Flashpoint: Wayward Sons

Prologue

            "Do you think I'm stupid?!" the man shouted. He took two unintentional steps forward in his blind rage and Greg Parker wanted to pull his son back because he was too close. He was just too close.  But moving meant escalating the situation, and that was the last thing Greg wanted to do.

            "I think you're an absolute idiot!" Dean replied, ignoring the pounding in his head and the spots in his vision. God, he sounded like Clark. Of course, Clark would never do this, never be this loud or this reckless. This was far beyond Clark's comfortable and quiet bite.

            It appeared Dean was escalating the situation whether Greg wanted it to happen or not. He went from startled to furious to panicked in an instant. Dean never spoke like that. He knew how dangerous it was to speak like that, especially to someone holding a gun. Greg stared daggers at his son. He was no fool. He knew exactly what Dean was doing. He was a smart kid. Damn him.

            "Dean." His voice was low and dangerous, warning Dean to stop. This wasn't the only way. It couldn't be the only way. Dean didn't listen.

            "I mean really? How do you get beaten out by a couple of kids?" He pressed. "Come on! And you're mad at him?!" Dean nodded toward Greg, but didn't dare make eye contact with him. He forced himself to laugh instead and caught sight of the gun wavering just slightly. It encouraged him. "You're too stupid to even realize I'm the one who you should be pointing that gun at." This was it. "I'd say I've proven that I'm smarter than you. I mean you can't even finish it! Go on, what are you waiting for?" Dean saw the rage in the man's eyes and the gun pointed at his father faltered quite visibly this time. He just had to push it a little farther. "I guess it must run in the family. Didn't I here you call one of those guys your brother?"

            That did it. The gun whipped through the air and settled on Dean. Greg Parker felt his heart rise in his throat. It all happened at once and the gunshot was so loud it almost drowned out his scream.

            "Dean!"