by J. J. McAvoy
“And Senator Colemen,” she added and looked to me. “You know, I’ve never killed someone in pajamas before.”
“Neither have I. May we always remember our first,” I replied, taking her lips with mine. This was how it should have been from the start. She and I setting the world on fire together.
TWENTY-ONE
“It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves,
and it is not possible to find it elsewhere.”
~ Agnes Repplier
CORALINE
Day 3
“I can’t do this!” I choked out before puking into the bowl once again.
“Cora, you’re doing well, and I’m not going to be the one to tell the Boss you gave up after only three days,” Adriana said, holding my hair back.
Pushing her away, I backed up against the tub. “My skin is so beaten up, it changed colors. I can barely stand. I can’t do this. I can’t. I’m in so much pain all the time, Adriana. Please, let me give up.”
Adriana sighed, kneeling in front me. She took my hands and pulled me to my feet.
“You are stronger than you think, Cora. In three days, you have come so far. Yes, I know you are in pain. But you aren’t the same Cora. So suck it up, get dressed, and go to dinner so we can get to work tonight,” she demanded, handing me an outfit to wear.
Grabbing the clothes, I glared at her. “I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.” She smirked, before leaving.
It hurt like a bitch getting into those clothes. My arms felt like they were being burned off. If I hadn’t just thrown up everything in my stomach then I would have just gone to bed, but I was so damn hungry. Washing out my mouth, I rinsed before heading down the stairs slowly.
“Coraline?” I jumped at her voice.
Not Olivia.
“Yes, Olivia?” I turned to her when we reached the dining hall.
She looked me up and down but didn’t say anything. Stepping into the dining room, both Evelyn and Sedric stopped speaking and just stared at me.
How did Mel handle all the staring? Whenever people stared at her, she simply walked prouder.
Taking a deep breath, I walked slowly to my seat. Placing the napkin in my lap, I grabbed some food and pretended they weren’t there.
“Okay, Coraline, enough. What is happening to you? Are you all right? I’m worried,” Evelyn asked, causing me to jump.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” I replied, filling my plate.
“The way you wince when you breathe means you, at the very least, have a bruised rib. Not to mention the busted lip you’re hiding under makeup. But those are only the wounds we can see. I’m willing to bet Declan’s life on it, so tell me the truth, Coraline,” Sedric demanded as he cut into his lamb.
“I’m taking a self-defense class,” I answered, waiting for them to flip out. However, only Olivia seemed shocked.
“Why in God’s name are you taking a self-defense class?” It seemed like a stupid question.
“Because I would like to defend myself?”
“This is about Melody isn’t it?” she snapped. “She is killing this family and tearing us apart from the inside out.”
It’s not like we were perfect before.
“What would Declan think Coraline? What if you were to get hurt? You have no idea what you’re doing. You aren’t some—”
“Shut up!” I yelled, standing up angrily. “What I want to do with my life and my body is none of your damn business. The only person’s opinion that matters is Declan’s. We get it, you’re bitter that Mel stole your thunder and that the magazines no longer give a shit about you. But it doesn’t mean you have to take it out on me. Go look up baby names or something, and leave me the hell alone.”
When I was done, I blinked a few times, unsure of where that came from. Taking a seat again, I kept my head down and finished eating.
“Sorry for cursing, Evelyn.”
“Not at all. It seems like you have been holding that in for a while.” She laughed when I looked up.
Sedric frowned. “Who is giving you these lessons? Are they trustworthy?”
“Adriana, Mel’s—”
“The slave girl who follows Melody around like a lost dog?” Olivia snorted, drinking her wine.
“Olivia, that is enough,” Sedric snapped, and she stood up straight immediately. “Coraline, when do you train again?”
“Tomorrow at five,” I answered, smiling at Olivia.
“Very well, I shall see you both then.”
Shit.
Day 5
“Do it,” I told Adriana as I sat in front of the mirror.
“Are you sure Cora?” Evelyn asked, looking at my hair.
“It is just hair. It will grow back, right? Adriana almost ripped my ponytail out during our fight yesterday,” I said. After everything, Evelyn and Sedric were both watching as if it were some damn sport. Sedric didn’t really speak. However, he would frown every time my body collided with the floor.
Adriana demanded I learn how to use my size to an advantage, so everything I learned had been quick jabs and kicks. She made me jump up and down for an hour straight before having me kick her hands. But I could barely even stand up, let alone kick. When I puked, she gave me water, some bread, and a six-minute break before putting me to work again.
“Here I go,” Adriana said, and I closed my eyes. All I heard were the scissors snipping away at my hair.
“Evelyn, your nephew will still love me if I’m bald right?” I joked.
“Um—”
“Evelyn!” My eyes flew open, and I stared at my reflection. I looked so different. Not bad different, just different.
Evelyn gasped. “Adriana, you must cut my hair from now on.” She messed with some of the edges of my hair until she met my eyes in the mirror. “You look beautiful, and Declan, will fall in love with you all over again.”
God, I hoped so.
“Now you, Adriana.” I smiled, standing up as I pulled her down.
“Cor . . .”
“Nope, we’re doing this, and if you don’t, I will cut your hair while you sleep,” I threatened, causing her to roll her eyes.
“I don’t sleep,” she joked.
“Why doesn’t that shock me?” I smiled, grabbing the flat iron.
“I think we may have some contacts. Let me see if there are any for your prescription,” Evelyn said quickly, walking out of the room.
“Sexy Adriana is under here somewhere.” I grinned. “This is going to be like one of those teen movies.”
Day 7
I pressed my dress down for what had to be the ninth time since we stepped out of the car. I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin. I was so excited to see him. However, the first person to step out of the jet was one of the men I didn’t recognize, followed by Mel. She looked me over as she made her way toward me.
However, I couldn’t pay attention because there was my Declan. His eyebrows squished together as he looked at my hair.
“Do you like it?” I asked him as I brushed the back down a little.
He reached over and played with a little before looking back to me. “I’m kind of shocked, but you look cute.”
Cute, not beautiful, but I would take that for now. It was better than nothing.
TWENTY-TWO
“It is surely easier to confess a murder over a cup of coffee
than in front of a jury.”
~ Friedrich Dürrenmatt
LIAM
“That’s right, you little shit, come closer,” she said as she eyed the deer standing a few dozen feet away.
“Relax your arm and breathe,” I told her, resting my head right beside hers.
“My arm is relaxed, and you’re doing enough breathing for the both of us,” she replied like the smartass she was.
Backing away from her, I rolled my eyes. “Well then, go ahead, kill Bambi.”
She released the arrow and just like I figured, it went right past the deer’s head, causing it to r
un away in fear. She watched it disappear into the forest in silent rage before turning back to me. Handing me the bow and arrows, she pulled out a gun, and I tried not to laugh.
“I could kill it so much better with this!” she yelled, and it was cute, especially since I knew I wasn’t the source of her rage.
“That’s not the point.” I lifted the bow to the sky, pulling it back and releasing the arrow. It went straight through a bird’s heart. Mel simply rolled her eyes, pointing to the sky and shot three times.
“Three birds for me, one for you. What’s the point again?” She smiled, looking down at the . . . fuck.
“We just killed Mockingbirds.” I frowned, kneeling down to stare at the four birds now half-blown to pieces on the ground.
“Please, tell me you’re joking.”
Smiling at her once more, I stood and released another arrow into the tree, watching another one of the beautiful birds fall to its death.
“Show off.”
“I found the one weapon my wife can’t use.” I grinned as she glared at me. “I think I’ll show it off as much as possible.”
“I’m a people hunter! Who hunts people with arrows?” she snapped, and I opened my mouth to speak but she glared.
“If you say the Green Arrow I will shoot you in the other thigh,” she added, and all I could do was smirk at her.
“All people are animals, love. They freeze when they are afraid. They cry out in pain as they die. A hunter is a hunter, and if you can kill a deer, you can kill a person. It’s that simple,” I replied. “Plus, I wasn’t going to say the Green Arrow, maybe Hawkeye or Katniss Everdeen, but definitely not the Green Arrow.”
Her eyes became wide, and she turned away from me, heading back to camp. It wasn’t hard catching up to her.
“You are such a child,” she said, but I could see the smallest grin on her lips.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, taking her hand and pulling her to me. She looked at her hands and then to me. I knew she was somewhat uncomfortable, but she didn’t pull away.
“What? Aren’t you going to ask me to go steady first?”
“Maybe if we were in the nineteen fifties.”
“Have you ever been on a date?” I asked her, causing us to stop.
“I don’t date, and you better not try any of that romantic shit on me either,” she said.
“Girls like romantic shit.” I smiled. She always made me smile, and I wasn’t sure if I could bring myself to hide it from her or the world.
“I’m not ‘girls.’ I’m Melody.”
“We can compromise,” I said, leaning against one of the tress.
She crossed her arms and stood straighter. “Or I could shoot you.”
“Violence is not the answer, love. Well violence against me isn’t the answer,” I replied, thinking quickly. “We can have private dates. You and I in our bedroom, where only I can see you being kind.”
Before she could speak, I pulled her toward me and pressed her up against the tree, kissing her ruthlessly, only to break away.
“On special occasions, we can kill the cops or anyone else who gets in our way in our pajamas again. We can watch as they bleed out and burn, drink wine and have each other over and over again. After all, we are both people hunters,” I whispered into the distance between our lips.
She kissed me, pressing her whole body against mine and broke away with a grin. “You sure know how to charm a woman.”
Her words made me so hard I lifted her up and pinned her against the bark. God, I loved my wife.
“Sir, ma’am,” a voice called out from behind us, and right then and there, I wanted to snap his neck. The darkness in Mel’s eyes told me she wanted him dead as well.
Breaking away from me, she turned to Fedel who stood with his back turned. “What!”
He didn’t turnaround. “The jet has been fueled and will be ready to depart. Neither of your phones were working, but your father, sir, has tried to reach you. The police commissioner is giving a statement to the press about the fire in an hour. They also came by the house this morning.”
That bitch came to my motherfucking house again? He was just asking to fucking die!
“Are the men ready?” Mel asked, adjusting her clothing, but she didn’t need to—she always looked the same—beautiful, deadly, and fuckable.
“Yes, ma’am. Monte and all the others who drove left last night,” he answered quickly. He was definitely more afraid of Mel than he was of me. I was going to have to balance that scale as well.
“Leave us,” I demanded, and he was gone. Turning to my wife, I tried to breathe calmly, however I wanted the cop fucker dead.
“I’m going to kill him,” I told her. “I’ll find out—”
“It won’t work. You have to break him.” She sighed, stepping in front of me. “Killing him is only half the battle. He is becoming a model for the rest of the force. He is becoming a hero. He is going to give some uplifting speech and try and reinstate a hope for better future. It’s time we do what we promised to do if he didn’t back down.”
“We make Chicago bleed,” I said, and she nodded.
“When the crime is in the ghettos, no one gives a shit. When the crime makes its way to the suburbs, people demand better from their police officers.”
“They begin to distrust them. When they do, we will step forward and remind them why they love the Callahans.”
“I will have Declan and Monte hack the records and find all the police officers who have families.” She smiled, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted the city and the state to cry out in agony.
“Not just the police,” I added as we headed back to camp. “I want the names of every judge, politician, and businessman who does not support our family. You step in front of us, we blow a hole through you and every last person who ever knew you.”
There would be blood, and lots of it.
MELODY
“People of Chicago, I come to you now because I know you are afraid. I’m from Chicago. I know this city like the back of my hand, and I know that we can get back to the glory days. It’s why the Chicago PD is working overtime to make our cities safe. If you see anything, we will protect you if you come forward. It’s time we take our city back from those who believe we have given up. From those who think we are just going to allow them to keep—”
“His voice makes me want to shoot myself.” I groaned muting the computer in front us. “Maybe we should kill him now. Don’t we have snipers in the area?”
Liam drank my wine as he relaxed as well. “You and I both know that would be a bad idea. Tomorrow begins the reign of terror, just hold off another twelve hours.”
Sighing, I looked to the computer screen where the idiot was still speaking.
“Does he really believe anyone is going to talk?”
“They would have to be pure idiots,” Liam said. However, Fedel stood up and placed another file in front us.
“What is this?” I asked, but the moment I opened it, a grin spread across my face as I handed it to Liam, waiting to see how he would react.
“Jesus Christ, you did this in church?” He laughed, lifting up the hospital photo of Natasha. I should have just killed her.
“I was told you saw her for breakfast,” I stated, and he looked up to me, eyes wide, before turning to Fedel.
His jaw set as he threw the photo back on the table. “You had me followed?” he hissed.
“The morning you were being an ass,” I paused and, grabbing the brandy, added, “the morning you were being a giant ass, I had you followed and your ex-girlf—”
“She was a bitch I fucked in the past, not my ex-girlfriend,” he snapped.
Leaning in, I made sure he could see my eyes. “I’m not sorry, not even a little bit, and I don’t care who she was. She wanted to be a part of your future, and I made sure she knew what would happen if she crossed that line again.”
His nose flared but he simply glared at Fedel. “Why are you showing this to us?”
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“Ms. Briar filed a police report to Sam, claiming, ma’am, that you were the one who attacked her. Brooks is waiting for your directions,” Fedel replied.
“Kill her,” he demanded. “I warned her when she ambushed me before.”
“That would look bad.” I sighed because I really did want the bitch dead. “If she were to be killed, it would be too obvious. She has family. They would realize it, and that is just too many loose ends for one whore.”
I just wasn’t sure what to do with her.
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose before lifting up the photo again. “A broken nose and jaw, large abrasions across the forehead, with trace amount of bleach in her throat.
“Bleach in her throat?”
I shrugged. “They must have used bleach in the toilet bowl I stuck her head in.”
He tried not to smile, but I could see his lips twitch up. Shaking his head, he placed the file back down.
“Ninety percent of those wounds could have been self-inflicted. After all she is a very unstable woman with a history of stalking and violent acts in a fit of jealously,” he said, seriously, looking over to Declan, who looked much better than he did earlier in the week. He was lucky I had only used my small knife.
“Declan, make sure all records of Natasha Briar list her as mentally unbalanced. Fedel, have Brooks flag her as mentally ill as well by whatever doctor she visited—pay him well enough to make sure he stresses the need to get her ‘help’—and by the end of the week, make sure she should be in West Ridge.”
“West Ridge is the worst mental hospital in the state, if not the country.” I smiled. If Natasha wasn’t crazy now, she would be.
“I know. We can kill her after the dust settles.” He smiled back.
“How romantic. I hate blondes.” I laughed along with him. However, I stopped when I heard a snicker.
“Poor Olivia.” Liam turned to Neal. I didn’t bother giving him a glance.
“I don’t give a shit,” I replied, looking out the window. “She should be happy I took it easy on him.”