by J. J. McAvoy
I pulled out of her, and she all but collapsed back onto the table as I came all over her back and her ass. It was the most glorious thing I had ever seen.
“You fucking prick . . .” she said through gasps. She always pretended like she hated when I came on her, but she secretly loved it. I had claimed her, and she loved when it was my turn to dominate her almost as much as she loved making me her bitch.
Rising from the table, she did her best to stand straight, and I just smirked, running my hand through my sweaty hair.
“Ten minutes . . . you could have done better.” She grinned, stripping her shirt and using it as a towel.
“We’re on a time crunch, the faster we kill these mother fuckers the more time I will have to make love to you later. I had to fuck you one more time for good measure.” I snickered, pulling up my pants.
Walking into the bathroom, she shook her head at me. “You’ve had enough control for the night. Next time, you’re my bitch.”
I couldn’t wait. I just had to make it through tonight. If the money, territory, and revenge weren’t reason enough to kill Vance and his people, the thought of my Mel controlling me was enough push me to kill anyone. This war would come to an end. I would see to it, for the sake of her, and our future family.
MELODY
I had been waiting for this ever since I got out of the hospital. As Liam drove through the plains of the African continent, I took in the night air. I had never felt so alive in all my life. My moment with Liam was animalistic, lustful, and downright pornographic, and yet it was just what I needed to breathe again. He made me feel things that no other man ever could. I knew that no matter what happened, I was in love with him.
He understood me. He loved me. And was everything I needed. I’m not sure if I could ever show him how much. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure if we were going to live. Yes, we had it all planned out, and the ideas Liam added after our little fuck fest were genius, but there was always a chance that things could go wrong. It was the truth we all understood . . . sometimes you plan and still end up dying. There was nothing you could do about things you didn’t know.
Liam never let go of my hand as we drove forward. To anyone else we had to be batshit crazy. But for us, this was the only way this could end. We couldn’t wait hours on end to strike back, this wasn’t some CIA mission. This was a battle—a war between Mafia houses—and this time, Romeo and Juliet were on the right side.
Each passing moment as he drove felt like an hour, and by the time he put the car into park under the tree and kissed my knuckles, I was all but jumping out of my skin. I needed to get this over with. I needed to be me again, and the only way I knew how to do that was to make them pay.
He reached into the backseat and pulled out two machine guns along with three different sized clips before handing me one.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and it was a stupid question, because he knew the answer already.
Flipping open the phone, I dialed quickly before snapping it in half. Neither of us had to wait long before the small village shook so violently that we could feel it in the car. Birds flew in the opposite direction along with anything else that lived. Even the clouds covered the full moon as if God himself was trying not to look at the hell we were unleashing. It took everything I had not to think about the day our home shook that way. The white smoke spread around the building like a disease crawling into every part of the home until a few men came running out guns drawn. The doses were on the lower end of the scale. I didn’t want them to die. I wanted them to be confused, dazed, and helpless.
Liam didn’t even hesitate, stepping out of the car with his gun clenched in his hands. I jumped out as well, and we waited until more of them had no choice but to come stumbling out before we unleashed a hail of gunfire.
Through a flash in the air, the dirt below us kicked into the air as Antonio, Neal, and Jinx all hovered overhead. Handing me a gas mask, we walked forward with all the ease in the world, as we were given cover. I could hear them cough trying to hack out the poison in their lungs so I did them a favor by shooting them on sight.
We didn’t really give two fucks who it was. The moment something moved, we shot it down. Vance and Saige would be in the safe room so there was no need to be careful. After all, we wanted them to die slowly. Those bitches were hoping we would just forget about them? Fuck no. Naked women screamed at the top of their lungs as they tried to make their escape, well at least some of them did, the rest of them just sat down and wept. The further we went down the hall, the hole that used to be my heart seemed to beat against my chest.
It was only when we reached the double doors did Liam and I glance at each other before kicking it in. There, naked and chained to the bed, was a man and a woman both panicking and breathing in the toxins slowly. Vance disgusted me. Shooting at their chains the man looked me dead in the eye before looking back at the wall.
“Run, you idiot,” Liam snapped, and they did, they ran as far as their naked legs could take them.
Walking toward the end of the wall, Liam knocked. “Vance, are you alive back there?” he asked, and when he got no answer, I placed a brick of C4 against the wall before we both put the pillow against it. Falling back behind the dresser, we both grinned at the sound of metal tearing against metal. We couldn’t move as a hail of bullets came at us like a swarm of bees.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” she sang, and I wanted nothing more than to rip her throat from her neck. But Liam held me back, gripping my thigh.
“You came looking for us?” She laughed. “Is this because I killed your poor baby? I’m not sorry. I would do it again!”
All I could see was red, and before Liam or even God himself could stop me, I jumped out from behind the desk. She didn’t even hesitate before shooting, one bullet hit me right in the chest, and had it not been for the bulletproof vest, I would have been gone.
Ignoring the pain, I jumped up running forward before jump-kicking her right in the face. Her body flew back into the mirror before sliding down. Grabbing the shard of the mirror, she ran toward me, but Liam, the fucking controlling ass bitch, shot her through the wrist.
“No!” I yelled at him. The redhead was mine.
He looked me over quickly before running into the safe room.
Saige, however, didn’t even take a second before she came at me with the large shard of glass.
Dropping my gun, I punched her right in the nose, elbowed her in the neck, and power-kicked her in the knees, sending her down. It was only when she was on her knees, did I draw my own knee back and bring it full-force into her face.
She fell back, and just as I was about to grab onto her hair, a rope tied around my neck, choking the life out of me.
“I’ve been waiting to do this since the first day I saw you,” Ryan hissed into my ear as I struggled for air. The prick grabbed onto my breast. “I think I’ll only leave you unconscious so that way you can wake up to me in you.”
Just as everything was going black, his grip on me was gone as his body fell back to the ground a bullet through his skull. Liam stood in front of me, nose flaring like a bull. Hell was once again reflected in his eyes. It was then that Saige thought it would be a good idea to try to stab him, but before she could, I grabbed her arm and twisted it until I heard a sickening pop and her arm went limp.
“Vance had a motorcycle, he’s gone,” Liam said, but I knew he was pissed. He wanted this done yesterday.
“And you’ll never catch him,” Saige said, from her place beneath us . . . as she fucking should be.
“You’re going to die soon, so I’m going to let you know this little fun fact.” I bent down, looking into her eyes. “This is going to hurt, you’re going to cry, and right as your soul leaves your body, you will cry out to God, and not even He will show you mercy.”
With that, I punched her right in the face and her eyes rolled back.
Glancing up at Liam, he smirked throwing me his phone.
Guess who’s driving toward us, the text read. I hated guessing, but just this once I would enjoy playing along.
LIAM
“Vance, Vance, Vance.” I smiled at the bonded and gagged man in front of me. He looked so weak, so . . . not worth my time. How there was ever a time where I dared worry about him was beyond me. He was a sexually perverted old man with Russian friends.
“I’ve dreamt of killing you since I was child,” I told him, pulling the gag from his mouth. “I thought about how many ways I could destroy you, and I have to say, this was one of those ways.”
“You think this is over?” Vance asked, and Mel punched him in the jaw.
“Love, he’s mine to beat the shit out of.” I frowned at her. Rolling her eyes, she held up her hands before leaning against the tree with Saige kneeling in front of her.
Our men gathered around us, all watching with joy, pride, and most of all excitement. They had grown to either enjoy my method of torture or hate it in silence. Either way, this has been long overdue.
“What were you saying?” I asked him pulling out a knife. “Something about this not being over?”
Vance grinned. “You stupid Irish bastard. You thought I was something to worry about? You don’t even know what’s coming. I was your buffer, without me she will come after you next.”
“You’re not making sense, Vance,” I sighed running the blade against his cheek. “And you don’t have a lot of time to explain.”
Again, Vance grinned, looking over to my Mel. “Ruthless isn’t she? Just like her mother.”
At that, Mel’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh is that rage?” he asked her, and I punched him right in the face, sending him onto his back, but he just laughed.
“Correction, that was rage.” He grinned before coughing up blood along with a few teeth. “But poor little Melody, the little girl who lost her mother so tragically at my hands. But wait?”
He laughed on like a mad man. “She isn’t even dead!”
“What are you talking about, Vance?” Mel replied shooting him in the ankle.
But Vance was so mental, he didn’t even flinch.
“I mean, my sweet girl, your mother is alive, your mother and grandfather are both alive actually. Ruling in secret. They have just been waiting for us to kill each other and pick up the pieces.” He sighed shaking his head.
“You’re lying,” I hissed, shooting him though his other ankle.
“Maybe,” he said, falling onto his back. “Or maybe all those years married to Orlando ‘Iron Hands’ Giovanni changed her, made her into something dark and ruthless. After all, the apple can’t fall so far from the tree. But you’ll see soon. You can’t touch her. She’s untouchable, they are all untouchable.”
Mel and I both unloaded our weapons into him, not stopping until every last bullet was in his body.
Grabbing Saige by the hair, Mel forced her to stand right beside Vance’s fallen body. Pulling the ripped shirt from her mouth, Mel glared into her eyes.
“Was he telling the truth?”
Saige just smiled. “Fuck you, fuck your mother, and fuck every last one of your men.”
Taking a deep breath, Mel took a step back.
“Strip her.”
Saige’s eyes widened as the men closed in on her. “You’re going to let them rape me?” She tried not to look scared. The men all cringed at the thought.
“No one wants you, whore,” Fedel said from behind her, causing the men to laugh as they approached. Without a second thought, they ripped all her clothes off, leaving her standing there bloody and dirty.
“You get to leave this world the same way you came in,” Mel said holding her hand out as Adriana handed her a pair of scissors.
“First, bald.” Kicking her bad knee, Mel grabbed a fistful of hair and cut. She pulled and cut until all Saige had were clumps of red hair. When she was done, she grabbed the handcuffs Saige was in and cuffed her to the back of the Jeep.
“Second, screaming.”
The rage, the fire, the pain in Mel’s eyes made it clear to everyone that they should not stop her until Saige suffered, and this was the only way. Mel was going to drag her body for God knows how many miles until Saige either died from the shock or the loss of blood. The animals would do the rest.
“Please . . . please . . . don’t do this. I—” Mel just stuffed a sock in her mouth.
“A life for a life,” Mel whispered to her. “You crossed the wrong family.”
Monte held open the car for her, and she smiled at me through the mirror.
“This is going to hurt you way more than it’s going to hurt us,” I said to her before stepping in through the passenger side door.
Starting up the engine, Mel hit the gas hard, and screams filled the morning sky, but I just turned up the music. We were finally on top of the world.
“When did you take out my fucking CD?” Mel snapped at me as she drove faster.
“Your taste in music is shit, love.”
“Just because I don’t like that fucking classic and old school hip hop crap, doesn’t make it shit.”
“All those artists are auto-tuned anyway. I like real music,” I said, turning it up just a little bit louder to drown out the screams.
“What the fuck is this?” She glared at the radio.
“MC Ren,” I said, and she just stared at me. Smirking, I began to rap along with it, causing her eyes to widen before she broke out in a fit of laughter.
“You are a pale-ass white kid from Chicago Elite. You are not allowed to try to rap this.”
“Hater.” I winked and as she smiled. For the first time in forever, we both felt like we could just relax.
Looking out at the lions as they rose for another day, I wondered if we were any different. After all—I killed, ate, slept, and fucked just as they did. I was the king of the jungle, and the woman beside me was my queen.
EPILOGUE
“Like Alexander the Great and Caesar,
I’m out to conquer the world.”
~ Jarod Kintz
MELODY
“Five.” I kissed his nose
“Four.” He kissed my forehead
“Three.” I kissed his cheek.
“Two.” He kissed my chin.
“One,” we said at the same time before kissing each other deeply.
“Happy New Year,” I whispered into the darkness of our room.
“Happy New Year, love,” he whispered back.
Hearing the fireworks go off pulled me away from him, much to his protests, but I did want to see all the effort Evelyn had put in. Grabbing my robe, I stood at the window taking in the sight of all those celebrating like drunken fools.
“You know they say the first year of marriage is the hardest,” Liam said, kissing my shoulder.
Groaning, I leaned into him. “We’re still in the first year.”
“Really? I swear it’s been longer than that.” He laughed, trying to untie my robe, but I slapped his hands away.
“Control yourself. We have a meeting, remember?” Despite the fact that I wanted him as well, this was important.
“You’re starting the year off wrong.”
“You’ll forgive me, now put on pants.” He was such a pain sometimes.
“You put on pants.” He glared at my bare legs.
Rolling my eyes at him, I threw him his pajama bottoms. “I can wear whatever I want! So let’s go, the family is waiting.”
He frowned but wore his stupid pants, following me out of the room and into the study. There sat the whole family, along with Senator Colemen, Olivia’s Father, who looked very confused about why he was here.
His whole demeanor changed when Liam took a seat in his chair while I sat on the desk.
“Thank you all for coming,” Liam said to them coldly. “As you all know, it’s been a stressful year. However, that’s what happens when you take over a state.”
“And now that we have the state eating out of our hand, we want t
he country.” I smiled at them all.
“How do you plan on doing that?” Sedric asked, leaning into his chair.
Liam and I grinned before Liam spoke. “You run for the highest office in the land.”
Declan coughed up his drink. “You want to run for President?”
“Hell fucking no,” Liam replied. “Senator Colemen does, and we’re going to support him one hundred percent.”
Senator Colemen’s eyes widened as he gaped at us. “You want me to run for President? Have you lost your mind? Is this a joke?”
I glared at the idiot. “No, this is an order, or did you forget who has been funding all your other campaign events?”
“You’re going to run for office, and you’re going to win,” Liam said as fact. “And then you’re going to work for us.”
Senator Colemen shook his head. “That isn’t possible. Not only am I part of an unpopular party right now, but I’m divorced and have only been in the Senate for a few years.”
“Why are you under the impression that we’re asking?” I stood, turning to face him. “You’re running for President, you will be the President of the United States of America, and you will also work toward our best interests.”
“As for your wife,” Liam said, paging Adriana who opened the door to reveal the ex-Mrs. Coleman.
“Mom?” Olivia gasped quickly, rising to give her a large hug.
“There, look, a wife. And by coming back together, you will prove you can work with both parties, blah blah blah . . . you have a ready-made family with a lot of connections and deep pockets. When we say you’re going to be President, we mean you are the next Commander and Chief. ”
“We want the country and the world. Truthfully we wanted it yesterday so don’t try to get in our way,” I told him.