Golden Rule

Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Fernanda

    This isn’t my life, it can’t be. I had plans, we had plans. Why did this have to happen? Goddess help me. I had made my own family and life after losing my parents at a young age.

     My Nana, my rock. The woman that was always by my side was taken from me. My chosen love Noah also gone. My little sister that I had also chosen as my own, gone. Everyone is gone. What do I do now? Where do I even begin to pick up the pieces. How can I even go on with my plans?

    I have not felt my wolf since the hospital two days ago. The connection she had with Nana Regina’s wolf was exactly like a wolf pup and its mother. Nana was the only mother figure my wolf had ever known, and that was true for me as well. She was heartbroken and retreated from me and I felt I lost her as well. I couldn’t even grieve with her; it was just too much.

    Noah was not our fated mate but that never made a difference to my wolf. She was attracted to and loved him just as much as I did, and he filled all her primal needs just like my emotional and physical needs. There would be no other like him. A human male that accepted what we were when we revealed our true selves. He was so brave and understanding and loving. He was amazing. His family was heartbroken. His mother’s cries were gut wrenching and his dad fell into shock. His brother and sister just as emotional as their parents.

    Madison, my little sister. She was the sweetest kid ever and she was growing into a beautiful young woman that we were so proud of. She was in her Junior year of high school and she already had universities trying to court her. Noah and I were her mentors and along with Nana Regina and her mother, we were cheerleaders for her in everything she did.

    The detectives were at my house to update me the progress of the investigation.

    “Witnesses say it didn’t look like an accident. It seemed like the car they were in was targeted.” The detective says while giving me a pointed look.

    “what are you saying Detective?”

    Detective Gonzalez took a deep breath and continued.

    “we collected footage from security recordings in the area and found someone on one of them we want you to look at. We just came from speaking to two of the witnesses and they confirmed it is the same man they saw at the crash site.”

    He takes out a tablet, turns it on and hands it to me.

    I felt all the color drain from my face and my heartbeat racing, the world stopped moving. I stifle a growl as my wolf finally joins me as I look at a grainy still of Travis Billings.

    “How is he out?!”

    “we know he got himself a fancy, hot shot lawyer; he was released and is out on probation. We’ve gathered that a vehicle driven behind your family, cut them off and ran them off the road. Mr. Frederick lost control of the car. Miss Fenton, who was sitting in the back was not wearing a seat belt and unfortunately died on impact from those injuries. The other vehicle pulled up to them and that is when witnesses say Andrew Billings got out of the front passenger side and witnesses say he… finished off Mr. Frederick and Ms. Maldonado The coroner isn’t done with her report, but the hospital report indicates that Ms. Maldonado and Mr. Frederick had injuries not consistent with the car accident. We are in touch with the person that the other vehicle was registered to, it was stolen from Indiana...”

    My mind was reeling. I could not believe what I was hearing. I could not process it. They were murdered by that bastard! Tears of grief mixed with anger started free falling from my eyes and I felt my wolf wanting to come out and let out her rage. I closed my eyes tight fighting her for control until she soon realized we needed to remain calm. For now. When I looked at the detectives, they were giving me concerned looks. Not about my internal battle with my wolf, but summarizing I was grieving while trying to process this new information.

    I can not hold it this time and run to the half bathroom and bile burns my throat as it makes its way up. I have no contents in my stomach, so there was nothing but my stomach lining to ease my sick feeling.

    I hear a knock on the door and then the door opening. The detective greets Patricia, Madison’s mom.

    “I saw your car from my house.” I hear her say.

    I come out of the bathroom to see her in a mess of matted dark brown hair, pale yellow skin and wrinkled clothes. We stare at each other for a bit until I break the silence.

    “it was Travis.”

    Her face pales even more and her eyes go wide and start rolling to the back of her head. I make no move to reach for her. I cannot be bothered right now to care for her. I realize she lost her daughter. I lost my mother figure and the love of my life to her f*****g abusive ex-boyfriend.

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    I met Patricia when she came running into my house yelling that her daughter had fallen and had broken her arm. She said they did not have money or insurance to take her to the hospital and asked if I could go see if I could help. Of course, I ran down the street with her.

    When I walked into their house it looked almost empty. No television in the living room and hardly any furniture anywhere. Uhm, that’s strange I thought immediately.

    Maddie was laying on the lone couch crying her little heart out. But my wolf noticed her cries were a mix of pain and fear. I went to her and sure enough her ulna was dislocated from her humerus. I asked Patricia if she was sure she couldn’t take her to the hospital. She said they would pay me but that she couldn’t take her and gave some insurance problem excuse. Another red flag.

    I didn’t say anything and grabbed Maddie’s elbow with my right hand and felt for her ulna with my left. In one swift movement I popped it back in place. Maddi screamed in pain, but the worst part was over. I asked Patricia to find me something to wrap Maddi’s arm in. She took off up the stairs. I was trying to soothe Maddi while I waited but when about 5 minutes went by, I thought it odd she hadn’t found a towel or a sheet or anything at all. I told Maddie I was going to go look for her mom when she tensed up.

    “please don’t leave me here, please don’t go upstairs!” she said to me pleading.

    Something is going on here, my wolf agreed. I reassured her nothing would happen. I started my way up the stairs. I saw a door cracked with the light on and walked up to it slowly. I heard rushed and harsh whispers. Then Patricia came into view. She was behind the bed on her knees, only from her chest up visible. A man grabbing her by her hair.

    “You better get your neighbor outta here fast! I f***ing told you to wait! You better make sure Madison keeps her f***ing mouth shut!” he whisper-yelled into Patricia’s ear while pulling and tugging at her hair. All she could do was whimper.

    I pushed the door open and looked at him straight in his eyes as he let go of her and she fell to the floor. He stood straight, as tall as he could. Obviously trying to intimidate me. I felt my wolf’s rage. Not caring that Patricia was present, I used my werewolf speed and strength to rush him. I immediately break his nose to disorient him. I punch him in his gut to knock the wind out of him and punch his temple to make him feeble. He is on the floor now and I reach down to grab his arm like I did Maddie’s. Only this time I pop his bone OUT of place.

    I pick up Patricia by her arms and pretty much drag her downstairs while she cries. I finish fixing Maddi up with the towels Patricia has had this whole time in her hands. I rush back upstairs to drag the screaming man down and literally throw him out into the yard. Mother and daughter are sitting on the couch holding each other.

    I pull my cell phone out and proceed to call the police department. I tell the clerk what happened leaving some details out and say both the mother and me took the i***t man down. She says the officers are on their way. I hang up and call Noah, giving barely any detail because he is smart enough to figure out what happened. He tells me he is on his way as well. He arrives a few minutes after the police and I fall into his arms to give that damsel in destress act, so the cops don’t ask too much. Patricia is speechless and Maddie is still crying uncontrollably.

    Turns out Patricia’s boyfriend, Travis Billings, was wanted on aggravated assault and robbery charges and was hiding out. Patricia could not find a way to get rid of him but knew she had to help her daughter when he lashed out and hurt her. The awesome thing about Noah in that situation was him knowing the right people to get Travis the max for all he had done. And assaulting a minor was all the district attorney needed to practically lock him up and throw away the key. Thankfully, Patricia never asked about what happened that night in the bedroom with the three of us; we figured she was simply happy it did.

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    Now he was back, somehow, he was out. It had been almost three years. And he took everyone from me. But how? How on earth did he manage to do all he did and so brazenly in the middle of a busy Chicago street. Who helped him? I could not fathom how he managed it all. It was consuming my every thought.

    I had Nana cremated, and I attended all of Maddie’s events keeping my distance from Patricia. All of Maddie’s friends, students and teachers, coaches and more came to give their condolences. I realized Patricia was just as alone as I was now. The little bit of family that came out to see her were very distant with her. She had had a rough upbringing in the city and gave her daughter all that she could. I felt for her, I really did. But I also felt anger and blamed what happened on her. I know it wasn’t fair, but it came from my heart and my wolf agreed.

    I was now at Noah’s family’s house after the burial. A week after the incident. His mother’s sobs had not stopped the entire time I had been here, two days and going into the second night.

    We were sitting in the family room while relatives worked in the kitchen to fix something for a light dinner. When she suddenly stopped. We all look up at her and she is looking straight at me. My heart drops as I did not know what to expect. She gets up and walks over to the credenza in the room and takes out a small box and a folder.

    She kneels in front of me and begins “Noah loved you so much, he asked me for my family ring a few weeks ago to propose to you. It was on him still after the accident and we got it back. I want you to keep it Fernanda, I could not bear to keep it after losing him and thinking what his life could have been. The grandchildren he would have given us.”

    At that, Noah’s father gets up to get on the floor beside her to hug her. I can not help the sobs that escape my mouth, and my body starts shaking. My wolf whimpering at the mentions of pups. I slide off my seat to join them on the floor and we start crying, letting everything out. Noah’s siblings come over to comfort their parents while their parents are hugging me.

    I stop when I realize what she said about the ring.

    “I could not take this from your family, Jenn. It belongs to you.”

    “Please understand that I cannot keep this. I had always promised it to him. And Josh and Emmy agreed for you to keep it.” She says as she grabs my hand and puts the ring box in it. She then proceeds to give the folder to Noah’s dad.

    “Noah left you as his life insurance beneficiary. This is all the paperwork needed for you to file the claim.” Says Marty.

    I open the folder to scan the documents and see that Noah had his parents as secondary beneficiaries to a half a million-dollar life insurance. Then I know what I must do.