First Person pov
I crept along the ground, my eyes watching as Vander went to Benzo's shop and got the big man himself before stomping off once again. Whiskers squeaked as she ran along the ground, looking back to make sure I was still following. I nodded as I went, avoiding running out in the open just in case Vander decided to look back for any reason and see me. He finally turned down another dark alley just beside Benzo's shop, throwing open a door in front of him. I ducked behind a crate, Whiskers climbing up to it as we both looked out.
"Vander?" Vi whispered, standing up off the box she had been standing on inside the small room.
The big man moved in, "We don't have much time," and then I couldn't see what was happening. So I grunted, quickly climbing on top of the crate and using that to jump up onto a balcony nearby. Swinging myself from one to the next, I managed to find a dark corner that gave me the perfect hiding place to observe everything from high up. I didn't focus on how high up I was, though.
"How did you find me?" Vi demanded as Benzo began looking around the alley he was in. Whiskers climbed up onto my shoulder just as I ducked, hoping Benzo couldn't see me. He then slipped into the room, and I sighed in relief.
"I'm proud of you," Vander said as he cupped Vi's cheeks. "Always have been."
"I'm sorry, I... This is the only way to protect the others," Vi mumbled, and I frowned as Whiskers gasped. What is she talking about? Dogs began barking from down below, and I heard footsteps approaching. But I didn't dare lean forward in case the shadow would pass over me and I would be exposed to the light.
"Vander!" Benzo called, seeing something I wasn't from where ever he was in the room.
"You've got a good heart," Vander began rambling as he tugged on Vi a little more. "Don't ever lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you. Protect the family."
"What are you--?" she began asking before Vander pushed her out of my view. My eyes bugged as Whiskers squeaked, jumping down in front of me and pushing herself into the light of the balcony roof we were on. She stood up on her hind legs, looking into the room and seeing things I couldn't. A lock rattled from within before I heard heavy breathing directly below me, and I looked over before freezing up completely. Enforcers--they were going right into the same room the others were in. "Vander!" Vi's voice was softer now... she was in a different room in there, "Let me out! This isn't right."
"I'm guessing that's for me," the female enforcer said as she looked inside the room to the right. She stayed in view of my vision, and soon Vander walked back into view as well in front of her. She nodded to the man to the left, and he moved into the room to walk past Vander. But he put his arm out, stopping him.
"You gonna let us make the arrest or not?" the man growled after pulling out a pair of handcuffs.
"You'll oblige a doomed man one last smoke," Vander replied cooly as he brought out a match and struck it against the counter next to him, lighting the pipe he pulled out of his back pocket. Whiskers squeaked, running up to my shoulder in fear as I leaned a little further forward. Vander took in a deep breath of smoke before letting it out through his thin lips, waving the match out. "Won't you?"
The woman moved past her male coworker, standing side by side with Vander, "I'm not putting you away, Vander."
"The Council needs its pound of flesh."
"Without you down here, it all falls apart."
Vander took a long drag from his pipe.
"Benzo will handle things. He may not have my devilish charm, but he runs a tight ship," Vander," he joked while looking over at the man.
"Vander, no. You can't do this!" Vi's panicking voice made me want to jump down there and stop this whole thing. But I was glued to the roof almost like I was stuck in the crouched position I was in.
"You won't be coming back for a long time," the woman continued on as if they couldn't hear Vi.
Vander walked up to the male while holding out his hands, "I know."
"Why?" the woman whispered as she watched Vander get handcuffed.
"It's the only way."
My eyes whipped down to a low snarling, and I gasped as I pushed my back to the wall behind me. Fear rid up my back and chest, and Whiskers quickly hid within my hair as I watched the large jaguar sprint full speed towards a couple of enforcers that had been standing outside the building.
"Watch out!" one cried while waving its gun in the large animal's direction. But the beast leaped, clobbering the men down in single swipes. With its teeth it chomped down through helmets and bones, tossing the men like rag dolls. And as soon as the woman had run out of the room, another larger frame moved up from behind me stuffing a clawed hand right through her back and out her chest. My eyes widened as the enforcer's heart beated for a couple of seconds before stopping within the clawed hand, and then the arm wrenched itself out before the enforcer's body dropped to the ground. The large frame moved before I could identify what it was. And the large jaguar jumped into the shadows and out of sight just as the door busted open and Vander hurried out with Benzo and the other enforcer right at his sides.
"What the devil--?" Benzo rasped as they stared at the blood-coated streets. The big man slowly bent over and grabbed a pipe, holding it in one hand as Vander's chest rose and fell heavily.
"No," he whimpered just before squinting his eyes ahead. I whimpered as I tried to calm my breathing, holding myself against the wall as tightly as I could as I watched a slim figure begin to make its way towards the three below me. Vander's eyes widened in realization as I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of the horror that was surely coming.
"Silco?" Benzo rasped the familiar name out, and I looked down to get a proper look at the man we were told little about. He stood with a trench coat on, slicked-back hair away from a scarred face. His left eye was black, with specks of orange as the pupil. "You animal. Go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of!"
He began moving towards the man, and I felt my heartbeat spike as Vander yelled, "Benzo, stay back!"
"You never did know when to walk away," Silco mumbled before the large frame from before came charging in, almost as if on cue.
"Wait," Vander began calling before the frame tackled Benzo and nailed him to the ground, long claws digging into his chest. "No!"
Vander fell to his knees as the woman standing over Benzo now slowly pulled out away, gold and purple eyes staring menacingly down at Vander.
"Hmm. Stubborn to the end," Silco mumbled as the jaguar from before came slinking out from behind the man with a low snarl. The animal's eyes matched the woman's, staring deeply at Vander as my jaw dropped a little. Putting two and two together--looking from the long black hair that was pulled tightly away from the large face of the woman to the way the jaguar curled its tail around Silco--this was my mother and her cat.
"What the hell have you done?" the male enforcer began yelling while stepping around Vander's body. "This wasn't the deal!"
Silco began walking around him, "Deal's change."
He tossed him a bag full of coins, which a couple had fallen out into the pile of blood below that was seeping out of Benzo. Silco motioned his head towards Mother, and she let out a small snarl as she moved forward and loomed over Vander. He continued to pant, keeping a close eye on Benzo for as long as he could before slowly looking up at my mother. His teeth clenched together, jaw tightening as if he was about to do something. But my mother curled her right fist, rearing it back before pounding it across Vander's cheek. Whiskers panicked squeak was covered up by Vander's body hitting the ground.
Silco turned away, the enforcer heaving his chest as he watched Bane slink around him and towards Vander. My mother began walking after Silco, Bane in tow with Vander's collar clutched between his jaws. I let out heavy breaths, reeling in panic at what had just taken place. The enforcer below me slammed the bag of coins against the ground before running out of the alley--and then Ekko appeared out of the shadows. His eyes found Benzo's limp body, and he immediately began sobbing while running over to him. Whiskers squeaked as she jumped off my shoulder, running to the edge of the balcony while watching the frames as they began to disappear. She looked at me over her shoulder, squeaking before jumping down and running after them. I looked from her body and up, taking in a deep, steadying breath before running after her.
* * * * *
I ran down the alley, letting out spluttering coughs as I went. Whiskers ran ahead, squeaking over and over as she ran into the room I had last seen Vi enter. Ekko was gone, no longer by Benzo's side when I ran past his still-frozen body. I rammed my shoulder against the door frame, letting out a little hiss before Whiskers squeaked to get my attention. Looking over, I managed to see her run into another door that was open, scurrying down the few steps before entering the dark room. Without hesitation, I stumbled down the steps and stopped at the sight. Vi was holding Ekko as he sobbed into her arms, oblivious to my presence. But her eyes snapped up to mine, and I couldn't help but begin to tear up at the memories that washed through my body.
"What about Vander?" she whispered as she smoothed down the top of Ekko's white hair.
"They took him," I mumbled as I lowered my eyes away from hers.
I grimaced, my body beginning to tremble as I sniffed without thinking. Tears began running freely, and a sob escaped me before I could stop it. Using the back of my wrist I rubbed at my nose that was beginning to run and soon I felt an arm hook around me. I wrapped one arm around Vi's neck as she continued to hold Ekko off to her left and me to her right. Her fingers hooked into the nape of my hair behind my neck, soothing the burning skin beneath as I let out another sob and pressed my cheek against her chest. Ekko looked up at me, continuing to cry as well as I pulled him into my other arm.
"Where?" Vi mumbled, her voice coming out soft and smooth. But in control--she was getting to the bottom of this. I squeezed my eyes shut as Ekko shook his head, having no idea. But I did. I nestled into Vi a little closer, knowing whatever was going to happen next I would not let her do it alone.