It took all of forty five minutes to get to the farm. Stu had wasted no time. Kari felt that he might be almost as curious as she was. Since they weren't expected, Kari tried to call before leaving the vehicle. Well, at least her mom's constant paranoia made a lot more sense. Everything did. The story had to be true.

Stu pulled the her onto the driveway to the farmhouse. Kari wasn't sure that was the best idea. She knew her mom would welcome her but figured that four in the morning wasn't the best time to drop in.

"Ok, Stu. Just in case I want you to park in that spot in front of the house. It's where I usually do so hopefully she'll realize it is me. You should wait in the car until I talk to her."

"Are you sure it'll be ok? We could wait until the sun is up?"

"It should be ok."

As soon as the words left her mouth, floodlights came to life. The yard lit up like a sports stadium. Kari was looking right towards the lifts when they came on. The sudden change in lighting had left her temporarily blinded. She tripped over her own get and hit the ground hard. Stu made out a little better, but it was still impossible to see.

A voice band over a PA system. It seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but it's rude to disturb a lady in the middle of the night! People just lack manners these days. You, sir, can pick up your little friend off the ground and leave the way you came! That's assuming you want to leave with all your parts intact!"

Stu tried to diffuse the situation.

" Ma'am, we came here…."

"I don't give two pig shits why you are here! I didn't mean to make it sound like it was up for debate. Anything else from you pretty boy and you'll be eating through a straw!"

"Kari! Some help here!"

"Dammit, mom! What the hell is wrong with you???"

"Kari? Is that really you?"

"YES! Do not shoot my friend! Why would you even respond like that? Who did you think was here? I'd hate to see how you treat a pizza guy??"

The floodlights dimmed and the perimeter lifts came on. Kari could see her mom walking towards them from a field. She knew not to be in the house. Her mom wasn't a fool, but there's no way she went this eccentric in the short time Kari had lived in the city. This really gave Del's story some merit.

Kari's mom disarmed all of her defenses and turned off the flood lights. As the tension started to fade, she made her way to Kari and Stu.

"I'm sorry, honey. I've had visits from Demetrius's men. They had a lot of questions I wasn't willing to answer. I wanted to convince them I was a crazy old lady. I hoped it would keep then from finding out about you. I must've been too late if you're sneaking in in the middle of the night. I'm sure he has plans to make you a trophy of some sort. Well let's not stand out here and catch cold. We have enough problems. Sorry I threatened you pretty boy. Nothing personal."

"No big deal ma'am. I've dealt with worse, but I certainly took you more seriously than most."

"I like him, Kari. Respectful. Are you two?..."

"Mom! Please! Can we talk inside? And no. We aren't together…"

"That's a shame. He's a fine looking young man."

"Well, Stu,if you haven't guessed, this is my mom, Anna."

"A pleasure", Stu smiled and nodded Anna's way.

Anna leaned in towards Kari and whispered, "Well if you aren't interested, I might see if he's like a more "seasoned" gal."

"For the love of God mom, could you please take this seriously??"

They walked on in silence until they got into the house. Things had evidently gotten very serious. The farm looked like a World War 2 battlefield from a movie. Barbed wire and trenches. Weapons were set up for defense. The windows were sealed off and covered with tin that had slots cut in it to see through. It looked like a place Jamie Lee Curtis would live in the Halloween movies.

"I apologize for the mess. I'd managed to hide out here so long I'd hoped they'd never find out about us. Your dad gave his life to save us. I'm sorry I never told you the truth before now. I wanted you to have a good life. I know it's the first thing all parents say but I didn't want you dealing with more loss. Losing your father was hard enough. Before I drone on, I'll make us some coffee. This will take a minute to explain."

Stu and Kari took seats at the kitchen table. So it really WAS true. Everything Del had told her. She kept hoping it was all a case of mistaken identity. She'd already lost her friends and an eye. She wasn't sure what to think.

"First off. Honey what happened to your eye? Were you attacked?"

In all the chaos, she'd almost forgotten about that. Kari told her mom of The Crow. How she enjoyed her job. She talked about Wanda and Tiffany. Of Pop Tart. She told of how Steele had hit her while Demetrius watched. How they'd taken her out back. Anna listened intently until she mentioned Del.

"I can't believe that old bastard is still alive. For a long time I blamed him for this. He should've never talked your father into taking over. Steven was such a good man. He considered Del a great friend. But Del should've picked someone else."

Kari finished her tale and Anna seemed thoughtful. "Honey, I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I always meant to tell you, but when you put a thing off long enough, it gets harder and harder to say. Your father, Steven, was Del's right hand man and closest friend. Yes, they were gangsters, but they were mild compared to others.

"Your father wanted out as well, but he and Del both knew that any other candidate would've been wiped out immediately. They never dreamed that Del was the one they feared. They waited a month to make sure Del was gone and they made their move. They set fire to our home hoping to take us all out. You and I weren't even there, but your uncle's wife and daughter were. They'd been looking for a place to lay low."

"Your father knew if they suspected us to be alive, they'd send all their resources after us. Scrappy lost his shit and went after the ones that killed his family. Steven had us wait outside the city until he could join us. He went after his brother. He was lone- gunning it the whole way. He found out that Jimmy the Seal had ordered the hit. Scrappy was in a rage. He'd been shot a couple times but wasn't slowing down. When Steven caught up to him, he explained his plan. He told scrappy that he needed him to get us out of the city. Everyone believed us dead so it souls be him attacking wildly. He begged him. Knowing he was the only one to be trusted. Scrappy was heartbroken but agreed. He knew he was about to lose his brother."

He apologized to Steven for not seeing it coming and preparing. Your father tools him that in this line of work you don't really know when death will come to collect, but you try to minimize the collateral damage. He knew if he was gunned down the fighting would stop. It would also keep Jimmy busy while we were spirited away from the city. When Scrappy showed up alone, I knew I'd never see Steven again. We had a briefcase full of money and a new identity. I used one of our launderers to create a paper trail that couldn't be tacked. We've lived here since. Everyone believed us dead until now. I'm not sure how Demetrius figured it out, but that's one snake that needs to have his head removed."

Kari was reeling from the story. She hadn't wanted to believe Del, but her mother validated his story. Her dad, Steven, had sacrificed himself for them and so many others. He was so brave. Why couldn't she be that brave?

"Well mom, I hope you have an escape plan. If they knew who I was we should assume they know about you as well. If we go back in Del's car, they will spot us for sure."

"Go back?", the idea startled Anna, "I didn't think you'd want to go back. If they catch you there's no telling what Demetrius had planned."

"I may not be as brave as my father, but I'm loyal. There are a few people who helped me get this far. I owe them a chance."

"Honey, Del is the reason we lost your father. We don't owe him anything!"

"Yes, but Del is also the reason you still have a daughter. I don't want to go back, but I'm not sure I could live without going."

Anna looked at her thoughtfully.

"You're more like your damn father than you think. Well if your set on doing this, I guess I better not send you in there half-cocked."

Anna got up and headed towards the basement. Kari had no idea what her mom had in mind but she'd take all the help she could get.

© The Moonlight Bard