Ruthless People

by J. J. McAvoy

  “I hate this,” she whispered into the phone. “I hate how I have no control of how I’m feeling. I feel like a ticking time bomb, Liam. It’s pissing me off.”

  “I’m good at defusing bombs, lov—” I stopped. I could almost feel her rolling her eyes. “I get it. One step at a time, and I will try my best to help to not tick you off. Would you like a smoothie?”

  “That ticks me off!” she snapped. “Since when could you bribe me with treats like a fucking child.”

  I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “So no smoothie, then?”

  “Mango, banana, orange and extra kiwi,” she replied before hanging up, and I fought back a laugh.

  “Take me to Smoothie Hut,” I told the driver up front. Neither he nor Fedel said a word. But what could they really say? I had a pregnant and dangerous wife waiting for me back home.

  MELODY

  Taking a deep breath, I rolled into a ball on my bed.

  “How are you feeling?” Evelyn said, literally sounding like a bird from a Disney movie, before taking a seat beside me.

  I’m tired, hungry, or annoyed every ten minutes. I spent the first weeks puking in Adriana’s bathroom just to hide it from Liam, and now you’re treating me like I’m an infant.

  “I’m fine, Evelyn,” I said coldly, sitting up.

  “Cut the bullshit, Mel. I’m serious, I get that you want to remain ‘Boss,’ but you’re also about to be a mother. That supersedes anything else. So drop the act and speak to me as if I were Liam.” If I spoke to her like I spoke to Liam, I would lose it.

  “I shouldn’t be pregnant, Evelyn. I did everything but take my uterus out not to become pregnant. Yet here I am. This kid is taking all my energy, and I’m tired all the damn time,” I said, leaning against the pillows.

  Damn him and his Irish swimmers.

  “You’re still in your first trimester. Fatigue is normal. Give it three more weeks, and it will fade.” She smiled, taking my hand into hers. “Mel, you don’t understand how happy this makes me. How happy this has made our whole family. I’m going to be a grandmamma.”

  “Yeah,” I said with no emotion, because I wasn’t excited.

  “You don’t want a child?” I could tell she was trying not to judge me, but I could see the worry in her eyes.

  “I kill people, Evelyn. It’s part of the job, and have no regrets about it because I’m good. I’m one of the best there ever was. History will put me right up there with Al Capone and Charles “Lucky” Luciano. I’ll be the second woman on that list next to Xie Caiping. That was my baby. That’s the kid I’ve been taking care of for the last seven and a half years. I don’t know how to take care of that child, while taking care of this one.”

  There, I said it. I took a deep breath as Evelyn processed.

  “You do know the reason for family right?” She smiled. “You are good at delegating everything but your power.”

  “That’s because power shouldn’t be delegated.” It’s what made me stronger. Why share that? I was already splitting half of it with Liam.

  “Maybe not. Maybe you could do it all by yourself. The only downside would be losing your mind, Liam’s heart, or your child.” I don’t know why my hand went to my stomach but the smirk on her face annoyed me. I had Saige and Amory already aiming for its life.

  “I don’t have to tell you to be yourself. But do use us if needed. Liam realizes he needs you, and I doubt he would side-step you. Do less, but when you do something, make it lasting. Leave a mark. Your men and the rest of the world will see you as you are—Bloody Melody.” She winked at me as Liam walked in. He looked confused and slightly worried. I guess he thought if I was talking to his mother, something had to be wrong.

  “I will leave you and the Mad Hatter alone, for now.” She gave me a small hug, which I didn’t return. I was not a hugger, but I patted her on the back.

  “Darling.” Evelyn hugged him and smirked at the smoothie in his hands. “That’s a small cup.”

  “What?” Liam replied, looking at it. Evelyn winked at me before leaving, even though I had no idea what it meant.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, handing me the smoothie.

  I rolled my eyes, slurping down the drink. “I can’t have alcohol. How would you feel? And this is a small cup.”

  “Touché.” He laughed, falling next me. He had this annoying new habit of rubbing my stomach as if it were a fucking crystal ball. It seemed to make him happy, so I didn’t say a word. Someone should be excited for this kid.

  “What did the commissioner have to say?” I asked, shaking my drink—stupid fruit kept getting stuck at the bottom.

  “We ruined his life, we killed his men, we are evil . . . same old, same old.” He sighed. “I didn’t get anything new out of him.”

  “Please tell me you ended him then. I’m done with the Chicago PD.” If not, I can always go back to the hospital myself.

  “It’s done. He died painfully and slowly. Monte stayed behind to make sure.” He kissed my stomach before looking to me.

  “This Cross person, how far up the chain is he?” The closer the guy was to the boss, the harder it was to make him talk.

  “Personal guard to Vance’s favorite mistress, Hera.” He smirked, taking a sip of my smoothie. I glared but said nothing about it. He handed me his tablet and I flipped through some of the files.

  “Have Declan look for this Hera. She has to have a money trail.” Being his favorite meant she was paid off well enough to keep her happy.

  “I already have,” he told me, and I almost wanted to pout, stupid hormones. I was not a pouter.

  “Why don’t you just get me caught up since you’re the reason why I’m behind,” I snapped at him. He was so cocky, and I was torn between jumping him and beating his face in.

  “I killed Patterson. Antonio and Eric have Cross in the basement. Hera hasn’t left Vance’s side from what Declan could tell, and I wasn’t able to get the extra kiwi—”

  “What the fuck do you mean you couldn’t get extra kiwi!” I yelled, opening the lid to my drink. “You can fucking destroy Chicago, make it rain blood, but you can’t get a fruit in my drink?”

  “I was just joking.” He laughed at me, and I punched him right in his fucking nose.

  “Fuck, Jesus Christ, Mel!”

  “Jesus Christ wouldn’t mess with a pregnant woman, you idiot.”

  He shook his head wiping off his nose. “One of these motherfucking days—”

  “Careful, Liam, you don’t want your child to hear you threatening his mother.”

  He glared at me before smirking. He always smirked, or smiled, or laughed when I mentioned I was carrying his kid. It was like he was on drugs. Leaving him on the bed, I walked into the closet and grabbed my white heels along with a new dress shirt.

  “Your breasts are bigger,” Liam said from behind me. I could feel the lust rolling off him in waves.

  “I know, it’s how I figured out I was pregnant to begin with.” All my bras were custom made for me and me alone. When they no longer fit correctly, I knew. I had been the same size since I was sixteen.

  “I should have noticed,” he whispered, closing the distance between us.

  “Liam, don’t. We have to go.” I wanted him, but I also wanted to get back to my job and his dick was the reason why I was in this situation.

  His eyes were glazed over when he ripped open the shirt I just buttoned. He stared at my breasts for a moment before pulling me into his chest. With one hand, he lifted me up, holding my ass.

  “He’s a prisoner, he isn’t going anywhere.”

  Grabbing his hair, I bit his lip. “Cork your cock. Put me down, and you will live to have sex another day. I have a job to do.”

  Forcing myself out of his arms, I picked a random shirt and walked out. But not before hearing him curse and it was my turn to smirk. Pregnant or not, I ran shit.

  LIAM

  She left me so hard I had to take a quick shower so I wouldn’t have to face
our men with a hard-on. When I walked down the stairs to the basement, I was met with a crowd of our men waiting for something. In the interrogation room sat one of Valero’s men chained to his chair. However, my wife was nowhere to be found. It took me a total of eleven minutes to take a shower and dressed. She should have been here already.

  He didn’t even need for me to ask, he nodded to second door in the room, where Eric stood in front of and he opened it upon my gaze. Stepping inside, I found my Mel sitting in front of a severed hand with a rod through its middle finger. Fedel and Neal stood beside her as she just stared at it.

  “It’s Dr. Anderson’s hand,” she told me without looking away. “They left another note.”

  Fedel handed me the letter.

  We planned to send his whole body, however, we got a little carried away. All we could save was his hand. But that’s all a doctor needs right? So sad he won’t help you like he helped your mother when she was pregnant . . . you’re going to need all the help you can get.

  XOXO

  A&S

  “When did this arrive?” I hissed to Fedel and Neal.

  “The men at the gate checked it a few minutes before you got here,” Neal said.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose, I took a deep breath. “Leave us.”

  “Don’t,” she snapped at them, and they froze. “We’re done here. I’ve gotten all that I needed.”

  She said nothing more before rising from her chair calmly. She was so calm it was eerie. The moment we stepped out, Declan handed her another smoothie.

  “From mother,” he said quickly. She glared at him, taking it from his hand before walking into the interrogation room.

  When Fedel walked in, he placed a chair out for her. My mind went straight to the first time I ever laid eyes on her. She had changed so much since then and yet was alike in so many ways. We both had changed.

  “So this is the Italian bitch who managed to piss off not only Vance, but also Amory and Saige,” Cross said, and I felt my hand twitch. I wanted to rip his motherfucking tongue out.

  To make it worse, Mel did nothing. She didn’t even speak. She just sucked on that damn straw.

  “What? Do you plan to strike me down with your eyes? Where is that big bad bitch who set fire to the bosses’ wedding? Or are you just an Irish bitch now? Did Callahan fuck all the fight out you?” he asked her, and my eyes were clouding over. I was going to rip his throat out of his neck.

  “Speak, you bitch!” he yelled, fighting against the chains. “You think I will just talk? You think I’m afraid of you? I fucking ran all the prisoners for the Valero. I was the one who cut off your motherfucking doctor’s hands. He begged and begged for mercy. He didn’t talk until I started cutting. So call the motherfucker really in charge, bitch, so we can get this over with. I’m no rat.”

  Before I knew it, I already had my gun in my hands. Had she not spoken, I would have gone in there my fucking self.

  “Monte,” was all she said, and he came out of the fucking shadows of the room like he was a damn ninja with a sword in his hands.

  “What the fuck?” Declan, Neal, and I all said at the same time.

  Placing her cup on the ground, Mel stood up as calm as I had ever seen her.

  “My father taught me a lot of things growing up,” she began as she circled him. “He had this weird thing for swords . . . iron swords, though. He told me I should get martial arts training and shipped me off to Japan, because they knew their swords. I thought I would come back a motherfucking ninja, but I got my ass kicked.”

  “Is there a point to this trip down memory lane sweethea—”

  Before he could finish, Mel’s sword came down, slicing through his wrist.

  “Holy Shit,” Declan, Neal, and I said together once again as we stared at the hand on the ground.

  They spoke out in shock while I was kind of turned on. My wife was fucking bold, beautiful, and deadly. She never failed to amaze me.

  Cross screamed loudly, even though Fedel stuffed something in his mouth.

  “The point is, I have a sword, motherfucker.” She grinned, only an inch from his face as he huffed and puffed, trying to fight the pain.

  “You’re going to answer my questions or you lose limbs. That”—she pointed to his bloody hand—“was for your comments before. I’m so in charge I could be the fucking Energizer bunny.”

  He muffled something that sound liked fuck you, and Mel’s grin widened.

  “Do you know why we call people rats?” she asked him as Antonio walked in with a cage full of the beady-eyed creatures.

  Mel, with no reservation, grabbed one of them.

  Note to self—ask doctor about shots for her and the baby.

  “Because they are self-preservation creatures. They have no honor, no loyalty. It’s all about doing what they can to save themselves. In fact”—she smirked throwing the rat into a small jar—“they will eat anything if it means their survival.”

  “She wouldn’t,” Neal whispered.

  “I’m done doubting Melody. It’s unhealthy to be proven wrong so many times,” Declan whispered back.

  Cross struggled as Antonio fit the jar and the rat on the end of his decapitated wrist. But she wasn’t done. Despite her calm appearance, she was seething. Pulling out a lighter, she held it to the jar, and the rat ran toward his wrist to get away from the flame. Cross screamed against the sock.

  “So many limbs, so many rats. You called me a bitch . . . twice, insulted not only my intelligence, but also my abilities, and then killed my doctor. How ticked do you think I am?” she asked him.

  “First question and I’ll make it easy. What is the Valero’s next move?” He only screamed in pain.

  “Take your time. I can wait for you to stop screaming,” she added, drinking her damn smoothie.

  MELODY

  “He’s unconscious,” Fedel informed me, putting his hand to Cross’s neck. I was surprised he was still alive, he lasted two hours.

  Sighing, I stood up and rolled my neck. “Make sure he doesn’t die.”

  Cross had only given bits and pieces of information, most of which didn’t make any sense. It had to be the blood loss. However, I would get an answer, and I would put an end to them all.

  “It’s you who should be worried about dying.” Cross spoke out in a daze. His eyes were barely open, and he was so pale he could have been mistaken for a corpse.

  “I still have my hands and foot.” Who the fuck did this idiot think he was?

  He smiled and laughed like a mad man. Fedel punched the side of his face, but Cross only laughed harder. Then the house shook so violently I had to hold on to Antonio for a moment. It took me only a second later to realize what caused it.

  Liam busted in. “The east wing was just bombed, we need to move.”

  “See you all in hell motherfuckers. Tell the Boss I said hello.” Cross laughed and passed out.

  There was another explosion and the look in Liam’s eyes as he pulled out not only one but two guns was the deadliest I had ever seen.

  We were under attack.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Any of you fuckin’ pricks move,

  and I’ll execute every mother fuckin’ last one of ya.”

  ~ Honey Bunny, Pulp Fiction

  MELODY

  “Monte,” I hissed through my teeth, and a second later, he placed a machine pistol and two extra mags in my hands.

  “Your orders are to shoot to kill everyone but Amory or Saige,” Liam snapped at him. Fedel and Monte didn’t even waste a second before they were out the door. Placing the magazines in the back of my pants, I could feel the bloodlust kicking in.

  “Where is the family?”

  “The safe room . . . where you should be,” he said to me, grabbing hold of my arm before I could leave.

  “Liam, I don’t want to waste bullets, but so help me God if you think for a second that I’m going to sit behind walls and wait for the storm to settle, I will end you myself,” I snapped a
t him holding my gun to his nose.

  His green eyes narrowed. “You’re pregnant. Get the fuck behind the wall, Melody.”

  “Fuck you.” I glared back before walking out. The moment I did, all I saw was destruction. It was like . . . it was like we were bombed. Lights flickered, wires dangled from the ceiling, and all I could hear was gunfire.

  Leaning against the wall, I held my gun to my chest as Liam came up right next to me.

  “Done treating me like a bitch and not your wife?” I asked, trying to see where the gunfire was coming from.

  “You better not get hurt or I will kill you myself, love.” Liam smirked, kissing my cheek before stepping forward, shooting blindly into the hall and yet somehow, hitting the motherfuckers.

  Stepping out from behind the wall, I glared at him as he smirked. “I hate you.”

  “You love me . . .” He was cut off as I shot into the hall at one asshole hiding behind a broken door.

  “You forgot one.” I smirked before running down the hall and I could feel him right behind me.

  The moment we reached the east wing, it looked like an all-out war between our men, who used every part of themselves, including teeth and fists, and broken glass to kill if they were without a weapon. From the corner of my eye, I saw Neal almost rip the arm off a Russian. The air was clogged with the scent of blood, and I was going deaf from all the noise around me. Out of nowhere, a blade sliced up my leg, and the second I looked down, I met the eyes of the fool who thought it was a good idea to cut me with glass.

  Stomping my heel into his face, I screamed as his blood went everywhere. Wiping my face with my arms, I turned to see Liam slit a man’s throat. When he looked over again, he wasn’t looking at me. I followed his gaze, in time to see Amory put a bullet in Eric’s forehead.