Betrayed By You

Ch.6 - My Job

"Devlin, we have a... Situation." Demeter said, locking his office door.

"What kind of situation?"

"You remember that fox I won? The shifter?

"Yeah, you said you were going to be gone for a few days to claim your prize in a mating. By the lack of new smell on you I'm guessing you got interrupted."

"Not in a nice way, either. Somehow a female human got into the house while I was in the midst of courting and the fox escaped. So now I have to go searching for her."

"Why are you searching for her instead of your fox?"

"Because the woman saw things she shouldn't have and now she's going to pay for it. You know how it works, Devlin."

"So who's going to take over lead while you're searching if you have to leave the area?"

"I guess it'll be you. Now, I also have a job for you." He fished a picture out of his desk drawer and put it face down on the top, sliding it towards me. "This is your target. Your job is going to be unlike any other you've had before. The picture here is when she's human. All I want you to do is torment her. Do not touch her, do not hurt her physically. You are to make her life a mental hell so much so that she's afraid to go to sleep at night. You are doing psychological torture. Is that understood?"

I nodded and reached for the picture. Demeter smacked my hand. "You do not look at this picture until I've left." He laid another picture on the desk, this time face up. "This is the one I'll be going after. I need you to go to her house and make sure she leaves town. I don't want anyone in our territory to know anything about what our gang really is. It wouldn't make it safe."

"But we're stronger than anything that could ever-" I stopped when he smacked me.

"Don't be an idiot! And don't get cocky. Just because you and I are strong doesn't mean everyone in the gang is. Sam wouldn't hurt a butterfly and Lucian is more concerned with making sure Sam is safe. Flint would just as soon set fire to his own grandmother than an enemy and I have proof of that. Do your job, keep the gang safe, and no matter how long I'm gone do not try and follow me. Is that understood? Am I clear enough?"

I nodded to him. "Don't follow you, make sure the face up picture leaves town, keep everyone safe, make sure things don't go to hell, I'm temporarily in charge, and psychologically torture the fox whose picture is face down but only psychologically meaning no touch. Am I allowed to be seen?"

"I don't think you'll be able to avoid it with her."

"And the other thing you said was not to look at that picture until you were gone." I grabbed the picture that was face up and walked to his door. "Leave the picture on my bed on your way out."

He nodded. "Under no circumstances are you to let your brother know anything that's going on."

"You act like he's still a big part of my life and that he's still in the gang. Why is that?"

"He does record keeping. All the paperwork. It's something he and I agreed upon a long time ago among other things. I act like he's still a big part of your life because I know he keeps in touch with you in some ways."

I nodded, rolling my eyes. "I'm off for my mission. I need to get some movement anyway. Feels like I haven't had a good workout since the last hunt."

"Because you haven't, you lazy pup. Here, you'll need this. It's a piece of the woman's clothing. Tore off when she got away from me. Use it to track her."

"I'll add working out more to my list of things to do while you're away." I said. He nodded.

I wonder what has him this way. He's only this skittish is something major is happening and I've never seen him this nervous. What does Duval have to do with any of this? And why did Demeter bring up how weak the others are? This doesn't add up. I had thoughts running through my head as I committed the picture to memory before shifting and running, the shred of clothing in my mouth to keep the job at hand in my head.