. What do we do?"
"I don't know. We need to think...plan."
"So this means...my mother murdered my grandmother? But the voice in the video sounded male." I was confused. This made no sense. Why harm your own mother? Just why!?
"Voice changer." He shrugged. "He is still trying to piece this together." He got up from his chair and pulled me up with him. "Get some rest, we will check more out tomorrow."
I did what he asked and made my way to my room. I couldn't sleep, so I lay there staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts about my own mother swirled my mind. Why her? Why my grams? Then I got a funny filling, what if it was Ben and not my mother...or worse; what if it was both of them!? I pulled out my phone and did a search-Franklin, Ben Moore. My face lit up when I found a police record and a mug shot.
"You've got to be kidding me!" I sighed. "Burglary, assault, assault and battery, attempted murder, women abuse, known pedophile, assault on police official, assault with a deadly weapon...." There's just too much to name.
I got frustrated and threw my phone on the floor. I still didn't understand why anyone would go for my grams. A sweet old lady who would never hurt a fly. I couldn't help but scream. Thus sending sunny in with a gun drawn.
"What the hell!?" I yelled at her. "Put that thing away!"
"Well, you were screaming. What else was I suppose to do?" She shrugged stuffing her gun in the waist of her jeans. "You ok?" She asked climbing into my bed.
"No." I started to sob.
"No one ever is. Not here. But we manage." She wrapped her arm over my shoulders and pulled me into her.
I laid my head on her shoulder and just cried. I guess she knew what that meant, I didn't want to speak, didn't want to make a sound.

I must have passed out crying. When I woke up, Sunny was still laying in my bed with her leg hanging over. I tried to nudge her and shake her, but she was out.
I decided to do what was best. I pushed her onto the floor and watched her jump up like she was a ninja. I couldn't help but laugh.
"Why did you do that?" She fell back onto my bed face first.
"Breakfast time. Get up."
"Five more minutes." She groaned into the pillow.
"Nope." I got up an started bouncing. "Time for some of your own medicine."
"Alright, I'm up!" She got out of the bed and slowly strolled to the stairs.
I followed close behind her until we reached the kitchen where everyone was seated. We took our seats sitting beside Nicole and mike.
"You were badass at the fight." Mike shot me a wink and a smile. "Seriously good looking at the dance too." Nicole smacked him in the back of the head.
"You can't say that to a girl, idiot."
I couldn't help but laugh a little. All morning I had people congratulating me. Even Mark and Lisa congratulated me. Marla, on the other hand, kept staring daggers at me.
"Attention!" Bran yelled over all the chattering. Everyone shut up pretty quickly and looked back at Bran. "Thank you. Now I have an announcement to make. We are having a meeting after breakfast, we have things to talk about." His eyes met mine for a single moment. Then he started scanning the room. Everyone was nodding.
"This should be good," Nicole whispered.
"What do you think it's about?" Mike chimed in.
"I guess we will find out." Sunny motioned stuffing good into her mouth.

After breakfast, everyone filed into the meeting room. Bran at the head as usual. Marla took the 'special' seat to his left and mark on the right. When I entered, Bran motioned for me to sit on his left.
"Move." He glared at Marla.
As she rose her eyes met mine. She stared straight through me. "Bitch." She whispered.
"Now Marla!" Bran yelled. "We are a family here, if you can't get along with her then I'm going to have to kick you out of here. Do you understand!?"
Marla frowned and nodded. And went to the back.
"Good. Now on with this meeting." He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket handing it over to me. "All the info James dug up on your mom and fuck face." Fuck face, meaning Ben of course. Let's face it, he is.
"Thank you." I folded it and stuffed it in my pocket.
"Now, we have a problem." His eyes landing on me. "Fuck face, and your mom. They're apart of the Snakes. So we have to kill them...eventually. I want them found and brought to me. Who's up for this job?"
I looked down trying to push the thoughts from my mind that tried to surface. "I'll do it. They don't know I'm here, they don't know I'm one of you. And I'm guessing when they murdered my grams, they were looking for me."
Bran's eyes stayed on me, you can see the wheels turning his brain. "No. Anyone else?"
"I'll do it, bro." Mark raised his hand.
"Me too." Sunny beamed while watching me. "She's my friend, I'll do anything for her." She smiled widely at me.
"Sunny, no. They'll kill you if they find that out." I frowned.
"It's ok. I'm tougher than I look. And Mark will be there." She hugged me tightly.
"I'll go too." Mike piped up.
"Me too." Nicole raised her hand. "She's been our family since day one. We protect our family."
"Perfect. Four should be enough. But I'll send backup also. They'll watch silently if there's trouble, shoot to kill. No exceptions." Bran nodded. "Mark, you know what to do. And I know you'll get it done."
"You know it. When do we move?"
"Tomorrow night. We know where they are." Bran smirked. "Let's do what we can. Those of you going, get your gear together tonight and get plenty of rest. You'll need it. Dismissed."
Everyone took off up the stairs and into their rooms, except those going tomorrow night. They went into a back room, an armory I guess. I didn't move from my seat. I pulled out the paper and scanned it. Pictures of my mom and 'him'. They were talking to an older man, a scruffy looking man. Handing him money. But for what? So many questions.
"You need to rest." Bran was still sitting in his seat, staring at me.
"I can't. There's just so much going through my head." I was still studying the picture.
"The man is the leader of the snakes. James zoomed in, your mom and her man, they have the Snakes mark on the inside of their wrists." He was pointing to the picture showing me. "It looked like an exchange. Maybe they paid him to kill your grams. Maybe they're paying him to look for you." He shrugged.
I crinkled the paper up and threw it in the bin and tried to fight the tears that were about to spill.
"I won't let anything happen to you." Bran grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I didn't fight it, I let it happen and before I knew it, I leaned in and kissed him.
"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't--" I got up and walked to my room and closed and locked the door. Sliding down to the ground, I let the tears take over me.
So many emotions were taking hold. Sadness, anger, none made sense. I just lost the most important person in my life and bran was making me stay back while everyone else was going out risking their lives for me. I can't allow that. I need to go too, even if I die.
I'm going!