Page 20 of My Girlfriend is a Werewolf

Derek had more questions. “Why did you assume she was with me?”

“Just a lucky guess.” Tattoo tried to shrug, but the tape held him firm.

The smaller fellow woke and began thrashing and moaning. “Oh god, my face. My face. She broke my face.”

“I’ll rip out your tongue next if you don’t shut it,” Derek growled.

Sexy.

He removed Ralph’s mask to show a kid barely out of his teens, also sporting the same tattoo over his eye. Derek shook his head. “Fucking idiots. Wasting your life and potential on cheap scores.”

“Five grand is big bucks,” argued Ralph.

“How much is your life worth?” Athena’s sweet reply. “Because here’s the problem, boys. Now that you’ve seen me, I can’t exactly let you go tattle.”

Their mouths rounded. “We wouldn’t tell,” Tattoo hastened to state.

“Like I’m gonna believe you.” Derek paced. “Where can we deposit their bodies? Canal won’t spit them up for a few days or weeks, but carrying them that far will be a pain.”

“We could dump them in the sewer,” she suggested. “Keep them bound and the rats can have at them.” She was only half serious, but curious where Derek went with this. She’d not gotten the impression he was a killer when he’d last confronted the thugs.

“The sewer is a good idea, but we’ll have to tape their mouths shut, lest they whine too loudly and get discovered with all their parts intact.”

“Dumpster fires are becoming more common,” she stated. “Give them a joint or some smokes and the cops will assume they fell asleep with one lit.”

“That’s actually a good plan, but we’d have to remove the tape.” Derek rubbed his chin. “Easy enough to knock them out so they stay put while they burn.”

The thugs’ eyes couldn’t get any bigger or their fear-stink any worse.

“We won’t tell,” blubbered Ralph. “Promise.”

“As if I’ll believe a word out of your mouth,” Derek snapped.

“Swear on my momma’s life,” sobbed the kid.

“And on my three babies,” added Tattoo.

“Jeezus, you’re a father?” Derek didn’t hide his disgust. “Nice example you’re setting.”

“We’ll leave you alone. We swear.” The kid sounded sincere.

Would Derek actually kill them? Athena was tempted. These two were part of the problem Ottawa had with crime these days. Entitled, lazy assholes who thought they could take from those who worked hard.

“What do you think, sugarplum?” Derek asked her.

“I don’t know, honey. The world might be better off without them.”

“Please,” sniveled Ralph. “I didn’t even want to come. Horace made me do it.”

“Did not,” Horace exclaimed.

“Fuck you. You did. You knew I wanted to go straight, and when I said no, you said you’d tell Bethany I had crabs if I didn’t.”

As they argued, Athena sidled close to Derek to murmur, “Sorry I brought trouble to your doorstep.”

“Don’t you apologize.”

“I will because this is my fault. I’ll help you deal with these idiots then be on my way.”

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