10. stop lying

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I set my keys down and head to put away groceries. I can feel someone here with me. I kept pretending like nothing was wrong. But it stood in the shadows.

"Devon Hobbs." He steps out to the light. The man in the mask. "We need to talk." I had to be normal, I can't have him following me around if he knew something about me.

"Isn't this a romantic way to talk to women." I played with a knife, in case something happens. "Breaking and entering, stalking. You are something else."

"We need to talk." He walks up to me. His voice was deeper, sounded forced. "Why did the Russians attack you the other night?"

"I dont know. Mug me?" He stands there. "Listen, my dad has it under control-"

"Robert Hobbs, I know. Ever wonder why?" I gripped on the knife harder. "What does your dad work in?"

"Let me know if you know because I'm wondering that too. My dad is a very secretive man, always has and always will. He will take everything to his grave."

"Your father is working with someone big, i think the Russians were going after him because of what he does." I laughed, my dad? Russians going after him? What did he do?

"And what will that be?"

"That I don't know yet." I shook my head.

"How about this, you get all of your information right and ready, then you can come and break in, yeah? You have a good night." I pushed him out, he went down the fire escape. My phone pinged. Dad was moving. I took off my clothes and wore some dark clothes to disguise myself.

I got in my car and started to follow my dad. The ride was long, the way there was sketchy and dangerous. What the hell is he doing here? I parked far away from the SUV and watched. My dad hops out and so does Wesley. They step into a mechanic shop. I got out of my car and made my way to get a closer look. All of the buzzing and working from the men made it difficult to hear. As I got a glance, the same 4 men that attacked me were there and one of them was beaten up badly. My dad was working with them? I heard walking and I hid.

"Robert..." Wesley says before my dad hit the car with his fist. "I know-"

"Those bastards were after my daughter and you want me to be civil? If they come near her again or my family i will kill them all."

"Remember what Wilson said, not the time nor the place. We have to stay focus."

"I don't give a shit. They better watch it." He puts his hands on his hips and flashed the gun that was holstered. I wanted to go in there and beat every single one but I couldn't not now. Wesley hands my dad a piece of gum and he starts to chew it. "If it wasn't for the man in the mask, Devon would be hurt."

"Calm down. Come on, you got work to do." As they left, I went to the penthouse and waited for him. It was hours. Nobody was home.

My dad walks in, turns on all of the lights and gets startled as he saw me standing. He was angry from earlier but this time he was even worse.

"Where were you?" I asked him, just getting to the point.

"I dont know what you mean." He lies.

"You and Wesley were at a warehouse." He stands up straight, clenched his jaw.

"You followed me?" He says as he came closer. He got a new wound, his jacket got cut. "You know how dangerous that is?" My mom comes home, she was so confused on why we were fighting. She calms my father down but failed.

"Whats going on? Why are you coming home all beat up?" He sighs.

"You don't need to know. Devon, you're a lot like me, believe me. You really are. You're doing the same. honestly Devon, I don't whats going inside your head right now but you've been so secretive and to yourself it's honestly freaking us out." I clenched my jaw. "Sleeping in the closet and on the floor, the daydreaming, the nightmares, the sneaking out, the scars, I don't know who you are."

"You want to talk about being secretive? What about you? My entire 6 years of being with you was nothing but a guess game. We still don't know what you do for work, the secretive conversations, meetings in the office, you leaving in the night. You want to talk about that? What about the Russians? Why were they after me? Words on the street is that they want to get you. Want to tell me that?"

"I dont know what you mean. Everything I do is to protect you."

"Protect me? Where were you when I was kidnapped? Where were you when i was gone for 17 years? You didn't protect me where I was. You don't think that being gone for that long would still make me the same old Devon?" My mom was crying, telling us to stop. But we kept going. "People change when they go through something traumatic like that."

"How dare you."

"Both of you, enough." My mom pushed us back.

"No, How about you stop lying and tell me whats going on!"

"Im not lying! It's something you shouldn't be playing around with!" I scuffed and i stormed off. The rain was coming down hard and fast. I pushed people out of my way, trying to go somewhere to clear my head. "Devon!" I heard him yell out. I turned around and see him running after me. A small black car pulls up and shoots him. He falls back and the car speeds away. I ran to my dad, holding pressure to his wound.

"Dad!" My accent slips in. "No! No! Dad!" Everyone crowded around us. "Call the ambulance please! My dad hes dying!" I started to cry. "Мне так жаль, папа, пожалуйста, не оставляй меня." (im so sorry papa, please dont leave me.) he reaches and touches my cheek, smiling.

"My little dove." He whispers before he dies in my arms. I tried to wake him, his body turned limp and white.

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I looked down at my bloody hands, dried and stained with my dads blood. Ive been interviewed over and over, what car was it, did you see the shooter, how many were there, what happened that led to this. I clouded myself, this was my fault. Kazi and Maya were the first ones here, checking up on me. I heard my mom come in, she yelled at the officers and cried as she saw me and heard about what happened to my father. Rivers teary eyes meet mine. He noticed that I had no reaction. He stands in front me. He takes me home and we didn't talk.

"Its not your fault you know." He tells me as he helps me up to my place. "Dad was in the wrong crowd and thats all. You did nothing to cause his death." He wanted to huge but he settled for a kiss on my head. "Im a phone call away, you need anything, and i mean it, ill be here."

I ran a shower, waiting for it to be steamy and hot before I jumped in. The blood ran down my body and i watched it go down the drain. I scrubbed hard to get the blood out but I ended up hurting myself. Why did I leave? Why couldn't I just drop it?

Devon gets dressed and sits on her bed as there was knock on the door. She slowly picks herself up and opens to see Matt. He pants as he heard the devastating news. They didn't share any words but he gave her a hug. Devon didn't hug him back, her arms by her side, her head on his shoulder. Devon wanted him to stay the night, just one. And he did. He comforted her, whispering its going to alright.

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"Robert Hobbs was a good man." The father speaks. The funeral was held outside, the family and friends grieving over the man. But Devon still had the same face since that night.

"How does she look?" Matt whispers to Karen.

"A wreak, looks like she wants to cry but cant." As everyone paid their respects, Devon was the last one standing. Foggy and them wanted to come up to her but she hasn't spoken a word, people believed she was so traumatized but really, Devon just wanted to keep to herself. Trying so hard not to break into the monster she was. Devon stayed with her mom to keep her company, she didn't want anything happening to her. They both sat at the ends to the couch, Devon with her legs against her chest, Gen resting her chin on her knee as she sips on her wine. She was getting ready for bed, my mom walks around and kneels down in front of me.

"Im not mad, im not upset with you. You didn't cause this." She tucks my hair back. "I still and will always love you. Dont beat yourself up." She kisses my forehead and leaves to go to bed. I didn't move my spot until there was a knock on the door. I pretended that nobody was home but they kept knocking. I didn't want to wake my mom up so I stepped out and see Wilson with Wesley.

"Im sorry but-" something clicked in my head. A familiar smell switched my mind.

"I actually want to tell you something." I opened the door, going to go inside. "What if I can help you find your fathers killer." I froze, slowly turning my head back at them. "Sasha told me that you were a assassin, they called you the Red Widow. You are perfect at what you do, you dont miss and you do what you are told." Sasha said that? "You work for me, protect me, like your father did, and ill help you find them."

"My father protected you?"

"He was my hitman, i can see why you're a good aim." He chuckles. "Let me help you get what you want." He stares me down.

"Deal." I shook his hand and nodded at Wesley. "Where do we start?"