Chapter 83

"He told me the reason I had no daddy was because I use an inhaler, momma." Even on his sick bed, Milo was still fuming: "Momma, he pushed me first."

Maya glared at her last son, wondering what to do with him. The other two stood beside her, each with sand in their dark hair; their uniforms were messy. But apart from that, there didn't seem to be any injury to them.

Except for Milo, who suddenly ran out of breath as dust rose in the air due to the fight.

They were pounding on their classmates' heads.

Maya winced. No amount of apologies could clean that up.

"That wasn't what your teacher told me..." She wanted them to know she was furious at them. "Milo, you don't go punching people in the face; you're not a barbarian, "

"But mom," Zayne's voice came up, "he said his mommy calls us bastards."

Maya winced, "What do you know is a bastard? Huhn?"

Sneaky Milo knew this was his time to jump in and bombard her with questions she swore she would never answer.

"He said it was someone without a father?"

"Milo, please.."

"Momma, didn't you say Father went away for a long journey?"

"Didn't I also tell you he would never come back?"

"Maya," Abby whispered, holding her arms, "that was too harsh."

Nico's gentle voice came up. "Aunt Abby says he's alive, and we may see him one day."

Maya turned, glaring at Abby, who scratched her head, turning her face away from the angry look thrown at her.

Though she knew they had to pester Abby so much, the only reason she told them that was so they would get off her back.

She heaved a sigh and sat on the bed, gathering them close to her, and she began, "Zayne, you're the eldest. I expected you to keep your brother out of trouble, but instead, you joined him." She turned to Nico, "and you, Nico, you're joining them now?"

They all shook their heads at the accusations thrown at them by their mother. With their faces looking so innocent, nobody would know they were little demons.

She leaned down and caressed Milo's hair. "You're okay, baby?"

He nodded, still looking a bit pissed off at her. She forced a smile on her lips, saying, "Look who's mad at momma." She tickled his side, and he was laughing again.

Noticing they were not in trouble anymore, Nico and Zayne pulled close, sitting on Milo's sick bed.

"You have to promise me something," she raised a brow, "you will ignore everything they say; walk away from them." She turned to Milo. "Especially you, Milo."

He groaned before he finished reluctantly, "I promise not to beat anyone up again, momma."

She raised her little finger and said, "Pinky swear?"

He raised his "Pinky swear, momma."

Maya rubbed his hand, feeling the gruesome-looking birthmark on his shoulders; it was round, somehow looking like the amoeba she drew in school.

She kissed his head and stood up, looking into his gray eyes and saying, "You guys just wait here; I'll need to talk to your aunt Abby alright."

They all nodded, and immediately she stood up, snatched Abby's hand, and dragged her out of the door, closing it after them.

Then she turned, giving Abby the coldest glare she could find in her arsenal.

"What?!" Abby scowled

"Seriously, Abby, you should stop giving them hope of ever meeting their father; it won't happen."

"I did no such thing."

She thumped Abby's arm: "You kidding me right now? The other day, you told Milo that his father likes guns too."

"Because he asked if his father was a policeman."

"Then you told Milo he should keep beating kids because his father won't also take the shit they bring."

Abby scowled: "They have to protect themselves somehow, and I'm glad they are doing it."

"Jesus, Abby..."

"Yes, Maya, I'm glad they defended themselves. I'm glad they stick together like they are supposed to, or you'd rather they were like your baby daddy and his brother."

"Abby!"

"Don't Abby me bitch," Abby flared, "you should be proud of those kids, Maya; they've taken more than even a mature adult Can."

Maya was on the verge of breaking down, her voice shaky: "Abby, I'm trying my best here. I am trying."

Abby reached forward, holding her friend's hand and squeezing comfort in, "I know, baby, and I'm proud of you. All I'm saying is, cut those kids some slack. Of all of us, they try the most."

Maya nodded, her eyes lazy. "Alright, I'll cut them more slack." She forced a lazy smile.

"You know the teachers were lying, right?"

"As always"

*****

Derinem had left his men by the front door, knowing full well that Damon would be at the back. The plan was to round off the man before he knew what was happening, and so far, they were getting into the building.

He pulled his gun from his holster, knowing a sniper was overhead in case anything went wrong.

He kicked the door open. Hearing a bullet fly past his head, he turned to see one of the cartels edging forward.

He shook his head, popping a bullet, hearing the lifeless body drop to the ground in a heap.

He was so used to the gunshot that it was getting hard to get his heart pounding; sometimes, he thought he even craved it.

But not from the Cartels; they were too minor to get him jumpy, like now he had only met two of their soldiers, and all he had to do was pull.

Just pull.

He aimed it at his side, pulling another trigger on the silencer. The sound of bullets pushing into bodies was loud enough.

To the final door, Derinem kicked open, and at the same time as hearing Damon kick the back door, guns in both hands, Derinem wondered what trail of bodies Damon had left behind him.

The room was empty, and Derinem signaled for Damon to check the bathroom since the shower could be heard dropping.

When Damon left Derinem, he went into the bedroom with his gun aimed forward, and the sight of two naked girls holding each other on the bed had him rolling his eyes.

"Damon," he called, "come see this."

Within a minute, Damon was by his side, giving a small laugh when he saw the girls shaking like leaves against each other, pushing the blankets up their chests.

"Seems he left them; he's not anywhere in."

"You think they know?" Derinem tipped his head at the girls.

"Only one way to find out," Damon said, taking steps with a sly smile.

Derinem whispered, "You're not killing them, understand!"

Damon shrugged, "There's only one woman I want to kill right now, so everyone else is safe."

He shook his head at his younger brother. It's a good thing he was in Calabria when the news came that Maya escaped. He suspected Luca had something to do with it because he had not told him about Maya.

As he stood by the window, looking out of it, his back to Damon, asking the girl's question, he looked at the road, and he thought:

"Holy fuck"

"What?" Damon called.

There was the guy they were looking for, running down the road, running in a zigzag in case there was a shooter overhead.

At one point, he turned, seeing Derinem at the window, and threw a middle finger at him.

"Damon, he's getting away."

Without waiting for a response, he jumped down from the window. Jumping down stories, his hands supporting himself on the rail before he landed on the ground on his hands and feet.

He ran after the man, who had increased his pace now, surprised that Don had flown down from the storey building instead of taking the stairs.

Derinem tried stopping and aiming the gum, but each time he slowed down to aim, his target only took another corner, so Derinem lost him for more than two minutes.

He noticed they were now nearing the children's hospital, and his target disappeared into the building, causing Derinem to swear.

He was being dared to shoot in a children's hospital; this was getting more challenging than he thought.

He pushed the gun into its holster at his side, covering it with the dark blue polo shirt he wore.

Derinem ran into the hospital, slowing down when he noticed the nurse sending him a sneer.

This meant his targets had stopped running; this might be his chance.

As he progressed, hoping to catch sight of his victim, he noticed that it became empty the further he went in.

He pulled out the gun now, easing his way down the hall, his eyes taking in the view through the glass of the door, where other children lay on beds, some with drips and most taking in gas.

He hated hospitals; now that he was in a children's hospital, this was torture.

He heaved a sigh and was edging closer when the door opened, and out came a kid.

Derinem stopped, about to hide the gun, when the little boy, who was about five, turned his eyes on him. Derinem noticed the little boy's gray pupils, then his dark brown hair.

Something was captivating about those eyes, and he had to look away before he was sucked into their void.

Derinem noticed the little man wore a singlet, and the birthmark on his shoulder had him even more interested in him.

"Oh, man!" The boy exclaimed, coming close to him, his eyes on the instrument of death that Derinem held, "Is that a gun?"

Derinem looked at the gun in his hand, then back down at the boy. Frowning, he answered, "No, it's not a gun."

The boy's brows lowered as he stood, hands akimbo, saying, "My mom says grownups don't lie. And you're lying, mister?"

Derinem looked down in shock. "And who said I was lying?!"

"You said that wasn't a gun," he said, moving closer.

Derinem pulled back, puzzlement on his face. "Okay, it's a gun, but it's dangerous, not for kids."

"I know it kills people."

Derinem glared at him, "You shouldn't know it kills people. Besides, what's your name, and how old are you?"

"I'm Milo, and I'm four, almost five."

" Milo, you sound forty-five."

He looked up, looking around to see if he could see the person he had followed before being hijacked by this little alien, who couldn't stop staring into his eyes.

His subsequent request had Derinem's heart pounding: "Mister, do you think you can lend me the gun so I can kill my teacher?"

Derinem gawked at the tiny monster.

Who was this demon, and from what hell did he fall?