Suck It Up, Buttercup: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (First Fangs Club Book 2)

by Kristen Painter

  By the arch of her perfect brows, Neo was clearly impressed. “You’re descended from a god?”

  He got a sly little smile. “Way back, yes.”

  “How about that.” Neo made a little noise with her tongue. “We’re going to talk about this some more, I can guarantee you that. Now, go on with the plan, Donna.”

  “Well, I was thinking Temo’s quake would disorient them. Then the three of us can rush in, subdue them, and truss them up. We’ll have them in the back of this SUV before you can say FBI.”

  Neo nodded. “I’m cool with that. We just may not have the element of surprise if we don’t do a little recon first.”

  “Meaning?” Donna asked.

  “If they’re in a cheap motel, rushing in is no problem. They have nowhere to go and nowhere else to be but in the room. But if they’re holed up in a house somewhere, there’s all kinds of rooms they could be in. Better to know before we go, you see what I’m saying?”

  “Yes, totally. We definitely need to adjust based on where they are.”

  Twenty minutes later, that question was answered as Charlie’s SUV turned into a retirement community called Holiday City, and both vehicles slowed to a crawl.

  Donna looked at the houses. Very few had been updated since they’d been built, most likely in the eighties. Very few of them looked well maintained. This place was one step up from assisted living. And not the really nice assisted living either.

  “This must be it,” Neo said.

  “Must be.” Then a new thought came to Donna. An unfortunate thought. She pressed her fingers to her temples. “This isn’t good.”

  Temo glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Why not?”

  “This is a fifty-five-and-over community. Joe’s not fifty-five, and Carmella didn’t look remotely fifty-five. At best, she’s a well-worn thirty-six.”

  “So?” Neo said.

  “So I didn’t take into consideration that they might not be alone. What if this is where Carmella’s parents live, and she and Joe are in the house with two senior citizens? Temo can’t do his quake here. It might cause pacemakers to go haywire. People could stroke out. Oxygen tanks could explode.”

  “Boss,” Temo started, “I don’t think my quake could do that.”

  “I’m just saying, this changes our approach big-time. We have innocents to protect. We can’t let people get hurt.” She shook her head. “Joe and Carmella? They can get as bruised up as necessary, but I don’t want anyone else becoming collateral damage.”

  Neo turned a little to see Donna better. “We can handle that. But it might not be a bad idea to have Charlie and Pierce help us. Maybe they could get the old people out.”

  “No, I need Rixaline safe and back at the penthouse as soon as possible.” Donna frowned. “The fae know I have her.”

  Neo’s eyes rounded a little. “They do? How?”

  Donna snuck a look at Temo before answering. “I ran into one at the house as I was leaving. I was furious and not thinking, and I walked to the end of the driveway—”

  “That’s a long way from the house.”

  “I know. And just outside the property line and the protection of iron. Like I said, I wasn’t thinking. Anyway, Temo got there in time to help me out, but the fae smelled Rixaline on me. It knew right away that I’d been in contact with her. I’m sure it figured out she came to me for sanctuary.”

  Neo was silent for a moment. “What’s the worst they can do? Your building is completely protected.”

  “But,” Temo said, “she’s not in the building right now.”

  “Exactly.” Donna looked at the car ahead of them. “That’s what I’m worried about. And why I want her back at the penthouse as quickly as possible.”

  “Point taken,” Neo said. “It’s just the three of us, then.” She looked at Temo. “This quake of yours. Can you control it? Direct it?”

  “I can control the strength of it, and I can direct where it goes, but the effects are still very broad. When I knocked the fae away, the governor fell down.”

  Donna nodded. “Not a big deal, though. I could tell the shockwaves that went out in front of you were much greater than what I felt standing behind you.”

  Neo gave that some thought. “So how about this? Temo doesn’t set this quake off until we know if there are seniors in the house and where they are so they can be shielded a little. Does that work?”

  Donna sat back. “Yes. So long as they aren’t frail to begin with. If we’re talking walkers and oxygen, then no quake. I don’t want us to be responsible for hurting them.”

  “Cool,” Temo said. “Me either.”

  The car ahead slowed to a stop, and Donna’s phone vibrated with an incoming call from Pierce. She answered. “Which house?”

  “The blue one just ahead on the left. Number 1320.”

  “Okay. We’ll take it from here. Get Rixaline back to the penthouse.”

  “You sure you don’t want help?”

  “You’re helping by keeping her safe. We’re good. Thank you. See you as soon as possible.”

  “You all be safe too. Bye.” Pierce hung up.

  The SUV Charlie was driving made the next right turn to head for home.

  Temo looked up. “We can’t park in front. Too obvious and too great a chance of being seen. But the way these streets are laid out, we could come in from the back.”

  “Sounds good,” Donna said.

  “Wait.” Neo put her hand on the door. “Let me out here. I’ll do a little recon around the front and meet you in the backyard.”

  “Be safe,” Temo said.

  “Yes,” Donna agreed. “No risks. Just recon.”

  “Got it.” Neo hopped out, letting in a burst of cold air before she shut the door.

  It felt good. The chill was just the thing Donna needed to bring her into the moment.

  With a burst of speed, Neo disappeared into the darkness, and Temo rolled slowly forward. He and Donna both took long, hard looks at the house as they went by.

  Temo ran down the details. “Single-story ranch, two-car garage. No ramp, so whoever lives there is able-bodied enough to use the steps. Probably three bedrooms, two baths. Maybe a half bath in the basement, which might only be partially finished. That could be where Joe is.”

  “Agreed. Especially because the basement probably has access to the garage, which would give him an easy way out. Although I’m guessing they ditched the SUV they had at my house.”

  “The basement is pretty easy to defend too. One set of steps going down. Maybe a walk-out access. Maybe not.” He turned the corner and went around the block. “Anyway, if that’s where he and Carmella are, I can easily use my skills to give them a good jolt and leave anyone on the main level mostly untouched. Maybe a little rumble. Not much more.”

  “Perfect. We’ll know more when we hit the backyard.”

  “Neo might have it figured out too.” He parked in front of a house with no lights on and no cars in the drive. “This okay?”

  They were three houses away. Seconds in vampire time. “Perfect.”

  “All right.” He turned the motor off. “Ready to go when you are.”

  “You have zip ties?”

  He patted the pockets of his cargo pants. “And duct tape.”

  “Even better.”

  They got out and made their way forward, then along the side yard of the house behind Carmella’s parents’ house. If this was where her parents lived and not some weird setup she’d scammed her way into because she thought a retirement community was a good place to hide with her scummy boyfriend.

  Although Joe was fifty-three. And had a full set of dentures.

  Neo met them at the property line between the two homes. “We have a problem.”

  Of course they did. “It’s not her parents’ house, is it?” Donna asked.

  Neo shook her head. “I don’t think so. The woman inside looks more like a grandmother, an elderly aunt, or some poor random woman she’s manipulated. Whichever i
t is, there’s a little old lady in the living room asleep in a recliner. TV’s still on.”

  “Any sign of Joe or Carmella?”

  “No, but there are enough dishes in the kitchen sink to tell me that there’s definitely more than one person in this house.”

  Donna grinned. “You do a pretty thorough recon.”

  Neo smiled. “Yeah, well, take a deep inhale. What do you smell?”

  Temo answered before Donna. “Cigar smoke.”

  Neo nodded. “Does Joe smoke cigars?”

  “Yes. And it’s unlikely that’s a habit of Grandma’s. Joe’s in there. He has to be.” Donna stared at the house. “Is there basement access from outside?”

  “Not that I found.”

  “Good,” Donna said. “Makes it easier for us. Temo thinks that’s where Joe and Carmella are.”

  Neo smiled at him. “I know they are. The side of the house has two basement windows. They have sheers over them, but there was enough light from the TV for me to make out two shapes. They’re definitely down there. Besides that, I counted four heartbeats in the house.”

  “Four?” Donna asked.

  “Grandma has a dog that looks as old as she is. Pooch is sleeping in a bed near the recliner. Pretty sure it’s not a guard-dog situation. The thing looks more fluff than fierce.”

  Temo grinned. “Good recon.”

  “Thanks.” Neo fluttered her lashes at him.

  Donna almost rolled her eyes at the pair. “Okay, so once Temo does his quake, how are we going to get Joe and Carmella out but still protect the old lady and Fido?”

  “I have an idea,” Neo said. “One that would give us an advantage.”

  “Oh?” Donna was all about advantages.

  She nodded. “I can cut power to the house. That’d put them in the dark, but it wouldn’t affect us, and if we’re quiet, Grandma might not even wake up.”

  Donna considered that. “We might be quiet, but what about Joe and Carmella?”

  Temo tapped his fist against his open palm. “We gotta strike hard and fast. Don’t let them get noisy before we slap that duct tape over their mouths.”

  “I’m all for that,” Donna said.

  “Good.” Neo turned toward the house. “There’s a side door into the garage. I want to cut the power from the breaker box so I can turn it back on when we’re done. Don’t want to leave Grandma without heat or lights.”

  “That wouldn’t be good,” Donna said. “They’ve been talking about snow. Last thing we want is an old woman and her dog freezing to death. Did you bring anything to pick a lock with?”

  She shook her head. “But I won’t need it. A good twist of the knob, and we’re in. Grandma will just have to lock the door into the house since the outside door’s knob will have to be replaced.”

  “All right,” Donna said. “Let’s get this done. Remember, quick in and out. And protect the old lady. Temo, make sure Neo and I are behind you when you do your thing.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  The three headed for the door at the side of the garage, keeping to the shadows as much as possible.

  Neo put her hand on the doorknob and wrenched it until it popped open with a tinny, metallic squeak. She leaned in, listening for a moment, then shook her head. “No movement.”

  Donna nodded.

  In they went. There were two cars in the garage. A gold late-model Honda Accord that looked well kept and a flashy red Miata that had a dent in the door panel and a long, unmistakable key scratch down the same side. That had to be Carmella’s.

  Donna almost laughed imagining Joe in that car.

  Neo went to the breaker box, opened it, and threw the main switch.

  The garage had already been dark, but the soft sounds of the two televisions that had been coming through the walls disappeared.

  A muted male voice cursed.

  “Joe?” Temo asked.

  Donna nodded. “Let’s go grab us a gangster.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Joe kept making noise, oblivious to the beatdown that was coming. He was clomping around in the dark, running into things, and complaining about Carmella not paying the bill.

  It was pretty funny, at least to Donna.

  Temo led the way, since he was their first line of attack. They went into the house, found the door to the basement steps, and went down. A small hall split to the finished side and the unfinished side. Easy to tell where Joe was. And not just because of the stench of cigars, Carmella’s perfume, and the cheap floral air freshener losing the battle with both.

  Donna felt bad for the old woman upstairs. No one should have to put up with Joe and his disgusting ways.

  Temo gave her and Neo a hand signal to wait, then went down the hall to the end where it opened up. He repeated the same thing he’d done with the fae, stomping his foot and saying, “Tofa.” He spoke the word a little differently this time, with more restraint and focused power.

  The ground under Donna and Neo trembled, but they stayed standing.

  In the other room, two cries were followed by the thumps of two bodies hitting the floor.

  Neo and Donna raced forward.

  Temo was already beside Joe, holding him down. Both he and Carmella looked like they’d been knocked out, but Donna knew that was too good to last.

  “Temo,” she hissed. “Zip ties?”

  He dug into his pocket. “Here.” He tossed some to Donna.

  “Thanks.” She grabbed them, then she and Neo went to work securing Carmella’s hands and feet.

  Temo did the same to Joe, who was already coming around.

  He tried to sit up. “What the he—”

  Temo tore off a strip of duct tape and slapped it over his mouth.

  Joe did his best to curse and scream anyway, but it just came out a ragey mumble.

  “Neo?” Temo held up the tape.

  She nodded and raised her hand. He threw the roll to her. She caught it, then ripped a piece off and covered Carmella’s mouth before standing up. “Hey, you think one of us should go check on the old lady?”

  Donna got to her feet as well, brushing her hands off. “I don’t hear any sounds of distress. I’m sure she’s okay. But we can have a look when we go back up.”

  At the sound of Donna’s voice, Joe’s head whipped around.

  His eyes went wide, and he said her name, although through the duct tape it sounded like, “Nohna?”

  She went over and leaned down. “That’s right. It’s me. Not dead like you thought, huh? How’s that for a shocker?”

  He just stared, eyes round and wide. Maybe a little fearful. Good. He should be afraid. He was about to get what had been coming to him for a long time.

  She straightened. “Temo, why don’t you take Joe, and I’ll take Carmella. That way, Neo’s free to get the power back on.”

  “You got it, boss.” He squatted, then hoisted Joe over his shoulder. Joe’s nose whistled as the air came out of him.

  Neo pulled Carmella to her feet, who was only now coming around. She squirmed, but Neo snarled at her. “Move again, and I will bite you.”

  A little mew of acquiescence was all that answered Neo. She glanced at Donna. “You grab her, and I’ll zip upstairs.”

  Donna came over and put Carmella over her shoulder. The woman didn’t weigh a whole lot and seemed rather timid, then Donna remembered this was the same woman who’d shot an FBI agent.

  However she was acting, there was a good chance she was putting on a ruse in hopes of getting one over on them.

  Neo started for the hall, then stopped and held up her hand. “You hear that?” she whispered. Then she pointed upstairs.

  Donna listened. Some small, shuffling noises. “The dog?”

  Neo nodded. “Yep. Okay, getting the lights.”

  She disappeared down the hall. Donna and Temo followed after her with their human cargo. They were almost to the steps when Neo called out to them.

  “You guys? We have a problem.”

  They
rounded the stairwell and looked up, seeing exactly what she was talking about.

  Grandma was at the top of the steps. With a shotgun.

  She had it braced against her hip and pointed at them. “Where do you think you’re going with my granddaughter?”

  Her little dog, which was some kind of fuzzy white terrier-demon hybrid, snarled at them.

  Carmella squirmed and squealed like there was a prize for most obnoxious hostage. Not that she was a hostage, exactly.

  “I can take her,” Neo said softly.

  But Donna honestly didn’t want the woman to get hurt. “Ma’am, your granddaughter shot an FBI agent. And this man that she’s brought into your house is a mobster. Joseph Barrone. He’s a very wanted man.”

  Grandma hoisted the gun a little more in Donna’s direction. “He’s also my meal ticket, toots. Now put them both down, or I’m gonna blow a hole in Ninja Barbie here.”

  Neo squinted and gave Donna a look. “Am I Ninja Barbie?”

  “I guess so,” Donna said. “You are dressed all in black.”

  “So are you.”

  “Shut up,” Grandma yelled.

  Donna had had enough. There could be fae swarming outside the house, for all she knew. “Temo. Drop her.”

  “You got it, boss. Hang on.”

  Donna hooked her free arm around the stair railing. Neo quickly did the same.

  Temo pounded his foot against the tread and gave a loud, “Tofa.”

  Grandma went flying back with the shotgun, pulling the trigger as she went and taking out a good portion of the stairwell ceiling. Her little dog yelped and tumbled away after her. Both disappeared from view.

  The boom from the gun and the quake from Temo nearly caused Neo and Donna to pull the railing loose, but everything subsided a few moments later. Everything but Joe’s and Carmella’s squirming.

  Neo hustled up to make sure Grandma was all right. Donna and Temo, still toting their human haul, followed.

  The old woman was sprawled on the kitchen floor, out cold, her floral housedress hitched up to her knees, revealing rolled-down support hose. The snarly little dog had retreated under the table and growled as they entered.

  Temo growled back, and the mutt went running. Grandma’s hand was still on the shotgun. Temo nudged it out of reach while Neo bent at the old woman’s side.