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Chapter Thirteen
Shooting the Breeze
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Eli groaned happily as the fresh air hit his face. Mind, the following rush of exhaust fumes, old garbage from the overflowing trash can and cigarette smoke from several lounging people did not exactly create a wonderful atmosphere. Sarah shot the smokers an annoyed look. They weren’t actually meant to smoke this close to the building, but they didn’t look the sort to care.
‘Do you want to grab something to eat before I take you home?’ Sarah asked as they headed to the carpark.
‘I could eat,’ Eli said happily. The jaguar could always eat. He seemed to have a bottomless stomach. This was not unusual. Shifters who became large animals whether it be an ostrich, Komodo dragon or tiger, usually ate far more food than shifters with smaller animal counterparts. For someone like Eli who came from a poor home, this was a big problem. Sarah had already spoken to Ben and Vano. They knew that Kal had done everything he could to put food on Eli’s plate growing up even if it had meant not eating himself.
Meat in particular was never cheap. Whilst they hadn’t raised or pressed the issue, the suggestion that Kalevi might have procured groceries in slightly less than legal ways had been considered. Jaguars were the third largest cat species, outranking leopards by around 100 pounds. For Eli to grow up healthy, Kal must have been feeding him more than just two-minute noodles and hotdogs. If all went well, they could let the matter rest but if the boys were seriously investigated, Kalevi could be in even bigger trouble.
‘What’s up?’ Eli asked.
Sarah gave herself a little shake. She’s been staring vacantly, lost in her own thoughts. ‘Sorry, getting distracted. Where did you want to go for dinner?’
Eli pulled out his phone a scrolled. ‘There’s a good burger joint down this way,’ he said, pointing vaguely down the street.
‘Lead the way.’
This part of the city was always busy. The library was a crucial shared space between the university students and the public. Sadly, there were several known homeless tents tucked away in a the side alley not far from here. Sarah already knew that Eli made frequent stops there even if it was only to share his chewing gum with an elderly man named George.
The city was massive and the people in it often were left feeling insignificant and unseen. Kalevi wanted Eli to get a good job and leave this place. Eli just wanted to help people. He had talked to Sarah about wanting to start a community soccer team with some of the neighbourhood kids, putting together a fundraiser so they could buy shoes and equipment so the families wouldn’t be out of pocket. It was a wonderful idea, and one Eli was scared of bringing up with his brother.
People were scum, according to Kal. Everyone fends for themselves. Sarah couldn’t blame Kal for feeling that way or even for saying it out loud. She just wished they would be able to break through Kal’s dark tinted glasses and show him that not everything in the world meant his brother harm. The topic of shifters came up often when she met up with Eli. Shifters were another taboo subject at home. Again, Kalevi could be forgiven on the sheer basis that the only shifters in his life had not exactly been role models. He treated them all with distrust. Sarah knew that Ben and Vano had at least made progress on that.
Sarah and Eli weren’t walking long when she became aware that they weren’t the only two in the street. Whilst there were plenty of people about and moving, she was struck with the concerning presence of two other people who seemed to be walking at a similar pace. Carefully she sped up, just a little. So did the two figures behind them.
‘Eli,’ she said softly.
‘Yeah, I noticed too,’ Eli muttered, adjusting the grip on his bag. ‘Who are they?’
‘I don’t know,’ Sarah admitted. She glanced about. So close to the library, most of the shops were stationery, postage, books or electronics. All of which were closed this late. There wasn’t anywhere they could quickly duck into. Maybe if they just stayed at a walk, their pursuers would only follow at a walk.
‘They’re speeding up,’ Eli said in an undertone as they passed under a broken streetlight. It was too late to double back to the library. Sarah looked about but there was no traffic. It was like people could sense the oncoming danger.
‘We could run,’ Sarah suggested.
‘Screw this. My brother wouldn’t run away,’ Eli hissed. He spun on his heel, glaring down their pursuers. Sarah cursed and quickly followed suit. The two thugs walking towards them were tall, broad and slab faced. To Sarah’s relief, they were not shifters, but they also didn’t look like ordinary street thugs either. Whilst one had days old stubble and the other looked as though he rarely did anything with his hair, their clothes were clean, neat even, and they both wore fitted steel capped shoes.
‘Can we help you?’ Sarah growled.
The man with the stubble sneered, his top lip curling back. ‘You? No. We want a nice talk with the boy.’
‘Then talk,’ Eli barked.
‘Your dear ol’ da owes our boss some money,’ said the other, his accent thick. He had a deep, slow way of talking. His clothes were dark and bulky. Sarah had no misconceptions that he was concealing weapons of some kind.
‘My dear ol’ dad is in jail where he fucking belongs. His fuck ups aren’t on us.’
‘See, that would be where you’re wrong. Debts need to be paid. That’s the way of the world little fella.’
‘How much is owed?’ Sarah asked.
Eli glared at her. ‘Nothing. We aren’t giving them any money.’
‘Eli-‘
‘Stay out of this conversation bitch, if you know what’s good for you.’
‘Don’t talk to her like that!’ Eli shouted.
‘I think you both need to understand the shit you’re in.’ Sarah registered the swing a fraction faster than Eli did. She grabbed a handful of his jacket and wrenched him backwards. The situation went from calm to chaos in seconds as a meaty hand missed Eli’s cheek by inches. Stubble man lunged. Eli roared, the sound morphing into something not quite human.
‘Eli, no!’ Sarah yelped. If he shifted, the situation would become several thousand times worse. Her distraction cost her as the first thug wrapped his arm around her waist, picking her up off the ground as his other hand slapped roughly over her mouth to stop her from screaming. There was a frantic scuffle of fists and grunts and Eli and his attacker went to the ground.
Otters were deceptively dangerous animals. An otter had roughly the same amount of bite force as a black bear. With their cute little muzzles and wet fur, most people didn’t really understand that an otter’s jaws could break bone. Unfortunately, this man was about to learn that the hard way.
There was a wet crack of bone and shrill yell of pain as Sarah bit the hand covering her mouth. The two on the ground broke apart, the man with a busted lip and Eli with a dark mark on his cheek. The two thugs seemed to collect themselves even as blood poured thick from the deep bite Sarah had given.
‘This isn’t finished. We know what you freaks are. The boss wants his money back and he’ll get it one way or another.’ The two moved away, their eyes still pinning Sarah and Eli in place. Eli wasn’t standing up very straight, his arm hugging his side. He was growling, his voice shifting from jaguar and back. Sarah placed a careful hand on his arm.
‘Come on. Let’s go back to the library. I need to call this in.’
—
Vano was worried. Kal had always been active, brash, violent even. Having the man so silent and limp made the older shifter uneasy. He had to sniff at the dark hair and listen constantly to assure himself that the little cat was still alive. Kalevi clung to him, face buried in Vano’s shoulder. They had been sitting in silence for nearly half an hour. Vano’s hand were resting on the man’s hips to keep him steady. He didn’t like how prominent the hipbones were. Whilst he wasn’t skeletal, the cat clearly wasn’t used to three square meals.
Vano wanted to remove Kalevi from this toxic place. The mission he and Ben had been given was to help rehabilitate the young man and leave him healthy and whole, but Vano wasn’t sure such a thing was possible in a place that continued to take so much of Kalevi’s life. He frowned as he heard Kal’s stomach rumble.
‘Did you eat dinner last night?’ Vano rumbled.
Kal was silent so long, he thought the cat wouldn’t answer. A flat, dead sort of voice said, ‘I don’t remember.’
‘What were you drinking?’
Kalevi shrugged his shoulders. ‘Whatever was strong and cheap. I already fucked up. I figured it didn’t matter.’
‘You didn’t screw up. Your bus was late,’ Vano murmured.
‘He would have fired me anyway. Chester fucking hated me.’
‘Language,’ Vano said.
Kalevi laughed, the sound dry and painful. ‘How do you find the energy to care?’
‘Sometimes I can’t. Then, I rely on my loved ones to help. I trust them.’ Vano touched the side of Kal’s face. The cat glanced at him with pale cheeks. ‘Do you trust us?’
‘Sometimes,’ Kal croaked. ‘That’s never been… an option before.’
Vano nodded. ‘I understand.’ They lapsed back into silence. Kalevi climbed down from Vano’s lap. The stag wasn’t sure he was happy about that. The huge man stood and went into the kitchen to make tea. Ben would be back soon with food but until then, Vani would need to keep Kal occupied. They ended up back on Kal’s old laptop.
Kalevi was not exactly in the correct headspace to be job hunting or writing applications, but the silence of the room and the weight of his own problems had to be blocked out somehow, so he let Vano have his way. It also gave him an excuse to sit close to the man. This was how Ben found them an hour later.
‘Hello dear,’ Ben said affectionately. He watched fondly as Kal’s cheeks flushed. Ben held up his bag. ‘I come with gifts.’ The gifts turned out to be containers of roast meats and baked vegetables. He unpacked them on the old table as Vano grabbed plates and cutlery.
‘There is a great old fashioned diner near our place that does roasts most days. There’s also apple pie for dessert.’ Kalevi started to reach for the container of chicken when he paused. With a great effort, the cat turned away from the food to face Ben.
‘Thank you.’ His mouth parted to add more but his words seemed to fail him. It probably wasn’t a phrase he used often.
‘You already know you don’t have to thank us, but I appreciate it all the same.’ Ben opened his arms. He kept his expression light and cheery. Kal could ignore the gesture and Ben wouldn’t be offended. He didn’t though, instead coming in to be hugged. What a long way they had come from the slashing, spitting cat they had found. Kal grumbled something about being hungry and Ben being a pain in the ass.
‘Let’s get some food in you, then.’
Vano and Ben made sure Kal had the lion’s share of the roast meats before serving themselves. It was amusing to watch the young man eat like a chipmunk, cheeks bulging.
‘You should probably chew your food,’ Vano said with a smile. Kal flipped him off but slowed down. Very slightly.
‘I bought bread and milk too,’ Ben said as he refilled their water glasses. Predictably, Kal’s expression dropped. He was still very uncomfortable accepting charity or money from them.
‘Would it help if I said it’s because I drunk most of the milk with all my tea,’ Ben said jokingly.
Kal stuffed another piece of chicken in his mouth. ‘Maybe…’
‘Kal, remember what we said about letting others help you?’
Kal glared. ‘What? I didn’t say anything!’ He looked somehow adorable and indignant.
‘You didn’t need to,’ Ben said with a grin.
‘Yeah well, screw you.’
‘Glad you’re feeling more yourself.’ They finished dinner, Kal helping with the dishes.
‘If you want some space, we could leave but if it’s alright, we would like to stay and keep you company for a bit longer,’ Vano rumbled.
‘Are you going to ask me lots of soulful questions?’ Kal asked, only half joking.
‘Not tonight. I think it’s been a long day for everyone,’ Ben replied.
‘It’s been a long fucking week,’ Kal muttered.
‘Language,’ said Vano as the stag tugged the little cat back to the couch.
—
Sarah was trying not to fuss but it was getting increasingly difficult.
Eli was dangerously silent. After she got off the phone with the council, another shifter had come to pick them up. Eli hadn’t spoken a word since the attack. From his scent, she knew he was afraid, angry and ashamed. They would have to talk about this but not until they could calm down and process everything. Sarah’s night had only just begun. She would have to make an official report and have her statement taken. Eli’s too but not now.
Sarah could guess that Eli was dreading his brother’s reaction as the car pulled up to their street. Eli climbed out without thanking the driving and marched toward his front door like a man headed to the gallows. He dug his keys out of his pocket, but the door opened before he could jam them in the lock. Ben stood in the warm light, his expression changing from happy and curious to shocked and worried. Eli shoved past him. Sarah sighed and followed him inside.
Vano was seated on the couch, Kalevi curled up in a tight ball. Despite the late hour, there was still a strong twinge of stale alcohol and stress in the air. Eli froze as he caught a whiff. The scent of alcohol in particular sending strong and traumatising signals to his brain.
‘Did something happen?’ Ben asked with some worry.
‘I could ask the same,’ Sarah said, eyeing the sleeping bundle in Vano’s arms.
‘Eli, you’re hurt,’ Ben said in a loud whisper.
‘Shh! Don’t wake him up!’ Eli hissed. A dark bruise was already starting to show on his cheek. ‘He’s going to freak out when he finds out. Let’s just wait until morning, please?’ It didn’t take a genius to work out that Eli was trying to prolong the time until his brother’s inevitable reaction.
‘And what are you going to tell him happened?’ Ben asked seriously.
A slight flush tinted the unmarked cheek. ‘I mean…’ Eli glanced at Sarah. ‘We don’t have to tell him everything…’
‘Yes. You do. This is getting ridiculous. The two of you need to start talking to each other.’
‘Don’t pretend that he doesn’t keep things from me!’ Eli protested defensively. ‘If he finds out that we were attacked, he’ll never let me leave the house again!’
‘You don’t give him any credit.’
‘I know my brother,’ Eli snapped.
‘So do we.’
The jaguar squared up, the tension in the room rising. ‘You’ve known him for less than two months. He’s my brother. You’re not better than me.’ Ben blinked. Well, that came out of left field. He opened his mouth to reply but his colleague beat him to it.
‘Eli, Ben and Vano are not trying to replace you and you know that,’ Sarah said sternly. Eli looked decidedly sulky, his shoulders hunched.
‘What the fuck is all the shouting about?’ Kalevi was awake. The cat was already shoving himself away from Vano. He stood up. They all knew the very second that Kal’s eyes found the bruise on Eli’s face. The cat went deathly still.
‘What the fuck happened?’
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END
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