Disclaimer: I don't own any Sly Cooper characters; they belong to Sucker Punch Productions.

Claimer: I own all of my original characters.

This is probably the last chapter I'll post for a few days, I'm freakishly sick right now and really didn't feel like typing this chapter up tonight but I did anyway. So, if there are any major spell errors or sentence fails, I apologize. Fever and cold medicine are not things to take while writing a story. But, please read and review and let me know what you think.

Chapter 7: Betrayal

"…Mom…?" I asked slowly as my gaze locked onto hers. She was still pointing the end of a pistol at the center of my forehead. I didn't dare move; my mother was a retired police officer and her aim was impeccable and I knew that she'd only need to fire once and I'd be dead faster than I could fall asleep. The middle aged fox stared me down intently and I stared back. It was somewhat frightening that she was the mirror image of both Carmelita and Charlotte but that didn't matter at the moment. She had a scowl on her face and her eyes could pierce through ice. My head was racing and trying to figure out why my mother had me at gunpoint in the compound of my arch enemy. She lowered the gun slightly down so it rested in line with my chest before speaking.

"Ramona, you look a little surprised." She gave a completely fake smile before scowling again.

"W-what are you doing here and why do you have that?" I motioned to the gun with my nose and she smiled again.

"You silly, you haven't figured it out yet, have you?" she used a childlike voice with me and I briefly thought back to my childhood.

"Figured what out? That you're insane and finally snapped?" she shook her head and circled around me, the gun was still at my chest. He shoes clicked loudly on the hard floors.

"Oh no, sweetie, you suspected that years ago. No, you haven't figured out what's happening here, right now and why." My eyebrows furred and I tried to think.

"I-I don't get it. You have nothing to do with this; it's about Cortex and Dad." I twisted around on the floor so I could still keep eye contact while she still circled me.

"Exactly, now think about it for a minute. Why would Cortex want your father dead? Why would he kill him knowing that two of his children were in the house with him? Why do you think it happened so soon after we were legally divorced? Come on, Ramona, you're a smart young woman. Think long and hard about it." She cocked her head to the side and stopped walking but still had her trusty pistol pointing at me. I still didn't know what she was getting at and my mind was racing, "It wasn't that long ago, sweetheart. You were seven maybe eight, and now you're what, twenty-three? Sixteen years is a long time to think of a motive. But you've only though of the man who did the killing and not the people who planned it," her voice was soft and I knew she was mocking and taunting me.

"I don't know! I don't know what you have to do with it or who planned the murder!" she scoffed and moved the gun back to my head.

"Figures," she spat, "you're too blind sighted to see what really happened. There was a motive behind the murder, dead." My mouth searched for words but nothing came out, "Many of your siblings are in law enforcement, Ramona! Many of them have investigated murder cases, give me some motives they discovered!" she stopped on my tail with her heel and I screeched.

"Greed," I barked after her foot was off my tail, "jealously, hate, a new lover, curiosity, fear!" I rambled out possible motives that I had known about and tried to apply them to my current situation.

"Very good, Ramona!" she almost sang, "You actually named a few of them that apply here. I'll give you a hint, money. Everything is fueled by money." Then it hit me, I figured out why she was here.

"It was you! It was always you! You wanted him dead so you could collect his insurance money and run off with your new boyfriend after the divorce! You hired Cortex to kill him so you wouldn't get the heat of the investigation!"

"That's only half right, honey," she started circling again as she told her plan, "I wanted him dead while we were still married! If, and when, we divorced I got nothing! The divorce was finalized before it could be done however."

"Then why did you still have him killed? You wouldn't have gotten it either way!" she shook her head again.

"Oh no, I killed him so both his insurance and will money would be put into play. However, just before the divorce was finalized, he no longer made me the beneficiary, he changed it. Changed it so all his wealth would go to his twelve young children after they became old enough to get it. You and some of your siblings are old enough to collect everything." I was speechless; she was a cold blooded killer who I called my mother.

"But, in everyone's will, if you or any other of your brothers or sisters die, all the money is split between everyone evenly. But I get everything in the event you your death!" she hissed before removing the safety from the gun and made sure her bullet would kill me instantly. My heart was racing and I knew that if I didn't do something fast, I'd be dead faster than I could spell my name.

"If we all turn up dead," I stated, "you'll be the prime suspect." She laughed softly.

"Nope, I've carefully planned this out, little lady. If there wasn't a pattern or no witnesses, no one could say other wise. So, if I shoot you, drown another, hit run one, food poison a few, a blind date gone wrong, and a few stabbings for some spice and paid off 'friends' for an alibi, no one will ever suspect the dear, middle aged retired Interpol officer who lost and ex-husband and her children in so many tragic ways." He voice was thick with venom and I was terrified.

"You're really going to kill your own kids for insurance money so you and your husband can live the highlife?"

"If you had almost one million dollars waiting for you at the other end of the tunnel wouldn't you take it? Even if a few sacrifices had to be made?"

"No! You're vile and cruel! And everything you do is pathetic!" at this point I didn't really care what I said at this point since I knew I'd be dead in any minute. She frowned viciously and I received another well placed kick to the face.

"And you are a meddling, nosy little wench," she shook her arm and regained her grip on the gun. Her finger slid over the trigger before she muttered a few final words, "And do tell your father that I said 'hello'." She sneered again and got ready to pull the trigger. I shut my eyes and waited for everything to end. They shot open however when I heard the all too familiar and for once amazing sound of, "Freeze!" the police had stormed the castle and were now flooding into the room. Both of our heads turned and I saw Carmelita come rushing in. I do believe that this was the first and probably the only time I will be happy to see the police storm in while I was on a mission. My mother held my in place by once again stamping her foot over my tail. I looked to my twin and could see the devastation on her face when she realized I was at gunpoint by our mother. Ever since we were kids, she adored my mother and always saw her as a role model.

"Put the gun down and put your hands up!" she shouted at my mother.

"Sweetie," my mother said softly, "there's no need to yell." Carmelita shook her head and repeated her demands. Her own shock pistol was pointed at my mother while I was still in danger of being shot myself.

I noticed another officer creeping up behind my mother so he could put her in cuffs, or at least I assumed that's what he was doing. I quickly glanced to my right and noticed Sly was there, lurking in the shadows and ready to pounce. I actually forgotten he was here while I tried to figure out my mother's plans.

"Either put the gun down and yours hands up or we'll have to use lethal force!" my sister shouted one last time. My mother scoffed again before shrieking as two officers grabbed her from behind. Everything was going smoothly until she was grabbed. He shock had forced her finger to press on the trigger and fire a bullet. Thankfully, her arms had moved away from my head, but to my chest. I felt the bulled enter the left side of my chest and I knew it was dangerously close to my heart. I growled and shrieked in pain and clawed at the floor while I watched blood pour from my chest and turn my pastel yellow shirt into a sea of crimson. I felt like I had been hit with a sledge hammer and then set on fire after the bullet had entered my chest. I heard a man yell 'no!' after I had been wounded and I knew I was loosing too much blood. Even if it hadn't entered my heart, the bullet had to have hit a major blood vessel and I would die from blood loss.

By the time I felt someone lift me up off the ground and start to run with me to the exit, my entire top half of my body was covered with blood and I could feel my fingertips turn numb and cold. I was loosing too much blood to fully understand what was going on; everything things was fuzzy and I heard muffled yelling. I glanced up and realized that Sly was the one carrying me away. I heard him yell at me to keep my eyes open but my eyelids were heavy and there was nothing else I wanted to do but close my eyes and rest. He shook me constantly to keep me awake but I was still pouring blood and things were getting too fuzzy. I no longer could see what was what or what voice went with what person, so I closed my eyes anyway. For the second time that night, I let darkness take over me only this time, I didn't think I'd ever see the break of light again.