Disclaimer: I do not own Four Brothers.
Disclaimer: I own Shannon, Kyle, Simon, Harry, Dr. King, and all the other random characters that have nothing to do with the movie.
The brothers met downstairs in the kitchen at midnight. Camille had taken the girls home after Bobby had promised to drive Jerry back to their house before one. Shannon was upstairs asleep. Sofi was waiting for Angel but had been forbidden to go into the kitchen much to everyone's relief. After being civil to each other for a few days, they had been at each other's throats all afternoon.
"What'd y'all find out this morning?" Jerry asked.
"Dr. King is one fucked up bastard," Angel volunteered.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked.
"Crazy asshole was talking about how Sweet wasn't the devil of Detroit. Telling us that we were gonna' get ourselves killed. Dickhead," Bobby muttered. "Oh, he also said that we need to look at the Adoption Agency if we want answers."
"That might not be a bad idea," Jerry ventured. "We could swing by Monday and ask some questions…"
Bobby burst out laughing. "You've gotta' be shitting me Jerry. Do you actually think that would work? I say we just break into that hellhole tomorrow afternoon while they're closed. No one will file a report until Monday at the soonest and ain't nobody gonna' suspect us."
"Bobby's got a point," Angel said.
"Figures the dumbasses would agree with each other," Jerry muttered under his breath.
"And what the fuck's that supposed to mean Jerry?" Bobby asked.
"It means that y'all need to stop and think for a minute instead of charging into every goddamn situation guns first. Now how will breaking into some crackass adoption agency help us?"
"We can find King again if the info's bogus," Bobby said with a shrug.
"Not if you're in jail. Damn Bobby, you really don't think about these things. Did it ever occur to you that this Dr. King might be just trying to set your ass up?"
"You asshole! Do you really think I'm that stupid?" Bobby demanded. "King won't set us up. He's too deep into any of this shit. We may not go to the police, but Shannon would."
"He's got a point Jerry," Jack said quietly.
Jerry sighed. "Fine, but if this shit all goes down the drain, don't tell me I didn't warn y'all. When are we going?"
"Oh you comin' with us baby doll?" Bobby asked with a sneer.
"Shut up Bobby," Jerry said shaking his head. "Someone's gotta' make sure that you and Angel don't do anything stupid. You know y'all can't take Jackie on this."
"Excuse me, Jackie's right here," Jack said annoyed. "I can take care of myself Jerry. I'm going."
"No you're not fairy," Bobby said firmly. "Jerry's right about that. You stay with Shannon. Maybe you two could go for a short walk, get that bum leg of yours working again."
"Yeah, we'll see," Jack said with a small smile.
I woke up before my uncles and Sofi. That was probably because Kyle had invited me to church this morning. I was happy about that thought. Bobby and Angel had been forced to concede when Jerry had pointed out that it would distract me from other things. He didn't say anything in particular, but I knew he was talking about Simon. That was the only thing that would concern me and it did. In fact, it was more than a concern; it was a terrifying presence that seemed to follow me everywhere. Now I was just hoping that I could forget for a few hours.
I put on my only skirt and a white button-up shirt. I had a pair of slip on shoes that I wore. I walked downstairs and called Kyle. A guy answered on the third ring. "Hello?"
"Hi, is Kyle there?" I asked softly.
"Yeah, just a sec," the guy covered the mouthpiece, but I could still here him shout. "Yo midget! There's a girl on the phone? Since when do you give girls our number? She your girlfriend?"
"Shut up Brandon!" said Kyle's muffled voice. "Hello?"
"Kyle? It's Shannon."
"Hey Shannon! You still want to come to church with us?"
"Yeah, my uncles have no problem with it and I'm ready whenever." I assured him.
I could hear the smile in Kyle's voice. "Great! We'll be there in about fifteen minutes. That sound okay with you?"
"Sure, see you in fifteen minutes Kyle." I hung up the phone. I went into the kitchen and put some bread into the toaster. While I waited, I wrote a note for my uncles in case they forgot that I was allowed to go to church with Kyle and posted it very clearly and visibly on the refrigerator. I was finished with my toast by the time Kyle came knocking at the door.
"You good to go?" He asked as I opened the door.
"Yup, just let me grab my coat." Then we were gone and I was free if only for a few hours.
It was noon by the time Kyle and his brothers took Shannon back to her house. His brothers hadn't stopped teasing him since they had driven away. "No, but seriously Kyle, she is very pretty. Who would have known that out little brother liked red heads," Max said with a shrug.
"She's just my friend guys. How many times do I have to say it? She's the new girl at school and I figured that she might need a friend more than anything else."
"Oh, of course," Erik said with a laugh. "You're just waiting until you've known her a few months and then pull the whole 'can't we be more than friends' routine. Clever bro, but no original."
Kyle sighed as the car pulled to a stop at the corner and opened his door. "Tease me while I'm gone guys. I'll walk the rest of the way."
"You're choice," Brandon said with a shrug as Kyle shut the door. Then his brothers were gone and Kyle started walking towards their house. It was only another three or four blocks away so it wouldn't be so bad.
He was within sight of his house when someone grabbed his shoulder. "You must be Kyle Guthrie," Kyle turned to look at the man who had addressed him. The guy was about his own height and lithe. His hair was pale blonde and brown and a little thin. His nose was slightly crooked like it had been broken once. But his eyes made Kyle a little scared. They were brown and filled with a cold, calculating hate.
"Who are you?" Kyle asked warily after a moment.
"When you see Shannon tomorrow, I want you to tell her that this is all for her. She knows better." Then the man was beating Kyle. Kyle tried to fight back, but he didn't have much of a chance. The next thing he knew, it was dark and he was lying in his bed with his brothers all standing around him.
"Thank God! Kyle! Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Max demanded as his three older brothers crowded around him.
"I feel like I've been run over by a train," Kyle groaned.
"You look it," Erik confessed. "Who did this to you? Should we take you to the hospital."
"No," Kyle said emphatically. "No hospital. I have to talk to Shannon."
"Did her uncles do this? Those damn Mercers!" Max said trying to leave, but Brandon caught his arm.
"The Mercers didn't do this. I have to talk to Shannon," Kyle said again trying to sit up.
Erik pushed his younger brother back down. "You can talk to her tomorrow. You're not going anywhere right now. You'll hold until then."
Kyle opened his mouth to argue, but stopped. It would be useless. He would have to wait until he could get to school tomorrow and warn Shannon about the bastard who had attacked him.
