Fraudulent Death, Draft 01, CH 10 (Patreon)

Trembor looked up from the pad to the garage door. He hadn’t wanted to cancel on Marlot, but his wolf would be able to tell something had happened, and he’d want to act. To protect him. He couldn’t let Marlot endanger himself that way.

He checked the time. A few hours still until his meeting. He could go track down someone, prepare them, then bring what he wouldn’t eat to his buyer once his lawyer left. He chuckled. Or he could make it easy on himself and just prepare his lawyer. That would solve the issue of arguing with him over how his defense should go. But even if he could afford the male, his father would demand an explanation, and Trembor didn’t think ‘I deserve to be caged’ would be acceptable.

He stepped out of the car. He needed to change if he was going to refill his cooler. He’d dressed for lunch with his brother, not to fight.

“Trem, wait up!” Bo called, getting out of his own car.

Trembor’s hands clenched. “Go home, Bo. I’m not in the mood.”

“Will you calm down?” His brother hurried to join him, and Trembor considered decking him. He hadn’t hit one of his brothers since they were cubs and play fighting, but Bo was pushing his luck.

“Calm down, after what you fucking pulled? You said you wanted to talk. I thought you’d finally come to your senses and were going to ask for my help extricating their claws out of you. Instead, you go and pull me in?”

Bo raised his hands placatingly. “It’s not like that. You’re the one who needs help, so I reached out to people who can do that.”

Trembor starred. “I don’t need criminals’ help. I went to criminals to help you, and not only did that end up with them being tortured, but now I have more of them wanting to buy my freedom.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Do you really want to be caged?”

Trembor gritted his teeth and settled for glaring. Telling Bo yes wouldn’t help. Everyone had it in their head he shouldn’t have to pay for his crime. His family was a stubborn bunch, they’d just fight harder to make him see ‘reason’.

“Look, working for them isn’t that bad. It’s not like they’ve asked me to break any laws or anything.”

“No, they just got you to arrange a meeting between them and me.”

“I asked them, Trem.

Trembor snorted. “Don’t kid yourself. What are you going to do when they ‘ask’ you to introduce them to Harezik?”

“They won’t do that.”

Trembor shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re that naïve. Harezik works for the revenue department. Do you have any idea how valuable that would be for your ‘friends’? I’m just and RI and they want me.”

Bo sighed. “You’re being paranoid. When can they have you do?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Bo shook his head.

“If they kill city leader Sharphorns in my territory, he goes in my freezer and he stays there until I find the killer. Doesn’t matter how long it takes. Now. Imagine what they could do if they had someone inside the revenue department who could delete an ID, or switch it with someone else’s. It’s no longer city leader Sharphorns in my freezer. As far as people and the government know, he just vanished. And why only have to pay a fraction of what he’s worth.”

“They won’t do that. Trem, they aren’t like that. They’re business people.”

“They’re criminals. And the only thing anyone gets from working with criminals is a lowered rating.”

“Oh get off your hill, will you? I’m trying to help you. Maybe if you weren’t so fucking stiff you’d see this is a good thing. You’re not the only one able to help his family.”

“Stiff? You’re seriously going to tell me that because I don’t want to work with criminals—”

“You already did, you hypocrite.”

“I did that for you!”

“And I’m doing this for you!”

“No, you idiot,. You’re doing it for them!”

“Of course. Trembor’s the only one who sees things clearly. Age and all that. And he never needs help, that’s why Dad and our Moms had to step in between you and your boyfriend before he killed you.”

Trembor stiffened. “I have never claimed not to need help,” he growled. “When I want help, I ask for it.”

“Sure like you—”

“You don’t funking know what you’re talking about! I told them I need to get away from Gorrek. I told them I didn’t know how. I broke down like a cub in my Mom’s arms. I had to look Dad in the eyes and admit I’d been wrong! When are you going to do that?”

“Dad’s got nothing to do with this!”

“Oh, get off your fucking hill. He’s got everything to do with this. If you’d swallowed your fucking pride and listened when he told you you were digging yourself in too deep with your gambling—”

“He yelled at me!”

“Because you never fucking listen when we talk!”

“Maybe I would if one of you finally talked reason, instead of always trying to shove your view down my throat! I’m only a year younger than you, how about you all start treating me like an adult?”

“How about you start acting like one?”

“I fucking am! I’m dealing with my situation without any of your help.”

“And you’re fucking dragging me down with you!”

“Fuck you!” Bo turned and headed away. “You want to be caged on that hill of moral fortitude, you fucking go ahead. I’m done trying to help you.”

“I didn’t ask for your help!”

Bo laughed. “Yeah, that’s fucking hypocrisy on your part.” He got in and slam the car door shut.

“You were going to be killed for predation in a cub, you idiot,” Trembor grumbled. “I’m just going to be caged.”

Bo drove away.

Once his brother calmed down Trembor would call him, do his best to get him to see reason. Their situations were nothing alike. At worse, Trembor was looking at a few years in a complex, maybe a work detail, that wasn’t worth getting cozy with criminals. And Bo seemed too eager, too comfortable with the idea of working for criminals. Maybe it was just because the finance world wasn’t as prone to crimes, but Trembor suspected it was more because Bo’s friends hadn’t worked out an angle that satisfied them yet.

He sighed and got into his house. He needed to relax before the lawyer arrived. He’d go hunting after.