Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm back! Once again, I want to take the time to individually thank those that decide to leave me reviews. I feel like a broken record, but I love reading your reviews on the chapters. It truly means a lot to me! Thank you to my newest reviewer, Yurika! I'm so glad you stumbled across my story and binge-read it! Thank you, Firegirl19, CrimsonLove16, IvyRonin, RisingZero1984, and CrankShaftRabbit for your reviews. You guys are rockstars!
•~•
After spending the previous night with Shadow, Amy woke up with him in bed that morning. Shadow was only in a pair of boxer briefs, and Amy wore one of Shadow's oversized t-shirts. They lay awake together, staring up at the ceiling in Shadow's room, reliving last night's tragic events. Julie-Su was there one minute and gone the next, bringing back old fears Shadow had once experienced himself. Like Knuckles had felt responsible for Julie's death, he too had also felt accountable for Maria's death. This was another reason he was so opposed to entering another relationship in fear of developing feelings and going through a tragic loss again.
Amy had her ruminations, too. Last night she and Shadow had made love and had spent much time cuddling as she consoled him. Amy softly stroked the white tuff of hair on Shadow's chest as she dwelled on the idea of revealing her suspicions of Mephiles' involvement in Julie-Su's murder. She didn't want to stir up drama or create mistrust between the brothers, but he had always told her to stay out of club business to keep her safe.
Amy stopped her caressing momentarily. "How are you feeling this morning?" she spoke softly.
"Mentally exhausted, but a little better," he replied. "Thanks for spending the night with me. I appreciate it."
"So, what's the plan for today? Are you going to get answers for Julie-Su's murder?" she inquired curiously.
Shadow shifted in bed, pushing himself up in an upright position to sit with his back against the headboard. Amy mimicked his action, sitting up slightly to face him. "That's the plan. We need to find out who is responsible and get justice."
Her ears twitched slightly. "Shouldn't that be left to the police, though?"
"Normally, yes," he agreed. "But we do things a little differently around here, as you know," he reminded.
Amy's eyes drifted to the side. "Right…Um, Shadow…I need to tell you something," she began.
Shadow's ear perked in intrigue as he listened. "What is it?"
"Well, last night at the party, I-"
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Mighty stood in the doorway but instantly panicked when he realized what he had just walked in on. He immediately stared at Amy's toned pink legs and her ass barely covered by Shadow's oversized t-shirt. "—Ah, shit!" He slapped one hand over his eyes and grabbed the door handle, closing it slightly with the other.
Amy squealed in embarrassment and pulled her oversized t-shirt down, trying to conceal her lower region from being exposed as it barely covered everything. Shadow, however, was quick to shield her with a blanket. "Fuck, Mighty! You don't know how to knock first?" he berated.
The armadillo kept his eyes concealed. "Sorry, man. I didn't expect Amy to be in here. My apologies to you too, kid," he directed at the pink hedgehog.
"Um, it's o-okay," Amy mumbled, still hiding under the blanket. She didn't really mean it—she could only hope Mighty hadn't seen anything too intimate.
Shadow moved out of bed, leaving Amy to hide under the sheets. He walked over to a drawer and opened it up, reaching for a new pair of pants. "What's so important that you had to bust in here in the first place?"
"Mephiles is initiating an emergency meeting right now. You're needed downstairs."
"I'll be there in five," he replied.
"Got it," Mighty nodded before closing the door and leaving them in privacy again.
Shadow continued getting dressed quickly as he watched Amy peek from underneath the blanket. "What were you saying before he interrupted us?
"Oh, it's nothing," she dismissed with a shrug. "Get to your meeting. It sounds important."
•~•
At the police station, everyone was busy with workloads. Secretaries were taking calls, officers were flocking back and forth into different rooms with paperwork, and others diligently filed reports at their desks. Silver had a rough night, and it still didn't sit right with him about last night's events. He didn't like that he had to sit by while injustice went unserved idly. There was no way of proving that Mephiles was behind the failed Knuckles assassination, but he knew he was behind it deep down. After spending hours all night looking for street footage, eyewitness accounts, etc., he had come up with nothing. It was looking like it was going to be another unsolved homicide.
Suddenly, the deputy spotted both Vector and Espio saunter casually into their office, not at all seeming fazed by last night's tragic event. Silver could feel his fists clench together, staring at the partners. He knew they were involved with the brothers in some way or another. Striding into Espio and Vector's office, Silver shut the door behind him. "How the hell can you continue to serve those psychos?" Silver berated.
Espio and Vector stared at each other, confused and bewildered by Silver's explosive accusation. "Pardon, deputy?" Espio questioned.
"Oh, don't play coy," Silver pointed, irate. "I know you two bozos are working with the brothers. I just don't understand how you can let this shit slide. An innocent person was killed because of them!"
"Whoa, sir, I think you need to go home and get some rest with all due respect. It's been a long night for us," Vector stated.
"Stop trying to change the subject," Silver snapped. "You all know deep down that this is messed up and wrong. How do you sleep at night?"
The door opened, and Agent Blaze stood in the doorway. She looked at the three with concern after hearing all the racket out in the hall. "What's going on in here, gentlemen?"
Silver spun around, pointing accusingly at the purple cat. "And you…" he seethed. "You're the worst out of all of them. You used me to get to the brothers, and you used them to get this whole tragedy to occur."
Blaze remained neutral as accusations were slung her way. "That's enough now, officer," she said with a raised hand.
"No, it's not. This is all your fault!" he shouted. From all the yelling Silver was doing, a small audience of other officers had gathered outside the office room to watch the spectacle.
Blaze glanced over her shoulder, spotting the spectators. "Silver, I'm going to have you take the rest of the day off so I can finish my assignment. You are causing too much of a disruption."
"You can't do that!" Silver glared. "This is my headquarters."
Blaze snapped her fingers, and two of her agents walked over and seized Silver by each arm. Silver thrashed in their grasp as he was escorted off the premise.
"Hey, hey! You can't do this!" he shouted as he was carried off.
Vector and Espio stared at their boss' retreating figure. The two then gave each other a concerning look before returning to their menial tasks.
•~•
Meanwhile, in another part of the house, Amy came downstairs after getting dressed and spotted Rouge glancing out the living room window and looking out onto the front porch. She came up behind the white bat joining her by her side. Amy stared out the window to see what Rouge was looking at, only to realize it was her husband. Knuckles was standing on the front porch leaning his arms on the railing and staring into oblivion.
"…Rouge?" Amy said, trying to break the silence.
The white bat jumped slightly, startled by Amy's sudden appearance. "Oh, Amy, geez, I didn't see you there," she apologized.
Amy gave a weak smile. "It's okay. How are you holding up?"
Rouge exhaled a deep sigh. "Honestly, I don't know how to answer that. You know Julie and I were never 'friends.' We had a rocky history, we both were with Knuckles, and now she's gone," she began.
"It's still devastating that this tragedy occurred," Amy noted. "I didn't know her well, but she was lovely to me."
"Of course," she agreed. "I never would wish anything like this to happen to Julie, but watching my husband out there—looking devastated is painful. It almost feels like how I'd expect him to react if I had died," she admitted sadly.
"How long has Knuckles been like this?" Amy questioned.
"Since he heard the news last night," Rouge confirmed. She felt her eyes well up with tears. "He hasn't wanted to talk to me at all. It's like I don't even exist…"
Amy watched as Rouge placed her hands to her face, covering it as she began to sob. Amy quickly embraced Rouge, patting her on the back to console her. "Just give him time, Rouge. This is probably how he grieves. When he's ready to talk to you, he'll open up, I'm sure of it."
•~•
In the meeting room, Mephiles, Shadow, Mighty, Gadget, Locke, Finitevus, Khan, and Bark gathered into the room. Once they all sat down at their respected seats, Mephiles began their meeting.
"How is he then?" Mephiles questioned, referring to Knuckles while he looked towards the armadillo.
Mighty looked grave in expression. "Not good," he answered. "He's not taking it well."
"How the hell do you think he is?" Locke snapped at the audacity of the question. "He's devastated…"
There was a moment of silence before the president turned to the other echidna in the room. "And you, Finitevus?" Mephiles segued.
Finitevus heaved a sigh, looking like he hadn't gotten much sleep from the night before. "I'm doing the best I can," he admitted.
"When is the funeral going to be?" Mephiles continued. "I want to have a good amount of people there in support."
"In two days," the white echidna answered. "We might as well have it while we're all in town."
"I never expected to get any blowback from our enemies like this," Mephiles began. "Whoever is responsible for this will not get away with it," he avowed.
"Nobody would have seen this coming," Khan added, drifting his eyesight to the left.
"Yeah, but it happened, so how do we handle this?" Locke urged. "My son is out there grieving over his ex. He feels personally responsible for her death when he sent her out on his errand."
"Like I said," Mephiles continued. "Whoever is responsible will be dealt with accordingly. Right now, we need to ride this out and support both Finitevus and Knuckles until we gather more information. Meeting adjourned." Everyone stood from their seats and headed out of the dining room.
Finitevus walked beside Mephiles. "I appreciate your support," he commented. "The moment we get more information, I'll call you. I have Bark and Rotor scouring the town for any witnesses who may have seen or heard something."
Mephiles nodded. "We'll find the bastard who did this, and we'll give them a rightful punishment," he avowed. "We always do."
The two made it onto the front porch of the house together. "I'm going to head back to the hotel and try to get some rest." He turned to look at Khan. "You coming, too?"
Khan shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll stick around here for a bit longer and see what I can do to help around here."
•~•
After everyone had gone their separate ways, Locke found Knuckles in the same place he had seen him last—outside on the porch. The older red echidna ambled towards his son, staring off into space—still catatonic reeling from last night's tragedy. "Son…"
Knuckles turned his head slightly to glance over at his old man. "Hey, dad," he said tiredly. The red echidna had barely gotten any sleep last night and had cried all night.
"Again, I'm sorry about Julie-Su," he apologized. "This was all collateral damage. I still hold the belief that she was not the intended target."
Knuckles sighed. "Yeah, I know. I was, which makes me feel all the shittier," he mumbled.
"The three of us need to leave the club immediately. It's too dangerous for us. We're expendable," he noted.
Knuckles raised a brow and stared at his father in disbelief. "What the hell are you talking about, dad?"
Locke turned and looked to his left, right, and behind him. He was cautious about speaking too loudly in case anyone was listening. "We can't trust Mephiles," he theorized quietly.
Knuckles scoffed and shook his head. "Come on now."
Before Locke could further explain, he heard a cough from behind them. "Ahem, do you mind if I have a word with my husband?"
"Oh, Rouge. Not at all." Knuckles watched as his father walked off the porch and headed towards his parked motorcycle near the fence. Now left alone with his wife, Rouge approached him and stood by his side.
"I know this is still very painful for you…I just wish I knew what to do to make the pain disappear."
"Rouge, don't feel responsible for this," he sighed. "I'm sorry I've been distant all night. I just needed some time alone to process it all."
She placed a tender touch on his arm. "I love you, Knuckles. I'm sorry that I was so insecure and jealous whenever Julie was around. I know that you love me too. It's my one regret on how I handled being around her."
His purple eyes stared back at her crystal ones. "I'd never do something to hurt you, Rouge. I just wanted to be amicable with her—that's all."
"I realize that now." She reached out and embraced him, which he slowly returned. "Rouge, I love you so fucking much. If something like this had happened to you, I don't know if I could live with myself."
She squeezed him in her embrace. "I don't know if I could either."
•~•
While Locke had gone to talk to his son after the meeting ended, the rest of the group dispersed and went back to their work. However, a little bit later, Shadow, Mephiles, Locke, Khan, and Mighty spotted a black BMW pull up into the compound. The car door opened up, and Zed, their trusted lawyer, emerged from the car.
The group flocked towards the lawyer just as he shut his car door. "I hope you're bringing us good news," Shadow announced as the group got closer.
Zed rubbed the skin between his eyes, looking grave in expression. The motion immediately made people feel pessimistic at the subtle gesture. "I cannot lie to you. I didn't come here to tell you good news."
"What's going on then?" Mighty questioned, eager to hear the news.
"Well," the lawyer sighed. "The attorney is releasing the details on the witness at 5:00. At 5:01, the A.T.F. will present their case against Manic and Knuckles for the murder."
Locke shook his head in frustration. "Shit…no!"
Zed continued. "From what I've surmised, Manic's not coming home. They'll be coming to round up and arrest Knuckles, too."
Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. "So, what do we know about this witness?"
"Not much. They're probably a resident or frequent customer of the motel. Officials offered them wit-pro, which means they're in lockdown," the zebra explained.
"We can't let this happen to Manic or Knuckles," Mephiles grumbled. "I refuse to see more of us enter prison!"
"I'll do what I can to drag my feet and see that they don't bring Knuckles in too early," Zed promised. "I'm so sorry…"
Mephiles placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly. "Thanks."
With that said, the group of bikers walked back toward the shop. Zed watched the retreating bikers before getting back in his car and heading out.
"Quick meeting in the mechanic shop," Mephiles announced.
Mighty, Shadow, Gadget, Locke, and Khan shut down the garage doors to give themselves more privacy. Once they were alone again, Mephiles formed a plan. "The whole case against Manic and Knuckles is because of that witness," the president began. "Without him, they have nothing. Therefore, we'll need to get to him," he emphasized.
"Yeah, and then do what, kill him?" Mighty scoffed.
"Yeah, obviously," Khan interjected. "He's a rat, and rats deserve to die."
"Right, but Wit-Pro means safe house," Shadow reminded. "That means there will be twenty-four-hour protection around them."
"Sounds like a dead-end," Locke groaned.
"We can't think that way!" Mephiles argued. "We have to get this done before the funeral. I refuse to lose any more members of this club."
"What's our first move then?" Mighty asked.
Mephiles looked devious in expression. "First, we'll need some intel, and I know just where to start…"
"Well, while you plan, I'm going to the police station to find out if they've got anything new on Julie's case," Shadow noted.
Mephiles felt his stomach drop at the thought of Shadow realizing his involvement. "You heard Finitevus. He's already got Bark and Rotor on her case."
"They don't know the police here as well as I do," he justified. "I'm out." The president watched as his brother departed—he couldn't make too much of a scene, or it'd imply he did have some connection. He could only hope he wouldn't have any leads pointing to him. Hopefully, Espio and Vector would have his back.
•~•
An hour later, Sam was working out front on his lawn. He had just finished mowing and was getting ready to do some hedge trimming when he heard the roar of motorcycles approaching. It wasn't until he spotted three figures on Harley's that he realized who they were. He craned his neck to the left, where he spotted his daughter Veronica swinging on her swing set. "Veronica, go inside," he urged.
She looked at her father, confused. "Why?"
"Just go," he instructed a little more sternly. This time, Veronica obeyed, halted her swinging, and headed back indoors just as the M.C members parked their bikes in front of their white picket fence.
Sam watched as the Mobians Mephiles, Mighty, and Gadget made their way towards his front lawn. "Mephiles, I didn't expect to see you here today," Sam spoke, uneasy. Every time the hedgehog showed up, it always meant bad news for him.
Mephiles smirked cunningly. "Can't an old friend stop by unnoticed to pay a dear friend a visit?"
Sam lowered his cutting shears. "All right, what are you here for?"
Mephiles' reptilian eyes studied him carefully. He tilted his head to the side while staring him dead in the eyes. "I need your help, and if you refuse, I will turn that murder weapon over to the police…"
Sam remembered oh-too-well about when Mephiles had used the weapon they had used against that rapist as blackmail against him. They were already using it to get a free warehouse out of him; now, they were using it again. He knew there would be no point in trying to fight them. "…Fine," he frowned in defeat. "What do you want?"
"I assume you've got attorney friends. Maybe a couple of judges you play golf with?" he conjectured.
•~•
Meanwhile, at the police station, Shadow dropped by to get any more information on Julie-Su's murder. He walked into the busy police station, where he spotted Espio and Vector having a conversation at their desks while they went over paperwork. He walked up to the two detectives, eager to hear some news. "Hey, where are we with Julie-Su's murder?"
Espio and Vector eyed each other in silence before Espio spoke up for the two of them. "Nowhere…"
Shadow raised a surprised brow. "Really? No leads, suspicions, or motives?"
Vector shrugged uncomfortably. "…No, sorry, man. If you'll excuse us, Shadow, we're pretty busy here." Shadow watched as the two practically jumped at the opportunity to get away from him and avoid any more questioning. He watched suspiciously as they walked down another hall together. The two were acting differently today around him. After trying to inquire a few other officers, he was left with dead ends. Shadow left the station and turned into the parking lot when he spotted Silver hiding around the corner of the building.
"Psst," Silver whispered discreetly.
Shadow's ears perked up, and he followed the deputy into the alleyway. Why exactly was Silver out here instead of in the station?
"Why are we out here?" Shadow questioned.
"It's a long story, but that's not important right now," he informed quietly.
Shadow huffed. "Spill it, or you're just wasting my time."
"Right…well," Silver started. "Agent Blaze set up Knuckles as a rat during that whole raid at your compound. She wired both him and Rouge, and I believe Mephiles found the bugs, thought Knuckles was working with the A.T.F, and then tried to have him killed last night," he explained. "I believe Julie-Su was a mistake…"
The ebony hedgehog felt his heart sink at the idea. However, it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities. After all, even he had his suspicions. Yet, hearing this theory still made him sick to his stomach. "Why are you telling me this shit?" Shadow glared defensively. "Do you think I'll give up my brother or something?" he countered.
Silver put up his hands. "Look, Shadow, we might be on opposing teams here. We might not even like each other that much, but seeing an innocent female get gunned down, I think, falls on the wrong side of the fence for both of us," he argued softly. "Even I know you guys have a code when it comes down to it." He glanced down at his wristwatch. "I have to go, I'm not even supposed to be on the premises today, but I just had to let you know. I do have a conscience after all."
Shadow watched as Silver went into the parking lot, leaving. Left alone, he paced back and forth to the idea that his brother was, in fact, behind this hit. He ran his hands through his quills before, out of anger and frustration. He kicked a trash can over in rage. "Fuck!"
•~•
At that same time at Prison Island, sitting in his orange jumpsuit, Manic waited patiently in an empty visiting waiting room for an unannounced visitor. He sat at a small round table with his hands cuffed in front of him. The door suddenly opened, and he spotted the uptight purple cat A.T.F agent saunter into the room. He watched as she gracefully sat down at a table across from him and formally crossed one leg over the other. There was a long moment of silence as she stared at him and said nothing, looking grave in her expression.
Manic couldn't take the awkward silence much longer. "You got something you wanna say to me, lady?"
"Julie-Su was murdered last night," Blaze began calmly.
Manic froze up instantly as those words left her mouth. She had to be fucking with him. "What-what are you talking about?"
"She was brutally gunned down in a car," she continued.
Manic put his hands to his face and shook. His breath hitched slightly. He knew Julie-Su rather well and considered her a good friend, someone he had even been intimately involved with from time to time—and now she was gone? His eyes began to water. "…Who the hell would want to kill Julie-Su?"
She cleared her throat. "I haven't the slightest idea," she confessed, lying boldly again.
His brows furrowed together. "…Why are you telling me all this now? Just to fuck with me mentally. To kick a dog while he's down?"
"I just wanted to keep you in the loop. We'll be charging Knuckles with murder along with you. The attorney will pick him up tomorrow, and they will seek the death penalty for both of you." She stood upright. "Again, sorry about your loss." Blaze then headed for the exit and left Manic alone to mull over the shocking news.
•~•
Back at Sam's home, he emerged from his house alongside Mighty and approached Gadget and Mephiles waiting outside his fence. The two had waited for some time now for him to accomplish his errand. "Well?" Mephiles probed, eager to see if the help had come through.
"He got us the case number," Mighty informed. He handed over a piece of paper to the president.
Mephiles snatched it out of his hands and allowed his eyes to scan it. "Very good," he grinned deviously.
Sam felt another sinking feeling in his belly. "What are you guys going to do with that information?"
He tucked it away into his pocket. "Depends. What'd you tell your judge, buddy?" Mephiles shot back.
"That a councilman wanted the information because he didn't want a safe house in his district," he explained.
Even Mephiles looked rather impressed by the bold lie to get the intel. "Wow, I'm quite impressed. As for this information, we're trying to get in contact with a new acquaintance," he lied.
Sam watched as the three of them walked off. He could only fathom what trouble they were about to get into knowing their business. "Hey, when am I going to get that weapon back?"
Mephiles halted in his tracks. "Oh, I'm going to hold onto it a little longer. Don't worry. It'll be our little secret," he winked.
While the three mounted their bikes, Mighty had a probing question linger on his mind. "So, who exactly do you plan to do the hit?"
"Easy, I will have Khan do it," Mephiles answered.
The red wolf mounted his bike and strapped on his helmet. "Khan, sir?" Gadget repeated, a little surprised by the reveal.
Mephiles mimicked his action. "Yes, Khan has killed a few witnesses in the past and has a surprising amount of knowledge on safe houses. He'll be the perfect one to complete this task."
"What does he know about safe houses exactly?" Mighty inquired.
"He said there's usually a sheriff or two outside the house and one A.T.F agent inside. However, the most interesting aspect is they are usually rookies who get stuck doing the babysitting," he chuckled darkly at the last bit. "It'll take three people to complete this mission."
"Anyone else you have in mind, sir?" Gadget questioned.
"I do," he answered. "This time, it'll be Khan, Mighty, and you Rookie."
Mighty didn't look stoked on the idea but nodded in compliance. "Right."
"Now, listen up, you two. I want this plan to go down flawlessly. Take out the witness, and nobody else gets hurt. No more fuck ups, understand?"
"Yes, sir," Mighty replied.
"Of course, sir," Gadget seconded.
•~•
Meanwhile, back at the house, Shadow finally arrived home, still reeling from the information he received from Silver. Rouge was mopping the kitchen floor while Khan sat at the dining room table in the other room, chowing down on half a sandwich. Rouge glanced up at the solemn-looking hedgehog. "Oh, Shadow, you're back."
"Do you know where my brother is?" he asked softly.
Rouge gripped the mop a little tighter. "No," she replied. "He hasn't gotten back yet. Why what's wrong?"
"I got some information about Julie-Su's murder that I'd like to discuss with him," he explained.
In the other room, Khan eavesdropped on the convo, interested to hear what Shadow had found out.
Rouge looked surprised. "Well, what is it?"
"Sorry, Rouge, I can't discuss that with you yet—not until I get all the details cleared by my brother."
Rouge's ears drooped slightly. "Right…well, I'll let him know when I see him."
"Thanks, Rouge," Shadow walked out of the kitchen into the dining room, where he spotted Khan eating his lunch. The two stared at each other before Shadow continued throughout the rest of the house, not giving Khan a second thought.
Khan quickly guzzled down the rest of his soda, whipped out his phone, and dialed Mephiles. He then made his way outside and went by the mechanic's shop. He held the phone up to his ear, praying Mephiles would pick up soon. Eventually, he heard the click and was relieved. "Yo, we need to talk. It's important."
Mephiles was at a gas station with Mighty and Gadget filling their tanks. He moved away from the other two briefly so they wouldn't overhear. "This better be important."
"It's about your brother," Khan continued. "He knows…"
"Knows what?" Mephiles scoffed in annoyance at his vagueness.
"About what happened to Julie-Su," he whispered on his end.
Mephiles groaned. "How can you be sure?"
"Trust me. I overheard him talking to Rouge about it. Just his tone and demeanor overall were enough of a giveaway. He's adamant about speaking to you first before revealing details."
Mephiles sighed in irritation. "Shit,…thanks for giving me the heads up. I'll deal with him when we get home. In the meantime, head out to the gas station on 99th and 6th. You, Gadget, and Mighty will head out to the safehouse. We got all the intel to make our move. Get it done before it's too late."
"Understood," Khan replied before hanging up.
•~•
Finally, thirty minutes later, Mephiles arrived home. Parking his bike out front, he marched up the steps of the front porch and entered the house. He spotted his younger brother sitting in wait for him at the bottom of the stairs. The red striped hedgehog appeared to be in a brooding type of mood. He could easily guess why. "Brother, were you waiting for me?" he inquired calmly as he shut the door behind him.
Shadow stood upright. "Let's talk in the dining room," he suggested, nodding his head in that direction. They made their way into the empty dining room, where they took a seat. Shadow laced his fingers together and rested his hands across the tabletop. "I visited the police station to get more information on Julie's murder and got nothing there," he informed. "Now, I find it pretty strange that we have no new leads since her death in the past twelve hours. No footage, no eyewitness accounts, nothing."
Mephiles stared at his brother and looked like he was listening intently. "Go on," he encouraged.
"I want you to be completely honest with me. No more bullshit, no more lies," he emphasized sternly. "Did you try to kill Knuckles and accidentally get Julie killed by mistake?" he asked quietly.
Mephiles bowed his head and exhaled. "Shadow, I love Knuckles and Julie-Su. I would never do anything to hurt them," he lied boldly. "I want to find who did this and get justice just as you do."
Shadow's eyes scrutinized his brother but eventually stood upright from his seat. He still couldn't tell if his brother was being truthful at that moment. Mephiles watched as his younger brother believed his lie. "It's tough times for the club right now, but we need to stay strong and united."
Shadow began to walk out of the dining room but glanced at his brother over his shoulder one last time. "…Yeah, you can say that again."
"Oh, by the way," Mephiles said, causing Shadow to halt again. "The info came in on the witness we're taking out."
Shadow turned back around again, intrigued. "And?"
"It's a 17-year-old girl," he replied. "Unfortunately, it goes against our code, but I'm afraid it has to be done," he stated calmly.
"What?" Shadow's eyes widened in alarm at the news. Mephiles watched as Shadow stormed past him, grabbed his gun from the entryway table, and loaded it into the back of his pants.
"What are you doing?" Mephiles questioned, following him. Shadow ignored his brother and searched for his keys on the coffee table before eventually finding them among the others.
Just at that moment, Amy sauntered down the stairs and spotted Shadow urgently trying to leave. He looked pretty distressed and anxious. "Shadow?" she called out.
However, Shadow also ignored Amy as he grabbed hold of the door handle and opened the front door. Mephiles glared at Shadow's backside as he watched his brother head out. "Where the hell are you going?" he shouted.
SLAM.
Both Amy and Mephiles were left shocked by Shadow's sudden departure. Mephiles looked up at Amy, slightly annoyed. Amy felt uncomfortable under his angry gaze before she watched as he stormed off into the kitchen.
•~•
Later that evening, Mighty finished tying up the last cop guarding the safehouse. It had taken a bit of time, but Mighty, Khan, and Gadget had managed to round up the three patrol officers on guard outside. They gagged and tied them up behind their cars and out of sight. The next step was to infiltrate the building and kill the witness.
Mighty dusted off his gloved hands. "All right, that's the three of them taken care of," he whispered. "Now it's time to move."
Khan and Gadget nodded in compliance. All three of them adjusted their disguises. They all wore black hoodies, black ski masks, and gloves. Mighty directed the other two to go around the side of the house towards the back entrance while he planned the distraction in the front.
Mighty looked for a big rock on the front lawn, picked it up, and analyzed it before hurling it towards the front door, causing a loud bang. He quickly booked it out of there and ran around the side of the house to watch for the front door. He waited and pulled out his gun and cocked it. A few moments later, the front door opened, and a female penguin A.T.F officer opened the front door. "Officer Higgens?" she called out, expecting to see him standing on patrol. She reached for her walkie. "Officer Higgens, do you copy?"
Just then, another loud bang erupted from the back of the house. The back door flung open, and Gadget and Khan came storming in with their guns drawn on the female agent's back.
"Oh, shit!" she cursed, wielding her gun and aiming it in their direction.
However, she was unaware that Mighty had now snuck up on her from behind and pressed his gun against the back of her head. "Drop the gun, sweetheart," he whispered.
She obliged and lifted both her hands up beside her head. Mighty snatched the gun from her hand, tucked it in his pants, and then put her hands behind her back, restraining her. "Take her and put her in the back room," he instructed.
Gadget and Khan followed the instructions, placed zip ties and a gag in the agent's mouth, and led her off to another room. In the meantime, Mighty drew his gun again and continued to navigate through the house, looking for their witness. He moved through the dining room and kitchen and eventually found a backroom. He peeked inside the room, which happened to have the door cracked. However, he was stunned when he finally caught sight of their witness. "…Aww fuck," he cursed.
Khan and Gadget returned after placing the tied-up agent in another house room. They appeared behind Mighty and peered over his shoulder to look at the witness. It was then that they noticed why Mighty was distraught with the sight. Their witness was just a seventeen-year-old raccoon female. She cowered in her bed, clutching her pillow tightly as she eyed the three terrifying intruders. Mephiles had not indicated what their witness would look like, nor had he disclosed the gender of the witness, whom they all presumed to have been made.
Gadget blinked in surprise. "This is our witness?"
Mighty sighed sadly. "Guess so…We're okay with this, though? This goes against everything we stand-"
"-He said to get it done. You know he'll be pissed if we don't go through with it," Khan interjected sharply, trying to stop any doubt of easing off the idea.
Mighty looked at the other two guys, feeling uneasy. His stomach twisted at the idea of killing a girl—no more minor than a child. This girl could be no older than his younger sister Matilda. "…Okay then, let's tie her up and get this over with."
The three males restrained and duck taped the girl's wrists and feet together. After, they moved her into the kitchen and placed a t-shirt over her face so she wouldn't see the killer coming. They wanted to give her at least some type of peace. Gadget and Khan sat her down in a chair against the wall. The poor raccoon girl sobbed profusely, practically hyperventilating as she realized she was about to be executed.
Mighty placed one hand on top of her covered head, hearing her choking back sobs. He lifted his other hand with his gun and aimed it at her head. While he built the courage to pull the trigger, he groaned in frustration and backed up. "I can't do this…it's not right."
Khan was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen and watched in pity. Mighty was a big softie when it came down to it, especially when it came to females. "I told you I'd do it in the first place," he reminded. I'll do it," He knew he could handle the weight of the matter.
He grabbed Mighty's gun and cocked it. Mighty turned his head away, unable to watch this scene unfold. Khan stared at the quivering girl sitting before him. "Sorry about this, kid. It's just business."
Fortunately, just before he pulled the trigger, another figure entered the room startling the three of them. The monkey's eyes widened as he spotted the V.P. "Shit, man. You scared the hell out of me," Khan stated, lowering his weapon.
Shadow calmly entered the kitchen, not even bothering to wear a disguise, unlike the rest of them. "Put down the gun," he ordered without hesitation.
"What?" Khan spat, ignoring his order.
"We don't kill females or kids—she happens to be both," Shadow stated. Seeing that he wasn't putting his weapon down, Shadow pulled out his gun, marched up, and held it against Khan's head. "I said put it down, or this bullet is going straight through your fucking skull," he warned.
Mighty was quite relieved but also nervous watching the two's confrontation. "Come on, guys…"
Khan smirked. "You don't have the balls to pull the trigger." Shadow held his stoic expression, not faltering. Khan picked up his seriousness and placed his weapon on the kitchen table next to him. "Fine…you win."
"As happy as I am about you stopping this, your brother's not going to like this, man," Mighty warned.
"I don't care; I'll take responsibility for his ire. However, I want you two to go home. Now," he ordered, looking at both Mighty and Gadget.
"But what about him, sir?" Gadget questioned, eying Khan.
Shadow picked up Khan's gun and handed it over to Mighty. "I want to have a little private chat with him. Just give me a couple of minutes." The two nodded and obliged and walked out of the house, leaving Shadow, Khan, and the witness alone.
Once alone, Shadow put his gun away and tucked it back into his holster. Then he reached for a knife from his hip and unsheathed it. He used it to cut out the duct tape holding the girl's wrists and ankles together. He yanked off the t-shirt, shielding her vision. "Hey," he said, getting her attention. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and she still had tears streaking down her face. "You see this guy here," he pointed towards Khan, still standing beside him. "He's a bad guy, and he wants you dead. You know why?" he shouted venomously, trying to freak out the girl.
The girl shook her head, still terrified. "Nuh-no…"
"It's because you're going to rat on his two friends—his comrades!" Shadow barked, making her even more scared. "You can't do that because he will find you no matter where you are. Do you understand?!"
She shook her head up and down, understanding what he meant.
He helped lift her to her feet. "Next time, I won't be there to save your life. The feds, the cops—nobody can protect you. You will die if you testify in court against his friends," he warned.
"I-I won't. I promise," she croaked while she shook in place.
Shadow reached into his jacket pocket and handed her a thick wad of cash. "Now, I want you to get the hell out of Mercia tonight. Get a car, a train, a plane, a boat, I don't give a shit, but get out of here!" he urged.
The girl accepted the cash and ran out of the house past Khan, who watched on angrily. He knew Mephiles would be furious and take it out on him for allowing Shadow's coup to take place against his orders.
The brown monkey shook his head in disappointment. "You're a fucking idiot, Shadow," Khan tsked. "You just majorly crossed the line."
Shadow clenched his fist by his side. "You're wrong. You've crossed the line," he countered, quickly slugging Khan across the jaw with a sharp hook. Khan staggered backward, his back slamming against the kitchen table as he recovered from the blow. He placed a hand on his jaw and wiped some blood along his jacket sleeve. "What the hell was that for?" he shouted.
"How can you just kill an innocent female with no remorse? She's just a kid."
"It's to protect Manic," he shouted. "We have to do it." Khan ran at Shadow, grabbed him by his jacket's collar, and slammed him down onto the kitchen table. The two wrestled across the tabletop, throwing blows and jabs before the table collapsed beneath them. Shadow got in a few more hits, while Khan got in a few blows.
"Fuck you, Shadow!" Khan screamed. He straddled Shadow and began punching him in the face. "You're an idiot!"
Shadow managed to grab one of his flying fists and leaned up, head butting him. Khan flew backward and landed on his back with a thud. "Get the fuck out of here before I fucking kill you, you understand?"
Khan scrambled to his feet and looked around the room before grumbling in frustration and booking it. Once he was gone, Shadow pulled out a lighter in his jacket and lit it up. He placed it up to a paper towel roll on the sink and allowed it to ignite into flames. There was the possibility that any D.N.A lurking around may tie them into this ruse. He slowly walked out of the house as it ignited into flames behind him.
•~•
A few hours later, Shadow finally returned home. Amy had crashed on the couch after realizing Shadow still had not returned. She worried for his safety and hoped he'd get home eventually; however, she had no idea where he was. Finally, she stirred when she heard the rumblings of a motorcycle engine stopping outside the house. A few moments later, the front door started to unlock. She sat up on the couch in the living room, looked towards the front door, and watched as a shadowy figure entered the house. Bundled up with a blanket around her, Amy rose to her feet and quietly ambled towards the entrance to see who it was. "…Shadow?" she asked quietly.
A light flicked on in the entryway, and Amy gasped at Shadow's appearance. He had a cut lip, a large bruise around his left eye, and some scratches on his cheek and neck. Shadow groaned as he carefully took off his leather jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks by the front door. Some of the hits Khan had managed to get on his back, sides, and chest were starting to sink in. He could only imagine what the bruises looked like forming at this very moment. "Shadow, what happened to you?" Amy asked quietly. She reached out and cupped his face causing him to wince from her touch.
"Don't worry, Rose. It was just a business scuffle, nothing to worry about," he assured.
She frowned. "But it looks like you got jumped."
Shadow slowly headed for the stairs. "I'll let you tend to me if it makes you feel better. Just let me take a shower first." However, the moment he glanced up, he noticed his brother standing at the top of the stairs. Shadow grimaced at his older brother's sight.
"Brother, a word, please?" Mephiles stated calmly.
Shadow walked up the staircase and brushed past him. "It'll have to wait till tomorrow."
Mephiles snatched Shadow by the shoulder with a firm grasp. "It can't. We need to talk now," he stated intently. Still, at the bottom of the staircase, Amy watched in awe at the two brothers, clearly in disagreement. She could feel the tension mounting.
Shadow shoved his brother's hand off his shoulder like mere dust. "Not tonight," he stated before heading for the bathroom and closing the door behind him. Mephiles growled lowly under his breath before storming off down to his room.
•~•
Standing in the shower, Shadow allowed his mind to drift as he enjoyed the hot water beating down on his tired back. He put his arms out before him, leaning against the shower tiles to stretch his back out. He thought about tonight's events carefully in his mind. He had gained much new information, and this information could be detrimental or extremely helpful depending on who collected it. On the one hand, his brother was willing to allow an underage girl to die to protect their own—Knuckles and Manic. He understood where the process came from. It was very noble that Mephiles would go to such lengths to protect their members. However, it still made Shadow feel sick, knowing Mephiles felt no empathy for her life.
Then there was the fact that Mephiles had doubted Knuckle's loyalty just a day before and tried to take him out on an assassination attempt. Mephiles was a 'shoot now and ask questions later type of guy. He had no concrete proof that his brother was responsible, but his gut told him he was. It would be an all-out war if the failed assassination hit information ever got back to Knuckles or even Finitevus. He'd have to think about how he'd handle this news carefully.
•~•
Shadow walked back into his bedroom with just a towel around his waist. He wasn't surprised to see Amy sitting on the edge of his bed, waiting for his return. He noticed a medical case lying to her left and sighed. "…Hey."
Amy frowned, finally seeing the damage to Shadow's body. There were quite a lot of bruises all over his back and sides. She approached him, encircling around him to examine and assess his injuries. Her fingertips grazed down his backside, delicately tracing the bruising, causing him to shiver from her touch. "Geez, Shadow, who did this to you?"
Shadow craned his neck to look out in the hallway. He could only imagine who might be listening at that very moment. He got up and closed his bedroom door and grabbed her hand, leading her back to his bed. The two hedgehogs sat on the edge of the bed. "It's club business as usual," he stated apologetically and quietly.
Amy could tell that he wanted to tell her more but purposely held back. "I understand. I just worry about you, that's all."
"I realize that," he nodded with a small smile.
"You don't need me to wrap or ice anything?" she inquired.
He shook his head. "I've been hurt worse than this. I'll heal in time," he avowed.
"You look stressed right now," Amy noted.
"I am," he replied. "Tonight was no walk in the park."
Amy stared at him for a moment in silence before a thought crossed her mind. "...Then let me help you unwind a bit." She slowly sunk onto her knees and sensually placed her hands on Shadow's thighs. Shadow watched her curiously, wondering what exactly she was doing. Amy reached up and began to undo the towel around his waist.
Shadow could easily see what she was insinuating. "Amy, you don't have to-"
"—Shadow, it's okay," she cut off softly. "Let me do this for you. Just relax," she smiled sweetly.
Shadow watched as she reached for his flaccid member and slowly began to stroke it up and down as enticingly as possible. Shadow's hair stood upright on his neck, feeling her warm, soft hand encompass his shaft. She squeezed softly at specific points and felt it twitch in her hand as it gained a steady rise. Feeling it firm up in her hand, Amy leaned down and enveloped the head of his member in her mouth. Shadow gasped and closed his eyes as he felt her take him into her hot mouth. She swirled her tongue around his head and gave it soft suckles.
Amy bobbed her head up and down, taking more of his girth into her mouth, all while continuing to stroke him from the base. She felt his hand rest on the top of her head and stroke her ear as he enjoyed the experience. "Rose," he moaned softly. She felt him pulsating in her mouth as she bobbed her head back and forth. It had been some time since Shadow had enjoyed a blow job, and Amy was doing a wonderful job at pleasing him. He watched her gracefully take in more and more of his length and shuddered at the feeling of her hot, wet, mouth wrapped tightly around his hardened member. "Fuck, I'm about to-" It wasn't long before he released his load into her mouth, Amy began to slow down her rhythmic pace as she swallowed what had poured into her mouth.
She allowed his cock to leave her mouth and wiped her lips with the back of her hand to wipe away any residue of semen left over. She coughed slightly and looked up at him. "How was I?"
His chest rose and fell as he caught his breath. "Great," he smiled with lowered eyelids.
•~•
Location: Prison Island 5:30 AM
The following day, still in his orange jumpsuit, Manic sat in one of the holding rooms in handcuffs alone. He wondered why he had been summoned again but could only fathom that it had to be about his sentencing. The door eventually opened, and Agent Blaze sauntered in, looking annoyed. She held a manila file in her left arm and slapped it down in front of Manic on the metal table. He eyed the file before cautiously opening it up. "…What is this?"
"Release papers," she began placing a pen down in front of him. "Your lawyer has already looked through them. I need you to read them, initial them, sign on the dotted line, and we'll have you home by the end of the day," she ordered with an eye roll and scoff.
Manic put up his hands. "Whoa, lady, slow down a second. It's way too early for you to be barking orders. What the heck is going on? I thought I was being charged with murder."
Blaze sighed in frustration. "Unfortunately, the witness went missing, and the state attorney dismissed the case." She turned her back and started to head back for the door. She was already angry that the club was about to get away again.
Manic chuckled. "That's it, huh? You spent months and thousands of dollars trying to crush our club. What for, lady?"
Blaze came to a halt and craned her neck. "Peace of mind," she replied calmly. With that said, Blaze opened the door and left the green hedgehog to finish his paperwork. Manic grinned victoriously, knowing that his club had pulled through with some devious plan.
•~•
That same day back at the compound, Shadow found Mephiles in the accounting office, going through some paperwork and paying off bills. He knocked on his open door to catch his attention. Mephiles slowly looked up, seeing his brother standing there. "Are you ready to talk?"
Shadow kept his arms crossed over his chest. "I am."
Mephiles gestured for him to come inside. Shadow obliged and walked inside, closing the door behind him, then walking over and closing the blinds so no one working in the mechanic shop could see what was going on.
"I'm very disappointed in what happened last night," Mephiles began, rising from his seat. "However, the witness has vanished; therefore, Manic will be joining us all again shortly. With no witnesses, they can't prove their case."
"Looks like it turned out okay then," Shadow noted.
"Indeed…however, it could have gone awry," he mentioned as his eyes drifted elsewhere.
"But it didn't," Shadow pointed out. "That's all that matters."
"Yes, but you went against my orders. My orders were to take out the witness, and you intervened and put us all in danger of being exposed to our ploy. If you had just-" Shadow suddenly walked around the side of the desk and slugged Mephiles hard in the face.
Mephiles grunted, feeling the impact of the hit, and stumbled backward into one of the filing cabinets. He touched his lip, seeing blood on his fingertips. "…The fuck?"
"That's for trying to kill a female last night—let alone a child. It goes against our code. I don't give a fuck if it means losing one of our own to the system. We have to take responsibility for our fuck up," he shouted at his brother. "If you ever try to pull some shit like that again, I'll do a lot worse than a mere punch," he threatened.
Mephiles staggered to his feet. "Are you out of your mind right now?"
Shadow shook his head defiantly. "No, I think you are. I also think you're responsible for Julie-Su's death," he accused.
Mephiles' brows furrowed in anger. "I fucking told you, I didn't do it!"
Shadow headed for the door. "If I ever find any evidence or proof of it, I'm calling a meeting over this," he pointed.
He slammed the door closed behind him, leaving Mephiles further annoyed. Mephiles flipped his desk over in a fit of rage, sending papers and pens all over the place. He could not allow Shadow to put the pieces together.