Parking out the back of the casino, I switched off the engine and for the first time stopped to think about what I'd do if the shooters were inside. The casino itself wasn't top notch or even average, but it was popular so I knew that we couldn't just roll in there guns blazing. Didn't mean I was stupid enough to walk in unarmed though. I made sure the other two had something in case things turned sour.

Sour, well, that was the understatement of the year. The shooters were sat at the in bar drinks in hand, as if they didn't have a care in the world. The Fairy had to point them out, drawing unwanted attention to where we were stood. Two bullets flew our way, before the shooters ran out the bar with us following hot on their heels. I was most impressed when Jack took a few pot shots at the car speeding from the lot. Never thought my little sister had it in him.

Again my brain didn't engage and soon the three of us were flying through the streets of Detroit, in the middle of a blizzard, using the car in front as target practice. If I'd have thought it through I might have had a working car at the end of that night.

Yes, we did catch up to them and, yes, I felt the power of death over life. Now those two men are facing their final judgement. But it cost me my car and a little piece of my soul when I saw Jack's face after we sent those guys to meet their maker.

Before Angel had come to Ma he had been a hustler. Not through choice but through necessity. His so called father earned a living by charming his way into a woman's heart and home. Angel was the icing on the cake, with his dimples and winning smile, he was the distraction whilst his father cleaned out the house and bank account in very short order. His father just wasn't quick enough in leaving town one day and that brought Angel into the foster care system.

For months Ma found her money going missing and turning up under Angel's mattress. The need to steal so ingrained in the charming eight year old that even Ma despaired at times. By the time he stopped stealing from Ma he was like a permanent fixture anyway, all that was left was an official stamp and to change his surname to Mercer.

That was easier said than done though. Angel's father had changed their names so many times even he had a hard time remembering what name had been put on Angel's birth certificate. It took a full court to revoke parental responsibility and make Angel a ward of the state. Finally after a long drawn out process that took near on three years, I ended up with a new baby brother.

Angel had always been able to handle himself. Out of the four of us Angel was the most like me, although he lacked the anger issues. He had the muscles to back me up in a fight. He was the one I rarely worried about. I knew that where ever this road was leading he'd be right there with me.

By the time we managed to dump the car and make our way home, the sun was dawning making the world look crisp and new. Jack ran to his room the minute we entered the house and as much as I had wanted to go after him and make sure he was alright, I knew going up there would only lead to a full blown fight. So I did a Bobby and went to the fridge for a beer instead.

I felt so worn that morning, good but worn. That was until I peeled off the jacket and shirt from my arm, then all I felt was the throbbing. Until that point I had forgotten all about the dog and the vice that was its jaws.

Unfortunately for me Sofi decided that very moment to walk into the kitchen. Without a word she got out the first aid kit that Ma had used to patch us up more times than I care to remember and gestured to the table. With a nod I sat and clenched my jaw against the burn that hadn't even started.

I don't know how Detective Green did it, but before Sofi had finished cleaning the dog bites on my arm he was walking up to our back door. Old habits die hard. I remember Ma laughing each time Green used to knock the front door to see if I was coming to the rink. She got so fed up with answering the door that she told him just to use the back door as nine times out of ten I was in the kitchen eating.

Those had been good times back then; we'd watched each others backs. My second stint in Juvie was down to the fact someone had got a lucky shot in on Green and he was out cold on the ice. I really should have put my stick down before I went for the guy. It would've saved me a five month stretch and maybe even my friendship with Green. After I got out his Mom refused to let him go down to the rink or even come within ten feet of me. We still talked at school but it wasn't the same. Funny really, each time I've been behind bars I've lost a good friend.

I knew I could count on Green to give me a chance to explain myself, but the stiff he'd been saddled with as a partner looked like he would try anything to pin a charge on someone, even his own grandmother. I could have laughed in his face when he pulled an evidence bag from his jacket and tried to say the hair inside was mine. Even Green laughed at this. I could see the anger rising in Fowler, the stiff, and before I knew it he was heading toward Angel threatening to lay him out. If Green hadn't been there I guarantee that Fowler would have had to have been carried from the house.

Green had a point; I had been knocking on the devil's door. What he didn't get was that I wanted someone to answer. I needed to know who had hired the shooters.