A Fortune I Seek

Chapter 4

"You shouldn't have gone there alone." Bear decided adamantly. He slapped a leather crutch against my leg and wrapped it tightly with a bandage to keep my leg supported, "He could have killed you."

He definitely could have, he certainly had the skill. It would have been an eventful battle but in the end, we were evenly matched. I might have bested him in a hand to hand fight but I am certain he would have used sly tricks, he seemed the type to do so. And I would have not been surprised to fall under his hand.

I poured myself another glass of whiskey and swallowed it all in one gulp, "Damn. How did that go so wrong? It should have been an easy kill."

"We went into it expecting simplicity." Bear taped the bandage and stole the whiskey bottle from me to drink, "We should have been more prepared. Clearly the princess was more formidable than we anticipated."

I winced while sliding my leg off the barstools and tested it on the floor. It still hurt, but not as much as it did during the long walk back to our home.

The term 'home' was used loosely around here. It was a bar, technically. Old wooden floors that dipped too low in some places, water stains on the ceiling and walls permanently yellowed by years worth of smoking, dart boards in the corners and neon signs in the window to welcome paying customers. Tables and chairs were littered throughout with ashtrays on each one and coasters, though I have never seen the coasters in use as evidenced by ring stains from perspiring glasses. A massive counter ran the length of the longest wall, dark and glossy but chipped in various places, blocking a tall wall shelved by every possible liquor someone could think to order.

Our guests knew this place as one of the only bars on the south side of town, because all others had been ransacked too many times to stay in business. But behind a rickety door in the darkest corner, was the rest of our home, hidden in plain sight and protecting us from snooping lawmen. Rooms and hallways that lead to weapon vaults, a shooting range, passages for quick retreats. It was a labyrinth to someone who did not have it memorized and guaranteed to capture stray flies that wandered too far into our web.

This is the stronghold of the Wolfe family, our headquarters. Our homebase that we depart from and return to as often and varying as passengers on a train.

A battalion of cousins wandered somewhere beyond the back room, aunts and uncles putzed through the place in preparation for their own missions, but thankfully my parents were gone while attending several meetings with clients. My father was our leader, the head of a very devious family as vicious as our name implied. Everyone reported to him, and I would be expected to do the same when my parents return the day after next.

Which gave me just enough time to fix my most recent mistake.

"I will remember that for next time." I said coolly.

Bear paused mid chug. Unintentionally the bottle slipped away from his lips and liquid dripped down his chin then splattered against the countertop, "You're not actually planning on meeting him tomorrow night, are you?"

"I have to." Of course I have to, is he stupid?

"Are you stupid?!" He exclaimed.

Great minds think alike.

For all his faults, Bear is a fitting name for my brother. He is as protective as a bear and even more deadly if the moment calls for it. Especially when it comes to our family. We have lost many over the years so those that remain are cherished.

My parents expect success regardless of the circumstance or sacrifice. But Bear understands the lengths we are willing to go in order to please our parents. Often times, he and I are our own saviors and our only back up. On several occasions, in the dark of the night or the misplaced joy of a sunny day, we were the only ones to watch as each other nearly passed on into the afterlife.